Oh horror! - 5 days before Christmas we are informed by the Canal Authority (The VNF) that there is to be another "Chomage" (I've just discovered the correct spelling!). Once again, the canal between the locks in either direction of us, has to be emptied for serious repair work. We must choose between resting on the canal bottom, tilting as before, at an angle, until March (2012) or sailing off to somewhere else for the remainder of the winter where we can stay afloat. This is the second time in the last three months - the first time being for only one week.
It's a nuisance but we decide to winter in Caumont just as we did last year when we suffered the same fate. We set sail on the 4th January with our guests, Clive and Aileen, (My Son and daughter-in-Law) who arrive in Bordeaux, after an exciting journey from Colorado via Yorkshire via Derry, the evening before. They have a hired car, a "Twingo" with a GPS system on board which proves very useful for their short stay and we drive it down to Caumont to await our eventual arrival on "Body and Soul". Our much loved 2CV Van ("Mange Toot") is to be collected later.
The canal trip to Caumont, normally, takes half a day by canal and about twenty minutes by road but we dawdle as we pick up fallen branches from canal side to augment our existing stock of winter logs.
Free central heating from the canal-side plane trees, is something which gives us great pleasure. It keeps both of us warm and fit. Clive and Aileen are a wonderful help and we take full advantage of them as crew, arriving on "Body and Soul" in Caumont, late afternoon, with piles of winter fuel on our roof deck, ready for sawing up into logs. It's enough for the rest of the winter.
Eating, drinking, talking, laughing and going places, form a large part of their five day visit, which we thoroughly enjoy. We haven't seen them for three years but catch up with everything - sadly, in such a short time.
But, brilliant! there's an excuse to delay the start of my annual austerity program until their departure. (28 days, normally starting Jan 1st - now Ten days to go at the time of writing!)
At least my home-brew has had time to mature to its optimum condition for once. Mark and Charles, our next door bargees, say that it's "like nectar" (the bastards!) and I have ordered an emergency supply of home-brew kits from the UK in anticipation of sudden increase in consumption after 6th Feb. Mark has joined in the home brewing bug which makes the postage from the UK less painful at 12.50GBps. for orders over 70.00GBps. in value. (approx 31p a pint or less with bulk orders)
A generous present of a new DVD audio system for my PC, piano and radio console for my 70th birthday is adding much pleasure to our daily lives and, with Clive's help and technical know-how, I can now record the sound of the piano and post it to this blog (just click on this below, as an early effort with all its mistakes and rather flat tone).
(Just the way you look tonight)
But it really ain't all plain sailing, y'know
Happy birthday to both Gabby and Skya for the 15th and 16th Jan.
Nick and Laura's two daughters who's birthdays I forgot....yuck!
