Badger Sandwiches

Test Run

2012-03-13T09:42:00.001Z

Enjoyed a peaceful overnight stop at Cliveden islands, so that we could make sure everything was working properly before we set off into the wild. Bit of a cold start to the day, but by lunchtime , we were bathed in brilliant spring sunshine. Not much else moving on the river, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves again. Water levels are noticeably lower. But, not so low as to cause us any problems.

Six Nations

2012-03-10T15:22:00.000Z

A quiet weekend for us. Making the most of long countryside walks across wide open meadows, before we get fenced in further on up the river.

We've decided to leave on monday. We would have gone this weekend, but it's England Vs France in the six nations rugby, and I didn't want to miss the game. Probably heading down to Cliveden for a leisurely couple of days, before turning around and heading back up to Sonning, Reading, Wallingford and Abingdon. Benson lock is opening a week early, so there's no reason for us to hang around anymore. Lovely though Bourne End is, it's time to move on.

Underwater

2012-03-02T15:41:00.002Z

Thanks, Matthew.
Great Image.

Spring Clean

2012-03-01T12:50:00.001Z

I've been enjoying the very welcome sunshine, and keeping myself busy while Sheena is down in Devon. It's not been a particularly harsh winter, but a very long drawn out one, and I'm glad to see the back of it. The river has been behaving itself. It hasn't rained for ages, so there isn't much of a flow in it at all. Looking forward to getting underway again.

One of the great joys of boating, is the everchanging reflections the moving water casts up on your ceiling.

Moved across the river, because they were craning in big boats at the marina. A nice opportunity to get some work done without being hassled. Popped out the leaky window. Had to repaint the whole of that side, because the oxidisation of the paint meant that the shades of green didn't match up. What looks like 'Racing Green' when it first goes on, dulls down and looks more subtle with age. Still, it is done now.

Scary blank space. But it's fixed the problem. Hopefully.

Engine sorted. Bilge Painted.

Roof finished. One tin was enough, thankfully, as the colour has now been discontinued by the manufacturers. Also did the handrails, while I was up there.

And when I'm not slapping paint everwhere, I'm enjoying some beautiful countryside walks with Sumo.

Bring the Noise!

2012-02-21T16:06:00.001Z

We've spent a nice couple of weeks, just bumbling about, and doing nothing much. Sheena's gone down to Devon to look after her mum again, so it's just me and beastie manning the boat. We've had a few sunny spells, which has given me the perfect opportunity to play with a power tool.

There were some rust spots on the roof that needed tackling. Wore out three grinding brushes removing the last couple of meters of concreted budgie sand, that I didn't have time to remove before. Fixed a bodge I discovered lurking underneath it all. And slapped Vactan (anti-rust) everywhere. Forecast is for rain, tomorrow. So I'll let that wash the dust & grit off the boat, hopefully finishing it off on Thursday.

Sumo scuffed up the bed in protest.

Brrr..

2012-02-11T12:40:00.003Z

Night..

Day..

We're all nice and warm inside though. Feels milder this year, because there isn't the biting icy wind to accompany the low temperatures. But we're bored with it. One consolation, is that the fields aren't all quaggy, so we can go out and come back without getting caked in mud. Which is a bonus.

More Black & White

2012-02-07T11:41:00.001Z

Maybe not the most innovative effect in the toolbox, but I like the way it can turn even a mediocre photograph into something that looks visually pleasing... It's Free, too...

Icebreaker

2012-02-04T14:37:00.000Z

Enjoyed a really nice birthday yesterday. Thanks Everyone!

A pleasant surprise to discover that I was only 48, and not 49. Maths was never my strong point. Our good friend Jorma popped up for a visit from Devon, and all of the marina guys had signed a birthday card for me. Also, the landlord of the Bounty pub wouldn't let me buy a round all evening. Wehey!

Dropped to -10 overnight. Probably Scotland and the north got it worse than us, but it was still quite chilly.

Tried to go for a jolly down to Cliveden woods today, but the Cookham lock cut was frozen solid with an inch of ice. Did a bit of icebreaking, before deciding that it probably wasn't very good for our blacking & hull. Reversed out, and headed back for Bourne End.

ProfilePhoto

2012-02-02T02:13:00.002Z

Bisham Abbey ~ Rendered by 'ProfilePhoto' on an iPhone.

Varistor

2012-01-31T13:30:00.001Z

We have the engineer's report for our Inverter.

And it definitely states that it was a too high input voltage (in excess of 255v) that caused the Varistor (pictured) to blow. In fairness to Aquafax and Mastervolt, everybody that we've dealt with has been friendly, polite, and courteous. Our main beef is with the ruggedness of their kit.

