After the stormy weather last night, we woke to a still, cool and sunny morning, as summer gradually gives way to autumn. The canal at Meilhan is like a millpond.

We spent the morning doing emails etc, and also vacuuming the boat while we still have shorepower. As we did this, David & Evelyn passed by in their car on their way to the Chatfields in Coussan, and had a chat about the possibilities of catching up in the next few days with a view to going down the Garonne to Bordeaux.

Late in the morning, we cast off and started the cruise to Fontet.

The weather was still glorious, and the scenery delightful, as these forward and rearward shots attest to.

One thing that has always puzzled me, given that winter snow is not unheard of even this far south in France, is that many houses in this region have banana trees in their gardens, as shown by this very healthy specimen. If I came from Queensland, I’d be homesick.

As we cruised past the Halte Nautique and lake at Fontet, we saw that there was no space left on the long quai in port, so we continued on and eventually moored near the Fontet bridge, the scene of one of our previous encounters

This time, we chose not to go through/under the bridge, but moored just upsteam in a wide part of the canal that is almost lake-like. On the other side is an old working barge (Fort Lupin) that has been painted entirely white and is up for sale. Could make a grand big cruising barge, if the underlying mechanicals and structure are in good shape.

In the afternoon, Rita went back to the Fontet lake for a swim. As I sat on the rear deck in the evening sun, I realised that Autumn cometh.