FRANCE IN WINTER MODE

From 19 December 2009 to 16 January 2010

Just sitting here looking at all the fellows in their shorts and singlet’s, beers in hand while their ladies, who are dressed in not a lot more, sprawled out under umbrellas enjoying the blue skies and hot sun. The temperatures are reported to be in the mid 30’s so who can complain. Hang on a minute, sorry folks, I am actually watching the cricket test in South Africa on telly while in actual fact we are freezing our little bums off. Grey skies, 50mm of snow at least and tonight it is freezing to 12 below so all the snow which has been falling for the past 3 days is turning into a big slippery surface which is a trap for the unfamiliar so lots of falls or stumbles are being experienced.

While it is all very pretty and some big kids like Rhonda have been out building snowmen, I have to be honest and say I would rather be at the cricket test than sitting here.

Rhonda's Comments: I love it - bring it on.

“Somewhere” is lovely and warm with both the heated radiator system and the log burner going we could grow tulips inside but we do get out and about in the car or take a walk for Harry’s sake to get some real fresh air.

Rhonda's Comments: "Mum drags me through the snow - just as well I can warm up by the fire."

Harry loves to tear about in the snow and has great fun with the local staff at the H2o workshops who enjoy tossing snowballs at him while he skitters in one door and out the other. He thinks they are there purely for his entertainment and enjoyment, I think.


It is much colder than last year when we were at Penton Hook in London and it was late January before we got any real drops of snow there. Icicles of up to around 200mm hang from our wheelhouse roof and while it is supposed to be less cold tomorrow with rain coming we surely will get more snowstorms this winter.

















On Thursday evening 17th December, we drove some 10 kms out of town to a small hamlet where the local Gite (rooms for holiday let) had been hired by our River Rats Social Committee for a Christmas Dinner party which was just wonderful as they decorated it out beautifully with everybody contributing a plate of hot or cold food plus desserts and wine etc.

















Our friends Grahame and Iris who have their own boat wintering over in Dijon came down by train to stay with us so as to be able to attend as well. It was great to have them and in addition a couple of local French couples came along as well which also added to the good fun of the evening. We were seated at tables of up to 6 people so the chat was loud and so much fun that if any one didn’t enjoy themselves they would be hard to be pleased.


As this was the first day of the snows arrival, it was a bit unnerving driving in the continuous flurries, however, we negotiated the trip without any untoward incident but I was glad that I had stuck to water and soft drinks at the dinner. Yes, soft drinks, can you believe it? But I made up with the amount of great food I ate I think. A very nice evening anyhow and it was great to be made so welcome as newcomers to the area.

Christmas day dawned fine but cold and after a night of strong winds and storms almost all of the snow had melted so we didn’t get a white Christmas but not far off. The ice was still on the water of the canal and the port and any surfaces which were metal or plastic were extremely slippery so care was the call.

Rhonda's Comments: There will be no going out for a drive today!!

It was lovely to get early morning phone calls from Michelle, Thelma, Russ, Grahame Smith and then Kerry Anderson later in the day so while these calls made us feel a bit homesick it was sure good to talk to them all enjoying their summer weather and good temperatures with BBQs and other typical hot Christmas weather activities. In addition to the phone calls we received lots of Christmas emails from all around the world so were spoilt really.

In this photo: Allan, Ken, Sandra and Terry

In this photo: Ann and Janna

Rhonda and I had thought that we would be having a very a quiet day onboard “Somewhere” on our own as most folk seemed to have their own families or visitors to spend time with, but following an invite to have aperitifs with Lawrence and Ann (Ann is Rhonda’s Art teacher and also runs the Walking Group) who also have a lovely home some 12ks from here where they had prepared delightful snacks and so on, some of the other attendees insisted that we join them at a local restaurant for a typical French 3 course meal. This we did and it was sure a couple of hours of good food, wine and company with lots of laughter and banter so by the end of the day we were stuffed with food and drink so the evening meal was passed by and walking Harry was the only answer to our over-indulgence which he didn’t mind at all.

The Christmas decorations used by the local authorities was very good and added that touch to lift a fairly dull scene at night but also a lot of homes were decorated as well and lit with fairy lights and so on. There seems to be a propensity here for inflatable Father Christmases to be tied to upstairs railings etc in various poses which is quite novel. Even roadside bushes are decorated by the locals with tinsel and imitation wrapped presents which again amaze us that nobody interferes with them at all. We have a lot to learn in New Zealand about respect of other people’s property for sure.


