Iced Magic

Andy has taken some great photos of the frozen world around us. Hope you like them too.

Ice crystals feathered across the wheelhouse window.

Frozen swirls on the ground.

Marshmallow topped bollards.
















And the latest fashion to replace a paper bag
over your head!

Christmas Day snow

No early starts this year! The boys were very restrained and got up and played quietly until we called them at 8am. Then the noise started. The boys had left stockings out for the British Father Christmas and shoes for the French Pere Noel. The plan had worked and they had double helpings of chocolates and gifts.

Snow was falling gently outside and Christmas morning sparkled. It seemed a shame to stay inside, so we all took a dip in the hot tub for a Christmas carol sing-a-long.

We spent a long, lazy, food-filled day opening gifts which were enjoyed by all.

And walked off lunch with a quiet walk around the old lock.

Christmas Holidays

School finished on Friday the 17th and the boys were amazed that it was treated as a normal school day. No parties, games, gifts or cards. However, they did give their Headteacher and class teachers a gift each. The teachers were surprised! Nobody gives them presents. They would be stunned if they witnessed the festivities in a UK school.
Ski reports looked good so we headed off to the slopes on Sunday to try out our new skis. The Jura mountain range is just under two hours' drive away, so we were able to treat it as a day trip.
Dan found his ski legs very quickly. Callum and Shiv took a little longer! But we had a lot of fun in the process.

The School Trip

Both boys were very excited this morning. It was school trip day. They spent the day in Dijon and watched a film in the morning, had lunch at the University and then split up for different activities in the afternoon. Dan went to an exhibition about the moon at the Museum of Natural History and Callum said he had a brilliant time at the Museum of Fine Arts (though couldn't elaborate any further!)
Meanwhile, with a day off from school runs, we went to Dijon to enjoy some relaxed child-free Christmas shopping and our crew Christmas lunch.
Everyone was happy.

An unusual Xmas parade

Saint Jean de Losne has a strong barging fraternity : a multi-national hotch-potch of commercial and pleasure boats and their crews. Each Christmas the local French barge association renews its links with St Nicolas (the original Father Xmas) via a Church service and a torchlit parade through the town. Visiting boaters are invited to take part. This year we fell into this category from a great height!

Dressed up in lots of layers of warm clothing we dutifully reported to the parade assembly area at 430pm and were asked to don large white gowns and red pointy hats. Callum was not amused and not particularly compliant. Perhaps he had sense.

Whilst we waited we met some of the key players :
St Nicolas himself. Silent and steadfast.
Le Capitain. The caped hero.
Le Pere Fouettard. Bad Santa with a whip and a penchant for black boot polish.

Bad Santa prowled around the children looking for the naughty ones. Unfortunately the local clergy who were at the festival really are black and Callum was getting a bit confused as to who was the real bad guy.

Luckily the town band arrived, resplendent in their uniforms and lifted everyone's spirits with their upbeat marching music.

And some of St Nicolas' retinue found an alternative way to lift their spirits...

Have you got a light?

Darkness fell and we set off on the parade with flaming torches held high.
The British boating contingent led the parade, followed by the caped and capped French boaters, the marching band, St Nicolas in a horse-drawn carriage and another carriage filled to bursting with French children.
We processed merrily around the town, though nobody told us to stop when the French boaters and band peeled off into a retirement home for entertainment and refreshment. The Brits huddled together, warmed by our blazing torches and the two boys entertained us with their knowledge of Strictly Come Dancing.
Finally the parade resumed and snaked through the town, though we did retrace our steps a few times, which was unfortunate because the horses had left small piles of surprises for us to walk through.

After an hour of this excitement we crammed into a hall with the band and all the main protagonists climbed up onto the stage. The children were directed to sit down infront of the stage. We thought this was so that St Nicolas could hand out gifts. But no! If you know the League of Gentlemen then you will understand our initial reaction. Two women bustled onto the stage and proceeded to talk at length. Occasionally Pere Fouettard gave them a spanking. The children watched in stunned amazement. It was certainly different. Maybe it was the French version of the ugly sisters in a panto.

Dan and Callum's stamina was rewarded with a hot chocolate and a bag of sweets and we all ended up with an evening to remember.

Where's that naughty spark gone?

