castelsarrasin

Welcome to Castelsarrasin.  This site’s been up and running for just a couple of years now, and I’m still tweaking and adding to it as I go along.

This is a site that embraces my major interests, writing, cruising the French waterways, and animals.  It’s less of a blog (though there is a page for that) than it is a record of things I’ve seen, experienced, written about and photographed.

So you take your pick, whatever your particular interest, by selecting one of the pages across the header bar above.

Cruising in France will take you to an index of historical trip reports, so fellow cruisers and waterway enthusiasts can browse and select as their interest (and their proposed travel routes) dictate. I’d just ask you to remember two things; firstly things change, so don’t treat the information as ‘gospel’ – it’s merely a guide.  And secondly, the trip reports were originally compiled for the benefit of an old family friend in America, who for various reasons hasn’t been able to get out and about much.  If, as an experienced boater, you think the language is a bit ‘teach your granny’ then forgive me and bear the origins in mind.

Published Works will take you to an index of the work I’ve had published in various media, electronic, paperback, magazines or newspapers.  You can either click on the index to reach the site of original publication, or you can read a copy on this site by clicking on whichever category in the sidebar is of interest to you, flash fiction, short stories, magazines articles or poetry.

Just Sayin’ (Blog) is the truly interactive part of the site.  I’m not much of a blogger, but here’s where I do it when the spirit moves me, and also where I take part in weekly flash fiction prompt activities.  There are sites where writers from all over the world participate by responding to prompts (photos, videos, words).  Some sites stipulate word count restrictions (Friday Fictioneers aims for the 100 word story) whilst others have no limitations. Writers comment on the prompt originator’s story, leave a link to their offering, and the circle of communication mushrooms from there.  If you’re a writer you might enjoy seeing what we get up to … you might even want to join us.

Creatures Great and Small is a collection of photos Neville and I have taken as we’ve moved around around the world.  During the last twenty years we lived in England, South Africa, Germany, Spain and France, and some of the photos may be of interest to animal lovers.  And ducks proliferate, for obvious reasons!  This page is still under construction.

So that’s it.  Hope you enjoy browsing around the site, and that you’ll come back from time to time to see what’s new.

Sandra Crook