The Miracle of ‘Recycling’ in St Jean de Losne!

As previously mentioned, people who no longer have use for items leave them next to recycling bins so that others may take them away if they want them. It is a great source of pleasure and amusement, especially when you go somewhere and see your discarded item treasured by someone else. There is no embarrassment involved, it is all sensible good fun. However, a neighbour who no longer wanted a perfectly good coffee machine was surprised when initially no-one took it away, that , she considered was the ultimate in rejection.

We ‘salvaged’ some discarded timber. C made a very professional looking shelf for the kitchen cupboard and J made a lid for a box, covered it with carpet, thereby creating storage and a footrest for the pilot. There was a heavy crane/hoist in the bowels of our boat that had been used to hoist a motor scooter on board, we didn’t want it, finally winkled it out of the hold , put it on the pier next to our boat and it was immediately seized by a near neighbour for getting a dinghy on board his barge. Several days later, we scored from him a near new foam mattress which we cut up with a bread knife and used to replace the tired foam in our squabs. We were about to leave the replaced squabs with their original covers on them at the recycle area when a friend pointed out they will be very useful when wrapping the boat up for winter. Placed over any protruding part, they will provide excellent protection for the cover so they won‘t make it into someone else‘s boat this year anyway…

Some folk decide to replace their dinner sets, or sets of glasses and leave them out for others to take (we have benefited from both recently). It is such a congenial activity - and so much better than simply throwing things away!

Jeanette

Why it is so hard to keep this site up to date!

We are just waiting for a mechanic to do a thorough check on our motor and we will (finally) be able to go cruising. This first season things are taking longer than they should in future years as there is so much to learn, to check and become familiar with. The boatyard staff have been wonderful in every respect except when it comes to telling you when they are going to do things so it is hard to do any real forward planning. Nevertheless, the days just fly by. There are lots of things to do on the boat - mostly of an aesthetic nature now that the bilge and shower pumps have been fixed. With the boat being an eighties model and having had (apparently) little work done on it since then (except for the replacement of the soft furnishings), there is no shortage of aesthetic improvements that could be done! For example, C has a mission to eliminate all the brown from the boat, starting with the brown vinyl walls in both bathrooms and eventually moving on to the ubiquitous dark, varnished wood… That’ll keep her out of mischief for a while!

We spend a lot more of our time on simple grocery shopping than we do at home… Our limited fridge and “pantry” space means that we have to shop several times a week and having only bikes for transport further limits the amount of shopping we can do at once. We are still coming to grips with the different products, so we spend a lot more time than normal working out if something does the culinary or cleaning job that we want it to do… And then there is the fact that any trip around the marina involves multiple conversations with other occupants - it can sometimes take us more than 20 minutes to cover the 50 metres from our boat to the gate at the start of the jetty! These conversations have proven invaluable in terms of information, skill-swapping, borrowing equipment, etc as well as just getting to know people, so they can’t (and shouldn’t) be rushed too often.

We weren't expecting to be entertaining visitors quite so soon but were delighted when C's brother, Mark, and his partner, Jocelyn, came to stay with us for a few nights on their way from Alsace through to the Alps. We enjoyed their company, especially the day trip through to Beaune with the visit to the magnificent Hotel Dieu, a wander around the ramparts, a personalised wine tasting session and a picnic lunch on the Place Monge (see pic above). The boat seemed to cope well enough with extras on board and the visitors seemed to cope with the boat... We are looking forward to another visit from Mark and Jocelyn in the next couple of months, when they'll have to find us on a Canal somewhere...

Different kind new friends have invited us to join them on trips to Dijon and Dole for supplies and we have been to Beaune twice. They are particularly lovely places to visit for various reasons. On Saturday morning we went with Liz, Brian, Roger and Chris to what we would call a car boot sale but in France is called a Vide Grenier (an attic emptying) That was fun, there was the usual mixture of good bargains and over-priced items. I spent 20 cents (40 cents $NZ) on a doily - I’m not sure C was impressed. We spent E2,50 on a good mirror for the redecorated bathroom and we have repainted the frame; we also bought some recipe books - in French of course. Brian paid E5 for a very good (very large) sandy covered mat for their golden lab to sit on and also bought some tools and a set of boules. Liz bought a hair curling gadget and a whisk.. and so it goes on.

