2020, (4,) To the end of an unusual year.

So during our last weeks in the south of France, we spent some time in Aigues-Morte and then travelled back quietly though Frontignan again and over the E'tang de Thau towards Agde and onto Beziers.

View from the Marina on the sea side

of the town of Aigues-Morte at dusk.

Besides Lucy seeing an osteopath about her sore buttock (Sciatica) and a failed battery charger we set off back to Frontignan. 

 Its a quiet place normally but the fishing boats went out at odd hours and not slowly--- causing a bit at rocking at night.

and the very serious fishermen.

 Again we had to drop our canvas and windows to get under the low bridge at Villeneuve-les-beziers at the begining of the Canal du Midi.   

Luckily the weather was lovely and NOT raining.  

And the lovely sunsets. We spent a few weeks just lazing around when we got to Beziers. Cleaning and tidying the boat. 

Its very quiet, and only excitment was a tree falling over and the amazing group effort of the police and the council man clearing it up.!!!!!!

Had a lovely lunch out with Alan & Shelia to a fishing village, Port Leucate, about 30mins past Narbonne, where the fishermen all have little returants attached so they sell their own catches.

After losing the back end of our 2yr old winter tent in the high winds in Agde, we, after having a quote locally for a new back end of the winter tent made, we decided to buy a tarp for 19.99Euros. Lets hope it works!!!!  And Alan helping Max to biuld his new A-Frames. 

To end the year we find out that due to Brexit (and Covid hasn't helped), our favourite place to buy cheap wine, (after Lidl & Intermarche) is CLOSING😭😰😭😂. Calias Wine Superstore.

So a last quick visit on our way home. Not too much this year as Max is afraid that finally the shocks may give out after all these years of heavy loads!!!!!!! 

 

We are now back in Uk enjoying (😆😆) our two weeks quaratine. 

Its a bit sad when we have been having a lovely holiday doing our own thing on the boat, only mixing with one couple the whole of our 8 weeks away. 

Now staying inside the flat, only going out when necessary.

so, 

Back to reality of the real world.

😒😘

OOps sorry, by the time I have posted this Max will have been back spraying his Wet & Forget, and I have been back in London working for a week. 😊

2020 (3), The time to do nothing.

Firstly I want to say we have been devastated.... When one chooses a name for a boat, you think long and hard about all the connotations that might be made, lanuguage barriers and ease of pronunctiation.. NOW  we have had Kiwi Rose for 10 years and have been well pleased with the name.--------------------so when a lovely french lady swims by our boat in Sete, and asks " whats a pink kiwi??", we are flabbergasted and of course immediately realise , rose wine.😭😥😥.  oh bugger !!!!

To move on.....We love sitting on this wall here in the middle of no-where at les Aresquires. Stayed 6 nights. (only meant to be 24hrs😏😏).  No water, electricity, cars, night noise and hardly any other boats, except the local fishermen who zoom past at all hours in little speedy wooden boats that through up a hell of a wake..

The hire boats go past on a mission or moor to go to the beach for a quick swim. We have had lots of lovely cycle trips exploring the surrounding area, and one never forgets the wonderful smell of the sandy hot dry pine forests.. 

 

The View from the bridge at les Aresquiers of the Canal du Rhone a Sete.   And a 3-5 min cycle to the beach.

                                                         

  

Night times views.

 Not much happening, no travel, just lazy days, doing nothing in the mornings, maybe a cycle trip or just reading.  Temps about 28-32 degrees, and so we have found a favourite beach for the afternoons, with quiet seas one day, and ????not the next. 

And of course the beautiful Flamingoes. I have tried to catch a photo in flight as their pink wings are tinged with black, but no luck yet.

                                                 On our exploring we found a fresh shell fish stall, and later that day a hungry wife cycled to get supper---what a presentation, freshly shucked and on ice.

One of the problems with boating is where to fill up with water, and where to get deisel. For some reason here where we are its scarce. We have found we can easily last 9 days on our water tanks so that just requires trips to Frontignan (easy and local) to top up, but Deisel???    

Max after much consideration (ie, not wanting to lug 20-30l cans of deisel in his bike and load the boat up that way)--- we decided to go to SEA to get deisel!!!So on a lovely calm morning (8am) we headed out at the Frontignan canal exit onto the Mediterranian. 

The return trip to the sea port of Frontignan took us all of about 90mins but we have been to sea!!! 

After this lovely excursion we deicided to go out onto the Etang de Thau again and the idea was to drop anchor for the night just outside Meze.  The wind decided to get up a bit and it became a bit to rocky, so just we had lunch and returned to the canal.

