Sunny and warm. Glad of the coal fire overnight. Mike sent a text to the neighbours asking if they still wanted a new controller for their solar panels and asked if they were coming to Poland with us in 2012. The reply came back, yes to the first and probably not to the second. Jeff from Montchanin had rung to say there was space at his place, Nick said he’d already paid to moor in Nevers and we could have the place if we weren’t already fixed up. Mike told him we were going to Roanne. Next he phoned Majorie (in Belgium) to tell her there would be two narrowboats on the trolley as Snail would like to do some painting too. Then he texted the Snails to say we were OK for dry docking next year. Olly phoned him back, they were stuck at Charleville-Mézièrs waiting for a stoppage to finish on the Meuse lock. After lunch we went shopping at Leclerc in Paray. Drove the fast route on the N79 except there was a set of traffic lights just as it becomes dual carriageway for one way traffic as there was some work being done on a bridge. The queue of lorries coming the opposite way was something we’d not seen since border queues from Poland to East Germany. Then when we arrived in Paray there were gendarmes everywhere on the turnoff into the centre of town – the direction we needed for the centre commercial – and no one was permitted into town. Back round the island and a long a road running parallel to the N79, then crossed it and came back parallel to the N79 on the town side and found the Leclerc. Nice new modern store and their prices were not too bad. Traffic was well snarled up when we left the hyper. Found an agricultural suppliers and Mike got a new spark plug for our Honda gennie, 5,02€. Still no access permitted by the gendarmes out of town on to the N79 or off the N70 into town and we found out why when a group of men at an island handed Mike a leaflet – it was a day of protest by various unions about the French Government’s plans to raise the retirement age. (Now we known why the overnight parts delivery wouldn’t arrive until Wednesday due to postal workers having a day off to wave flags) We had to go back towards the centre of town, crossed the canal and turned right to take the old road through the centre of Digoin back to the boat. Home around 5.30 p.m. Mike did emails. He’d had one from John to say they were at Melay and would be in Roanne at the beginning of next week. Paul had also sent an email to say he was back in the UK after leaving Liberty in St-Jean-de-Losne next to some Brits who live on their boat and will keep an eye on it for him. He said he’d had fun modifying his loo and had a mishap with his gennie which sounded expensive, maybe a broken piston ring according to Ron! Mike thought not, broken piston rings are generally quiet, it’s more likely his starter motor.
No comments:
Post a Comment