Another day, six of us went to lunch in a local café, we have been told places with lots of workmen’s white vans outside are places that sell good food at reasonable prices. The place we went to offered for E11,50 two choices of entrée, two choices of main, two choices of a cheese board, five choices of dessert all followed by coffee which we didn’t have room for. Everything was tasty and well presented and now that smoking is ‘interdit’ inside all cafes and restaurants, it was a thoroughly pleasant experience. It won’t surprise anyone to know that eating, drinking and preparing food for guests all take up a lot of our time.

C’s French speaking skills are in frequent demand, she has interpreted at the prefecture and the Gendarmerie Fluviale for fellow kiwis, John and Elaine; has accompanied our next door neighbour, Brian, to the dentist (who doesn’t speak a word of English) to explain his problem and to be assured the tooth would not be removed unless absolutely necessary; she has been asked if she would accompany the ’other’ Brian to the doctor to explain his ongoing back problem; and of course she is often asked to translate various bits of French, most often instructions on bottles, packets, etc.

Through all of these ‘interruptions’ we are acquiring lots of new knowledge and skills. We are learning more about the motor and which vital signs we should check regularly. We are constantly being encouraged to dismantle things that don’t work to see if we can fix them ourselves, we constantly ask people who have been canal boating for years what is the best way to do things and get different opinions on just about everything! An example would be whether or not to have one or two water cocks open when cruising. There is a lot of weed and other bits of material in rivers and canals that can block the filters.. If you have only one open, and it clogs up you have another ‘clean’ one you can open and shut off the dirty one. Seems a good idea and both water cocks feed into one pipe of the same diameter. The argument against that is that there is a danger that the motor will overheat and not be noticed with the likelihood of serious damage being caused. Having both water cocks open apparently allows more water to circulate doing a better cooling job. I guess the important message is to keep a vigilant eye on the dashboard gauges! We have decided to keep both open which means we have rejected, in the meantime, advice given by some.

We replaced our manual bilge pump and rebuilt the new one in the process - it fell apart as we were in the process of installing it! We’ve found out loads more about the way our batteries function, how we need to set the up and what warning signs to watch for. We’ve honed our refurbishing and carpentry skills - as well as our contortionist qualities… Everything you do on a boat is in a tight space and we are getting more adept at fitting into awkward spaces to do tricky jobs. Roger has helped us often. When he has trouble getting into a tight space, he just removes his wooden leg. As he says, everything has a silver lining. C has extended her knowledge of French into the previously untried areas of boating, chandlery and hardware stores, and a drizzly afternoon saw both of us learning about knot-tying and splicing from our neighbour, Brian, who has spent about 30 years as a commercial fisherman on the North Sea.

We still haven’t properly adjusted to the French pattern of living. We get up too early, we do the usual chores and tasks, then find it is too late to go shopping as the shops are closed from midday till 2or 2:30pm. Then by the time you get the shopping done the day is shot, we are ready to eat, much earlier than most, or we are invited out for drinks and nibbles which is most enjoyable but not kind to the waistline. Much as we enjoy this part of marina life, it will be good to ‘get on the canal’ and develop better eating and drinking habits. We have patchy wifi access which is irritating at times but by and large we cope well enough with what is available… and it is free! We are happy, busy, making steady progress and beginning to get very itchy feet. We are prepared emotionally and in all those other important ways to venture forth onto the waterways. It won’t be long now.

Jeanette (with a bit of "help" from a friend)

Making ourselves at home: late April - early May

The more time we spend on our boat, the more we see of others (especially those for sale) and the more we talk to people, the happier we are with Erewhon. Like every boat, she has her good points and her not-so-good points. To begin with, it was the latter that were more evident but not that she is in the water and that we have had some time to look her over and organise her in our own way, we are starting to appreciate her good points more and more. Unlike so many other boats, she does actually provide what we wanted: room enough for two people to live on comfortably, extendable to accommodate another single or couple when needed, while staying a manageable size. She is, as we have been told more than once, a simple boat, which means that her problems should be relatively simple to fix and she has a lovely, quite spacious indoor / outdoor saloon and cockpit area for living, dining and entertaining. The laundry system, although a bit complex and time-consuming, is a miracle of efficiency and is saving us a fortune in Laundromat fees already - as well as providing a source of mirth and entertainment for the neighbours. The boat’s motor is quite new, beautiful, red and sounds sweet and she glides through the water beautifully when given the chance. So far, we have travelled only a few hundred metres from the side of the canal into the marina and there’s every chance we’ll be here for a while. We need to get definitive answers about the navigation licence (EVERYONE has a different take on it and NO-ONE seems to know who is in charge!) - and we may need to get a licence too. The boat needs a bilge pump that works, preferably a shower drainage pump that does too and a full service before we take to the waterways. With May being the month of public holidays (the 1st, the 8th and the 12th are all holidays), there are lots of short weeks - good for mechanics (like any workers) to make the most of annual leave days. We’re hoping that things will be done next week or the week after but you really never do know.

