It seems very strange to be writing our last message for this year from Northern Ireland where it is a lot cooler and damper.

Our last few days were spent traveling to Toulouse with Lydia. There was a fantastic cycling path so Lydia and Siobhan and I had a great time cycling between the locks. One was broken and we waited and watched with trepidation as the head keeper tore along the tow-path in her van with lights flashing to fix it.

Port Sud proved a great stopping place and Lady Mary will be safe there until Dave and Siobhan return to her next week. It is a very pretty stretch of canal. We had a lovely evening walk although I got bitten by a vampire cat.

We visited the covered food market – best we have found yet. We had lunch at one of the bistros upstairs and it was spectacular. We also all bought our favourite foods for a pic-nic in the airport – altogether a satisfying farewell.

Castelnaudary

Lydia Cycling

Lydia Cycling

Lydia and Siobhan

Lydia and Siobhan

Dave at a Lock

Dave at a Lock

Lock

Lock Near Toulouse

Waiting for the Lock

Waiting for the Lock

Fly is on to it

Fly is on to it

Canal du Midi near Toulouse

Canal du Midi near Toulouse

Grafitti

Graffiti

Port Sud Toulouse

Port Sud Toulouse