April 30th to May 6th.
Much social life, both amongst boats, and local friends - not forgetting Carrol from Britannia Way on the I. of W.
A most useful time for settling in for the year on the boat.
Nearly went mad trying to log onto Barclaycard VISA. Have run account perfectly for over a year, "online", but now the site is full of new gobbledygook - page after page of nonsense to wade through, then a request for a "special word", non production of which causes entry to site to be blocked. After spending a fortune - we necessarily go online through a mobile telephone modem at 9600 b.p.s. only (1/6th normal domestic speed), was told to contact a 0161 tel number. Did so, and got usual moron, wanting - at my tel expense - minute details of my doings, and intentions and identity. Made him promise to ring back, but needless to say, he didn’t. Looks as though Visa account now dead. Can think of only 1 suitable "special word" in these circumstances.
S. spent an entire day finding and purchasing a new top mattress. The existing one was bought as a 1 year temporary stop gap comfort maker 6 years ago. No car added enormously to the administrative problems. Mattress purchasing and carrying not practical from a Brompton, so public transport - comfortable but infrequent - and taxis, and chance met Vin with car pressed into service.
Also did a lot more useful work on boat - especially wiring and arranging installation of - yet to be bought - macerator, and sorting out of batteries charging system and invertor (we hope). Manufacture of battery boxes - commenced in 1997, completed.
Weather unsettled, cool, showery, and windy.
It was very nice to be back in Roanne, among the familiar faces and shops. The majority of travelling boats had gone, leaving plenty of mooring spaces, but Dessio, Vrijheid, and Riverdance’s crew were there.
What was meant to be a quiet week-end down a very pretty canal to a favourite place quickly changed to a very busy and materially profitable - albeit enjoyable, week.
Left just after lunch - Ferdi decided at the last minute that he would drive to the basin lock, so got off and left him to it. Complained muchly, but made it to the lock without hitting anything.
Had a big send off at exit lock - only just managed to get Ferdi out and self into boat in time, as level dropped fast.
Meant to stop at Croix Rouge - Cassenard - but found it full of hire boat, so came to environs of lock. Not much of a mooring, but canal sides very shallow up this end, and always have difficulty finding bush moorings.
Stopped at second lock to visit large garden centre to fill 2 new flower boxes, occupying diesel and gas bicycle trailer. Hope, that after yesterday’s expeditions, won’t need it for a while. Loading purchases, and re-loading S. interesting, as canal side very shallow, so had to use stone sides of lock tail, where a strong by-wash was flowing.
Moored up on canal through Digoin, rather than P. de P. Free here, and pontoons too short in P. de P.
Approached Capitaine for dry dock, but usual helpful self. Booked till end of June. This is a well known piece of obstructiveness - closely followed by poor and dangerous service if you overcome initial barriers. There is rarely more than 1 boat in the dry dock per year. In fact, reasonably certain that no bookings have been made!
By this time not worth moving on, so intense period of gardening on canal side in warm afternoon.
Life very complicated. Decided wanted to move car from Montchanin, where it is secure, but in the open, to Vin and Claudine’s property at Ambielle, outside Roanne, where it is secure and under cover, and has spent the last 2 summers.
Therefore, due to holiday, and vagaries of public transport in country districts on public holidays, S. by train from Digoin to Montchain. Thence, having collected car, back to Paray, to meet self, who takes boat from Digoin to Paray. Then both in car to Ambielle, to be delivered by Vin to railway "car" - a bus, and the only thing running, to take us to Paray - the only destination available within the same Department as Digoin.
All worked splendidly, except decided to bring Vin back to boat, and let him drive car to Ambielle. This also worked splendidly, except the eggs got left in the car.
Comfortable and quiet night at Paray - the P. de Pl. is incredibly improved since the R.N.7 bypass took the unending stream of lorries out of the town.
Moorings in Paray have nice height, are wood protected, and tarmac. Hence, ideal for working on boat sides.
Quick visit to L.K. to change bookings - subsequently re-changed via Montceau
les Mines. It appears that all locks on this end (possibly the whole canal from
Chalon to Digoin) can be contacted through Lock 9, the one on the Mediterranean
side of the basin, whose unlisted tel no is 03 85 58 35 27
Spent day removing Wiltshire "port of registration" from boat name panels, and replacing with "Cowes, Isle of Wight" (see what the yachties say) and cleaning and polishing everything within sight, and touching up paint where appropriate.
Meant to be quiet day, but most exhausting.
Collapsed in heap about 5.00 p.m., but managed quick Brompton ride to Basilique. Regrettably very historic Church dark and gloomy and smelt of disuse and wet dust.
Off at 0830 for l’Atac S.M. at Digoin end of town for shopping and 2 more cans of diesel. Tactics on diesel - like intentions last year that didn’t happen - is always to have tank full, and as spoon as 2 jerricans are empty to re-fill them.
These tactics were most successful with cases of beer, so should work. We’ll see.
Weather perfectly dreadful - overcast, grey, and strong north wind. Bitter cold driving - back to full winter clothes.
Great pity, we are still going down the Loire Valley - continuation of de Roanne a Digoin - wide flat valley lush pastures full of buttercups and white Charollais cattle. Lovely countryside, but needs to be appreciated in the sun.
Sufficient rain in night to spoil most of yesterday’s cleaning work. Like last year, when boat was usually filthy, never long enough between rain to be worth making the effort.
Set off, as promised, at 10.00. looked behind and saw 2 hire boats entering the lock - ugh.
They soon overtook us, and we shared the next 3 locks - they, as usual, being made to wait for us. Bit of a scrum, but by parking diagonal we managed reasonable comfort.
Bimbled gently on - boat going particularly well, and quietly. Arranged to stop off for 2 hour lunch break, but hirers must have heard us, and did the same!
Country side very similar to Roanne a Digoin - the Loire Alluvial Valley, flat fields of buttercup meadows grazed by white Charolais. Very picturesque.
Reckoned we’d sleep over in Dompierre, on a tiny arm up off the main canal at the Peugeot engine foundry. Object being to get electricity from outside whilst doing web site.
Marvellous though new computer is, it does seem to use an unwarrantable amount of power, and prolonged sessions need to be planned to suit battery charging. This is definitely a flip side to neat installation.
Got to P. de P. at Dompierre - right at the end of the arm, in a strong
breeze, to find public jetty full of overwintering boats (2), and opposite
Locaboat hire boat jetties, at €8.00 plus €2.00 for electricity - £6.50 - a
ridiculous price. Tricky turning, and reversing in to their horrid 
little
short pontoons. Moored up, decided to swallow price, got electric
cable out, connected land pillar, turned round to see boat end, presumably now
alive, sliding into water. Disconnected all, and took into boat to dry out. If
the installation was safe, it should have blown the safety switches on the shore
side!
Then almighty thunderstorm hit us - complete with reverse wind. Very sudden onslaught, caught a hire boat trying to moor up, and blew him round in circles. Fascinating to watch from shelter of cabin!
Very heavy hail, and rain for about an hour, while we got more and more depressed with the miserable moorings. Hire base very neat and tidy, but surroundings ordinary.
Another hire boat arrived, and continued the pirouetting the first one had started, the rain slackened, so we girded loins and departed. It was still only 16.30.
Down little arm, and out into main canal.
Rain slackened more, wind dropped, found an extremely nice mooring - trees not quite overhead (no rubbish on boat during night) short grassy turf behind low sheet piles, and holes in piles just right for chain moorings.
Within 10 minutes sun was out, and within 20 minutes, boat nicely moored, chairs out, and sitting in sun - nice and warm!