Lindsey, newsletter # 83
Bletchley Park, Sunday 9th July, 2300
June ended peacefully with Lali going back to Biarritz. Lindsey and I then just let the days go by. That is only half true: still some work involving organising a conference in Slovenia in September and making sure that everything would be ready for the summer break.
On Saturday 8th we took the train to Paris. Once there, a rest and into Paris to meet up with old friends. A walk by the Seine, crossing to the Ile de la Cité, then the Ile Saint-Louis. A nice sunset with Notre-Dame. And then a meal in a Lebanese restaurant. We still have to suffer the effects of a heat wave, but as I am writing these lines (on the ferry to Dover), I am realizing that perhaps we will regret the heat in the next few days.
The goal for today is to get to Bletchley Park where we have our hotel. I have been to Bletchley a few years ago, before the Turing hype started. Very little had been done to the place at that point and it seemed strange that a place of such historic importance would be so abandoned.
Lindsey, newsletter # 84
Somewhere… before a tunnel, Tuesday 11th July, 2300
We are cruising round the ring.
On Monday we managed an early start (2pm) and we went up to Long Itchington were we moored for the night close a lovely pub. Pétanque was on the programme before dinner.
On day 2 we had rain. All day. We still managed to do more than 9 hours of navigation, getting very wet, specially in the Hatton flights, a series of 25 locks which brings you to the top of the hill. Unrewarding in this case because of the rain.
Lindsey, newsletter # 85
Somewhere… next to Nuneaton, Saturday 15th July, 1200
Saturday 15th of July
On day 2 of our trip it rained non stop; we moored at the entrance of a canal and were able to walk up from there to a pub.
Day 3 saw an improvement. So much so that we decided to stop the boat and wander off for a long walk. We reached an old mansion (Baddesley Clinton was the name) whose gardens probably deserved a visit, but at 12 pounds a ticket we decided that our money could be better employed elsewhere.
We spent the night at Catherine de Barnes. The towpath kept us close to the town. No food around so we ordered an Indian meal which was delivered to our boat!
On day 4, Thursday, we had to struggle quite a bit. We approached Birmingham from the south, having spent the night at a nice place called. So we turned right at the Bordesley junction, entered into the canal and after 500 yards found the first lock padlocked. The canal wasn’t wide enough to turn round so we had to cruise backward: Jacques at the steering wheel, Thierry with a rope to the stern (or should we call it the bows), and Lindsey and I with rope and pole trying to keep the bows aligned. That took us a while and quite a lot of energy..
This made us have to go through the centre of Birmingham with many extra locks. At last we got to Salford Junction, which was the other end of the short-cut we weren’t allowed to take. A bit further, more trouble when gravel barges seemed to be floating unattached in the middle of the canal!
All this made us arrive quite late at our rendez-vous of the day. Were waiting for us, and treated us to a great meal, Rick (Lindsey’s Brother), Helen (his wife), Jonathan and Joshua, sons.
We had a really nice evening and it was quite simply a special occasion.
On day 5 we had a lovely cruise up to Fazeley and down again to Atherstone where we spent the night. We went into Atherstone where we ordered a Chinese takeaway and waited for it in one of the numerous pubs of the place. We probably made the wrong choice but managed to get a glimpse of rural brexit England. The meal was great… but far too much of it. I think we will be eating Chinese till the end of our trip!
Saturday (day 6) started with a bad news. The lovely weather we had expected had transformed itself in just another one of those boring “summer” days. A bit of rain, a grey sky, some cold wind.
We moved south with a dozen locks, some of which were manned by volunteers. It turns out that, as a hobby, some people are prepared to stand in the rain wearing a life-jacket, a handle in the town, waiting for the occasional traveller to appear on his barge.
Lindsey, newsletter # 86
Nantes, Tuesday 18th July, 23-45
On Saturday we cruised the few miles that separated us with our next meeting: Jill, Bill, Georgie, Julie, Ian, Brook, Alfie and Misty. We ate roast chicken as the chosen place was a Rotisserie. Lots of laughs later we embarked to get a bit further and moored on a rustic part of the river. No pub next door. Just the river and the quiet. Dinner… for the second time, the Chinese.
Sunday was the day to get back to base. It was supposed to be sunny but turned out to be grey, when not raining. It was also injury day: Lindsey started having a bad back on Friday, only moments after separating from the others. On Sunday, it was greater and she spent most of the day sitting in a chair. Which meant that when in the afternoon, after I had let Jacques and Thierry go off for a walk and was trying to reach bridge 101 which was the rendez-vous point, she could not help me. And that is when I chose to miss my sharp turning into the Oxford canal, find both ends of the barge touching opposite sides of the canal. I rushed through the boat to try to push us off from the bow, jumped on the stony embankment, slipped and ended with both feet in the river. There was also a nasty cut on the leg.
The evening brought us close to a great pub. The Folly. A nice place to end our trip.
Monday brought us back to France. A quite frantic day. Return the boat at 9-30 (in full sunshine, of course…), speed down motorways to catch the ferry. In the ferry Lindsey’s back pain became more acute: we actually had to get the steward to announce « is there a Doctor on board? ». There wasn’t, but a nice nurse came to help.
After a (hot) night in Paris, train back to Nantes. We saw the Doctor in the afternoon who didn’t seem too worried about Lindsey’s back and suggested that I continue with the cocktail of pain-killers I am becoming quite an expert on.
Anyhow, a much nicer medical visit than the one which brought me to open this blog exactly one year ago.
Love
Lindsey, newsletter # 87
Nantes, Tuesday 25th July, 2300
One year later… Dia de Santiago again.
One year ago at this time… Technically this fails this time in France means errrr, orrrr, I am no longer sure what time in Seoul. So perhaps we were still in the waiting moment. Or perhaps were we trying to rest.
What I do remember was getting up very early, Lindsey being injected some radioactive stuff and Vikki and I asked to stay with her and keep her in the dark. This involved covering her entirely with a blanket when a nurse tapped on the door.
Then leaving her, letting her go in on her own for the very complicated operation. We had been practising for hours the movements she was to do when asked, while Dr Chang was touching her brain, in order to know where to cut and where not.
Then the wait. Hours and hours. The choir. If you scroll this too long post you will find in somewhere. And finally the deliverance. Dr Chang with a smile on his face inviting us to go and see Lindsey with who we were even able to talk.
We celebrated today. A bottle of cava and a lobster. Some may find it weird to celebrate but I know that one year ago I would have signed with both hands for a glimpse of the present situation.
The photos on this week’s entry are by Jacques. Taken last week while in England, barging on the Warwickshire ring. I do have pictures of this week where we have had Jill’s visit, but will keep these for another time.