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!
Sunday 29 August 2010
Wednesday 25 August 2010
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
River Thames, Osney, Oxford.
The weather has been showing off again over the last two days. Violent squalls, heavy rain and then gale force winds inland. As our friend Dave used to say 'don't show off; it's not big and it's not clever' how right he was. The weather must have been listening as it has improved today - it is only raining.. Mooring yesterday was easy however, merely stop the forward motion and the wind, blew us into the bank very quickly. I have included a couple of aircraft photographs as the weather has not been of my liking for my photographic standard. Both aircraft were lining up for landing at Brize Norton.
Passing under the old bridge at Godstow this morning, a peacock strode from under a bush and stared at me, apparently there are two of them in the area; the other one stays close to the Trout Inn - perhaps he was a fan of Inspector Morse.
I used to enjoy listening to Radio 4, labouring under the misapprehension that it was an English speaking station; I have been proved to be incorrect of late.
I have decided therefore to cease 'Riverbanking', to begin to 'think outside the box' and to 'be clear'; possibly even 'engage'. All of these in one half hour programme. If only I knew what on earth they were talking about...........
As you may have gathered; it is raining still and having used our bus passes to get to the emporium of J Sainsbury; we are now back on board and will be moored here until tomorrow afternoon when Myra gives slightly less than an armfull of Blood.
If you think that boats go too fast on the canal, then visit the Thames. A lot of narrowboats have names such as Festina Lente, Adagio, Slow motion etc. Once they arrive on the river, these change to Valde Velociter, Presto and watch my wash. Its my age you know; now, where is my medication and my carer?
The weather has been showing off again over the last two days. Violent squalls, heavy rain and then gale force winds inland. As our friend Dave used to say 'don't show off; it's not big and it's not clever' how right he was. The weather must have been listening as it has improved today - it is only raining.. Mooring yesterday was easy however, merely stop the forward motion and the wind, blew us into the bank very quickly. I have included a couple of aircraft photographs as the weather has not been of my liking for my photographic standard. Both aircraft were lining up for landing at Brize Norton.
Passing under the old bridge at Godstow this morning, a peacock strode from under a bush and stared at me, apparently there are two of them in the area; the other one stays close to the Trout Inn - perhaps he was a fan of Inspector Morse.
I used to enjoy listening to Radio 4, labouring under the misapprehension that it was an English speaking station; I have been proved to be incorrect of late.
I have decided therefore to cease 'Riverbanking', to begin to 'think outside the box' and to 'be clear'; possibly even 'engage'. All of these in one half hour programme. If only I knew what on earth they were talking about...........
As you may have gathered; it is raining still and having used our bus passes to get to the emporium of J Sainsbury; we are now back on board and will be moored here until tomorrow afternoon when Myra gives slightly less than an armfull of Blood.
If you think that boats go too fast on the canal, then visit the Thames. A lot of narrowboats have names such as Festina Lente, Adagio, Slow motion etc. Once they arrive on the river, these change to Valde Velociter, Presto and watch my wash. Its my age you know; now, where is my medication and my carer?
Saturday 21 August 2010
EARLY START
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.
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.
Thursday 19 August 2010
ON THE BUSES
To be exact, two of them. We travelled from Wallingford to Reading to catch up with our building spotting, which has been somewhat neglected of late. Before leaving our mooring at Moulsford, I took a couple of photos of the High speed train approaching one of the magnificent Brunel bridges across the Thames. This one dates from 1839 and had a new bridge built alongside to carry two further tracks in 1892.
We moved up to Wallingford, left Martlet moored in the trees and went for the bus. Judging by the size of some of the fellow passengers, they must have been more uncomfortable than us; the seats seemed to be 3/4 size and were not well padded.
Yes, OK, I know that the journey was free, but this is my blog and I can complain if I so desire. The journey ended outside Reading station and having decided to eat before we explored; on the recommendation of a postman, enjoyed a full English breakfast in a well run cafe.
