Heading to Montargis

We currently have a very slow internet connection - so I will update this a little later! It is a little later and we are in Chatilon Coligny - and they have free WiFi in the port - so we are now all up to date! Also we have been able to update both the laptop and tablet - whoopee! However we have found that our new laptop will not read the SD card from Laurels camera - so I will have to get a new cable when we see some shops again, and then add some more pics.

Heading off from Beaulieu, we went to one of our favorite little ports at Ouzouer sur Treze. We picked up the car from Braire and spent a very pleasant few days there. Mark and Mary came to visit and spent the night with us....great to catch up with them. It was excellent timing as there was a fete in the port on the Saturday night, with of course the traditional french line dancing! Mary and Laurel scooted a boot or two but the belles du France were way too good! Sunday of course we did what we do best...yup, another vide grenier. Mary kindly added to my jampots with a doozy, shaped like a pineapple and it sits on its own leaf....and according to a later visit by Cordelia it is exactly 'on trend'.

Then up to the Rogny, famous for its old 7 locks. As the weather was lovely and there was a huge fireworks display on the Saturday night we decided to stay until after the weekend. A very quiet time as Rogny is a small village. After a week of beautiful weather Saturday produced torrential rain - this did not bode well for the firework spectacular. Just as it got dark (around 10pm) the rain stopped and we all trooped over for the display. There was a huge crowd, even though unlike normal fireworks nights, there was an entry charge of 10 Euros each.

It was a huge show with lots of moving coloured spotlights shining through the smoke. Quite spectacular, but a little slow in getting started, as they tried to dry everything out and remove the covers from the fireworks.

Our next port was the small but very pretty town of Chatilon Coligny. We spent two nights here...the town provides a very well equipped halte nautique.

Then up to Montargis where we planned to stay for a month. As has been the case this year mooring was almost empty, last time we had to wait a couple of days to get a 'good spot' but when we arrived this time only one other boat was moored.

This is quite a big town, and with the car became an ideal touring base. As we were here two years ago we were quite familiar with the town and it was good to be back. We met ,as usual, some great folk and were delighted to catch up with the Aussies on Shiralee.....simply had to have drinks to celebrate!

Doug and Sutsan were not far away up on the Yvonne, and in keeping with their 'trail of destruction, in 2013 the locks broke down behind them, this month it would be the lock at Sens, just a few days after they passed through, a month later and it still has not been repaired...We drove up to visit them at Sens, before the lock crash and and a little later Nemours....we found the best Chinese restaurant in France....sushi heaven for those so inclined!

We did an outing to the large town of Orleans (famous for Joan of Arc).

A very french bar!

LIFE WAS GOING WELL...and then

we had a small catastrophe. We discovered our laptop does not like Rose, after Laurel knocked her glass over and soaked the keyboard and it died! So our challenge was to buy a replacement. A french laptop is no good as the keyboard layout is wrong. So we thought we would buy a tablet . Whilst we love the tablet we found that you also need a laptop. With Cordelia planning a visit we tried to order one from the UK - however although they said that they accepted international credit cards, this proved impossible. So after a lot of mucking about we sent the money to Cordelia, who bought it for us, and then brought it over with her. So this is our first epistle on the shiny new toy!

Cordelia and two of her housemates, Megan and Sasha came for a visit over a UK long weekend. We manged to pack a lot into the two days with outings to Vide Greniers, albeit between the rain showers (we have had a month of pure sunshine - they arrived and the rain started, they left and the rain stopped!), lunch out, and of course for Cordelia a visit to Gifi and NOS! On the Saturday night there was a fete and fireworks display at the next village of Villemandeur. Unfortunately the rain didn't stop, however with umbellas up we trotted off. Before the fireworks, there was a marching band. You had to feel sorry for them as they marched through the torrential rain. Every few minutes the saxophone and tuba players had to tip there instruments upside down to empty out the water! The fireworks all worked well despite the rain!