Andy is home

Wednesday 1st December - it is snowing in the UK. People are advised not to travel.
Wednesday 1st December 2:30pm - M20 closed and Operation Stack begins (all freight bound for France is stopped and forms a queue on the motorway.
Wednesday 1st December 3.00pm - Andy (thanks to Smilie Trev) departs Twickenham Studios in a van filled to the brim with baked beans, cheddar cheese, chocolate digestives, marmite, bacon and sausages.

The UK is a white-out and the roads are a mess.

Andy battles his way to Eurostar and, thanks to stunning intervention from Satnav, gets onto the freight train to France.

Thursday 2nd December : 04:00 Andy arrives home on the barge.
Thursday 2nd December : 07:00 Andy is attacked by two excited boys.
Thursday 2nd December : 1pm Andy and his boys enjoy a proper British bacon sarnie for lunch.

It is good to have him back.

Il neige

We had our first snowfall today - a day after the UK. The Old Lock looks very picturesque, though it got very noisy this afternoon when neighbours and children gathered for a mammoth snowball fight. Learning a language through play is always effective and we mastered a whole new range of vocabulary during the battle. Sadly the boys also learned that schools in France stay open - whatever the weather!

Ignorance is bliss

We have been back for three weeks now and are just settling into a "comfortable" routine. The boys go to school and I spend the day driving the ever-resilient Volvo back and forth along the not-so-comfortable bumpy river road where the potholes are quickly merging into one large pit. On Friday I notched up five round trips and even retained all my fillings. Dan was not so fortunate - and lost a tooth.
Schooldays can be good and bad. There have been tears at lunchtime and laughter too. Each day brings a new challenge and a mountain of homework for all three of us.
This week I have attended parents' evening and my queries were met with much nodding and smiling. The teacher's responses received equal measure. So that's what they mean when they say that ignorance is bliss.
I have also opened a bank account. I think.

First week at school complete

Well, the boys reached the weekend and they are still smiling (occasionally)! They think school in France is  much stricter and that the teachers are much more bad-tempered than they are in the UK. There seems to be a lot of sitting in silence at desks and movement around the class is forbidden. Callum claims that he has not spoken to the boy who sits on the other side of the room because interaction between the children in the classroom is forbidden. Not sure if this is true. Dan, however, does get a chance to work in small groups and is thoroughly enjoying numeracy which has a universal language of its own. Though, for the first time in his school career, he is in a classroom with a traditional blackboard and chalk and is discovering how unpleasant the dust and scratchy-squeakiness can be.
Callum has met his match with his class teacher. She does not take "no" for an answer and is obviously beating him into submission. His handwriting has changed drastically in just one week. This must seem unbelievable for those who know Callum and his ways. However, he seems to have a healthy respect for this lady. He was given extra tuition after school on Tuesday (a long day for a 6 year old that started at 0830 and finished at 1715).  However, on Wednesday I found that he had scrawled a message on our blackboard that read : "40 minute lessons are cool, so Dan you are a fool!"

Armistice Day

The 11th of November is a public holiday in France, so there was no school today. The boys and I donned our poppies and headed down to the War Memorial for the remembrance service. Due to the hour difference the service is held at midday and the silence at 12:11. The Entente Cordiale was in force and it was easy to spot the English. The French do not wear poppies and many of them do not know of their significance. There are no local cadet forces - so the firemen marched with the town band, the mayor, some local elderly stalwarts of military campaigns and a small group of schoolchildren.
Dan and Callum had visited a number of wartime venues of importance during their trip this summer and so they displayed a very mature understanding of the service.
Though I could not help remembering them dressed up as WW1 soldiers and felt I should attach the photo for you to see...

Barge boulangerie

A rainy Sunday in France requires an indoor Entertainments' Officer. The boys mixed schoolwork with playtime and a spot of bread-making (courtesy of a recent River Cottage episode - though in this photo Callum seems to be paying homage to the Naked Chef).

And the results were very tasty indeed...

