Wednesday 29th July to Thursday 30th July 2015
We were outside not too
early this morning to bid farewll to Linda and Richard, and of course to
Muffin; they were heading backtowards Oxford for
a meeting with someone at the weekend - we will be catching up with them on the
South Oxford sometime after the weekend.
Our late departure time was
dictated by the pharmacy and waiting for some of Diane's prescriptions to
arrive; we made use of this with a last look around the shops - particularly
the antique and charity shops; I headed off for a haircut - yet another
charming lady hairdresser - I seem to be able to get these ladies to want to
run their fingers through my hair - and all with Diane's approval.
As we were heading off for
our walk into the village, our progress was somewhat barricaded by part of the
bovine herd; seems their access to the river and drinking was right by the gate
under the roadway; our attempts to move them were fruitless as we couldn't
quite get on the side where they wouldn't charge at us - a walker coming the
opposite way eased the situation and his presence behind said cows moved them
pretty quickly.
It was only Diane who was apprehensive
bloody scared of them and this wasn't helped by Andy darting through the gate
and holding it closed (with Diane on the cow side) - he was proclaiming that it
was a kissing gate and demanding his payment from her - until she yelled
"It's not a bloody kissing-gate, Andy" especially with her too near
to the bovines.
We popped into l'Ártigiano
for morning coffee (and petite cakes) - all very nice indeed - when we come
back it will be a visit for lunch, the menu looked quite good.
A little after noon was
unmooring time and we were on the move for just under the two hour mark,
finally mooring up at Kelmscott.
Funnily enough, it had been
quite cloudy during the cruising, looking very much like rain, but just after
we had completed everything, it started to rain - good timing I say.
Later on we made the
decision that we would pay a visit to Kelmscott Manor which was very close-by -
in fact, it was on the way to the pub.
This is a 17thC farm manor
which has essentially been in the hands of one family until the 1930's when it
was passed onto Oxford
University
It is best known as the
country retreat of William Morris, the renowned designer and writer who took a
lease on the house in the 1870's until his death in 1896.
 |
| The man himself |
To me it was a quite warm
and inviting house to live in and owes much to the additions during the mid
19thC.
 |
 |
| the bedroom of William Morris |
 |
| two persian brass peacocks |
 |
| bedroom in the roof space |
 |
| and more open space being utilised |
 |
| the original kitchen |
After looking around the
grounds and visiting the outside loo with 3 side-by-side seats (we only viewed,
and did not use), we exited and found our way to the Plough Inn for a drink.
 |
| the three loo toilet |
 |
| even mucking around these two were still competitive |
Charming in its own way, it
appears to have lost some of its character with modern changes around the bar
and interior in general, but retains it's popularity with the locals - plenty
there for a drink and early evening meal.
Exploring further we found
the church which held the remains of William Morris and also many of the Turner
family, who had owned Kelmscott Manor for all of those 300+ years.
 |
| now it's official, she is preaching to all within earshot |
 |
| it cannot be seen well, but the inscription is for that of William Morris |
We completed a round trip
and found ourselves back at the boats, a little more tired than when we started
out.
Thursday morning was a bit
of a contrast to the previous day, with a blue sky and sun brightly shining - we
hit the river not too early, wanting to make it to Tadpole and moor up there - it seems that the moorings at the pub must be booked through the pub to guarantee a spot - one was already taken and we could have breasted up on the other.
 |
| England in sunshine is so very nice |
 |
| This Paul for setting me straight) |
Problem was that the boat
that was booked in was there for the wedding and reception that would take place
later in the day.
Not particularly fancying
what might be a possible boisterous and celebratory night - especially outside
on a nice evening, we headed off again and rather luckily found a nice mooring
at Chimney - we did need to breast up, but it was peaceful and quiet; the late
afternoon and evening sun was magnificent.
Both Sue and Diane had
organised the washing machines during cruising and almost immediately upon
mooring the washing lines were up on each boat and washing was furiously pegged
up to take advantage of the wind and the sun.
It was poetry in motion with
the pair almost competing against each other to finish first.
It has been marked in the
book as a must-try-and-get-into spot for the future.
Still quite amazed at the
number of boats that are still coming by cruising at after 7pm - looking to
moor up - along this stretch where there seems to be a dearth of available
spots anyway, and they are by this late hour, already occupied - their problem
not ours.
11 Miles, 5 Locks
YTD: 644 Miles (1036 km) , 357 Locks, 12 Tunnels, 2 Lift Bridges ,
13 Swing Bridges
Totals: 3538 Miles (5694 km) , 2478 Locks, 110 Tunnels, 36 Lift Bridges ,
164 Swing Bridges
