What with internet difficulties – should I say absences more than anything – I have found it difficult to get anything posted – and even the pic I wanted to put up just now won’t go for some reasson – so suffice to say we are having a most interesting time. Not very textile oriented so far – but I did buy a very nice piece of batik printed cotton from the congo – here in the small town of clamecy about 120m S of Paris – where our canal boat has been tied up the past 36 hours due to unfortunately heavy rain. Black, with rooosters and chickens and eggs all over it, it is beautiful it seemed to symbolise France. A textile shop here stocked mostly with notions ribbons napery and the wonderful narrow curtainings they put up at windows neverthless had a table of these Congo pieces, probably to coincide with an African themed exhibition at the local museum just now. I will put the pic up when conditions normalise.

I have been really struck by how manicured the landscape is, I realise essentially due to the long and many layered history here: and so many lovely flowery window boxes, the locks are all beautifully decked out with flower gardens, the woods and forests can bee seen through with trimmed trunks revealing further landscape vistas beyond… quite different to anything we have been used to. We have found difficulty adapting to things being closed at unexpected times, services not being offered where one might expect them in other parts of the world, and in our humble opinions so many opportunities wasted to show off this part of the world to visitors. But, that’s their way. We have totally enjoyed to fresh foods and cheeses, many of the wines and the wonderful goodies ofered in charcuteries and boulangeries.

So, briefly that’s it from me now, sorry I haven’t been able to post a pic or two but will do later.