Tillers and Tastebuds

Entering antiquity. (It ain't all plain sailing, y'know part 34)

My last day in the "sixty nine club" is celebrated with a stupendous party organised by Lucie. Brilliant!

- have a look at many of the photos by clicking on the album at the top of the left hand column of this page

Cartoon by Rob depicting the Body and Soul Brewery

What starts as my suggestion of "a few friends for dinner" turns out to be a much bigger bash all together. Sixty people descend upon Le Porte de Meilhan - Sunday Lunch from 1.00pm until an awful lot later. (1am for some!) We drink "Champagne" and taste  Lucie's delicious canapees to start with and eat Fish and Chips from a very smart van ("Cod en Bleu" would you believe?) 60 portions of Cod and Chips with the various accompaniments -  on the house!  -  Really first class quality and the best I have ever tasted.  We finish off with homemade chocolate brownies with cream - of course.

I am aghast at the number of people who make the effort and comply so well to the 1920's dress code, as suggested, and so pleased to have my Sister Judy, Brother Rob, and daughter Amanda (Moo)(from Peterborough Dover and Barnard Castle respectively.) Numerous other friends turn up in ridiculous garb.

What an effort they make. Lovely telephone messages received and much appreciated from Jake in Vancouver and Clive in Colorado. . 

My old friend, Simon Glover, with whom I am gloriously reunited after practically a "post-school lifetime"- arrives from Farnborough and is billeted in the Barge "Pezza" - a few feet away from "Body and Soul". We don't have much time to catch up - but promises to keep in touch are made between laughter and general party chat. I never seem to catch up with anything these days. Is there any hope of improvement? - I think not.

Lucie arranges all their accommodation impeccably. There is, naturally, a   party on the Saturday night for those coming from so far and before the main "do". The weather forecast is of some concern but we are blessed on the day, although there are several moments when a trickle of drizzle causes a rush to cover up the band's electronic instruments with canvass sheeting. It's quite warm and pleasant otherwise.

More about the party later... must tell you about one of the many   exciting presents I receive - a ticket for 35 minute flight on a "micro-light" shown here. I've just landed and have to tell someone how great it was! 

Scroll up to the top left hand column of this page for the new album of party pictures and some more on the micro-flight. 

 

 

    

 

 

 

Up in the sky I go with the pilot/instructor sitting in front of me. I am astride on a flying bicycle and feeling a bit like Harry Potter. The take- off run seems only 100 feet  and the pilot deliberately swoops close over the heads of his colleagues and the huts which make up the airstrip offices. "He always does this" they tell me afterwards. We are high in the sky within a few breath-taking seconds. I hang on to the seat beneath me unnecessarily - call it "white knuckle syndrome" if you must. It's difficult, at first, to let my hands go free of it.

 My instructor shows me how easy it is and soon I am applying both hands to the camera. There is a bit of vibration from the propeller, just inches behind me and photography is not easy. As requested we fly up the canal towards Meilhan so that I can take pictures of "Body and Soul".

The conditions are superb for flying and I don't want this to end. What a beautiful world this is! I take three or four pictures of the Porte De Meilhan and we soon turn for home, taking a circuitous route over towards Marmande.

More and more pictures.... then soon the home airstrip is already in sight.. Then comes the best bit. The pilot - with whom I have every respect - through my earphones - informs me that he is about to turn off the engine and to glide in to land from around 1000 ft. Glorious  peace follows for what must have been 2 minutes as we gracefully swoop down, clipping the crop of maize at the edge of the airstrip and a safe landing. Wow! I am elated.

Now, back to the birthday celebrations....what a party we have! Music is created from the roof of Body and Soul by Rob and me playing the old standard jazz numbers with Colin Wilkes on double bass.

Then to the delight and surprise of all, including me, Moo joins in with a few unrehearsed songs. Frankly, I can't remember the order of events which followed - this, perhaps, a function of an excessive consumption of my own home brewed beer (housed for general consumption in the back of our van) or a surfeit of fish 'n chips - but we are all delighted to have Charlie Smith and his friend Antony who sing their young hearts out with such confidence and talent. We are all priviledged to be in their presence. I hope the "hat", passed round, made it all worthwhile. In between acts Lucie puts on carefully chosen 1920's background music. Perfect!

 Anyway....more later given the chance....

 

 

Curried Complicity...(It ain't all plain sailing, y'know! - Part 33)

I should have guessed. My entry to the curry competition, was bound to fail and it does. I should have guessed, too, that Lucie's entry would win - and it does. Our judges and friends, a French vegetarian couple, more or less condemn my Indonesian curried liver and heart - Yes - curried liver and heart mind you, as "hard to eat". I come last of the four entries. I am a loser!

Well you may well ask, who on earth suggested that I should make a curry with liver and heart? Yep... my darling wife Lucie! You guessed.  She even gives me the recipe.

To be fair, there is a history of a slightly competitive nature between us which stems from the fact that I am a retired hotelier - supposedly highly trained at a Hotel and Catering college up to what was then called City and Guilds 147 and 151 in cooking - whereas she is a highly experienced pro. and brilliant practitioner of the craft.

The next competition is booked for November when we will all be presenting a casserole of our choice. I can't wait to present mine. This time without any influence from anyone. 

But what a great time we had last Sunday - brilliantly hosted by our French friends - Sylvain and Nadege Bondon to whom we are most grateful - we owe many thanks and apologies for putting up with three rampant visiting dogs.

The rest of my curry entry is to be eaten "chez nous" (there is, inexplicably, a lot left over). I'm looking forward to it. But as I have said before - it ain't all plain sailing, y'know... 

Click the link below  -  A marvellous place to stay.

A lovely place to stay  Contact Jennifer Moss for more info.

 

 

Brewing Good Beer in France ( It isn't all plain sailing y'know, Part 30)

We're having a cracking time slowly making our way to Castelnaudary.

Started brewing the Woodford's "Admiral's Reserve" 9/03/2011. All malt extract. No sugar needed, but quite expensive per pint. Must find more water bottles to put it all in.  Lucie will just have to drink more fizzy water. It's good for her!

 

Pictured here ravioli stuffed with spinach, more spinach topped with shavings of goats cheese, garnish of balsamic vinaigre

Plan to syphon off into second 25 litre bucket after initial brewing is complete. It Gets rid of most of the sediment.

On 15th, I give it all a big stir. It's on the roof covered with a rug and canvas. Have now bottled it and added 1/3 of t/spoon of cane sugar per litre. Approx. I may have brewed it all too cold but next time will be warmer.

Took the van back to Meilhan followed by Bob on his super motor bike, to take me back to Caumont. Much laughter at my expense.  It certainly took less time to get back, to say the least.

 

 

 Me on Rob's bike having delivered the Van back to Meilhan.

 

The Body and Soul Brewery with  about 40 pints of Munton's Heavy brewing as at 22/04/011

Locally grown asparagus topped with crushed feta cheese

 Departed Caumont at 3.35pm on 21st March Monday. Weather OK, if a little cool. 

First night wild-moored at the lock before Damazan. Now Lovely weather. Moon. Dinner. Wine. Walked the dogs next morning and sawed some new logs which I found in abundance. Stopped in Damazan at our normal position and went to shop in the town.

 Had coffee at the road side pub whilst Lucie went to the Boucherie opposite the Casino. We love this Boucherie as much as we love the one at Meilhan.

Chris and Bob are following us up the canal on "Sassi" with my hat which I left on board! Asked them to look out for my club hammer which I left on the bank side at Damazan. They find it the next day and then moor behind us at Seringnac-sur- Garonne where we enjoy free electricity and water. We stay for a few days.

We talked about the "elastic band" driven cars now available and thought we'd look them up on the web. They are very popular in France - no licence needed. Perhaps one day.......

Reached Buzet PM.  Stopped for the night opposite the Capitainerie where we paid for WiFi services and take on water. Spoke to Herman the German in his wonderful Chalk. We stay in Buzet for a few days.

