18 May 08 Bad Sackingen

Writing this from our hotel room in Bad Sackingen. We discovered this delightful town by accident two years ago. No hotels available in Basle and the tourist office recommended Bad Sackingen.

It was their loss because this is now our third time here and we have not stayed in Basle since.

Bad Sackingen is at the very south of the Black Forest. In fact our hotel room overlooks the Rhine and Switzerland is the other side of the river. The wooden bridge you can see in the photo dates from the 13th century. It was the site of a famous battle between the Germans and the Swiss- or whatever the tribes were called in those days.



I do enjoy staying in this hotel. We live well in Ragny but it is only here that I have champagne for breakfast. Brenda says it is decadent. I remind her that Churchill had a bottle of champagne every day before lunch so surely Ted is entitled to one (or two!) glasses with breakfast. Brenda tells me that Churchill was waging a war. I remind her that I too am waging (and hopefully winning) a war- against ANZ Bank, Perpetual Trustees, Qantas Airways and all other purveyors of inferior customer service. Point made I think.

Being our third time her we have got to know this southern part of the Black Forest quite well. The panoramas are superb. I was expecting forests but had no conception of the depth of the valleys and height of the mountains. It is Germany not Austria but looks like Julie Andrews territory. I have tried to video Brenda gambolling down a hillside but she says she has neither the athleticism nor the voice for such an endeavour.

Have thought of our friends as we have travelled around the last few days.
Graham would have revelled in our tour yesterday.

We also found a country flochemarket where Brenda bought two special German cups so that she and Heather could enjoy afternoon tea together next month. It is not that we have no cups and saucers at Ragny but these appealed to Brenda- so Heather’s visit was a convenient excuse!!!
We also revisited a shop named “ Pak and Sak”. The equivalent of St Thomas’ Posh Shop. We are not sure whether “Pak and Sak” is the name particular to this shop or the German generic of our Australian op shop!!

Today’s excursion would have appealed to Fred. It included a water-powered sawmill with a wooden saw. Well, not quite, but virtually everything except the metal saw itself was made of wood. A very elaborate contraption and we were fortunate enough to see it working.



Germany as we see it is not at all militaristic. Compared to France there is a dearth of war memorials or other reminders of the dark past. We did come upon this modern (2004) memorial sculpture but it commemorates an 1849 uprising. Sufficiently long ago to be respectably commemorated.



We are also intrigued by a particular series of road signs which make no sense to us. The ones in this photo are especially interesting because it seems there are different speed limits for tanks!!! We have seen none.

13 May 08 Ted’s Blog Resumes

Where does one start? Or where have the last two weeks gone?


Had a great time with Rowena, Nicholas and Eloise. They spent five days with us and every moment was enjoyable. Weather was not the best but we did get out and about.






It was a joy for Eloise to play with all the things Brenda has accumulated over the last couple of years. The Lego train set was a particular success.

As was face painting at Quarre Les Tombs (but they didn’t tell us that the face paint was not easy to get ff parents clothes!!!)


Waited a long time for lunch in Dijon but Eloise enjoyed playing in the fountain






Not quite so happy the morning they were leaving. Eloise says emphatically that she is coming back to France!!!





Had a surprise visit from Perry and Jan (Santana’s father and stepmother). They were on their way north from Chamonix to the Channel and ventures unplanned in UK.

May 1st Labour Day – a real feast here- and we had a family dinner with Nicholas and Rowena, Perry and Jan, and my brother Gerald. A most enjoyable evening and a very late night.

A bit of an anticlimax when R, N and E left. Quite an adventure guiding them to Paris and finding the Hertz car park beneath Gare du Nord without them losing our trial. Luckily it was a Sunday. Would have been very hard mid week.

It was a relief to get the news they were safely back in Melbourne. Arrive 6am but Eloise at Kinder and Nicholas in office tat morning. No doubt that left poor Rowena with all the packing and clearing up.


So where has our time gone in the week since they left? Well with Public Holidays on 1st May (Labour Day); 8th May (Liberation 1945) and 11th May Pentecost working days have been restricted.

Garden is gradually coming under control. Almost all of the lawn (i.e. meadow is now under control) and OK for regular mowing.

Pool man came 6 May and opened up the pool after its winter hibernation. Remarkably what was a pond was quickly transformed into a useable pool and I have been swimming most days since.




Yes after N,R and E left the weather has very much improved. Mid 20s most days and pool temperature has reached 24. We hope it may continue although a heavy rainstorm this pm caused temperatures to plummet. Shades of a Melbourne cool change.

