She who must be obeyed returns!

Friday 10^th February to Friday 17^th February 2017

I had a very important engagement on for Friday morning and certainly could not afford to be late – simply to make it to Birmingham Airport to pick up my lovely wife – nothing could be easier – could it?

In my defence, just let me say that when I arrived she had only just come through from Border Control and Customs – the plane arriving 30 minutes earlier than scheduled – but all appeared forgiven (and the bruising has now subsided to a dull yellow).

Naturally Diane was a bit tired after coming all the way through from Brisbane in the 23 hours – but with some sleep on the first leg of 14 hours – she had managed about 5 hours, being able to stretch out in her unoccupied row.

She was remarkably awake and lucid – more so than usual – but we had a busy weekend planned, with a trip to Manchester; a two-night stopover; a visit to Old Trafford and catching up with "Mad-Eye" Paul Macey.

 

A frosty and cold sight to wake up to - it had snowed during
the night, but we were snug and warm inside the hotel

There certainly was snow on them thar hills

Macclesfield behind us and the snow had melted away to leave a bit of slush around

Even the local constabulary got into the swing of things -
there's Paul between two nags

just part of the action on the field

and some after match celebration - at least Paul was happy

It was just so great to see Paul again - it didn't matter about anything else

It really was a super weekend and we had a great day on Saturday – well at least Paul and I did – with Man United beating Watford 2-0 (we didn’t say too much in the car on the trip back for fear that we would have each got a good clip around the ears from the lone Watford supporter in the back seat – Diane – but she was a good sport about it all).

Follow that match up with a lovely meal out at Paul’s favourite Thai restaurant in Macclesfield and it was a great day.

Paul’s main visit back to the UK started out as a desire to see a game at Old Trafford, but it was tinged with sadness to begin with – his mother was in hospital and would not have too many more days left (as it transpired she passed away on the following Thursday morning).

We had met Margaret on a number of occasions whilst we were moored in Bollington a couple of years ago and got to know her reasonably well and understand how determined and strong willed she was – a trait that Paul had with the women in his life – and now she is no longer with us.

It has not been a good start to the year.

Sunday came and this meant the trip back down to Rugby where we had left the boat – we didn’t meet up with Paul – he was already on the road to see his mum – but we took the opportunity with having a car to pop in to meet up with Dot and Gordon at Aston Marina where they were moored up for a couple of months.

An obligatory trip to The Echange in Stone and a couple of drinks (sitting at the old table in the window – our favourite) before back to their boat for a wonderful meal and just simply enjoying the company of two very good and lovely friends.

 

Back in their favourite seats The Exchange

There never seems to be enough time and so it was again – we needed to get back in time to run the engine and charge the batteries on the boat before the 8pm curfew – which we made.

Monday and Tuesday were occupied with mundane things like Diane unpacking and putting stuff away; shopping to more fully replenish the pantry and fridge; sorting out a few things in town before the inevitable cruising would begin.

We said our goodbyes to Carolyn and Gary (nb Inca) who had kept an eye on the boat and again compared our cruising schedules for the year to see where we could catch up again (and there are times and places in there).

Finally we untied on Wednesday morning and started heading south, making it as far as Braunston for the day, where we moored up – took a walk up into the village for Diane to visit the butcher; Thursday we continued on our travels, turning right at the junction, filling with diesel along the way and negotiating the Calcutt Locks and moored up outside Ventnor Marina – we had never moored here before – such a lovely, nice and quiet place – would like to do it again; finally Friday and we were off again, this time down the Stockton locks before settling for a mooring below the end of the flight.

Back cruising again - it was still quite chilly out

She hasn't lost it - still able to control the boat as usual

Just a lovely shot of the sun over Braunston, the church
on the right and the tree reflected in the canal

Some years ago we were in the village for their annual beer festival, which I think no longer happens, and wandered around taking in the sights – it has been a while and took us a little time to sort out where everything was but it was a lovely day anyway with the sun shining just to wander and enjoy.

It sadly is just another village to us without the hustle and bustle of a festival and something for the locals but we enjoyed the walk and the drink at the pub before retiring back to the boat.

