5th – 15th April 2018. Delays at Decize, then across the river Loire to join the Canal du Nivernais.

We had to wait for nearly a week at Decize, until the Loire was open. Spring is certainly here with the celandines beside the port.

The lock out on to the Loire is strange, with see-through tops to both top and bottom gates.

The sign at the lock makes sure that we know where to go!

On the Loire the flow was much gentler than it had been last week, and we had an easy crossing to St Lèger des Vignes, on the canal du Nivernais.

It is a pleasant town mooring at St Lèger.

Climbing up above the trees behind our mooring gives a clear view across the Loire valley to the old town of Decize.

Three days later we eventually set off along the canal du Nivernais, past these very French plane trees. We are in no hurry as the Nivernais canal is closed, beyond lock 76, until 15th March.

8 kilometres further on, we stopped on a wild mooring, and walked up the hill to visit Verneuil. The view across the valley from The Puzzler is really good.

The church of St Laurent in Verneuil dates from the 12th century.

There were several of these small, wooden carved reliefs inside the church.

They can be seen above the ancient murals, which are painted along the walls.

Two cranes had a nest on a pole, at the far side of the field, and one of them is there now. They tend to lie down, so are difficult to see.

The other one is hunting for frogs, quite near to the boat.

On Sunday we moved on to Cercy-la-Tour, and were the only boat on the jetty, despite there being electric and water too, at last!

14th December 2017 - 31st January 2018. Bridge Christmas dinner at Charlieu. Shannon has a friend to stay for Christmas. New Year celebrations on Eendracht, followed by a trip to England.

This year our Bridge club Christmas dinner was at L'Auberge de L'Abbaye at Charlieu. There were 40 of us there and we all enjoyed a five course French meal.

Escot came to stay on Christmas day, so we went for a walk further along the river Loire, round by the lakes. We think that these were created in the old sand pits.

Shannon and Escot co-exist quite happily, although both still prefer to be top dog!

We all enjoyed New Year's Eve celebrations on Eendracht.

Our normal route along the path beside the river Loire was blocked today, with the stepping stones hidden under the water. The river Loire, to the right, is very full too.

We went to England in the second week in January, although Sally fell over a rope in the port, which delayed our visit by a couple of days. 7 stitches in my chin, after a 3 hour wait in casualty, was not what had been planned!

The cliffs of Dover look really white when the sun shines, but are quite dull at close quarters.

After a visit to Norfolk, we drove cross country via Aynho, on the Oxford canal. There are more narrowboats here than we have seen in three years in France!

Once back in the UK, this is the headroom to be expected at bridges.

Beyond the bridge at Aynho, the residential boaters “stretch in never ending line”.

We had a lovely time in Cheltenham, with Debbie, Matt and Toad.

Back in Roanne, there was a pretty sunset to greet us.

By the end of January, our logpile is much smaller, but it still keeps its shape, having used the French style of wood stacking.

11th - 31st December 2016. Christmas with our friends on Rook, then fantastic frosty trees, leading up to New Years Eve on Eendracht. More frost on New Year's Day, January 1st 2017.

There has been quite a lot of rain, and this skateboarder cannot come across to us. Il est désolé!

There were 15 of us on Peter`s boat, Rook, for Christmas this year, with everyone sharing the cooking.

Chief chefs, however, were Gorete, Peter and Nikki. We had a great meal!

The ice is starting to encroach on The Puzzler.

We have had fog, followed by frost, creating a freezing wonderland.

All the trees are frozen beside the road, behind the capitainerie.

Along by the River Loire, everything is covered with ice.

Even the grass has a covering of white.

The heavy frost is on all the trees.

Each tree creates a different pattern.

We celebrated New Year's Eve on Eendracht, where a good time was had by all.

With a mixture of cultures, we sang Auld Lang Syne, then continued with the hats and whistles of France. Cora had also brought a metre sized ball of mistletoe, under which we all had to kiss everyone else. No-one was averse to this!

Back on The Puzzler, Shannon tried out one of the hats for size.

However, she decided that she preferred the laid-back ribbon look!

On New Year's Day our winter wonderland was back again, with a bright sunny day to help the icy effect.

Happy New Year to everyone!

6th - 26th November. A quiet start to the winter in Roanne, and a week in England.

We went to England for a week on the 8th November, by train and air, taking one of the two flights a week from Lyons to Luton. With an evening flight there was not a lot to see on the way but here we are on the train, approaching Tarare, the biggest town before Lyons.

It was raining in Norfolk, but that did not deter this squirrrel, as he ran along the fence. He is just to the right of the gatepost. All is well here, after the flood in June.

On the River Yare there were a few cruisers on the move, near to the sugar beet factory.

Back in Roanne, most of the leaves are down. Shannon loves to walk here, alongside the canal. She had a lovely holiday with her friend, Escot, while we were in England.

In the port, it is time for the final leaf collection. At one point, there were five men with blowers, organising the leaves, ready for the leaf lorry to arrive.

Meanwhile it has been raining! On Tuesday the River Loire was rising, after a great deal of rain.

By Wednesday 23rd Nov the river was right around the HEP plant. We have never seen it as high before.

What power there is here, coming through the bridge!