Click on map below to see our journey in full clarity.... 

 
 
 We've met a lot of new and "old" friends whilst on the move - one of the great features of cruising that we had forgotten since being mainly in Meilhan. A French couple, Alan and Danielle Poujade on "Resa" with whom we have already had lunch at the "Chicken on a Bicycle"  -  (PK 94, ie on the chart 94 klm from Toulouse) - a delightful converted lock house - and dinner on board their boat, later,  in Moissac.  Lucie gets chatting to the nice lady who owns the business and books me to play the piano on the weekend of the 21st May. on our return. They have an annual "shin- dig" then apparently. I will be playing from the roof of Body and Soul as we steam in. Subject to the weather.

Return dinner on "B'n S" tomorrow. Alan and Nicky Robinson on "Finca"  at Moissac - their Linsen Sturdy - always lovely to see them again. More dinners at each other's. Another interesting couple from Australia - Tony and Rita - have just taken over "Kimasut" - a Piper Boat familiar to us with the previous owners. They are just off to take their "Boat Driving course" but we manage to get them in for a long coffee break before they went - swapping emails and blog addresses "as you do".  Then at Moissac whilst in a rush to go out to dinner on "Finca",  we briefly meet a lovely couple Mark and Annie on their huge barge "Anna" - have a look at their blog on www.somewhereinfrance.co.uk 

We very much hope to meet them properly next time. It is indeed just a long village.!
 

Anna on her way through  the double lock to the Tarn from the port at Moissac.

  We have just bumped in to another delightful couple, NewZealanders, Keith and Lynn Milne, (On yet another Linsen Sturdy "Paprica") at the lower lock before Montech. More aperitifs and name swapping.

An English  lady, Mandy, and her daughter Maher, arrive on the quay at Moissac on our second day - she's selling her own home grown asparagus - amongst other fresh veg. (cherries soon). Her email address is Ksiawash@yahoo.co.uk for orders. Very good quality and right to your door. We wished her luck in her enterprise. We'll be buying cherries from her on our return journey, if there are any left.

  View of the  canal junction Montech junction

I am writing this posting whilst moored up at Moissac for a few days. It's Tuesday the 12th. April 2011. We'll be off again on Thursday morning destined for Montech. The weather, on the whole, has been very kind to us with several heat-wave type days. We're both in shorts and these conditions are ideal for brewing beer. This I must now do again because, I am ashamed to say, the first brew - The Woodfords Admiral's Reserve -  has already been consumed and never reached its true potential. It went down very well never-the-less.

The Hambleton Bard's Bitter is now resting in bottles but seems flat at the moment. Will take time. It's delightfully "hoppy"

I am  using water bottles, screw top, non returnable and plastic, to bottle the beer in. This is a potentially risky idea because of the danger of explosions after priming. But I am being very careful not to prime them too much and I test them every day to release any excess pressure. So far there have been no problems and I am growing in confidence using them, as they do have some advantages, not least of which are cost, convenience and hygiene. To avoid any problems if bottles burst, I am keeping all of them in black plastic dustbin bags...and regularly releasing excess CO2.

I have now bottled 28 litres of the second brew - Hambleton Bard Bitter - which is beginning to show signs of good condition in the bottle. I overdosed the water quantity by mistake but its better to have more than less -I think you'd agree! This particular kit is entirely made from dry malt extract - something I have not come across before and is therefore intriguing. One still has to add cane sugar. I'll try, this time, to let it mature to its best condition which means at least another week's wait "in bottle". It will be appreciated, I'm sure, by Brother Robert who joins us at Toulouse on the 3rd of May. 

The third brew, Munton's Heavy, is also new to me though the malt extract is in the more normal liquid malt, pre-hopped form. It is happily bubbling away on the roof of "Body and Soul" as I write this posting. It seems much darker in colour and has been actually more active in the brewing vessel. The weather is kinder for brewing beer.

Together with the delights of  fresh spring asparagus - I recommend a look at the following site for any further encouragement which you may need to eat the stuff -

 http://www.squidoo.com/asparagushealthbenefits

We (I am!) are now drinking very pleasant Hambleton Bard's Bitter.  Others seem to like it very much and I do too although I think it is a little sweet. It is also weaker than prescribed because I mismeasured the amount of liquor needed to make 22.5 litres. It's good quaffing stuff though and have had many complements. I now realise that I added the 2 lbs of sugar required after adding the rest of the liquor - I should have added it with the boiling water to invert the sugar properly. Hey ho. That's why it is sweeter than I would like. I have another pack of the stuff. It has the advantage of being quite light for postage purposes.

Solving the water filtration problem....is my next blog subject coming soon. I am in touch with a guy called Martin at Silverline who is advising me...more later but his Company's site is:

Martin Goddard

Silverline UK Ltd

Telephone: 01805 804202

Email: enquiries@silverlineuk.co.uk

 

 Pictures to be added soon and much more.....click on each for larger version.

  
   
  
 
 
 

  
 

From left to right,  Saint  Rustice, Emranchement de Montauban at Montech, Dinner at Lacourt St. Pierre, The Royal Occasion at Toulouse Pound, The Kiss, Another one. A tit nesting in the exhaust pipe of a Peniche. The stern of the Peniche.

  

 "Crapau dans le trou" (toad in the hole). Prepared by Peter (of Aurigny) for the Royal celebration Dinner on board Aurigny. .....using Toulouse Sausages....delicious and very  British for the 29th of April.

 

On the waggon with lurgie (It isn't all plain sailing, y'know - Part 28)

It's a hard winter so far with a lot happening "on the down-side" of comfort. Worst of all, the sad news from my old school pal, Simon Glover, that his wife Valerie has died, mid January, after a protracted and extraordinarily brave battle against the big "C". Our thoughts are with Simon and his family, all present at her bedside and her funeral which happens in Farnborough on the 27th January. I feel guilty at not being there.

Grumpy 'ole git (Taken by George Smith, ex- friend, the swine!)

It's been really abnormally cold and damp. Everyone seems to have caught some bug or other and both Lucie and I have taken our turn with the lurgie. On top of this I have been suffering self-imposed abstinance. Just as last year, not a drop of booze has passed my lips for the 31 days of January. I sleep much better but the advantages of imposing such pain on oneself is for a psychological reason as well as for the obvious, though perhaps temporary, health benefit. 

 To Lucie's horror, I have turned over a new leaf and  ordered 90 GDP's worth of home-brew kits which should cross the Channel some time in March with our friends Bob and Christine (from the great ship Sassy now moored without water in Meilhan) The engine room and the gap behind the sofa and beside the bed, are all taking on a new and important role.  The amount I am brewing initially will be about 280 pints - only a gallon  short of a brewer's barrel (288 pints!) - anything to improve upon the Eurofizz suffered to-date. Guests at my 70th birthday party will have bottles of "Grumpy 'Ole Git" presented to them  - at least, that's the plan.  It's worth mentioning that it is  our 17th wedding anniversary (10th September 1994) - so all in all, it could be a good do.

   

 "Body and Soul", with "Minute" in  persuit en route to Caumont where they will both pass the rest of the winter in the company of our hosts Charles and Caroline Lamb on "Connie". During the "chomage", this section of the canal is completely emptied out to give access for maintenance.

  "Minute" with David and Carol Harris, steaming up behind us

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting ready to leave the dry dock at  Castelnaudary on our previous visit three years ago when we shared the dock with Vertrowen      

The lovely Dr. Honore, our local GP, sees us today 7/02/011 by appointment to review our blood test results. To our delight she gives Lucie a "Gold star" for her results which are all excellent. I too have compliments and good news in general although I must cut out butter and any other saturated fats. My good cholesterol HDL is very good but the LDL - that's the bad one - is on the high side. However I get gold stars for my efforts to lose weight which is down to 94kgm. from 103kgms last time in November. She doesn't like my plans  to brew my own beer though and I am required to see her again in six months by way of punishment after a further blood test. No diabetes though - yippee!