Our intentions are to head into Birmingham, so we will be heading that way – how long it will take us we cannot be sure; how long we will stay there we cannot be sure; where we will head to afterwards is something we do know.

Our cruising schedule for this year will be the tidal Trent taking in the canals and waterways that run off from it; we will be heading further northwards to York and then west over the Pennines (somewhere) to do the Ribble Link (and the Lancaster Canal) before a last trip into Liverpool docks – after all of that we are not exactly sure, but we do intend to be somewhere around Stone for Xmas.

19 miles, 16 Locks

YTD:  60 miles (97 km), 21 Locks, 2 Tunnels, 2 Swing Bridges

Total: 4692 Miles (7551 km), 3172 Locks, 126 Tunnels, 66 Lift Bridges, 174 Swing Bridges

Too many goodbyes

Saturday 21^st January to Thursday 9^th February 2017

The flight back from Australia was relatively uneventful as it usually is – this time however I had to take the flight that stopped in Singapore on its way to Dubai rather than the 14hr straight through flight from Melbourne direct to Dubai – no great hardship.

Landing back in Birmingham to a rather chilly morning was a little bit of a shock to the system but infinitely better than it being hot and humid.

Train back to Rugby and then taxi to Barby Marina and I was back on board a little bit over 2 hours after landing.

The boat was naturally quite cold – having sat there for the last 7 weeks, but happily it was nice and dry.

After getting the diesel running again, the reflecs was lit and pretty soon the boat was starting to lose it’s chill – getting warm took a bit longer.

Before we left it, apart from the usual winterising that we do, we also had moved a great many things inside the boat; set the mattress on it’s side to air and there was a general upheaval of a great many things.

All-in-all it took a few hours to get it all back into shape and everything more or less in their correct places – by which time the boat was now warm.

That wasn’t half as bad as the fact that we had cleared the fridge out and anything else that was likely to go off, so there was very little in the way of food that could easily be made into something – but managed to scratch something together – also no milk or bread – that would be for tomorrow.

First morning back and the canal had frozen over, but the sun was out and very bright – the ice was starting to melt by late morning so I figured it was time to move along; with the knowledge of the marina staff, I untied Ferndale and gently eased her out through the ice – it is always difficult to manoeuvre around turns but after an hour we were out through the entrance and heading in a straight line northwards.

I didn’t want to go too far and so I moored just above the Hillmorton Locks and was able to do some much needed shopping up on the main road – just the basics really.

Next morning and the ice had cleared and I cleared off, heading down to Rugby to do a proper replenishment,

The time between then and now has been spent in Rugby and cruising up to Hawkesbury Junction, into Coventry and then back again, with non-cruising days in all locations – primarily to get everything going OK whilst I wait for Diane to return. By the time that this blog is published she will be on her way back.

She has been with her Mum and Dad in Queensland to see how they have been since she had last seen them before Xmas – she has noticed some changes even in that short time and her Dad has had some problems which will means loss of some past functions – most notably, not being able to drive anymore.

Diane had spent many hours on the cross-stitch and then having it framed
for their anniversary next year

A good day - able to be out and about

Still looking pretty good

Not sure about the selfies in the car - shouldn't you be driving

Swimming costume for the new season

Not so much the water-baby - just the water-babe

We are concerned about their general health and there are some specific problems that each has which are also of concern – we will just have to see how they progress over the next few months and the next year -  this will have big impact on our overall plans, but we were prepared for this type of thing coming along.

Trying out the new scooter to give more freedom.....

....at least until it is nap time

Sneaking out for a coffee

It is worrying for them just as much as it is worrying for us – two very wonderful people in our lives who have done so very much for us when we were first starting out and we would like to be closer to them but equally we want to finish what we have started here – the time-frame will need to be shortened.

Having bad news such as this on the homefront has been of concern to us; the news of our dear friend Frank (as I had mentioned in the last blog); terrible news about Lauren (a second stroke for someone so young – just 30 years old); but the additional news that we have had of late with the passing of Les (nb Valerie) and now Fiona (nb Epihany) has been a blow to us.

We had the pleasure of meeting and enjoying Fiona’s company (with her husband John) a few years ago and given her medical history and recent health it was still a shock to hear of her passing.