The days seem to slip by so quickly and with the temperatures lifting a bit, the snow just started to melt away and we could resume normal activities which was good. Sadly the rains then arrived and set in for the next week so the grounds soon turned to slush and mud. Our cycling activity “The Grey City Rollers” went out the window as did the walking group “The Grey City Strollers” on a couple of days but we seemed to find that trips to the supermarkets stocking up for New Years Eve became a priority for all those essentials. Amazing isn’t it as the shops only close for one day here (no Boxing Day is acknowledged).


While on the subject of supermarkets there are four in Saint Jean-de-Losne and another about 7kms away in Blazey-en-Plaine, so I think shopping outings to the supermarkets must be the centre of social activity as it is the case of, spot the locals anywhere, as you pass through these towns or villages. At these supermarkets you will not find any shopping trolleys lying about in the car-parks as you have to put a Euro into the trolley lock to detach its chain clip from the ones in front so to get your Euro back when you have unloaded the shopping into your car or whatever you have to return the trolley to the designated area and hook up again thus releasing the coin. It sure makes for tidier parking areas and surrounds.

Inside the supermarkets or even in most stores there are no plastic or other types of shopping bags supplied at all so as you can imagine it is vital to use a trolley as even if they have shopping baskets available inside, you cannot take them through the checkouts as they are security coded and the bells ring if you try to bypass this secure area. Even for small amounts of shopping it is a case of taking your own carry bags or else you are left standing at the end of the checkout area with all your groceries, and trying to stack them onto your arms and no, you cannot use the emptied cartons as you can in New Zealand supermarkets as they are removed by staff as soon as they are emptied.
Rhonda's Comments: A midget snowman.

We are still working out what some foods are called in French which can make finding particular items and or selection sometimes difficult. It is rare to find a staff member who speaks or understands English let alone knows what product you may be seeking. It is amazing how much ill feeling there must be between the English and French and vice versa. You can pick up so many products, particularly those which are packeted or canned and read the labels in anything up to 6 languages but not English. They seem to avoid using it like the plague which is a pity and we are so sure they must lose millions of Euros in lost sales as English speaking people often just bypass the product until they can get it from the UK or wherever. It is ironical really that all the messages over the shops PA systems are only in French but more than half of the songs being played are in English so I am not sure how they reconcile the two.

In this photo: Ken, Terry, Sandra, Pat, David, Steve and Ushi

Well we got to New Year’s Eve which turned out to be reasonably fine with a full moon so Rhonda and I walked into town at 9.00pm to meet with some other friends and to go to Sylvie and Gerard’s (long term supporters of the canal bargees group) family’s home for celebrations. It was a marvellous evening with the usual, lots of food and drink and music (mainly English as one of our mates controlled the stereo for the evening). After eating and drinking, as New Year’s Eve got close to midnight, the hosts presented everyone with a hat to put on. Goodness only knows what it meant or where they collected so many hats from which we wore for, the rest of the evening.
Rhonda's Comments: The mad hatters!!!

We all joined in to play Charades which is something I have never been very keen on, however, it all went so well and it was a lot of fun and it was 3.30am before we realised it. I haven’t stayed up that late for 40 years I am sure, so we wobbled off to our boat having had such a great evening. Harry was keen to see us when we got home but then it was a case of taking him for a 15 minute walk in Zero degrees then to bed around 4.00am. I have to be honest and admit to having a bit of an overhang in the morning and in truth I don’t think the hangover really started until around noon. Gee I hate it when this happens so I will cancel next year’s New Year celebrations in preparedness.

In this photo: Jo, Ken and Germaine

Amongst our fellow boaters we find more and more people of talent and one of them being our mate Terry who is a dab-hand at producing semi-abstract portraits. When Rhonda admired one that he had done for another couple, art teacher and husband, almost within hours Terry presented the following portraiture of her at the New Year's Eve party - a great skill for sure.


Fully recovered at last and the day has dawned fine and clear so we are off to explore some new territory so Rhonda chose for us to visit the area of La Rochepot to view the famous chateau which is quite splendid perched on the bluffs above the town. Showing off its multi-coloured roofing style where the tiles come from various sites thus enabling the builders of the day to ensure that when the sun is shining the colours stand out so well and the chateau can be seen for miles. It was first constructed in the 14th century and of course has been extensively added to and renovated over the following periods.


