FRIDAY
We are being visited by Caleb and Madeleine, they are being delivered to us at Abingdon and will be collected at Buscot next Tuesday afternoon. Before their arrival, whilst filling with diesel at Abingdon boat house, there was a lovely sight as working pair Kangaroo and Australia swept past downstream fully loaded with bags of coal.
We moored above the bridge and all had lunch on board before Clare left for home and Martlet with a larger crew headed upstream. The grandchildren helped the lock keepers at Abingdon and Sandford locks to get Martlet through and to our mooring close to the upper weir above Sandford lock.
SATURDAY
Dawned bright and clear with an autumnal feel. After breakfast, we headed away; again the children helped with the locks at Iffley, Osney and Kings. We waited at Osney as two lockings of charity rowers were lowered to keep the group together, chatting to Tapper who was waiting with his boat to come down. It was sunny still as we passed Port Meadow, one of my favourite places on the Thames. We Moored below Eynsham on a meadow where we had an unsuccessful bug and butterfly hunt.
SUNDAY
We arrived at Eynsham before the lock keeper started work; Madeleine and Caleb did well by opening the sluices and them the gates. They helped again at Pinkhill lock where Madeleine wanted a photograph there as Pink is her favourite colour.
As we passed the Farmoor nature reserve, a Cormorant was spreading it's wings.
There are many theories as to the reason for this display from drying them to helping to digest their food, I will let you choose which one you prefer!
We moored at Hart's weir footbridge and between heavy showers watched a Kestrel looking for his supper. A nice sailing dinghy passed with a cheery wave from the crew, the strong wind ensuring a good turn of speed. A herd of cows with a large bull in attendance came to inspect Martlet closely, but wandered off as they realised that it was not edible.
After supper, we had a walk to Hart's footbridge and across to see the remains of the weir. It is impossible for us to cross a bridge without playing Pooh Sticks, we found some suitable pieces and let them go. The wind seemed to be a bit strong; I came up with a solution - Pooh Apples! There were a few windfalls the size of crab apples from a tree that had gone wild, they worked much better and the result was closer.
Preparing for bed, as Madeleine was brushing her teeth, her loose tooth became loose no longer and came out onto the carpet. She was very worried in case the tooth fairy found the tooth and took it away before Mummy and Daddy had seen it. Problem solved, we wrote a note asking the tooth fairy to leave the tooth and put them in a bag together. It did work, as there was a one pound coin next to the bag in the morning and the tooth and the note were intact. Hooray!