In the meantime, we are making ourselves at home on our boat, in the marina and in St-Jean-de-Losne. We’ve scrubbed Erewhon down and removed all the brown sticky tape marks with white spirits. We’ve been through everything (we think) on the boat and made decisions about whether and where to keep it (although some objects remain a mystery) and found all the possible stowage spaces. We even have a bit of spare room in some places - I wonder how long that can last. We are finding ways to create more storage space in some places as well, especially in the galley. We are starting to understand how some things work (or don‘t as the case may be) - the batteries, the bilge pump, the gas oven with no temperature markings, the gas barbecue, the trolley to haul supplies behind the bike… We have decided on a colour scheme for any future purchases and/or decorating and we’ve made a few purchases, including some towels and bed linen for guests (just in time as it turns out), a big (but not-too-big) saucepan that doubles as a casserole dish, some bowls to relace the amber Arcroc ones that J just can’t stand, a bike for Catherine (there was one on the boat that suits J okay for the moment), a new wooden boathook because the telescopic aluminium one is wobbly and unreliable, some painting supplies… We’ve even planted a herb garden and have the most miraculous crop of radishes… After just four days, fully grown radishes started appearing in bunches beside the garden… the neighbours are pulling our legs because we’ve let it be known that these are supposed to be particularly fast-growing radishes.

The people here (the boatyard staff, other boaties, the locals) are simply fantastic! Everyone is friendly and amazingly helpful. We’ve been invited all over for drinks, meals and a 60th birthday party, and we’ve already hosted three dinners for other boaties too, usually to repay some kindness or another. We’ll write more about specific characters at some stage but everyone is willing to share what they have - be it knowledge, skills, time or transport. We’ve had help fixing a doorframe and help taking the bilge pump apart (although putting in a new one proved too much to ask); we’ve been driven in to Castorama (a huge hardware store) and to Ikea, a wonderful cheap homeware store; we’ve had offers of the use of people’s cars anytime… We’ve learned that everyone has problems with their boat, whether they’ve paid 16,000 euros for it like John and Elaine or 250,000 pound sterling like an English couple we heard about… and every second-hand boat owner has tales about “the previous owner”. In other words, despite vast differences in the size, shape and cost of boats, everyone has a lot in common - and that seems to be what dominates the atmosphere. The approach to rubbish and recycling is another example - anything that people don’t want but that might be of use to others is left beside the recycling station for others to “take home” if they want. We’ve left the afore-mentioned amber glassware (a full dinner set!) and some other kitchen implements that were of no use to us and we’ve picked up a broom handle and some endives from a full box left there.

The boatyard staff, who were so distant to begin with, now greet us with smiles and handshakes (while still providing no firm answers about when work might get done) and our transactions in the town could not have been more pleasant - whether returning a bike to the supermarket because the pedal fell off (the new one was personally checked over by the store manager before I was allowed to take it away), getting information about phone card options for calling NZ (comparative info re cost of NZ calls searched and printed out) or buying 2 of each kind of sausage in a butcher shop (the 6 lots were packaged separately and the type written on each package). The Tourist Information Office in town runs a book swap service for boaties with a whole room full of books to choose from, most of them in English. I’m sure it helps that we are in the country and not in a big city… but if we have to be stuck anywhere for a while waiting to start navigating, this would seem to be as good a place as any. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the weather has been fabulous for most of the time we’ve been here. Here’s hoping it lasts…

