Oxford

The sun was beaming on us today, and there were quite a few narrowboaters heading upstream quickly, as we slowly pootled our way down to Oxford again.

The narrowboat that Brian & Diana (Nb 'Harnser') spotted by Park Meadow (Godstow) is still there, high and dry. The Lock keeper said the owner is a young man who doesn't want to pay for a tug. There was a Great Dane onboard when it ran aground, who doesn't like water. The grazing cows seemed to be enjoying their new boredom reliever, and were scratching themselves on it's bow fender.

Down past Rainbow bridge, we were bumrushed by the most inconsiderate narrowboater we've yet encountered. Pulled over to let him overtake, and he whizzed by at full revs with a foot high bow wave that washed us into the bushes. Saw him twenty minutes later, tieing himself up on the free 24 hour moorings just past Osney Lock. Here's looking at you, Nb 'The Great Escape'. Cheers for that..

Bimbling around the back of Oxford, we saw people tending to their allotments and sitting around in deckchairs enjoying the sunshine. A quintessentially English summer scene.

Slowly does it! We took the smaller south channel underneath Folly Bridge, because I fancied a bit of a steering challenge.

Didn't crash into the 'Salters Steamers' tripboats on the other side, and found plenty of spaces on the public moorings just downstream. A nice cool evening under the shade of some trees. In the distance, somebody played the trumpet. We were treated to "the Coco pops theme", "Hey Jude", and "Jerusalem". Whoever they were, they were really good.