Preparations and farewells procede apace as zero "leave for Albert" hour approaches.

Much last minute purchasing of items that "might" prove useful, but that are expensive and probably a waste of money.

Last minute grief with computer, internet, website and whatever.

Packed up flat, and car, and lunch with Treasures (living up to name, and now 3 off)

Onto ferry 1300 - next time we drive it’ll be "tenez le droit".

Ferry almost empty - happiness. Weather very cold and grey and a bit blowy after super sunny spring like w/e in Southsea.

Crossing, in fact, was reasonably calm - although initially a bit bobbety.

Searched Southsea Front for farewell wavers - cold and inappropriate weather, and anyway too far out to distinguish people.

Whiled away boring time during crossing (daylight afternoon) by snoozing in lounge, watching "Toys 2", and supping off "full English Breakfast".

Drove ashore 2130 French time in le Havre, searched for hotel - pre booked - and found it safely when right address finally used.

Locked car in garage, but forgot to extract books, so had to go to sleep watching v. old American TV film with French sub-titles that we saw in Chalford.

Le Havre to Mortagne au Perche. (by car)

Continental b’fast went down well - how we miss our early morning cup of Nescafe in bed though.

Discovered joys - never met them last year - of chocolate croissants!

Wandered off in car about 10.00 in general direction of "lets go down the coast a bit, then branch inland".

Stopped first for diesel - asked if I could pay with "plastique". I think that means explosive - however, question understood and car filled (54p a litre as opposed to 79 in UK) and the gendarmerie ant-terroriste were not called.

Map reading depended entirely on small scale whole country road planning maps. We had left our good Michelin road map book on the boat and were far too mean to buy another, and were determined to keep to country roads.

Spent a very happy morning driving over the 2 enormously high bridges over the estuary (gateway to Rouen) to Honfleur, where we parked car and doodled around the harbour and sat on a pavement cafe drinking incredibly expensive - but very good - coffee.

Bought picnic lunch, and ate by sea further on down coats.

Still bright, but cold.

Spent night at Mortagne au Perche. Logis-de-France. Good.

Montagne au Perche to Gien (by car)

Flat big farming countryside - a little bleak, cold, and windy.

Nice when we finally arrived by R. Loire - river big by now!

Slept over in Logis-de-France - quite up market, in town overlooking river, but still same price.

Changed our bedroom twice (no 1 too expensive, no 2 had twin beds). Then insisted - requested - 90 ffr set dinner (the cheapest available) which was served quickly, properly, courteously, beautifully prepared, and quite delicious.

Gien to Veurdry. (by car)

Visited Ceramics factory in Gien, for which town is well known, before setting off, and the reason we went to Gien. (Anthea’s fault!). Museum fascinating, ware at seconds shop very expensive, but VERY nice. Good, solid and hard glazed in the hand, and super colourful designs. Regrettably, the design I liked (naturally the most expensive) lacked dinner plates - fortunately - it was probably a little "loud" anyway. Too bad - still bought sufficient of S’s favourite design - much more appropriate - to replace old brown S.A. ware we had on boat - let’s appear to live in the manner to which we should have been born! Well done Mr Barclay’s "plastique".

Veudry to Roanne (by car).

Starting to "smell" Albert, and feel we should stop loafing around, and get on with getting aboard, and find out how the winter had really treated her.

(We had phoned a couple of times during the winter to her mooring neighbour and to the "Capitaine du Porte", but although they all said all was well - was it really?)

Arrived mid-afternoon, after lunching by the canal at Briarre (not visited last year).

Rather like Laroches Migennes last year, there was Albert coyly tucked behind and almost out of sight.

Much cheering and greeting with Maggie (co-owner of "Lymie" - what a ghastly name for a boat) George was in Turkey selling their car (their car was a Turkish built, and Turkish registered, and unsaleable in the E.U.)

Albert was totally OK. Smelt clean and dry inside, and started straight away. Utterly filthy outside, but we seem to have left her clean inside. Cannot remember!

Motored to vacant electrical and water point on jetty, moored up, set up shop, and settled in as though we had not abandoned boat and been away for 4 and a half months!

Cold and clear.

Mains and boat electricity both failed at about 2000, so went to bed, tired, worried, but basically happy.

In Roanne.

Electricity nothing but finger trouble. Like the e-mail via mobile phone, we had just forgotten everything, and 5 minutes after checking and thinking, all was joy and working.

Intended to wash boat, unpack car, and generally organise ourselves. Managed to wash and polish one side and one end, but energy lacking, and interrupted by constant stream of visitors - most welcome.

Sponge mop thing missing - probably blown over side in storm.

Locked Flossie’s old bike to public seat 4 yards from boat, otherwise cleared everything away, and locked car carefully (only 15 yards away, but this is a city.

Worked all day with no hat on. Got head sun-burned - bloody stupid at my time of life!

Cleaned near side of boat, and gently gloated in almost perfect sunny crisp cool weather. Wore hat all day - head sore.

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