Louis the 11th king of France took all the wine grown in the local area back to the Chateau as he apparently liked it so much he didn’t want “the ordinary people” to enjoy this tipple. He would be hell bent to manage that today as this special Burgundy area now produces over 40 million bottles of what is generally acknowledged and rated as probably the best wines overall in the world with a particular white wine called Montrachet which stands alone at the head of the list. Alexandre Dumas the famous French writer reported that this wine should only be drunk by “bareheaded folk while on bended knee”. Well I must admit to following this instruction similarly on the odd occasion many years ago.

















To travel through this area is mind blowing with some of the walls dividing various vineyards dating back to the 11th century so one can only imagine what great stories they have witnessed. The little towns which dot the landscape are also so old with many of the homes and buildings almost touching each other it is all but impossible to get vehicles down many of the streets. The stone houses which vary so much in size of course serve a very real need providing accommodation to the various growers and workers plus the land owners. Looking across thousands and thousands of acres of nothing but vineyards growing up the slopes is quite breathtaking and it is amazing when you consider that heavy snow is certainly not uncommon.

The other thing one notes is that there is no irrigation to any of the vines which may be part of the reason as to why the grapes are so sweet and so high in the beaume count thus producing fantastic wines for us all to enjoy. The colours of the country are varied depending on what vines are grown in a particular areas and even though we are right in the throws of winter now, many vines still carry their old branches and laterals, hence the colour assortments.

Apparently in summer this area is choked with visitors from around the world who come to stay to sample and buy the wonderful vintages. It seems as though every second building is a winery (called caves) with tastings and sales reaching millions of dollars so from what appear to be uninhabited towns now spring to life and enjoy a great bustling period. Surely this must be a place for any wine connoisseurs not to miss in any visit to the territory. We sure hope to make a lengthy return when the weather gets better and before we head south for the coming cruising season.

Sadly upon our return from that delightful visit and a particularly cold spell and huge dump of snow, I got hit with what I thought was just a chill or a good old cold, however, eventually after spending 3 days confined to bed we determined that we would have to brave it and break out to go to our local doctor who said I had bronchitis so it has been a week of total bedrest with so much medicants so am hoping for some improvement over the next few days. Costs to visit doctor E 22.00, medicants, E 93.00 totalling equal to around NZ$230.00 so it sure pays to look after one’s health. For visitors intending to travel to such areas it is imperative to have your own full travel and or health insurance.

On a positive note, I must make and pay tribute to Rhonda who despite the cold, the snow and the ice, had to take over all those usual male run boat roles and has developed new skills like wood collecting from outside where we have the logs stacked under tarpaulins to dragging half frozen hoses to a connecting point so we can top-up tanks and to getting fresh water from the collection point and then to flush out systems etc. It sure takes time and effort, not to mention a lot of skill to work your way along the steel decks when they are covered in snow and/or ice laden with wood or hoses or brushes when fully rugged up in boots, jackets, coats, caps and gloves which sure don’t allow easy movement or balance when you are not used to effecting such chores. On top of this has of course has been the need for Harry to be taken for walks three times a day including in the dark evenings with snow and sleet flying about the place. Complaining? Who’s complaining? This is just the way it is and the need to adapt is just a part of this new adventure.

We have had visits from fellow bargees popping in to see if we are ok and enquiring if they can assist which is just typical of the care and consideration we find on these waterways.

Well there are signs today that we may be going to experience a good melt so fingers crossed and hopefully by the time of our next blog we will be reporting to you on the famous spring flowers and conditions. Some signs are already in place of bulbs bursting through the all but frozen garden beds. Sadly though due to the extreme cold, thousands, if not millions of birds have frozen to death through freezing to the trees they are perching on or starving to death due to lack of food so I know in England and so on there are repeated requests for people to buy food to spread to try to minimise the total loss of some varieties of theses little creatures. Cattle are of course held in barns, some of them huge, housing up to 100 cattle beasts and in food shelters where they just while away the days eating and awaiting their final destiny. Oh well enough of the maudlin side of life. All will move on for sure.

Meantime, to those of you who are in the south experiencing really hot temperatures we wish you a great long summer and to those who are experiencing the worst winter of 40 years in northern Europe, we say hang in there, better things are on the way.