We walked to the River Kennet and through the Oracle shopping complex, stopping to watch children inside giant inflated bubbles on a paddling pool. They were having a great time and some had really got the hang of running inside and moving around quite quickly.
The main streets had some good buildings; the town hall dates from 1786, the main Victorian Gothic facade and clock tower from 1876. One of our favourites was Reading Minster of St Mary the Virgin, the walls are of flint and masonry which date from the 11th century.
By the mid 1500's, the church was in need of repair and use was made of stone and timber from the nearby abbey which had been dissolved by King Henry VIII.
Our return bus journey was in a more comfortable one, the seats were full size and well padded. The threatened rain did not materialise until supper time.
We moved up to Wallingford, left Martlet moored in the trees and went for the bus. Judging by the size of some of the fellow passengers, they must have been more uncomfortable than us; the seats seemed to be 3/4 size and were not well padded.
Yes, OK, I know that the journey was free, but this is my blog and I can complain if I so desire. The journey ended outside Reading station and having decided to eat before we explored; on the recommendation of a postman, enjoyed a full English breakfast in a well run cafe.
We walked to the River Kennet and through the Oracle shopping complex, stopping to watch children inside giant inflated bubbles on a paddling pool. They were having a great time and some had really got the hang of running inside and moving around quite quickly.
The main streets had some good buildings; the town hall dates from 1786, the main Victorian Gothic facade and clock tower from 1876. One of our favourites was Reading Minster of St Mary the Virgin, the walls are of flint and masonry which date from the 11th century.
By the mid 1500's, the church was in need of repair and use was made of stone and timber from the nearby abbey which had been dissolved by King Henry VIII.
Our return bus journey was in a more comfortable one, the seats were full size and well padded. The threatened rain did not materialise until supper time.
Tuesday 17 August 2010
THERE AND BACK AGAIN.......
The destination was Caversham: to be exact, the Tesco emporium. We had friends Maire and Alan coming to stay for a couple of nights, so the larder is in need of replenishment. Unusually, we managed to tie up close to the entrance. Probably owing to the fact that there will be nothing very heavy to carry.
The lovely thing about boating is the time scale. No simply driving to the shops but two days of travelling in each direction! No matter, the wildlife and the scenery make any journey along the Thames a pleasure for us, the modernistic, cantilevered glass summerhouse near Goring and the Art deco house nearby keep the interest alive.
At Whitchurch, there is a very large herd of Alpaca, in reality, merely giant sheep with a long neck. At Pangbourne a few very nice looking proper, wooden boats - you know the sort, nice lines and the ability to move at river speeds without creating a bank eroding wash as do nearly all of the plastic (sorry Duncan, fibreglass) ones.
We moored at Gatehampton and watched from inside the boat as the heavy rain hit the water, good timing again.
Next day saw us above Days lock and moored between the trees with a good view of Dorchester. We had a leisurely day as Alan and Maire would be joining us late morning next morning, Saturday.
SATURDAY
Loaded with food and with friends, we moved off, stopping for lunch in Culham reach.
Having eaten, the sky looked full of rain clouds and dressed in waterproofs, I stood outside steering as everyone else went inside. Hmmmm. Ten minutes later, there was heavy rain which turned to a deluge of biblical proportions after Culham lock. I was glad of my Barbour hat as the rain was coming down in large drops mixed with hail: the weather was inclement to say the least. As the visibility was very poor, I was pleased that I managed to miss the three idiots in a Canadian canoe who decided to cross in front of Martlet when about 50 feet away. Martlet weighs 17 tons, but when you grab a handful of revs in reverse, it stops quite quickly! By the time that we reached Abingdon lock, the rain had stopped, we went through and moored above, dodging the showers to walk back into the town centre.
SUNDAY
Better weather today, a good run to Sandford lock and through Oxford. We always enjoy the open space of Port meadow, being Sunday, it was a bit busier than in the week sharing the water with rowers, anglers, swimmers, sailing boats and us. We threw a couple of mud weights into the river's edge above Kings lock and stopped for the day.
