Mild night after a thunderstorm and heavy rain; a grey day with a few light showers. We went by car to Decize, mainly for shopping, but also to have a look at a couple of moorings on the Latéral canal. Avril-sur-Loire had no facilities whatsoever, but a little further down the canal at Fleury-sur-Loire there was a nice layby with all facilities, a snack bar (it said it was open but it wasn’t) and a large Dutch boat on the quay.
We went to find the Mairie to ask if it would be possible to stay there over the winter. A very friendly secretary took our details and told us we weren’t the first to ask and she would get back to us. Back into Decize to collect a few groceries. On the way back home via Cercy and the backroads we called at the other Fleury (the lock on the Nivernais) where the community of the village of Biches had installed a halte nautique. A very old and very derelict cruiser with Belgian registration number had been dumped there and not touched for a decade or more. The facilities were all locked up but there were wash basins and electricity points and taps in a camping-type toilet block which might be available.
Took a few photos of the needle weir on the river l’Aron alongside the mooring and some balsam flowering in a drain. Found a tea plate sized field mushroom. A sign said electricity 5€, key at the lock house resto (which was now shut as it was out of season). Back home. The neighbours came over to find out how we got on. They were keen to have a look at Champvert on the Nivernais near St Léger-des-Vignes where they stayed on the way up the canal. Mike started work on the engine, replacing the old injector and finding a missing valve stem cap which had ended up on the edge of the push rod tube on the next valve over. It was lucky that it hadn’t gone down the tube or we’d have had a bigger problem. C came over to say he’d spoken to Corbigny and we couldn’t moor at Fleury on the Nivernais as that pound was due to be drained (presumably the wreck will have to sit on the bottom); he’d also spoken to the mayor (a very charming lady, he said) at Champvert who said that all three boats would be welcome to stay there over the winter and that there used to be electricity in the port which could be restored. On their return M came to tell us that there was no one at the Mairie in Champvert but someone told them that there would be someone there on Fridays. Change of plan, we’ll drive down there in the morning and ask about getting the electricity put on and staying for the winter there as Corbigny say it’s OK to stay there or at St Léger (the latter was full of DBs).
Can anybody identify the flower? - I thought it was a balsam but can't find it in any of my field guides. A garden escape perhaps? (Found it! 14.10.2009 Looking in the wrong books - Impatiens Balfourii - a garden escape, very delicate looking flowers)
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