Enjoy the pictures and take care as we roll into 2010.

Rhonda's Comments: "I'm pooped"

NOVEMBER IN ST JEAN-DE-LOSNE

Hello folks,

Greetings from our central French township of Saint Jean-de-Losne and in particular from our base at H2O Port de Plaisance. While this month has officially been listed as autumn, it has been a mixture of some nice sunny days and wet, windy, cloudy grey days to make us aware of what is soon due to arrive. November has also been a mixture of good and bad with a number of problems popping their heads up, so we have been in a repairing mode and awaiting outside trades people to fix the other matters.

Firstly, we had two sky lights start to drip after heavy rain so it was a case of removing the slat decking area to get at them, then dismantling each unit and finding the cause of the problem then attempting to fix them. Ok for one of them but as usual the most difficult needed an additional work-over to get over the problem but at least I did it, so fingers are crossed.

Secondly, the shower base started to leak again so it was a case of digging out all the grout sealant, drying it and then resealing, again I did it so fingers crossed again. Then the rear cabin toilet has failed to refill with fresh water after use so despite my “extensive” skills I have no idea of what is causing the problem so have to go find a service person and get them to come to our aid as we are due to have guests come to stay with us soon.

Thirdly, the car which we just purchased, started showing ignition light signals on the dash and after resetting the battery terminals etc which were loose, the problem continued. I took a French speaking neighbour to the local garage with me and they quickly determined that it was all to do with the adjustable suspension fluid level being down so a top-up was easy, however, it then showed the cylinder had a leak and needed new seals etc. This problem area was found to be compounded by the need for a service and new filters etc so another 145 Euros will be added to the value of the car. I sure know how to pick them.

You might say “Gee what else could go wrong” and I can add that on top of the above our magic TV sat dome has started to give problems and we loose the picture as soon as a storm appears and of course these are frequent at this time of the year, so again a service person is due here next Friday to take it all away to see what is wrong. The tradesmen have just left after travelling to us from Thonon-les-Bains in Switzerland as this is the closest Ray Marine service agent. It took them 3 hours to get to us but on arrival got straight onto the job and found that due to poor installation in the first place, corrosion had taken place and despite their best efforts to rectify the problem with local parts they had to give up in the end and take the whole unit away and we won’t get it back until 15th December so there will be a lot of reading and watching our video library until then. Thanks a lot Shepperton Marine, well done. You can rest assured your name will be mentioned in despatches from now on. Just as well this is covered by warranty but we are now convinced that the guy who installed the system didn’t know what he was doing and admitted the day that he said he had finished it that this was the first one he had installed so we were his guinea pig. Not bad when we were paying a labour fee of ₤69.00 plus vat per hour for him to learn on us.

Lastly but not least, we have had a terrible time with our email connection dropping out at the least suitable time so in some cases we have had to re-write emails up to 4 times. Apparently this is due to our location at the extreme limit of the coverage but as we have a two year contract we are stuck with the supplier so you will have probably heard some of my language describing how and where I would like to place the computer. Rhonda however, has worked through a lot of stuff and has done a magic job of getting better coverage so again it is fingers crossed.

We had also tried to buy an international phone calling card so as to be able to call friends in New Zealand and Australia but sellers here are few and far between so we are stuck with text messages as a call to New Zealand this morning cost €8 (NZ$17.50) for about 4 mins.

Finally and very sadly, we received news from Michelle and Tom to say that she had lost her baby which was planned to be born in June next year. A real period of grieving but life will go on and we trust that she will have better luck next time. Why these things happen, nobody knows but the main thing is that she is ok and Tom is being strong for her and while the mourning will go on for a while, they have so many good years ahead.

Apart from these problems all is going well really and we must not complain but get on with putting the things right that we can put right, and to dismiss those things we can’t.

While still on November happenings, we of course had to remember Armistice Day on the 11th so off we went to join a number of English, Australian and New Zealand boaters and residents, meeting at the local memorial statue in the village for an advertised 11.00am service only to learn that the French had changed the time to 12.00 noon so as to be in real time with the UK (being 1 hour behind us) so despite the fact that the temps had fallen to around 8 degrees with a stiff northerly breeze, we stood around freezing our little toes and other things off until at noon we heard in the distance a brass band coming down one of the side streets and soon to appear was this band which was a mixture of children and adults, most in uniform others in mufti marching to this special site which is both a place of remembrance for the end of the so-called Great War and for the 8th May 1945 for WW11 when peace fell over France with the defeat of the Germans. Saint Jean de Losne holds a special place in French hearts being a major line of defence in the 2nd World War.