MONDAY
Retracing the trip to Day's lock under an overcast sky which cleared at lunchtime to produce clear blue and hot sunshine. We stopped again in Culham reach, this time for supper; moving down once more to Day's lock to take our leave of Alan and Maire at 7pm. We had a very enjoyable time chatting to them which went all too quickly.
The lovely thing about boating is the time scale. No simply driving to the shops but two days of travelling in each direction! No matter, the wildlife and the scenery make any journey along the Thames a pleasure for us, the modernistic, cantilevered glass summerhouse near Goring and the Art deco house nearby keep the interest alive.
At Whitchurch, there is a very large herd of Alpaca, in reality, merely giant sheep with a long neck. At Pangbourne a few very nice looking proper, wooden boats - you know the sort, nice lines and the ability to move at river speeds without creating a bank eroding wash as do nearly all of the plastic (sorry Duncan, fibreglass) ones.
We moored at Gatehampton and watched from inside the boat as the heavy rain hit the water, good timing again.
Next day saw us above Days lock and moored between the trees with a good view of Dorchester. We had a leisurely day as Alan and Maire would be joining us late morning next morning, Saturday.
SATURDAY
Loaded with food and with friends, we moved off, stopping for lunch in Culham reach.
Having eaten, the sky looked full of rain clouds and dressed in waterproofs, I stood outside steering as everyone else went inside. Hmmmm. Ten minutes later, there was heavy rain which turned to a deluge of biblical proportions after Culham lock. I was glad of my Barbour hat as the rain was coming down in large drops mixed with hail: the weather was inclement to say the least. As the visibility was very poor, I was pleased that I managed to miss the three idiots in a Canadian canoe who decided to cross in front of Martlet when about 50 feet away. Martlet weighs 17 tons, but when you grab a handful of revs in reverse, it stops quite quickly! By the time that we reached Abingdon lock, the rain had stopped, we went through and moored above, dodging the showers to walk back into the town centre.
SUNDAY
Better weather today, a good run to Sandford lock and through Oxford. We always enjoy the open space of Port meadow, being Sunday, it was a bit busier than in the week sharing the water with rowers, anglers, swimmers, sailing boats and us. We threw a couple of mud weights into the river's edge above Kings lock and stopped for the day.
MONDAY
Retracing the trip to Day's lock under an overcast sky which cleared at lunchtime to produce clear blue and hot sunshine. We stopped again in Culham reach, this time for supper; moving down once more to Day's lock to take our leave of Alan and Maire at 7pm. We had a very enjoyable time chatting to them which went all too quickly.
Wednesday 11 August 2010
EARLY START TODAY
On awakening, the sun was climbing slowly above the trees surrounding the Clifton weir stream and with the traces of cirrus clouds in evidence; the hint was there. Get moving before the clouds build up and the sun disappears. Breakfast over, we did just that at 6.55am. It was a perfect start to the day which had an autumnal feel, with the water at Clifton Hampden shrouded in mist as we slipped slowly past.
We were not alone; a solitary Heron was attempting to blend with the branch sticking out of the water. He failed, but produced an interesting photographic subject for me.
A narrowboat had passed us last night at 9.30pm, no lights showing; it was probably one of the number of unlicensed boats that move after the lock keepers have gone off duty.
He left the lower gates open at Clifton and Days locks, the lazy so and so.
The EA seem to have taken a leaf out of the gospel according to British Waterways and do virtually nothing about them. We have not seen a River Patrol launch moving this year and neither have any other boaters to whom we have spoken.
Passing through Wallingford, the town moorings both sides of the river were full up; proving that the new ones on the East side were needed.
We had been moored at Moulsford for about an hour when the Sun finally gave up and went behind the clouds.
We were not alone; a solitary Heron was attempting to blend with the branch sticking out of the water. He failed, but produced an interesting photographic subject for me.
A narrowboat had passed us last night at 9.30pm, no lights showing; it was probably one of the number of unlicensed boats that move after the lock keepers have gone off duty.
He left the lower gates open at Clifton and Days locks, the lazy so and so.
