On Sunday the 27th the Lady Mary was bombarded by a handsome rogue and three bonny lasses. They ate everything in the galley and left the skipper nothing but Desperado (a beer and tequila premix in a can… blergh). We now have the co-ordinates for the blog so adjust your seat-backs, dear readers, and prepare for the resumption of normal blogging services (free wi-fi permitting).

Capestang is a beautiful little village surrounding by vineyards. As well as excellent baguettes et pain au chocolat, we discovered a local cave selling vin rogue et vin rose from a hose – for 1 euro a litre we filled up all our empty plastic vessels. Take that liver!

After a quick safety briefing from Cap’n Dave – details of which are already but a faint memory – we disembarked from the Capestang dock and headed under the teensy Capestang Bridge, smallest bridge in the entire French canal system. We had to take down all extraneous vertical projections – the windscreens, sun awning and Pete’s top hat – and luckily we just managed to squeeze under.

Since Capestang, we’ve overnighted in three lovely little villes: Argeliers, Le Somail and Homps. The weather has been gorgeous and autumnal, but hot enough to swim in a river that we spotted from the canal.

C’est tout, pour maintenant…

Au revoir

XOX


Plane trees along the canal


Post-bridge – resurrecting all protrusions


ulia and Pete playing a dusty game of petanque amongst the vines – Argeliers village in the background


Annie doing some hard labour on the boat


Boules, pink wine and jandals


Canalside championship match continues


Inspector Clousseau! Off with the beard and on with a very dodgy looking moustache – it’s just a temporary aberration while we film our award winning ‘horror-mentary’ about the orange-toothed mole rats of Languedoc


2000 year old Roman Amphora unearthed from beneath the vineyards near Le Somail


Cooling down in a river

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The mysterious orange-fanged swimming beaver weasel - what is this animal?? Two baguettes to the person who guesses correctly...
The mysterious orange-fanged swimming beaver weasel – what is this animal?? Two baguettes to the person who guesses correctly…

Escargot in the hedgerow
Escargot in the hedgerow
A boat of much envy
A boat of much envy
Arriving in Le Somail
Arriving in Le Somail
Happy Capitaine - "I'm the skipper, and I says full steam ahead"
Happy Capitaine – "I’m the skipper, and I says full steam ahead"

Nice old maison at Le Somail - once glanced at by Sean Connery
Nice old maison at Le Somail – once glanced at by Sean Connery

Rosie gone all Romanesque on the Rocks
Rosie gone all Romanesque on the Rocks

Moustachioed Pedro attracts les filles
Moustachioed Pedro attracts les filles

Le Somail
Le Somail

Frenchie Fruit Doors - always ferme
Frenchie Fruit Doors – always ferme