St Jean de Losne :: Noël-Nouvel An

Joyeux Nouvel An. Il neige que je tape et je peux difficilement rester assis pendant de vouloir aller jouer dehors. Nous sommes le froid survivent assez bien en ignorant le compteur électrique tourne fournissant notre bateau. Nous avons utilisé de l'hebdomadaire Monitor, et il ya deux semaines, nous avons calculé que nous étions à l'aide 50% plus que lorsque nous sommes arrivés à St Jean. Dieu seul sait combien nous sommes désormais brûlant à travers. Pour aider à conserver les thermes nous avons une bâche blanche énorme (ci-dessous, droit) plus l'ensemble du bateau et une autre qui se niche à proximité de la maison de pilotes de Windows, et nous gardons les portes extérieures persiennes couvert la nuit. Pendant la journée,, entrées et les sorties sont faites rapidement, lorsque cela est possible sans enlever la planche à laver ou à la trappe coulissante arrière.

Nous avons un convecteur à un bas niveau dans la journée et la nuit cabine arrière, et un ventilateur de chauffage dans le salon pendant la journée pour augmenter la température rapidement et le maintenir au-dessus 14 degrés. En dessous de ce, nous constatons que nous ne pouvons pas régler à rien et doivent constamment être en mouvement autour de faire emplois, ou en mangeant, ou les deux. Nous portons 2 or 3 pairs of socks and sometimes 3 or 4 layers on our tops and hats and scarves.

The water in the lock froze a few nights ago, juste assez pour soutenir les mouettes, mais les canards et les cormorans dès le rompit et le clair, jour ensoleillé achevé le travail. Cependant, February is predicted to see temperatures of -14 degrees with ice in the lock for days, thick and safe enough for skating.

La condensation est toujours un problème mais nous avons découvert que l'examen régulier dans tous les coins, wiping down with a bleach solution to combat black mould and the changing of the blotting newspapers every few days works fine, and so far we have avoided any damage to clothes, books or other precious things.

Whilst coping well, we still have a ‘choses que nous devrions avons apporté avec nous’ la liste. Jusqu'ici:

• Le radiateur soufflant d'autres
• Le réchauffeur d'autres convecteur
• Four à plat de service de table(est)
• Endless supplies of tea-bags (the French do have tea, Liptons has cornered the market here, but it comes in presentation packs and is very expensive).
• Ditto Custard Powder
• Ditto Golden Syrup (for our porridge)

We have only purchased one personal item in the last 3 mois – a new pair of jeans for the skipper (costing 13 Euros). J'avais déjà patché les patches sur sa paire précédente. Assez c'est assez!

Pour Noël, je lui ai acheté un joli Tin-Tin annuels (Herge’s Adventures of), and he bought me a bottle of delicious champagne, which I drank up completely on Christmas morning before I got out of bed.

Xmas day continued with more champagne and mince pies on board the ‘Edward Thomas’, an immaculate British barge from Hull belonging to Mike and Sue, who have rigged a proper Xmas tree, with twinkling lights, on its bow. Puis, off to the Australian’s apartment by the lock for an excellent Xmas lunch. The Aussies and the Kiwis like to have lamb, not turkey, which was fine with us, since we took our own ‘festive veggie pie’, along with our own contributions to the shared feast – parsnip croquettes, Mediterranean potatoes and a big trifle. The rest of the afternoon and most of the evening, during which other guests arrived, was spent on THE QUIZ – everyone brought 10 questions along and a jolly good time was had.

We saw the New Year in in the company of our German, Finnish, Australian, New Zealand and Irish friends, and our local French bar tenders and their little lad, Baptiste, aged 5. It turned out to be an unforgettable evening, spent in the Café de la Navigation and afterwards in the Finns’ apartment overlooking the River Saone. We danced the early hours away to Elvis Presley!

With the turning of the New Year and the promise of longer, warmer days the conversations have turned to plans for 2004. Most of our friends here have a long-term aim to keep on boating. Some are on their way north to Paris, Belgium and Holland. Others, like us, are heading south, to the Canal du Midi, Espagne, and Cyprus. All boaters’ plans are flexible, Mais. Having just seen Le Seigneur des Anneaux 3 (at a cinema in Dijon with a handful of mates here) we have been toying with the idea of a trip to New Zealand, accompanying our Kiwi friends back home across the Pacific!

Tonga beckons.

Alors, we are spending our days very happily, in the company of many kindred spirits, sharing suppers and playing games, fixing things, moving boats, planning excursions and parties (and enjoying them), going to French class at the Office de Tourisme, and just taking the time of day to walk and talk and tell our stories. Over the Christmas week we really began to get to know our fellow travellers and to appreciate the unique community here. Whilst we have all happily chosen this itinerant life, we know it will be a real wrench when the day comes for one of our boats to move on. We are all already making sure that we have the means to stay in touch, whichever directions we each take.