Happy Christmas from the Ark.

     Best wishes for a happy Christmas to all Ark readers! May 2018 be a year of good fortune and happiness.

The Ark visits a creepy site

  Last Sunday we went to Chez Tante Mabel at Pers to buy a new scented candle ( no, that's not the site I'm referring to) and on the way back we decided to visit the local Lanterne des Morts. These tall towers with a light at the top are present in several regional graveyards and used to have a lantern lit at nights. This was supposed to act as a guide to call restless spirits back to their graves after wandering abroad during the night, to stop them haunting the living during the day. These towers have always given us the heeebie-jeebies , not surprisingly. The light was hoisted up with a rope from a small hatch in the base and burned all night. I don't know what prevents spirits from roaming all day since the lantern has not been lit... Creepy, or what?
   Bye for now, going to ward off evil spirits with a cup of coffee!

The Ark was not impressed...

   On Friday, we went to buy a new apricot tree to increase the variety of our orchard. As our predecessors have left us several mature trees, a quince, two figs and lots of wild plums or damsons,and an apple, we felt obliged to plant some new trees. We have already established a pear,two peach trees and a cherry and we felt an apricot would continue the good work. We heard of a local supplier at Chives, and arranged to visit him on Friday afternoon.
  We bought the new bare-root tree and loaded it into the Berlingo by lowering half the rear seat back. The Green Machine is most adaptable to carry unusual loads! On the way, we had seen a sign to the Menhir de Chives, and decided to visit it.  We found a path leading into the woods and having parked the van we walked round the bend and there it was! On the banks of a dried-up stream stood the Menhir in question. A notice board beside it explained that it was perhaps the only example of these standing stones still in its original position . Dating from Neolithic times, it was originally polished  and had a pyramid-shaped top, but the intervening thousands of years had left it a bit moth-eaten..But what immediately struck me, was its very modest size! Barely taller than Mrs Noah, not very impressive to eyes which have gazed at Stonehenge or Avebury Rings or even Carnac. Interesting, perhaps but could do better...

 Bye for now, basking in the heat from our stove keeping the cold away!

It's a matter of taste!

 
  For some time, my weight seems to have slightly diminished and this worries both Mrs Noah and my doctor. A test seems to reveal a certain lack of protein, and my wife felt the doctor was reproaching her for not feeding me properly. She makes me eat Greek style yoghurts, which I quite like as they are sweetened and fruit flavoured. She makes me stir in a spoonful of wheat germ, OK as it has a neutral flavour and doesn't spoil the taste. Her latest suggestion, is to add Brewers yeast to my cornflakes, to help the digestion. The packet reccommended a heaped tablespoon, we compromised on a dessert spoonful. When I tried the resultant mixture, I found it unbelievably foul, quite bitter and unpleasant. Kim told me I was making a fuss about nothing, regard it as a medicine, she said when I complained it was ruining the taste of my cereal. She soon changed her tune, when she tried her own plate, being quite unable to eat it! We will try yeast tablets perhaps, she compromised....

   Bye for now, drinking a coffee to take away the memory.

Who's a timid toad, then?

    During our recent stay in England, we visited the city of Portsmouth and undertook a tour of the town, which we used to know well. Eventually, we ended up parking well along the beach towards Eastney, and stopped to let the dogs run on the beach. There was a gentle surf breaking on the shingle, which Rufus, the Great Dane, found very alarming. He would run madly along the shingle and swerve towards the sea but would recoil in horror when a wave broke towards him. He seemed to think the water was trying to catch his feet, and would leap back out of reach. As the wave retreated, he followed it up, only to recoil once again as the wave advanced towards his feet once more.
   What a wimp! In spite of his impressive size, he's just a pussy-cat at heart....
 

Return from Plymouth

     The Ark has been spending a fortnight in Plymouth , staying with our daughter, Alyson. We like to take the dogs with us and as they worry Al's cat and tend to leave hair on Al's immaculate house, the live in the back of the car. People might feel this is cruel to the dogs but they seem to like it and feel more at home in 'their' van than in a strange house. When we finally arrived home and were unloading the van, they kept trying to get back in...
  Brittany Ferries took us from Roscoff in Finisterre direct to Plymouth but the return journey was via Portsmouth to St Malo, as the Roscoff route closes during the winter. We had gone to attend a surprise fiftieth birthday party for our middle daughter, Kerry. Unfortunately, her husband, Darren, had a major heart attack only shortly before, so it was by no means certain that it would still be a surprise or even take place at all! Nevertheless, we decided to go anyway, as all the arrangements had been made for Kim and Al to stay in a local hotel. I had decided to stay in Plymouth to look after the dogs, rather than put them into kennels, which would have distressed them. Besides, I am forbidden to drink, due to my medication , and it's very boring to be the only sober person at a party where everyone else is increasingly merry....
  I the event, Kerry was very surprised at the party, and the guests, who had come long distances to share in the event. Kim and Al drove all the way to Coventry and returned the next day, so they were really exhausted.
  We had arranged to spend a fortnight in Plymouth , seeing our new grandchildren and our local friends and ex neighbours. We were due to return on Wednesday, but someone suggested that the date was, in fact, the Tuesday. We had already packed up ready to leave for the drive to Portsmouth on the Tuesday morning, when I thought to check the ferry ticket. It was for the Wednesday night! We had already stripped the beds and said our goodbyes, so decided to go up anyway, and try to rearrange the crossing, or stay in a hotel if this wasn't possible. Unfortunately, there wasn't a St Malo crossing that night, so we spent the night in a very nice hotel and had a tour of Portsmouth the next day. We had both spent several years in Portsmouth and Gosport many years ago but the city had changed out of all recognition and we had difficulty in recognising any of it. We did drive along the seafront towards Eastney and the beach was much as it was but the city itself was strange to our eyes...
   We checked in to the ferry terminal with no more than the usual difficulty in finding the dogs' chips. Then followed the usual interminable wait for boarding. Brittany Ferries would be lost on the Calais crossing! We had a quick meal, then settled down in our cabin. Luckily, the crossing was smooth and we slept quite well. The French arrival checks were much easier than the English procedure. Then, it was just a question of a five hour drive back to Loubille... Tonight, we are quite tired and looking forward to an early night
  Bye for now, going to enjoy watching our own TV.

