Saturday 6th June. Yarnton Mead, Oxford.
How come the weather forecast is only accurate when bad weather is predicted?
They were 100% correct today; we waited until the rain eased to a light drizzle before walking off to buy a paper and post a letter. Finding a newsagents shop was easy; the post box was harder. I would complain in writing to the Royal Mail, only by the time that I had found somewhere to post the letter; the Royal Mail would probably belong to Deusche Post or TNT and would require the complaint to be written in German or Dutch.
We traipsed back to Martlet and started to read the papers. During a spell of drizzle after lunch, we moved off and headed for Yarnton Mead near Kings Lock. As we passed by the Oxford Ice rink, the adjacent green was host to a fair. The weather was anything but: the stall holders outnumbered the visitors; it seemed a shame when you think of the effort needed to put it all together.
Passing along Port Meadow, we threaded our way between the rowers and their coaches by staying in the centre of the river and maintaining speed. Some of the novices looked as though they were enjoying themselves, which is always good to see.
Having passed through Kings Lock, we tied up and the rain became heavier; we are promised a downpour early tomorrow morning – it will make a change!
2009 Totals – Locks 226; Miles 452.5; Bus pass uses 8
