One of our reasons for mooring on our own in the middle of nowhere is to enable us to start early without disrupting anyone. We had done just that, and about 7pm, a boat arrived and moored about one foot off our rear fender. There is nearly 4 miles of bank to choose from until Sandford lock, but no, the best place is right behind another boat. We moved off at 6.45am and perhaps we woke them, perhaps not, but it was their choice after all.
Just before we started, there was strange red flashing light approaching, a couple of feet above the water. It was following a narrowboat and soon we could see how it was suspended: on the head of a paddler in a canoe. Behind him, was a swimmer; we drank our tea as the convoy made it's silent way towards Abingdon. The things that you see by starting early in the morning!
We arrived at Christ Church Meadow just as a hire boat was leaving, so we had a space in which to moor. They waved enthusiastically as we had shared locks with them yesterday.
We had a look in Blacks shop where in the sale, Myra bought a pair of sandals and I bought a fleece jumper. We returned to Martlet via Sainsbury's: what a typically commercially motivated decision the management have made. Lots of self service checkouts and a few personed (PC speech - OK?) checkouts, much reduced in size and harder to use. Never mind the customers, think of the increase in profits.
What next, will they give us the addresses of their suppliers and tell us to pick up our groceries from each one?
End of rant.
We arrived at Osney lock to find a traffic jam. A cruiser had a broken steering cable
and was tied up in the middle of the lower lock landing. Much manoeuvring and I threw a mud weight into the reeds after Myra had lassoed the last bollard on the landing.
All part of the boating experience; we had a nice run past Port Meadow with Martlet going along nicely at 30 degrees off straight ahead owing to the strong wind.
We passed 'One Off' with Tim and Daphne Brown from Pinkhill lock as they came towards us out of Kings Lock. Much hilarity from both sides as they passed by.
We stopped at Yarnton Mead and had been moored for a short while when I saw an Egret stalking along the opposite bank: very successfully as I saw him catch at least six fish in a short time. It is still very windy, moored as we are back end on to the wind, the buffeting it is not as bad as it could be.
