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The first few days of December were spent in England for a very brief visit, in the main to attend the graduation event of the last group of students that Diane had worked with during the previous academic year. It was also an opportunity to catch up with some of the family and friends. Sadly there was not enough time to visit everyone that we would have liked to see but we will put that to rights on our next trip. The journey started badly with the late departure of the train from Decize. As a consequence we missed our connection at Nevers which had the knock on effect of us arriving too late to check in for the air flight. We did manage to arrange an alternative flight but at a cost! The remainder of the short trip went smoothly. Ben having spent a few days in kennels was returned to us safe and sound and soon settled back into his place on the boat.

Soon after our return we organised a hire car for the weekend to spend time with friends in Montlucon where Diane used to live. We had a lovely few days, was well looked after and Ben was made to feel at home. We had a trip into the town and visited the small Christmas market which looked very festive. The journey to collect the car from Nevers was not without its problems. The train workers were on strike and so we shared a taxi with a woman who had a medical appointment to get to Nevers. We do not seem to have had much luck with SNCF (equivalent to British Rail).

During the month of December Decize, like other towns, became more and more in tune with the festive season. It seemed as if there was something new each week in the way of decorations both in the shops and the streets. During the last few days running up to Christmas there was music being played over the tannoy system to add a little more Christmas atmosphere. On the third Tuesday of each month there is a big market along the Promenade des Halles selling a whole range of things. This month was the first time that we were able to visit. At the far end of the market there was a stall selling mulled wine which tasted good and warmed us up on a very cold day.

We spent Christmas weekend with good friends, Alain and Suzanne and two of their grown up children, Thomas and Marie. The house was decorated with a Christmas tree and a nativity scene in the fireplace. We had lovely meals, enjoyed the company and the visits to see the illuminations in Yzeure and Moulins. On Christmas Eve we went to mass in the church at Moulins where there was literally standing room only. The nativity play was enacted by children as part of the service providing a special memento of the time of year. We are pleased to say that Father Christmas managed to find his way to France and we had some nice presents!

Marco and Carmen came for a meal with us on the boat and we had a very pleasant evening together. They have now returned to Rome for a couple of weeks and so it is our turn to keep an eye on their boat. They are missing the snow in Decize, we woke up to a white world this morning and we have had flurries of snow during the day. The forecast suggests that there is more to come. In principal the Canal Lateral de la Loire (the one that we will be using) opened for boaters on the 26th Dec. but rest assured we are not intending to move over the next couple of months. We will wait for the snow to melt and for warmer weather to appear before we continue our adventure boating the waterways of France.