THE END OF AN ERA

May/June 2012

Rhonda's Comments:  Ken's last salute

Well I know when I finished the last blog that we felt that would be the last one as we had sold the boat and were heading back to New Zealand to start a new life.  Following publication of that blog we received over 400 responses ranging from readers saying good bye to others asking that we continue on with our blogs at least until we had got home and settled down again. Some of the emails were quite touching and from people whom we were not aware had even been following our adventures but admitted having done so for the past 3 and a half years. It was amazing and when we considered that they lived in almost every country one could think of, we were touched and so decided to bash out another blog to cover the handover of “Somewhere” and onward to our trip home.

Rhonda's Comments:  Hope you have just as a wonderful adventure as we did Steve.

Despite the hassles of making the sale of the boat a smooth transaction thanks to the interference of the buyer’s London based Marine Solicitor, all was finally been resolved and we welcomed Steve onboard on Sunday the 13th May, signed our sale and purchase agreements and handed the keys over on the Monday. As a reward for Rhonda putting up with me for 3 and half years living on the boat (and I have to say I could not have done it nor enjoyed it without her) but I guess it is just as well I am so relaxed and easy to get on with. Yeah………. I took her to the Moulin Hotel in Moissac for dinner and the night as a treat. For those who don’t know the hotel is sits right on the Tarn River and was originally a mill built in 1457 so the brickwork and underground areas which are now steam rooms and spas etc are amazing. We got a room looking up the river over the very spot where we had moored up last summer for a week or two before being driven back to the canal as the rising water levels can make mooring dangerous there.

It was strange to sleep in such a big bed again and to have ceilings about 6 meters above ones head. The lamb diner meal was delicious and dessert a real spoiler. The free spa bath and sauna were really nice too and we finished it all off with a delightful continental breakfast. Even Harry enjoyed the room as he could see out of the floor to ceiling windows which opened out on to a balcony, hence he could see the dogs and people walking by below. It will be a rude shock for him when we go back to New Zealand as dogs aren’t generally allowed in any shops there let alone hotels or motels unlike the UK and Europe where he has been made welcome almost anywhere and everywhere including all hotels and restaurants even a couple of Michelin Star world class establishments we have been fortunate enough to visit during our time here.

Steve, the new owner moved onboard and settled into the strange new surroundings only to find that when he went for a shower the water would not drain away so despite our best advice on how to correct this problem he had to wait for the local Capitan to attend to the problem. Isn’t it always the way that some difficulty shows up when you are trying to make it all go well for all. I remember our first night onboard for us when we were so tired after 30 hours flying across the world and we kept hearing the water pump going on and off and if it hadn’t been that we were so tired we would have been awake all night I think until by fluke, I discovered that the bathroom tap was sensitive to being turned off by being put into the upright position otherwise the tap trickled causing the pump to switch on and off. Oh dear, life on the waterways.

Rhonda's Comment:  I knew I was short, but

this is ridiculous! 

Later that day we drove down to our friends farm house just west of Agen to look after it until late June while he headed off to meet up with his family back in New Zealand so it was a case of learning how to feed, water and amuse his two pigs, feed and pamper his dog who was feeling a bit neglected with him going away plus re-learning how a huge house works with all its French idiosyncrasies including the water supply, the swimming pool and cleaner and the ride on lawn mower of course. Oh well it will be fun for sure. After dropping Andrew at the station in Agen we went shopping to a huge nearby supermarket and stocked up on food and drink to suit for our stay and then snuck back to sit down and finally relax in this beautiful rural area in peace and quiet.

With time to relax and ponder over what has been, I have also been able to catch up on some reading which included a book which Rhonda had read and recommended to me. For anyone interested in the French life style with all its quirky little characteristics including all about its unusual structure of local government and rules etc this book titled “Au Revoir” by the Australian author Mary Moody who ‘ran away’ at 50 to spend 6 months living in the south west of France, is an absolute beauty. The book is written so descriptively we can only say you won’t read better if you have any thoughts of coming to spend a period of time in this great country. It will make you laugh and want to make you cry as she takes you through those 6 months of living on her own in villages mixing with the ‘real’ French. Truly it is a fantastic and very real read.

Apart from the changeable weather we have experienced which while being unusual for this time of the year is disappointing as we had hoped to be swimming as soon as we moved in. Last night we had a thunder storm which was the biggest I have experienced for many years and which went on for nearly 6 hours coupled with heavy rain so the fruit trees were damaged quite a lot. We awoke to find that the electricity for the water pump and pool filtration had blown so had to get that fixed so I could water the pigs which are fenced at the bottom of the yard. Harry took to cramming up against us in his usual “S*** and a Shiver” when conditions like this come along and even Sativa, Andrew and Laani’s dog which we are looking after, decided that it was a good idea to push her way into our bedroom too and slept on the floor jammed up against the side of the bed. Talk about keeping dogs for our protection. What a joke.

After three days of continuous heavy rain with mind and feeling as though we were in another country rather than France as this time last year we were soaking up the sunshine and swimming every chance we got to visit a local piscine (pool). We had a couple of our boating friends come to visit for lunch which should have been outside under the shade shelter but we had to sit inside but had a good chat anyhow. They were moored up on the Lot where we had started to head for when the deal for the sale of the boat came good. With all the rain we were asking how was this area and they expressed concern over the rising waters but later that night after even more heavy rain the VNF marine authorities had to move boats from any river moorings to inside the locked area away from the effects which was good but for those who couldn’t be shifted, the owners had to vacate to a gite (hostel) nearby and with the rising waters it picked up a few of the smaller boats and sat them on top of the jetties or pontoons. Very frightening but our mate Terry stayed on board his 12 m cruiser and “rode” out the storm. Braver man than me for sure.

Well like all good things and all bad things there is an ending and the rain stopped and the sun came out and all was at peace with the world again so the skimmer and the pool cleaner were switched on and yesterday Rhonda and I had our first swim for the season. Just beautiful too once you got used to the temperature of the water. We had three visitors who called unannounced. One was a painter and decorator who claimed he had to come and do some work on the outside of the building but after a text to Andrew in New Zealand he was told to “go away” as one does as he is typical of the bands of gypsies who infest the country at this time of the year and try to gain work. How he knew we were here on our own baffles me but the gates got securely locked again. Later that day a ring on the front door and again a couple who we didn’t know wanted to come in but as they couldn’t speak English we refused them entry but after a lot of gestulating and showing us keys the penny eventually dropped that they were in fact the owners of the whole property and wanted to get into the locked shed to get tools etc. Another reason why we should have learned French before we came to this country but it all ended up well after he rang his daughter to get her to speak to us in English.

