A week of dreary weather with some frosts, drizzle and wind saw the car dashboard lights go on the blink - or off it actually. The fault was a light in the boot shorting the fuse it shared with the dashboard. Annoying but not a safety hazard and soon fixed.

We actually went for our first cruise in something over three months on the Monday. Admittedly it was only to St Jean for 300 litres of white fuel to balance the 300 of red we had accepted the week before but it felt great to be on the water and underway again. Getting clear of the mooring lines, the phone connection and the power cable was easier than expected and we were soon on the river. It did not take long to get out of the ecluse and down to the fuel barge and even less to soak up 300 litres of fuel. We dawdled on the way back to enjoy the experience.

With the Reeds expected soon we had a few little jobs to be done like putting foam on a couple of low points in the boat to ensure we avoided damaging anyone=s heads and these jobs were quickly done. It took somewhat longer to try to clear problems on our neighbour=s PC which had been a gift to them from a relative but which has an unusual hotch potch of programs and operating systems loaded. I spent some hours firstly understanding and then cleaning a lot of dead software away to try to get it to run. It seemed successful at the time but apparently has relapsed since.

Some three days before the Reed=s arrival, Maureen found herself in agony with kidney problems. She endured a night of pain and most of the next day until her appointment with the doctor who immediately proscribed a series of tests and a lot of pills. A couple of days late and the test results showed a probably passing of kidney stone/s followed by a slight infection. Within a week the anti-biotics had done their work and the first mate was on deck for the arrival.

Monday this week saw the arrival of David and Judith Reed with their daughter Jennifer an excited addition. The SNCF was running true to recent form in that the TGV (fast train) was an hour late into Dijon. After a day on trains from London however they all arrived were bundled into the Renault and driven back to Van Nelle and dinner of Boeuf Bourguignonne. The evening was a relatively early one and the next am they were all up early for the tour of St Jean, Aisery and St Symphorien by car. We dined at L’Amiral that night and prepared for the departure on Wednesday for Chalon, some 60km to the south.

The river was running at about 4-5km in our outward direction so Van Nelle made about 15km per hour on about half throttle. We left St Jean at a bit after 9.00am and arrived at our mooring in Chalon by 2.00pm. Both David and Jenny had turns at the wheel which was a big thrill for a girl who had never steered a boat of any kind before. After a quick look around the town we prepared for a night out at La Gourmand restaurant, a favourite in Chalon’s street of restaurants.

The next day gave everyone a chance for some power shopping at Carrefour ( a giant supermarket) plus the boutiques of the old city area. David found a lovely gold scale and Judith bravely fought off the urge for a six pack of decorative plates. We had a very late night that night with noise extending till about 3.00am. The next morning was very sedate with Jenny not rising till the afternoon. The museum and the imposing church near the Mairie were the focus of the day’s adventures and some serious cooking followed for a pasta night on board. Fresh mussels, prawns and pasta were expertly mixed by the three lady chefs and we rounded off the meal with fine wines and cheeses of the region.

Friday was the day for our return to St Jean, now against the current. I had expected the trip back to take some 6 hours but with the throttle fully open, Van Nelle pushed back against the stream in just over 5. We were back in time for the preparation of another on board meal (barbecued chops) and the next day headed off to Beaune for the markets, lunch and the Hotel Dieu. Following the sights of the town we wound our way back via the wine areas of Nuits St George and Vosne Romanee, the (unhappily closed) Clos de Vogeot and the Cistercian Monastery where several items were purchased at the re-opened shop of the monks. Dinner that night was another excellent meal at the Auberge du Paradis.

Sunday saw us heading for Auxonne (where Napoleon completed his artillery training) for their annual Carnavale. Thinking it may have started at 10.00am we were some 4 hours early for the actual festivities so we spent the time exploring the town and feasting on Pizzas. After lunch we (and a couple of thousand other spectators) assembled on the main street for the parade or floats, people on horses, on foot and on the heady vapours of the local liquors. This very colourful and humorous parade started at 2.45 after a few false starts and was still winding it’s way past our vantage spot after 5.00pm at which time we quit the area to avoid the traffic.

Sunday night was for packing, an excellent meal accompanied by a bottle of the beautiful Hospices de Beaune red wine that David bought and we packed it in for the night, in order to get an early start for Dijon and the 10.21am train to Paris. We arrived at the station as quickly as possible as a quick check before we left revealed that the train ticket for the three guests had been misplaced and needed to be replaced or their connections to Paris and London that day would be jeopardised. With about 10 minutes to spare we arrived at the station, bought new tickets and had the three travellers on the correct train just before it left - unbelievably - 15 minutes EARLIER than scheduled. I have never seen that happen before !

A terrific week had been spent by the five of us, our guests thoroughly enjoying the boat, the beds, the tours, the food and wine and the kind weather. It had not done more than a quick drizzle throughout the week the Reeds were with us and the temperatures were quite bearable, despite it still being officially winter.