The Ark has trouble with fireworks

   The Ark is currently parked in front of Aly's house in Goosewell. The dogs, Rufus and Laika are living in the Green Machine, which they normally take in their stride.This time,however, there is a snag--both are terrified of fireworks!  Every family in this fairly densely populated area seems to have been having a firework party in their garden, and both dogs need comfort and reassurance . Normally , a dog guard separates their domain from the rest of the van, but the dogs attacked it to escape into the interior smashing it almost beyond repair...it has been necessary for one of us to sit with them and cuddle both dogs, a somewhat chilly sojourn, needing much dressing up! They also have to be fed early, while it is still light, otherwise they are too upset to eat. Hopefully, the party now seems to be over, perhaps the Ark can now return to normal. I shall try to repair the dog guard tomorrow...


Bye for now the dogs have settled and I'm in for a warm and a meal.

Recording of Songs of Praise

  On Friday we attended Hope Baptist Church, ou Plymouth home church,  to assist at the Christmas recording of Songs of Praise. As there was only one camera we had to sing each verse up to four times, keeping the same expression on our faces! The various takes could then be amalgamated. For the purpose of the recording, it was deemed to be the eighth of December, so we ate mince pies afterwards, Yummm. I suppose the recording will be joined to other churches, and something which took us over an hour to make will last only a few seconds... Still it was interesting to attend.
 Our Pasteur, Andrew, made a most moving testimony about his cancer, his faith is a great example to us all.

   Bye for now, see you later on Songs of Praise!

Update sewing machine, etc

  We have succeeded at last in getting the replacement sewing machine to work and Kim sewed a new sofa cover from two curtains.
  I have not been able to blog for several days, as the site didn't offer the alternative to start a new article. However, I succeeded in resetting my Google password and here is the proof it works!
  Breakfast calls!

Boating on the canals

 A recent programme on TV about the canals reminded me of two very pleasant holidays we spent on the canals in the UK, when the kids were much younger. We were leafing through a Hoseasons catalogue, and decided to hire a barge, or narrow boat as they are properly called on the Southern Oxford canal. We chose one of the smaller boats but when I rang to book, it was not available and the same for our other choices. I put the question another way, what DID they have, and it boiled down to a few of the largest size boats that can fit on the canals! All boats have to be a max of seven feet wide, this is why they are called narrow boats, and can be up to seventy-two feet long. We must have left it a bit late to book... We decided to take what was on offer and shared the cost with my sister, Cath.
  Eventually, Kim,I, Cath and our two youngest, Kerry and Debra drove up to Braunston to board our floating home for the next week. The boat was grandly called the Sir Mark Isambard Brunel, and looked HUGE alongside the dock at Braunston Boats. Although only seven feet wide, it was longer than a single decker bus.. The boatman came aboard when we had stowed our gear in its three bedrooms to give me a course in handling it.
  The behemoth is steered from the rear cockpit with a tiller, rather than a wheel, perfectly simple once you realise you push it left to go right and vice versa..the engine is also controlled from here, by a simple quadrant. Central position is neutral, with the engine idling. Push forward to engage ahead gear, push further to increase revs til you are travelling at its maximum speed of four to five mph. To reverse, pull the lever back, increase revs by pulling it further, simple, no? He untied the warps and we were off. He quickly handed over the tiller to me, and it was not too difficult,once you had got used to the five second delay between putting over the tiller and the boat starting to respond... We went about half a mile up the canal, where we passed under a bridge, the towpath kinking under the bridge so that towing horses didn't have to be untethered. He said,'ok, you seem to have got the hang of it, see you in a week' and hopped nimbly on to the towpath to walk back to the boatyard, leaving a terrified novice in charge.
  An abrupt bend loomed up and the boat drifted towards the bank, despite maximum helm. You have to realise that it steers largely by the rudder redirecting the flow of water from the propeller. I quelled my natural reaction to slow down, and increased revs, pleased to see that this enabled the boat to go round the corner happily. The next crisis was at the first lock...locks are only about two feet wider than the boat and the cabin blocks the view of the helmsman seventy two feet further back...by guess and by Goodness I passed between the gate pillars and we entered the lock chamber. If you are going up, someone has to climb up a slippery vertical ladder to carry the warp up to tie up. He, or she, then has to open the sluices with a tool like a starting handle to let water into the basin, AFTER closing the gate by heaving on the beam. When the lock is full, the top gate is opened, the warps are cast off, the crew hops back on, and we motor grandly away. A minor miracle of eighteenth century technology, to lift umpteen tons of steel boat twenty feet, using no motorised force!
  the boat was quite luxuriously equipped inside, once you got used to living in a sort of long corridor.. you have everything you need right with you, in the same way as a caravan, and we passed a very pleasant week on the canal. I had our old Alsation, Flicka to keep me company in the rear cockpit. Each time we came into the bank, she leapt off for a walk, only fell in twice... Cath was helping to push out the bow of the boat when we were setting off once. You have to push long and hard to budge a heavy steel narrow boat and Cath continued beyond the point where she could regain the bank or pull herself onto the boat, she found herself suspended like a human gang-plank. She gave a despairing howl and fell in. I put the engine in neutral to stop the prop and Kim hauled her aboard by the collar, a highpoint of the trip

