2023, June 9th.  Have settled into being in holiday mode now!!!

This is Kiwi Rose looking much better and cleaner after a quick waterblast to get rid of 9 months of dust under the tent, but no real polishing needed👍👍👍👍👍.  Everything lovely and dry inside.

2 days after arriving we were off to Roses in Spain.

Friends Fred and Zoe ( from Portsmouth) have been waiting for a break in the bad windy wet weather to leave from firstly Adge then Roses (just over the border) to cross to Minorca. 

We drove over to stay with them for a night ( 2 hours - Spain is sooo close) - as we had in our car-boot- a large self detonating fire extinguher for his engine room that funnily enough they COULDN'T carry on Ryan-air as luggage!!! They have a very comfortable Grand Banks that with the top removed and extra wt in the bilge, they managed to get through the french canals a few years ago from UK.

Unable to show you the high wind -(but you can see by Zoe's hair) or waves against the jetty but at least it was sunny and warm. 

Needless to say the beaches were empty but penty of resturants with the Spainish Tapas and wines/beers--- cheap and delicious. 

Fred and Zoe had tickets to see the Salvador Dali museum just in Figueres so off we went for a bit of culture--uuummmmm  well,,, everyone to his own... The guy we are sure was quite MAD!!!!

So inside a great big building - huge rooms and a very eclectic range of art displays..

(back view of last picture.)

These bits are confusing until you go up a step ladder and look though a piece of round glass with a hair pice of bunches---and see this......................................... which  was meant to be MAE WEST.

Salvador Dali himself.

This picture below we both missed - when you look at it as a picture high on the wall- it looks like just a block picture with no rhyme or reason.  

BUT when you take a photo you immediatelysee that its Abraham Lincoln.

Lovely and warm- just incredibly windy- but on the way home past Andorra- there was snow up in them hills.

Through Fred and Zoe we have met some new friends called Russell and Julie from Perth, ( we forgive them) and had a few good evenings together.  Saw them up the 9 ecluses and even though they had only bought the boat recently and been on the water for only 2 weeks - they had it all sussed.

Took the car up the canal towards Toulouse to La Somail so we could cycle a new bit of the Midi Canal- and went past the place that is partly responsible for the whole change in our life path-- Agen Minervois where in 2007 we finished our bumper boat holiday.

A quick walking trip around Beziers to do our 10,000 steps and a quick stop on the way home.

Lovely plain walls painted to add character to boring places- Of course statue in the main square of Pierre Paul Riquet who built the Canal Du Midi in begining of 16c.

The Catherdral of  Saint Nazine on top of the hill and in the park, the statue/fountain - Fountaine du Titain- holding the world in his hand. 

Lovely flower market and a quick pit stop.😉😉😉😉😉

Max's only conscesion to me was allowing parsley and chives ( no flower staining on the new paint job)😞😞

Love that anything/anybody can enjoy these canals- don't need posh boats - just a hut on a pontoon, and of course an outboard.

Our friend Alison- over from Oz to visit her aged father in london come over for a few days...

Quick trip through Marsellian for lunch on the way to takew Ali to Montpellier airport.

                                                         -- my plate of course.!!

Been in Beziers now nearly 4 weeks now - we are settling onto boating life and ONLY have another 4 months 👍👍👍

Now we are planning some cycle trips in Spain and around France -- but that will be another blog...

😀😀😀

                                                        

                                                      We thought this might work for us ....