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.