We only spoke to Les (and Jacquie) in passing them outside Napton Marina last year, but we had followed their exploits with interest like so many others in the boating world and beyond.

We pass our deepest condolences to both John and Jacquie and wish the very best for  both for the future, whatever it may bring.

Sorry to end on such a sad note but most of what we have been doing for the past two months has been tinged with a great deal of sadness, but we also have to remain positive about things getting better for the rest of the time that we all have.

Time for a change

Sunday 27^th November to Sunday 4^th December 2016

As planned we did move off on Tuesday, but only just a mile where we have moored the boat up.

 

She looks mighty fine there with all of her friends - the weather was even fine
when we were leaving

We had a lovely meal with Stella and Dave at Barby Sporting Club that night – we have been before and for a place that is a bit out of the way, the food that they serve is really quite good – that is not just the opinion of Diane and I, but Stella also and she is a chef who really does cook well.

Tuesday night was a wee bit on the cold side (no, that’s not quite right – it was bloody cold) – getting down to -6C which was low enough to freeze the canal and lo and behold we had a tough time moving the boat to where we had to go.

Eventually that was all sorted and we moored it up all safe and sound – had to be really, because we were about to catch a taxi, which we did to Rugby Station and then the train to Birmingham to spend the night – The Premier Inn as usual – with a great nights sleep.

 

A lovely night sky and the German markets - all in Birmingham

This does not count as a true Santa photo my lovely -
it is not a real Santa

The following day which was now Thursday, we made our way to Birmingham International for a 13:30 flight – heading via Dubai to Melbourne – landing at 23:55 on Friday night (local time).

 

The train was a bit full so we were out in the vestibule with
the cases

Diane couldn't help herself - on the flight they were showing the movie Jason Bourne -
so naturally she had to pause it and get a shot with Ferndale in it.

Our lovely daughter, Sam, picked us up – lost a bit of her beauty sleep in the process, and we all managed to finally get to bed about 2 am – some of this time was simply spent talking once we did get home, but that is where we now are and will be for few weeks to come.

I managed to get a decent sleep, but Diane could not and she was still a bit tired on Saturday and succumbed to an afternoon nap.

We did, however, manage to get a few things done that we had needed to get done here.

The purpose of the trip is primarily to see Diane’s mum and dad for an “on-site” assessment of their health and well-being, as well as celebrating her mum’s 80^th birthday (although she thinks that she is only 39) and also a service to celebrate the renewal of their marriage vows – now is your time Dad to ……. – but if you do it may be a funeral we are attending!!

Diane will fly up to Queensland on Tuesday and leave me here, and I will follow later in the month – closer to the actual time for everything – gives her Mum less time to remember her incantations and turn one of us into a frog or a newt or some other amphibian.

Upon our arrival, which was in the middle of the night, the temperature was a mild 13C, but Saturday warmed up to about 20-21C and Sunday has been a bit warmer in the high 20’s (but a bit humid).

  

It has been great to see Sam again, although we had only just seen her in London; it has been about two years since I was last here, but like any home-coming it has been easy to re-assimilate back into the lifestyle here.

The cafes are just great and after catching up with our neighbours – Frank and Helen – we did venture down to Puckle Street and had a late brunch – it simply is wonderful along here where dozens of cafes and eating places are vying for your business and it really is true of most places in Melbourne – If you are not up to the standard required by the public, then you will not survived – and the public is pretty demanding of high standards.

Anyway, we enjoyed it very much and will be trying out a few more soon.

This will, in some ways, be the preview for our return back to here for good – for the time being we are simply soaking it all up and enjoying a change.

Now this is a real Santa photo - the 2016 version; just
waiting for the one from LA with Mitch and Sara

1 Mile

YTD:  837 Miles (1347 km) , 452 Locks, 12 Tunnels, 21 Lift Bridges, 5 Swing Bridges

Total: 4632 Miles (7454 km), 3151 Locks, 124 Tunnels, 66 Lift Bridges, 172 Swing Bridges

Easy does it all

Saturday 19^th November to Saturday 26^th November 2016

We headed out from Coventry after an enjoyable day or so there – we had previously seen most of the tourists spots, but dare say that there are some that we will have missed, but we do like mooring up in the basin area – and of course it is nice and quiet as well.