Catherine

Testing the waters… April 24 - 25

Day 2 at Blanquart’s boatyard and , despite our best efforts, we had no idea when to expect anyone to turn up to put the boat in the water, so we tried to do what we could on the boat without necessarily trying to find a logical order… Had to juggle serious supermarket shopping (we needed to get supplies - including diesel - on board while we had the rental car), cleaning, object identification and sorting, clearing blocked drainage pipes, organising spaces, unpacking suitcases, sorting ropes ready for mooring, etc… When Guy did turn up to put us in the water, it was (surprise, surprise!) completely without warning. I was off the boat; J was on it (but allowed off before the boat went in the water). With lots of excitement and no small amount of trepidation, we watched as the men carefully put Erewhon in the water, checked everything and… carefully pull her out again because she was leaking! The water stopcocks had been closed before the winter with water in them and - as tends to happen in freezing climates - the water had frozen splitting the fittings…


Trying to find out what would happen next was trying in a very French fashion… We simply couldn’t tie anyone down to a definitive answer, spent a lot of time waiting around and being talked over or through. It didn’t help either that David Blanquart (the boss) was muttering about not having enough mechanics and it being a month before he could schedule someone to look at it. As it turned out, it was 2pm that day when the mechanic showed up (perhaps because we were occupying the company’s trailer and they needed to offload us; perhaps because they’d have done it that quickly anyway -we’ll never know). We left the mechanic working on it and did our big shop - groceries, diesel and some serious work clothes. When we got back just before 6pm, the job was half done but there was still a b…great hole in one side where the second stopcock should have been. We were supposed to be put in the water the next day but already we’ve become more accustomed to things happening in their own good time here - que sera sera. We’re getting closer though - we’d gone from being in the enclosed yard to a prime canal side position! Another night of using the marina toilet and shower facilities provided the opportunity for meeting other people, notably John and Elaine from Taupo.


Day 3 - Anzac Day - and we finally made it into the water and stayed there. After a morning of frustration at not being able to do anything useful ourselves (the mechanic was taking up all the useful space inside ad we didn’t think it would be fair to start washing down the boat while he as working on its under side), Erewhon was gently placed into the Canal de Bourgogne just after 1pm - and this time nothing leaked. What’s more, the motor started first time and sounded sweet, even though we didn’t go anywhere. Just testing! She looks and feels much better in the water than out - but then you might expect that of a boat.


The timing was great too as it then gave us comfortable time to return the rental car to Hertz in Dijon and come back to St Jean by train. That had its fun French moments - the rental car offices are at the railway station and there are major upgrades and road works happening there. The signage provided some assistance at times but let us down completely when it came to finding the entrance to the car park… I’m not sure yet how we were supposed to recognise the entrance when it had a one-way arrow pointing outwards and a barrier arm. And who would have guessed that in this country, where you drive on the right-hand side of the road, the only way to open the barrier was to drive over a sensor plate on the left side of the road in? Some free entertainment for the locals and some choice language (not French) from me as we tried to sort that one out!


Back in St Jean and we already had our first social engagement - a barbecue dinner aboard John and Elaine’s boat, Whare Waka, which is like a wheelless caravan perched on twin pontoons… very different to anything else here but with a real charm of its own. At this stage it was still on the hard by the Canal, where they’ve been living for over a month - quite miserably to begin with it seems, because the early April weather was bitterly cold. We took a couple of salads and a bottle of cheap red (3 euros 50 and very drinkable!) and had a gorgeous evening… feeling much better than we did one Day 1!

Catherine

23 April: Boat Day

The drive to St Jean de Losne was relatively easy: well signposted and flat. The day was grey but the fields of rape were in full flower lending an impression of brightness in the absence of sunshine. We arrived at St Jean mid-morning, found Blanquart’s without too much difficulty (there is only one marina and the village isn’t exactly enormous). It would be fair to say that our first encounters with both Blanquart’s and the boat were not exactly auspicious: although we were obviously expected, our reception was somewhat cool but we were shown to the boat, which was on a trailer in the yard, and we were lent a ladder to be able to get up to it… There was a vague indication that we should sort it out and would be put into the water later in the day.

