Communication

Back on the boat for return journey to our mooring, leaving my beloved sister with my parents until I can get back.
We now have 2 cars with us, so that is a bonus and a nuisance all in one! This afternoon (Saturday) we are back on the Pangbourne mooring with my car here and Pete's back in the Thames and Kennet marina.

Beautiful cruise today as the sun is shining again and the trees are changing slowly into their golds and reds. Got to Mapledurham lock where we pumped out. Confusing little interlude with neither of us able to hear each other over the sound of a helicopter providing trips from the Mapledurham estate. It seemed to be on the ground more than in the air! Friends and family will know that I am partially deaf anyway, so trying to hear Pete's instructions of 'press the pause button' and 'move to the end of the pontoon' were lost. Luckily we didn't have a nasty accident with a flying sewage pipe; could have been interesting for the gentle folk playing boule nearby!
Conversations on boats are never easy especially when one is on the bow and one is on the stern and the wind is whistling. Our friends sensibly have walkie talkies, we just use hand signals which can be two fingered in times of stress!!

Pangbourne and Reading

Friday evening moored at Pangbourne Meadow after a rainy start which then turned sunny. The river continues to be wide and pretty and Mapledurham is especially picturesque. We are now the people I used to envy when we had the barge. Because we have time, we can moor early and there are usually plenty of spaces. On the barge it was usually 4 or 5 pm before we moored and all those retired slow boaters had nabbed the best moorings! Haha, now we do it!
We walked in to Pangbourne which is an average sort of town, but we found a nice friendly pub opposite the church and a co op for a few supplies on the way back, so this mooring on a peaceful leafy well kept pathway gets the thumbs up from us.
On to Reading on Saturday for our last couple of nights before safely securing Ani in the Thames and Kennet Marina for a return to Kingston and home.
Clear blue skies this morning and consequently lots of boats out. Many rowing 4s and 8s training hard, so hard in fact that they and their trainer's motorised boats don't notice other craft. Tricky to navigate sometimes - best left to Pete!
It's lovely to see the river on sparkly days like this, with so many enjoying it, even a drummer sitting on the bank!

We moored on a public park in Reading, which wasn't so pleasant. The Nicholson guide states that Reading does nothing to welcome it's boating visitors and this was evident. In the summer these sad moorings cost £4.80 per night. Given that we were told it's a favourite drug selling area at night and there were some rowdy heavy drinkers sitting around when we arrived at lunchtime, you wonder how the council have the cheek to charge anything. We weren't at all impressed with Reading although we did have a quiet night.
We could get no signal for the TV here either!

On Sunday morning in the relentless rain, we decided to move, filling up with diesel on Frys Island at Caversham boats whose very helpful and pleasant owner also sold us some coal, which means we can keep the fire in overnight! The new mooring was no distance, but in a less busy residential area. Fire alight, we stayed put for the rest of the day.

Little things

At the top of the Thames where we have come from there are huge banks of pink/mauve bowl shaped flowers with oval leaves that I cannot find in our wild flower book - nearest thing is an orchis of some type but the leaves don't match. Or online I found a Himalayan Balsam?! It has the strangest scent, not unpleasant but quite strong, that reminds me of some kind of artist's paint or turps or something. Anyone got any ideas? I haven't yet got close enough to take a photo because we always seem to be cruising past.

I'd forgotten from days on the barge how you get woken up by drilling beaks along the steel at water level. Ducks and geese hoovering up the green algae that collects. Such a funny sound - like frantic typewriting. Doesn't seem to happen so much on the canals.
Not so keen on those ducks that like our solar panel warmth at the end of the day and poop all over them though!

An elderly couple canoeing yesterday set up camp on the lockside, presumably with the keeper's permission. They obviously had everything they needed on board their canadian canoe for a comfortable night, but I am impressed they could brave the cold night. Some people have the strangest hobbies.

Two locks on this stretch; Oxford to Shillingford are the deepest on the Thames. Easy coming downstream. Be fun going back up when you have to throw a rope upwards to lasso a bollard. Help, Mr Lock keeper!

