A Message to all our Family and Friends
We celebrated last Christmas and New Year (2005/6) on board what was then our new barge home, "Body and Soul", moored at Isleham on the river Lark in Cambridgeshire. Our village shop, Tastebuds, had been sold but I was still working to finish my contract with the Post Office, which ended on December 23rd (05).
Life is just a bowl of cherries....
Both Lucie and I felt a huge sense of excitement and relief together with some trepidation. We had taken a risk in putting what capital we had into a barge home which we could afford outright rather than into a conventional property and the inevitable borrowing that this would entail. This has enabled us to fulfill our dream of travelling in Europe.
France was the obvious choice - Lucie being half a native is fluent in the language and has family living there. We had to be able to afford to live there with not much more than our state pensions with which to do it. Our beloved "Boo Boo" (the American Recreational Vehicle in which we had happily lived for over 2 years,) would - sadly - have to be sold.
But in these early days, to me, France was still just a dream. Life in retirement was good as it was and, provided that our boat did not develop any serious problems (of the sinking sort!), we were quite happy to indulge in having the time, at last, to enjoy life "outside the box". We needed at least six months in England, to enable us to deal with any warranty matters that would inevitably arise and also to get used to "Body and Soul", her machinery and her handling. We made many river trips to Ely and St. Ives and we jointly passed the test needed to get the license to operate on international inland waterways.
The point of no return came when in January, we booked the date for lifting "Body and Soul" out of the water at Westview Marina prior to our departure in April. She was to have her "bottom" repainted under warranty at the same time as being loaded on to the articulated transporter destined for "La Belle France".
Her passage was booked and we were hooked. Hooked into an unstoppable surge of final decision making. But already we were enjoying the freedom and the time to be ourselves. It was at this time, perversely, that we had a terrible phonecall from poor Robert, telling us of Jo's tragic death at St. Margaret's Bay. We all miss her. What a loss to Robert, her family and to all who knew her.
Since our arrival in France, it is as though real life has just begun. We have met so many new friends, seen so many places, experienced so much natural beauty and of course the food and wine is a frequent addition to our pleasure - we sometimes feel almost guilty! 
Of all comparisons between France and Britain, it is the sense of sheer space which appeals to me most. Sometimes, when cruising these lovely canals even at the height of the season, we might come across just three other boats in the course of a whole day. The navigable rivers too are, in general, much bigger and have relatively few boats upon them. (The second photo here is when Bro' Rob helps to save our unbrella. He fails!) There are some massive commercial barges still operating but one senses that these are decreasing in number year by year. The hire boat season starts on the May bank Holiday, peaks in August and ceases quite abruptly at the end of September and just a small trickle in October - most canals close their locks from November until end of March.
Now we have been able to make time for having family or friends visiting. This is a luxury never before afforded to either of us, due to the unrelenting demands of Hotel and Retail businesses. We look forward to many more visitors in 2007. For those old friends that we have sadly neglected in recent years, book now d'ye hear, go on!
For those who are familiar with the waterways of France, it may be of interest to know that we have been down and up the Canal De Nivernais, part of the Canal Lateral De La Loire, both down and up The Canal De Digoine et Roanne, up the Canal Du Centre, down and up part of the River Soane with some diversions off it. We have done the Canal De Bourgogne going north and back to our starting point at Laroche Migennes.
Another very sad event, the sudden death of Lucie's step mother, Marie-Jeanne, meant that we spent quite a lot of time in Joigny during September because of its proximity to Lucie's family home, Domaine De Beaurin. There were funeral matters to attend to and various family meetings held during this time, but Joigny and the river Yonne, were pleasant enough at this time of the year. We were much cheered by the arrival of Alan, Amanda and family (Harry and Lois) who camped at Cezy Sur Yonne - just down-stream from Joigny.
This was their first venture into family camping and possibly their first real "two week" family 
holiday. We had great fun together moored most of the time opposite their camp site on the other side of the Yonne. I am sure they went home exhausted!
After Joigny we cruised the river Yonne northwards towards Paris, turning left on to the River Seine at Montereau and then after a short distance, another left turn into the Canal De Loing and to Moret Sur Loing. Our vague intention was to check out the possibility of securing a winter mooring at Briare, which had been recommended to us. From Moret then, through to Briare on the Canal de Briare. We were - and still are - very impressed with Briare both for its beauty and for its boating facilities and we did precisely what we wanted there - we booked ourselves in for the winter - starting on the 1st November.
Then there was the Walker get together to celebrate Judy's 70th Birthday on the 23rd September at Domaine de Beaurin - a great and happy occasion, although sadly without Robert's Jo. 
Judy and Jerry, Robert, Lucie and I all stayed at the house and did lots of silly things together as one does on these occasions, culminating in a final farewell dinner and outing to Moret Sur Loing.
With a bit of September and the whole of October to go before the closure of the Locks we set off south down the Canal De Briare, Joining the Canal Lateral de la Loire, and then the Canal du Centre to Decise. Our intentions were to "re-live" the Nivernais this time going northwards, through Auxerre, Joigny, Montereau, Moret and back to Briare. This is, of course, not to mention all the other beautiful places in between. We arrived back at our secured moorings towards the end of October, feeling thoroughly healthy but ready for a rest.
Now as I write this blog, Christmas is under our belts, (as it were!), we look forward to 2007 and the New Year Celebrations with Sophie (my er..daughter), her "Bump" and Stephen, her husband, visiting us for that purpose. What a year it has been. Plans for the great trip down the Rhone next April are well under way and we have already fixed a winter mooring at Castelmoron Sur Lot. (Recommendation from yet another friend we have met on our travels.)
Both Lucie and I wish all in both our rapidly expanding families and all other relatives, especially Aunt Lois (the family "elder"!) our friends and anyone else who may read this - all the best and have a very happy and prosperous 2007. Please keep in touch with us if you can through all the means now available.
We are available through "Skype", which is free, for at least a "chat". It isn't very sensible to publish any addresses or telephone numbers, email etc on the web.