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8 April 2010:-
As promised in last month's log, booked to come out by normal rail
route - South-West trains to London, Eurostar London to Paris,
SNCF Paris to Albert.
As
precaution booked taxi Lymington to London, thus bypassing South
Western trains intention to strike, so ensuring catching
non-strike affected Eurostar
Strike duly called off, excitement thereof replaced by equally
exciting general election, but taxi booked and paid for, so
traveled to London in style and security.
Traffic and taxi rank "re-organisation" at Gare du Nord
painfully disorganised, so made it to Gare de Lyons for SNCF to Albert with
bare 10 minutes to spare.
Train absent from departure board
-
Horrors -
Frantic enquiries -
All trains on that line withdrawn - STRIKE!
2 hours later got train via Dijon - TGV
and local line - 4 hours to Decize. Finally arrived on
friendly Albert late dusk after 16 hours on the go.
Would have been easier to survive if book had not been left in
Eurostar.
Albert in great fettle - all systems survived winters frosts and
rain - a great deal of rain - could see from train windows -
France very wet.
Coupled up everything, filled water, started fridge,
cooked and ate supper, hot shower and to blessed bed on the dot of midnight.
9 ,10, 11, 12 April 2010
Attacked total chaos in cabin
resultant on semi-organised arrival.
Unwrapped Albert, washed down, tidied up, packed away.
Apart from one half day of brilliant warm sunshine, weather cold
and grey with biting cold wind. The picture above was
taken on day after arrival - see the trees - spring is late!
Running
around on Brompton, shopping and trying to organise dry dock for
Albert. Great riding on roads that are not continuous
elongated potholes. Only now realise how bad Hampshire roads
are.
13,14,15,16,17
April 2010
No idea where these days went - another of those periods when
Friday afternoon arrives about lunch time on Monday.
Efforts
to get use of dry dock at St Leger bogged down in a sea of
frustration. Continuous story of "give me your
number, and M. so-and-so or Mme somebody else will ring
you". They never did, and after penetrating 4 layers of
bureaucracy gave up after favourable response from Jeff Renel at
Montchanin - where I have been over the last 6 years.
Spent
a lot of time "shopping", as domestic supplies left last
autumn got finished, and it was necessary
- as we were going to have to go down to Montchanin - to
stock up for surjourn in dry dock.
Also
continued exploring project of mobile phone upgrade to phone with
GPS, camera, and ability to text and voice out, and internet
access at speeds approaching that of normal domestic broad band,
the whole continuing on my Orange France abonnement dating from
some 10 years ago, which has a large credit if I change my phone
with them, and well worth keeping, as difficult to get if
one is not a resident.
Seems - after long talk with helpful youngster in independent
phone shop in Decize - that what I already have is best bet - none
of the other possibilities embrace all my requirements, and any
change would probably loose me my status with Orange
France. Particularly difficult to get internet access
combined with voice and texting in one gadget and abonnement.
Wonder if this is true - any ideas?????
Off to-morrow to Montchanin
- hopefully - down the Canal lateral a Loire to Canal Centre.
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