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- Monday 24 May 2004
Gannay C du Centre to +/- PK 72 3 kms W of Decize C.
Lateral à la Loire.
- Very pleasant run up
to-wards Decize.
- Paid
the obligatory
visit to the storks, happy parents, 2 chicks clearly visible, and ooed and
aared as required, and discussed their health and happiness with the
L.K. Apparently happy in their new home in the sawn off tree given
them when their own fell down 3 years ago.
- Apart from saying they are
between Pk 61 and 57 - look for them yourselves - not hard to find!
- Countryside varying
between areas of small field/small farms/pastures plus some small cereals,
to enormous fields with built in irrigation systems for maize.
The small cereals are well in head now, but still green, and the maize
getting away from 2 leaf stage. Wild flowers in meadows
profuse and most satisfactory. Azalea trees just coming into
full flower - much later than usual??
- Countryside still -
naturally we are in the Loire Valley - riverine flat lands - flat as far
as the eye can see - but lots of lovely oaks, now in full leaf, poplars
and planes standing on their own.
- Park like country
interspersed with patches of forest
- If one leaves Gannay
at "normal" starting off and leaving time (by the way, no bread
in Gannay on Mondays), one just impinges on the dinner hour of the LK of
the last lock before Decize on the Canal du Centre, and time spent is not
totally comfortable awaiting him as he won't let one sit in the lock, and
the canal sides are curved for a good km before the lock preceding
comfortable moorings.
- Stopped well back,
and had leisurely lunch, then through, and tie up outside Decize where the
Canal du
Centre becomes the Canal
Lateral à la Loire.
- Trot over to SM,
having locked boat carefully - this spot has slightly iffy record and
there are some big blocks of council type flats nearby. (There is
also a large hospital?! in the same complex)
- On for another 3
hours or so, found a super bush mooring. Tied up. Dead
quiet and right combination of sun, shade, water depth. and revettes (
height and mooring holes important) but very sad about
hedge-trimmer. Super idea from last year to cut back and tidy
up long grass that pokes through windows and hides dangerous
edges. Last year tried strimmer, but long cable gets in way,
and mashed grass sticks to boat. Cordless hedge trimmer ideal
and works well, but it's
charger has died, and presumably battery will
soon be flat.
- Used quiet
afternoon/evening - no traffic at all, except for 2 or 3 cyclists and joggers,
to
"upload"
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- Tuesday
25 May 2004 PK 72 to Nevers , C.
Lateral à la Loire.
- As has been it's
habit recently, serenaded by cuckoo first thing.
- Lovely run as before
for fist part of day, but countryside getting a bit featureless - enormous
flat areas of land, huge areas of irrigated maize, or bush, and canal
sides lined by trees and bushes that are becoming more impenetrable to
viewers as the days go by.
- Passed "Irellis"
- lady single handed narrow boat. Hope we meet some time.
- Off main line, and
down through 2 automatics into Nevers
- Slightly depressing
P. de P., but tied up in very shallow water on grass bank, largely
surrounded by fishermen. Questioned Capitaine re security, but
he lives on a boat that was just behind us, so reckoned OK.
- Straight up to
France Telecom, re, once again, running mobile modem through mobicarte pay
as you go. All we actually wanted was for our mobicarte SIM to be
enabled to talk to the Pipex number in France. This is a
standard "numero special", or 0860 number, and there is no
reason why it won't that we can see. There is, however, just
no connection.
- The visit was a
total failure - took ages to get across to them what we
wanted. Tried to sell us virtually everything in the shop,
girls - at one time we estimate there were 7 - running around with armfuls
of mobiles in boxes, car mounting packs, SIM cards, spare aerials,
cases, and heaven knows what else.
Having got across to them
what we wanted - and our French is not that bad to justify lack of
communication between us - came to the conclusion that, although several
of them spent long periods on the phone to - presumably - HQ, they just
did not have a clue about their own products or what they were talking
about,, and didn't really mind terribly! Asked one of them - in
passing - to look up my bill, as it was paying date. She did -
splendidly - but couldn't raise any screen after Sept 1999,
- Slept over,
reasonably quiet, but - delighted to see that they are renovating, and
bringing back into service the very large and fancy swimming pool complex
in the end of the canal. Last time we were here it was closed,
neglected, and filthy, although it must have cost millions.
-
-
- Wednesday 26 May
2004 Nevers to Cours les Barres
C.
Lateral à la Loire..
- Panic start -
realised that if the gaggle of hire boats got away first up through the
automatics we would be stuck till lunch time.
Through -
comfortably on our own - first.
- Hot, sunny and clear
weather. Definitely bimini up weather to sounds of mutual
admiration and congratulation.
- Canal just bordering
on dull - but by no means too dull to enjoy. Always plenty
going on - even passed a film crew doing something with cameras and non
boating dressed people on a Dutch Barge. Thought of trying to
get into picture by sharing mooring, but felt we would get short shrift.
- Arrived at le Guéttin double staircase and aqueduct at lunch time. Got
green light, so went on, over and in, but LK gone to lunch.
- No hardship - played
camera camera and ate drifting around in lock high above surrounding
country.
- After going through
moored up, and biked down to confluence of l'Allier and la
Loire. Huge areas of
river, river shores, sandbanks,
etc. Difficult to see from banks - but impressive none the
less.
- On to Cours les
Barres. A favourite little village mooring, of ours.