Shillingford to Goring

We had yet another lovely mooring at Shillingford bridge amongst trees and Pete found more wood for the fire (he doesn't miss a trick) - a fallen willow.
We were able to bring the car right up to the mooring for a change, so we drove to Wallingford and had a beer at the very sad Boathouse pub by the bridge, not nice. All it's original features overtaken by nasty colours and wallpaper and games machines. In fact, we were disappointed in Wallingford generally, thinking it was going to be full of olde worlde charm where in fact it was run down and a bit sad. Sign of our recession times with closed shops etc., lots of thriving hairdressers though!!
One lock keeper said it had been a quiet summer this year, he believed because people can't afford to come away as much and also the awful weather of course.

Carried on to Goring on Thursday and it must have been Kite day! Lots of these beautiful birds wheeling around above the river and fields, whistling gently. This is a beautiful stretch of Thames, far prettier than the Hawkesbury river; sorry, Sydney! Goring was everything Wallingford wasn't and they have 24hour public moorings right by the town, perfect. A stylish pub and a great curry restaurant for the evening - we had a lovely time!

Today we are moored on Pangbourne Meadow. Woke up this morning to the first rain we have had this trip, which is a record! It didn't last and as usual we had our peaceful cruise.

I have to say that all this is slightly over shadowed by my father's deteriorating health. Next week we will leave the boat in a marina and travel to see how things are and meet my sister from the airport. The river is the perfect balm - shame my parents can't share a little of it with us.




Brunel bridge at Moulsford





Goring

Monday back in Oxford/Tuesday Culham

Moored opposite Christ Church Meadow at Folly Bridge. The river is wide here and busy with cyclists and walkers up and down the tow path and rowers and canoeists training. Not to mention the punts that appeared from the Cherwell. Lots to see.

We walked into Oxford again and discovered the covered market where we bought our food. Fantastic choice of fish, meat, fruit and veg.

Carried on through Abingdon to tiny village of Culham where we found an isolated mooring just before the lock, with a footbridge into the village.... And the pub (not. Although it's marked in our book, it's now a house! )

Most people on boats are warm, friendly and courteous. There is a definite etiquette at moorings and locks which is mostly common sense. However, as today, you do come across some strange manners. A hire boat of 8 people ignored us completely even though we locked with them and smiled to say hello. This was met with blank stares. Then at the final lock we arrived after them to find them already in and going down on their own. The lock keeper had not seen us approaching as there was a bend here. In those circumstances, the first boat in the lock tells the keeper there is another coming - water conservation the main reason. Clearly we were invisible to these people!! Oh well.

Kelmscott Manor

On Saturday we drove to visit Kelmscott Manor, William Morris' home.
A gorgeous property in pretty gardens in an equally gorgeous village. His and his fellow artists' fabrics and furniture are timeless and the flag stoned/wood panelled and beamed house is the perfect setting. I love pre-raphaelite style so I had a lovely day and Pete found plenty he liked too. We were lucky with the weather, sunny, although there was still a cool wind.

Got back to the boat at Eynsham at 5 and lit the fire.

Log splitter

Sara goes home for a few days and leaves me on my own . I read the goodbye note and it first appears to be a " to do" list, like ...clean boat, wash floor ,paint stuff.I regard the contents as if I've been given the choice between drinking domestos or blue nun. However I soon realise that if I rearrange the letters and add one or two more the list is actually in code ,and reads BUY A
LOG SPLITTER. I can't believe the perception of my wife , only that very morning have I spotted a little hickory handled little number in an antique shop in town for £15 . Job done !
On the way back to the boat I had to get some shopping from the local Londis
and I made a remarkable discovery , customer service is greatly increased if you go shopping with a three foot axe slung over your shoulder. In fact I'm going to throw all the wood I've collected into the river and take my new friend to tescos!,,

