Life’s Little Locks

September 26, 2018September 25, 2018 | Mairead

France 2018 4 of 16

(Here’s Ronan coiling rope)

So, yesterday we had just arrived at the first lock. Locks are like steps for getting up-stream or down-stream on a canal. Or maybe they’re more like a lift because you have to wait until the gate opens, get in, close the gate and then wait while the lift (water) rises or lowers at your floor. (With locks there’s only one floor.) Then you wait for the gate to open on the other side and you move forward on your journey. I might be making this more complicate than it needs to be but I like it.

I’ll use pictures to explain the steps we took, but all the rope coiling was in preparation for this moment of reaching the lock. Here goes…

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1. So here was are approaching the first lock. Valerie is out front ready with a rope. Can you see the white car on the left hand side? That’s the lock-keeper’s transport, sometimes they have mopeds or even bicycles. They are employed by the canal system to drive up and down opening and closing the locks (like a lift attendant.) The locks are open from 7am to 7pm. This lock-keeper is probably working for the summer on the canal, can you see her standing between her car and the water? She has already opened the gate for us to sail in. By the way, the house on the left is no longer in use but in the past when canals were used for the transport of logs and other goods to Paris there was a lock-keeper and his family living in these houses beside each lock.

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2. Here we are inside the lock and there’s Laura closing one side of the gate behind us. The lock-keeper has closed the other. Notice the level of the water. Notice how much higher we are than the bank.

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3. In this one Laura has jumped back on the boat. This is important, if you ever find yourself going downstream on a boat in a lock and you’ve got off to help with the gates, jump back on the boat quickly. Because the boat is about to be well below the level of the bank and you might have a long jump! Notice the level of the water in this picture and the position of the bank. Also notice the gate in front of us is still closed.

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4. This is the gate behind us again, notice the level of the water now. Lift going down.

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5. Sorry about the quality of this photo but it tells a story so I’m ignoring it’s imperfections… That’s the gate we will be going through. You can see the level of the water in the lock has dropped, that brown mark on the gates and on both walls shows the level when we arrived. There’s the lock-keeper on the left and Stuart on the right. They are waiting for the level of the water inside the lock to go down to the level of the water on the far side of the gate. Valerie and Laura are chatting. Everyone (including Ronan who’s not in the picture) looks relaxed but they are actually wide awake and ready for what needs to be done next.

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6. Here’s what’s happening with the ropes from earlier. Ronan is holding one end of this rope at the back of the boat. You saw Valerie at the front chatting with Laura – she’s holding another rope. Both ropes are attached to mooring bollards on the bank. When we got into the lock their job was to lasso a mooring bollard with the rope. Then as the water level slowly went down to stay awake and ease out the tension on the rope.

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7. And the gate is open. The ropes are rolled up into coils again. Stuart is signalling back to Ronan who is manoeuvring the boat through the lock and the gate. Notice the height of the bank now.

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8. Here’s the lock-keeper going back to her car. She then drove on to the next lock…

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9. And there she is on the right this time with Stuart on the left. By the way, we were going downstream. The boat in the distance under the bridge in this picture was going upstream, so they will enter this lock as we exit and the lock keeper will close those gates that she and Stuart have just opened. Then she will slowly open the opposite gates to let the water fill the lock. Lift going up. Their boat will rise up until the level of the water in the lock is at the same level as the canal on the upstream side and the lock-keeper will open the gates and the boat will sail on upstream.

It was time for me to get off with my bicycle. In an hour we had travelled nearly 5Km and now I was going to cycle back to the motorhome along the tow-path. It was a glorious day, not too hot and the tow-path is level all the way. Laura came back with me, to make sure I didn’t get lost! On the boat every moment counts, the world slows down, 5km takes ages. No wonder there’s time to chat and to spot birds and to notice how life works in a different country and to stay awake to what needs to be done. Ronan says, there’s a surprise around every corner and there is. The difference is when you’re travelling like this you see all the surprises. Don’t miss the surprises…

Thank you to Valerie and Stuart and to Laura and Ronan, for the experience, the kindness, the insights and the surprises, Mairead.