The EA seem to have taken a leaf out of the gospel according to British Waterways and do virtually nothing about them. We have not seen a River Patrol launch moving this year and neither have any other boaters to whom we have spoken.
Passing through Wallingford, the town moorings both sides of the river were full up; proving that the new ones on the East side were needed.
We had been moored at Moulsford for about an hour when the Sun finally gave up and went behind the clouds.
Sunday 8 August 2010
IT HAS ALL GONE QUIET
Frances and Grandson David left us yesterday from Oxford on the coach to Gatwick. They have been with us for a week on the Thames; David managed to push the buttons on most of the locks that we went through. With hindsight, there would be more for him to do on the canals helping with the mechanics of the locking procedure.
We showed them some of the features close to the river that we like and managed to fit in a walk around Wallingford, Abingdon and of course the Abbey tea rooms at Dorchester.
We all walked to Castle hill and Wittenham stumps from Day's lock and have almost finished the the cherry plums that we had picked on Castle hill.
The Oxford photographs give a small taste of the city from the river. Christchurch meadow is a personal favourite. We have seen the steam launch on previous visits, I have included another picture as it is a pleasure for me to see craftsmanship of the hihgest order. The Canada geese make a lovely sight in flight (oops!) and as long as they are flying away from us, we are content. For some reason, they feel the need to talk to each other and to anyone else within earshot ALL NIGHT. I think that their vocal chords must have a direct connection to their heart.
A lovely building is the market hall at Abingdon; built between 1678-82 by Christopher Kempster, a city mason employed by Christopher Wren. The upper floor was in use as a courtroom.
We are moored at Osney as a visit to the laundrette will be made in the morning before continuing our travels.
We showed them some of the features close to the river that we like and managed to fit in a walk around Wallingford, Abingdon and of course the Abbey tea rooms at Dorchester.
We all walked to Castle hill and Wittenham stumps from Day's lock and have almost finished the the cherry plums that we had picked on Castle hill.
The Oxford photographs give a small taste of the city from the river. Christchurch meadow is a personal favourite. We have seen the steam launch on previous visits, I have included another picture as it is a pleasure for me to see craftsmanship of the hihgest order. The Canada geese make a lovely sight in flight (oops!) and as long as they are flying away from us, we are content. For some reason, they feel the need to talk to each other and to anyone else within earshot ALL NIGHT. I think that their vocal chords must have a direct connection to their heart.
A lovely building is the market hall at Abingdon; built between 1678-82 by Christopher Kempster, a city mason employed by Christopher Wren. The upper floor was in use as a courtroom.
We are moored at Osney as a visit to the laundrette will be made in the morning before continuing our travels.
Thursday 5 August 2010
EMERGENCY REPAIR - NO PROBLEM!
Yesterday evening, as we approached Clifton lock heading upstream, Ian McDonald, the relief lock keeper met us on the moorings. I could see that the lower gates were open with a six inch gap.
'I have broken them, but an engineer is on his way' he said. A hydraulic hose had split thus rendering the lower sluices and gates inoperable.
We tied up and had our supper. Before we had finished, the engineer had arrived on site. He removed the split pipe and returned to his van where he was able to make up a new pipe and refit the original end fittings.
The whole operation took less than one hour: I was impressed and told him so, he apologised politely for the delay. I hope that EA are aware of the excellent quality of their staff that we have encountered since our arrival on the Thames.
We are moored above Abingdon lock and awaiting the arrival of 'Half Past Four' with Sid, Joyce and Grandson Luke.
'I have broken them, but an engineer is on his way' he said. A hydraulic hose had split thus rendering the lower sluices and gates inoperable.
We tied up and had our supper. Before we had finished, the engineer had arrived on site. He removed the split pipe and returned to his van where he was able to make up a new pipe and refit the original end fittings.
The whole operation took less than one hour: I was impressed and told him so, he apologised politely for the delay. I hope that EA are aware of the excellent quality of their staff that we have encountered since our arrival on the Thames.
We are moored above Abingdon lock and awaiting the arrival of 'Half Past Four' with Sid, Joyce and Grandson Luke.
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