Odd Jobs

2012-01-30T16:24:00.000Z

After a very chilly start to the day, we had some nice warm afternoon sunshine, which made it the perfect time to tackle a few outstanding jobs before the sub-zero weather sets in. Tidied Up. Emptied out the stern gland drip tray. Refilled the greaser. Hoovered the deck drainage channels. Swept the Chimney. And split some logs..

Changed the fanbelt, because there were quite a few of the teeth missing, which might increase the risk of it slipping and overheating the alternator. Which we definitely do not need.

Then rustled myself up a Jalfrezi..

Sorted.

Undercoat

2012-01-30T13:19:00.001Z

Blake's underwater primer?

Hmmm... I'm glad this isn't our boat.

"What's that?", I asked. "I've never seen anyone do that before". Tony says "It will add another 10 years of life to the hull", and Peter says "It's better than Red Oxide".

But there is still rust underneath it!

It's another two years until we need to black our bottom again. But when we do, we're definitely using Vactan.

At this time of year, you struggle a bit to get it to harden. But when it does, it converts the rust. Gone. And that's what increases the hull life, surely?

Paco Systems (the people who make Vactan) are also based in Newton Abbot. So we're very happy to be able to support a Devon business. Just ordered ourselves another 5 litres for next season.

In fairness to the Marina, Richie did a lovely job on the blacking. It all looks very smooth. Freezing cold day, too. Respect to him.

Inverter Saga

2012-01-29T16:29:00.000Z

It's back..

Plumbed in, and functional again.
But they mugged us for £400.

Given our experiences, we would not recommend Mastervolt products to anyone. Their upper pain threshold is only 265V, and if they pop, you face a 2 month wait, and a stupid repair bill.

Though we asked for one, no written engineer's report was forthcoming, so we are having to chase them for it. We need the written report, so that we can definitely prove it was "high voltage" (us plugging into shorepower) that caused the problem. And then, we can try to get our money back from the Marina owners. We're hoping that this can be achieved amicably, without causing any ill-will, or recourse to the law courts.

Nothing is Real

2012-01-28T13:57:00.002Z

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out.
It doesn't matter much to me.

Big Crane

2012-01-23T20:36:00.001Z

Crane out day for the big boys and steel boats today, so it was musical merry-go-round at the Marina. I had to moor on the offside bank, outside the Bounty pub (the most dog friendly place I know). Unfortunately, it wasn't open. Went for a nice walk over the marshes and up the hill with Sumo. No flow on the river, and not much wind, so singlehanding it from one side to the other was a doddle.

This was the moment some new owners discovered that their recent purchase had no steerage at all from their fly bridge, and they were getting swept downstream a bit too rapidly for their liking. Thankfully, their boat's interior steering position was still functional, and they were able to bring themselves alongside safely.

Ratty, Moley & Toad

2012-01-20T15:10:00.002Z

Griff Rhys Jones is visiting Bourne End marina tomorrow. He's going out in the tug with Peter to do some filming for a new TV program about "The Wind in the Willows".

Update: He turned up on sunday, with a production and camera crew of 7 people. They all took off downriver in the tug, where Griff pretended to row about for a bit, and do some pieces to camera. Peter says they filmed for a couple of hours, which will boil down into a 4 minute nugget of TV. Not sure on the program name. But from what I gather, it's BBC 'faces' talking about their favourite things. Griff Rhys Jones' was "The Wind in the Willows", and John Snow's is "War Artists". No decent quality pictures, sorry. I was doing the washing up when they took off, and it was a grey, overcast day, with appalling light.

Chilly Nips

2012-01-16T18:35:00.000Z

Phwooarrrr... It was a chilly -2, with ice on the inside of the windows when I woke up this morning. Sheena would have loved that. Lit the quickest fire I've ever started, and downed some hot coffee while the engine warmed up. Pleased to report that it started first time, without having to spank the batteries.

Reversed out into midstream, where it was lovely and warm, full of sunshine, and not unlike a spring day. Chugged up to Cookham lock, with the river like a millpond. The lock keeper was there, so going through the lock itself, was stress free. I entered it so slowly, he had time to dissapear into his little hut, and put the kettle on. But at least I didn't ram anything or end up wedged across the lock, making a fool of myself.

Once out of the lock cut, the river was a little more ripply, but it had hardly any flow on it at all. So, I enjoyed a very pleasant journey back upstream to Bourne End. Didn't see anything else moving all day, even though Marlow lock is apparently still open.

Peaceful

2012-01-15T16:44:00.002Z

Took beast for a stroll around the woods. It didn't drop below freezing last night, but it was still warmer off the boat, than on it this morning. When we got to the top of the hill, it was warm with plenty of sunshine. Great views across Berkshire from up there too.