I-Pad

Dowsing reminiscing for Noah and wife

  For the last few days , the water supply company has been marking the water points and underground pipe runs with orange spray paint. Yesterday , I saw one of their operatives using a long rod with a dial on top to detect the buried pipe runs, modern science at its best... However, this reminded me of a much more primitive method--dowsing.
  Many years ago, when we were still living at Plymouth , we had a friend who was a cantonier for Cornwall county Council. He lived near Looe and we were visiting him one day. He was about to trace a water pipe at his house, and mentioned he would detect it by dowsing! We were most admiring at his unusual talent, but he stated in a most matter of fact way that this was the normal method of detection and produced from his toolbox the necessary apparatus . Far from being a willow twig, this consisted of two short lengths of copper tube, cut from a water pipe. Into each, was inserted a two-foot length of stiff iron rod, bent into a right angle. You held the copper pipes in each hand and the wire, which was free to swivel , protruded in front like two pistols. He explained that if you walked over an unerground water pipe the two wires would stop pointing straight ahead and would turn towards each other to form a cross.He offered me the chance of trying it out, and steered me towards a part of his garden which was crossed by an underground main.
  Now it was obvious to me that if you allowed the two tubes to incline towards ea other, Gravity would cause the rods to cross. I therefore determined to concentrate on holding them vertical as I walked to and fro. However , I got a huge shock, when the two rods swung smoothly towards each other and crossed in front of me! Really, it sent shivers down my spine... My friend confirmed I was standing over the pipe. Kim tried next with the same result. We were both badly shocked. Apparently, this only works if a human is holding the pipes, it is an interaction between the pipes and the holder. We tried later with the more traditional willow fork but without success, that takes much more talent.
   A strange experience , which left a lasting impression.
  Bye for now from psychic Noah and wife...
 

A very long day for the Ark.

   Yesterday was the day we were due to pick up Kerry, our daughter, from the Bordeaux airport. She was due to arrive at 11am so we set out in good time at 830. Despite a few mist patches, we were making good progress and had covered more than half the journey, when we received an alarming phone call from Kerry. Her flight had been cancelled, would we stop and await news. We accordingly pulled off the road and found a very pleasant aire to drink coffee and run the dogs, one of the few good memories of this stressful day. Kerry eventually called back she was diverted via Paris, and wouldn't be arriving at Bordeaux until 1730! Poor girl, she had got up at some unearthly hour to catch her direct flight and now this...
  We continued our route but decided to stop for lunch and after trying to find a resto for some time off the Bordeaux periferique , we stopped at a Brit Hotel . They served us an excellent lunch, the second compensation of the day. The dogs, we had fortunately thought to bring with us, could be left in the shade, round the back.
   We went on to the airport , parking in their expensive car park, and had to while away the afternoon until 1730. We found the flight from Charles de Gaule arrived in the main terminal , rather than the Billi, as the budget airlines do but luckily, the flight was on time, even five minutes early. We had a touching reunion with Kerry, whom we hadn't seen for some time, as this is her first visit to Mort Limouzin.
  We set out for home, a journey which should take some three hours or les but now came the final straw--the N10 was blocked by an accident and we were stationary for what seemed like hours creeping slowly forward a few yards at a time. By the time we arrived at the scene, and could proceed following the directions of a helpful Gendarme, some hours had passed and we arrived home exhausted at 1130! What a day....

   Bye for now, even thinking of this is wearing me out and Mrs Noah and daughter are having a sieste.