New School

The day that both boys had been dreading. At 0820 I drove them to Saint Jean de Losne and parked outside the school. The gates were open and children were arriving, carrying massive bags of folders, books and pens. I escorted the boys into the playground and handed them over to a teacher.
Luckily our neighbours' children saw us and came over to welcome the boys. As I left the playground I could see Dan surrounded by girls who swamped him with dozens of questions in high speed french! His strong silence was obviously magnetic.
I returned at 1130 to collect the boys for lunch. They came out with heads held high and declared the morning a minor success. School in France was not so bad. And there was even the chance to play football at breaktime. Dan had made a few friends and Callum had been paired up with our neighbour's daughter who was quite happy to do all his work for him.
We had a chatty lunch at home and then I took them back to school for the afternoon session.
Verdict at the end of the day : school is ok but the teachers are very strict. Both boys are also suitably miffed at constant handwriting corrections. The teachers are not going to accept the cursive script favoured by English schools. Instead, the boys have to produce very flowery, loopy lettering - which is not Callum's idea of fun at all!
And I have homework too. My evenings will now be spent studying what the boys have done in school that day, and prepping up on the next day's work so that I can pre-teach vital concepts. It is already proving to be an interesting pastime as it gives me the chance to compare the French and English approaches to teaching primary school level.

Thank you

Thank you to all our friends and family who welcomed us back to the UK on our recent two week visit. It was wonderful to catch up with so many and the generosity was overwhelming. The boys loved linking up with their friends at school and it was hard to tear them away.
Our two week trip was over too quickly and we had to bid Andy a tearful farewell. He has remained in the UK for the time-being and is busy working and trying to refill the coffers which we enjoyed emptying over the summer months.
The rejuvenated Volvo, laden to the limit, creaked the 600 mile return journey through France to the barge. The boys watched DVDs and I kept a watchful eye on the satnav and the fuel gauge. French fuel strikes meant the roads were blissfully quiet.
We arrived home before dark and all was well.

Dan's 9th Birthday

Dan celebrated his 9th birthday in France and in style. Croissant and chocolate for breakfast. A trip to Dole - the town with soul and a big toy shop! And a massive chocolate and meringue cake to complete the day. Happy Birthday Dan.xxxx
Back to UK tomorrow and looking forward to seeing everybody.

Louhans.

Visited Louhans agricultural market today. It was a market with a difference. Louhans is a beautiful old town with cobbled streets, timber framed houses and ancient shopping arcades. The food market was vibrant and filled with delicious goodies and smells. However, the animal market was the big hit with all of us. Geese, turkeys, ducks, chickens, pigeons, quail, puppies, kittens, goats, rabbits, pigs, boar and budgies in abundance. Shoppers take great care in selecting their purchases and there is a lot of chat before the deal is done. And then the purchase must be taken home through the market…

And did you know that rabbits lay eggs?

Our first week in Saint Jean de Losne

Well, we have notched up a busy first week in our new home in Saint Jean de Losne and the weather has been magnificent.

First things first : safe access to the boat required. On Monday Andy and I set about building a mammoth flight of steps and shifted a large amount of mud and aggregate until the task was completed on Tuesday. Cleared the garden and built barricades to keep out Foie, Gras, Waddle, Honk and all their mates…

On Wednesday we went en famille to the book swap and boat info session held in town. The boys were a big hit with everyone and came away with plenty of books.

On Thursday we hosted a party for our new neighbours and the Marina bosses. 30 people came and it was a very sociable evening.

On Friday we visited the local school and met the very young and cool Headmaster. Both boys enrolled and start on November 4^th and luckily they will be in the same classes as our neighbour’s children. We have a lot of forms to fill in  and a long list of school resources to purchase. In France the schoolchildren do not wear uniform but they do have to supply and carry enormous bags of equipment! School hours are very different too. They day starts at 0820 and the morning session finishes at 1130. Children are then sent home for lunch until 1330. The afternoon session finishes at 1630. And it is only 4 days per week! No school on a Wednesday. Though I have just informed Dan and Callum that they will be doing schoolwork with me on a Wednesday and catching up with the UK curriculum.

On Saturday we visited Dijon which is about half an hour away by car. It seems like a great city with a very vibrant centre and we are looking forward to making a return visit. 

We also purchased the boys’ early Christmas present from their grandparents : a trampoline. The boys are thrilled and it is already a big hit with everyone at the Old Lock.

On Sunday the trampoline did not stop and our neighbours’ daughter moved in with us! She is 6 and very chatty and has taught me a great deal of French already.