Brenda and I have managed a couple of days out. To the Forest of Chatillon, a new area for us; and to a garden fete (roses and rose wine) at an abbey last Saturday.




AND YES Ouki Va is back in the water. Brother Gerald courageously helped me launch her last Friday. We managed to get her in the water with no difficulty. Putting the mast up was not so easy. Particularly as I had forgotten how it came down. Driving there I was convinced we used the mainsheet a la Breezin. On site that was clearly not the case. Got mast upright but the was a 2-cm gap between end of forestay and deck fitting. Three attempts at lowering and raising mast did not improve fraternal relations. Gerald sensibly suggested we needed better and specific information rather than more "try it and see". Called the helpful previous owner but despite his willing assistance communication difficulties meant the gap between our mutual understanding was larger than the gap on the forestay!!!

Adjourned for lunch. Then just my luck a very helpful fellow sailor explained what we were doing wrong and lo presto mast up and forestay in place. Forestay doubles as the furler (that word swill be familiar to Fred) but would you believe we fitted it so that the line leads forward not aft.

Brenda and I went back yesterday and I rectified that; and got in a short 15 minute sail. Not long you may say but it took me ages to get the boat ready- made at least 5 different mistakes in not remembering what goes where etc- and an equally long time stowing everything away. Will need a lot of practice to be 100% competent before Fred arrives (or at least that’s my excuse to get a few more sailing days in the next couple of weeks!!)





Well folks that's the last two weeks in a couple of minutes.






Hopefully I can now get back n the rhythm and bore you more regularly.
Off to Bad Sackingen in Germany for the weekend.

27 April 08 Vide Grenier - but first the bushfire latest

Wake up and immediately call bushfire information line. News is good. Rain did come; fire contained; some fire fighters released and local roads now open again. We can breathe earlier.
Prepare to go out but first see the running scores of the Richmond Hawthorn match on the net. Richmond hang on in, only ten points behind at half time. Come even closer 13 minutes into the third quarter but have to go out hoping, hoping, hoping.

Vide Grenier is at Crepand. A small village you go down to on way to Montbard. Some readers may have been through it with us on way to the station.

A picturesque route up and over the hill. Everything is so so green, interspersed with many fields of rape.


Quite a large vide grenier but little is being sold. Early days yet but we get the impression the economy is depressed and money tight. Haven’t yet got a feel for what our neighbours think of Sarkozy. But we can guess at Madame Duval’s view of his wife.

Come home a different route passing the canal de Bourgogne.

26 April 08 Market in Avallon; Bushfire in Tonimbuk

Saturday morning is market day in Avallon. We usually stroll around for an hour or so if we have nothing else on. Inevitably we buy more than we intend but it all gets eaten.

It was a larger than usual market today because it was also a fair day. The difference escapes me but there were certainly more stalls than usual.
Caught up with Gerald for a chat and drink in Le Marechaux. He is greeted as a regular (he is!) and Madame brings his coffee without an order being placed.
















Our morning calm is disturbed by a call from Justin. He is en route from Adelaide where he played last night to Bendigo where they are playing tonight. He had just heard from our friend Graham that there is a large bushfire in Bunyip state park. Seven miles south of Gembrook and heading for Tonimbuk. 50 fire trucks and some 200 fire fighters.

A concern but a long time ago we realised that these things happen and there is nothing we can do from this side of the world so worrying won’t help.

Ring our neighbours Joy and Andrew as soon as we get home. It has evidently been going for two days and getting worse. Came within 1.5 km of some houses but wind has now turned it away from Tonimbuk. Rain on the way may also help.

Found the latest news on the Age website and from the bushfire information line. Non Melbourne readers may want to cut and paste this link into their browser for full report---

http://news.theage.com.au/fires-threaten-homes-outside-melbourne/20080426-28ob.html



Sorry clicking it will not work (for the technically minded Hyperlink does not work on this site using Safari!!!)

24 April 08 With Eloise in Paris

We had a delightful day in Paris with Eloise. Rowena and Nicholas were there as well!!

Coffee and croissants at café on corner. Four French medicines seemed to have worked and Eloise much better. 























Then walked from Hotel through the Tuileries gardens to Grand Palais. Grandfather has difficulty keeping up with them and also taking video and now the Photos for the blog.
















