Travels with Forty Roses: Catching Up

My excuse for not posting is: departure from our winter mooring, leaving friends behind, a MacBook Air Start Up Disk Full problem, arrival of company, trying to reach pre-determined destinations to do so, Paris and life!

Our hearts were heavy setting off, as friends were left behind in Auxerre. We know our paths will cross again, but we shared and learned so much this winter it was a bit heart-breaking to push off. And, we did that much more slowly than wished. Our first day we literally got across the canal as the écluse that was to open did not. Two days later we made it down five écluse before flood damage and repairs stopped us for another three days. Then friends from Auxerre, Charles and Pamela "escaped" Auxerre aboard Xenia and we all proceeded from Gurgy to Migennes. In Migennes they were being lifted to a truck bed and returning to the UK and the Thames after several years in France. We pushed on alone toward Paris and picked up our friend John Teager in Montereau and locked into Port Arsenal Paris in time for Teager to head to Barcelona and Alexis and Huddy to arrive.

In a nutshell that's why no regular posting. Now we are berthed at Port Cerises after a long trip pushing up against the current this time versus being pushed swiftly down the river. Here we must stay until we return from the UK and our very pleasant "job” of looking after Annabel whilst Jim and Blythe are in Greece.

We had a wonderful time with Alexis and Huddy and saw them off to CDG at 10AM Monday morning. Teager returned to us after they left full of stories from Spain and wonderful photos of cars and Gaudi sculptures. Tomorrow the three of us head to Strasbourg and Mulhouse to what is billed by JT & JT to be one of the finest car museums in Europe! It is possible we may see other things?