The boat had not been well wrapped up for the winter - the tarps were too small and they had flapped and pulled the eyelets out. Underneath, flimsy clear plastic sheeting had been taped over the windows with carton closure tape, which, when removed, either left a sticky brown residue or took great hunks of paint off with it - not a great look. There was a lot of green-black gunk around the outside of the boat - possibly a normal result of the wintering process but adding to generally dismal air…

Inside, there was an overwhelming smell of damp, lots of dark varnished wood , especially in the two cabins, and the veneer lifting in places. The lino is my “favourite” shade of brown as well - practical yes but not my idea of attractive! The toilets are 20 years old and the plastic has cracked, and some water had been leaking into one of the toilets leaving nasty looking brown stains. The bathroom décor is also 20 years old - I guess you’d expect that in a 20 year old boat… There was also lots of the previous owner‘s “stuff” on board, some of which will no doubt be very useful and some of which is just stuff to take up room and get in the way. Unfortunately, we didn’t yet have any idea which was which, so dared not throw anything away and that, in turn, meant that it was hard to find places for our things.

This was our lowest point and we did discuss whether to go ahead with the deal or not. It didn’t help that neither of us felt particularly well - I had a pounding headache and J had a stomach upset - and neither did the rain do anything to enhance the attraction of the boat at that point. We decided, though, that apart from the careless wintering of the boat, Erewhon did meet the description given (i.e. a 20 year old ex-hire boat that was getting a bit tired but had a new motor) and we were better to go ahead than to lose our 10% deposit. We found an internet connection and sent a message to our lawyer to confirm the sale and authorise payment - no going back now!

The first attempt to put the boat in the water should have happened that afternoon (we were on the boatyard’s trailer and ready to go) but the batteries were completely flat. Guy - the boatyard man in charge of the process - decided to leave us on the hard for the night connected to a battery charger. We started to try and make ourselves more comfortable by making up the bed - J’s fabulous Pacific-style bedspread provided an oasis of beauty amidst the gloomy brown - and by making dinner. We had our own tablecloth to cheer up the dining space and the sun came out as we were eating dinner, which made things seem suddenly at least a little brighter.

J had a good night’s sleep, while I had a disturbed night wondering whether we’d done the right thing or whether we’d bought a monster but eventually managed to convince myself that if we gave the boat the TLC it so obviously needs, it will probably look after us as well. I guess only time will tell about that…

Catherine

PS Not surprisingly, perhaps, there are no photos to capture these moments.

Denmark to St Jean de Losne: April 14 - 23

The second week in Denmark saw us putting in to practice the road rules we had tried to become familiar with when riding bicycles around the area. We borrowed Bjarne’s car and drove to Ribe which is the oldest town in Denmark.(This gave Bjarne a welcome day off which I am sure he appreciated!) Ribe is an absolutely charming place with narrow cobble stoned streets and very old houses. The church has a tall tower and we paid for the privilege of climbing ever steepening stairs to the top where there was a fantastic view. After looking around the town and having lunch we drove back and were pleased with the driving effort, always a concern when it is so different from what we are used to.

The next couple of days were spent doing emails, bike riding into Logumkloster, washing and visiting the very large 800 year old church in Logumkloster. An organ lesson was taking place which added to the majesty of the visit. Heidi finished school midday Thursday and we headed north straight after lunch for the summerhouse. The roads are fantastic and one can maintain a steady speed (max 120kmh) for hours. Picked the key up from Laila, Bjarne’s sister and drove to the summerhouse. We would call it a bach. However it has features that most of our baches do not have… the winters are very cold so there is under floor heating in the bathroom. There was a shower and a spa bath, tv, dishwasher ride-on mower and other lovely things. We had a walk along the beach which is a little like Papamoa beach to look at but much cooler, then had a very special dinner at Laila’s.

Our three full days at the very north of Denmark were full and interesting. We went to Albaek Harbour which is an important fishing harbour that has been man made. We went to the very tip of Denmark where the two seas ‘collide’…. reminded us of Cape Reinga. Went to a fabulous museum with wonderful artwork done by painters we had never heard of. Subjects featured included sea scenes and everyday life of the hard working locals. We drove past the highest point in Denmark, 173m ( we were 250m above sea level when we were at the top of the Storebelt bridge!) Friday night we had another fabulous dinner at Bjarne’s nephew’s and Saturday lunch we went to a very popular fish restaurant and had the opportunity to try many new fish dishes. On the way back to the summerhouse we drove through a lovely woodland area which was Bjarne’s back yard when he was growing up. On Sunday we called in to see Bjarne’s daughter and son in law in Arhus on our way back to Ellum.. They are expecting their first child very soon.