A week has gone by at our new mooring and we feel very settled. So much has happened and we have met so many people. We have a feeling that it could be a lot of fun here.

Lobelia's New Home.

The barge is moored alongside many other barges in an old lock off the River Saone. It is a very green and pleasant area and pitch black at night, which makes for fabulous star gazing. We have an eclectic mix of neighbours. Lots of Brits (including an OFSTED inspector) who are slowly packing up and heading back to the UK for the winter. Our next door neighbours are French and have three children. The eldest two are girls and the same age as Dan and Callum. So far they seem to get on well and we are all hoping that they will teach each other their respective languages.

We have a massive garden and need to set up barricades to keep out the resident gaggle of geese.

The boys have freedom to roam the area and are thoroughly enjoying the opportunity. They have been given carte blanche to go into the Marina boss’ garden and they delight in finding an abundance of marbles which seem to be scattered there.

The boating community is massive and a mix of Brits, French, Belgians, Germans and Swiss. Under the guidance of the boss at the Marina, they have developed over many years into a highly organised group. They have regular social events, book swaps, language groups and a radio station which broadcasts on VHF at 0930 daily. Akin to the Flying Doctor service, the network gives weather, navigation and currency reports and gives listeners the opportunity to state medical needs, announce social events and arrange swaps in Thursday’s Treasures of the Bilge section. We have become avid listeners and the four of us huddle around the radio in the wheelhouse every morning. It is highly entertaining.

The Grand Total

Since leaving the UK at the beginning of June, Lobelia has notched up :

1146 km (712 miles)

226 locks

284 engine hours

25 lifting bridges

5 tunnels

lots of diesel…

& plenty of paint…

She has behaved impeccably and deserves the accolade most frequently given by passersby : “joli bateau”.

Well done Lobelia. We have had lots of fun and look forward to the next season’s adventures.

You have reached your destination. Where's the gap?

We have made it! At midday today we made a final short journey to our winter mooring in the old lock at St Jean de Losne. Both boys took shifts at the wheel as we danced down the Saone. Then Andy took the helm and Lobelia shimmied delicately between barges of all shapes and sizes which crowd the entrance to the old lock. 

Neighbours appeared and helped as we tied Lobelia up for the winter.

The boys scampered ashore to explore and make friends with a friendly dog. Everyone was happy.

And then there were four...

Farewell to Mum and Dad this morning. The mosquito bite scars have almost disappeared and our bottle bank is bulging. 

Sunset Saone

A bleary-eyed Lobelia crew surfaced at 8am for coffee. We could not risk staying in Auxonne for a repeat of last night. We needed to move both car and barge immediately.  Mum and Dad and the boys set off for Beaune in the car. Andy and I barged downriver for three hours to St Jean de Losne.

We arrived in sunshine and instantly felt at home.

Stayed onboard for a sunset supper on the Saone.

Nearly there!

Took Mum and Dad and the boys in the car to see our new mooring on the outskirts of St Jean de Losne. The sky was blue and the sun shone. It was a perfect first visit and the boys are thrilled to discover that they have a garden. Better still, there are chatty neighbours with pet dogs and cats which love to play with inquisitive boys.

Returned to the town and meandered the old streets. Stopped for a leisurely lunch at a riverside café and waved at friends as they chugged past in their barges.

Drove back to Auxonne and had an early night with the plan to get up early and visit the market at Beaune.

Unfortunately some locals decided to party rather too loudly on the quay by the barge. The party got out of hand, the decibels increased and the music stagnated until it became a monotonous brain bashing boring beat. Peace was not regained until 4am.

Auxonne

Blissful barging down the River Saone to Auxonne today. Free central mooring at the foot of the old town walls. 

Escape from the canal

Grey clouds hung over us as we left our mooring. In the last few days the canal has held us tightly in its dense tree-lined grip and awarded us with only brief glimpses of the world outside. The sky has been grey and the wind cold. Villages deserted and sign of life lacking. We are now officially canal-crazy and desperate to escape.

At 1pm we left the last lock on the canal and gleefully headed out onto the wide and welcoming River Saone. Everyone’s spirits lifted. Other barges came into view and their crews waved; the river banks seemed so far away and the trees did not try to suffocate us. Even Lobelia seemed happier. She had wide deep water and her speed increased and the drone of her engine changed to a new brighter tone.

