The whiff of Fanbelt and Diesel

seven hours today. set off at 10am from Temple lock (fortified with "Oats so simple", instead of normal and preferred triple espresso). stopped in Henley briefly so that the engine could cool down a little and Olly could have some ball chucks. a couple of places on the Sonning reach called out with the Siren song, but I continued with my resolve to get through Sonning lock before calling it a day. Guess what? That was stuffed, too. I am tucked up in bushes, wrong way round, with the plank deployed. Some kind of lunacy seems to have infected people, because there were joggers everywhere.

I am hoping to get to Beale park tomorrow, where we can all have a much deserved chill out and run around like idiots.

had a very weird conversation with the owner of Nb "la Luna", who claimed that he knew the boat. and that it was moored on the river Lee. that is the third time I've heard this now. first time, three years ago. but now, twice this month. the first people said the lettering was exactly the same. the bloke (wb 'sixpence') who introduced himself at the Bounty pub, said he'd met me at Milton Keynes. also, the boatpeople in Reading think i'm a paramedic called John, for some reason. it is all very odd.