Justin advised me against getting a photo card for the video camera. In his view video and stills do not go on same machine. Unusually I disregarded his advice. And I am glad I did. One camera not two is much simpler.

Stopped for Eloise’s lunch in English Garden then to the Marie Antoinette exhibition. Pleased we had booked tickets, no queuing, and Eloise presence speeds things along too.

The exhibition was of paintings, bijoux and furniture illustrating her life in three stages- childhood-Queen- and downfall. The pictures were not exceptional but the exhibition was arranged as only the French can do it. The various rooms were set out, and decorated, as salons in Versailles. So realistic one felt one was there; as befits my imperial status.

After the exhibition another walk along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. Queues impossibly long (and impossible to book in advance unless you are in a group). At least Eloise has seen it; and has a postcard to send to friends at playschool/ kinder- sorry wrong it’s “Early Learning Centre”.




























Instead of the Tower Eloise had two rides on the carousel and a crepe.










Exhausted we bundled ourselves into a taxi back to the hotel. Brenda and I said goodbye- until next week- and had a good drive home to Ragny.

23 April 08 Babysitting in Paris!!!!

The pleasures, and responsibilities, of babysitting.

To Paris today to catch up with Rowena, Nicholas and Eloise. Poor Eloise has been suffering from a cold so they spent the morning at the Drs. Not quite what they had planned- the Eiffel Tower. Tower was anyway shrouded in mist although that did not deter the large crowds we saw queuing for entry as we drove past this morning.

Nicholas has also been suffering a cold. Rowena looks the fittest of the three.

Staying again at Hotel Therese near Opera (Justin, Santana and Mollets will know this). Very convenient for everything except parking.

Just a wander this afternoon. Sephora where Eloise delighted in buying her own colourful bath cubes (she has them at home and loves them); then Boucharra and Galleries Lafayette for Brenda. Computer shop for me. Bought 500G hard disk to store all my videos and photos.

Babysiting this evening. Eloise is such a delight and no trouble at all. It must be money for jam for the professionals.

22 April 08 Gardening Today

Well at least a start. Roses weeded and fed but the other borders will take some time. At least the ground is so wet that the weeds come out easily.


M Duval came round to ask for my assistance in finding a chain in the loft of his workshop. This entailed getting ladder down from roof of his garage and then foraging in the roof for a very old rusty chain. He was looking for two chains but I could only find one. Gather all he wanted the chains to help an elderly neighbour pull a tree down. Not bad for 87 this year.

Helping Mr Duval is a pleasure but not as easy as you might think due to the language difficulties. I have more difficulty with him than anyone. I doubt that I understand 25% of what he says. I suspects he understand even less of my garbled French.

5pm and a quick visit to Auchan. Those of you who have enjoyed exploring our local supermarche will be pleased to know that little has changed. Except that there seem to be quite a few more English voices around. And some of them are so strident. Strange how we secretly resent “our” Avallon being invaded from across the channel.

21 April 08 Another Farm-Another Boat

I had been wondering how soon I could get to my boat but it was Brenda who suggested we visit M Saquet and see how Ouki VA (my French boat) had survived the winter.

Brother Gerald came with us to Lac des Setans. A pleasant drive down through the Morvan and everything so green. The lake still had a wintry look. Most of the pontoons are still out of the water. They have a lot of work to do before the port opens next week and the boats go in the water Yes we call it a port although in fact it is just a small bay with a number of pontoons and some boats at moorings.

On the other side of the lake at the sailing school there were a number of small cats on the water with young people sailing. They seemed o be enjoying themselves but it must have been cold.

Then to M Sacquet’s arm. He was out when we arrived but his wife (?)(companion!!) was welcoming. Interested in Australia and us but very rural, very French her ro0ts are firmly in the soil here. She talks at length about the French not being great travellers. We were also treated to the history of her extended family….. and M Sacquet’s for good measure.

And Ouki Va? I had had fears of her being covered in cow muck, bird droppings with covering torn away by curious beasts. Fortunately no. She was as snug and clean under her tarpaulin as Brenda and I had left her last Sepember.



There were some young calves in the same shed but securely fenced off from the boat.














M Saquet arrived as we were leaving. His wife had told us he was 71 and retired but he had spent the day planting “Sapins de Noel” i.e. Christmas trees. He has some 60,000 on his hillside. Some retirement!!!

Jaan and Bruce would have found our afternoon interesting. We know they have planted lots of trees for protection at Labertouche- but 60,000. A hard way to diversify!