The Ark's tender is up for Controle Technique

   The dreaded test has come round again, the French equivalent of M O T. However, it only comes round every TWO years and the test is done at a special test centre, not in a garage as in England. I have always felt uneasy as to the honesty of the testing garage, anxious to provide some work for the repair side of the business . One hears unpleasant rumours of sharp practice.... These pressures are not present in the French test centres, so we can be sure all the problems are real. Luckily, the problems were not very serious, and only one needed a re-test.
  The van went for its test on Ninth of Aug, but Our garage couldn't do the necessary until yesterday, never mind, there is a delay in booking the re-test. Laurent at Couture arranged to have the van for repair yesterday  but lent us the garage 206 to use while the repairs were carried out. It's a shock, driving a car with no power steering or brakes, isn't it? We were told the van might not be ready before tonight, but in the event, Nadia rang late yesterday afternoon to say it was ready, a happy surprise ! Booked in for free re-test tonight at 6 10. I don't anticipate any problems, Garage Bayou is most reliable . Nadia said to call in next week for the bill, not ready yet! An English garage wouldn't have released the car without a payment , preferably in cash, ,even for regular customer, the attitude of the French garages is most refreshing ...
  Bye for now, going to have a little doze....

Alyson's visit

Our daughter Alyson has just returned to the UK after spending two weeks on thE Ark. The weather was kind to her, Al likes nothing better than to bask in the sun, improving her sun-tan. We put out a sun bed in the cour, and she lay there, roasting like a chicken. I don't know how she does it, Kim and I stay in the shade during the heat of the day.
  On Friday, we took her to see the Ile d'Olreron, which she had never seen. It rained all morning as we drove to the Ile, but after we arrived, the sun came out and we were able to sight see on the island.  Al wanted to see Fort Boyard and we found a spot where we could see the Fort in the distance. Afterwards, we drove to the Chassiron lighthouse at the tip of the island, and had a coffee at a near-by restaurant . Then we went to see the sea where the currents meet as they sweep around the point, it's obvious what the lighthouse is for!
  Then, the long drive home, where the dogs were anxiously awaiting us for their tea... A very pleasant excursion in spite of the morning's rain.
   The next day, we had to reluctantly take her to La Rochelle airport to catch her plane home. The nightmare delay on our previous trip, when traffic queuing for the Ile de Re bridge nearly made her miss her flight made us anxious but in the event there was no problem and we arrived early . We said our goodbyes at the barrier, and set off for the drive home with heavy hearts. Als flight was forty minutes late, although check-in was at the normal time.. She didn't get home until after one am! Almost quicker to walk to Plymouth than to take a plane.
   Bye for now, Kim gone up for an afternoon nap, might doze myself....

End of an era, the Ark retires old Leopard computer.

  The old Apple desktop computer has become somewhat erratic so I reluctantly decided to replace it. Failing to find an Apple model I decided to use a Toshiba laptop, provided by our computer expert, Nick Westrell. The old Leopard was supplied by Adrian Brown, who rehomed unloved Apples. It has given sterling service for many years but is now obsolete and erratic. I am a little reluctant to use a Windows machine but no doubt will learn to love it in the end....and I still have my i-Pad of course, which operates on Apple, best of both worlds really!
  Bye for now, coffee calls, after feeding all the animals.

The Ark visits the town of the mermaid Melusine

   Last Saturday, we decided to go out in the afternoon. We had felt a bit stale and Kim was complaining that we didn't go out exploring as before. I suggested we went to revisit the town of Lusignan, the town of the mermaid. We had previously been there years ago, and explored the picturesque old town centre prior to climbing down to the banks of the river, below the castle ruins, where I entered a gloomy passage leading  to a ruined spiral staircase ascending to the castle above. I wrote a blog about it at the time.
  This time, my state of health limited our walk and I certainly couldn't climb down to the river valley.  However, we were able to see the old town and the gardens which have taken the place of the castle bailey. We really enjoyed our visit and may well go again when my walking distance has extended.
  Bye for now, we're awaiting the arrival of Patrick and Cecile, our friends from Lille.

The Ark goes to a concert

Last night we were in the Salle de Fetes at Matha to listen to the All Souls Orchestra perform. It must be the third time we have heard this excellent orchestra and we try to attend their performances every to years, when they have a French tour
  The orchestra was created in 1972 in London, at All Souls Church by Noel Treddinnick, who remains their conductor.  He overflows with energy, bounding and gesticulating in front of his musicians, seeming to drag them along with him, I can't imagine how they could fail to perform to their utmost with such a leader! They are internationally famous, so we are lucky that Noel arranges a tour of several local towns, he has a second home in Deux Sevres.
   We found the orchestra most impressive as always, the two vocal soloists being particularly excellent. Several well known pieces were performed, both secular and religious. Strangely, Noel doesn't seem to speak any French and an interpreter was used to translate his words to the English followers. The audience was a mixture of both nationalities, so this was much appreciated. Later in the evening, we were asked to stand and sing a hymn in French, which gave us the opportunity to see what being conducted by NoelTreddinick was like! Altogether an enjoyable evening, well worth the drive to Matha and the rather late return.

Bye for now, going to make a cuppa..