On my return from the delivery trip to Dijon Maureen advised there were papers to be collected from the Mairie regarding our requests for Cartes de Longue Sejour, the French long term visas. We expected to have to undergo medical examinations and worse but on arrival at the Mairie the secretary had two temporary permits. These, she explained, would be followed up in weeks with further requirements and paper work. We however were delighted to receive the breakthrough (temporary) visas which promised a happy ending to their saga.

That night we overcame our unhappiness at having waved goodbye to the Reeds with a barbecue on the back deck with John and Jan, Lindy and Roger.

The next couple of days saw me putting my muscles where my mouth had been when I volunteered to fix the road to the anchorage. The gravel road top had become badly pitted and pot holed by rain and traffic during the wetter parts of the winter and a large new pile of gravel had been acquired by Charles of H2O to repair it. I was given an off-sider, a young apprentice at H2O named Mikhael and together we filled quite a few potholes. It took me that day and most of the next to make a complete job of it and we can now drive comparatively smoothly over the road to town.

Wednesday saw us at our usual French lesson with Corrine at the Tourist Office and on Thursday I was able to stand on the decks of Vixit (our neighbouring ship) as it majestically travelled down river to St Symphorien where it=s owners, Caroline and Matthew, have a house. Matthew wanted both the opportunity for a short cruise between flights (as he is a 747 captain) and having the barge near the house they are renovating made it possible to get a lot more work done. I was even given the opportunity to drive the boat for a distance, an opportunity I grabbed with both hands. Mooring the boat alongside the river bank was an experience as we took some time to find a nearby area with sufficient depth to enable their gangway to reach dry land. It was managed after some backing and to ing and Maureen turned up for lunch aboard and to drive me back to our own ship.

Friday saw the sun emerge hot and bright so we took the opportunity to drive to Besancon, some 60km away and to explore some of the likely mooring places along the way. We discovered a number of delightful spots, lunching on delicious rolls en-route before arriving at and exploring the large town of Besancon. It has a central Island which we traversed and two inferior mooring places, between which is a long quai side area that we thought might do us for a night or so in the near future.

We have decided a general course of action for the year which centres on the central areas of France including the Burgundy Canal, Paris and the western group of canals before heading south towards the Mediterranean about August. This should satisfy the visitors who will be joining us during the summer, staring with Gillian Ragus just after Anzac Day and including the Princes and the Palmers.

Thursday night saw us drive to Aisey for dinner with Mike and Memory at a small restaurant which was high on quality but low on quantity. Their house wine also was pretty awful also and as our company included Matthew and Caroline who had given alcohol up for Lent, we decided not to advance the stakes into the bottles varieties. Mike is an ex Canadian Air Force jet jockey who transferred to their navy after breaking his neck. He retired to a life of coin auctioning while his partner, Memory, writes for wine journals.

Sunday saw an eventful lunch aboard Jan and John’s lovely ‘Blackbird Fly’, especially when Jan walked straight into the water while chatting on her mobile phone. Unhappily, the phone and a pair of spectacles were lost as was a fair amount of pride on Jan’s part. Fortunately she was not hurt and was swiftly returned to dry land and after a cuddle or two to comfort her, was warmed by a hot shower and able to continue with the pleasures of the day.

Mike and Memory, a Canadian couple we had met on the jetties a few days before and dined with in Aisery on the Thursday before, came by for a few pre lunch drinks. They were planning a long bike ride but I think the drinks put them off. We agreed to meet on the next Thursday at L’Amiral for dinner to introduce them to Giles, Sylvie and Their establishment.

I promised John and Jan I would take my SCUBA gear over to the Gare d=Eau on Monday to look for the glasses, a vacuum tube and their phone. As Monday turned up together with a matching hangover from the Sunday lunch I took some time fulfilling my promise. Some 20-30 minutes in the freezing water was quite enough and though I could see absolutely nothing through the impenetrable silt and sludge of the 2 metre deep anchorage I did manage to find the vacuum tube. No luck with the phone and glasses unfortunately but we did try.

Tuesday saw me off to Brazey en Plaine to have the car serviced, which event happened between 2.00pm and 3.30pm as I went for a long walk about the town. I discovered a number of previously hidden buildings which look to have had very interesting histories. Unfortunately there is no Tourist Office in Brazey and I was unable to ascertain the information on the architecture or on the inhabitant of the coffin that was the chief interest of a large number of mourners at the Church. Most shops and businesses in the town appeared to have been closed for the event which kept me from inspecting the church.

Wednesday was our last French lesson with Corrine at the Tourism Office in St Jean. She has been a great help and a willing teacher for which the Office gained by 3 Euros per person per lesson and she gained only the bunch of flowers Maureen bought for her on this day.

After lunch, which was pastries bought at the supermarket deli section and eaten riverside at St Jean, we detached Van Nelle again from the mooring to cruise down river to assist Matthew get Vixit off the bank. The river level had risen during their stay near their house and subsequently dropped again, leaving the boat somewhat stranded on the shelf. We arrived to see much action but no result from Vixit=s own power and attaching ourselves (Van Nelle that is) to her, we added the strength of our 150 horse power. The second manoeuvre was successful in pulling Vixit=s stern into the river and away from the bank, after which she was able to continue on her own power back to the Ancien Ecluse.