 We go home, with our tails up, for a rewarding glass of red. It's good for the liver, they say.

                                                                                                                                  My hyercinth sculpture -  green fingers or what?     

By the way, we are now on "Facebook" - click on:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51826&l=3682db7075&id=1790747326 

Two new dining room chairs from Ikea which give us much more room than the old bucket arm chairs   

We plan to set off from our mooring at Caumont on Sunday March 20th for a leisurely journey to the dry dock at Castelnaudary where we will be pressure-washing, scraping and painting  our hull for the second time in just over three years.  Body and Soul is booked in for two weeks from the 4th May and we will be on our own this time, without our friends George and Sue on Vertrowen. However we do have the help of my Brother Rob who is scheduled to land at Toulouse on the 3rd of May, where we will pick him up from the airport bus terminal, conveniently placed  50 yards from the canal. This gives us an easy two days to complete the 65Kms to Castelnaudary, arriving in the afternoon of the 4th May.

More for my benefit than for the reader's, (if indeed there is one!), we will be passing through the following main towns, (marked in bold): 

Please note that to read the map below properly you MUST click on it to enlarge.

  

From Caumont on the Canal lateral de la Garonne

Le Mas-D'Agenais (4kms and 1 lock)

Villeton (11kms - 2 locks)

Damazan (20kms  - 4 locks)

Buzet (24kms - 4 locks)

Agen (52kms - 11 locks)

Valence D'Agen (79kms - 14 locks)

Malhause (86kms - 17 locks)

Moissac (95kms - 19 locks)

Castelsarrasin (104kms - 26 locks)

Montech (116kms - 34 Locks)

Grisolles (133kms - 35 locks)

Toulouse ( 160 kms - 47 locks)

continuing on the Canal Du Midi from Toulouse

Montgiscard (181kms -  54 locks)

Port Lauragais (210kms - 66 locks)

Castelnaudary ( Total Journey = 225 kms - 73 locks)

In between these towns there are ample opportunities for beautiful wild moorings which I am sure we will be taking, however, I have an appointment with my dentist at Castelsarrasin to which I am not looking forward with much relish -  another one gone!

This episode in our travels is different because we may well be travelling when the canal water temperature is low and therefore relatively more dangerous. Falling off the boat is a much more serious affair at our age and not recommended, particularly when it is cold. We will be taking extra precautions both with our own safety but also with the dogs - but there you go, it really isn't all plain sailing, y'know, is it? 

  

..Just straws in the wind (It isn't all plain sailing, y'know - part 26)

From our arrival on the 16th, we have a lovely time with Steve and Sophie and their two children, Charlie and Max. It's a pre-christmas Christmas, complete with tree, presents,  lovely food and wine. All in their house in the lovely old village of Steeple Ashton. We thoroughly appreciate being spoiled.

Mother nature decides, meantime, to have a bit of a strop and we realise that over-night we have become insignificant straws in the wind and at her mercy.

It's now the 20th of December and we're sitting in an over-crowded train at Bristol Temple-Mead station waiting for some positive sign of movement in the Trowbridge direction - an unscheduled but - come to think of it - unsurprising deviation from our plans.

So we lost the gamble we made on the weather and despite having checked in our luggage and watching our Easyjet plane being de-iced and prepared for us on the runway, the return flight to Toulouse departing at 10.30am - ours is the first of many flights to be cancelled that day.

So here we are, slightly fed up but stoical and  resigned, clutching our re-claimed baggage, two bottles of duty-free whisky and a piece of paper from Easyjet, explaining how to get our money back or take a later flight - if we are lucky - the earliest one being the 27th December. A week hence! It is snowing. The train doors remain open and there is no heating.

 There are many other people on the train too, who would have been elsewhere but for the bad weather. Conversation starts between complete strangers. Whisky, crisps and a twix chocolate bar are offered for sharing amongst people with a common suffering. There is a very British, almost war-time, atmosphere.

"Ding dong" goes the tannoy and on comes - a kindly west-country voice  which says -

" our apologies, Ladies and gentlemen, this is your guard speaking. The reason we have not been able to leave the station on time is because although we have a guard - that's me - unfortunately, our scheduled driver is stuck in a snow-drift somewhere in Wales - so we are having to find another one from somewhere else.  Let's hope he knows the way! I will keep you informed and would ask for your continued patience....etc"

Within half an hour,  another driver is found and those who have left the train to find warmth elsewhere are shepperded back on-board to rejoin the party. For some reason our French Mobile refuses to work - even to send a text message - and the lady, sitting opposite, kindly offers  her mobile for us to ring Sophie and Steve to warn them of our second coming. Poor dears.

The next 24 hrs becomes a furious nightmare of discord and uncomfortable decision making together with considerable expertise on the internet. Other relatives are soon to arrive. Should we tap other friends for what might be an extended stay over Christmas and possibly the new year too? Our own house and dog-sitters have to be considered. The forecast for the following week is grim. Should we bite the bullet and catch a ferry from Portsmouth? - whilst the railways are relatively on schedule,  then hire a car for the long drive South. Our budget is well and truly shot already. We stay another night and sleep on it.

Next day, we make the decision to catch the night Ferry from Portsmouth to Caen where we hire a Fiat Punto at enormous expense.

The train to Portsmouth from Trowbridge - also without heating - is freezing. It's a  two hour journey with only our own sandwiches as sustenance. The glorious English countyside, for the most part, is soon forgotten as we delve into the suburbs of Portsmouth. What a dreadful dump it is, viewed  from the train. The toilets at the station, Portsmouth Harbour, are truly the most disgusting I have ever seen. One doesn't need to know the detail - but really shocking - someone should be sacked!

 We are wisely but hopelessly early and spend an uneventful and rather tiresome day at a bright and modern shopping centre just by the Quay, buying underpants at Marks and Spencers. Eventually we walk at least two miles from there to the Brittany Ferry Terminal, like impoverished refugees, dragging our belongings behind us but without a donkey cart. We board the Saint Michel at 9'45pm and sail an hour later, watching the whole loading and sailing off process, albeit in the dark,  from the piano bar drinking some more of our own whisky.... (this bar has a smart piano but no pianist - of course.)

  It's a night crossing on a "luxury" cruise liner and we book our "reclining" seats for the night -  all cabins are full. The seats are very uncomfortable - "Reclining" indeed! Even the tower of Pisa inclines more than these - be warned! - they are more like posh deck-chairs. But the crossing is otherwise smooth - for which Lucie is thankful. We treat ourselves to  steak and chips in the canteen.

 "You sure know how to spoil a girl" says Lucie. I am duly ashamed.

  We are brutally awoken at 5.30am with the full glare of the lights being turned on. We struggle one by one to the toilets each one guarding the luggage in turn. It's a minimal French breakfast and I'm really  struggling without Marmite! But hey?

    All coaches to the centre of Caen are cancelled because of thick snow, thick fog and ice, we join the freezing queue for the sole taxi. We finally pick up a Punto (not a penguin) from Europcar and I drive the 700klm South in a blizzard chased by a snow storm. We  arrive home at about 6pm. Job done. But....

It really isn't all plain sailing, y'know - is it?

Frothy Days (It isn't all plain sailing, y'know - part 24)

I really can't remember most of June, July and August. I ask Lucie, who is in charge of my diary, exactly what has been going on. To me, the past two months are blurred together into one continuous stream of pleasurable activities with other people playing the most important part.

In short, we had visits from Jake, Rosemary,  Emily and Cameron  then Amanda and Alan with Harry and Lois. Our double family tent was handy at the camp site just by our mooring. Within their visits there were plenty of things to do as one can imagine and it was good to see them all looking so well. Much fun was had by all. Fresh air, fresh food and plenty of lovely wine to drink.

There were several boat trips and bar-be-cues as well as swimming and visits here and there to various attractions.

We also attended the Monsegur Jazz festival and did a couple of Jazz sessions on the Port which were very enjoyable and likely to be repeated soon. 