Back onboard now, with a nice fire going. My favourite time of the day, because all the walkers have gone home, and the geese have shut up for the night. The only sound is Sumo snoring. It is a great pleasure to hear 100 percent absolutely nothing, in this often noisy world. Part of the reason why I enjoy this particular stretch of the river very much, is that it is so quiet and peaceful (off season). Such riches can't be bought. Just seen one other narrowboat all day. Apart from that, nothing moving at all.

Cliveden Woods

2012-01-14T17:30:00.007Z

Hello everyone. First post of the new year, because there hasn't been much to report. Life in the marina goes on as normal, and we are still awaiting our inverter back from Holland, so we've been unable to go very far.

Today, however, with Sheena down in Devon, I fancied a change of scenery. Diddled about umm-ing and aah-ing, for an hour or two, then decided to go for it...

Topped up on fresh supplies, and singlehanded myself down to Cliveden, so that I could enjoy some middle of nowhere peace and quiet. Not that Bourne End is ever "super busy", but it's nice to get away from it all, and out into the countryside, sometimes. Sumo also gets good quality sniffs down here.

Temperature dropped to -6 yesterday. Inside we were nice and warm, but when it was time to shut the hatch for the night, it wouldn't budge. Frozen solid. Had to use the heat gun on it, to be able to slide it closed.

Going down through Cookham lock solo went OK. The lock keeper was there to push the control buttons, handily. He was surprised to hear that we have central heating onboard. He'd always imagined that narrowboaters have to huddle pitifully around their stoves.

So, that's us for the night.

Xmas Day

2011-12-25T11:06:00.005Z

Happy Christmas everyone.

Though, not such a good xmas day for the grey haired lady, who overstretched herself while feeding the ducks, and fell into the river. Didn't hear the splash, but popped my head out to see Alan running down the jetty clutching an oar, while Sue followed after him with a blanket. By then, she'd managed to swim around to the pub boat, and had hauled herself out over that. She was soon surrounded by a number of concerned Bourne End dogwalkers, who called an ambulance for her. 20 minutes later, and she was on her way to hospital.

Sumo enjoyed opening his presents. Bounced around like a puppy when he saw his new glow ball.

But now he's having a little nap.

Xmas Eve

2011-12-24T14:19:00.000Z

Bit windy. Cold. And not a day for shorts. Was thinking of going down to the Cliveden islands for a couple of nights. But by the time I'd got supplies and water together, time was getting on a bit. Doing Cookham lock solo wouldn't have been a problem, but I didn't fancy mooring up in the bushes down there, on my own, in the dark. So I've decided to stay put. Got plenty of coal, logs, food & water.

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Fine

2011-12-22T13:43:00.001Z

The best december ever. Feels more like august, than two days away from xmas. So warm, I broke out my shorts. Not a cloud in the sky, and lots of lovely sunshine.

The batteries came out OK, with a bit of huffing and puffing. Bit of a long winded process just to find out everything was OK, but easy than fannying around with mirrors on sticks. Relieved to discover that they don't need topping up. And they went back in, a lot easier than when they came out.

Springlike

2011-12-20T13:53:00.004Z

My cold has retreated, and the wind has stopped. It's been almost springlike today, so a perfect opportunity to get out to the shops, clear the back deck drainage channels, and hoover out the engine hole. Batteries were 12.87v, two hours after running the engine for an hour. So I'm thinking I should oik them out and see if they need topping up, before the bad weather comes back.

Now that my sinuses are no longer bulging, and my eyes feel normal in their sockets again, I've been drawn back to books to pass the long winter evenings by the fire. Last night I read this..

Published in 1959, Level 7 is presented as the diary of a military man who is permanently stationed thousands of feet underground in a self-sufficient bunker. His job is to sit in a room awaiting the command to push a button to fire nuclear weapons at an enemy country.

A jolly little tale. Of especial interest to me, because in another time and place, I also worked in a bunker. An underground facility built on springs, capable (we were told) of withstanding a nuclear attack. And all of the times I went to work, I never once suspected that I wouldn't be able to come out again. Or that the people in charge could be so stupid, as to start an all out nuclear war. One of the most chilling parts of the book for me, was when X-127 realiases he is down there for life. The geopolitics may have changed since the book was written, but the detachment from emotions and daily diary updates made for a fascinating read.

Something a bit lighter tonight, I think. I was reading Peter Ackroyd's Biography of the Thames, but got frustrated with his many references back to Hilaire Belloc's The Historic Thames, that I thought I had better go and read that first.

Found a free copy here.. Thankyou, Project Gutenburg.

Bah, humbug!

