So far this week: Horse dying from toxic algae on a beach in Brittany; King Cobras rampant Neat Tours and now nearly 200 dead birds in the Loire where they have succumbed to an outbreak of botulism type D - although harmless to humans.

It is something like something out of a Monty Python sketch.

And now for something completely ..... Sunday Madness on the Rhone at Pont Saint-Benezet - this Sunday the winners will not necessarily be the fastest but will also score points for technical skill and decoration. Nil points!