Last but not least was the appearance of a meter plus long snake which came slithering along the pool decking and scared the heck out of me only to disappear below the pool banking then the next day as Rhonda sat out buy the pool it came swimming past and again slithered below the deck. When we mentioned this to Andrew in one of our emails, he said “Do not kill it whatever you do as it serves as a rodent disposer”. If he thought for one moment I was going to get any closer than a double barrel shotgun would allow, he is sure mistaken as I am terrified of them. Oh well lets hope the dogs don’t decide to chase it.

While all of this carry on has been going on, we were negotiating to buy a property for our retirement north of Auckland in the Bay of Islands which has always been a favoured spot of ours due to the magic scenery and aquatic activities for which the area is world renowned. We made an offer subject to our final approval when we were due back in New Zealand in July but were told that we would not get the property so should make an unconditional offer as another party also wanted it but needed some time to get their matters into order so in true Blakie mode we made an unconditional bid based on the photos, write up and visit to the property by our good friend Jenny who knew the area well and also what sort of home we required.

Well you may imagine how the mind was racing with all the questions “Have we bid enough? Have we chosen the right place?” and so on. Well while we sat here in the dark awaiting advice from New Zealand in their daytime we really felt like two kids at Christmas time and then the email came through with the news that our bid had been successful and we were the new owners of this wonderful property. I am sure our behaviour was quite childish really but we now have a home to go to when we get back. I am sure we will hear comments from our family and friends suggesting we have lost our sanity but we really wanted this property as it did as they say “ticked all the boxes” so we have it now and also we have been able to negotiate over the furniture which was shown in the range of photos listed and which has been placed in storage while tenants moved in for a short period. So all being well this array plus our own container load which is also in storage in Auckland should allow us to settle in as soon as we get home.

Our great pal Kerry from Napier has been assisting in the hunt for a suitable car for us so when we spotted the one on Trade Me which we wanted and Kerry was able to check it out, he will drive it to Auckland so we will have wheels awaiting us when we get off the plane so to speak. It was Kerry and Liz who were going to house Harry for a period after quarantine until we got home but due to us now having a house we can collect Harry ourselves but they still want to come with us to collect Harry so we will have a great time together as they are staying overnight at the same motel as us.

The kids and friends are excited that we are coming home after four years away so dates have been written on lots of calendars and I am sure when we do get there we will enjoy lots of greetings, kisses and cuddles not to mention all the chat, cups of coffee and tea plus wine and other such tongue looseners as the days go on but of course we have yet to complete the journey and we do look forward to our next few weeks stay here and then our drive to Paris over 6 days while we look at some more of this wonderful country. We then fly to Malta for 6 days then to Dubai for 7 more days followed by 3 days in Singapore then home.

Rhonda's Comments:  We are so going to miss lunches like this with great friends, Alan & Nicki.

In the meantime of course, we have several activities here to complete like seeing folks who have become friends and who are still in this area plus enjoying or enduring depending on ones point of view, 4 days of almost non-stop TV viewing of the Diamond Jubilee from London. Rhonda’s love of the royal family meant that she watched every moment of any bit of TV coverage from the pre-event activities to the full day Thames river 1000 boat flotilla to the concert outside Buckingham Palace to the church service at St Paul’s Cathedral and the following lunch at Westminster Hall with the Fly-Past finally closing the official events late on Tuesday afternoon. I know there were interviews with folk who had slept out overnight to be in the right position to “see the Queen” with thousands queuing from 6 am each day to ensure they would have good views of the passing parades and activities. Amazing when you consider that over 4 million people have attended the Jubilee activities, yet only 29 arrests were recorded for anti-social behaviour for the whole period. Imagine the behaviour if that many had turned up for footy games…….

Rhonda's Comments:  More farewells but we hope we will see you all on this side of the world soon.

It says something about the wonderful example set by the Queen showing dignity, standards and restraint which rubbed off on the visitors and when you consider that thousands stood for up to 10 hours in the rain on the Saturday, uncomplaining to watch the flotilla navigate that stretch of the Thames or to get only a glimpse of the Royals attending a particular event. One has to be impressed to say the least. Again it was a showing of the stoic attitude of the British people and may it long continue.

On Friday the 15th of June we packed up the rental car and headed off on the last land sections of our French adventure. We drove to Brantome for a delightful lunch and to see the oldest church spire in all of France. This town is set alongside the river Drone and a large part of the old town is set right into the limestone cliffs and these caves include at least a part of everything from restaurants and housing to commercial car parking. A fascinating place and well worth a visit for sure. After a few hours of sightseeing we headed off to Limoges for an overnight so we were at the town of Oradour-sur-Glane for first viewings the next morning.

Oradour-sur-Glane is a town which during WW2 was a simple small community of under a thousand people just getting on with life despite having German troops camped outside of town. On the morning of the 10 June 1944 the troops entered the town herding all the occupants into the town square where they ordered all the women and children of all ages to go to the church which had only two doors which could be opened. In the square they made the men folk start digging a large trench while they started to hang from trees or buildings any “listed” Communists or Spanish emigrants plus local officials like the mayor and religious ministers etc. This was done in front of the standing locals and then the soldiers were given the order to fire, and every person in that square was executed by these firing squads and the atrocities carried on as officers walked on the bodies to shoot any person showing any sign of life. They then turned their attention to the women and children locked into the church and they poured drums of oil and petrol and diesel in through the windows and set it alight. One can only imagine the horror of those poor souls as they fought and scrambled to try to get away from the flames and trying to protect their children while the soldiers fired upon any persons trying to escape the inferno. In all, over 600 people were killed with only three escapees in total living to be able to relate to the world this horrible event.

As if this wasn’t enough the German soldiers looted every house and business and then lit fires in every building, destroying all standing structures and throwing the remains of the bodies into those fires to try to eliminate any traces of this evil deed. As a tribute to the town folk the government at the end of the war decreed that the town skeleton would stay as a memorial to the 600 plus who perished. The photos we took are only a small reminder of what must be regarded as a very dark day in Germany’s history.

A new town has been built almost alongside the old ruins and is laid out in the same pattern as the old. Well worth a visit and some thought as to man’s inhumanity to mankind.

Following the visit we headed off across some great farming countryside (huge plains of slight rolling country for hundreds of kilometres) using the minor roads and on to the city of Tours which is a really large city in every respect. We stayed out on the outskirts as we have become folk who don’t like big towns or cities if we can avoid them.

Rhonda's Comment:  A visit to Chenonceau.  Harry was
even welcome inside the Chateau.

