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.