2011-12-17T14:47:00.001Z

Wiped out by manflu. I do little sorties off the boat, to attend to Mr Sumo's wants and needs. But otherwise, I'm staying put beside the fire, as the wind cuts straight through me. Our supply of seasoned xmas logs is rapidly dwindling, but thankfully we still have lots of coal and wood on the roof that needs splitting. xmas is not my favourite time of year, and I will be glad when the whole thing is over and done with.

Back on Boat

2011-12-10T13:00:00.003Z

Back on the boat again for xmas. After a weeks absence, i'd expected to smell damp when i cracked the hatch open for the first time, but was pleased to discover that we were nice and dry inside. There was a "welcome home" whiff of dog, engine oil, diesel, and woodsmoke, but no sign of fungus or damp anywhere.

The outside temperature dropped considerably last night, and there was ice on the inside of the windows when I woke up this morning. River still not flowing fast, so there is the possibility of venturing out, when/if Sheena manages to shake off her cold. (She is still in Devon, until she is well enough to travel).

Our inverter has been sent back to Holland, and we've been warned "not to expect it back before xmas". Our friend Matt said that it was most unusual for a mastervolt unit to fail twice, and we've been very unlucky. Another friend, who sells them for a living, has offered to give us names and email addresses of high up people in the organisation. But what we don't want to do, is antagonise them, so that our unit gets slipped to the bottom of the repair pile. It's a tough one. I feel we have every right to be annoyed. But we also just want it fixed, and back on the wall again, so we can get on with our lives.

Engine is starting OK. Bit slow to pick up, given the cold weather. But I haven't had to get the heat gun out yet, and it is keeping the batteries nicely topped up.

Where are we?

2011-11-29T23:12:00.012Z

I'm sorry to have worried people with my low ebb comment.

Stupidly read a newspaper, and the realisation that we are governed by complete and utter imbeciles (one after the other, incessantly) dawned on me again. I normally try to have nothing at all to do with them. And my life is happy as a result. But by reading the newspaper, I foolishly invited this cavalcade of idiots into my home. Several friends phoned or sent emails, worried about my state of health. But I am fine, really. Just a dark cloud passing over the Sun. Something I've faced 1000 times before. There's no need to worry. And I am both embarrassed and touched by your concern. Thankyou.

Boatwise and blogwise... well, there is not so much to write now the short winter evenings have drawn in. We're tied up for the winter at Bourne End Marina. But also free to move, should we so wish. The river is still not in flow, and it's still
possible for us to travel. Very different to last year, when the current was whizzing the ducks past us at 20 knots, and the wind was bitterly cold in our faces.

We're cosy and warm, with 10 bags of coal stashed, and plenty of well seasoned logs to burn. The inverter is off the wall, and on it's way to the manufacturers for investigation and/or repair. We're optimistically hoping to have it back before xmas. I must confess that I feel a bit of a cheat being on shorepower, and safely tucked up in a marina over the winter. Idealistically, I'd like to tough it out in the ice, just for the laughs, and the experience. But Sheena wouldn't enjoy that, and I have her wellbeing to think about also.

Speaking of which, I'm down in Devon at the moment, helping Sheena, while she looks after her mum. But will be definitely be spending xmas on the boat. It's been a year since I was last in a house. And to be honest, I don't miss it at all.

Next year, we are genuinely hoping to get onto the canals. I am putting aside my concern that they might be all 'dog poop and carrier bags round the prop', because Alan (Mv 'Latitude') reminded me that there is also plenty of fun to be had, like swingbridges, tunnels and aquaducts. Thanks for that, Alan. Though we've loved living on it, the thames has been here for 1000's of years. And it will still be here, when it's time for us to come back to it. With 2012 also being the Olympic year, we figure it will be stupidly busy, and not very enjoyable.

Our rough, back of an envelope plan is to go up to Eynsham and Pinkhill, beyond Osney bridge again, and then come back down onto the Oxford canal via Duke's cut (and our friend Tom's boat). But not for a couple of months yet, obviously.

Three Gaskets

2011-11-15T18:10:00.005Z

A fine sunny day, for this time of year. A golden opportunity to put on my overalls, and fanny about with the engine. So I dusted off my spanners (both ring and socket), grabbed the leaking pump by the nuts, and seriously went for it.

Thankfully, it didn't "all pop out, like the insides of a clock", as Steve had warned it might. It all came out in one lump. There were three (yes, three) gaskets inside, where the workshop manual said there would be none. They looked OK. And I figured they must be in there for a reason, so I just cleaned them up, and put them back on.

Scraped some oily gunk from around the joint, and gave it a gentle rub with some fine grade emery cloth, to ensure a snug fit. Made sure to cross tighten the nuts, as Chas taught me, when putting it back on. And I was ultra careful not to lean on the spanners so much that I stripped the threads.