His Master'sVoice.

   A few days ago, Laika cut her foot, looking for rats in one of our outbuildings which used to be a bottle store. Unfortunately, there was broken glass in it, I have since locked the door shut. I noticed she was limping on her left hind foot, but she dislikes us putting Betadine on it, and threatens to bite. It got worse and the poor dog went onto three legs so we booked an appointment with the vet. He examined it, which we had never succeeded in doing, he did take the precaution of  putting a muzzle on the dog! He prescribed painkillers and a product to keep it clean but also a funnel-shaped object to stop her constant licking of the foot. She now looks like the old HMV advert and bangs into everything including our legs...
  Bye for now. Going to Kine at Melle.

Beasts in the garden

Swallowtail

 We have a rather overgrown Buddleia in the Ark's garden. They call it the butterfly bush, and it's appropriate, because it attracts all sort of butterflies and moths by its honey scented fragrance. I wanted to photograph some with my little camera. Isn't it strange how the insect flies off just as you press the shutter release! I had to take dozens of shots just to have four or five half decent results...at least I could delete the failures without financial loss. I would never have continued if I had to pay for film and development under the old system!
  Bye for now, going to drink a cuppa.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Return from the mountains--barely,

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that we spend a week in the Pyrennees at Aucun, above Argeles Gazost, at the holiday centre Vers Les cimes. We love the high mountains, and find the holiday does us good. It's always a happy time to meet old friends and meet new ones, to walk among the mountain valleys, even though neither of us can walk as far as we used to. It's lovely to listen to Christian instruction among fellow Christians and to eat the copious and delicious meals we don't have to cook.  However, this year, on the penultimate day, disaster struck, which nearly undid all the benefit. We were going to take the dogs for a little stroll on a footpath near the village but when I tried to start the car to remove it from under the shady pine tree where it is parked to keep the dogs cool, it failed to start, the battery was nearly flat. I couldn't decide whether to call our insurance assistance, or to accept help from our friends at camp to restart the awkwardly parked vehicle .I was really worried about how we would get back home the next day.Eventually, I decided it would be best to call for help. I rang for Credit Mutual assistance and they were really excellent. They sent a local garage to call within half an hour, who had no difficulty in finding the very remote holiday centre. We were expecting a breakdown truck, but the mechanic arrived in a normal car and restarted the car with a portable battery and leads. He gave good directions to his garage, and asked us to go there to have the battery tested as he had another emergency to attend. We drove there very careful not to stall the car, and another most helpful mechanic tested the battery with a high-tech machine, which established that the alternator was charging the battery ok, but the battery itself needed changing. They fitted a replacement straight away, and we drove of having paid just for the battery. It worked fine since for the trip back, so obviously needed changing.
  Bye for now, going to make a nice cup of English tea, don't the French have strange ideas about what constitutes a cuppa!

The van stuck under the pine tree, Laika was trying to pull it out but got tired.

New Ark crew--a Shark!

  It's not that we've installed a fish-tank on the Ark, or corralled a ferocious requin on the deck! The Shark in question is a new vacuum cleaner bought as a result of the demise of our Dyson. We have always preferred the Dyson, for its formidable suction and strong beater action on carpets. However, after needing service from a motor problem consequent to falling downstairs, it never seemed quite its former self, emitting a sobbing noise and needing frequent unblocking of its numerous exterior hoses. Finally, it quit altogether and needed a replacement . Our neighbour, IanMacdonald had bought a Shark Liftaway and said it was loads better than a Dyson, so he let us try it by cleaning his lounge... It did seem very satisfactory  and was somewhat cheaper from Amazon, so we ordered one.
  The Shark does have excellent suction and collected a disreputable amount of pet hair from the kitchen carpet in no time. The dust collection box is quite small and was soon full, but very easy to empty ( once the instruction manual had revealed the latch to be lifted. )  The various buttons seem a bit complicated  but a little use soon breeds familiarity. The term Liftaway refers to an ingenious feature, the motor unit detaches from the shaft and the beater brush continues to turn, so it can clean under low furniture. It even has a headlight, like the Hoover Dirtsearcher of many years ago, I have fond memories of selling them when I worked for Currys. All in all, a most useful crew member, I can thoroughly recommend it!
  Bye for now, sitting drinking iced lemonade, the weather in France having decided it's summer.

The Shark in question

Visit to the Somme graveyards, part 2

   After our visit to the cemetery of the Devonshire Regiment, we went to have lunch in Albert, a larger town nearby. Following that, we set the Satnav to return to Cecile and Patricks house in Wattignies. As it often does, the Satnav chose a new and picturesque route, taking us by minor roads, and passing the much larger cemetery at Pozieres. We stopped to visit this and were impressed and saddened to see long lines of graves, over 2000 collected into this large site from the surrounding countryside . It's one thing to read about the many deaths of First
 World War soldiers, quite another to gaze at long lines of gravestones in serried rows. The most poignant graves in both cemeteries were those on which no name was engraved, as no identification could be found on the remains . On these, it just read ' A soldier of the Great War- known unto God '  I was deeply moved.... In one such grave there were even two Unknown bodies presumably where the remains were mixed up together in death!
  I'll try to attach some photos but I'm writing this on the iPad and photos are stocked on the mainframe .

