2004
1.3 - 25 April to 1 May 2004 BACK TO CALENDAR 2004
expensive), gossiping, going to Dole,
gossiping, going to Pont-de-Vaux, gossiping, going out to lunch, gossiping,
going out to supper, gossiping, making a flag pole, gossiping, doing the bimini,
gossiping, doing dunowot quickly in a hurry, because "we don't have
much time"!
been cold, windy, and drizzly! Never mind - better in a boat
here in poor weather than an awful lot of other places without a boat in
good. (philosophy?)The bimini gave us problems, as following up the sewing machine saga last week, we heard on Wednesday that spares were not available. We picked it up in Doe - had another go at France Telecom about using Mobicarte on our modem phone - and brought it back to the boat. It looked as if - unless we could get the canvas sewn professionally, the bimini project was dead. However, Wendy and Harry came out to "join" their boat encore b on our pontoon - and joy of joys, they had a sewing machine that was quite capable of sewing our cover, and they were kind enough to do it as a co-operative effort. i.e. they did the work, while Herself directed.
We now have an enormous folding pram hood like structure mounted over our cockpit, and presumably this year our skins will remain fishbelly white, like those of rich boaters.
Now - please demonstrate the power of the World Wide Web. The machine is an Elna, 35 years old, made in Switzerland, and was the top of their range at that time. When we bought it, it was "to last for life". A couple of months ago we tried - unsuccessfully, to get a manual from Elna. Has anyone any suggestions - or better still - has anyone got a lever to move Elna?
The Pont-de-Vaux expedition was to
look at the moorings and town as possible winter moorings, and to use the car
for an enjoyable trip. The trip brought home to us just how flat the
countryside is in this, the valley of the Saone. To such an extent,
that although the greens were fresh and spring-like, and the yellow rape was
fully fluorescent, photography was precluded. The Port de Plaisance
was nice, and well supplied with everything require by a temporarily
non-itinerant boater. We met up with friends from last year (and 3
years ago) and ate our picnic lunch and drank their wine with them on their aft
deck. (One of our few decent days - weather-wise).
The saga of the France Telecom
Mobicarte continues - in spite of trying again in Dole to get the thing de bloquè-ed
for use in a phone/modem on a data line. The actual process has been fun -
albeit frustrating - and very good for our French. We find
telephone help lines very difficult - they use the same menu system "if you
want so-and-so press one - or in this case tappez une" - but the actual
speaking voices are
difficult to understand, and seem to have even an even
greater multiplicity of incomprehensible alternatives.