20 April 08 ---We are at Ragny

Yes we arrived at 7pm yesterday after an uneventful flight from Helsinki and an easy drive down the A6.

It is always a relief to arrive and find everything in good order after 6 months absence. Mme Jacotot had everything spotless and had opened up the shutters and left flowers earlier in the day. Gerald, my brother, had returned the freshly charged car battery. Again a relief that the car started first time.


The house did feel cold but the chauffage was soon at work. Today we have also had the family room fire in operation.

Although we have owned Ragny for nine years now we have never been here in April; a new experience. I had expected to arrive and find the grass a foot high and badly n need of cutting. Nothing like that, spring is obviously late this year. None of the vines on the house and dependances are out. Just a few buds beginning to appear.

But the garden is a joy to behold. The lawn is covered with cowslips. We have tulips out that we have never seen before. Brenda was enthralled to look out of the bathroom window and see a small bird darting in and out of a hole in a nearby tree. Obviously making his nest. But is it male or female- who does the work in the bird world?

Brenda was less enthralled to realise that the noise behind air vent in bathroom was probably another bird nesting!! The problem of old houses. I am off to see M Boudret the mason tomorrow. We are waiting for his quote to reface one wall which has a number of holes; ideal repositories for bees, wasps or even birds.

For those of you who have only seen Ragny in full summer these photos are quite different.









































Caught up with Gerald his afternoon. He was not here for most of last summer so a lot to catch up with.

A good weekend for the Rudges. Justin’s gigs in Canberra and Sydney went well. Nicholas, Rowena and Eloise still enjoying London. AND…………..Richmond almost beat Footscray. At least we got the draw and two points. Already have more points after 5 games than the whole season last year. And the bulldogs were unbeaten until today.

Carol Q- thank you for your comment. Much appreciated to know the blog is read in Indonesia!!!

18 April 08 ---A day in the country

Took a bus ride into the country today. And they do things well here. The main bus station, under a shopping complex, was adjoining the metro and as well organised as a main line train station. Melbourne take note!!

Bus trip was one hour so gave us a chance to see a little of the surrounding country. Virtually no signs of spring yet, no leaves or even buds on trees. Brenda corrects me. All hotels have daffodils in tubs struggling to survive in the arctic winds!!!

So country side consisted largely of stands of silver birch (obviously these are to Finland what gums are to Australia) and fields freshly sown but very wet and no indication what the crops might be.


We visited Porvoo the second largest city founded in 1346. Cathedral was being restored after roof destroyed by a vandal fire in 2006. Restoration underway and they have made excellent progress in a short time. Was able to get a glimpse inside despite being officially closed.

Cottages of old town on riverbank have also been restored and are quite picturesque.



The sun did appear again briefly this afternoon and we felt warm for the first time in several days.

Evening concert in a Rock Church. A youth orchestra conducted by an enthusiastic Irish lady. Elgar took us back to the Malvern Hills.

Have just come across a very apposite quote by Mrs Elgar who devoted her life to her husband

"The care of a genius is enough of a life work for any woman."

WILL THIS ELICIT ANY RESPONSE FROM MY READERS I WONDER. IT GOT A SNORT OF DERISION FROM BRENDA!!

Isn’t Skype great. Had a long talk with Justin – voice and video. He is playing in Camberra and Sydney this weekend. Hopefully band had a review in SMH today.

Nichols, Rowena and Eloise are in London. We catch up with them babysitting in Paris next Wednesday.

17 April 08 ---Palace Hotel Helsinki

8am and we are excited- the sun has appeared!!!
It was cold but dry when we arrived Tuesday afternoon. Yesterday we awoke (at 5am) to a wet, dull, cold, overcast day. And it remained until mid afternoon.

Despite this the view from our hotel room is simply stunning- a complete panorama of the harbour with ferries to Stockholm and Tallinn.








Many of the buildings in this area are art nouveau which greatly interests Brenda











The weather has not stopped us enjoying ourselves. Mainly indoors two exhibitions and shopping. In the evening we went to a Helsinki Philharmonic concert at Finland Hall- a very impressive building.

The concert was advertised as including Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings but instead they played a string serenade by Dvorak before the main piece a Symphony by Josef Suk. Suk is a little known Czech composer. Elements of nepotism he was the son in law of Dvorak and the piece was a tribute to his father in law and his (Suk’s) wife who died tragically young. Enjoyable but Brenda says not outstanding. My untutored ear is incapable of such refined judgements