Arrived in Pontailler sur Saone and moored alongside a barge owned by a friendly Australian couple. And, after a spot of car repatriation we invited our new neighbours to join us for a celebratory glass of champagne.

Buoyed with bubbles, relief at being on the river and delight at defeating the mosquitoes - we went out for a meal.

Oisilly pots

Notched up 11 locks today and the sun returned as we approached the impressive Oisilly viaduct.

Moored up on an old silo quay near a garden pot shop. The Tucker grandparents disappeared into the shop (which is the only shop for miles) for quite some time and did a massive amount of Christmas shopping!

Revenge of the bitten

The mosquito attacks are on the up and we are now at war. Stocked up on plug-in anti-mossie devices and installed them all over the barge. 

Mosquito Attack

Can’t believe it! Despite the cold weather we are now under attack from mosquitoes. Poor Mum and Dad have been bitten badly. And it’s meant to be a holiday!

But camera in hand, they have walked along the towpath and captured some great snaps of Lobelia en route.

And had a go at driving her too!

Scotch on the locks

Autumn is definitely here and it is damp and a bit cold and a real shock to the system. But the low bridge heights mean that we still have to take the wheelhouse down.

We gambled the weather and opted to travel without our rain cover. It was not a good choice! Our log book entries for the trip said it all. Seven locks with weather notation : drizzle; heavy rain; really rather wet and windy; serious wind – Lobelia pushed sideways onto bank and unable to get into lock.

During brief respites in rain the Tucker grandparents got off the boat and gamely exercised the boys along the towpath. We could hear them all chanting their times tables as they marched alongside us. Grandparents were rewarded for their resilience to the cold and times tables with scotch at the locks.

We moored at Cusey and things improved. The rain and wind had gone and we now had free electricity and water. Better still, (in the boys’ eyes) there was a pizza/kebab van in the car park. With euros in hand they ordered their own food and befriended a 7 year old french boy with whom they chatted and played until dark.

Now we are six

The Lobelia passenger list dropped from 8 to 6 today. Andy’s parents, Dave and Wendy, departed their Lobelia cruise this morning and headed back to the UK in heavy rain. They found the sunshine further north – unfortunately the rain stayed with us at the barge.

It was not a good day for moving the boat, so we explored the area by car and ended up at a goat farm and shop. It was in the middle of nowhere, yet unlike the rest of France, it opened every day for a few hours.

The shop was tiny and the lady who ran it made us wait outside the open door for ten minutes until the official opening time at 4.30pm.

We stocked up with a wide variety of delicious goat cheeses and honey from heaven.

Before leaving we crept into the adjoining barn to admire the goats and praise them for being so generous with their milk : and sneakily they stole Dad’s de Gaulle hat!

More grandparents!

The Tucker grandparents are now onboard and we have a full set for the boys to entertain... or is it the other way around?

Deeper locks downhill

We are now free of lock-keepers. The downhill locks are automatic and operated by sensors. But they are deeper and a little harder to drive into. Andy, at the helm, loses sight of the lock long before the barge enters it. We suddenly felt like novices again as we tried to learn the best way to approach the lock, tie up, jump the ropes down and keep clear of the gates and lock sill. There just isn't room for error. And we experienced a few bumps before we were truly comfortable.

Balesmes Tunnel

Another tunnel. 5km long, narrow and dark with occasional rain! Andy was brilliant (as always) and his parents stuck it out in the wheelhouse too.

Moored up in Heuilly Cotton at the top of the hill. From now on we will be travelling downhill - heading for the River Saone.

Frosty!

A thick frost coated Lobelia this morning, but within hours we were basking in sunshine. Both boys walked with their grandparents along the towpath as we made our way along the canal. Dan took some great photos of the barge en route.

Moored up at a beautiful spot in gorgeous sunshine and visited the nearby lake where the boys went for a swim. Could have sworn it was frosty this morning!

Lovely Langres

Took the day off today and headed for the walled citadel of Langres perched high up on a hill.

We walked the ramparts and enjoyed far-reaching views across the hills. Visited the tower of Navarre and the boys rather liked the rude gargoyles!

Returned to Langres in the evening for a fabulous fireworks display with effects which made the medieval walls look as if they were on fire or under attack from cannon and then later, machine gunfire.