Jericho

30.08.15

We arrive in Oxford in the pouring rain and moor opposite a favourite area: Jericho. We have passed the Agenda 21 residential boats on the way in, lots of them in a sorry state. And the backwater (Castle Mill Stream) on this mooring between canal and railway is obviously still an issue for the council, with scruffy boats moored hidden in the bushes and piled wood and assorted debris on its bank by the footbridge. A sunken wooden boat completes the miserable picture. I think the ownership of this stretch of water is under dispute and therefore moorings are free and easy. Both these lead-ins to Oxford contrast with the attractive Victorian 3 storied houses on the Jericho bank, their pretty gardens stretching down to the water with summerhouses and huge willows.

We had hoped the development on the Jericho side of the end of the canal might have been started by now but it seems not. There is a plan to re-open a small wharf (at the moment and for some time since we've been coming here; hidden from the canal by ugly wooden panels) and for a piazza of cafés and galleries around it, the whole development being backed by an existing grand church, St Barnabas, whose original congregation probably consisted of the iron workers and then the bookbinders who lived and worked here. It seems the only change is that Oxford Cruisers hire boat business has been moved, which makes it easier to cruise through!

Along this stretch a large family (grandparents, mum, dad, and children) were gathered at Wolvercote Lock gongoozling. As our boat descended, the 2 small children excitedly recorded that we had a sofa (we haven't!) some books, a washing line (I'm glad to say they didn't announce that our underwear was drying on it) and some biscuits!! And one declared that he would like to live on a boat. I expect it was the biscuits that swayed him! Very sweet enthusiastic children who were delighted a little further on because they had 'beaten us' into town, not difficult to outrun a narrowboat especially when you are only 8 and 5!

The rain didn't let up, so we lit the fire to counteract the gloom and left it in for our return from the Bookbinders pub; a favourite. Tomorrow: a walk into beautiful Oxford.








The backwater mess





St Barnabas

Pubs

I don't normally whinge about pubs ,they generally dispense hop based drinking products which I like very much, in pleasant surroundings , with convivial people, but I have to report that the establishment we visited on Friday evening failed miserably . I won't name and shame but it's THE **** at Gibraltar .
Last time we came through here the pub was just changing hands and the new owners have gone to considerable efforts to make the pub much worse than it used to be. It appears that they have set themselves some low targets and have consistently failed to meet any of them . That said they must be commended for their colour scheme , using I'd say pretty much all of the Wilco paint colour chart, from hearing aid beige through banana vomit yellow to geriatric purple.
I'd like to offer some handy hints from the 'My First Big Book of Beer Keeping'
1. If you offer beer make sure you have some , it's a guest beer not a
guess-it's-all-gone beer
2. Put some beer mats on the table, they soak up all the stickiness. That way I won't have to prise my phone off with a pallet knife
3. The meat raffle is always a winner but keep the fact that you've lost one of your Jack Russels to yourself
4 . If you have a sign on a blackboard which reads
Canalside
Seating
And
Beer garden
Please do not position a plant which manages to obscure the first letter of each word!

Banbury and Aynho

26.08.15
Once again we leave our mooring and head off on a familiar route towards Oxford. The logistics of getting to the boat and loading stuff are fairly complicated. Having spent a couple of days with friends in Wales, I dropped Pete and several extra bits of boat necessities off at Fenny Compton on Friday 21st and took the car back home.
Pete moved the boat on to Claydon top lock and then manned several locks by himself to Banbury. I joined him there by train on 25th, having left my car at Mum's in Kingston. I am logging all this to show how tricky it can all be when you will no longer need cars but have to transport clobber to the boat.

This trip we are travelling on the Thames again - it's our favourite month for it. We are cruising slowly to Kingston where I can visit Mum and use the car to get to London to babysit my grandson for a day - my first stint at looking after him on my own as his mummy is returning to work.

We lit the fire on my first night on the boat in Banbury! It's August, but cold and wet. Second night spent at Aynho and we managed about an hour sitting on the towpath in the sun before the weather reverted to its rainy self, happily we didn't need a fire though.

Lazy heffers paddle opposite our mooring, huge rabbits run the field at dusk, a girl from a boat moored ahead of us takes off barefooted along the towpath to greet her boyfriend arms outstretched , leaping up and wrapping her legs around him in a dramatic welcome! We are back in this very different world.