Happy to report that after an hour of running the engine, there is no leakage. The boat still moves in forward, and reverse, too. Which is good.

Bourne End

2011-11-14T13:57:00.006Z

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, but I have been at a low ebb, and not felt like writing much.

We're at Bourne End Marina again, for the winter. And now we don't have to cruise everyday, I can turn my attention to the little niggly jobs that there wasn't time for previously. There is no more water under the floorboards, and with the aid of a portable fan blower, the woodchip mulch liner is drying out nicely. The floorboards are returning to their normal non-bowed shape, and all is fine internally. Except that our Mastervolt invertor is malfunctioning again, and we don't have shorepower. Steve's kindly lent us a cable reel, so we have some 240v onboard, but it still means running the engine every day to top up the batteries.

Again, nobody knows why the unit is misbehaving. The solution is to take it off the wall, and send it back to the factory. Not very satisfactory, but at least they will be able to get to the bottom of the problem. When they all get back from their continental boat show jolly on thursday.

Fixed the leaky mushroom vent over the kitchen. Discovered obvious signs of rust, neglect and bodging, which I repaired, filled and made good.

Fixed the leaky nozzles on the fuel pump. Great. They were bodged with flat O-rings and plumber's PTFE tape. But now the increase of pressure in the system has caused the fuel pump itself to leak. Will have to oik the whole thing out, and make sure there's no gunk underneath it, causing a partial seal. Not a big job, but a messy and fiddly one, because there isn't enough access for spanners, without removing the fuel delivery system first.

Dorney to Cliveden

2011-11-03T17:33:00.005Z

Our last night out in the wilds, for a while, so we're tied up on 'Goose Poo Island' again, and making the most of it.

The journey up from Windsor went well, though the stretch from Dorney lake to Bray lock was quite hard going. As soon as we got through Bray lock, the river resembled a pond once again, and our progress up to Maidenhead (and beyond) was quite rapid.

New statue at the Dimbleby's old house (by Boulters lock). Looks very lifelike, indeed. You expect him to move at any moment. But he just sits there smiling. Like the buddha.

When we got to Boulter's lock, the power was off, so Sheena had to hand wind one of the gates. Then the lock keeper appeared and turned the power on again. We got to Cliveden, just as the sun was setting. The orange, russet, reds, and browns of the autumn trees looked spectacular. And to top it all off, there was a rainbow arcing across the river.

Sheena enjoyed her trip around Windsor castle, but was dissapointed to report that there was a complete photography ban, and that very few places inside were open to the 'Public'. What there was, was well worth a visit, but Hampton court delivered more on the historical and fun fronts.

Aground

2011-11-01T14:11:00.010Z

We're at Windsor, which is very quiet at this time of year. Hardly any visitors. And all of the tripboats which normally make this reach so hazardous, are tucked up in their winter moorings. The only downside, is the roar of jet aeroplanes every minute or so. Wouldn't want to live here full time, it's a real nuisance. Sheena has gone for a wander around the castle, for tea with her majesty in the state rooms. While I was doing the washing up, this happened...

Tried to turn themselves around, and got completely stuck on the mud. To make matters worse, they tried full ahead, to shift themselves clear of it, but ended up getting stuck even further. Full astern is also doing nothing, except causing a huge wash of water out the back. They're well and truly stuck, and will probably have to be towed off of there. Poor sods. Not a nice way to spend a sunny afternoon in Windsor.

Bit of a dilemma. Do I take the boat over, and try to offer assistance? Doubt our engine could tow them off, but maybe I could help to land crew. But, if I ran myself aground on the mud too, Sheena would not be very impressed to come back and find no boat to get on. It's also too far across the river to shout anything meaningful at them. Scrathing my head, wondering what to do, while their Skipper (a big bloke) heaves on the pole, trying to shift them.

Happy Ending: After 4 hours of heaving on a pole, and manoeuvering this way, and that, they finally shifted themselves. Managed to swing their bow into midstream, and then caned the throttle to budge themselves. Took off down the river at a rapid rate of knots.

Downstream

2011-10-30T16:23:00.008Z

The weather forecast lied, as it's been grey and pizzly.

Yesterday, we cruised down to the Cliveden estate to give Sumo a nice run around. The autumn colours of the trees were spectaular in the late afternoon sunshine. Then, we spent the night on 'Goose Poo Island', because we can get good satellite reception TV there. Shame about the goose poo. But a free mooring is a free mooring.

This morning, on our way down through Maidenhead, Boulter's lock was on 'Self Service'. So Sheena operated it, while an expensive cruiser with 4 posh and grumpy gits onboard, didn't even bother to say thankyou.

