Not much to report on the house front this month as we spent 3 weeks in France – a few days in Paris, a few in St Jean de Luz and Toulouse, and 10 days piloting a boat with another couple down the Canal du Midi.
We slipped very quickly into the cadence of Paris and enjoyed an Impressionist exhibition (real and VR), restaurants, cafes, cheese shops and strolling about, and a 4 hour dinner with our Parisian friends we had not seen in a long time. St Jean was a peaceful Basque town on the Atlantic while Toulouse was aerospace and machine museums and more restaurants.
Boating was delightful, and something I had wanted to do for a very long time. Great weather, foods, vistas, crew and adventures.
Our boat – well designed, equipped and comfortable (with bow thrusters!) Two cabins, WCs, helms and kitchen/dining area. All the boats on the canal had black bumper strips and permanent fenders, unlike the Rideau Canal system.
Late May saw us weeding, gardening, planting and doing the final prep for the driveway paving and a busy June.