Tomorrow we will drive again on the country roads to Bayeux where Rhonda hopes to visit the UNESCO listed famous tapestry denoting William the Conquerors’ conquest of England in 1066. This embroidery is almost 70 meters in length depicting 600 people, 200 horses and forty or so ships plus hundreds of animals and mythological figures and was completed in the 11th century and in the following 900 years it has been hidden umpteen times and protected from destruction and now hangs for all to see and marvel over.

Rhonda's Comment:  Harry has the best seat and view in the car as we head north to Paris.

As we were staying at Bayeux which is just a short hop from the beaches with names like Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword all famous or infamous as being the beaches where the Allies landed on 6th June 1944, D Day, to begin the liberation of Europe and generally named as the beaches of Normandy, we made a visit to the area. We went to the coastal town of Arromanches which is in the central area of this landing zone and where the famous Mulberry Breakwater which was towed in sections across the channel from England and was anchored into place to provide a harbour-like shelter for unloading facilities for the Allied drive and proved very successful until storms late in August destroyed it but not before 18,000 tonnes were unloaded from the ships and landing craft every day over a period of a month. It was called Winston Harbour after the British Prime Minister of the day and many of these huge concrete monoliths are still visible from the shore today.

The beaches as listed above are still places where tourists and servicemen, including some who served here during the war pay homage to the 100,000 personnel and civilians who lost their lives in this region and who are buried in a number of cemeteries nearby. What a sad, wicked loss of life for all nationalities who were involved. To visit he American cemetery alone where some 9,500 servicemen are buried is a very sombre sight indeed. The continued drive across this beautiful country was a sombering few hours as one reflected on what had gone all those years before.

After a nights stopover at Evreux, we headed to Monet’s Home and Garden in Giverny where we spent a couple of delightful hours wandering through the great layout and visiting the water gardens where he painted some of his wonderful works of art and lived in these magnificent garden surroundings. As the day went on, I bet there were a thousand or so sightseers paying their 9.50E to take a look with most carrying cameras and snapping on almost every scene and flower that was there. With gardeners working in every plot it seemed, I wondered just what it would be like to be able to sit back and order all this work to be carried out to ones whim. Oh well another lottery ticket may solve the problem.

While in this area we visited a huge model train layout housed in an ex-farm barn, so one gets the idea of the size of the layout inside. Dominated by the German model train maker and Faller the model building manufacturer it was just amazing. With some 230 locomotives, 430m track, 650 houses and buildings, 1,250 vehicles and people, more than 2,500 lights, it included little working features and structures such as cranes, concrete mixing trucks, fairground attractions, cable cars running up the mountains, helicopters and even an ice skating rink with the figures pirouetting around ever so beautifully. With a number of trains running on the tracks at any given time, there is so much to see for kids like me.

From there we headed into Paris to get everything sorted for Harry to go off to quarantine and then on to his flight back to New Zealand followed by 10 days in quarantine there before we are able to pick him up. I bet if they made humans tolerate these sorts of controls there would be no shortage of seats on flights or availability of upgrades to business class etc. Never mind, it will soon be over and we too will be home in Godzown ready to settle down (who knows) into our next adventure.

I have decided that we will finish the run of our blogs now when to avoid boring you with domestic type details so will take this opportunity to say “Farewell” and “Thank you” to our friends, readers and followers who we have had so much encouragement from and to use the famous Virgin CEO, Richard Branson’s wonderful title from his book which is so apt, “Screw it, Just do it”, and the great saying from our dear friend and solicitor in New Zealand, Andrew Stokes who used to tell Rhonda and me “Life aren’t a dress rehearsal, just get on and do it” and thank goodness we did. Maybe you can follow these wonderful sayings yourselves too.

To all of our readers whom we haven’t been able to contact directly to say “Cheerio” we now do so and thank you for your moral support as we have tried to keep you informed of our travels and adventures and do sincerely hope that you too get the chance to “JUST DO IT.”

Happy Cruising
Ken, Rhonda and of course Harry

THE END IS NIGH

Well here we are again bringing you an update of what has happened since our last blog which we thought may well have been the last one before we sold the boat and returned to New Zealand but due to circumstances beyond our control we were delayed so a new season moved into view. Our buyer for “Somewhere” unfortunately had difficulty in selling his home in the UK so had not been able to finalise the deal we had with him. As a result we put the boat back onto the market and life just went on so we went back to our earlier plan to try to get out to The Lot for this cruising season.

With the locks due to open on the 10th of March we were getting the boat ready to set off once the weather had improved so much after the coldest February in 40 years. The ice and snow coupled with the cold weather in general made this period one of misery and one which I sure don’t wish to experience again.



"Bye Kaz and Iain", another cruising season begins.


For nearly 3 weeks we were surrounded with snow and ice and as it was so unusual for these conditions to get to this area the local authorities had not bought any supplies of grit or salt so the roads and footpaths stayed like skating rinks which was so dangerous for cars and pedestrians alike. The cold affected so many things but the two I suppose are worth highlighting was the skating on the ice by our pal Alex at Buzet and then the collapse of the facade on our 3 storey Post Office (La Poste). Water must have got between the brick veneer and the old surface and as it turned to ice it pushed off the veneer so the wall came tumbling down luckily at night so nobody was injured but meant the closing of the post office for 3 weeks at least.

Once the temps had risen all the ice melted away thank goodness and there was a feeling of spring in the air. Even the fish are seemingly plentiful in the canals again so the fishermen are out and about again.



Taking our wares for sale to the Vide Grenier

 We finally got our new (old) car sorted out and it seems to run pretty well and gives us wheels to at last get around and will be a boon for the coming season. Cars here are expensive and this 1995 Ford Mondeo with 275,000 kms on the clock was a cheap buy at 850 Euros plus 400.00E required for a brake job as well. With all its rattles and dents it would have been unsaleable in New Zealand but beggars can’t be choosers so it will have to do.

When we set off from here we headed to Boé on the outskirts of Agen where we have spent many pleasant weeks in the past so at least Harry would be really happy as he has a whole bunch of mates there. While there I should be able to finish off my paint touch ups and give the boat a good polish too.



Harry meets up with his friends every morning in Boe



Well after another few days we got clearance to move down the canal so with help from our friends Linda and Graham off “Effie” we moved the car down to Boé and hitched a ride back to Moissac leaving the “bucket of bolts” in the car park right by the canal. This allowed Rhonda and me to travel together on “Somewhere” for a change so we set off at 10.30 am and was the first boat through for the season so had an escort by the VNF (the canal authority officers) who drove to each lock and set them and opened them etc to ensure they worked ok which was just as well as we experienced three failing so having experts on site meant we were not held up for too long.