We noticed that a lot of overstaying boats had been moved on. And were saddened to see the dissapearance of the EA 24 free moorings, which have been replaced with a lot of new white signs saying the local council want £8 for you to moor there (or anywhere else in Maidenhead). Even the awful moorings, by the main road. £8 ?!!

Whether this is as a result of the council's greed, and their need to squeeze somebody to make up their deficit, or the overstaying boaters scuzzing up the place, and causing a nuisance, we don't know. But we do know that we won't be bothering to stop in Maidenhead ever again, if that is their attitude.

The rest of today's journey went fine. No problems going through Bray lock, and there was very little traffic on the river. Mostly hireboats again, or large plastic cruisers fully buttoned up inside their canopies.

We've stopped at a nice spot, just before Dorney lake. The towpath has recently been strimmed back, and is closed off to the general public, so we'll most likely have a nice peaceful night. Probably off down to Windsor, tomorrow.

Spade Oak

2011-10-28T16:52:00.007+01:00

"You did well to get down here, like that."

In a marked contrast to yesterday, our cruise downriver was in beautiful sunshine. Everything that got wet yesterday had dried out by the time we surfaced, which made for a much more pleasurable boating experience.

Traversed Marlow lock safely, by crawling in and out extra slowly, so no big bursts of reverse were called for.

The 'flap' on the lever arm, turned out to be a grub screw that had vibrated loose. So that's now been tightened up. Amazing how such a small thing, can cause such a large problem.

No room at the Inn, in Bourne End. So tonight we are tied up at the Spade Oak moorings, before heading off downstream for a few more days. The weather forecast for the weekend is "lovely", so we're going to make the most of it.

Temple Lock

2011-10-27T21:43:00.008+01:00

So, we waved goodbye to Sonning, and set off for Shiplake, to give Sumo an offlead run around. But, sadly, it was stuffed with boats, and we had to keep going. Passed down through Henley, which, apart from a couple of widebeams, was almost completely empty. Hardly anything else was moving. A few narrowboats, but predominantly LeBoat and Caversham hireboats.

Total distance covered today was 13.04 miles, and we've come down through 5 locks.

Shiplake, Marsh, Hambledon, Hurley, Temple.

The last two, in the dark and pizzling rain. Hurley was the hardest, it was pitch black, and the chains for canoeists snagged one of our fenders. Temple was much easier to negotiate, because it was well lit.

At Hambledon lock, something inside the control column failed. There is a lot of slippage before the gearbox engages. So we had minimal reverse for the last couple of hours. Wanted to moor at Remenham, but it was so overgrown with weeds and rushes, we couldn't get near to the bank, or see where the shallows were. Very surprised it's that bad, because in the height of summer it was full of boats and trimmed right back. It looks abandoned now.

Same thing happened at Medmenham. Too shallow for us to get anywhere near to the bank. Figure that may be the bags of coal on the roof, dropping us down a couple of inches.

Up early tomorrow, to see if I can fix the control column. No locks between us and Marlow, so we may limp down there and get some supplies. Still a few days to go before the lock closures, so no worries.

Long old day, though.

New Hobby

2011-10-24T11:24:00.012+01:00

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. We've been enjoying the tranquility, and spectacular sunsets of the Sonning to Shiplake reach; where unfortunately, our modem and phone signal is very weak.

Overstayed slightly on moorings belonging to The French Horn Inn, but the owner was sympathetic when he discovered we had Sumo to hoist off the boat. And he was quite relieved to hear that we wouldn't be stuck on his mooring all winter. So he didn't come out and hassle us again. Thanks for that, Mr. French Horn. Appreciated.

We've also got ourselves a new hobby.
Peering down holes...

Unbeknown to us, the seal on our circulation pump had failed, and dumped gallons upon gallons of water into our bilge. The first we knew about it, was when we started listing slightly, and the floorboards started curling up at the edges. Oh Dear. Chas helped me fix the pump, because the first time I tried to put it back together, the leak was worse. All it needed was a new rubber O-ring, which thankfully, we had onboard.

Once we'd stopped the water piddling onto the underfloor lining (cheap chipboard), mushing it up, and dribbling down through the length of boat, we needed to drill a small hole to see what was going on and extract the water. There was about three inches sloshing about down there. I forget how much we removed with Chas's siphon pump, and our wet/dry hoover. But it was a lot.

Now we are ventilating the boat. And waging war on mold, with bleach. Thankfully, it has hardly rained at all, and we are well on the way to becoming dry again. The floorboards are also returning to their original shape. Flat. Which is a relief.

On our way back down the river again, soon. Because we have to be behind Marlow lock, for the 30th of October, when the lock closure and mainatainence program starts.