Our New Boat!

September 25, 2018September 24, 2018 | Mairead

France 2018 13 of 16

(I can drive* a boat! (*Might not be the technical term))

Surprise! We found a new method of travel! A house boat! A bit of a story… Sunday was a wet day in France, we left the beautiful green fields, trees and cows and went in search of our next aire. The first one we tried was full and the second was not for overnighting, we moved on. The wind was rising when we arrived in the village and drove towards the tourist office beside the canal. There was a space and we could stay overnight. We both got out to find the perfect spot and that was when I spotted the Irish flag.

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(There’s Valerie and Stuart and their boat, talking to Denis. Can you see the scary plank? and the Irish flag?)

It was attached to our new house boat! Well, when I say our house boat, I mean Valerie and Stuart’s house boat but we’re all friends now. Our new friends spend their time between their boat in France, winter warmth in Spain and home in Ireland. And they are very generous people, not only did they invite us onboard (very first time on a canal boat!) for a coffee but they already had their friends Laura and Ronan from… you’ll never guess! From Greystones (yes!) visiting for the week. No, we didn’t know Laura and Ronan or even recognise them from the supermarket, we will in the future.

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(Bye, Denis!)

I should really have written down all the terminology before waving goodbye to our new friends, I didn’t, you’ll have to forgive my mistakes… Getting onto the boat for the coffee turned out not to be as simple as you might think. Or at least I didn’t make it look simple. Imagine if you will a very narrow (slight exaggeration..) metal plank one end on the land and the other at a slight incline up to the level of the vessel. Then imagine me, arms outstretched like a tightrope walker taking teeny tiny steps. My method was very successful though because each of the sailors (what I will be calling the boat people) seeing me approach in this manner shot out a steadying hand. Perfect really, because my main concern was falling into the water and drowning, much more difficult to do while holding tight to someone who knows how to swim. (I learned later swimming wasn’t entirely necessary and I am prepared to share a tip with you, in case you have occasion to fall into this canal – stand up it’s not that deep.)

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(Look, they have flowers!)

I made it onto the boat and we had a lovely coffee and a little look around and compare and contrast houseboat -ing and motorhome -ing. They have two en-suite bedrooms, a kitchen dining room, two fridges, two steering wheels (probably not called that) one inside and one outside, a deck with table and chairs under awning (that’s called something else too) and a little path all around for the rope work (more on that later.) So, we have half the bedrooms, bathrooms, fridges and steering wheels. We have no ropes except for the clothes line. Speaking of the clothes line… they have luxury of luxuries, a washing machine! They also have air-conditioning which is pretty amazing but cannot top the washing machine… I’ll say no more about the washing machine. They probably have a clothes line too but I didn’t see it.

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(Here’s one of the pages in the map. The numbers, PK 34 etc. refer to a distance of one kilometre)

I was having a little day-dream about washing machines (yes I’m sorry for mentioning it again) when Valerie showed us the book of maps they use to navigate the canals of Europe, each page covers probably 20km. I love maps, always have so when I saw this map I was intrigued. It covered such a small area, with so much detail. I don’t know if I mentioned it previously but generally I’m not very focussed, I quite like to flit from one thing to another. Lately I realise if I’m to get my wish about completing things I will need to focus. I wondered if travelling with a canal map might tend to focus my mind. So when Valerie offered an experience of this way of travelling, I nearly took her hand off. Denis of course would have to work but I was definitely coming along!

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(Do I need to duck?)

So at 9am this morning I was all set with my rucksack and my bike asking permission to come aboard! The bike? I tell you in a minute. I did the whole tightrope walking again and took one last picture of Denis onshore and we were off. At this point I didn’t realise there were two steering wheels so I was a bit surprised to notice everyone was outside and I was the only one at the wheel. Laura guided me out to a very sturdy looking handle that ran all along the side of the boat and I held on tight all the way up to the deck where I arrived at the other steering wheel. Already, Ronan and Valerie were coiling ropes and Stuart was steering. So I sat down and I was floating (not technically, as they have a diesel engine but it goes at a floating pace) down the river… Laura pointed out vineyards and caves in the hills and recommended a very good museum, Stewart pointed out the walnut trees and the lady picking windfalls from yesterday’s storm, Valerie knew the names of the birds paddling in the distance. It was so peaceful.

