BIRTHDAY SHOW

As it was Geoff's birthday yesterday, I decided there should be a show put on for him! So the pompiers arrived with full kit and parked next to Soraya.

Pompiers (Boys) with their toys.

I think the big boys had just got their new toys, so it was fun all round, and all remote control so they could direct the spray wherever they wanted. They then decided Soraya looked a bit dirty and needed a clean. I had to retreat quickly into the wheelhouse to keep dry.

Soraya having a good wash.

NAVIGATION AND PÂQUES

We are now back in Dijon and on Soraya after jaunts around Europe and Bath. So it's that time again when we start preparing for another years navigation. We were thinking of going south, Canal du Midi, Oh la la!!! However, after great deliberation, mainly due to the high spring flow on the Saône, the Doubs and the Rhône until end of May we have decided to keep to central France, this year. We aim to go north on the Canal de Bourgogne. This will be followed by the river Yonne to Auxerre then on to Paris via the Haute Seine. After a period in Paris we may go down La Seine towards Le Havre, back to Paris and onto the river La Marne to Épernay with a diversion to Reims. Later in the year we will cruise the Canal latéral à la Marne and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin before having a delightful autumn trip along the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne to the Saône and back to Dijon......... All that champagne and wine, will it be a problem? I don't think so.

Well all that complex navigation sounds a bit of a mouthful which leads me on to Pâques (Easter). I like the French attitude to Easter 'eggs' in fact it's almost anything but eggs. We went out, secretly, to buy our eggs for each other and the results are as shown. Margaret got the grenouille (frog) and I got the tourteau (crab). This was a very small selection of the animals and objects on offer.

The perfect combination Easter 'eggs' and a nice glass or two of Montagny 1er Cru. And the wine did suit the chocolate.

If you fancy joining us along these delightful canals or doing some serious champagne sampling do get in touch.

Hope you like the new header picture of Soraya in our winter Dijon mooring.

GEESE

One of the joys of a life afloat is the rich variety of wildlife. Recently a couple of Bar-headed geese (Anser indicus) arrived. Apparently they are from the Far East and have taken up residence in parts of Europe. Very attractive approximately the same size as Canada Geese.

Bar-headed geese next to Soraya.

We also have a few Common Pochard (diving ducks) along with the normal Mallards, Coutts etc. Personally I don't think the Pochards are too common at all. 

CLUB NIGHT

It's Friday night so it must be club night. A quick trip to 'Barbarians', a meal at 'Le Piano qui Fume'. Followed by music and dancing on Soraya. All your favourites are available with a new enhanced experience of 'disco lights'.

Relaxing after an epic dance routine.

THOUGHT

I think it's a great title for a town square. Is it where you go for a deep thought, a discussion, a debate or even an argument or perhaps just to deliberate. Speaker's Corner?

Main town square in Saint-Jean-de-Losne.

It may be that 'délibération' means something in French that I am unaware of.

BROCHET AU BEURRE BLANC

Normal Saturday morning in Les Halles marché Dijon looking for interesting food. Very unusually one of the fish stalls had a few large brochet (pike) almost a metre long. It had to be bought. So it's 'Brochet au Beurre Blanc' for dinner. Watch out for the bones apparently.

Brochet in Les Halles

Beurre Blanc is the classic sauce for pike in France. Refer to the blog post 'Les Pêchers 19/12/2014 for a recipe. So it's a court-bouillon to cook the fish with the beurre blanc sauce, so simple. Or as a friend of ours says '....how hard can it be!'

MOUSTACHES - THE WAY AHEAD?

As you are well aware moustaches are the new black. I even sport one myself, in case you have not noticed. In Dijon even the péniches are getting in on the act.

Péniche 'Cancale'

To get a curl like that on a moustache you need a lot of wax, as my wax states on the tin 'The gentleman's stiffener'. Perhaps péniches use stern gland grease?

CONTEMPORARY ART AND TOILETS

It can be difficult to judge when you're in a gallery or a cafe toilet at times. Looking at the installation on the walls of the toilet at Bareuzai cafe it is a much more interesting installation than the 'art piece' at FRAC (Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain) in Dijon.

Bareuzai. Well at least you won't run out.

And why don't they have toilet seats?

Modern 'art' installation at FRAC.

Yes the '4  13  and 14' are the installation. There were a few other random numbers elsewhere in the two rooms.

CULTURE AND COFFEE

You know how it is when you spend time looking around historical buildings and artefacts. It does not matter how interesting they are, after a while it's time for a coffee. At Musée de la Vie Bourguignonne in Dijon located in the cloisters of the Bernadine Monastery, which displays a collection of rural and urban ethnography from the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century. This was definitely the case. Well it would be after that title! There were very good bits together with the obligatory collection of brown and dusty bits.

The sign for the kitchen section of the museum.

Mustard pots, well it is Dijon.

One of the attractions of the museum was the 'street' of shops with original interiors, fittings and produce from the 1800's and early 1900's.

Pristine collection of wooden toys.

A good coffee at our latest favourite coffee shop, Le Comptoir de Colonies.

Don't mention the price of tea! compared to coffee. It did come with cake.

THE PÉNICHE GARDENER

You will have heard of or perhaps seen 'The Constant Gardener' well, on the French canals we have The Péniche Gardener. You can't stop an avid gardener even when there is no obvious garden. The winters treat is fresh 'Champignons Blond ou Crème', Chestnut mushrooms. A remarkably good crop from such a small container. Once harvested they will be placed in the cellar (Soraya has a wine cellar) and they produce a second and third flush, hopefully.

The latest crop. Chestnut Mushrooms.

During the warmer months we have a constant supply of fresh herbs.

The herb gardener.

All looking good, not sure where the orchard is going to be, unless we go for bonsai.