The service was held in French language only by the Mairie (Mayor) with no reference to us or our group of English speaking folk then followed by a short address by the chief Gendarme of the area. All of this took around 15 mins only. We were then invited to the Town Hall for aperitifs which was a warming invite I can tell you. Again he addressed us in French for a moment or two then each person was handed a glass of Patiss which is a red wine and this sure helped restore some circulation to the body. The photos accompanying this will give a better idea of how the service was set up. I sure hope we have a better Anzac Day service if we can get ourselves organised.

Rhonda's Comments: Here are some of the other bargees waiting for the parade.

I can point out that in each town and village there is a Mairie and a Hotel de Ville (which is the Town Hall and Mayor’s Office) and he is the real power broker for his particular district area. He has overall control of all things from public services to sales of properties to permits for any activities and the Mairies are reported to be the real power brokers of the country and that President Sarkosy is just a figure head who responds to what the Mairies direct to him to do.


I am delighted to report that a letter I wrote to the “Boating New Zealand” monthly journal was not only published but also won the letter of the month with an inflatable Hutchwilco life jacket being the prize which we have been able to donate to some person or marine group of need as we have more than enough on board “Somewhere” so hope someone can make good use of it. We have had some lovely emails and letters from friends back home and abroad who have read the letter and to receive a few enquiries from potential barge buyers seeking our advice as to what to buy and when to come to visit France etc and to when they could come to stay with us. The next cruising season is looking to be a busy one and as we will head toward the south of France we sure are excited about this step along on our adventure trail.

A number of bargees and boaters have left Saint Jean-de-Losne to go home to wherever for the winter so there are fewer folk we know about the place but every day a new boat seems to arrive to shelter over and last night when we went to the Quiz night we met another three new couples who are staying over winter so it keeps on going on as they say. The canal locks have officially closed for the winter except our one out of the Bourgogine Canal into the Soane, so the odd boat or barge pops out for a day trip, but as it gets colder, fewer and fewer are moving about.

Rhonda's Comments: Note the bow and the stern but where is the middle!!!!

The dry dock is still busy, however, with refits and even the odd barge being cut down to scrap which is a bit sad but two new hotel boats are being built in time for the new season and the other day a brand new barge (Piper) of 19 metres was hauled into our yard on a transporter to be lifted off and launched in our port. Quite a haul from England to here but when talking to the owner he said that he didn’t want to bring it over the Channel himself as he didn’t want salt water on it so paid for the transporter and all the associated costs like €2,000.00 alone for the crane to lift it off the transporter and another €300.00 to use H20’s trailer to launch it at the ramp. Oh well everyone has choices for sure. Some photos show the barge and the launching.

Rhonda has joined the painting group which is fun for her and gives her a new group of friends to meet up with. While it would be wonderful if she could one day paint like her brother we are sure that is not possible but she sure is giving it a good shot. I have joined a group who are doing a refresher course in first aid and this too is a good way to spend a few hours each week. We also have to learn the emergency telephone numbers which are particular to the service you may require and the terms for the emergency which one is facing. As you can imagine it would not be easy to ring and then get someone who can’t speak English and if we can’t give the details in French. All good stuff I feel and very necessary too.

We are also members of the walking group which is doing us both good as you can imagine and this last week a few of us started a cycling group so this will add to my fitness level I hope and gives me the opportunity to visit new areas of the district. On top of these activities it is always interesting to join in on a Wednesday morning at the book swap and mariners meeting. I only list these activities to let you know we don’t sit at home (well onboard anyhow) watching the days slip by, in fact the days and weeks seem to flash by ever so quickly.

Rhonda's Comments: This is Ken with Pat and Joe. I wonder if they might be in training for the Tour de France!!!!

Next Friday we are having some friends who have their boat based in Dijon for the winter coming to stay with us for a break and in the evening we will all attend the first official Christmas function for the area with a parade and the arrival of Saint Nicholas (Father Christmas) followed by a small concert to kick the festival period off and the streets are then lit with the Christmas lights, so after that I will be able to report on how the locals celebrate the event and this special time.