Location:Lechlade on Thames

Boat proud

From Newbridge to Eynsham the river continues to twist and turn past huge properties with lawns down to moorings as well as humble wooden chalets
and the kitsch and manicured Bablock Hythe caravan park. Never quite understand why these are called caravan parks when the 'caravans' are static and permanent.
We purchase new batteries at Oxford Cruisers on way, which takes only an hour but relieves us of a fair bit of cash. Had to be done though - now we have more electricity -eating equipment on board our 6year old batteries were struggling. Now we can rest again knowing the fridge won't go off half way through the night. Solar panels are brilliant though. Before, when moored we would have to run the engine for any extra power, noisy and unneighbourly, so we rarely did it. Now we can sit and listen to music or watch tv all evening on the solar gained during the day. Yay for technology!
This time at Eynsham we have moored on a cow field and not lockside as we did on the way up. We are staying here for 2 or 3 nights. Lovely view up to Beacon Hill and an easy walk into pretty Eynsham across the toll bridge (5p for cars) to buy delicious bread from their bakery. Every view from the boat windows is green and luscious. It's like having paintings on the walls that come alive. A barn owl graced us with its flight up and down the field at dusk too. England's green and pleasant land.
Fire alight in the evening though. Pete managed to buy some logs from the farmer in Newbridge which are drier than the ones we already had so the little stove roars at night. There are drawbacks to having all this wood on board however; storage. My girlie bow area with little table, solar lanterns and soft cushions now looks like this.............




Hey ho ........blokes!







Wind in the Willows

Thursday evening

Left Kingston on Wednesday and met Pete at Radcott after all, as Kelmscott moorings all taken. I was able to leave the car in the Swan pub car park overflow for the night and as we walked back from mooring to have dinner at the pub Pete spotted an old buddy from his canoeing hey days along with several others from Brice Norton unloading canoes for a training session. Pete looked very wistful but as his canoe was still on the roof of Ani at our mooring he couldn't easily join them. He did have a good reminisce with his friend (another Pete) over a pint though.
This evening after travelling for all of 3 hours, we are on another peaceful mooring at Newbridge. Sunshine all day, but a cool wind. Not many boats on the winding river so a slow tranquil day with sitings of kingfishers always too quick to get a photo of.
Pete has canoed back to get the car whilst I sit in the bow with my book.
Great life this!

Photos

September Saturday morning at Lechlade




Barbying on the bank with Jack and Simon





Kingfisher country

Friends on board and sunshine!

Woke up on Saturday morning in Lechlade to thick fog - couldn't see the other side of the river! Our solar panels indicated there was plenty of sun up there somewhere and the fog burned off in time for our mates, Jack and Simon to arrive at 12 noon (early for them!)
We had a pint in the New Inn on the waterside before setting off for a cruise. Lechlade is a pretty village, but a through route for lots of traffic. A good butcher and green grocers here though, unlike many village stops, so we stocked up and Jack found the wine merchants whose knowledgable owner guided her to 3 very nice wines for later -  thanks, Jack.
We boated to Kelmscott and moored on the last available space, it being a hot day and everyone out for the weekend. We BBQ ed on the bank with the sun going down and the rooks cawing as they roosted. Pete lit the fire inside early so that the boat was toasty once the sun had gone. Great evening with good friends, food and wine. Ended with a somewhat chaotic re-arranging of furniture and blowing up of air beds before we finally retired.
On Sunday after visiting the Plough and taking in Kelmscott's beauty (unfortunately William Morris' house is only open for visits Saturdays and Wednesdays) we headed back to Lechlade and subjected J and S to the faff of topping up water and pumping out. They were very tolerant! A couple in their 70s locked through with us who have had their boat for 32 years. I was so impressed by the woman who was managing to gracefully throw ropes in a flowing flowery dress and gold flip flops! She even had her glasses on a chain around her neck. Now if I attempted all that, the glasses would be caught on something and lost in the river, the flip flops would end up with goose poo on them and the dress would probably cause me to trip! Hats off to her!

At the end of our day Jack and Simon drove me back to our car which was still in Oxford so that I could visit my parents as Dad had just been discharged from a short time in hospital. So I am writing this from his computer in Kingston. My parents are now getting used to a newer routine, not easy for either of them but they both still manage to smile!
Pete has remained on the boat until I return, probably Wednesday.

