Welcome back autohelm

Again our journey across France went without a hitch. The only slight delay was at security on the British side at Ebbsfleet when a nice young man nodded towards me from the X-ray side and I was pulled to one side and given a pat down by another nice young man. I was then lead over to a table to discuss the contents of my bag. An inflated step fender, various pipes, an oil extractor pump, a toilet servicing kit, six weeks supply of tablets and some other plumbing gear necessary for my survival. 

Seemed perfectly usual to me. Anyway I explained and, because I have one of those believable faces, he let me through.

Another professional self portrait!

Visits home are to try and sort things out so that you can carry on from far away. We just arrived back at the boat when we are told of a serious crisis at home.

After much debate it was left to its own devices and the last remaining child vacated the family home in search of safer accommodation.

Arriving back at Chalon, Hermy was as we left her. We were challenged quite robustly by the French lady on the neighbouring boat making sure we were the owners before we were allowed back on board. Nice to know Hermy was being watched. I wouldn't have taken this lady on if I were a thief.

Getting anxious about the distances to go we leave the lovely marina at  Chalon the next day and head for Tournus.

 It had been quite stressful steering all day along narrow canals and in and out of locks. A return to the auto helm has been very welcome. I think Caro has managed to settle back in to the routine.

The only disadvantage is that we are now back in the world of commercial barges.

Up until now you could see them coming with the flow from in front as they ploughed downhill, now they creep up quickly from behind. Almost as scary as spiders!

Tournus is a quaint little town, originally a supply camp for the Romans then, with the emergence of  an Abbey, the town prospered. Saint Philibert (Parents couldn't agree between Philip and Albert) built the abbey on the spot where some poor old Christian was beheaded. That's boring sermons for you. A great deal of it is still there after a thousand years. I wonder if the launch of the iphone seven will be remembered in a thousand years. 

After a pleasant day wandering around Tournus it was lovely to sit on the back of the boat with a  cool Blonde and listen to the chattering starlings gathering among the Plane trees lining the river front. At least I think they are Plane trees I may be corrected by the family tree expert.

When suddenly, out of nowhere, at about 9 pm, we hear this terrible squawking then a loud bang. It sounded like the assassination of the last Dodo. In the dark we see that a man has appeared in a van equipped with loud speakers and a long stick. The speakers are playing these horrific squawking sounds, probably of birds of prey and he is attaching a firework to the end of a stick, lighting it, inserting it up the tree where there is a loud explosion. 

The interesting thing was that very few starlings flew off. They seemed to accept that they may have been disturbing the neighbours and just kept it down a bit. So we returned to the tranquility of humans on motorbikes, sirens, car horns and people putting bottles in bottle banks. Now that's much better. (Okay that might have been me with the bottles but the point is made.)

We decided to stay another evening in Tournus as it was so nice and do one of our guided tours of the town. We particularly wanted to see the cycle museum which is just out of town but despite a number of reassuring adverts stating the opening times on the way ----

it was shut. Well, of course, it was Friday at 11 am, what did we expect. 

So off we trundled to the 16th century Hospital museum not expecting much but being pleasantly surprised. I would have been happy to spend a few nights here. Although some of the instruments looked alarming.

We Settled back on the boat with a beer and eye ointment due to me rubbing sun lotion into them, one of the many hazards of sailing in hot climes, I was attended to by nurse Caroline.

Again we watched the hundreds of Starlings circling and gathering in the trees clearly not put off by last night's events. Shortly afterwards a great big cruiser parked behind us.

their generators drowned out the starlings. Where's that man with a stick and a firework when you need him? Caroline won't be able to hear my snoring!