 

Please note

There is a photo. album of their visits on the top  left hand side/column of this page which is yet to be completed. Its title is "Frothy Days" Just click on it for an idea of how they all are. There are photos of Lucie's grandchildren - Charlie and max - as well.  I struggle with the programme. Many more to come.... 

 It really isn't all plain sailing y'know.

 Billy is our new neighbour owned by David and Carol o narrow boat called "Minute". They will be our neighbours this coming winter. 

Billy is three months old, sitting on a fender here. He is half poodle and half terrier. An absolute delight. Carol looks on from behind.

 

 

 

 

Eating, to us, is not just a pleasure (It isn't all plain sailing, y'know! - part 21)

We're going over-the-top - we're trying a  vegetarian approach to eating in France! Try this link for information which has influenced us so far.

I actually find the arguments to support the "Vegetarian and Vegan" life philosophy very compelling and in an ideal world, I would like to embrace such ideals for the benefits it brings, both to the planet and to our health. I have been reading up much about the subject on the "web" and find that the 15 reasons outlined in the  link shown above summarise my own feelings.

I think it must be easier to eat  "vegetarian" in France than anywhere else, despite its long history of highly regarded, much admired and sophisticated cuisine. We may fail in our efforts when first confronted by a plate full of foie gras or simply the salty and crunchy tang of some smoked poitrine. Can we find new ideas in the vegetarian diet to counteract such a threat? Certainly we live in a land where vegetables are sold, fresh from the soil, in abundance and in enormous variety. It is worth a try.

Both Lucie and I, however, will attempt to move in this direction after Easter (having cleared the freezer of all those Toulouse sausages!) Here are two people - both possibly overweight - who love their food, almost above anything else - in our already beautiful retirement life in France and on water - trying to follow a different way of eating within a most traditional and conventional eating landscape of "boudin" munching carnivores - not to mention frogs and snails!

We will rise to the challenge and we will be reporting on Vegetarianism in France - complete with recipes and photos of what Lucie has done to use all this wonderful, fresh produce around us - it'll be   marvellous! Just watch this space.           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on any of these photos for a larger version.

We're doing well up to date - 7th April - but there is still a lot of delicious meat in the freezer which no doubt, will not go to waste. But, at risk of repeating myself, it isn't all plain sailing, y'know..... 

On and off the waggon ! (It isn't all plain sailing, y'know - part 20)

Perhaps this heading should have been the title of the whole blog!

 Self- imposed abstinence throughout the month of January is indeed quite painful but we've made it and  I can say that we are sleeping better throughout the night without interruptions (if you know what I mean?) We've also acquired a taste for Roses Lime Juice which makes a reasonable substitute for the real thing.

The dull, unimaginative efforts by England's  "6 nations" rugby team against the Italians on the 14th of February is enough to throw me (and much stronger men) "off the waggon" as we watch the full BBC coverage on our friend's television in Meilhan village - yes, a glass or two of vin rouge from"Cahors" certainly relieves the gloom as they just scrape through with a win. Other previous loves at www.Latuc.com

As spring approaches, Lucie and I are slowly formulating some kind of a plan for the coming cruising season which will start late in April (after she returns from next UK visit) with a trip to Toulouse (176km) and to all places in between.

More to come soon....but meantime please click on the link word "Cahors" highlighted in the above text. This link gives some interesting information about the super wines from Cahors, not far from us and there's apparently a small micro-brewery just opening nearby too, called "the Merchien Brewery" -  I must investigate this !  Try this link to go directly to the brewery site and while you are at it there are quite a few local domain names around here with excellent wines and worth a visit www.chateaudebeaulieu.net and www.bois-beaulieu.com

News on the musical front is getting more exciting by the day. We've recently got to know George and Sandy Smith who have lived in Meilhan for a long time. George has his own band which occupies him full time. He seems to have coined the music market over an extensive area in Aquitaine and we have become fans of his music. His web site address is www.georgesmithmusik.com and if you are looking for a good modern band and entertainment, he has marvellous musicians at his beck 'n call.

 Return to Main

Just seen the mass immigration of the Cranes (what we saw) - check out this site.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_(bird))

 

 

Resolutions and winter freeze-ups (It isn't all plain sailing, y'know - part 19)

My memory is suffering under the effect of the various obligatory excesses during and since the wonderful summer we've just had. I am finding it hard to remember anything which wasn't good fun. Obviously this can't go on - I must try harder!

However, the year ends with a great party at Chez Kelly's Chateau, www.chezkelly.eu (This is relatively small as Chateaux(s) go - historic but tastefully modernised. Just click here for more information.) owned by a lovely couple of chaps, Brendan and Keld, with whom we are now well acquainted. For this party, all guests bring their own food in generous quantities and there is much singing, dancing and piano playing - not to mention a great firework display at midnight. Our visiting British friends, David and Marie-Jeanne Sevier, are staying here and join in the celebrations.

As a result of all this indulgence, I am,  so far, clinging to my thirteenth day of a new year's resolution which I have imposed upon myself. Not a drop of alcohol has passed my lips to date and I plan to continue this regime until the end of January and thereafter to try a less excessive lifestyle. Lucie is also being sensible although perhaps her need to be is not quite as urgent as mine. But it is not easy, especially when going out visiting friends. It is France after all and, in particular, we do miss the local red wine.

    

  1 L to R 1.Our view towards Bordeaux, 2. some of our neighbours, 3."Mirabelle" a hotel boat.

Just click on any of these to enlarge

One incident worth reporting happens 

whilst Lucie is away in England seeing her new grandson Max. 

     

  1. Winter favourite walk 

  2. La Garonne, top. Camp site, middle Body and Soul, bottom.

3. Bleak mistletoe and vineyard. 

 

Once again it involves Spud and a Coypu. This   time Spud escapes from me whilst taking him for the usual morning walk along the Canal side. I let him off the lead as much as I dare even though I am conscious of his reputation. I allow him to break trust yet again.

This time, as I watch him hurtle with nose down, zig-zagging across a ploughed field I am able to cut across the field by jumping a dyke and I cut him off just in time to see the inevitable "Kill" in horrible detail. He is the other side of another dyke and I cannot reach him without wading in through the freezing water. He is barking with the same urgent high note that I have heard before. This time he is dragging the unfortunate beast from out of a hole in the bank. It is the same size as he is and has those horrid yellow incisors on show. He is growling weirdly, lunging, biting and shaking his prey by the neck. He is unstoppable and it is soon over with a final twist. The coypu is dead and the body is being dragged towards me for presentation. Spud is looking very pleased with himself having satisfied one of his most basic instincts and Teddy, who has just caught us up,  looks on with admiration.

Ahh yes, there have been other interesting but equally unsavoury happenings. The appearance of the frightful giant asiatic hornet

It seems that there is a minor invasion of these frightful creatures, pictures of which can be seen by clicking on the highlighted text. There is a giant hornets nest nearby us, high up in a tall tree and which I mistook for an unusually large crows-nest. It is somewhat box-shaped and appears to be hanging perilously by some sort of a thread. Later I find some giant hornets cones lying at the bottom of a different plane tree on the canal-side. These cones, although badly damaged by their fall, perhaps in a storm, are about 18" in diameter and one inch thick, made up of a mass of interconnected, six sided cells. (There is a picture of a segment of what I saw in the above attached document )  A miracle of nature of which I am in awe.

It's Friday the 15th Jan today and our new computer - a DELL desktop - is much better than the Acer laptop and we are absolutely delighted. Thanks to Alex, (son of Di and Dave) who is a genius at pooters of all sorts, we now have greater speed, more flexibility, better internet access and all day BBC radio 4. What a difference this is to us depending upon it, as we do, for communications of all sorts (including the Archers!). Thanks too due to Mike and Cathy, (Port Capitaine) who have had to put up with us using their pooter in the office at all times of the day for at least a fortnight.