 

There were signs that it had been cold overnight, but no ice on the canal itself ....
.....YET!

It might have been after 8am but the sight of the sun was lovely.

There are a few spots where we needed to be slow – cases where the bottom is too close to the top, but we made good time to be back at Hawkesbury Junction before the rain arrived.

It meant that we could head off to The Greyhound and meet up with Stella and Dave, who advised us that nb Oakapple had moved along and were no longer there – so we couldn’t now see Sharon and Richard – I guess we all have places that we must be!

Diane had cleverly made a booking for Sunday lunch and thus we were able to enjoy some lovely time with the two of them and in a relaxed atmosphere – no rushing about and the meal was very good.

 

Stella is one of our oldest friends during our time on the canals - we first
met way back in 2011

It was not quite so good outside, with the rain pelting down – certainly would not want to be out there on the back of a moving boat.

There was however, a bit of a beer festival taking place out the back at the smaller pub/brewery behind the Greyhound, called The Whippet, with some entertainment and a couple of guys in a mock sword fight with almost full armour on – fortunately their timing was good both with the break in rain and the knowledge of where each other would be swinging their heavy swords – no damage to either and a bit of enjoyment for the small crowd of 20 or 30.

The medieval way of doing things.

Stella actually ended being the match referee

the four us during a break in the music and ready to replenish our drinks

We had a couple of drinks there before a last one back in the Greyhound, before we have to say goodbye to the pair of them – it was now getting a little dark and we headed back to the boat.

More rain was forecast for Monday so it was definitely a day that we spent not going any where at all – unfortunately for Stella and Dave, they needed to be back at Barby and so they were in the worst of it for a fair length of time – making it as far as Newbold.

Diane had enjoyed the dessert on Sunday – the Chocolate pot – and fancied another, so we only moved as far as the pub and had lunch there again – again the rain continued, but it was cosy warm inside.

 

The evil dessert - just too good to not have a second one - this is day two

By the time Tuesday had arrived it was definitely time for us to be moving – the continual review of the weather forecast had told us that it was the better day to be going and so we did.

As we had done last week when moving this way, Diane took the tiller, whilst I was busy inside working – she did get a few more breaks along the way, but it was interesting to see the difference that a couple of days of rain had made to the canal depth. Pretty soon – well after 4 hours of cruising – we were moored up again in Rugby at the Brownsover bridge.

We didn’t have anything particular that we needed to do whilst we were here, except that we had Chris Jones, our engineer, coming to fix a couple of problems that we had – one being a leak with the water separator (which had been by-passed) in the meantime and the other was the need to change the rear seal packing (whilst we were in the water).

People had told me how easy it was to change the packing without the need to take the boat out, but I was concerned that if I did remove the packing it would just allow water to rush in – seeing Chris do the job and the tiny amount of water that dripped in, I now believe that if I had to do it I could do it – it is amazing how much you continue to learn.

We did manage to visit the movies again on the Meerkat deal – this time seeing Fanatstic Beasts (and where they come from) – for people used to the Harry Potter series it is worth the visit; even if you are not, it is a good movie and Eddie Redmayne grows in strength as a great actor.

It was also another chance to just relax – i.e. not moving – but we finally decided to continue our progress and get through the locks at Hilmorton and moor just above them.

A visit to The Old Royal Oak on Saturday was worthwhile – lovely and comfortable inside  - but we only went for a drink.

We will move off again on Tuesday – the current plan – but as with most things, that is subject to change – the only thing for sure is that we will have a relaxing weekend.

 

The final word (or words)!

21 Miles, 4 Locks, 1 Tunnel, 1 Swing Bridge

YTD:  836 Miles (1345 km) , 452 Locks, 12 Tunnels, 21 Lift Bridges, 5 Swing Bridges

Total: 4631 Miles (7453 km), 3151 Locks, 124 Tunnels, 66 Lift Bridges, 172 Swing Bridges

Things that need to be done.

Sunday 13^th November to Friday 18^th November 2016

Our primary reason for being in Rugby was to be somewhere for rail access; Diane had a doctors appointment in Watford on Wednesday and would travel down the day before to stay with her aunt and uncle and then come back on Wednesday afternoon.

