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The winter months have just flown by and it is hard to realise that within approximately four weeks we will be on the move. Meanwhile we have had an interesting and enjoyable month of February. We have had some very sunny, warm days, a bit unseasonable to be honest but it has certainly encouraged many pleasure boaters to come to the port for weekends which has resulted in lots of chat and extended camaraderie with even more people taking interest in each others activities and expressing concern about any minor problems that fellow boaters may be experiencing. For us it was a problem about flow of gas which we rely on for cooking. We embarked on all sorts of tests to establish the cause of the problem without any answers. Pleasingly, although there was no clear answer, we no longer have a problem. A mystery! Talking of people, it has to be said that we continue to be impressed by the genuine friendliness of folks that we have met and do meet. Admittedly a grasp of some of the French language does help to create openings for friendship.

We had a very warm welcome from Bernadette who lives in Villeneuve d' Ascq within easy driving distance of Armentieres. She gave a lot of thought to the Sunday lunch and served us with traditional northern French food. It is lovely that we have learned such a lot about regional dishes and with the help of a small recipe book Diane has been trying out some recipes. After a very leisurely meal Bernadette gave us a tour of the area which proved to be educative. She pointed out numerous interesting sites, including the windmills which are important to Flanders, some of which have been restored as an attraction to a museum in the Villeneuve area. Perhaps one of the most poignant visits was to a village previously known as Ascq. The creation of Villeneuve D' Ascq involved the bringing together of three villages for administrative purposes. The people of Ascq did not want to lose that name because of an event that occurred in 1944. 86 men, aged 15 - 75 years were shot by German soldiers and there is a memorial commemorating that happening. Bernadette was very objective in her account of the episode saying that the resistance movement had perhaps misread the political situation at that time but still acknowledged the disaster of losing so many of the men folk of the village.

Meanwhile we have been moving on with present life. Paul has been using moments of good weather to work on the roof of the boat. It needs to be rubbed down and repainted, it will be a long job but gradually it will be done. The maintenance of the hull of any boat is important and it is often a topic of conversation amongst the boaters in the port. As the Spring approaches and folks think about moving on for new waters so people become more and more industrious to prepare the cruising vessels.

Taking advantage of the area where we are currently moored, we booked into a coach trip organised by the Lille Tourist Office to visit the 'Battlefields of Flanders'. It was a very interesting and moving experience. Our guide, Jacqueline, by her own admission, had a very strong French accent which matched her strength of enthusiasm and wealth of information around the focus of the tour. One of our first lessons was that when the First World War broke out it was expected to be over in 6 weeks. We all know that turned out to be very different from reality. We motored slowly past certain points of interest like the wonderful statue of the 35 foot Canadian soldier and the two lions outside another cemetery, one snarling and one with a smile. There were some stops which gave us time to explore a little. The first stop was Messines cemetery which was the scene of a week long battle. We had a stop at 'Lone Crater', one of nineteen craters created by mines laid in an arc over the Messines ridge. Each mine was detonated at the same time in June 1917 so allowing advancement of troops. We had a stop in Ypres giving the opportunity to see the Menin Gate. Sadly we were not there for the 'Last Post" which is played each evening at 8pm. .

Our next stopping point was Essex Farm cemetery north of Ypres. The canal nearby was the frontline between 1915 and 1917. We saw the concrete buildings which served as dressing stations for the injured. Such was the devastation of Ypres and the surrounding areas because of the war, the dressing stations became 'houses' for people whilst restorative work took place. It was at Essex Farm that the poem 'In Flanders Field' was written by Canadian, John McCrea. Jacqueline had photocopied the poem for us as she did not feel that she could do justice to it reading the poem to us with her "strong accent". There were two more stops to follow. The first was to a 'Yorkshire dug out". Some 'enthusiasts' had worked hard to restore and preserve trenches unearthed during construction work excavation. The efforts are commendable and it gave an opportunity to see and imagine how treacherous and difficult life would be. Sadly there was a teenage school party visiting at the same time as us (British) who were treating the area as a playground. Hardly the way to behave in an area created as a memorial.

The final stopping place was the Tyne Cot cemetery, burial place of 12,000 people and closely associated with the battle of Passchendaele. As with all of the cemeteries it is beautifully kept. As one walked around the area there was a quiet announcement of names and ages of people buried there. Each cemetery has a visitors register and as with other cemeteries Tyne Cot had some very poignant messages from family and people showing interest and empathy for those who gave their lives. One such message was from a 9 year old British girl who had written, 'Thank you for what you did for me, I will not forget you". Another example was written by a French person whose entry was " Moi (me) Moi , you are why I am here" Not only are there graves at Tyne Cot but also walls of names of those lost during the war years but have no grave. Each cemetery has a 'Cross of Sacrifice' and a stone inscribed with, ' THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE'.

Prompted by this afternoon trip we searched out the burial place of an uncle of Paul killed in France in 1939. On a very sunny warm February day we searched out the Terlincthun Cemetery close to Willime near Boulogne- Sur- Mer. Thanks to the owner of a bar / restaurant, where we had a delightful lunch, we found the cemetery and grave of Charles Henry Taylor aged 23. We took the opportunity to visit the fishing port of Boulogne and the Pleasure boat port. Alongside the fishing port there is a striking statue 'Shaking Hands' which commemorates the centenary of 'Entente Cordiale". The weather was beautiful on that day allowing us to sit outside the cafe for afternoon tea which once again prompted thoughts about our coming boating season.

As part of out plans for Spring / Summer boating we have been making enquiries about necessary maintenance for Idling By. It is time for 'bottom blacking' and change of anodes. Hopefully we have made the necessary arrangements for the work to be done at the end of March in a shipyard not too far from Armentieres. If it all works out it will be brilliant because that gives us a clear few months to cruise where we want without any worries about reaching a particular destination during the boating season. We have made tentative plans for our route but we know from previous experience that nothing is 'in stone'. We will set off and be guided by instinct, unexpected closures and the desire to spend longer in one place than anticipated, such freedom.