Me and the boys in our pontoon winter herb garden viewed from Body and Soul

Our Port Capitaine, Mike, is pretty shrewed with the supply of water to us during this cold spell. By keeping a strict eye  on the weather forecast through the internet he  warns us all to fill up our tanks before the hose pipes freeze. He turns off the mains water supply at the first sign of frost but turns them on again at the first warmer  opportunity. It has been close but so far we avoid trouble by keeping our tank topped up. We plan to install a series of filters and a water pump to enable us to use the canal water for everything other than drinking water.  Wild mooring then becomes much less dependent on access to water from port facilities.

On January the 10th the Maire of Meilhan (Regine is by now almost a friend, you could say) invites everyone to a special celebration at the Salle De Fete in the village. Tickets are........(to be continued) 

16th Jan 2010

I must butt-in to these thoughts to announce, gleefully, the birth of Laura's baby girl Skya Alexander. I've just heard .....this morning. Nick was at the birth and everything went well. Skya weighed in at 6lbs 9ozs. Laura is fine and coming home today after being properly examined. Congratulations Laura, Nick and Gabby (Now 8)

Skya Alexandra born midnight 15th/16th Jan 2010.  

Let's hope Nick will give us a link URL to more pictures of his family progress. Watch this space!

Note:

That makes five grandaughters and three Grandsons to date, between us. (Lucie and I)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 By Clicking Main you will return to the main blog.

Cool, seasonal expectations (It isn't all plain sailing, y'know! Part 18)

“So what” - you might say - “is the title of this posting, to do with the value of the pound? Or indeed the  cost of Marmite?” - Well…. however depressing this may seem when stretching ones British pension in France, it surely is time for cool reflection and a cathartic counting of blessings. Remember to click on these photos to get a larger view. 

   Our bridge view at Meilhan

To put this grim situation into perspective, I recall that when we arrived in France, one Euro cost us around 66 pence. It currently costs us about 90 pence – a decrease in our purchasing power of over 36% since 2005. There is an additional cost of living increase of which all the French are well aware, as we all cope with the global financial crisis and inflation. Our State pension, unhappily, is far from being index linked.

There is an apparent exodus, a mass repatriation of British house owning ex-pats who find themselves unable to stay here. Their dream has ended. One could say that the benign second English invasion of Aquitaine has been effectively stemmed. (for those, like me, who were unaware until now - England owned Aquitaine for three centuries between 1152 to 1442 ....Eleanor and all that! 

Fortunately, 36% of a little is, you will agree, very little. Happily, we owe nothing and have neither mortgage nor car expenses and, for once in our lives, neither tax nor standing orders.  However difficult as this may be, it is never-the-less a problem with only one obvious solution. It’s called “living within one’s means”. This, surely, is a lesson which everyone should learn (I never have before) and I guess it’s at the root of the current financial debacle in the UK and elsewhere, the cost of which our offspring will have to bear.

Our neighbouring Cat Pepsy, enjoying the Autumn leaves

Looking at the bright side - living at Meilhan-sur-Garonne is proving a success and a tremendous boost to our quality of life on board. To a certain extent  it offsets the financial pain mentioned above. We love the village which is perched high above us  and  the beautiful countryside which surrounds us – so do Spud and Teddy who revel in the freedom and the plentiful variety of walks.

The village has everything we need. An excellent general store, boulangerie and a brilliant boucherie. There is a bank, a pharmacy and a splendid bus service costing only one euro each way into the town of Marmande with its market twice a week. Then there is the ancient town of La Reole-sur-Garonne about the same distance away which also has a great market on Saturdays. 

Just a typical evening view

1. Our mooring fee is reasonable and much less than last year at Castelsarrasin or indeed the year before at Capestang.
2. We also have permanent WiFi connection which gives us non stop BBC radio 4, thus reducing considerably the cost of our previous “Orange” facility.
3. This also means that our “Skype” facility works much better and  greatly reduces,  the cost of the telephone. 
4. I have created a separate fuel tank for our central heating  system which used to be fed from the main engine fuel tank. This means that we can use domestic diesel at less than 2/3rds the price of engine fuel/diesel.
5. Wood for the wood burner is plentiful and free. This means that the diesel central heating system is rarely needed excepting in really cold spells.  
6. There is a particularly good campsite adjacent to the port for which we have bought a great tent and facilities for visiting families, If they want a cheap visit……..
7. The canal water is less polluted, (we can even see the bottom of the canal) and there is a healthy fish stock. There is less hull corrosion and less need to re-paint the hull for another year and, for the first time in France, we have correct polarity for our shore line electricity supply. (don’t ask for technical details!) 

   

The best butcher in the world, Our very useful general store, La Reole Market, My piano bar at the Capitaierie
 
Meilhan-sur-Garonne has something about it which is very appealing to us, quite apart from these obvious facilities. We seem to have become involved with so many people, both French and English. We want to stay here; for it to be our home and base to which we shall always return. I am very lucky to have found a French friend who is teaching me daily, the spoken French using the principle of "Total immersion". He comes to the Capitainerie daily, subject to the weather. I am forbidden to speak English for an Hour as we drink coffee. It's the best way possible and I owe him a lot.

My French Language Teacher, John-Noel, at the Piano Bar with his wife. Michel, another french friend - also  a "live aboard" on the right.

It is likely that we will travel on Body and Soul in April, May, and maybe, June. We’ll stay in port for July and August, the French holiday season,  then possibly off again for September and October, returning “home” for the rest  of the year, including November, December, January, February, March when the canals are closed. Of course much depends on the weather and whoever is visiting us.

 

 

 

Stop Press

Now here's our very latest blessing by courtesy of Sophie and Steve Blair     - introducing Max, born on 26th November weighing a mere 8lbs 14 oz. All participants highly delighted and well. What can I say!

 Sophie and Max - one day old

So we are very content with our lot but not in the least bit complacent. There's beauty, music, good food and wine all around us - lots of family and many friends and social involvement, great transport facilities, a secure and beautiful home and plenty to which we look forward.

 

Proud father, Steve.

  Charlie and Max

 
  

 

As I say, with the pound as it is "it really isn't all plain sailing!" but who cares?!

Getting to the bottom of it (It isn't all plain sailing, y'know! part 14)

We've been having quite a hard time here at Meilhan, one way and another what with my "dodgy back" and some noisy frogs (with a small "f"!). Our rush downstream on the Baise in flood didn't help but I am slowly getting better thanks to  my wife and French Health Care.  

Incidentally, our address whilst in France for "snail mail" is as follows:

Malcolm and Lucie Walker c/o Minervois Cruisers, Halte Nautique, 47180 Meilhan-Sur-Garonne, France.

The main problem though is to do with the relentless social life. If one is not very careful one can over-do the red wine. Perhaps this is a personal problem that one has failed to deal with so far. Maybe one ignores the dangers and doesn't realise how much damage one is doing. Maybe such is the life that one leads here, one is destined to become an alcoholic or is close to being one already ..... but it is SO cheap here and so delicious and seems to be so  "de rigueur" at almost every excusable occasion. A litre of reasonable Vin de Table or Vin De Pays is literally as cheap as a litre of bottled water.

Make the most of each bottle but no need to  suck that hard  darling! (makes a good cheeseboard tho')

Happy memories of brewing (and bottling) really fine English Bitter at the Earl Soham Brewery for John Bjornson are not lost and I miss the real English bitter from the Queen Vic at Earl Soham, Suffolk. That period of my life, however, happened well after my brush with Saddam Hussein as long ago as August 2 1990 when he invaded Kuwait. I have a lot to thank him for - shame he had to lose his head before I could (thank him) -  but my life, at least, has moved on. If it hadn't been for this débacle, I would never have met my wife, light of my life, nor would I have known the delights of brewing and drinking Victoria Bitter or anything else since for that matter. It's an ill wind etc......