Visit to the Somme graveyards. A moving experience.

During our Spring visit to our friends at Lille, where we were made most welcome , we decided to visit the First World War graveyard of the Devonshire Regiment, with which we have a certain connection. Kim found out from the Net that this is situated at the small village of Mametz, near the town of Albert. As this was not too far from Lille, we set off to find it.
  With our usual luck, we spotted a sign to the site just before reaching the village, and were able to park nearby. A short, paved path led us to the cemetery gate.
   The graveyard , as is the case with all military cemeteries, is tended by the Comonwealth War Graves Committee and they do a grand job. Lawns cut and weeded, all ironwork freshly painted, the tombstones kept clear of any lichen, and loads of information provided. The 14-18 war is long enough ago to be before my time, yet it is not exactly history either. I expected it to be interesting but was not prepared for how moving it was. I found tears in my eyes several times, seeing tombs of people with common Plymouth names, they could have been my uncles or neighbours.
  The Devonshire cemetery is relatively small, mainly consisting of soldiers killed in a sortie against the near-by German front line, clearly visible from the trenches held by the Devonshire Regiment. Previously weakened by a severe artillery barrage, the German trenches were taken by the Devonshires but a machine gun hidden in a near-by graveyard cut down dozens of our soldiers. The bodies were interred by their comrades in the trench and a poignant inscription carved- The Devonshire Regiment held this trench; they hold it still. After the war, this trench was converted  into the existing cemetery.

Ark update

I see I haven't written an Ark since goodness knows when, and I think my friends and family will think  I've run off  with the milkman! I think a brief resume of our situation would be in order.
  My health situation continues to improve after my second stroke last September . From time to time I complain that progress is slow, but Kim points out that I don't have the intensive therapy I got at the Grand Feu after the first one, so it's not surprising . One or two sessions of physio therapy per week can't compare to three or four per DAY then! It's true, but.... I can't help feeling impatient. Nevertheless, my situation continues to improve, only the left arm and hand are a little weak and slow to respond and I limp a little on my left foot when I'm tired. Still, when I compare myself to others who have suffered strokes, I feel very lucky.
  What other news? Well, today I'm feeling very happy and carefree, I have finally completed my French tax return on line with the help of Agnes, our invaluable French friend. When it was finished and confirmed I didn't owe any tax, I was so relieved , I could have kissed her!
  Car wise, things are going better, too, after several false alarms, the green machine seems to be cured of its head gasket and slow puncture problems and we are regaining confidence in it.
  Our English TV is also recovering from its sulks, the purchase of a new but second hand box has permitted it to resume service with the bonus of some new channels to explore. The original five are really all we need, when I think I was happy with two as a kid, and those in black and white!
  We are planning our usual summer holiday in the Pyrrenees in June looking forward to that. We won't be continuing on to Orthez this year, as Arlette has the decorators in, she rang yesterday . Still, perhaps a briefer stay would be better for the animals at Mort Limouzin ...
   That's all for now, got to make a snack.

The Ark takes a trip to Daneland

    No, the Ark hasn`t sailed off to Norway! We had decided to visit the HQ of Dane Rescue, from where we had obtained our Dane, Rufus, almost a year ago.Sharon had told us that they had rescued  Harlequin Great Dane even bigger than Rufus and we thought it would be great to see this phenomenon. He is slightly taller but much more hefty, although efforts are being made to slim him down. Here is a shot
 of the two dogs, nose to nose so you can judge.


  However, let's put the things in order. Yesterday was a fine, sunny day, we visited our local market to have a coffee and buy fresh vegetables from the stall holders. Then, it was pick up the dogs and head south via Angouleme. We had thought to have lunch there, but the GPS bypassed the town, so we saw no restaurants. We eventually bought supplies at a Boulanger at Marthon. Continuing o, we arrived at the site having passed loads of restos, 'twas ever thus....
  Sharon and Andy made us very welcome at Dane Rescue and introduced us to the new dog, which they have nicknamed Tiny! Both our own dogs were introduced into the fenced pen, where Laika was by far the smallest dog! She behaved very well, avoiding confrontation by Danes sniffing her backside by sitting on it, clever dog!
  We had a fab afternoon playing with the dogs though it was very hot. Reluctantly we took our leave, and started the long drive back home, arriving very tired.
  That's all for now, Blogger is showing signs of acting up...

Reminisces of Noah--effective medecines?