So naturally we had a bit of sitting around and to be perfectly blunt it was just nice to be inside in the warmth – winter is only just around the corner – and it really felt like it.

We did a bit of shopping but mainly it was just relaxing; planning for next year; sorting out things that we would need to do before the end of the month.

Come Tuesday and we walked along to the station; Diane bought her tickets and then she was off; I was on my own, but under instructions – something to do with getting myself off to get a haircut – when I did some figuring,it had been June when I last had it done, so it was no wonder that it was long and scraggy and Diane was nagging me about it.

Anyway, that done, I made my way back to the boat, got some work done and settled down to see the England v Spain match on the TV – it is always that last hectic 10 minutes and this was no exception with Spain pulling off a dramatic draw.

The following afternnon and Diane was back – we had decided to go to the movies and see Inferno with Tom Hanks – and with the Meerkat 2-for-1 offer and senior discount – two of us were in for under £9 – can’t beat that.

We had seen the previous two in the series, but to be honest this was not the best of them; still a good movie and plenty of great locations, but…

Having got the appointment out of the way, we wanted to get up to see Coventry again – we are in the mode that we have to take advantage of our locations (wherever we may be) to see places again, if we can – it will be the last time to get there on the boat.

So with that being a priority we headed northwards – it being a particularly coldish day – luckily I had work to do on route, so Diane was out in the cold, I was inside where it was not so cold (well that would really be warm) – but I did keep her well hydrated with coffee and tea and nourished with lunch as well.

The occasional whistle summoned me outside for her to head inside to visit the head.

This is a lovely canal and we have traversed it many times and the going is neither quick nor slow.

There was one lock to negotiate – at Hawkesbury Junction – just beyond a line of moored boats (as usual) – we spotted nb Oakapple moored just there and I could see Sharon in through one of the portholes and waved to her; also saying hello to Richard who had poked his head out to say the same; unfortunately for us, our priorities were elsewhere and we had to continue our journey.

Bit annoyed to see that we were criticised publicly (on social media) for not stopping there.

We have been into Coventry just once previously and wanted to see it again – we love the basin, even with the hire boats now occupying one of the arms.

We made our way into there and winded before reversing down the northern of the two arms and mooring right at the end – enjoyed that exercise – but as usual, when you do it well there is no-one there to see it.

Our plan is to spend a couple of days here before we head back to Hawkesbury Junction to meet Stella and Dave and no doubt catch up with Richard and Sharon – we have a booking for Sunday lunch at the Greyhound.

After that it is south down the Oxford from whence we have just come.

We have to commend the Canal and River Trust for the new on-line system of being able to book passages along some of the routes that are around – particularly The Ribble Link and the moorings in Liverpool (others include the Standedge Tunnel and Frankton Locks) – we spent about 20 minutes on-line and made bookings for both of these to our satisfaction for next year (2017).

The system is so much easier that the old way of doing it and you have immediate confirmation by email and/or text message – well done CaRT.

If you want to look at it or make a booking then use the following link

http://licensing.canalrivertrust.org.uk

Whilst you are there, you may also want to have a look around at all of the other things that they now have on-line, such a change to when we first started just 6 years ago.

17 Miles, 1 Lock, 1 Tunnel, 1 Swing Bridge

YTD:  815 Miles (1312 km) , 448 Locks, 11 Tunnels, 21 Lift Bridges, 4 Swing Bridges

Total: 4610 Miles (7419 km), 3147 Locks, 123 Tunnels, 66 Lift Bridges, 171 Swing Bridges

Our world is always the better for spending time with our friends

Monday 7^th November to Saturday 12^th November 2016

For most of the week we could be described as being in the really boring mode – not much was happening – I know that I was busy with work and Diane has been busy with some craft work; we ventured out for each of the days, but really for not much of a walk – the truth was that we were just too comfortable and cosy inside the boat and had no real reason to go outside.

There were a couple of days in there where we had good reason to be out and about – Tuesday saw the return of nb Much Gigglin’ and we had a lovely meal over at The Boat House with Tone and Julie before they needed to be moving on towards Hilmorton where they needed some electrics seen to, but it was simply nice to sit and talk with them for a while – the previous Thursday was a bit rushed as they got through the locks.

