New Page 2

2008

BACK TO CALENDAR 2008
2.3 15 to 21 June 2008

Last fiddled with 03 January 2009 and should be on axmw44.
To the Map on the Contents Page Just click on the words.


15 June 2008 Sunday In St Léger de Vignes Canal du Nivernais

Peaceful Sunday,
except beginning to have second thoughts about train time Decize-Paris which allowed me exactly 1 hour and 20 mins to taxi across Paris to Eurostar terminus, and use clever-clever machine there to print out my tickets based on my code and my bank card "read-out".
Did I say last week - Eurostar French internet site states when you buy your tickets over their site you can take the code they give you and your bank card to the "station of departure" and get the actual tickets printed and placed in your hand.
You can't.
Tried about 4 times to the irritation of the booking clerk in Decize Station, and will try again to-morrow - even printed out the page that said so and showed it to him. No good - the computer ticket printing machine just didn't want to know - not the clerk's fault.. The "station of departure" must mean the Eurostar station of departure. Irritating! The more so as there is NO means of communicating with Eurostar France except over the internet.
Having said that, the English Eurostar telephone enquiries is very good, and knew all about my booking, but pricey on the telephone bill.
Don't seem to have said when I propose going - Thursday 19 June 2008.

16 June 2008 Monday In St Léger de Vignes Canal du Nivernais

River Loire crossing open - general departure of bigger and more adventuresome boats. Went across to watch them at the lock into the basin below Crown Blue Line.
Horrid - apparently the CBL foreman covered himself in glory by going at it full bore and sliding in bang in the middle. Unfortunately didn't see it. Everyone else hit the wall, and some missed the lock alto-gether. As I said somewhere else, this lock is on an outside bank of a river bend, and so naturally the current is faster, and also there is a nasty whirlpool/eddy caused by the lock bank and wall that first pulls one into the river bank, waits till one has corrected by steering outwards, then propels one outwards even more.
Feeling of dissatisfaction that couldn't go across. In reality, even with sound prop shaft, no way - crossing impossible for Albert even were he/she not immobilised,
Took ticket Decize-Paris up to station to get an earlier train - 1 hour 20mins to get across Paris and do business ridiculous.
Much excitement - had filed ticket carefully so as not to loose it in the clutter in the boat, so, of course, neat punch holes in the magnetic strip - trust me to punch that side. Clerk decided ticket was de-validated by holes, and demonstrated by putting it through his ticket computer thing. Passed through perfectly. Clerk tried further 4 times - presumably hoping it wouldn't work at least once. Perfect each time - luck was with me.
Got new ticket - had to go through this rigmarole, train Nevers-Paris is non-stop all seats allocated. Now got about 3.5 hours in Paris and leave Decize at 0815.
Got boat covers out. For safety sake, although I am booked back to France on 19th August, am going to winterise Albert completely - just in case.


17 June 2008 Tuesday In St Léger de Vignes Canal du Nivernais
Gossiped
Covers on, expecting a 2 day job, but only took half morning, including turning boat round by hand. Lots of felt pen notes like "bows this way" and "left rear corner of inside stern sheet - this side up".
Shifted boat to very end of moorings, clear of water and electricity points.

18 June 2008 Wednesday In St Léger de Vignes Canal du Nivernais
Gossiped.
Cleaned up - as far as possible and packed.
Prop shaft UJ wrapped in towel in small rucksac. Balance - taking very little home - loosely into large wheeled suitcase.
Decided - rather than wait on Never station for 1.5 hours would splash out on a taxi from Decize right through to Nevers.


19 June 2008 Thursday St Léger de Vignes, Canal du Nivernais to Lymington, Hampshire.
Up crack of sparrows.
Water drained, water heater stripped and drained, shafts and boat hooks into cabin, Brompton chained and padlocked, gas isolated, batteries individually isolated.
Taxi arrived 10 mins early, and in excitement of moment sheeted home cockpit cover, but forgot to lock and padlock back door. Much texting to Frank.
Journey went well - about the only real stomach stopper was being stopped by a police sergeant at the X-ray machine on G.d.Nord where the prop shaft UJ showed up as a bomb or mortar, or something. Much hilarity, but he put it back the wrong way round so it dug into me.
For potential users - left Decize about 0900, left Nevers just before 1000, into G de Lyons about mid-day, left G. d. Nord 15.31, into St Pancras 16.36 (English time), left Waterloo about 17.30, into Lymington 19.30 - taxi home 2000, leaving newly purchased bread, eggs and milk behind in taxi. Whole thing took about 12 hours, wasn't stressful, but did involve an awful lot of walking at G. d. Nord and St Pancras. Eurostar is 16 coaches long, and being "pushmepullyu" one has to walk the full length one way or another.. Cost - so far as I can remember - French rail ticket about €34.00, Eurostar - return - €100 (+ another 80.00 obligatory return), English rail ticket about £20.00, taxis €15.00 in Paris, £12.00 in England + £6.00, plus the luxury extra of taxi Decize to Nevers - €60.00.
Was very stiff and sore by the time no 25 hove into sight, and even stiffer the next day.

20 June 2008 Friday Albert in In St Léger de Vignes, Canal du Nivernais. Me in Lymington, Hampshire. UK


21 June 2008 Saturday Albert in In St Léger de Vignes, Canal du Nivernais. Me in Lymington, Hampshire. UK