- Horrified to find it
is every one else's favourite, as well.
- 3 boats in
residence, and after a degree of faffing, moored up on grass\to revett
holes, with very long electricity lead.
- Comfortable - re-met
Nancy and Bill from l'Eclaircey, Stan and Peta from Histoire
d'Eau, and met Grace and John from Pastis, which we used to
know as Geudon.
- Further 4 boats
moored up as afternoon and evening progressed!
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-
- Thursday 27 May 2004
In Cours les Barres
C.
Lateral à la Loire.
- It started raining
last night, continued through the morning, so stayed put, and gossiped.
- Cycle ride in afternoon defeated by over busy road.
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- Friday 28 May 2004
Coure les Barres to Campalais PK
149 C.
Lateral à la Loire.
- Canal again full of interest - still runs through slightly
featureless flat river valley so wide that sides are away out of eye-shot.
- There is now plenty of human interest, as homes, villages,
businesses, factories appear.
- Through Marseilles les Aubigny, where Albert spent a
traumatic - no we spent a traumatic 3 weeks - 3 years ago getting
Albert's bottom blacked at Raymondo's. The yard has now expanded
to the other end of town, and has taken over the old Hire base.
Connoisseur? Crown Blue Line? This gives it 2 dry
docks.
- Apart from that
claim to fame, this is also the spot where the Canal de Berry took off
from this system to the Loire at Tours and hence the West., Hugh
McNight has an interesting bit about this canal and river..
- Saw Frank - Montchanin last and the previous year - La Belle Etoile -
sitting on a seat in the sun - his
boat newly blacked, and waiting to take
off. Frank had just been docked, and quoted €550 for docking
- in, out - and hire of extremely adequate pressure washer.
- To Charitee-sur-Loire, to the yard opposite the town on the
canal. We needed water, and have filled up here in the past. Found
yard had gone bankrupt the day before, and
everything locked up and no-body about. Chap - English - from over
the road briefed us, and tried to find the key-holder, but no
good. Quite a few nice private boats - including Brits -
moored up, apparently they had been re-launched the day before.
Quite a thought - probably no-one will tell the owners, and the first they
will know is when they "re-join".
- Anyway, no water, but not dramatic - we have enough for
another 2 days, and the book marks several places up the canal that can
supply water.
- Frank caught us up,
and we continued up in tandem, stopping eventually at a little "lay by/picnic
site"
nowhere in
particular, but with short grass, bollards and plenty of room and
depth. Had found that advertised water points - while still
appearing on fancy VNF tourist notice boards, did not exist!
- We moored up more or less
opposite Pouilly-sur-Loire of white wine fame. i.e. we were on the West
side of the Loire "valley" while Pouilly is on the North Eastern
bank.
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- Saturday 29 May 2004
Campalais PK 149 to St Thibault
C.
Lateral à la Loire.
- Another nice day.
- Up the remaining bit
of the Lateral to Thibault/Sancerre/St-Satur.
- Been bitten by
singularly vicious person biting bug. Didn't see it, just the
aftermath.
- Took anti histamine
and paracetemol. Splendid knock-out drop. Greatest
difficulty in moving at all for the rest of the day. Not a recommended
combination.
- Round to S.M. and
looked up hill to Sancerre. Decided against it - we've been up
before, anyway, and the descent is a total smoking breakblocks
experience. Besides, it was hot, getting hotter, and the boat,
on comfortable moorings in St Thibault well watered up, was in
shade. No contest.
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-
- Sunday 30 May 2004
In St Thibault
C.
Lateral à la Loire.
- Quiet day - decided
to put Barr's Leaks in engine to close tiny gasket leak.
Pumped out a few drops of ant-freeze. Dropped pump, spilled
anti freeze, dropped open tin of Barr's Leaks. Put balance in
engine, cleaned up mess, and retired hurt.
- Weather overcast and
gloomy, with occasional light rain showers. Definitely
not suitable for going up mountain to Sancerre, so didn't.
- Yet another quicky
to SM for things forgotten yesterday, then back to boat and enjoy life.
-
- The Pictures.
Taking too long to put titles under - they won't line up - further study
necessary.
- 1.
Gannay Moorings - Connoisseur in background.
- 2. Bush
Mooring.
- 3.
Uploading.
- 4.
Nevers Cathedral (look for it )
- 5. Not
dull.
- 6. Hot,
Dusty, but Friendly.
- 7.
"Human" Interest - Cement works - very neat, clean and tidy.
- 8.
Pouilly.
Centre becomes the Canal
Lateral à la Loire.
charger has died, and presumably battery will
soon be flat.
Having got across to them
what we wanted - and our French is not that bad to justify lack of
communication between us - came to the conclusion that, although several
of them spent long periods on the phone to - presumably - HQ, they just
did not have a clue about their own products or what they were talking
about,, and didn't really mind terribly! Asked one of them - in
passing - to look up my bill, as it was paying date. She did -
splendidly - but couldn't raise any screen after Sept 1999, 
Through -
comfortably on our own - first.
river, river shores, sandbanks,
etc. Difficult to see from banks - but impressive none the
less.
boat newly blacked, and waiting to take
off. Frank had just been docked, and quoted €550 for docking
- in, out - and hire of extremely adequate pressure washer.
nowhere in
particular, but with short grass, bollards and plenty of room and
depth. Had found that advertised water points - while still
appearing on fancy VNF tourist notice boards, did not exist!