I have never found a beer more suitable to my taste than Victoria Bitter in all our travels - (Albert Ale too). It's that, much sought-after, throat opening quality that counts. However, if one really wants to drink French Beer with just a flicker of an English feel and taste to it, we look for the sign "Haut fermentation" (top fermented) on the bottle. We like the bottled beer called "Goudale". There may be others to be found in  super markets. We let it stand open for as long as we can bear it, just to get rid of the wretched bubbles  and  never cool it too much. If only they would use the English  "seeded" hop it would be a perfect substitute for the real thing.

We find that almost without exception, French bars and pubs, whilst being plentiful in number, sell Eurofizz (pression) which is vastly overpriced and in rather seedy surroundings. Their only redeeming feature being the fact that there are usually tables outside at which to be served and Sunshine to boot. In the winter they become rather nasty watering holes with little to offer even the inveterate smoker now-a-days: And as for most (not all) the lavatory facilities,  Zut alors!

Getting back to the wine....... last week our friends Stewart and Christine,  who are having  a house built in Meilhan right now, take us to La Réole in their car. What are our intentions I wonder?

To visit the sights and savour the wonders of this old town on the river Garonne?

Wrong!

It is to taste the wine at the Chaters vineyard and winery of course!

www.domainechater.com

This is expertly run by a particularly enthusiastic English couple who bought the failing vineyard which, under previous ownership, just sold the harvest to the local co-operative. The Chaters now do the whole show from the grape to the bottling plant and the marketing. It is all very professional and they have received many accolades from  French judges already in only seven years of operation.

We are expecting to be taken into a damp cave or cool cellar, as is normally the case on these occasions and are therefore  surprised to be shown into what appears to be a comfortable sitting room complete with armchairs and bookcases with a few wine bottles well displayed on surrounding shelves.

Then comes the excellent "blah blah blah" in English. There's time for questions and off we go again, tasting and buying more than we should. We will be keeping these for special occasions won't we? well, er.... like tonight?

 

 

 "FINCA" Alan and Nicki Robinson's boat,

a Linsen Sturdy Classic 

*Well, tonight we are dining at home with the latest arrivals and boat neighbours, Alan and Nicki Robinson who have a very smart Linsen Sturdy Classic. Of course there's got to be a return match and so it goes on.....Yes of course we enjoy it, but you get my drift...?

It is really hot now (like 35°C) and the two dogs spend most of their time lying in cool places throughout the day. I do regular swimming in the Garonne which flows past us in the Bordeaux direction, only a few yards away from Body and Soul. 

Against the current, I can just about hold my own without getting anywhere - like using a running machine in the Gym but infinitely more invigorating.

Lucie has fixed up some drapery around our bimini to shield us from the sun's harshest rays.  Our beloved boat  resembles  a Morrocan Casbah. 

 

After a swim , it is tempting to have the odd cool beer.... but there you go again. 

 

Body and Soul - The Morrocan Casbah Look

 

 

Eurofizz or not, supermarket beer costs from  E0.35 for a 50cl can. How any bar can justify charging more than two Euros per glass of only 25cl., is beyond comprehension. Their mark-up is ridiculous. Understandable if they were always full, but very few of them are and they are sometimes charging E2.50. One gulp and it's gone.

Lucie's birthday is looming and she has already had her present from me - a new sofa bed from Ikea. (Well, it's an improvement on the frying pan I gave her last year!) 

This gives us greater space but also a better double bed facility for visiting guests. Lucie haggles a good price for the outgoing "Futon".

The new-sofa bed viewed from the bedroom corridor

 

 

 

 

Viewed from the kitchen

 

Dogs are forbidden on this

Here are two more photos of the port of Meilhan now getting a radical face-lift in advance of most of the season. You can enlarge all these photos by clicking on them.

 

The services provided here are second to none. Mike and Cathy deserve their business successes. We can now get on-line through their Wi Fi connection to the internet - yet another of their services provided.

 

 

 

Chris and Sioban Nunn are coming to stay this weekend, (more drinks) then Lucie is off to meet up with Sophie and Steve with Charlie at her old friend's house near Beziers for a week - What am I going to do? -then there's the formal opening of the port with the Mairie and lots of free bubbly, barbecue etc; followed by visiting rellies and the start of the evening markets in Meilhan; then there's my week's holiday on a Jazz teach-in  - it's going to be a hard time for us both but, as oft' said, all in all, what with bad backs and having to deal with matters of extreme self discipline and the noisy frogs all through the night...

 -  it isn't all plain sailing, y'know!

Hooray! Hooray! the sun has got his hat on - another food blog from Lucie

Spring look inside Body&Soul

Don't forget to click on any of these photos to get a larger version - much clearer, you'll see!

 

How delicious after all the rain and recent fairly violent storms to awaken to the sun dappled ceiling on our cosy barge.  There is no denying it has a magical effect on the soul.  Even the slightly rundown aspect of Castelsarrasin blossoms into romantic shabby chic under it's warm golden light. Good or bad weather always has the effect of inspiring me to cook something.  Cooking is a joyous experience.  Of course, I can only speak for myself.  It cheers me up when the weather is cold and grey and engenders a celebration of the happiness that always occurs when sun follows rain.

As previously mentioned, one of the special delights of our life in France is sharing the passion for food that its people have for their bountiful local and regional products.  I recently listened to a radio program on Europe 1 debate on the lack of family life, no more shared meals, the increase in ready-made microwave food.  The dulling that occurs within a family unit due to the influence of the TV blaring and droning on thoughout the day and night, overtaking and drowning all that is stimulating between people.  The loss of the small local town specialist food shops closing because of the giant crushing steps of the supermarkets chains. There are still more family run shops in the towns in France than in the UK, but one wonders how long this will last when this generation of shopkeepers are no longer. 

The local markets continue to thrive once and sometimes twice a week.  It is true to say that some of the stallholders are only selling produce bought from a wholesaler, these are easy to spot and avoid.  The smaller the stall, the more elderly the stallholder, the more likely the produce has been grown in time honoured tradition and belief.  They proudly boast the lack of chemicals.  The taste is wonderful, the vegetables are slightly mishapen and uneven, only seasonal and regional, no point in trying to grow anything not suited to the local earth and climate.

 

In the town and in the markets, there are several types of butchers.  They often specialise in certain meats.  For instance you will find a horse butcher, a pork butcher and an all-round butcher.  The price per kilo is very often only 50 centimes or less more expensive than meat in the supermarkets and much better quality, sourced from local breeders.  Some supermarkets will contract out their butcher counter and one can be pleasantly surprised but on the whole I prefer to stick to the old fashioned butchers shop full of sons and nephews helping the governor.   Each butcher's shop will also specialise in producing some deli-counter goodies such as their own black  and white pudding, patés, saucissons and prepared casseroles and homemade dishes to take home and reheat.  There are also some unusual dishes such as salade de museau (pig snout salad) pieds de porcs (pigs trotters).  The french do not waste a thing and prize hearts, liver and kidneys, tripe etc highly.  The price of offal is more expensive than in the UK.   The black pudding is quite delicious served with unctuous mash potato and fried apple slices or as a tarte tatin!

Fish of course, is just as expensive in France as in the UK but they have many more unusual fish than us due to the Brittany and Mediteraneen seas.  However, scottish salmon whether fresh or smoked is very highly prized and expensive, but the French buy a lot around Christmas time.  They certainly know how to disply their catch.  I treated us to a "plateau de fruits de mer" for Christmas Eve.  I chose our favourite, some large prawns and oysters.  It was laid on a deep bed of dark green seaweed with a generous whoosh of clear cellophone and a bow tied at the top - a glorious display of deliciousness.  I served it with thinly sliced fresh fennel and small boiled potatoes with a leomon vinaigrette and a dish of caper mayonnaise to dip the prawns into.  A tasty chilled local Sauvignon - heaven!

Fresh grilled herrings and homemade chips

At the thursday market here in Castelsarrasin which I never miss.  They offer a  variety of root vegetables such as parnsips, chervil bulbs, black carrots, salsifis, black radishes, chayottes - not always the case in other areas of France.  I have developed a good relationship with my favourite producers and return to see them every thursday.  