Ambulance

2011-10-05T15:27:00.001+01:00

I forgot to mention, that we had to dial 999, ahd call an ambulance out the other day. A cyclist (called 'Gordon') fell off his bike, into the river. He was wedged between Chas's boat, and the concrete of the bank, and just laying there stunned. He'd hit his head on the way down, and when we fished him out, he drifted in and out of consciousness.

When they arrived, the paramedics opened his bag to look for ID, and we all noticed a very nearly consumed bottle of famous Grouse whiskey, which we surmised was the reason why he'd taken a tumble in the first place. Hope he's OK. But he's not been back for his bike, yet.

Thanks to Andy & Zoe (Nb 'Vigorina') for helping.
Hope you are OK, Gordon.

Sonning Triangle

2011-10-05T14:54:00.006+01:00

We've stayed on the Shiplake reach much longer than we'd anticipated, because it's so nice, quiet and peaceful here.

The unseasonally warm blob of late summer weather and clear blue skies was nice, though it had the unfortunate side-effect of bringing all the massively massive plastic cruisers out of their marinas for one last jolly before the boating season ends for another year. Busier than at the height of summer, there was a boat queue every few hundred yards. And all of them racing to get to the next lock first. Which wouldn't have made for a very a relaxing experience at all, so we stayed put. And have enjoyed some leisurely bimbling down to Shiplake meadows, so that Sumo can run around like an idiot. And up to Reading for supplies.

It was our 29th wedding anniversary yesterday. Our furniture anniversary, apparently. Sheena tempted me with the crispy leeks and jumbo sausages at the Bull inn. But in the end, we stayed in and enjoyed a quiet evening.

Finished reading Jerome K Jerome's "Three Men on a boat", and was surprised at how funny it was.

Tesco-on-Thames

2011-09-24T13:42:00.010+01:00

Sorry for lack of blog updates recently. We are shuttling up & down between Reading (for supplies), and Sonning (quiet and peaceful idyll). Unfortunately, 3's mobile broadband signal is...

Chas has kindly helped us to change our light fittings over to LEDs, throughout the boat. We can now have all of our lights on at once (which then makes it resemble Wembley stadium inside). For less than the electrical equivalent of ONE of our old style 21w bus bulbs.

1.5w?! Amazing.

Beale Park

2011-09-19T19:37:00.008+01:00

"Waitrose-on-Thames"
(new graffiti spotted near Wallingford Bridge)

Had a frustrating time, trying to get away from Dorchester. Every time we pushed the bow out, the wind blew it back in again. Eventually, we made it. The 'not very nice' weather, meant we had the river virtually to ourselves again. On the journey down to Wallingford, we only saw a couple of other boats moving. And when we got there, one side of the town jetty was completely deserted. Which was a very strange sight, as it's normally heaving with boats here in the summer.

We've done about 11 miles today, and come down through 4 locks (Days, Benson, Cleeve and Goring).

Staying at Beale Park for the night.

Dorchester

2011-09-18T15:43:00.019+01:00

Tucked up under the trees.

Arrived here yesterday, in the pouring rain, and unremitting chilly wind. Discovered that all the narrowboat moorings were taken, and had to turn the boat around, before we were commited to going through Days Lock. But the wind wouldn't let us do it, and we got blown down the river sideways for a few hundred yards. Until we found a sheltered spot to swing the bow around in. Thankfully, nothing was coming the other way.

We had hoped to walk up to the Wittenham Clumps today (colloquially called "The Berkshire Bubs" and "Mother Dunch's Buttocks"), but the weather is not very nice again, so we've treated ourselves to another well deserved lazy day.

Guess Who?

2011-09-15T19:04:00.007+01:00

Just moored behind us...

Very kindly posed for this photo, and told us about the 'lock every mile' of the K&A. "Enjoy your life on the boat", they said.

Thankyou Timothy & Shane, we do.
Nice to meet you both.

Back at Abingdon

2011-09-15T11:04:00.018+01:00

We were pinned against the bank by the winds for a couple of days, but it was no great hardship, as we had supplies, and the Farmoor nature reserve was such a lovely place to be stuck at. Nice summery weather going downstream.

Stopped in Oxford for 30 minutes, to let the engine cool down a bit, have a cup of tea, and say hello to Dave (Nb 'Chavori'). Didn't fancy overnighting there, as it was all a bit grey and nondescript. On the way down to Iffley lock, we noticed that Salter's Steamers have finished cutting up their barges for scrap. Didn't take them long at all.

On our way back down to Sonning now. We have an annoying dribble of diesel leaking out of the fuel pump nozzles, and Chas (Nb 'Long White Cloud') has offered to help us fix it. Not a major problem, but it's making our pristine engine look a bit grubby, so it needs sorting out before we tackle the K&A. (Yes, we are finally venturing onto a CANAL!).