When we drove down with the cars it took about 45 mins but by canal it took us 3 hours each day but it was lovely really. With an overnight stopover at Valence d’Agen it was a pretty lazy voyage and we arrived in Boé, tied up on the quay and Harry was right back to his favourite park and by late afternoon a few of the old regulars had come walking past and heralded our arrival again.



Another wonderful evening with Gill and Alan

With spring conditions being apparent it has been easy to enjoy this area and as a result we have been out and about in the car and even back to Moissac to go for blood tests, followed by doctors appointment and then on Saturday we drove to there again to see Alan and Gill who had just returned from their camping car trip to Spain where they had a great time. We were able to watch a couple of the 6 Nations Rugby games with them before heading off to celebrate Irene’s 60th Birthday party at the old Sunbeam Bar which has been the boaties watering hole for the past few years. A nice evening was had and we drove home to the boat on Sunday to rest up and relax again.

We began spring cleaning of the boat so it was paint touch up time and polishing wherever plus cleaning the windows and all the brasses etc. We had the hotel boat “Rosa” call in and tie up in front of us while they went off to collect a new bunch of cruise people so it is a real memory jogger to us in that this was the boat which featured the chef Rick Stein doing his French Odyssey TV Series we had watched in New Zealand that got us convinced that we should sell up and come to France for our own adventures and we sure have had some wonderful cruising and visiting of towns and villages along the way. There are only words like "amazing" and "wonderful" which can describe the countryside and the people who are wonderful and accommodating if one can overcome the language difficulties.



"Somewhere" meets "Rosa"

 “Rosa” has an interesting life plying the local waterways and seems to be well supported by Americans and Australians who say they just love the peace and quiet of the region with its fruit bowl capabilities and lots of wine varieties to work ones way through.

Sadly like the rest of the world it would seem that France has got its share of “bloody lunatics” roaming around with whatever twisted thoughts and minds they may have and in the last few weeks we had 3 soldiers shot and then executed by a gunman on a motor scooter while they were waiting for the cash machine to respond to their requirements at the bank in central Montauban just 30 mins drive from here. After finishing the soldiers off by shooting again in the head he drove off and police seemed to have no idea who the perpetrator was but there was also a report that another soldier was shot in Toulouse about an hours drive away and then this morning we received the terrible news that 3 children and a Rabbi had been gunned to death in a similar manner at a Jewish school in Toulouse and again the murderer had escaped on a motor scooter so the country was on high alert and we hoped that this dreadful series of events was bought to a satisfactory conclusion quickly. At least we do know that the French authorities wouldn’t be applying too much “health and safety” to the evil mongers who had stolen so many innocents lives. Provided we don’t get another English soccer player suffering a serious illness or a damaged toe or similar we waited to get some coverage on our TV networks so be able to keep track of how the case progressed.



Blossom Time



Well talk about The Keystone Cops (those of my vintage will remember the old movies showing farcical behaviour by these coppers who always got it wrong by doing the most ridiculous things). After someone advised the police as to the identity of this killer, they arrested his brother, girlfriend and mother. They then decided that the perpetrator was alone in an apartment but heavily armed and in fact had shot at more police as they walked up to his door and knocked to see if he was in. Amazing.

Well a siege took place with no less that 300 heavily armed police standing around outside and covering all aspects of the building. A communication line was set up with him and he strung the police along for over 30 hours with promises to give himself up at various times but saying he really wanted to die with a gun in his hand.  For some reason, no knock out gas was pumped into the building but finally the next day flash bang grenades were shot into the building but as he was hiding in the bathroom, they were ineffectual but eventually he made a break for it shooting wildly and injuring more police before a marksman on another building shot him dead.  After it taking all TV channels about 2 days before they started live coverage this then became the occupying main news every hour.  What a shambles and while the 300 cops were tied up with this one wonders what was happening to the rest of the civilians who had to just get on with life.



Take your pick - yum



Market Days will be just one of the many things we will miss about France

 We took a break off the boat on Sunday and drove up to Buzet to join Louise and Alex on "Riccall" for a home cooked meal and a glass of wine. In the beautiful sunshine we were able to sit outside and soak up the rays. While there we also called on Terry off "Felix" who was baching while Sandra was back in the UK. A good day was had with a fair exchange of gossip and news so suitably loaded up we drove back to “Somewhere” enjoying all the beautiful rural scenery which is just bursting with the spring growth.

We met up with the new group who had joined “Rosa” in readiness for their 4 day cruise. They were all from Neutral Bay in Sydney and were amazed at the beauty of the countryside so were excited about getting going to Montauban before heading back to Paris and all the bright city life that huge city offers.They were stunned by the lovely evenings and commented on the canal which at night looked to have a surface of polished silver as we seemed to be back to those still days and evenings we have come to love and know we will miss when we leave here.

As a part of selling and thinking about “going home” we have had to make arrangements for Harry to meet the NZ quarantine regulations. Despite being told when we left New Zealand at the start of our adventure that provided we kept his inoculations and vet checks done every year on or before the annual date due he would have no problems getting back into New Zealand. Well sadly this is not the case due to these new regulations and if we wanted to fly home from Heathrow in London he would have to spend 6 months as a permanent residence of that country and if we want to fly home from Paris he has to have a rabies blood test and await the results for 3 months before he can travel, again despite the annual inoculations.. Put all these costs together and we are looking at almost NZ$5,000.00 to get him home. He had better behave for the rest of his life eh.  Isn’t it weird though that all these regulations apply including the quarantine time in New Zealand and $1500 worth of N.Z. govt vets fees and paperwork just to get him home again yet we allow goodness only knows, to walk in through our borders carrying whatever disease and nobody gives a hoot. Bureaucracy gone mad I feel.



"Even I need to do some shopping for the family"



Only in France can you take your dog with you shopping into the supermarche

 Well since leaving Moissac for our stay at Boe where we intended to hang out until the boat is “sold” and all the paperwork done, we missed a double tragedy of a Portuguese couple and their dog drowning in the canal just behind where we were berthed. Apparently they drove into the canal (we don’t know if it was in error or was a suicide) but were not found for almost two weeks after being reported as missing. So sad and frightening really. Glad we weren’t there to see the grizzly find.

After 3 weeks of fabulous spring/summer weather we had a real change which bought light rain and cooler temps so according to the long term weather forecast we have a while to go before the best of the best returns.



No wonder I never wore it,
I don't think I will take this hat home!!!