These guys were the very first boaters that we encountered back in 2008 and we worked down the Hatton Flight with them – us being complete novices with barely 3 days experience under our belts; they helped us and showed us so much – most of which has stayed with us all of these years; we had a lovely meal at the Cape of Good Hope at the end of that day and we learnt what it was to be a boater in England (not that we could have classed ourselves as such way back then).

Love these guys - it will be too long until we see them again

We bid them farewell as they cruised off – this time with at least an hours daylight in front of them.

Come Thursday we had a very busy day – first of all we decided that we had to clear away some things that needed to be done – elsan and rubbish heading that list; after that we did decide to take a longer walk – heading along the towpath past the junction we came off at Bridge 89 – through a couple of gates and past a paddock full of sheep – at least for Diane they were better than cows – then up the hill and we came out on the other side of the church – we hadn’t been that way before.

The views from the top across the canal and away to the north-west were completely different to what we have seen before.

It is almost as good as I saw it; the brilliance of the sun behind the cloud

This was the prelude to what we had been waiting for – Bev, Dot and Roly had driven down from Stone for a visit – it was catch-up time with more dear friends – part of the best group of friends that anyone could wish to have.

Crazy people - there should have been a warning on the packet -
(from L to R) - Bev, Dot, Roly, me and Diane

We had pre-lunch coffee and tea in The Boat House, followed by lunch and then back to Ferndale for more the drink and eat – Roly just loves Diane’s Welsh cakes – there were presents and cards handed over each way – we won’t see them again this year and probably not until April next year at the earliest.

Roly and Bev - see Roly, Bev really does love you and we love them both

It was sad to see them go, but we have a schedule of things to do for ourselves now, which must be done before we too can head off.

Friday morning and we untied early-ish; watered up; winded and then headed north on the Oxford. We were planning on going only as far as some mooring just above the Hilmorton flight and then spend Saturday there as well – there was rain that had been forecasted for then.

Along the way we planned to fill all of the diesel tanks and cans at Hillmorton Wharf, but after mooring up, we found that it was closed (on Fridays); mmm, we were down on diesel, so the decision was made to carry on; down the locks and we filled at Clifton cruisers, and although the diesel was a bit more, it was a pleasing feeling to have everything full again, and with that we eventually moored up at Brownsover (Rugby).

Number one issue was always going to be TV signal – afterall it was Friday – Strictly was the prime concern to the top management – luckily that was all OK, so settled in we did.

 

Lunch - Staffordshire oatcakes (courtesy of Roly) -
at the bottom with sausages cheese and bacon;
the top with tomato and cheese - mushrooms on the
side for both - simply lovely

Friday night and Saturday early morning were as predicted – at least the boat was geeting a bit of a clean. It seems to be that Saturdays are becoming a bit more relaxed for both of us – we had no need to rush out for anything, so we took our time; went out and picked up a few things that we needed and for the rest of the day it is in the boat, cosy and warm and doingas little as possible.

 

Saturday - McDonald's day and the big kid was let out again -  here with
her new Troll and a book of stickers

Well that has been the essence of this week – the last thing to do is to wish my aunt, Brenda, a very Happy Birthday – she is just a few years older than me, so we spent a lot of time together when we were much younger –so have a Happy one!!

10 Miles, 3 Locks

YTD:  798 Miles (1284 km) , 447 Locks, 10 Tunnels, 21 Lift Bridges, 3 Swing Bridges

Total: 4593 Miles (7392 km), 3146 Locks, 122 Tunnels, 66 Lift Bridges, 170 Swing Bridges

Back Home and In Transit

Monday 31^st May to Saturday 11^th June 2016

We landed about 6:45am and were pretty tired but not overly so.

One of the good things about landing in Birmingham or Manchester or , well just about anywhere other than Heathrow, is that it is far quicker to get through Border Control (immigrations, Passport Control – all of that stuff), simply because there are fewer and smaller planes arriving there.

We were through very quickly, got the cases, quick shuttle to Birmingham International Station, train back to Rugby and then a taxi to Barby Marina – we were back on the boat by 8:30am.

