LEA CREST UPDATE - February 2011
As we said on our last update, the boat is nice and cozy. But we still need
to get out and socialise.
A good start to the week has always been the Monday morning walk (Lundi
Promenade) and
I do like to get a photo each year to see how the group changes with new and
old friends.
LUNDI PROMENADE
One of our usual projects in the winter is to try and empty our cruising
food store cupboards.This gives us the chance to take stock and eat up before
the "best before dates" are history. It also allows us to live a
little bit cheaper for a month or 2 (in theory!). Of course the cupboards
then need restocking again in the Spring. But all in all, the system works
well and it does allow us to try all the different preserved food that looked
so appetising on the shop shelves.
"I wouldn't buy that again" gets a mention at times but not in the
case of "Uncle Fritz's Coq au Riesling". The meal is Alsatian -
but only with regard to the region!
UNCLE FRITZ
Back into the winter swing of things and, on Thursdays, helping Gérard with a few odd jobs around the B & B. The jobs are varied but never major or too large and only attempted if they are within our capabilities. We always finish off with a nice lunch, or "Casse Croute" as Gérard calls it, and the bottle of wine is always a good choice. A couple of weeks ago we even had a chef looking after us, Sylvie. The main course was roast shoulder of pork and Sylvie told me that this was, and still is, a firm favourite of the family.
I also spotted this little chap in the kitchen
GRAND PA
Gérard told me that a lady he met makes them from scrap plastic bottles and other bits that would normally go to the recycling point.
If you want to go further North than St. Jean de Losne, using the rivers and canals, then your vessel shouldn't be bigger than 39 metres in length and 5 metres in width. But we do get larger vessels staying here.
Some are cargo - usually grain such as mustard, sunflower or rapeseed.
Then we get the large hotel boats that travel between St. Jean de Losne and Lyon.
Quite often, during the winter, they are here to have work done by a boatyard called Atelier Fluvial where there are facilities for boats of this size.
SAFE HAVEN
I'm never sure which is my favourite St. Jean de Losne view. But the rooftops do fascinate me. However, I must confess to removing some of the telephone cables, satalite dishes etc.
ROOFTOPS
This next photo is of the figure on Jo and Janna's boat, VROUWE JOHANNA. I've done a bit of carving so I suppose that is why this photo is in. However, our boat isn't of a style that would suit a carving - or is it??
VROUWE JOHANNA
A couple of years back, the powers that be over here decided to knock down
the tourist office building which also housed a launderette, showers and toilets.
All of these facilities were used by the H2O part of the marina. So it was
panic stations!!
But to the rescue, our very own toilet and shower block floated into the port.
Not the perfect solution as it needed to be winterised if the weather dropped
below freezing, though it was better than nothing.
But then - it floated away again!
We don't know why but it did amuse the boaters and many a joke followed. As it was quite near the offices, it was suggested that the whiffi (wifi) would be quite strong. Anyway, it has been spotted out of the water, high and dry (probably having it's own bottom cleaned?).
HIGH and DRY
And now for some very sad news!
Our €100 Ford Escort has gone for recycling to the great scrapyard
in the sky.
We bought it in 2004 and only used it in the winter so our total kilometerage
was only about 35,000 (around 5,000 per year). We didn't try to get it through
another test as we thought it might cost too much and in any case, we had
been offered a Peugeot 306 if we wanted to pay for the test and any repairs
it might need.
So we now have a much younger vehicle - just 17 years old. But it looks
good and if it does half as good a job as the Ford it will be doing very well
indeed.
First priority of course was to get the petrol out of the Ford before its last day!!
CURTAIN CALL
Another little job I am doing is to help design a calling card for a friend who has just passed her exams as a pedicurist. I don't think she is over happy with my first attempt though. It's a good job she has a sense of humour…
MARK ONE
When we get back to St. Jean de Losne in the autumn, one of our favourite homes to visit is just a few villages away.
Our friend Steve, the owner, loves the fact that his house is full of people enjoying the place as it should be.
LE PETIT VILLAGE
Always good to get back to the boat though, especially when our cat Gromit
is left in charge.
He takes it all in his stride and, as you can see from the next photo, he
keeps a lookout from his position over the boat's control panel.
COOL CAT
More social activity and the very popular Quiz Night, held at Natalie's bar the "Café de la Navigation".
Natalie has taken to the boaters and does her best to accommodate our winter activities. The activities aren't always very French though and we sometimes see a look of surprise at our strange antics. But Natalie is always happy that each night is a success.
QUIZ NIGHT AT NATALIE'S
Of course it goes without saying that you can't spend this much time is Burgundy and not have some involvement in wine growing/drinking activities.
This year we were invited to go to the St. Vincent Tournant wine festival. This is an annual event that is held in a different Burgundian wine village each year in January.
This year the village was Corgoloin, which is on the main Route du Grand
Cru between Beaune and Nuits St. Georges and has a population of around 1000
people.Over the weekend it was expected that up to 40,000 people would visit
the village.
There were 8 different parts of the village where wine tastings were taking
place, so plenty of walking and tasting to be done.
It was a very cold but sunny day and our friend Sylvie doesn't like the cold so dressed accordingly.
We're not sure if Sylvie knows that the "Burka" could soon be banned in France though!
COOL SYLVIE
We did notice that Pamela always seemed to get her glass filled first
TESTING, TESTING, 123
All this drinking did give us an appetite and what did we find along the
way… a tripe stall!
Can you believe it and we weren't even in the North of England !!
Joking apart, tripe "tripes" as the French call it, is very popular over here and, like cassoulet, they have tripe societies.
This particular society, or "confrerie", was from the Loire region of France.
With all the splendour of those costumes and encouragement from their customers, it was difficult to pass by and not try.
It looked a little like a tripe stew and I thought that it was delicious and just hit the spot.
But Pamela certainly wouldn't agree.
TRIPES A LA LOIRE
Every house in the village had floral displays and we were told that it takes a whole 12 months to bring it all together.
Even the trees that lined the main road through the village had been adorned with handmade flowers.
The house in our next photo obviously had some connection with milk and they wanted everyone to know how good it was.
THE MILK TRADE
