A bad few days,but i couldnt understand why??What ive done the last 3 daysIt should have been a wonderful week.Id got off a boat in Beacaire .How Stella & Sandrine find boats that need moveing i wonder?It wasnt like that before.Life had been quiter and there had been far more time at sea.
She had a boat that wanted to go up to St Jean & one ready to come down the one up i crewed with the owner the one down i skippered with freinds of the owner.Since all five grils are now liveing aboard five boats things have changed,as Dave & i sat on the quey in Setè we regreted that the girls were getting us so much work life wasnt what it was (not to mention the things that need to be done aboard the girls boats);Thats another story.
I turned off my phone, Stella would think i was still on the canals without connection.On this side of the Rhone i have number i give to those ive met hear.Its uesful as when i get an sms or call its work (or someone from hear),but pleasent local work.a broker i know sends me with his clients who want to try a boat, if hes busy,which he mostly is as it takes quite some time often two or three hours,for that i get 50€ including cleaning & perhaps uncovering/covering the boat.
I do antifoul for which i get 200€ on this side of the Rhone, the broker has a part of a yard & well equiped,i resprayed my boat for the cost of materials.
Id called the brokers secratary,as shes his wife shes in charge!Brokers do have places in ports that they need for their boats or to help sell them by providing a a summer or one year mooring, we could have two places,certainly for a week & most likly untill the end of July.
When i arrive i alway bake a fruit pie for the Broker it creats good will amongst friends!Amazingly its the flowers i get from the flower market that have created the best enviroment,why woman like flowers so much i cant say but they are the reason we have free places rather that her husbands idea (somone ive known for years before he was married)that i should pay 20% in season & 10% off season
So it was that Dave & i sailed into port to tie up at a place we had permission to use!Montpelliers only 10kms by bike & a pleasent city in summer there always seems to be a cool breeze.The tourists stay on the beach and crowed the seaside villages leaving the city agreeable.
Just as during the last year, when i arrived, i took my notes, letters to answer & post cards to send (keeping in touch is very important when economicaly chalenged) into Montpellier where i tied my bike, safe? with 3 heavy locks in a small shaded square i took a table at a cafe, a moment later a cool garraf of Rose arrived i began the pleasent task of keeping in touch.
This is how life should be,for those as myself that find “tickets to weath”in sufficent amounts hard to come by,its essental to stay in known places.Finding a good cafe that collects my post,a good & afordable resurant,if there is one, take a lot of time and effort.Once established in a good place life even during the most challenging times is pleasent.After all thats whats lifes about.The majority rush about collecting “means to wealth” in order to create a comfortable enviroment about them.
Ive done away with the need to create a comfortable place (made with bricks & morter fixed )the boat is my home and the villages towns & citys provide the kitchen ,dinning room & study with good service in an agreeable enviroment.
On the way back i stopped off to say hello to those i know, one sells houses and when its quite, is happy to see me,we chat somtimes i go with her while she looks & photographs a property shes happy to let me drive then shes free to use her phone & make notes.This time it was quite i went to the bar she keeps i found a good rose,she said i should try a new drink she had?It was a “fruit” flavored drink a bit sweet but ice cold very pleasent!
I got back to the boat that evening i felt unease?? I thought Stella might be looking for me,but it wasent that?? Next morning Dave & i went back to town to look in at the book shop where for 1.20€ €€a coffee with small snakes are served sitting in a shaded narrow street (somthings gone wrong with my laptop??)
Better still the shop take the IHT and other mags which you can read while enjoying the atmospher,no cars scooters & not to many shoppers passing by into the old town or its possiable to look trough a book that you might want.
we then went on to a photoshop where i wanted to develop some b&w films,we were offered a cool drink again fruit duice flavered ice cool,several glasses later the films done some prints made we went for lunch,a dozen oysters green salad formarge blank & liter of rose 11.50€ (4€ for the rose)at 15.00 we wandered off leaving our bikes safe by the cafe(& very well chained up)
We went to visit somone else we were offered more ice cold fruit drink,seems very popular we stayed in the relativly quite garden untill 18.00 then rode slowly back,the 10kms seems to go on forever we got back & i felt very bad?I thought the sun had got to me as it was hot!
That evening i felt very depressed life seemed so pointless what was i doing why was i hear?? I couldnt understand it??? But try as i may my thoughts always became black & morbid.I still didnt call Stella
Next morning i felt as if i had the worlds worries on my sholders?? Had the Gendarm id hosed down found where i was?was he coming to arrest me????I didnt think so.They hate admin or mistakes,im sure letting me get away was one.NO i didnt think i had to worry about that(unless i sailed back into the port he visited or hed been transfered)
We went back into town stopping on the way when we arrived at the agency carolin was pleased we were there,she had sent us an sms,she had to go out but was expecting some things to be delivered “would we hold the fort”and collect the things,the phone wouldnt ring there while she was away
We enjoyed being estate agents looking through the properties.Some were amazing, 710,000€ 2,100,000€ (for a small hotel in the center of town)others at mear 300,000€ We wondered how buyers could pay such prices?? We drank more fruit drink.
That night again i felt so depressed but with no reason??Was i ill??Was i missing Stella(not yet another week or so)I called her,increadably all was well!! No work for us.In fact she & Sandreine had gone to Bandol for a few days while her parents were away
Next morning weak & feeling afraid neverous i went along to the broker no work for me i took some folwers from the market id paid 2€ for 20 roses & picked up others left over,i was offered coffee water or a ice cold fruit drink,when i said i was depresed they poured me a large brandy!That helped while i was by the bar i looked at the fuit drink,one had vodka another rum full strength when i saw that i thought that might be the reason as neither mix well with “rose”
What a shock!To find drinks are being sold that dont taste of the main ingredience,just as pastise tasts very mild,with the heat it had made me very ill,i do think companies should add a health warning.From now on no more strong drink unless made by me!!!
Thats been my last three days hear in the sun though todays very grey.
cooled to a chilly 29 degrees with 100% humidity pewww 