     I was thinking today, when I was eating my breakfast and taking my pills, of the state of my hips some twenty years ago. We were on the south Cornwall coast on a ' wrinklies walk', a walk along the coastal path with a group of friends, spending the nights in different B and B's along the way. At least, Kim walked, my hips were too painful to go far, and I stayed in the car to meet the group at the finish of each day's march. Arthritis, perhaps, but it was painful, I walked with a stick, don't like to remember those days. Someone suggested cod-liver oil tablets could help. Without much faith, I started to take one a day, and after a few weeks, I was delighted to find my symptoms had gradually disappeared. I have walked freely ever since, and for me at least, the benefits of cod-liver oil need no further proof, I and Kim have been taking them ever since.
   Again, a similar time ago, on claims visit near Truro, I was struck down by an agonising pain in the lower tummy, a kidney stone we later found . Kim had to drive, and I suggested going straight to Treliske hospital, where the diagnosis was made. I had in fact, passed the stone, and the pain diminished over a day or so. It was suggested that cranberry tablets or drink could help, and I was very keen to avoid the pain, so I started to take them. The problem never recurred, so I take them still... Mind you, Kim doesn't do so, she did suffer repeated attacks and now doesn't, so I am less confident in recommending this, however I have never dared stop just in case!
  These are the only two 'food supplements I take, I also take prescription medecines for high blood pressure and the French doctors are keen to prescribe a blood-thinning drug for all the over fifties, but that's a different story. However, I can personally highly recommend Cod-liver oil by results, and just possibly cranberry if you suffer from the stones

  Bye for now, going to enjoy a walk.

The Ark tender returns

  I'm glad to report the green machine has returned from repair. We passed by the garage at Couture yesterday, and were amazed when Laurent said it was finished. In fact, Nadia, his wife and finance director, had left a message on our answerphone during the morning but we hadn't picked it up. On our return to the house, we rang our insurance to retransfer the cover fron the 206, that Laurent had kindly lent us, to the Berlingo. It was timed to change at 11am Saturday morning. This morning, I hustled to fill up the loan car with diesel and get to Garage Bayou at 11. Kim originally wanted to come, but had had such a bad night that she went back to bed, so Laurent passed the van back to me. I returned to Mort Limouzin, amid a most amazing hailstorm, Spring hasn't yet permanently sprung...
  I found the van far easier to drive than the 206, which lacks power steering and therefore manoeuvre facility at low speeds. The clutch was very fierce, too, quite difficult to drive smoothly.
  It is amazing the difference in attitude between French and English garages. Although the bill was considerable, the car was handed over with no payment, Nadia suggesting I should call in in a week or so, as she hadn't prepared the bill yet. There is also no problem to spread the payment over three months. An English garage wouldn't have released the car without cash or a certified cheque being handed over!
   I'm really enjoying driving the Berlingo, I was beginning to doubt my ability to drive safely as the 206 had such heavy steering .

 That's all for now, looking out the window at the green machine!

New Ark crew member, welcome Blue.

Following the tragic death of our beloved  Storm we felt the need to replace a grey cat, or at least Kim did. We didn't want a kitten , as it is likely to outlive us, so we visited the SPA at Mornac and chose a large and apparently friendly grey male. As he needed to be castrated, we had to return a week later to pick him up, sign papers and pay a contribution towards his medical expenses. We returned home with the new cat.
  We knew we'd have to keep him in for ten days or so, to habituate him to his new home, so shut him in the sitting room with all the facilities. However, the next day we thought he'd escaped, as he was nowhere to be seen. After a prolonged search , we discovered him squeezed away in a minute niche obviously afraid of coming out. He hid in a different place each day, and eventually, to be able to lay hands apon him, we had to entice him into a cage within the room. This worked ok, and we could haul him out and install him on our knees  where he gradually became quite tame, purring and rolling on his back. Just as we thought we had cracked it, after nine or ten days, disaster struck! Coming down for the loo during the night, I found the sitting room door ajar, obviously I hadn't closed the bolt firmly enough the evening before, the cat had shaken it loose and had legged it through the cat-flap into the garden. We called and called but there was no sign. However, later in the day Kim saw him sitting on a high beam in the open barn but he slunk off. Two days later, there was a doubtful sighting on a neighbour's barn. We were just feeling dubious we could ever recover him, when Kim saw him in the flower bed and he let himself be picked up and put back in the front room. Since then, he has been in and out of the room, sitting on knees and being a friendly cat. We hope we have succeeded in having him join the family
  Bye for now, going to stroke Blue...

Ark catch-up, and a car problem

     I see that I haven't blogged since going to the UK in February. It's not that nothing has happened in the meantime but I seem to lack enthusiasm, somehow... Still, people will be asking if the Ark has sunk so here goes.
   My recovery is proceeding steadily, though no as fast as I'd like, helped by twice weekly sessions of physio at Melle. There is a new chap there, Raoul, of Spanish extraction, I believe, though he speaks good French, who has helped me a lot.
  We lost our grey cat, Storm, while we were away. She never really recovered from her poisoning from eating a poisoned rat, despite our best efforts, and those of the vet, our neighbour , Ian, found her dead in his outbuilding and kindly gave her a decent burial in the orchard, under the quince tree, where so many of the Arks crew lie at rest...
   We have recently started to go to a local sewing club at the Loubille Salle des Fetes. At least, Kim sews, I just do my drawing, as I used to in former times. It helps a lot to share laughs and gossip with our neighbors. We also have also started to attend a gym class at the same venue, which I find unexpectedly pleasant, despite its being  Just after my Kine session, I'm knackered afterwards.
  There was an unpleasant shock awaiting us this morning--the car was making a funny noise yesterday and on checking the fluid levels this morning, I found oil in the radiator water. A trip to the local garage at Couture confirmed my fears that there was a problem with the head gasket, and the clutch thrust bearing was jammed. The repair will be costly, I fear, but the reserves will stand it, and Laurent lets us pay in several instalments.  Heighho, all part of life's rich pattern, it would have been worse when we were an  empovrished family rearing kids. We can't be without transport living here.
  Well, that's all for now, coffee calls.