Then we came to the first lock. Locks are really interesting. I think I could write a whole post about locks…

I’ll have to tell you about the bike tomorrow, Mairead.

Making Hay When the Sun Shines…

September 22, 2018September 21, 2018 | Mairead

(Wildflowers… or maybe you can’t call them wild when they are purposefully planted?)

It’s lashing rain with grey clouds today which makes me so glad I took yesterday off to enjoy a beautiful day in a beautiful place. We have moved from the pretty town surrounded by the Champagne vineyards to a aire in the countryside. It is bright green underfoot and overhead and the only sounds (besides other motorhome people) are birds.

(Look at those healthy nettles!)

I didn’t take yesterday off completely – I washed the windows! I was delighted with my work until wasps started visiting us, I suppose we did smell good. Luckily I bring night lights and citronella essence on every trip so I lit the candles and put a few drops into the melted wax. The wasps left. So I can definitely recommend it.

(Can you see the cow?)

This aire is very like one we visited in the Netherlands last year, in that it has everything we might need and is very well maintained and beautifully kept. There’s a toilet and shower, electricity and water – in and out, rubbish and recycle bins, a communal seating area under cover, where I’m now sitting writing, a washing machine and a dryer. It is privately owned and monsieur comes around in the evening to collect €7.00 for parking and €2.50 for electricity (use of the washing machine and dryer cost extra.)

(The church, the covered market and the mayor’s house in town)

The town is 1km away along a grassy path. Where there’s a Boulanger, two cafes, a hairdressers (I am building the courage to have my hair cut at a french hairdressers… communication is very important but never more so than when a misunderstanding can mean too much of your hair has landed on the floor…) an old church, a covered market (open on Wednesdays) a tourist office and the mayor’s house. On the other side of town a further 1km there’s a supermarket with car wash which we definitely need as we were very good about not washing the van during the hose pipe ban but that has ensured we are possibly the grubbiest van in France. Maybe the rain will help.

(The path to town)

There’s a stream running through the aire and the owners have planted small groves of wildflowers on the banks between the trees while nature has planted a grove of nettles. You know in someone else’s garden nettles are very appealing. They look like they are bursting with green health and you just can’t ignore them… because of the whole stinging issue. You have to be hyper aware near nettles – not a bad complaint. Plus, they make great tea… if you can pick them. Anyway, I was contemplating the nettles when I noticed something moving on the other side of the stream, a huge (really, huge!) cow, rusty-red coloured with enormous horns (really, enormous!) and long hair. Yes, he (or she) had long hair. I took a photo but was too far away to get a clear picture. Maybe there’ll be an opportunity for a better shot when the rain stops this afternoon.

From our green and wet field in France, Mairead.

A Little Walking Tour

September 20, 2018September 19, 2018 | Mairead

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(There are little route markers on the ground marking the way)

We’re still here in the car park of the pretty town and today after coffee I went to visit the tourist office. We had seen signs describing different buildings as we walked to and from the van and I wondered if there might be a walking tour booklet. There was… two in fact. I choose the Between Vineyards and Orchards Route and set off with my camera.

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(Here’s the house where Napoleon slept on the 9th of February 1814)

That’s when I realised we were staying in a very prestigious area. Napoleon himself stayed just across the square from our parking spot, if I lean out the front driver’s window I can see the front door. It was a long time ago but as they say, if it’s good enough for Napoleon… The tour then took me up a hill and outside the town and into some Champagne vineyards with lovely views.