 We have begun packing our belongings and personal effects so the cabins are full of packing cartons and the rubbish bags are full of “not required” clothing etc. It is amazing how much some clothes have shrunk since last worn plus a certain little dog is not happy at all. He seems to be fretting about the change to the normal situation so hope this doesn’t carry on for long. Spring cleaning has gone well as has the touch ups to the paint etc. “Somewhere” looks great and we are often complimented by passers by, some of who speak English so we trust the new owner will enjoy the great look she is carrying. At this time we look to be handing the boat over to the new owner on the 13th May 2012 so we will all be facing a new way of life from there on in.

Luckily we have been offered a free home to look after just north of here as the couple have gone home to New Zealand until June so we will move in there and look after their dog Sativa and a couple of piglets and to mow the lawns with the ride on tractor mower. It will be fun, I think.



How many frenchmen does it take to float a boat!!

 At our marina here at Boe we noticed a yacht similar to a 20 ft trailer sailor sinking at its mooring so advised the police and marine authorities who were all excited. Our concern was the amount of fuel and oil escaping into the canal so imagined rapid response would be the “go” but after a week, a hi-hab turned up with 8 workers to try to attempt to lift it out, however after standing around for a couple of hours I flagged the watching so will look forward to seeing if they get it out by tomorrow.  Eventually the boat was lifted to a floating position, tied to the jetty and has been left. Well done VNF.

Well after the most beautiful March weather we have now had the worst April weather for 20 years with rain and wind every day. Just awful and it has delayed my final painting and finishing work on the boat but has allowed me to proceed with packing some 30 cartons and wraps as we have received firm advice that the boat is sold and we need to get it ready for handover on the 13th May so another chapter of our adventure will draw to a close. A carrier will call at Moissac and collect all the packages and ship them back to New Zealand for us.



"Riccall" says goodbye to "Somewhere"



We will of course be sorry to leave behind so many “longest village” friends and the great beauty of this country and all its great offerings. To anybody planning to come to France for any sort of period of time I cannot suggest strongly enough that one should learn as much French as is possible and can assure people that while we have coped well really despite our very limited ability of using the French language, I am first to admit that we have missed out on so much by not being able to at least have an ability to have what is referred to as conversational French. I envy those folk who we have met along the way who for whatever reason learned French from their Primary School days in the United Kingdom or from frequent visits to France. Sure there are many things the French do which we can disagree with and a number of these are very annoying but as they say C’est la Vie. “that’s Life” “this is France” and we will be forever grateful for the opportunity, experiences and adventures we have had in the 3 and half years of being afloat on the canals of France.



The garden flourishes



As Steve Bridges will be the new owner and skipper of “Somewhere” after the 13th May and who I am sure those of you who get the opportunity to meet him will find him to be charming and hospitable and ask you to welcome him to “our” part of the Village.

Good luck to you all and we hope that we can at least stay in touch via emails etc and hope that one day you too get the opportunity to visit us in Godsown. There will always be a cuppa and or a glass of wine for our friends and as we say farewell we wish you great cruising or vacationing and may your safety and health be premium class.



The final Farewell will be Sunday 13th May, 2012

I think there is still one more Blog in us.

Love Ken, Rhonda and of course Harry

WE ESCAPE THE CANALS FOR WARMER CLIMES

Welcome to this New Year.

Rhonda and I certainly hope that the potential promises a new year brings do come true for all of our friends and readers and that the sad memories of 2011 are consigned to the old bin and the new life leads on to much brighter things.

Following a lovely New Years Eve aboard Easy Vie thanks to Tom’s hospitality and Kaz and Iain’s cooking, the first of January looked good so on the 2nd January we went for a drive and stopped off at the local supermarket to get a few things and to enjoy a coffee at the attached café bar. On leaving the car park we were hit by a car being driven by a lady who obviously didn’t see us and sadly as she hit us right on the door pillar region both drivers’ side doors bent in so much they could not be opened. The roof was also bent as was the sill so after exchanging details we approached our insurance office and were told that the damage was so severe that the vehicle would likely be written off. Oh what a feeling!!!! Just when we had the car serviced and fitted with new tyres ready for our planned trip to Spain on the 8th January.

Rhonda's Comment: Herman and Tom solving the problems of the world

Rhonda's Comments: Kaz and Iain cooking up a storm

We were also told that as a rule insurance companies in France generally ruled that any collisions in car parks were regarded as being moti moti which means knock for knock or 50/50 which was a major blow for us as if a write-off did occur we would only get a very minor payout as we only carried 3rd party and theft insurance.



This made me as mad as hell so with the assistance of our wonderful boat neighbour off “Effie”, Graham who speaks very good French, we challenged the finding saying we believed that the full responsibility was the other driver and after a couple of days they agreed that I was not in any way at fault and the other insurance company would meet the repairs or pay out in full if the vehicle was to be written off. To say we were delighted is an understatement but of course we were left without a vehicle for our trip so we bit the bullet and hired a car for the month and then had another bit of good news. Because we had booked and paid for all accommodation for the month, our travel insurance company said that they would probably pay for the rental car.


We collected the rental, loaded our stuff and set off towards Spain on the Sunday, leaving behind steady rain at Moissac and looking so forward to the adventure ahead. As we headed south we ran alongside the Pyrenees which had a fair covering of snow on the tops but much less than normal due to the mild autumn and winter we have had. Once we entered into the Carcassonne area we were hit by the Mistral winds which are so well known in that area at this time of the year. With gusts rising to the 60 km mark, the wind warning signs along the side of the motorways were to be well heeded, however, as we crossed the border entering into Spain the clouds cleared, the wind stopped and conditions looked to be more like autumn again.

Rhonda's Comments: Our first stop for morning tea and the jumper has come off.

The further south we headed the better the conditions seemed so we felt really like being on a summer holiday until as we cruised along the motorway at 120 ks per hour we heard a solid bang to the back of the car and suddenly another car pulled alongside with a couple of fellows gestulating out of the windows for us to pull over and stop. Rhonda begged me not top stop following being told that there are “bandits” along this road who try to stop cars and then rob them so after thinking about it we decided to drive on until the other car decided to accelerate away then I stopped to find quite a deep dent about the size of a euro coin. Damn, damn, damn. And in the confusion, neither of us took down the number plate of the other car.

I guess we were lucky to have taken the advice received only a couple of days earlier from other boaters who had heard about these types of robberies happening in this area. Once you stop they get out to supposedly assist you but while you are on one side of the car one of the others will hoist out all your belongings and rob you of personal effects as well and throw your keys away and just drive off. Really makes you wary after that so only the hire company to tell now.