Some of the sq kms of oyster        and muscle beds on the Etang. 

Pretty boats moored up, but really, even this is a bit far in "growing your own"

    

We think our plan from here is to head to Aigues-Morte and do some more exploring by bicycle around the Camargue area before we head back up to Beziers in Mid september. The weather is starting to cool a bit to 26 degrees and the nights are definately drawing in. It alwasy amazing us how quickly it happens as summer comes to a close.

With the Uk and the rest of the EU changing quaratine laws everyday as the number of people testing positive continues to rise, (especially in the 20-40 age group) we will wait and see how it effects our return to UK.

((Please excuse the irregularity of the blogging but for some reason this version I find difficult to us and has a mind of its own when it goes to print.😒.))

2020, (2) Our great interpid journey to date. August

Firstly I want to say that France is now like many European countries in the grips again of Covid. You have to wear masks everywhere, outside markets, in all shope and offices, going into resturants, when leaving your table to go to the toilet and when you get up to leave.

People wear their masks on their wrists as an extra fashion accessory so you always have one with you. We certainly keep out of anywhere crowded and have avoided the tourist centres of places like Sete.  It is the new world and I just hope it is not like this for too many years to come. 

the new Kiwi design--------

SO, to the blog, so far we have journeyed a long way in the last 2 weeks,,so far in fact that you can cycle the whole way in about 2 hrs !!!          AND all of them without facilities but thats ok as we realise we can go for 2 weeks on our water and we have a generator. 

 The best bit is they are all FREE..    

  Agde to just past Frontignan.For those of you who know, Max bought a new bike during lockdown and used it alot around Chichester for all of about 4 weeks, till some nice person with bolt-cutters relieved him of it.......   now in France he is not taking any chances!!  but 4 locks????

Now we are ready for launch... 2 hours in the water to check she doesn't sink and we are off. Max is extremly happy as the black water pump, the gererater and the engine all started first time. 

 Finally we leave Allemand and head up the L'Herault River through the old city of Agde to the round lock that will lead us onto The Canal du Midi. All canvas and windows down to get through the gates. 

 

Moored just outside the lock for 4 nights, a total of 6kms away and free (no facities.). we had a lovely spot under trees which we needed as temps soared to 35 Dregees. At least we had endless entertainment from the boat hire base.  

We did alot of cycling, about 90kms in 3 days.  There is alot to say for e-bikes and I LOVE  mine, and I can nearly say I will now follow Max anywhere.   😍😊

We also moved the car from the boat yard to Bezier about 25kms down the canal. This is where we will winter Kiwi Rose this year.

 

Believe it or not, but the wall of this house is all painted. The French are very good                               at doing this to help cover the huge concrete bland walls.

Then our next big boat trip was across the Etang de Thau, "the oyster beds of the south."

to the wall outside Sete.(14kms).  Spent 3 nights there bobbing about from the continual wake of small pleasure craft and little fishing boats during the day.

But the sea water was lovely for swimming during the hot hot days.

 

The sea mist came and went quickly but was lovely and earie when it happened at night.

 

As usual we spent a lot of time people watching.  Desite the demise of Max's binoculars😂😅😕

Not sure the right eye peice is meant to swing like that!!!!

Above is what looks like a evening training session for water jousting, being pulled towards each other as if on the boats and trying to lance the other eprson off. Went on for about 2 hours and then as most meetings do, it turned into what we thought was a very long strategy meeting, Ha ha ( with beers of course) 😁😊

On our last night we were seranaded by these boats in the lovely manner of the Sete people.

                                                                                Hope this video works!!!! If not, pictures below.

We spent 3 nights bobbing on the wall and then set off for Frontignan to get some more water. 

This trip was an arduous 4kms.  We actually met some other sort of Kiwis, a couple who live half their life in either Australia or NZ, and the rest in EU who got out as soon as NZ opened up, and an english couple who live between Spain, Turkey, their boat and visits to family in UK------ BUT that is it.

The canals are very quiet and even the bumper boats are low in numbers.👍

Of course the crew has to sample the wonderfully cheap wines available here in France.

Managed another 34km cycle for lunch at a charming litttle village back on the E'tang, Bouzigues.

Stayed at Frontignan for 3 nights before heading off to our lovely quiet spot on a wall 6kms from Frontignan in the middle of nowhere where we have been before. It is a 10 min walk or 3 min cycle to the beach, which is not very assessable to cars so relatively quiet. 

A calm mornig with the dawn sky reflected in the water.

And so we sit here, just chilling, exploring around by bike, and avoiding people which is extremly easy to do.

And people are still having lots of fun. The french are always fishing.