General Witterings -
Rosy's a bit stuck!!!

Navigation News:

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings (he lied), but Briare is a bit isolated from the rest of the French canal system at the moment - and will continue so to be for a bit longer than we had thought/hoped.

Heading North from Briare, towards Paris, there is a stoppage just beyond Montargis (I think that's where it is!!).  VNF HOPE to have this cleared by the end of the first half of April.

The stoppage at Chatillon sur Loire closes the route South, and they HOPE to have that cleared by the end of the first week of May.

Please note those two 'HOPEs' - VNF are giving no guarantees.

There have been strong rumours that the whole of the Canal du Centre will be closed for the whole year (apparently a dam collapsed on one of the summit level feeder reservoirs).  I have just spoken with Jeff who runs the boat yard at Montchannin (on the summit level) and he says that the canal is open NOW, and that he has been given no indication that is to be closed.

Boaty Bits:

There aren't many jobs on Rosy that I really hate - but drains is one of them.  The problem is that the drop from the plug hole to the exit hole in the hull is only a couple of inches, so there are no strong flushes to keep the tubes clear.  PLUS the diameter of the tube leading from the plug hole is bigger than the exit hole in the hull.  The union between the bigger and smaller pipes is where gunge collects and causes blockages.  I last did the bathroom sink some two years ago, but it blocked-up last week.  The pong from sediment in the drains is infinitely worse than Fanny's puffs - the pong is a mind-numbing, nose-shattering, morale-sapping stench.  I guess that Hans Blix and his weapon inspectors might find the sediment of not inconsiderable interest (to quote a John Majorism).

I've been a bit concerned to hear about Timber, a border collie that cruises in the UK of the nb Quidditch with a Will.  Unbeknown to the crew of Quidditch, Timber fell off the stern deck, and had been in the water for 40 minutes before they recovered him - a very close shave.  I've been wondering about where Fanny will be when we're cruising, and I've just about decided on the roof, where I can see her all the time - here in France, the air draught is over 3 metres, so there are no problems with her getting squashed under low bridges.

Great Fannys of the World number 349:

Fannys on TV:

Fanny and Johnny Craddock were early TV chefs.  Fanny did the business, with a suitably superior BBC accent, whilst Johnny did the leg work, and added appropriate comments to emphasise the important bits.  Fanny was making doughnuts, and was most insistent that the shape of the doughnut was of prime importance.  She showed us how to achieve the perfect shape.  The Great British Public were then pretty much knocked out by Johnny chipping-in and saying "So!  Make sure all your dough-nuts look like Fanny's."

I've nearly trained my Fanny to bark on command.  This was helped by BBC Radio 4, which had an interview with a Nepalese gentleman whose name come over the distorted Long Wave air-waves as Kanik Mani Dickshit.  Anyway, his dog joined in the interview, and that set my Fanny off - woofing at a dog 5000 miles away!!! 

I am also concerned at her lack of awareness of the principles of HASAW (Health and Safety at Work).  She went trotting off the other day with a stick in her mouth in the 'cigarette' position.  Lord knows what her mother was teaching her in infants class.

Toodle pip!!

Bill