Today was the day of Kaz’s Dad’s funeral in England. Everyone in the port was glad that Kaz and Iain had returned to England before he passed away on the weekend, but we are also looking forward to their return to Moissac.

Graeme and Linda (Effie) left Moissac today to go up the Rhone to Maçon later in the year. Stuart and Christine (Hilda May) also headed back to the UK for 3 weeks before they return for the Fetes de Plaisanciers. Now that Le Piglet, Effie and Hilda May have left port, we are left all alone, but I’m sure we’ll find lots to do over the next few weeks until the band arrives.

In the afternoon, we went out to Weldom on a buying spree for materials for the pan stands and bass feet. Unfortunately, because of the number of pan stands that we need to make (19 in total), the quantities of materials we need (38m of piping, 108 t-pieces and 72 elbows) meant that they didn’t have enough in stock and had to order more from HQ. These should arrive next Wednesday or Thursday. However, I was able to pick up enough wood to make a start on the making of the bass feet for Isaac and myself. I started by chopping up lots of wood - now I just have to put them together properly.

Later that afternoon, we started on the first of our reconnaisance trips with a visit to Lauzerte. We got there early to see how the evening built up with the passage of time, and also to check sun angles etc. We spoke with William from the Tourism Office, who showed us the various options, and how we could gain access with the camion (van) for loading and unloading. We finally decided to set up near the old church door near where the pavement "turns up”.

We then decided to have a beer and wait for the start of the Night Market to see how it developed. At 6.55pm there were hardly any people there, but by 7.05pm nearly every table was full! (ignore the times on the clock below)

When 7.30pm rolled around, the band for the night had started playing, so we decided to get something to eat. Unfortunately, I bought one of the most inedible Confit de Canard that I have ever experienced - tough as old boots. Not a great way to finish the night, but a good lesson of what to avoid in a few weeks time.

While waiting for the Market to begin, we had taken a walk around the town to absorb a little of the atmosphere, and had found a little art gallery which featured an interesting expression of “a town on a hill”, while I found a friend who showed me the best angle from which to appreciate the works of art on the wall.

Later that evening, on the way home from Lauzerte, we passed by the Intermarche car park on the edge of Moissac, so we figured it was a good time for a little more driving practice for Rita. The improvement in just a few days has been impressive.