Cruising, friends and chateaus

After leaving the Roanne Canal we cross the Aquaduct across the Loire into Digoin.

I did discover that it is not that easy to hold a camera recording a video whilst steering across an aquaduct!

After a couple of days in Digoin we headed into Paray and collected the car from Roanne.   This gave us a chance to catch up on our shopping, and of course go out to a vide grenier or two.  We visited one at Paray airfield where they had a display of vintage planes and cars....they also offered flights in vintage planes for just 35euros...not for us, both not good with heights.

these look just a little flimsy for flight methinks!

The vintage motorbikes drew happy 'bikkies'

Am sure somebody will recognize exactly the year and brand of this beauty.

Fancy this stylish ride? 

Lots of 2 cvs and a renegade MGB

 Then onto Genelard where we were looking forward to catching up with Mark and Mary.

Whilst the canals are very quiet with not many boats around, we shared Genelard with four other Aussie boats.  One night we had an impromptu dinner on deck which was great fun.

Mark and Mary arrived but could only spend a night with us as they needed to get up to St Julien Sur Dheune to pick up some guests.  Mark worked his vegetarian magic with a seafood and pasta dinner...and of course there were gin and tonics.  A warm and clear night under the trees, part of the ongoing charm of Genelard.  We were delighted to catch up with their newish poodle, the well named Saga.

Nooit Waalmacht arrives.

Now thats what we call a Captain!

And off they go.

After some very strange weather, rain and more rain right through June and into July, it has now turned really hot, seeing us on our comfy chairs under the trees, and a run of the bedroom aircon at bedtime - delicious!

Genelard has Bastille eve fireworks.  They set the fireworks off over the port and we were asked  to reverse back a few hundred yards.

Car and barge nicely side by side.

For a small town they do a terrific fireworks.

A band and a buffet (and of course a bar) to watch the fireworks

A grand finale with music and  a huge burst of fireworks.

Temporary mooring to miss the fireworks

We did an outing to visit the Chateau de Dree which is near Charolles - home of the Charrolais cattle and only a short drive away.

The chateau is currently owned  by Mr Preufot, who has spent a fortune making it look fantastic.When he purchased the property in 1996 it had been completely stripped of fixtures and fittings. He then scoured antique shops and auctions to get the right style and vintage of furnishings. The result is a house that looks as if most things were original to the house.  He uses part of one wing as a holiday house and comes down for the month of August.  Not a bad pad.

It started as a two wing hunting lodge, and has been added to over the years to make it a truyt grand Chateau.

Laurel tries the portico on for size! Fits nicely she thinks.

This room is stunning,blues,yellows and delicate furniture.

Only the delicate plasterwork on the ceiling is original.

The formal dining room set for a simple supper

This carpet was recreated, thousands of knots per square metre. All hand made....in China. The craftwork is stunning, a credit to all those who spent a full year  to make it...all by hand. It was the only place that could produce it in less than 5 years, at a price that was 'affordable'

The modern kitchen, based on the style used at the end of the 19th century. Includes plate warmers, a slow cooker oven that used just embers to give a constant heat.  Four different sorts of ovens....meat,bread, cakes and general.

All Chamber pots! (best not to think about it really!)

The Glacerie where Ice was collected and stored during the winter.

On our way back we spotted these signs which said that there was a factory sale in Charolles.  It was some beautiful large art ceramics manufacturer.

Amazing lamps

Massive pieces that the locals considered bargains at 200 euros plus per piece

Very Gaudi

Talk about larger than life rabbits.

We wondered how they got these pieces out of the moulds and into the kilns for glazing

Departures, Rain and Pirates!

Rain Rain and more rain - that's the story of 2016!

We keep waiting for it to stop raining before we leave  -  but it appears as though it will carry on - so we decided to leave anyway - we will just wait for a short dry spell.

But the story of departures is not us - two lots of good friends - Foster and Sally, and Brian and Mary, are both leaving France permanently.  Foster and Sally have sold Vagabond and are returning to Canada where they plan to buy another boat near Vancouver.  Brian and Mary are taking Kyrenia back to the UK where they have a mooring for her near Oxford.

Both have been in Roanne for many years and were the life and soul of the port and will be sorely missed by all of us.

Vagabond and Kyrenia...side by side for so many years!

A bit of decoration was in order!

Celebratory magnums - and not the  wine ones -we live the high life!

So off Brian and Mary went to head for Migennes to have Kyrenia lifted out and shipped to the UK - They are the first Brexiters we know!  However the rain continued to Deluge down.  The rivers were impassable and then the huge floods caused numerous canal breaches.  They were stuck in Montargis - a breach ahead of them which will take around 3 months to fix and another behind them.   Eventually they were able to be lifted at Montargis and are now safely on the Thames. 

Donna and Wyn decided we all needed an outing so off we went to look at the dam at Villerest which we thought would have all the sluices open and look fantastic - however even though the dam was full no water was flowing through - so off to the chateau Saint Roche to see it with the water at full height. For the first time we were able to enter through the gates of the Chateau....but because it was us....the building itself was 'ferme exceptionalle' for the next couple of hours!

At Thursday night drinks at the bar the dwindling numbers kept asking when we leaving - in the end we said next Tuesday we would go come rain hail or shine!

So off we went waving to the few remaining boaties as we departed.  However as we approached the first lock we noticed a flag flying and the  two loonies with umbrellas prancing along the lock edge - Hm - Pirates we thought - and we were soon boarded

The lead pirate boarded us, whilst her crew member - Black Wyn kept appearing on bridges and even at one stage threatened to run across the bridge naked! (Laurel did catch the offer on camera and for a small fee will promise NOT to show it on Youtube)

On arriving at Briennon we felt it was necessary to bury the cutlasses and repair to the brasserie on the port for a fine lunch!

Next morning the weather was lovely and we made our way to Artaix for a few days - it is one of the loveliest quietest ports we visit.  After a couple of days we were joined by Jim and Mary on Festina Tarde for the night. We shared a fine meal and great company on their rear deck.

After a few very relaxing day we headed off North to La Croix Rouge, which has been renovated recently.. Unfortunately the new power bourne is not working yet and we went aground as we approached the quay - This made getting on and off a bit of a challenge as we were a couple of feet away from the quay! And so onto the world of deep locks and noisy leaks.

Bourg Le comte

Leaky lock gates!

So onto Digoin for the night and then to Paray for a few days, before heading into Genelard for the Genestival - read more later - and hoping to catch up with our friends Mark and Mary.