The people you meet

There is such a variation of types of people on waterways. We have met many. Last night it was Deb and Dale who moored in front of us at Bablock Hythe. Lots of jovial shouting as they came into the bank, with Deb (as I did) not sure she could make the jump! We got chatting to them later when we realised the pub near the moorings didn't open on Tuesdays! They knew of another one 20minutes (?) up the road in Northmoor. They had bikes, we were on foot, so more like 30 minutes for us. We spent a mad couple of hours with them at the Red Lion, swapping stories of boating embarrassments mainly involving 'gardening' as we call it: inadvertently plowing through overhangs and in my case shrieking "the chimney hat, the chimney hat!" as if that would save it from being whisked off by an especially vicious branch. Deb's tale was of being in sole charge of the boat as Dale stepped off muttering 'mind the weir' . The force sent her into a 360 degree spin, hitting another boat and causing a fisherman to leap to his feet. As she said; how she managed to turn a 54' boat in a 40' wide canal, she will never know. Amidst all this she found time to applaud the fisherman for his catch, a small fish on the end of his hastily retrieved line, to which he grumpily replied, 'that's the bait' !
These mishaps always happen with an audience too, the gongoozlers. Not funny at the time!

Deb and Dale went back to their boat for sausage casserole on a bed of wheetabix! Totally bonkers.

Tonight we looked for the non existent but marked in the book moorings at Tadpole ( great name!) Faringdon, so instead we are on a mooring upstream of Rushey Lock and intend to walk back to what looks like a nice pub at Tadpole.
Boating's one slow pub crawl really.

Out onto the Thames

Monday
We left our mooring and took the very unceremonious waterway from the canal onto the Thames, under an incredibly low grafittied railway bridge where pigeons were roosting and flapped out ahead of us. Sometimes I wonder how you are supposed to find exits and entrances to smaller rivers and canals, there is so often no signage and if they are overgrown as with this summer, they are virtually invisible.
Once on the Thames and heading upstream though the wide openness was a joy and it has been a lovely hot day without a cloud in the sky. There's the added bonus of not having to man locks ourselves. Very pleasant helpful lock keepers do it all for you and the locks are so pretty and well kept.
Our guide book must be seriously out of date, all the marked moorings seemed non existent, with wobbly overgrown banks it would be impossible to jump onto. When I asked a lock keeper about one area she told me a lot had become private moorings and the Perch Inn pontoon had a sign on it: No Mooring! I would hope you can moor if you want a pint.
However, the charming lock keeper at Eynesham lock told us of some beyond Eynesham bridge, some £5 per night and others free, so we beetled on, then decided to stop at the end of the lock cut anyway as there was a24hr mooring notice and a nice bollarded bank. So here we are after Pete canoeing and hot showers, with the BBQ going once again, swans pestering us at the side hatch (they virtually put their whole necks inside the boat) and the sun sinking down. Think we will have to put our newly bought heater on later though - it's certainly turning chilly in the evenings and we aren't at fire lighting stage quite yet.







Eynesham

Beautiful Oxford

Moored at the end of the Oxford canal, Isis lock, ready to head out onto the Thames upstream. We will be here for a couple of nights as there are warnings of high water and strong streams on river. I can't think of a nicer place to be held up though and we even had some sunshine and warmth yesterday!

Wish I had been cleverer - what a place to study in.......























'Now that's an idea.....'

Visit

Margaret came to join us from Banbury to Thrupp. She experienced the palaver of car moving so that we have a car at our destination. Not easy and sometimes impossible. Still we managed to have both our cars in Thrupp, so that we could drive into Oxford for a day's sightseeing. We left Pete behind minding the boat. He and I will visit the dreaming spires another day when we are moored nearer.
What a beautiful city. We were enthralled by the university buildings. Their tranquil grandeur must provide the perfect setting for those privileged students to focus on their work. Mind you, they clearly enjoy their (also privileged) time off - see M's photo, taken at the foot of the stairs to rooms!
Hooray, Henry.

Margaret braved the air bed, experienced the Cobb BBQ, worked locks and was very appreciative. You cannot have private time on a narrowboat but she never complained!

I returned home for a couple of days to help move Dan's stuff back to our house, so that he is free to move up to London again to start the next phase in his life. Look out, Olly and Fran.


Yes - it is all champagne! .........