On our arrival back at our mooring, after a stop for a beer at the Quai Nationale in St Jean, we were invited to a delightful dinner by Matthew and Caroline, taken at L=Esperance restaurant in Aisery, quite near the church and just aver the road from the swiftly gathering show ground people, now preparing for Aisery=s Fete on Saturday - we must go.

Maureen walked into St Jean the next morning and arrived back with a notice for the Mairie regarding our Cartes de Longue Sejour. Believing that this would be our invitation to have documents translated, medicals undertaken and costs paid, we went to the Hotel de Ville to hear the worst. Imagine our surprise when we arrived to find our 5 YEAR Cartes already there and ready for us to take possession of. Not only that but mine allows me to work at all professional jobs while in France for the period. This was REALLY GREAT NEWS and we had to show off as soon as possible, which we did with Jan and John immediately after picking the cards up and signing for them.

This evening (it being that Thursday that I write this update on) we will again be at L’Amiral for the introduction of the Canadians to Giles and Sylvie and for us to become better acquainted with four Australians who have arrived in town to take their boat cruising soon. This will be a big night ! Some 14 of us boaties will gather and imbibe singing syrup in quantity. Tomorrow will be another day !

Now that we have our Cartes de Longue Sejour, we were able to go off to Dijon and sign up for a mobile phone ACCOUNT rather than have to constantly buy pre-paid cards that are twice the price of a regular phone service. The necessary documents were handed over to the Phone Orange people in Dijon and a new SIM was presented - yet another phone number - but the phone we had bought some months before was able to be converted for use with the new SIM.

We visited Doras the bricolage on the way back to the boat to pick up the ladder we had ordered, their stock items being too long for our purpose of converting it to use as a gang plank, or Passarelle as they are called in France. This entailed also buying a length of plywood cut to size to fit in between the uprights and be screwed in place to provide a walking platform supported by the rungs. We also bought grey paving paint with which to mix sand to provide a non-slip surface. These were all packed into the car with some difficulty, the echelle (as a ladder is called), hanging out a front window, and we headed back to the boat to put the passarelle together. The paint is a quick drying version so it took only a few hours to place the screws, paint the board and assemble the whole piece which is now a very effective gangway.

Brazey-en-Plaine is a small town near St Jean. It had advertised a fair to take place on the Saturday so we picked up our friends John and Jan and went off on Saturday afternoon for a look. A really small fair started operations an hour after our arrival so we headed for the nearest café for a beer or two before taking to the bumper cars and then to the shooting gallery where John and I each scored sufficiently well to be awarded small furry animals as a reward. We handed them solemnly to the girls and headed back to St Jean for a BBQ on Van Nelle.

Sunday was a beautiful sunny day and St Jean was hosting a kayak competition with competitors from as far away as Strasbourg so we packed a picnic and went to the Quai Nationale to join a few hundred supporters watching the young boys and girls labouring heartily around the course on the river Saone. A large, heavily laden barge threatened to interrupt the proceedings but the competitors were not greatly inconvenienced so the program continued without problem.

The next week - 18 March, was to be our last full week in St Jean as we planned to depart for the Saone / Rhine Canal in the direction of Strasbourg on Thursday 28 March. We had a few ‘job’ still to do before departure so the week was mostly one of working on the boat and provisioning for departure. We did have one major social engagement however - the inaugural meeting of the new boating association, dreamed up during a previous dinner with John, Jan, David and Dianne. At that event we foresaw a loose association of non financial members being those people who were ‘serious plaisanciers’ - those who lived substantial parts of the year afloat. The idea was to incorporate during the dinner at which a name and a list of objects would be considered together with forward planning for additional meetings.

Those at the dinner agreed that the name should be the Red Bandanas as we had previously agreed that the identifying mark of the members would be the wearing of a red bandana or neckerchief. On a visit to Dijon’s shopping area we had bought 6 metres of red and white check cloth which Maureen sewed into triangular shapes and which were distributed at the dinner. The event was conducted at Chez Giles - the L’Amiral Brasserie, accompanied by a three course meal and wines included for just 16 Euros (about$A 27 per person). Some 20 boaties attended including our two new Finnish friends and some Australians.

I arranged to pay the accumulated account for electricity, purchases at the chandlery and labour for the engine service and work on the stern gland and head but was unprepared for the enormity of it and had to sit down when Robert Bond presented it to me in the H2O office. Some 1700 Euros or $A 3,000 rather took the wind out of my sails and what I thought would be a buffer out of the bank account. Labour rates in France are high and 19.6% tax is added to them.

All in all we had been at St Jean de Losne for some 22 weeks, about 5 months, most of which had been spent in the Ancien Ecluse. We have met some wonderful and eccentric people, most of whom are committed to this water borne lifestyle. We have experienced our first white Christmas, we have been entombed in ice some 7cm thick around the hull, we have burned a tonne of wood and 1000 litres of diesel keeping warm and have discovered many of France=s low cost wines and local delicacies. But the adventure has really just begun.