Wake me up before you go go

25th June
On the huge distance to Goring moorings - took all of an hour! 

We went off to get some shopping and encountered a large gathering outside George Michael's house. Flower and message tributes in abundance. Turns out today would have been his 55th birthday and there has been a campaign to call this George Michael Day and have a festival weekend raising money for Childline, one of the charities he supported. A nice idea, but who lives in that house now and how do they feel about the vigil outside? 

Baking hot day, more cleaning, ice creams and a curry dinner at Massoon's. 

Water rationing

22nd June
Back on Henley mooring after 2 nights at Cookham and a gas alarm on boat this morning!! Took a while but we cleared it and realised that this system is so sophisticated and sensitive that we have to get used to it and not panic. 

Henley even busier as it is the start of the regatta: women's rowing. Great atmosphere and the weather is perfect. 

We have no water filter on here and intend to get one fitted. Meantime we are using flagons of bought water for drinking and cooking. It is a good lesson in water saving as is boat water use in general ( always turn off the shower whilst soaping yourself )! Cooking becomes a new process - thinking of ways of boiling veg/pots in one pan using same water. This boat only has 3 burners on the hob which also focuses your plans. Anyway, so far a successful salad nicoise (eggs,pots and beans in same pan, easy cos it's all cold in the end), sausages, pots, 2 green veg and fried onions and (meal 3); pots, beans and pesto (easypeasy). I wonder how we actually sometimes use all 5 burners at home plus the oven! 

We have discussed with narrowboat friends how little you can actually do without when you want to and boating really proves all that. 
That said, the extra luxuries on this boat are nirvana after our narrowboat - you can walk all around the bed for a start! 

Thames towpath telegraph

23rd/24th June
The last two nights we moored on the Beale Park towpath moorings. We had been told by fellow boaters and a lock keeper that travellers had moved onto Pangbourne Meadows having broken down the gate to get on there. We were intending to moor there as we like the spot and the Pangbourne butchers for supplies so we were hoping they hadn't taken over the whole area down to the water's edge. We thought about mooring at Mapledurham but the lock keeper informed us it was quite shallow there, so we carried on. Approaching Pangbourne around lunchtime, it looked as busy with boats as it always does and we couldn't see caravans until we were halfway along the meadows - there were very few travellers. Seems it's the usual Chinese whispers causing an escalating concern about them - the story becoming exaggerated so that it seemed there would be a takeover by these gypsies! Anyway there were no moorings to be had (no boaters had been put off by the travellers) so we were forced to press on regardless. 

The Beale Park moorings are very peaceful. Unless you want to visit the park and see the birds there, or maybe look at Basildon House, there is nothing to do. The banks are left wild with pathways through and consequently it is not busy. The gate off our boat did not coincide with a clear piece of bank, so I couldn't get off with a rope but Pete managed to jump off. This situation made me think we could do with the fender two step after all as we could hang it from another part of the railing. 

The weather was fabulous, sunny and breezy with a stunning sunset on our first night. Being boat-proud and because she needs it, we cleaned and polished Mariana. We are still puzzling over the hot water system onboard, having not located the Eberspacher heating system in order to check the valves that friend, Sid has suggested might be the reason we are getting the central heating working but no hot water. It might be that we should leave it running for longer than the hour we tried it, but we certainly don't want the heating on in this weather. We still have a generator when we stop and of course the engine which provides plenty of hot water after a day's cruising, so it's not an enormous problem and is just part of us learning the boats systems. 
Sunday had us waking up to fishermen chatting and finding their pitches for a competition. We have a ' duck window' above our heads in bed which I had so wanted which provides a special view at water level and also carries voices in from the bank. They were there from 8am until about 3pm. I have never understood this pastime although I can see it is probably very calming just staring at a float for hours on end! Oops, fishermen would shout me down for that of course - it's a skill!

The lady on the narrowboat moored in front of us came out at the same time of evening as I did to take a photo of the sunset and stood on the stern of her boat in her pyjamas and chatted to us. She and her husband had been on motorhome holidays all around Australia, New Zealand and Canada and she had wanted to do the same in Europe, but for some reason they bought a narrowboat instead! I think she was quite happy with it though.

An evening glass of wine or two which Pete fetched by canoeing back to Pangbourne and a laze on the back deck's comfortable seating in the fading sunlight with just the odd cries of the peacocks in the park and the whistling of the kites in the sky and we were very happy.

the Brunel bridge I have photographed a thousand times before for my father's interest

What a hoot

21st June
Moored in Cookham and decided to stay another night as it is windy and we like it here. 
Returning from the shops, taking off my shoes on the back deck I steadied myself on the control panel which had it's cover on. I then looked towards the river to see who was sounding their horn.........whilst Pete looked skyward 🙄

Doing the Fender Two Step

21st June
What a couple of plonkers we are. It's fair enough finding out all the boat's mechanisms - we have to take time to familiarise ourselves but before we came on our maiden voyage I was anxious to get some side steps for boarding and disembarking  boat as my knees cannot cope with jumping and Mariana is higher than Ani of course. So we purchased a fender two step which is a clever piece of plastic that does what it says but it's price reflects the ingenuity. Pete tied it on at our gateway but we both realised that it was going to be awkward to switch from side to side depending on which side you came in to moor, so maybe we needed 2? - more expense.

Anyway, as he was untying it, he exclaimed "what a couple of prats we are" and even without looking it came to me and I instantly knew what he had discovered - that the gate acts as a step ladder. Why did we doubt the Dutch designers - they would think of everything of course!

Wonder if the chandlery will accept a once used fender two step return. Doh.

Moorhen parents

19th June

I spotted this moorhen nest being built on the regatta's temporary floating markers. Just along from 2 workers who were building a steward's hut. They have been so busy, the male to-ing and fro-ing with luscious bits of twiggery and suchlike to present to his partner who carefully tucked it all in to her new home. I am bothered for them as to what will happen when the regatta is over if she hasn't laid her eggs and hatched them by then!? They will be evicted like our onboard spiders and there is no way of warning them. Oh dear.

Leaving Bush Elk's

18th June 2018

Our adventures start on our new boat, Mariana.
We cannot believe how lucky we are as she is luxurious especially compared to Ani. Although 15 years old, she has been lovingly cared for and looks as good as new.

Is is to be a learning trip from the Wargrave Marina where we bought her to Abingdon where we have secured a mooring for her until next Spring when we will take her over to France. Driving her is a dream and the engine is quiet. She is so sensitive that I find myself over correcting constantly. Pete is far more accomplished. We loaded her on the Monday and couldn't resist an evening cruise as we popped the champagne to celebrate.

On Tuesday we set off, delighted to leave Bush Elk's (predictive text interpretation) brokerage as we have found the broker quite charmless and unhelpful. Cruising on a warm but windy day we did our first lock successfully with Pete driving, then got to Henley bridge where we intended to do some practice mooring but couldn't because the river is readying for the regatta and there is only one channel usable for leisure craft. We had forgotten it is held at this time of year. Pete skilfully turned the boat to face upstream and came in to the lumpy bank to moor, but I couldn't get off! The side decks are high and the gap between boat and bank just too wide for me to be able to straddle especially with my dodgy knees. Poor Pete had to try 3 times to get close enough and then I was able to get off with a rope. This is why we need the practice! So different to a narrowboat.

Henley bridge was an exercise  also. We are at full height with the Bimini up, (some 4 metres) so headed for the central arch, both of us holding our breath as we approached, wondering if we were too tall to get through. Another learning curve. Sonning bridge will definitely be too low. We will have to lower the canopies and de-house more fat spiders. The upshot is, don't do low bridges when it's raining.