Rhonda's Comments: With Graham and Iris in Nuits-St Georges, the capital of the Burgundy wine growing area but note what we are drinking, coffee from the Themos.

Meantime, I must give you the following excerpt to read which is supposedly the true story of Christmas, at least here in France and Holland.

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of mariners and December the 6th is the feast day of Saint Nicholas. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him to notice, thus he became the model for Santa Claus whose English name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas. Although the church has had Saint Nicholas portrayed as a canon in the vestments of the bishop he once was, his status has had little to do with the way the Dutch think of him. Rather he is a benevolent old man whose feast day is observed in Holland by the exchanging of gifts and making good natured fun of each other.

Rhonda's Comments: The boating community were asked to be torch bearers and lead the parade but we look more like Klu Klux Klan members!!!!!

It so happens that the legend of Saint Nicholas is based on historical fact. He did actually exist and lived from 271 AD to December 6th 343 AD. His 4th century tomb is to be found in Myra near the city of Anatolia in present day Turkey and has been investigated by archaeologists. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers and children. Thanks to Vivienne Waterer for supplying this information.

From time to time I have the opportunity to skite about the great fishing New Zealand anglers enjoy around the coastline and readers of the New Zealand Fishing News which I am lucky enough to receive each month and then pass on, show many great catches for all to see. Well the other day we received a photo of a fish about 3m long caught in the local waterways. It is B**** huge to say the last. We often hear loud heavy splashes particularly in the early evening which sound like the noise a human would make diving or falling into the water but now we believe it is to be this type of fish which is quite common apparently. The boys at Fishing NZ tell me that they would make good eating but after knowing what goes into the canals here ----- I don’t think so. Imagine hooking one of these while on your Kayak when out for a quiet fish. Boy what a story to tell your mates.

A point of interest, or at least I hope it is, particularly to those smokers who are left for the Tobacco Companies and the government to rob at will, is the Tabacs of which there are several in Saint Jean-de-Losne alone. They are just like our newsagent shops in Australia and New Zealand and they sell Lotto etc, newspapers, magazines by the tonne, books and novelties plus a whole range of pocket, sheath and open blade knives including numchuckers and daggers etc. There appears to be no restrictions on selling these lethal weapons which is amazing to us. Many of these Tabacs also sell and serve alcohol by the glass or by the bottle to consume on the premises. These places open for business as early as 8.00 am so it is odd when you walk by and see men sitting having a beer, schnappes or wine at these sort of early hours, however, they many only have one while having a chat and sharing their news and then they will then go on to their normal daily activities.

Tobacco and cigarettes are expensive but cheaper than at home and this is seen I guess as a direct correlation when you look at any gathering of people as there will be a fair percentage who smoke. Sadly it is the young who want to do so in greater numbers and as an ex-smoker it is easy to be critical but when you see the women on the streets it is easy to pick the smokers as their skin is more wrinkled, dried out and of a yellow colour. Smoking has been banned in hotels and restaurants and shops so wherever you go you see the groups outside looking like lepers as they huddle from the cold to get that last gasper down their lungs. Oh to be so noble……Typical non-smoker remarks guys but it sure is a horrible habit I have to admit.

At the shopping centres it is like a mini tidal wave as they close at 12 noon for the 1½ to 2 hour lunch or dinner break and the staff rush out reaching for their cigarettes before heading home or wherever. You sure don’t want to be standing in the doorway at this time as you will get run over. It reminded me of when the workshop would close for the day at The Trailer Shop in Albany. Sorry Simon I couldn’t let that one go through to the keeper.

On a brighter note we have had the toilet fixed, the car serviced and fixed, the inside cabin light fixed and I have water blasted the boat and given her a spring clean for winter so we are making progress but have slipped behind with getting Harry a haircut etc. The pet coiffeur lass in the next town wants €42.00 to, wash, cut and trim his nails. I knew I should have taken up a trade when I was young.

Ok I am going to close off now and while you should have all received our Christmas Greetings by now we want you to know that we do think of you when we scroll down our address list and want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a fantastic festive season and a safe and happy new year. We are closing off now for 2009 and will rejoin you in 2010 so keep those emails and letters coming through please as we love to hear from you.

Ken, Rhonda and Harry xxxx