Got up to traditional Sunday Breakfast - why does French Muesli clog up my teeth so that not even a tooth-pick can gain access?

Intention to "get on with work".

Started to get on, but hooly and rain re-impinged - but decided to give it a go anyway.

2 English Lorry Drivers stopped to chat - had discovered the good parking at le Coteau end of port. Hope they are not joined by others - can imagine cafes and discos being started up for them. They themselves were in total agreement - only parked there because it is quiet.

Completed another pair of fenders, and after most exhausting physical contortions managed to bolt 2 holdfast brackets to hull side in bows just below rubbing strake ready for fenders.

S lost spanner in bow locker - involved removal of 1 gas bottle and almost entire contents.

Much excitement when the electric drill wouldn’t work. Noticed the electric extension plug was dangling in the water. Both boat’s and shore supply safety switches had jumped out. Not surprising.

Took all day achieving little because a great deal of time on these occasions is taken up with gossiping - either to fellow boaters - dead technical - or members of the public - dead French.

Evening turned grey and cold with heavy rain.

Heavy knock on boat side about 2100 - 1 of the lorry drivers - his mate had burned himself throwing a blowing up gas stove out of his lorry.

S took them to A & E - called SAMU here - but missed SAMU entrance and ended up at main entrance of very large hospital all closed and shuttered for Sunday night.

Separated at entrance when victim started being sick, and S. charged round grounds with 2 porters and a wheel chair trying to find victim, who made his own way to the proper entrance.

Some indications from male nurses with wheel chair, that perhaps S. would like a ride to the Psych ward.

However, victim duly admitted, S. brought other driver back - huge man - but wouldn’t eat or drink anything - shaken - the victim was quite badly burnt, and was kept in.

Complete change in weather - has summer arrived - hot, clear and sunny all day - albeit with very light shower of rain at dusk - now at 20.30!

Spent all day struggling with fenders - want to get them right, once and for all - but quite an effort with whole port - including S - supervising, and constant change of mind and methods on own part.

S spent most of day running around sorting victim of last nights lorry cooker fire out - including official affairs, and his clothes!

Narrow Boat Santana seen at Decize last week arrived in Port - Julian somebody - very brown, his boat wintered out of the water at Laroche Migennes, and presumably he has come down the Nivernais as it opened in all the last 2 weeks vile weather.

S. to doctor recommended by other boaters - made appointment in morning by telephone, and seen at 12.15. Complete examination - especially B.P. - paid Dr (not receptionist) on departure! About £8.00. It appears France’s health service is away ahead of ours on all counts. Just as technically advanced, no waiting lists, and very friendly and helpful - even to foreigners. They couldn’t have been better with the lorry driver - once he was in the hospital - nor to S. One pays all charges in full - not that they are that high - then trot up to Social Services with a magic English form called E111. and get 80% back there and the in cash of all fees, medicines, lab tests etc. If you genuinely haven’t the money you get the lot back, but don’t know how.

All the boaters, and any non-French we have met who have experienced the system cannot speak to highly of it.

Started cold and grey - but summer returned.

More fender work - first set taking for ever, and getting boring.

Much physical dangling over side of boat drilling holes, etc.

Gordon and Gwen Redquest in for supper - lots of enjoyable English Narrow Boat stories on Leeds and Liverpool, as well as boating in France.

To France Telecoms for new mobile phone - same result as before - much talking and telephoning, but no goods - have to ask phoner..........(On checking back to edit I found this "end" dangling in the air. I have no idea what I was going to write - but the evening was traumatic, anyway).

France Telecom - come back to-morrow, if nothing full refund.

Whole thing very boring, and taking much too much time.

Still struggling - vaguely - with fenders.

Tel call first thing from France Telecom - bits have arrived!

Did morning "chores" and went up, saw it all, and asked them to put tel on charge, and we would try everything out after lunch.

Total agreement - indeed happy agreement!

