Well, my friends, if you're still reading this website, I admire your patience! Several friends have asked if I've given up on it altogether! The answer is no, but I have been busy............usual excuse!! However, here I am back and raring to go. Let me tell you what we've been doing.

(Run your cursor over the pictures to see the caption.)

When we got back from France we returned to the boat at Oxford Cruisers, and went along the Thames for about a mile, to Eynsham Meadow where we moored for four nights, with friends Margaret and Alastair on 'Hepburn'. Margaret is my patchwork and quilting mentor, and whenever we can, we moor up next to each other and sew together. It happens infrequently and usually only for one night, so this was a real bonus, and we did lots of things together. We also had a barbecue, and Trev and Alastair went out in Alastair's inflatable dinghy. I think it's got a proper name which is RIB, but any way, off they went. Another friend of theirs, John on 'The Dillen' was also moored up with us and so the three men went to the pub in the dinghy. It looked quite like 'Last of the Summer Wine ' as they set off.

Sadly all good things come to an end and so we had to set off back up the Oxford Canal. We needed to go to Springwood Haven at Nuneaton to have a job done on the boat. And then we had to get to Warwick to moor the boat up in the Saltisford Canal Centre whilst Trev went off on his epic trip--The Tour de Mont Blanc.

We had a good trip up the Oxford, it's a lovely canal, got the job done at Springwood Haven, and made our way back to arrive in Warwick on August 9th. This gave Trev plenty of time to get himself organised for his long distance walking holiday in the French Alps. It's 110 miles long and has 30,000' of ascent and descent. It goes all the way round, but not up, Mont Blanc. On the way there are mountain refuges and hostels at which one can stay, and a few times it was possible to stay in hotels if the route went through towns. He did the walk with two friends, Ronnie and Pete.

Click here to read about the walk

Here are a few pictures which Trev took on his walk.

Trev, Ronnie and Pete left the UK on August 20th to do his walk and it took them about twelve days. Trev said it's one of the best things he's ever done in his life. It was very hard work and one needs to be fit to do it with a backpack.

When they had finished I flew out to join them and we all shared an apartment in Samoens. Ronnie and Pete stayed with us for a week, and then Trev and I stayed on for anotjher week, returning to the UK on Spety. 19th. Trev had been away for over four weeks, and his French has improved no end. He even made his first telephone call in French in order to reserve rooms for them all.

Here are some pictures of the second two weeks, when I joined them.

When we got back to Liberty Belle, we stayed in Warwick for another week catching up with friends, and then set off on Saturday, 27th September on our Autumn Cruise to Llangollen. You can read all about that in a week or so, when I write the first page.

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