Monday was washing clothes, trying to force our belongings back into the suitcases, being driven over the border again into Germany to catch a train to Hamburg, then the night train to Paris, then another train to Dijon. The night train compartment was tiny, quite well planned and gave a welcome chance to stretch out even though a sound sleep wasn’t achieved. Catherine had the top bunk. We had our own hand basin and there was a toilet and shower just down the corridor. Breakfast was included, we didn’t know that, and it was generous and enjoyable.

Checked in at the hotel and had a great lunch at a nearby, very busy, café. We had a bit of a look around Dijon, including the mustard museum, and thought it a particularly lovely city. Later, Christian the lovely insurance man picked us up from our hotel, took us to his office, sorted out the boat insurance details, let us ring the boatyard about Erewhon, let us check our email on his computer, took us to a supermarket to get some supplies, then delivered us back to the hotel. The best service I have ever heard of! We have since met Francois from Perth (born in Mauritius, been to several school in the world including St Pat’s town) who also has been very well looked after by Christian. This has been very typical of the extra mile people have gone to, to help us. After a good sleep at the Hotel Ibis, 200m from the railway station, we picked up a rental car in Dijon and drove to St Jean de Losne.

Jeanette

Week 1 continued...

We spent our first few days in Denmark in and around Ellum, where Bjarne lives with his partner, Heidi, and Heidi's 17 year old daughter, Ninna. Ellum is tiny - a village of around 100 people and is in the country about 20km north of the German border. Their gorgeous house has been lovingly restored (much of it by Bjarne himself) over the past 30 or so years and is set in a beautiful garden, complete with its own lake and with resident chickens. I met Bjarne in 1999, when he came to NZ as part of a study tour for Danish principals. He stayed with me for about 10 days then and we've been in intermittant contact ever since. It was remarkably easy to pick up again after all these years and we have felt incredibly comfortable and relaxed within no time... Mind you, with wonderful (and plentiful!) food and wine, and a common interest in education, the signs were good from the start.

With Bjarne as our guide, we discovered the nearby towns of Logumkloster, Tonder and Mogultonder as well as the lowland area behind the dykes nearby. We also visited the Ecco factory shop in Brederbro but Heidi was our guide on that occasion. We found what we were looking for - a pair of sandals to replace J's aging ones.

Thursday was the highlight of the first week, however, with a visit to Copenhagen - Little Mermaid, walk along the port, changing the guards at the royal palace, (Tivoli closed) walk around the old centre... all very lovely. The wide streets, easy atmosphere and beautiful situation on the water would tempt us back for a longer visit but that will be for another time. The very best bit of the day, however, was on the way 'home' to Ellum. (You adopt homes very quickly when you don't have one of your own any more.) Having mentioned to Bjarne before we arrived that we were both interested in bridges, he had managed to arrange a very special visit to the Storebaeltsbroen (Google it for more info), the second longest suspension bridge in the world. (For those interested, the longest is in Japan).

We were met by Peter Thyssen, the chief supervisor of the bridge from the start of its construction in the 1980s until now - a man who knows all there is to know about it and who obviously enjoyed sharing 'his' bridge with us. We parked on the bridge, took the lift to the top of one of the pylons (250m in four and a half minutes) . The view from the top was, as you might expected, breathtaking. You couldn't quite see forever as the day was sunny but hazy. It was also almost perfectly still, which was a blessing because it could be very exposed and windy up there!!! We decided when we were up that we were quite possibly on Denmark's highest point and were able to confirm that later as Denmark's highest hill is around 173m high. As well as going up the pylon, we visited an island that supports one of the other pylons - the bridge company looks after the environment and the heritage of the island, which is home to a lighthouse and a former prison for women, as well as many birds, frogs and other wetland creatures. All in all, we spent a most enjoyable couple of hours in Peter's company and still can't believe how lucky we were to be able to visit the bridge in this way!

Friday and Saturday were spent looking around the local area again... both by car and by bike. We are both rediscovering the joys (and the pain) of cycling again after many years' break (at least 30 years in J's case). We thought it a good idea to get in training for France but bottoms need to be broken in... We will be looking for bikes with comfortable seats!!!

Catherine