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(View from the vineyards)

I was completely on my own up there with just some small animal rustling coming from a forest of trees beside the path. I’d like to think squirrels. In case it was something less sweet I kept walking and came to the orchard section of the route. These were small apple groves behind fences. One of the trees had a ladder leaning against it, I suppose it’s harvest time but there was no one about.

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(This healthy looking plant is making Champagne juice!)

Then the route took me back into town via a narrow passageway between two houses leading to a lane with a tiny canal that had been built in the Middle Ages to divert water from the river Le Grand Morin that flows outside the town, in order to power flour mills. Canal is probably the wrong word for it, it is probably only two foot wide where I saw it but I checked out Google Maps and it was long, well, long to have been dug out by hand (probably.)

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(The friendly lady and the Comte’s house)

By now it was close to noon and getting hot so I found some shade. I was waiting trying to cool down when a friendly lady passing asked me if I was looking for something. In French. I explained (in French) that I was doing a great tour of the town and she pointed out that the house I was standing in front of was the birthplace of the Comte de Orleans. So I took a picture of the house with the friendly lady standing in front of it to mark the occasion when I had an interesting conversation in French!

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(The vineyards stretch into the next village)

No, unfortunately I do not know who the Comte of Orleans is, he wasn’t mentioned in my guide but that’s not the important bit…

Adieu, Mairead.

On a Schedule

September 19, 2018September 18, 2018 | Mairead

(There’s an area for campers on the left of this car park, we’re on the extreme left)

We’ve moved on again, just an hour south to a pretty little town. The aire is in the market square and if we’re still here on Friday night we may turn into traders because the whole place becomes a market on Saturday morning. Which would be a nice thing to see… so long as we’re not accidentally parked in the middle of it! I suppose we could sell tea and coffee? And I have been making cards… although I might need more than eight… unless they’re not popular… ok stop, we’ll be gone by Friday.

(The church bell chimes every hour)

We’ve got into a bit of a routine this week which is very pleasant. Sometimes when I’m stuck in a rut I dream about having no routine at all but it turns out not to be as attractive as I thought. For the first week before I found one I was sleepy all the time and that’s no fun. Now I set the alarm for 7am, hop out of bed to turn it off (it’s on the table overnight so I am not tempted to turn it off and turn over for another snooze – I have been there…) get dressed and start my meditation.

(It might be autumn…)

Twenty minutes later (well, twenty if I’m very good, ten if I good-ish) it’s time for breakfast. As always I’ve brought two bags of Flahavans porridge from home and that’s what I have every morning with nuts and seeds. By that time it’s almost 8am and Denis is up so we lock all the cupboards, turn off the gas, roll in the step and drive off. Within the hour we are parking up for the day. There’s room then in the schedule to find a café and have a real French coffee or we make an Irish/ French one. After coffee I’m off to find pictures and Denis is off to work.

(Love French shutters)

There’s time for me to get some work done before it’s lunchtime, which we usually make ourselves. By 2pm it’s back to work for Denis and I start the blog. When that’s done it’s on to crafting. I’ve brought just enough supplies to keep me satisfied but not enough to confuse me. What I mean by that is if I have so many supplies I can’t decide which one to do I’ll hop from one to the other, not quite finishing anything. Lately I’m very interested in finishing.

(My ceramic white buttons are a work in progress, next step gluing on clasps)

So I’m concentrating on card-making (small enough to fit on a lap tray) and mixed media journaling (messy enough to get me out of my head) and pin-on ceramic buttons (to sell for a charity project.) After an hour I’m ready for reading and planning work projects which brings us up to dinnertime. Dinner’s usually around 7pm.

Right, it’s 3.30pm, time for crafts! Mairead.

The beautiful animal park in Cléres

September 16, 2018September 15, 2018 | Mairead

(The pink Flamingos and some random ducks)

I mentioned yesterday that there is a zoo here in Cléres and today we went on a visit. As it’s France, of course this would not be an ordinary zoo, this is a beautiful compact bird and animal park in the grounds of a château with it’s own Gothic castle and the remains of a medieval keep. And one more thing to thank France for – there was no entry charge today! Don’t know why. The zoo was set up over 100 years ago by Monsieur Jean Delacour. Seemingly he was a famous ornithologist (had to look it up: interested in birds) who worked for zoos around Europe and the US. His family was rich so… he got a château and started taking care of birds and animals.