 

 

 

There is a very nice young man who only sells rocket, watercress and lovely potatoes.  Another lady in the chicken market saves me 3 euros of ready-washed mixed leaves of frisée, rocket, red radiccio, webb and little gem  which lasts the whole week and tastes delicious.   It bears no resemblance to the limp pappy tasteless supermarket salad that seems to turn brown at the edges within a couple of days.   I do find it slightly upsetting to see the hens and guinea fowl, live and tied together at the legs, also the furry long earred rabbits huddled together in the wooden boxes waiting to be bought.  It is still very much part of France's rural life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some examples of the wonderful produce available

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

   Famous Agen prunes

   

 

 

 

The market starts at 7am so a quick snozette is understandable!

  

Apart from the vegetables, there are also juicy oranges and tangerines, fat crispy Fiji and golden delcious apples grown locally and dispensed like jewels by my favourite sister Dominique and Sylvie.  I decide to try making some apple chutney to enhance the tandoori chicken kebabs I plan to make.  For the recipes look at Lucie's food section of this blog on the main page.

The sun has made us impatient to set off again so we have arranged with the lockeeper to let us out of the port next week and plan to reach Moissac in time to greet our friends Tim and Jojo aboard;  So better get on with preparing for the forthcoming slow cruise towards Bordeaux, the Baise river and who knows, maybe our beloved Lot river again.  

Cabin Fever takes hold - Lucie's first blog venture

The weather has been quite dreary, foggy and damp the last few weeks.  We both looked at each other over the leisurely breakfast we enjoy every morning, and simultaneously  agreed that it was time to do something to change our mood.

I looked up the trains to see what was feasible for a day trip and we settled on Cahors.  We had driven fleetingly to it with our french friend Betty last winter. We  also  wanted to do a little "rekkie" to see if the winter mooring on that side of the Lot river might be  even more appealing than the lower end of the Lot.   We had been discussing various options for the future.   As usual I am always planning too far ahead, but I believe that good things are usually taken up very speedily by others, so it is just as well to be ahead of the crowd!

I chose market day for our day out, called our two friends Chris and Siobhan who live quite close to Cahors to see if they fancied meeting up.  They were delighted and we settled on the Café Interlude as the place to start with a hot café créme and croissant at 9 am.

 

Everything went according to plan. It meant an early start. Spud and Teds looked suspiciously at the back-pack Malcolm had got out, in which to put shopping.  George  kindly agreed to let the boys out midday. We would be back late afternoon.  They  looked unconvinced but the dark and damp morning air was not to their liking either  so they settled in the warm boat to await our return and be "on guard" during our abscence.

All the trains were more or less on time, we had to change at Montauban but the whole journey only took us 1hr.30mins including the delay of 15mins.   Having studied our Rough Guide we knew which direction to take after arriving at the station.  We were too early for Chris and Siobhan so decided to take a preliminary peek at the market taking place around the cathedral - not many people about but it looked colourful and welcoming.  Within a few minutes some delicious rocket, purple carrots and some fresh pasta had been purchased. Then it was time to meet our friends.

Much laughter as Chris arrived in his hat sporting a feather to compete with Malcolm's Indiana Jones brown one!  The little café was full of habitués being enthusiastically welcomed and served by the patron.  A quick catch up on our respective snipets of news and off we went to discover more culinary treasures amidst the market stalls.   I dashed from one stall to another rather like the black labrador in the DHL ads. In the end Chris and Malcolm decided to stand patiently chatting to each other in the middle of the market, enabling me to go on my buying spree, spasmodically returning to deposit my purchases in the rucksack on Malcolm's back.  Happy and satiated, having indulged my "food fix",  and to my delight,  found some chervil tubers which I had not seen since the weekly market in Briare in Burgundy.  These are a delicious cross between parsnips and chesnuts, in flavour and looking like small brown carrots.  Beautiful dark green shiny watercress, fresh mackerel and a mixture of wild mushrooms were added to the bag.  Recipes were rushing round my excited head.  Just before leaving we decided to  pop into the covered market "Les Halles", a veritable cornucoppia of deliciousness.  However, my jaw did drop to the floor and my specs trembled off the end of nose as I spied a brie,  layered with black truffles at 130 euros per kilo!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cahors  is practically  surrounded by the majestic  river Lot which meanders round  its "teardrop" shape.  It's medieval origins have been well  restored, and arguably, its most famous building is the 14th century Valentré bridge. (see album on left column for more).   We were happily guided through its various alleyways dotted with unusual architectural details adorning the front of the charasmatic houses.

Whilst walking round Chris had been pointing out various little inns and restaurants as lunch was going to be part of our day out.  We finally settled on a charming, simple, french frequented, restaurant in one of the narrow alleys.  We enjoyed the hors d'oeuvre trolley, sander fillet poached and placed on top of a mound of steamed potatoes, carrots, leeks and turnips all drizzled with some of the fish stock, followed by various desserts and cheese, lashing of full bodied and delicious Cahors local wine.  Good service with a smile and a more than bearable hole in our wallet.  Menu was 11.50 euros each!  Chris peppered the conversation with amusing ditties, as ever, which had us laughing a lot.  He re-appeared from the loo apologising for having chosen a restaurant doubling as a brothel.  He had seen a sign perched on the washbasin  "Hors Service".  He is as quick as a flash! (it means out of order!).

Refreshed and now totally charmed by Cahors we eagerly set out in their car to have a look at the possible winter mooring quayside owned by Monsieur Babou, the very same man who also owns the marina in the Port of St Sylvestre on the other stretch of the Lot where we moored in the summer.  But his boatyard was the only access to a very dreary mooring through a very untidy and unattractive yard.   It would have been too good to be true if everything had worked out, but getting Body & Soul to Cahors for a future winter's mooring is now out of the question - never mind - it was time to take the train home.  Our friends kindly dropped us off at the station and, amid plans to meet again on Body & Soul for a little 2 day cruise, we hugged and parted.

 

Our day out had done the trick, our mood was upbeat, the discovery of pastures new had tickled  our tastebuds and we came home eager for the locks to open in February so that Mon Capitaine  could once again take hold the the tiller and start the next season's adventure.

That's it for now, but recipes will follow in due course, keep peeking, recipes and visuals soon to follow,  à la prochaine!

Champagne on the Rocks (It isn't all plain sailing, y'know! Part 8)

It may take some reading to find the reason for this title – Champagne on the rocks – I’ll come to this later……

We always seem to be celebrating something or entertaining someone. The river Lot has us in its grasp from  the 15th July when bro Robert has a 70th birthday celebration. It’s now September 25^th and we are stuck on it waiting for rain to fall on the Pyrenees so that the waters of the river Garonne rise high enough for us to get across it and back to the rest of the canal system. We are at Aiguillon which is a nice town with a good mooring and free facilities (Electricity and water) and two markets each week. Aiguillon is situated at the confluence of the two rivers. The weather is gorgeous and our last visitors, James and Cherry Liell, enjoy a day-trip upstream to Clairac and back – just 14kms in all. For James and me it's a big reunion and the first real contact since their wedding ten years ago. We drink a great deal of wine, eat lots of Lucie’s food and are taken out for a slap up dinner at their hotel in town the night before their departure – all good fun and far too short.

Then there's my surprise birthday celebration on Sunday 15^{th sept} – organised by Lucie – with Chris and Scioban Nunn and their friends Patric and Anne whom we met when we stayed at the Nunns. On this trip we go from Castelmoron to Clairac and back. I will be describing this later but it is rather embarrassing.

At Rob’s party – another famous family song.

 But let’s be clear about this, the great party – Rob’s 70th- is why we sailed up the Lot in the first place and although we are now stuck on it, as already explained, starting with his party and thereafter we have a simply marvelous time. We will be coming back next year, all being well.