After lunch went back, occupied one end, and one half of smallish stand up counter space, plugged computer, mouse, and everything in - plugged in new "cable pronounced karble" - plugged in new telephone - switched on computer, and happy little message "found new hardware, do something or other to install".

Did "something or other", and it all installed itself. Sorted out new tel dialer, and after a few false starts got through to Pipex Bordeaux.

Much happiness all round, especially from long queue of others awaiting After Sales Service behind and along side us! Rise in morale of service agents behind counter had to be seen to be believed - one gets the impression they were as sad as us when thing kept on not arriving! Desperately difficult languages - apart from strong local accent, problem of technicalities.

It has to be said that if we had had the help and consideration from Vodaphone last year that we have had from France Telecom, we would undoubtedly still be loyal users of vodaphone. 

It appears that that great British Institution, Vodaphone, is one of those organisations - Lloyds is another going the same way - that are run, in a faintly mediocre way, by the great unwashed, exclusively to see how much money and how little service can be extracted from supplied to the rest of the Great Unwashed. We speak from personal experience of trying to do business in their shops, and from dealing with their Head Office Staff. We are NOT members of the Great Unwashed (are we?) so are of less than no importance to them

Boaters and readers all - think again - the product is good, but the people are dreadful - you have been warned!

Leaving this heartfelt digression, on with the France Telecoms - brought all the kit back with intense pleasure and, of course, after a short while it wouldn’t work any more, and the computer itself started getting bolshie, not booting properly, and throwing up "technical errors". Anyone heard of an ASD, or Automatic Skip Device? It is in the Windows 98 Help list under "troubleshooting". It found something wrong to do with a "statistical something or other", and that I should contact the manufacturers. However, it had a little box which virtually said tick here and we'll have another go, and we'll isolate whatever it is that is giving you grief if it fails again.

It didn’t, and the error message disappeared. Everything is still working as before, but it isn’t whingeing quite so much, and after re-installation the modem is working like a dream. We still have a failed boot about 1 in 4, though.

Went along to Santana for drinks in evening - he goes to-morrow.

When we got back to Albert, Joke (Yoka) and Paul (Dutch) from Aurora were on their way home, but wanted to see a N.B. so came in for a drink.

This social life!

Took Albert across to low wooden jetty by Capitainerie to try and sort rear fenders at more reasonable height above water level, than our own jetty. Not bad, but still difficult.

Decided to do no more until dry dock, when sides of boat accessible from reasonable position.

Both saw Santana off, (the custom on these occasions is to assemble at the lock at the entry/exit to the basin, and do lots of kissing and handshaking. How sad that virtually the whole boating community is of or over retirement age) then we separated to do go our own way and do own thing.

S. took boat wives to veg market in car to do major shop - self on bike up town to buy oil and fuel filters - bloody expensive - and across river to persuade mechanic in out-board repair yard to help install them and the water pump impellor.

Great trip round town on bike right up to far end, then across to other side of river. Lots of good exercise and clean living. Frequently remember to ride on correct side of road, but am still puzzled as to Y. D.’s objection to my riding out of a car park at a sign that said "entree". The French didn’t mind, and I don’t. (Pity the bloody trailer chose that moment to turn over, though - weakened my argument).

Still happily playing with re-vitalised computer, modem and telephone - thought of bill next week precludes sleep.

Invited to Aurora for return visit - tea at 4.00 - actually very nice coffee and cakes. The boat is fabulous - looks like a naval patrol boat, 2 Cummins bulldozer engines, everything imaginable that opens and shuts, rows of cupboards and fridges and freezers and dials and knobs and washing machines and huge TV and VCR.

Paul had a fridge business, before retiring, and knows his way around the marine engineering world. Bought the hull, and did all the rest himself, including engine installation, over 18 months fulltime.

Watched a super video of Holland’s millennium concert - have to admit it was very much better than ours! Andre Rieu.