(Even without the animals this is a beautiful park)

The majority of the birds and animals run (or waddle or bounce) free in the unfenced paddocks and seem unafraid of the humans who are very well-behaved walking along the paths and staying off the grass. Well they were mostly unafraid but I got in the way of three young antelopes, called black bucks, who were trying to cross a bridge and they looked very worried. I stayed very still and eventually they bounced off on their way. It really looked like they bounced, you know like when sheep jump over fences in cartoons?

(I have no idea what this guy is called, but he was munching away at bugs on his tree trunk when I took this. He’s about the size of a hamster with a long tail)

My favourite animal was the Red Panda, which looks like a cross between a fox and a teddy bear. Like the black and white Panda the red one has an extra bone in it’s wrist that helps it grab bamboo shoots making it adorable… A close second favourite was the Emu, his feathers look like hair with a parting running down the center of his back while his feet are very prehistoric looking.

(Here’s the Red Panda, can you see how he holds the bamboo branch? Awww!)

Up at the château there’s a pretty garden filled with flowers that I love. As I was taking picture after picture of blooms, one nicer than the next a butterfly caught my eye. He was perched on a big flower head and didn’t notice me walk round and round getting shots of him. I must have been there for 10 minutes and he was still there when we left.

(This is a terrible shot but I wanted you to see how strange it looks… it’s part of the Emu’s foot – two of his three toes to be precise. His entire foot is about the size of my hand)

I’ll send you the flower and butterfly pictures tomorrow, Mairead.

A Leisure Battery for Time…

September 15, 2018September 14, 2018 | Mairead

(Brighter in the afternoon at Veulette sur Mer)

The rain went away yesterday afternoon and the sun came out but when we woke up this morning we were freezing (not actually freezing…) it was 7 degrees outside. Time to rethink northern France. So we’re on our way south. We’ve never been down the eastern side of France so we thought we’d give that a go and head in the general direction of Nancy.

(Old church in Cléres)

We didn’t get very far, about an hour of travel and we are in the pretty little town of Cléres. You never know what you’re going to get when you pick an aire and today is a big surprise. It’s about an hour’s drive from Veulettes sur Mer. As it’s on the outskirts we didn’t see the town before we parked but I went for a walk while Denis went to work and it’s gorgeous. Another vibrant town with lots of little shops, a small supermarket, an old church, a train station and even a zoo! I’ll have a look at that tomorrow. There’s a stream running the length of the main street (not on the street…) and each little footbridge is covered in foliage and flowers.

(Conkers were falling off the tree in the churchyard)

The aire itself is free and you buy tokens (called jetons in France) for water and electricity at the little supermarket. We don’t need either at the moment because we loaded water on route yesterday and the solar panels are topping up in the sun as I write providing us with enough power for the day. I didn’t realise I would be so excited about the solar energy but I am constantly checking how much electricity we are making. I have discovered that the sun doesn’t have to be shining directly on the panels to make solar power, light makes power. Also, we have a battery (called a leisure battery) to store the power generated because the solar panels generate the power but they don’t save it and if you don’t use in that moment it’s gone! It’s a bit like time really… maybe we need a Time battery?

(The old covered market in Cléres)

So, a Time Battery would store up all the minutes in the day when we’re not using them the way we want to. Like when we’re having anxious thoughts or we’re complaining or we’re making a mountain out of a molehill or we’re irritated by someone or we’re in a mood. The Time Battery would automatically power up and grab all the wasted minutes for when we remember how we really want to spend time. For those who mostly used time the way they wanted to, enjoying nature, smiling at children, being wonderful (!) they could get a little pocket Time Battery. But there would also be a roll-along-suitcase sized Time Battery…

…for the rest of us and our anxious thoughts. Mairead.