We had decided to leave the boat at Barby because we knew people who were moored here; we met people over the last few months who had good things to say about it (despite other things we had heard from a few years ago) and the storage mooring only cost £100 for the month.

I have to say that coming back here and not having any problems, we were very happy and will certainly use Barby again.

We didn’t want to waste any time and wanted to be under way quickly, so after watering up we were heading out by 10am towards Rugby, where we needed to restock a ravenous fridge and freezer.

Diane also needed to head down to Watford for a doctors appointment and her prescription drug replenishment.

This time allowed us the chance to reconnect with the boat – we are sure that she must have missed us but she seemed gald to have us back and we were glad to be back with her.

Having taken up most of the week with all of this, it was time to get some cruising underway and some miles behind us - our mission before we returned was to go south towards the Thames to meet up with Sue and Andy (Festina Lente) and also with Bev and Roly (Klara) – later on we would be caught by Dot and Gordon (Ewn Ha Cul).

 

We managed to take a new circular walk from Bridge 98 into Braunston, taking
in some different views...

...with more livestock...

...and different buildings

Having traversed the Oxford (South) Canal just the once prior to this, we were interested to see some other locations that we only had a brief chance to see last year, to spend less time in those places that we had seen in detail – our eye was on the end of the journey, not so much on the transition.

 

Passing Napton, it was a big misty making it just a bit harder to see the Windmill

This is a lovely canal – very rural in its content and very varied in its coverage – I need my internet and there are too many areas where it was less than sufficient, so a few longer days of cruising ensued whilst we found it.

 

Yep, that's where we are

As I said some lovely rural scenes

And old buildings

You deserve another photo of this folly

These guys were off to the pub for a Sunday lunch - they fancied the roast beef

One place on our list to look at more closely was Cropedy – we had only the chance to pass through last year – something to do with music festival – this year it was much less busy.

Although the internet signals were acceptable (on the low side), Diane was seeking TV reception to be able to complete the viewing of the French Open, to wit, seeing if Murray could manage another major – alas, there was no TV reception, but we found a pub which very kindly switched on the TV and we could see the match – we started as the only viewers but once people found out it was on, the bar area was a bit of a standing room-only affair as they abandoned the sunny beer garden.

 

This one is for Sue (No Problem XL) - by Somerton Deep Lock

We got a bit of maintenance in - Diane has managed to sand and prime the gunwhales

Further along we had an overnight in Banbury and also in Thrupp – alas, there was no Maffi Oxford there, and we were the poorer for the lack of his charm and company.

 

After the painting, came the cutting and polishing - here
is the end result of her efforts - Ferndale is looking pretty
good again.

After that it was a normal day of cruising and we were out onto the Thames and the wide open waters and the depth as well was a welcome change and all of us – Diane, me and Ferndale were enjoying the freedom.

The only negative about this last part was the inconsiderate moorers around Duke’s Lock – moored in places that make it damn near impossible to get through – glad to see that the Oxford Council and CaRT are trying to do something to move them along.

It really is becoming a safety issue and these people do not see it – they concern themselves with what suits them and have a flagrant disregard and disrespect of other waterway users.

There – that was the rant!!

We carried on for a few miles before finally settling on a place to moor which was above Pinkhill Lock and just alongside the Farmoor Reservoir.

It is so peaceful and lovely here with barely a sound – well, except for the guy on the tractor who was mowing the grass on the incline up to the reservoir itself – but after he finished at about 9pm, it was peaceful and quiet.

 

One for our daughter Sam - there is a boat here for you!

And one for Dot - hey that can cover both my favourite mother-in-law and our
lovely friend Dorothea

I see that another football competition has started and the plans of domination by the English side have taken a bit of a dent; the upside, of course, is that Wales are on top of the group.

I think that there has become a consistency in our tendencies for a drink - here
at The Boathouse in Braunston...

...at at the Boat Inn in Thrupp

59 Miles, 43 Locks, 5 Lift Bridges

YTD:  262 Miles (422 km) , 205 Locks, 4 Tunnels, 5 Lift Bridges, 3 Swing Bridges

Total: 4057 Miles (6529 km), 2904 Locks, 116 Tunnels, 50 Lift Bridges, 170 Swing Bridges