Rhonda's Comments: This is the square in Barcelona where Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe sang "Barcelona" way back in 1987. Have a look at it on YOU TUBE if you can - it is fantastic.

We stayed for two nights in Barcelona the location of the 1992 Olympic Games and what a magnificent job had been achieved in upgrading the cities infrastructure since I previously visited it in 1977. From an ancient style of city it has been brought up-to-date and offers the latest of technology, architecture and design and while the majority of the population appear to live in very hi-density tower blocks of flats and apartments the streets are very wide, footpaths even wider by comparison and the traffic flows so freely despite the huge population. The apartment blocks are about 10 to 12 stories high and set in square blocks making the road system much simpler to control.





With such a large population living in these high rise buildings it is understandable but also amazing to see the thousands of motor cycles and motor scooters buzzing along to work or to home, so as parking is a limiting factor in every city around the world, every corner is completely jammed with parked bikes of all makes and sizes. Truly we have never seen so many two wheeled motorised craft in our lives. Trams and very nice buses seem to run to all points of the city and there are huge green areas contained within the city to ensure leisure and play areas for children are easily accessible. From the most historic sites like the Barcelona Cathedral and the never ending construction scene of the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia with all its towers reaching towards the heavens, the mixture of old and new is amazing. One could spend weeks and still only scratch the surface of what this fine city offers to see and to visit.

While we were amazed at the thousands of apartments we were just as amazed as we drove right through the rural areas from Barcelona to Marbella to see the countless millions of orange, lemon, olive, almond trees and grape vines of course plus palm trees which provide such huge industries processing the fruits and oils etc. We often comment about the New Zealand citrus growing areas of Tauranga, Te Puke, Hawke’s Bay and Kerri Kerri and applaud those growers for doing such a grand job but in all honesty they would all fit in one small corner of the orchards here in this part of Spain alone.

After this all too brief stopover in Barcelona we were off again on the non-toll roads which were great heading towards Valencia, scene of the 2007 America’s Cup challenge where New Zealand got narrowly beaten for the Auld Mug and sadly may be the last time we will be seeing racing of these mono hull yachts for the Cup as I think the multi hulls have taken over but they will add a new level of excitement to the event but as usual it is dominated by BIG money. The port is still all set up from the A.C. challenges and with many of the bases still flying colours and flags and advertising from those heady days and there are even some yachts still on site at the otherwise empty bases looking either ready to get back into the water or are wrapped in plastic awaiting return to countries of origin or for sale. The facilities are truly magnificent and no wonder it was such a draw card for yachters from around the world with the very best of facilities being set out for spectators, sponsors and competitors alike.

Making use of some of the magnificent redeveloped area is also the race track for Formula One and this is a wonderful dual use of facilities. Again we sure would have liked to spend more time in this great city rather than just the 2 days we had.

From there we moved on towards Alicante about 4 hours drive further along the coast but stopped for lunch at the famous town of Benidorm which was a beautiful stopping place. I know all about the comments made about the crass crowd who habit the place during summer but to be honest we found it really beautiful. The beaches were stunning and the town seemed to be really interesting.

Rhonda's Comments: We actually liked Benidorm. So different to what we expected.

We found Alicante built around a fine port and this harbour is filled with commercial shipping and the town or city spreads itself up the hills right into what we would call the mountains where houses are built at those heights we suppose to avoid the summer heat and to get great views out over the beautiful blue Mediterranean. On top the hills there remains a huge castle structure built by the Moors who controlled Spain in the 8th century. Goodness only knows how they managed to build such huge walls and towns at those heights but they were sure good tradesmen hence the structures still remain in pretty good condition.


While staying in Alicante one of our old pals whom we had met while in Moissac the previous year and who has his camping car based nearby each winter came to visit for a cuppa and a chat. It was nice to catch up with Millen before he was to return to Scotland until April. It sure won’t be as warm up there as it is in this part of the world. We learned a bit more about the area as Millen and his wife Lyn have been coming to Spain for about 8 years. They just love it.


From Alicante we followed the coast road which was fantastic as it hugged the coast for lots of the way then would cut back into the mountain country via great roads which allowed the traffic to flow ever so simply. The views from up high were breathtaking and with the country turning more to what appeared to be barren surfaces with dry river beds and gulches one could well imagine this setting being in the USA mid west and cowboys riding around the tracks pursuing Red Indians etc. Well, half way between Alicante and Almeria at Tabarnas (Fort Bravo), one can see just that as this is where so many of the “spaghetti westerns” was filmed due to the great scenery, cheap labour and lack of health and safety rules etc. Movies like “The Magnificent Seven” “A Fistful of Dollars” “Indiana Jones” “The Good the Bad and the Ugly” and even “Lawrence of Arabia” just to name a few were filmed here in full or in part. While we didn’t get to visit the old sets, it is open every day so we may call in on the way back.

The final leg for us was towards Malaga and again the coast road which was still non-toll was great to follow to get the views of the mountains and the ocean but probably the biggest eye catcher was what appeared to be inland seas on either side of the road but which turned out to be sheets of plastic roofing over what one may call cloches but these were each about the size of a rugby pitch and joined or stood alongside its neighbours covering virtually hundreds of thousands of hectares. I can only estimate that they would cover an area the size of greater Auckland at least. They just go on forever it seems and while every thing grows in these cloches from tomato to lettuce to avocado and every other temperature affected vegetable or fruit and feed Europe from here and half the world as well, it would seem the sight of such a vast area covered with plastic is in my mind a tragedy. Goodness only knows how sterile the earth must be inside these structures and how little chance there is for people to walk on green fields or play areas. They are set on each and every spare piece of ground right up the hills perched on ledges and so on. While I won’t bore you with further details about this eyesight it is something I guess which could be seen from outer space and something which can’t be good for our earth and then one asks what happens to all that terrible plastic as it breaks down. I would love for you to look at it and exchange your comments on how you view it.


We arrived in Marbella about mid afternoon with temperatures of around 24 degrees and found the complex where we had booked our apartment. Following some confusion on behalf of the caretakers who were playing golf and didn’t want to let us in until 5.30 pm we adjusted their thinking and moved in at around 2.30 pm. The apartment is just one of a about 150 units in this complex and is one of 12 owned by some Russian from Moscow who bought a heap to make money over the past few years but as all the world knows there is a glut of apartments here and resale of any property is like winning a lottery.

