and even then the church bells are at it all day! Anyway a little bit of Tournai (if I can concentrate with the tractor mower back and forth passed the boat).

I’m obsessed with old doorways and arches

Bought myself some flowers

Magnificent organ. I didn’t hear this one being played, but I did get lucky at another church I popped into

Cathedral cloisters – a great deal of damage was done to the cathedral during a tornado.

So onwards to the tiny little canal Blaton D’ath, but first there was this to confront – looking at the picture you just know it’s going to be horrible -and it was! How marriages survive these big locks I don’t know, but pleased to report that neither couples have filed for divorce and no-one has been murdered (yet!).

(I think I’m going to have to cut this blog very short; I’m having terrible technical problems with WordPress and photos. They keep deleting and shooting about and I can’t type where I want).

Having got safely through the two big locks we found these lovely cat safe and peaceful village moorings just before the flight of 8 locks in the morning. Except we then discovered that the flight was closed for 3 weeks. Nothing posted on stoppages and we weren’t the only ones not to know as we were joined by another pleasure boat owned by a Swiss couple, Peter and Lucy. So we spent the weekend socialising and enjoying the tranquility. Debs and I had an excellent walk up the flight and beyond and it was really pretty. I think we’ve missed a real treat – oh well another day maybe. 

Monday morning at 6.00 am all hell broke loose! The commercial traffic started going passed the end of the canal; sucking the water out and then pushing tsunami style waves back up again. Rise and fall of a foot crashing down onto concrete. We left quite early after a quick walk in to the market. Where we are moored now at Strepy on the Canal du Centre historique we had to be safe as we are up a lift and on a dead end. Well, you’d think so wouldn’t you but there was a bloody trip boat moored further round that comes roaring back and forth (complete with loud speaker commentary) and a fleet of bloody tractors mowing the towpath for hours on end. Daren’t let the cat out, oh and I’m nearly out of water!

I’ll have one more go at putting the pictures and typing back , but no guarantees; sorry if it’s all out of sync. No it won’t let me so I’ll stick them in here regardless.