Our Barge
We had a busy end to the week. The following things happened:
1. We arrived in St Jean de Losne and started a whirlwind examination of barges. We were looking there (at a company called H2O) and also at barges from Migennes (240km away) plus a few other locations. Each night, we would make the fairly demanding 70minute drive back to La Bussiere sur Ouche where we have been staying with Jo in her beautiful house. The exciting news is that we made an offer for a 107 year old Dutch barge ("Anja") on Friday and it was accepted. We signed a contract a few hours later. A picture is attached and you can find out more at the following web address:
http://www.h2ofrance.com/bateaux/gb/bateau_1002.html
2. We were notified by Exetel that the Pittwater Parish web site had been "hacked" and shut down. Just what we needed to hear when in a really remote area of the French rural countryside! Fixing this took a lot of work and was also hampered by the fact that our hated Microsoft Windows on the laptop crashed very badly. We now have Linux installed as well and this is much better for that sort of stuff.
3. We heard from our friend Tim that there were overheating problems with Pastime's engine and the outboard would also no longer run. Tim is looking after her in our absence.
4. The Gizo website which we also run crashed (for the first time in several years) with a database fault.
Arghh!!!! Everything happening at once!
Well, the good news is that everything is now fixed and back under control. We have also been able to help Jo with some gardening/mowing, go for a bike ride and a couple of walks. We seem to have accumulated an alarming number of empty wine bottles over the past few days and they seem to have emptied during hours of late night chatting.
We went to Mass in a local Chapel which dates from 1130 and is part of the local Cistercian Monastery that was continuously used for 660 years until the French Revolution and this Mass was the first one celebrated for years. Jo had spotted people there when she was driving past on her way to Switzerland. They were doing a massive "Spring Clean" using water blasters, spades and furniture polish.
It was COLD and there was no electricity, no lights etc. There was beautiful singing. At the end of Mass, the two altar boys went sprinting all the way down the aisle to the bell ropes (which hang right in the middle) and tried to ring the bells. They were just not strong or big enough and needed two hefty guys to get the bells going. All fantastic.
Well, now we are organising lift out, boat survey, our next accommodationn, buying supplies etc.
Best Regards,
Dave & Penny
Herman: What a beauty. Amazing that all those facilities shown on the H20 site are in that barge. Well, it is Dutch built of course, haha. Enjoy! (05/05/10)