Auxonne Carnival

Our second visit to the walled town of Auxonne was as noisy as our first (back in September). But this time we were prepared for it. Every year in March the town goes mad for a whole weekend. It is carnival time and local people spend months preparing their floats which are decorated with paper flowers - on average 10,000 per float. The displays are imaginative and very colourful. We also reckoned that they were highly flammable, though this did not seem to worry the countless merry masqueraders who smoked as they danced onboard and alongside their floats. 

The crowds join in the fun by dressing up and bombarding anything that moves with copious amounts of confetti. Paradise for kids. We were all wearing viking helmets and the boys delighted in filling the helmets with confetti before placing them on our heads. 

Half-term happenings

The boys have taken a liking to the French school system - probably because they realised that they get two weeks holiday at half-term rather than just one! The flipside is that parents have to find double the fun to fill the time...

Notched up a bit more skiing.

Took a trip to Beaune on market day; stocked up on necessary liquid refreshment nearby...

Visited Besancon and the Citadelle perched high above the city. Somehow or other we managed to get into the Citadelle for free and were amazed to find a zoo nestled within the fortifications, an aquarium in the armoury, gibbons gurning in the gatehouse, kangaroos kipping in the keep, tigers tango dancing in the tower and made sure we took a photo of the Baileys buffooning in the bailey.

STOP PRESS! Callum leaves trampoline!

Hot news here in downtown St Jean de Losne. Callum "bouncy boy" Bailey actually left the trampoline today and transformed back into Callum "bilge rat" Bailey. Shouts of "eureka" were heard from the engine room as a use has finally been found for Callum's infamous happy hands... valve grinding.

Winter chores in the engine room

Andy is now living in Lobelia's engine room and is attracting as much oil and grease as possible. He calls it engine maintenance and tells me that he is refurbishing the cylinder heads - all ten of them.
Lobelia was in serious need of a de-coke and a valve regrind (aren't we all?) and we hope that this will improve her breathing, help her to give up smoking and stop her from gassing onlookers at locks.
Andy thanks his dad for teaching him the ancient art of valve lapping at an early age and is hoping to pass this knowledge on to his own sons if he can get them off the trampoline.
Shiv has visited the engine room with cups of coffee and did clear some 25 year old slimy black yuck from the nearly-inaccessible bilge under the engine. Nice!

This engine runs on tomato soup!

The Pudding Club Premiere

Dan, Cal and Shiv had all decided to enter the Pudding Club competition, so Lobelia's kitchen was a veritable cloud (some might say fog) of flour and icing sugar as the big day approached. Dan's three tier cake was beautifully made and we enjoyed watching him decorate it.
Callum chose to make Queen of Hearts jam tarts and Shiv opted for rosebud shaped red velvet cupcakes.
Andy decided to be an official taster!

Nine contestants and nine very different plates of goodies awaited the judges. Dan organised the event beautifully and greeted each contestant with compliments whilst relieving them of an entry fee. Onlookers received the same treatment and forked out euros in exchange for a tasting.
Unfortunately none of us was a winner this time... but the event was popular so it looks as though we will be back to try again sometime soon.

Chuckle Brothers open a Pudding Club

Dan and Cal have enjoyed meeting other boaters in Saint Jean de Losne and have been made to feel very welcome at social gatherings. They attend the regular quiz nights and have learnt the fine art of heckling. They have a regular Saturday morning slot on the VHF radio broadcast. Billed as the "Chuckle Brothers at the Old Lock" they broadcast a weekly joke. And today, at the community boaters' meeting, Dan proposed the tasty idea of a Pudding Club. Needless to say, this went down very well with everyone. A competition date was set for Wednesday 16th Feb and Dan was asked to set the theme. Thanks to the date, our treats will be based on "romance". Perhaps it would be a good idea to fast on the Tuesday in preparation for all the goodies. Will let you know how it turns out.

Toothless in Saint Jean de Losne

The blog has been very quiet recently but that does not mean that our lives have become quiet. Andy is back in the UK working. Both boys are studying hard at school and making massive progress. And I am decorating (well, that's what I call it).
A friendly retired fireman removed Callum's two front teeth. The milk teeth had refused to go and, alien-like, they poked put of Callum's mouth at crazy angles whilst the new adult teeth vied for space behind. Nothing we did would cause them to budge. No amount of carrot sticks encased in rock hard toffee would shift them. But, last Sunday we invited some neighbours to tea. This civilised gathering simmered down to good-natured rough and tumble as both boys challenged Paul the fireman to fight. And when the bleeding stopped, all our guests were kind enough to get on their hands and knees to search for the missing teeth. Good neighbours! After the initial shock Callum was thrilled : double tooth fairy fees.