The house hired for the party is easily large enough to accommodate all guests including sister Judy Rytina    ,  brought to us by courtesy of Ryan Air Gatwick – Toulouse and a jointly hired car. Much  is made of the house pool and terrace where we launch into a great lunch with a startling amount of bubbly and Lovely food from Nicola and Lucie too. Here we meet Chris and Scioban Nunn who  found the house for hire, quite near to them. I do my best to accompany Rob’s family who have  created a ditty about the "old lad". Judy, Lucie and I do our best with a silly monologue about his life so far, need I say more? We all might well  rehearse just a little more but there's no chance of that. It's the best of fun anyway.

Sister Judy, sadly without Jerry who is still recovering from a stroke, poor chap. He would have loved it. 

Following this lunch, a good warm up before the planned dinner at the Poule au Pot auberge at ………….. nearby, We arrive there, unsurprisingly late, having dropped off at the Nunns delightful house in ……… for a quick glass of early evening bubbly in their garden. We are already pushing the senses a bit by then but amazingly ready to eat what is yet to come. There, outside under the cherry trees and lanterns our table for 16 is already set, complete with a pile of plates at each setting all of which are to be used - A novel idea - I thought. A broth to start, then a Gizier salad – the best I’ve ever tasted, then a huge portion of traditional homemade foie gras to share amongst too few, I guess. But I do my best and help to eat it – quite a lot actually. Delicious! A liberal sprinkling of  both red and white wine. Then the main course for which there is a choice of Lamb or Duck, then the cheese course and pud too followed by coffee and …... Delightfully served by an intelligent waitress and the Madame overseeing. God knows how we all get home in one piece but we do and even then we go partying at the house until……. getting to know each other and ……. Judy, Lucie and I are up early next day and off after breakfast to prepare for the boat trip which is to follow…….It's a delightfully  damaging few days m’thinks.

George and Sue, our friends on Vertrouwen kindly offer to take half the party - we are technically both licensed to take a maximum of 8 people, so both boats take the lot up the Lot, (sorry), as far as allowed. This is a 16 km trip there and back. A gentle days outing starting and finishing at St. Sylvestre. A picnic lunch  prepared by the girls. A beautiful sunny day and a swim somewhere, lashed together somewhere midstream. Fantastic, despite the warning about snakes! Time to recover from the bashing the night before.

You will be wondering, I'm sure, what it is on my birthday trip that embarrasses me. Well you see, our surprise guests bring several bottles of champagne which we all drink as we proceed down the Lot from Castelmoron towards our destination at Clairac where we have a picnic in mind. As Captain of our boat, I should have known better and I am ashamed to say that I was ...er distracted enough by the general "bonhomie" that was going on, to make a "disastrous" navigational blunder.

Lunch on the rocks

As we approach Clairac in the downstream direction we see a magnificent stone arched bridge. The arch on the extreme left is the only one marked for boats to enter. The other much bigger arches, unusually -  I have to say in my defence - have no signs at all. Not even a red one. The reason for this peculiarity does not occur to the unwary until it is too late and they find themselves being guided to the Lock. I should know better because I have steered this very course before. But having gone through this arch I decided to round the marker buoy on my right and direct the boat to the quay at Clairac on our right, quite forgetting the purpose of this marker buoy which was to stop mariners from sailing onto the underwater rocks. 

It was a bad move. Body and Soul suddenly grinds to a slithery halt on what appears to be a flat stone wall. We are well and truly stuck! No need for mooring ropes here, I think, so after much heaving and shoving with the barge pole - which snaps - we decide to ring George and Sue on Vertrouwen who drop everything to come to our rescue. They are about an hour upstream of us.

By this time there is a dozen or more "Frenchies", gawping at us from the bridge high above us and shouting advice. What do we do? We decide, much to their amazement, to do what the French always do- just like the English stop for tea, the French always stop for lunch. So, whilst we await our galant rescuer's arrival, we sit down for our lunch and, dare I say it, some more bubbly.

It takes several attempts to pull her off and one of the French audience must have rung the Pompiers who in turn must have rung the river men who eventually turn up just after the last- attempt to pull her off succeeded. Anyway we all laughed a lot, mainly at my expense I have to say.

 

Patrick at the tiller.

There is a rather obvious moral to this story, -  best left unsaid! The rest of the trip is uneventful in comparison but I'm pretty sure everyone will remember "champagne on the rocks" and how very enjoyable it was. Thanks for coming!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mancinis Visit for Lunch

We had a lunchtime visit from Marco and Carmen, now the best of friends, from Italy - also living aboard their boat. We met them firstly at "Chitry Les Mines " and then several times afterwards on our travels. He is Saun Connery's double, complete with the 007 moustache. She is, of course, much better looking! They have motored up to Briare from Decize with their two dogs to have lunch with us. What a laugh we had, with our broken English/French/and Italian languages. We always do when with them. They brought us a delicious Panatoni and a Pandoro, the latter of which I had not heard nor yet tasted. Lucie did one of her kitchen sink soups and some baguette and we drank some Biere De Garde, Jenlain (Blonde) bottled in a Champage type bottle ABV (7.5%!) which they brought us too.

www.duyck.com

Now I know I have had words about French Beer, but this one was nice.

After lunch I took Marco and Carmen with our four dogs for a walk around the sights of Briare and the Loire.

Behind this bridge you can see where we find most of our free fire wood, just lying there for the asking. We call the bridge the "Monet Bridge" for obvious reasons, but there are several dotted about the place very similar to this one. It crosses the old canal, now disused, which used to enter the Loire downstream of Briare going westwards.

I nearly forgot the bottle of Saint-Helme from Bergerac 2005 which Marco and Carmen also kindly brought as a gift. Will try that later no doubt, but we are a little partial to Bergerac wines! This is the view of "Body and Soul" from "SS Gulliver" our friend's barge, Keith and Jenny, from just across the water.

Christmas and after

We had a lovely time. No need to know how much of everything we had but it was considerable and, of course, immediately followed by the usual feelings of remorse and guilt about the poor and the starving. The contacts we made through the Internet with all the family on Christmas day and boxing day made it what it should be all about - great fun, much love and laughter permeated cyber-space and thanks for keeping in touch.

One can only look forward to great improvements in our collective skills by the same time next year. Just imagine how much more proficient we will have become by then? Will we be seeing each other live ? ("beam me up Scottie" sort of thing! ) who knows what technical improvements there will be.  I am sure that broadband will be universal by then.

Just a word about Teddy and Spud. Teddy is already too fat and didn't take kindly to the diet I have now put him on and Spuddy got terrible wind which was cured by placing a hot water bottle over his distended stomach. Click on photos herewith for a larger view.

On Christmas Eve we "entertained" our recently acquired friends Jenny and Keith who own the boat "Gulliver", (a Saga Marine Barge Look alike) across the other side of the "Port de Plaisance" (Marina) They are the couple who we met on our various travels, who recommended Briare for this winter mooring.

Here is our menu!

Smoked salmon with black bread canapes, Cremant De Bourgogne

Doz Oysters, Rully  ( a lovely tasty dry white wine)

Breast of Local Free Range Duck (with an armagnac and Agen Prune sauce with Parsnip and celeriac, Roast Baby Potatoes and Red onions, Mangetouts and fine green beans)

Cote De Bourg (not unlike a good claret with plenty of tannin)

Terrine of Three Cheeses with Pistacio (Layered Terrine of 3 Cheeses & pistachios)

Creme Brulee with a pudding wine

Coffee and armagnac

With no surprise, we had a little lay-in on Christmas morning before going to Jenny and Keith's boat for a late traditional lunch of turkey and what a terrific lunch they laid on. Just perfect - including the pudding and some very alcoholic sauce. More superb wines with each course and a malt whisky to follow...somehow, over an extended period, Lucie and I managed a little smoked salmon with lemon before tumbling into bed at about eleven - having walked the dogs and restarted the woodburner - just simply marvellous!

In between we have had friends in and been to friends various. Stephen and Sophie with her bump are due to arrive for the New year celebrations - staying for a few days, and Lucie is cooking up another storm! News of this encounter, if you can bear it, will be "soon as......"