The Ark sails the sea, despite Doris

  On Thursday 23rd of February, we left Mort Limouzin to drive to St Brieux, to stay in the Formule 1 as is our habit. We don't feel comfortable driving all the way to Roscoff in one day,so booked an overnight stay. The weather was drizzly right up to the Loire crossing at Nantes but then, as often happens, it changed and I took over the driving from Kim and completed the drive in sunlight. We had heard of the ravages caused by storm Doris, and had feared not being able to sail, but the Brittany Ferries site assured us that sailings were normal even on Thurs, so we were reassured.
   After a peaceful night at the hotel, we continued on to the ferry port and booked in without much problem, apart from the usual hunt for Rufus' chip with the BF detector. We had a coffee in the ferry port's bar, and booked a sandwich for later, then drove to Roscoff town to run the dogs on the beach. Rufus adored running on the sand, and tore madly about, chasing seagulls. We then returned to the port, boarding the ferry Armorique which sailed on time at three o'clock.
   The crossing wasn't unusually bouncy just a bit dull. We whiled away the time by having a meal, fish and chips plus a delicious dessert.the trip took six hours as usual, so we arrived in Plymouth at eight. Al was pleased to see us but we had to take care not to wake Mimi, who was spending the night with her. The next morning, we had the pleasure of our great-granddaughter's company, a great delight to Kim, who has really missed her, although a video link via Facebook has helped her stay in contact.

Goodbye, Phyllis, sad death of our doyenne cat

About two years ago, we agreed to accept two elderly cats from John and Barbara , who were returning o the UK but couldn't take the cats, as they were going into sheltered accommodation. Although they were very fond of the cats, who were eighteen years old at the time, they couldn't find a host family, ad had asked the vet to put them down rather than send them to a home. You can imagine their relief hen we saw their appeal  and volunteered to offer them a home. They were hugely grateful and showered us with equipment for the elderly cats , even offering to pay for vet bills. We collected the cats and shut them in the lounge until they were used to their new address. Attoo passed on after about a year but Phyllis lasted up to yesterday , eating well and being an affectionate lap-cat pulling herself onto our laps by her front paws as her back feet were too weak. She plodded about like an old lady and we suspected that she had the feline equivalent of Alzheimer's. She purred when stroked, came when called, what more could be asked?
  She was almost twenty years old when her luck ran out. She was not keen on her food one day, and this morning when I put out her food she just looked at it. She felt cold when I lifted her up and fell on her side in her box. I realised she had passed on. It was scarcely unexpected, but sad nevertheless...
  We wrapped her in a pillow case and asked our gardening ladies to dig her a grave. One even shed a tear on hearing the news.
   She will be sadly missed, been a part of our life for a couple of years.....

   Bye for now, got to go to Niort for a MRI

Christmas at Lille

       As was our normal routine, we decided to spend Christmas with our friends Cecile and Patrick at Watignies, close to Lille in northern France. Although my health was a little shaky, we decided to go for it and make the trip. We took two days to cover the distance, spending the night near Charles de Gaule airport at a Formula One hotel at St Witz.
   Cecile and Patrick welcomed us warmly at their home near the centre of Watignies. It is a most luxurious modern house created from Patrick's father's veg garden, approached via a tunnel from the centre of the town,which seems to lead to the rear yard of a cafe. You wriggle your car down this unpromising entry, turn sharp right in front of a small terrace of houses, including the house of P's father, turn sharp left and you find yourself in a sort of oasis-garden in the middle of the town, facing Cecile and Patrick 's large home, which originally had a granny annex for Cecile's mother, sadly deceased a year ago.
  We were given the guest room on the first floor. C and p's daughter and friend were also staying but as Dimitry is allergic to cats, they stayed in the caravan parked in the garden and all cats were prohibited from entering the house, which didn't please them! However the couple proved invaluable in assisting Cecile in cooking meals. However, we were 32 people at dinner on Christmas Day and Eric Sacleux, and Patrick were responsible for preparing and serving the sumptuous repas. Our contribution was five goat's cheeses on leaves much appreciated at Lille. An iced Christmas cake was also baked and taken up with us.
    We took the dogs with us, but our friend Agnes was kind enough to look after the cats, poultry and sheep, as well as keeping an eye on the house. In spite of our qualms before going, we were made so welcome and had such a great time that we returned home very much happier than when we left.
    Bye for now, I'll try to blog more regularly in future.