Ready for the Off
Well, here we are again. All ready to go back to the canals. Passage booked for 6-7 March. This year we plan an early start, so that we get down the Canal Lateral de la Loire nice and early. We confirm with Bruno, our Harbour Master at Briare, that we will arrive Wednesday 7 March. But just as we are leaving Malmesbury a last short email from him. A problem with the canal bank on the other side of the Loire means we cannot go south until at least 17 March. Well, we are sure will fill the time. All goes well with the crossing and the journey to Briare. Once again (unlike the summer) the walk on Portsdown Hill before we take the ferry gives a fantastic view of Portsmouth and its night lights.
Water and Provisions
In Briare we quickly de-winterize the boat, re-connecting the water systems, and all goes absolutely well except a very small leak of water from hot water tank. Is this the valve which was damaged by frost last year? Luckily the wonderful Spencer and Victoria (Boatyard, Hilperton) made sure we had a spare just in case. Even if have more to do, the dogs are already well settled by Wednesday evening.
The dogs clearly take pride of place on this boat - Day 1 and settled in
Thursday and Friday we spend re-provisioning (as our beloved American friends like to call it) including a new gas cylinder. It rained Wednesday but the sky clears the next afternoon, and Thursday evening it starts to get a bit cold. Luckily we have all the firewood which Philippe and Marcelle (Margot) gave us last year and wasn’t needed. A beautiful log fire and we too are well settled in. We are lucky as it hits -2ºC overnight
Thank God (or Philippe) for his Firewood
The Wonderful Folk Abeille
Friday evening we have been invited to Philippe and Marcelle’s also to meet up with Marie-Claude and Jacky to finalise some of the arrangements for the Folk Abeille visit to Malmesbury at the end of May. Philippe asks if we have used the wood and would like some more. We can’t refuse. The wood stove is so much nicer heating than the radiator system. We have an excellent meal and delightful evening, with some very funny thoughts about our mutual links. As well as sorting out some fine points of detail.
Over the next week the Folk agree to do various turns to make the visit in May go tops. They really are great. And when we visit Philippe and Marcelle again to check on some final points we get another supply of wood. We are (in danger of) abusing this friendship. It is odd though. The two times we have visited it has been very cold the few days before, followed in each case by a whole week of beautiful warm weather.
Quiet and Charming Weekend
We have a very relaxed weekend, a little shopping, lots of walks with the dogs, and lots of reading, with a little bit of contact with the outside to move on some projects. On Monday a friendly mechanic from Charme Nautique (the local boat hire firm) pops in to check the hot water valve, which has been damaged. He fits the new one and everything is functioning perfectly, so here we are already to go.
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