Friday, 21 September 2012

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!



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