Thursday 26 September

Yesterday when we tried to use the toilet block we found that they had locked the ladies part with a key even though it has a keypad and code.  So it was with some trepidation that we walked all the way over to it again this morning to take showers.  However, this morning it is open and all is well and I join the ranks of the clean again.

We have found out that there is a large commercial centre just out of town where there is an Orange shop.  There is also a local bus that goes there.  So off we go on the bus.  It takes us quite a time to find the Orange shop which is hidden up an alley, but when we do we find that we have indeed used up all our credit.  We can’t understand why it is being used up so much more quickly than it was in June and July, but there it is.  We put on another 20 Euro and hope that will keep us going for the next 2 weeks.  While we are there we go in to the large Carrefour.  We really don’t want to buy too much, but I get something for lunch tomorrow and a large piece of beef to eat in the next day or two.  That is really the only dinner I have left on board.

Back at the boat we find more people struggling to berth.  We have a little relax after our efforts.  I am doing well with Ulysses.  I only have 200 pages to go.  I don’t think I have understood half of what I have read, but I may finally finish it.  We shall see.  The introduction to the book suggests that the chapter I have just started is the most difficult for first time readers and as it is 100 pages long, I’m not counting my chickens yet!

After our little sit down and read we take a walk in to the town.  It is really cute.  There is also a general mobile phone shop which says it sells Orange products, so it may be that we didn’t need to go out to the commercial centre after all, but it was an adventure.

The weather forecast is not good.  There are likely to be showers tomorrow and rain on Saturday. So we will just go to Bandol, which even with a three mile detour to sea to empty the tank is only 9 miles away.  We may be there fore a few days, but what the heck, the wine is supposed to be quite good.

It is late now, so to bed after finally posting this online with our recharged Domino.