The whole complex is in a state of needing lots of maintenance and we had to eventually move to an upstairs penthouse as the heating would not work in the first one and temps had become really cool with cloud rolling in and showers and snow falling on the mountains at the rear. The penthouse seemed to be much better until we went to have a shower only to find we had no hot water so more trades people were called and repairs were initiated. What a to do, however good news was that the weather came right suddenly and beautiful clear skies were again allowing us to see around this area and to enjoy true English style meals as the place is full of Brits running businesses here to cater for all the Brits who come to visit in season.

I have to comment at this time that we are surprised by the cost of food and goods here being so much cheaper compared to France and even eating out is so much more affordable which is a relief. The other day I bought a pair of leather upper walking shoes for 13 Euros which in France I am sure I would have had to pay around 39 Euros for at least.

Goodness only knows where and how they can keep on with the amazing road, bridge and tunnel building which gives such easy traffic flows across this country and while we have only really tasted the coastal roads and areas we look forward to the next few days and to seeing some more of this huge county.

Our hotel/apartment block is near the coast at Estapona which is just west of Marbella, however, as mentioned above the tourist trade and investors have withdrawn from the areas. While being a top resort in its day such things as the pools etc have fallen into poor state which drops the value of the place even more. The views were great however and we were able to look out of our windows to see Gibraltar sitting loud and proud on the horizon and which I had waited so much to visit as it has always been an icon I had wanted to see since being a lad and it was amazing to be able to look over to North Africa.


With Louise and Alex jetting in from Leeds the next day we drove back to Malaga Airport to collect them which took about 1½ hours so we stopped off along the way where we enjoyed lunch at a seaside café which was beautiful in the clear sunny conditions and arrived in time for them to arrive at this large airport which must be a sight to see in the tourist season when half the world must flock to this part of the world.


On the way back from the airport we drove to Marbella to show them this financial wonderland where once the “sharp lads” from the UK and Europe came to escape any extradition laws and to spend their ill-gotten gains by building properties and investing in real estate developments away from the VAT man which allowed this area to grow so rapidly. Palatial homes, marinas and resorts are the norm with 84 golf clubs set out along the coast.


Following a close inspection of the maps of the area it was decided to drive to the mountain city of Ronda about an 1 hour north of the coast. The drive up through the mountains is quite stunning and frequent stops were called for to look out over this mountainous countryside and we all were in amazement when suddenly we drove into this white city perched up on the mountain top. Ronda is a beautiful clean city well laid out with the original “old city” typical with its small lanes and streets so driving around one keeps on raising the question of how and why does this city exist so far from the coast and what keeps it going, what do the people do for work etc. With a population of over 100,000 it beggars belief almost. Certainly well worth the drive up to see it all and then enjoy the drive down again looking out over the coast to the Mediterranean.


























Rhonda's Comments: More shopping - I couldn't help myself.

As the idea of visiting Gibraltar one day had always been a dream of mine since I was a young lad we set off the next day for the 1 hours drive along the motorway so almost as a surprise the sight of this big rock came upon us and was breathtaking as the weather was clear and sunny and this huge monolith stands proud and loud dominating the strait as it always has done. The entry through the border was a bit of a worry for us as we had Harry aboard plus following the difficulties we met at the French, GB border a couple of years ago, we were a bit nervous but all we had to do was wave our passports at the border officer and we were waved through along with hundreds of other motorists and motor cyclists who had been queuing for the clearance to allow travel across the main airport runway once the departing passenger jet had taken off.

The city lies around the base of the rock and the north-western side is almost totally taken up with shipping facilities as it is a major port for North Africa and Spain and in fact we counted 43 ships either in port or lying out in the stream, some coming, some going. One cannot help but be surprised by the large number of residents who call Gibraltar home so live in typical style apartment blocks with some beautiful homes dating back to the good old colonial days I suppose.

It is possible to mount the rock along foot trails or by car or bus or by cable car which is what Rhonda and I did. It is straight up and it sure brings that funny empty feeling when looking directly below but oh what a magnificent vista is all around. At the top there is the obligatory souvenir and café bar which is welcome to be honest as it gives one the chance to regain breath and to sit and take it in. Under the watchful eye of the famous or infamous Gibraltar Apes who are on street alert ready to into any bags or items left away from the closest watch but they do add to the history and flavour of this magnificent natural structure.

The rock is honey-combed with munitions tunnels and is in fact well guarded by the GB military who have maintained a strong presence and control there for hundreds of years for which the Spanish government and people hate as this little territory hanging off the edge of Spain is a real thorn in the side of this huge country which looks with disdain on this Great British land mark and coastal dot.

Rhonda's Comments: Now I don't want anyone asking which one is the ape.

Alex and Louise who travelled with us chose to walk up the foot trail to the summit and did so in fine style. It must be nice to be truly fit. We all thoroughly enjoyed the day and it will remain in our memory banks for years to come.


Rhonda's Comments: Louise doing her "mountain goat" trick on Gibraltar.

Having spent such a big impact day we decided the next day to take it a little easier so drove up into the nearby mountains to visit some isolated towns etc. The trip was wonderful and we stopped in villages for coffee and Tapas or similar and spent time viewing a more country fashioned lifestyle such as homes appearing to be almost hewn out of the cliff sides which must have power and water and TV etc but they all look so devoid of any such facilities. One wonders what do they do for employment or income as work does not seem to have any central bases apart from some forms of agriculture but I guess something must go on. I sadly hear today though that roughly 50 percent of all teenagers are unemployed and in fact that general unemployment in Spain is close to reaching 25 percent which places a huge burden on the capital resources of any country. Rhonda's Comments: The only place to have morning tea was in the middle of the kiddies play ground.

With Louise and Alex flying back to the UK the next day meant an early rise so once we had dropped them at Malaga Airport we drove through new mountain passes towards our next planned stopover, Granada. What magic sights we witnessed as the higher we climbed along wonderful motorways we were gobsmacked to see large cities seemingly just stuck in the middle of nowhere for no purpose apart from what must be a huge Olive Oil and Cork orchard linked industry base supporting such large population groups.

The views of seemingly endless olive, almond and cork tree groves stretching as far as the eye could see on either side of the motorway, so these must be the reason for such cities and supportive industries existence. We then drove into Granada which is a beautiful clean, busy city built from the ancient era of the Moors occupancy in the 8th century to the very modern well laid out part of the city where we were booked into. The food and products offered there are so cheap compared with France and with every shop offering discounts of at least 50% it is eye-catching to be able to walk along the market stall areas and main brand shops and witness such wonderful bargains.

As the city relies almost entirely on tourism as its income one has to commend the city fathers for the great way the city is kept. Cleanliness is obvious with the streets and footpaths being swept and washed each night and all signs, hoardings and so on are clean and clear.


