News for October 2007
On a bright sunny Sunday, the last in September, we took our leave of Kortrijk with an easy mind. No big commercial barges on the move in Belgium on Sundays. On such a lovely warm day we sat on the front deck, had a leisurely lunch and then continued to a port at Deulemont. As we arrived it felt as if we had a welcoming committee with people on the pontoon intrigued by the arrival of a narrow boat. For many people it was a their first sight of this type of boat. The harbourmaster welcomed us and indicated that we were on the mooring reserved for visitors. We paid the necessary fee which was very reasonable but that mooring turned out to become more costly!
The next day, the first day of October, was a filthy, wet day, not a good day to boat, but there was worse to come. The big barges were on the move from around 08.30, late for them. At first there was not too much of a problem but mid morning a barge came by, very fast and because they draw water, Idling By listed well over to starboard. Cupboard doors were flung open, the drop leaf table tipped over, armchair flung across the boat and things strewn over the floor. We had a few broken plates and a dent in the relatively new copper kettle which will act as a permanent souvenir of that happening. We cleared up and decided that we needed to find somewhere to moor to protect us. It does not take long to organise movement of the boat but luck was against us. As we prepared to move so another barge arrived on the scene. Stupid in a way, but natural instinct, Diane rushed back onto the boat to try and keep cupboard doors closed, Paul held onto ropes trying to steady a 15 tonne boat, to no avail. At least the kettle was rescued from further damage. We changed our position and moored alongside a boat well into the port and then embarked on clearing up the debris of eight broken plates, three broken bowls and other things scattered across the floor. A repair job was needed for the drop leaf table, carried out that day and crockery needed to be replaced at a later date. We did have a few plates left to eat off for meal times.
The next day we set off for our winter mooring at Armentieres, a bit earlier than previous years but we felt that the time was right. We had five minutes boating to do on the main line before turning off into quieter waters and thankfully we did not see a single barge. In fact the last day of boating for the 2007 season was very pleasant. We had one climbing lock and using VHF radio we made contact with the lock keeper who was personable, very helpful with taking ropes and securing the boat and provided us with useful information. The lock itself was interesting as the lock gates acted as the sluices. Soon after that we arrived at our destination and the harbourmaster, Patrick, who we had phoned the previous day was there to greet us, helping with ropes and to moor up on a pontoon in front of the office giving us a pleasant view of the port.
We have been preparing for winter and are now organised with the delivery of 'The Times' to the newsagent in the town 'La Presse' at least the Monday to Friday editions. More importantly we needed to search out information about smokeless fuel. We had a couple of addresses in Lille (15kms away) but with the help of Patrick discovered that there was a coal merchant a bit nearer at Bailleul. A 'phone call was made to explain about the boat and the mode of heating. The wife of the coal merchant decided that it would be better to visit the boat, look at what was required so that everyone was clear about the type of fuel needed. True to her word we received a 'phone call 48 hours later and the coal merchant and his wife came to see us and the coal merchant even brought some samples of fuel. A week later coal was delivered and much to our delight he also sells the big bottles of propane gas. Naturally the gas is a bit more expensive than purchasing from the supermarket but sometimes it is worth paying for convenience. In between times a visit to the tourist office gave the opportunity to gather useful information both from a practical and tourist point of view.
The port is situated in a big park and our first weekend here was a hive of activity. It was 'Animavia' which has become an annual event with a different theme each year. This year focused on transport with animals and so there were various activities on the beach by the lake involving camels and horses. There were plenty of other activities too involving dog agility, dog rescue, exotic birds, exhibition of cats and pony rides for children. The park during the Spring and Summer also has a 'petit train', horse and carriage, and boat trips. They were all in action for the weekend adding to the entertainment. The weather was brilliant which naturally encouraged people to visit.
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Moored for winter & winter maintenance begins
Then came the Rugby, France v. England. The French people kindly invited us to join them in the club house on the Saturday evening and naturally we agreed. Paul using his computer skills made a couple of paper flags and a couple of hats with the St. George cross boldly printed on them. We entered the club house with jovial laughter and we had the cross put onto our cheeks by one of the organisers of the evening. It was a fun night and all we can say is that the French were gracious in defeat shaking our hands and declaring that the best team had won.
During October we have had some lovely warm sunny days but that did not mean that we could keep cherry tomato plants and trailing geraniums that had decorated the roof of the boat over Spring and Summer going for ever. We had to do a little bit of gardening. They had to go and anyway the roof needed to be cleaned. Very conveniently, opposite the park there is a garden centre where we were able to buy some brightly coloured heathers and so the winter garden is now organised and will not need a lot of work. We have also used the very good public transport system to visit Lille and to refresh our memories about the town. However, Thanks to Jerome and Manou we have learnt a lot more about Lille.
We briefly met Jerome with his family whilst in Sedan. Manou was on their hire boat looking after a young baby, Quentin, so we had not actually met her. Following that meeting in Sedan, Eric (the son) and his wife Virginie invited us for dinner whilst we were moored at Charleville. Well, Jerome and Manou live near Lille and kindly invited us to their home for Sunday lunch. They went to a great deal of trouble to serve a meal focused on Northern specialities and the food was delicious. After that we went into Lille and did some visiting by car and some on foot. Manou is a very enthusiastic person and had lots of interesting things to tell us about the buildings in the town. We had a lovely day with Jerome and Manou, another unforgettable moment. We continue to find people very hospitable. Indeed it has been lovely to see people on their boats here at Armentieres that we met two and a half years ago and we have felt very welcomed. In addition we have boating friends from our first winter in France in Decize, Marco and Carmen with their two dogs who are also moored here for the winter. We went into the town together and visited the market to help provide some landmarks. It is delightful to see them again.
Now we are organised for the winter months and over the last couple of days have been pleased to be able to light a fire, not that it is cold but there is a chill in the air. The trees in the park are full of autumnal colours and looking beautiful. There are plenty of ducks, coots and moorhens to keep us company in the port, sometimes a bit noisy first thing in the morning if they decide to have a fight but that is part of living on the water. Overall we are feeling very positive about the months ahead and looking forward to sharing our surroundings with visitors during November and December.