Rhonda had made appoint of ensuring we visited here so she could visit the ancient city of The Alhumbra which dates right back to the arrival of the Moors in the 8th century followed by the ransacking by the crusades and the redevelopment in the 19th century.The mixture of architecture is mind boggling and is so amazing that the whole ancient city has been granted a Unesco World Heritage site rating, hence the tourists who flock from all over the world to view and to absorb some of this special history. Harry and I took the opportunity to have a lazy day and to catch up on emails and this blog plus plod the footpaths admiring the window displays and products for sale. Truly a great stopover.

The next step was to travel to Alicante which via a new route for us to travel on as the great road system took us up to the Sierra Nevada mountain range which ensured we got a close look at snow which had fallen and was still on both sides of the road in parts. One could not help feeling that we were travelling across the roof of the world with huge mountains staring down on us yet all of a sudden we would come across a city set on the plains or tucked onto the mountain side. It has a feeling of being unreal and something I have never witnessed the like of ever before.

With almond trees in blossom and cork trees awaiting harvest the mixture of these groves mixed with pine and fur trees and the obligatory olive tree, it was a sight to behold. From heights of 3500 meters down to sea level is also amazing and the state of the roads is of the highest quality and these weren’t the toll roads either but rather 4 lane highways, smooth with gentle curves and slopes. The engineering of these plus the viaducts and bridges is a credit to the engineering skills of this nation.

A well earned sleep was had at Alicante before heading off for the 4 hour drive to Valencia which was my favourite stop over spot on the way down but Rhonda had chosen a new route for us to follow from that we had been on going West last week so again we saw more of this hard rough country with its steep mountains, dry desert like plains and lack of green grass so very few head of any stock are seen apart from the odd small groups of scruffy looking sheep and goats looking not much better, browsing the side of the roads in places.

Again Valencia proved to be a great stopover and again we rode about the city looking at the wonderful waterfront redevelopment and the amazing forms architecture used in their new buildings for which Valencia has become world.

After over-nighting in Valencia we headed off to Barcelona on a new motorway system from that we travelled when heading west. We were amazed at the engineering standards and achievements with huge fly over’s viaducts and swooping, sweeping wide corners which allowed the 120 km speed limit easy to travel at comfort and safety right into Barcelona where we stayed for a two night stop over again.


On day two we purchased tickets on one of the “hop on, hop off” tourist buses which turned out to be wonderful value with the commentary in English being so easy to follow as details of the main important city buildings, parks, statues and points of interest were drawn to our attention including a great description of the Olympic Games venues and the waterfront where some of the worlds largest cruise liners visit or begin their Mediterranean voyages from. This is a really huge metropolitan city and where almost every person we came into contact with spoke fair to good English as they are proud of their ability to look after tourists and visitors. Both Rhonda and I kept on noting how helpful the locals were with advice or service. Sadly this is a feature which the French generally miss out on and we were no sooner back in Moissac and called on a supermarket where the sole cashier could not have cared less if we were served, satisfied or even bothered to take any notice of what we were to her business - such a pity.
Rhonda's Comments: Just love the markets - even cheaper in Spain.

With our last days travel being about 4 hours, we chose the toll road which is marvellous and while a bit expensive, cost €45 from Barcelona to Moissac we travelled home at ease and at speed to arrive mid afternoon to sunny warm conditions which was great to unpack but as the afternoon went on the temperature dropped like a stone to almost Zero overnight so we knew winter had arrived.


The next day was cold and bleak and then snow began to fall and continued to do so for the next two days and then packed down and became slippery ice which is sure dangerous. With shivering whenever we went out, the log burner was kept stoked all day (thank goodness we collected so much canal side wood over summer etc) and the oil burners going flat out. It has been a really cold week but as I had said in earlier blogs etc we were sure to get walloped to make up for the extraordinary great weather all spring, summer and autumn.

At this time of writing we have to admit that the weather has played a very important part of our day-to-day conversations and thoughts as we have been experiencing the coldest daytime temperatures in this part of the world for over 40 years. After the snow we experienced big drops in temperature to 12 below with wind chill on top of all that so the snow froze, the canal froze over to 8 to 10 cms thick and the roads and footpaths became dangerous skating rinks and as this sort of weather was so rare, no road salt or grit had been bought in by local authorities so day after day the conditions just seemed to become colder and colder.

Rhonda's Comments: Isn't the saying "Mad Dogs and Englishmen"!!!!!!

We used all our firewood but the oil heaters were a boon until of course, you guessed it they broke down and the central unit had to be taken out and sent off to Marseilles for repair. This was so annoying as we had the unit serviced while we were away in Spain to ensure all was good with them. It is here that we were again so lucky to have such great friends in this town as Gill and Allan who have a small home along the canal supplied us with a good few barrow loads of cut wood which has kept us going nicely and ensured we have been warm every day. A huge thanks goes to those two who have been so generous to us. With us having to return the rental we have been looking for a cheap and cheerful car to keep us going and looks like we have one in sight but as this needs brake repairs, we are still walking to the shops which is probably good for us but again neighbours have been very kind in telling us when they are going to the supermarket etc and taking us with them. Bless them all.

Apart from the fact that the sky was mostly clear, the ice has taken days to begin to melt but thankfully this has started and while the ice is still blocking the canal, the footpaths and roads have cleared and even shrubs are showing buds so spring can’t be too far away.

Our minds may not be entirely fixed on weather as we have had an offer to buy our barge which has turned out to be confirmed following a survey and further visit from the “Buyer”. We are awaiting the deposit to cement the deal and there is some delays which make us unhappy but we are optimistic that it will happen. It may mean that we have to move off in April /May so the mind is swinging between what we are now doing to what we need to do. If and when it is finalised we will need to work our way through the logistics of moving back to New Zealand with our “stuff” and Harry of course so sleepless nights are happening as well. We have begun looking at houses for sale “back home” with mixed feelings of excitement in some ways but regrets at the thought of finishing this most wonderful adventure and losing close regular contact with so many folk who have been such wonderful friends over the past 4 years.

We will be in touch with as many friends and associates as possible before we go but there may be many months yet before we move but if we miss any one please accept our sincere apologies, plus our thanks for the great hand of friendship you have extended to Rhonda and me. We have had a truly wonderful time and adventure which will remain etched in our minds forever. Do keep in touch as we will retain this email address and if you ever make it to God’s Own we will surely welcome you at our place for a cuppa or a meal or a bed. God bless and Keep on Barging.

Ken, Rhonda (and of course) Harry