Yesterday, we did a grand total of 17.83 miles, descending through 7 locks. (Pinkhill, Eynsham, Kings, Godstow, Osney, Iffley, & Sandford). Our longest journey yet. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. zzzzzzzzz...

This morning's view.

Pinkhill Resevoir

2011-09-12T14:05:00.008+01:00

The gale force and gusty winds are angrily howling down at us from straight across the river, pushing us snugly into the bank. We're tucked up securely and safely, listening to the fury of nature outside, with a nice log fire going. Not seen another boat moving all day, unsurprisingly.

King's Lock

2011-09-10T19:33:00.031+01:00

Sandford, Iffley, Osney, Godstow, & Kings.

We were hoping to get up to Eynsham meadows today, and tie us up safely before the predicted storms from the tail end of the hurricane broke. Our little Bukh engine carried us 12.19 miles, and negotiated us safely through 5 locks, before we decided to call it a day at the luxurious and manicured lawns of Kings Lock.

Travelled through a complete mixed bag of weather today. It was heaving it down with rain one minute. Severely gusty the next. Then followed by periods of brilliant sunshine. Rinse and Repeat. Quite Odd. We got blown around a fair bit, especially coming up to lock layby's at low revs. But, with no flow on the river, it was nothing for us to be unduly concerned about.

Passed the burnt out shell of Nb 'Busker' at Port Meadow.
Glad there was nobody on board when that happened.

Happy to see our friend Dave on Nb 'Chavori' at Oxford.

But the sad news of the day, was that Oscar (his Akita) had died. Aged 12. It only happened a couple of days ago, so he was understandably still quite gutted about it. But I'm glad we were able to stop, and offer our condolences. Oscar was a lovely dog. A real gentle giant. Will miss seeing him around.

RIP Oscar. Thinking of you, Dave. You gave him a great life.

Charity Swim

2011-09-07T19:13:00.014+01:00

David Walliams arrived at Abingdon yesterday evening, to a welcoming reception from around 1000 people, all gathered around the lock. Never seen the towpath so busy.

This morning, his support boat woke us up, and he swam past at 7:15am. Local radio reports say he's picked up a bad case of "Thames Tummy" (symptoms including: high temperature, vomiting, and the squits). Swimming in the "dirty old river", he also risks getting E-Coli, Salmonella and Hepatitis. Brave man.

The BBC's documentary film crew.

David Walliams Vs. The Thames

Abingdon

2011-09-01T15:11:00.009+01:00

Doing a 5 day stopover, while Sheena visits her mum again.

I like Abingdon a lot. Unfortunately, even a garden shed costs £500,000.00 around here. But, I guess the same can be said for much of the thames. Having a boat has allowed us to visit some places we couldn't even have afforded the bus fare to.

Beale Park

2011-08-27T21:49:00.002+01:00

Pangborne meadow was completely stuffed with boats, many of them doubled up; so we continued on to Beale park. That too, was very busy by the entrance. Again, with many boats doubled up. But, a little further on upstream, just around the bend, it was completely deserted.

Lucky us.

Reading

2011-08-27T14:31:00.005+01:00

We stopped off at Sonning, to visit our friend Chas (Nb 'Long White Cloud'). Then set off for Reading, and managed to get ourselves a mooring outside Tesco. Understood why there were so many boats moored downstream. It was a noisy night, with sub-bass rumblings drifting down from the festival compound, and many alcohol infused people wandering up and down the towpath. This morning, the whole of the park resembled this..

Moving on, as soon as possible.

Shiplake

2011-08-25T22:33:00.013+01:00

We've travelled 11.53 miles today, and been through 5 locks.
Temple, Hurley, Hambledon, Marsh and Shiplake.

When we set off through Temple lock at 11am, it was pizzling with rain. By the time we'd got through Hambledon lock, and up to Remenham meadow, it was another beautiful summer's day. No wind, No stream. Sunglasses required.

Stopped in Henley briefly for supplies, and carried on up to Shiplake. There were plenty of free mooring spaces available, but we settled for a real gem, just before Shiplake islands.

Temple Mill

2011-08-24T18:38:00.009+01:00

Said goodbye to our friends at Bourne End, and set off in the afternoon sunshine. Travelled up past the 'Cardboard Castle', through Marlow lock, to tie up alongside Higginson park, while we got some supplies.

It was very busy, again. And noisy, with people running their generators. But, we were lucky and found ourselves a space. Belly of Pork procured, we then set off for the peace and quiet of the free 24 hour Temple Lock mooring, which we were delighted to find was completely deserted. Don't mind sharing at all, there's space for two full size boats here. But it's always nice to have the place to yourself, with just the white noise of the weir for a soundtrack. Always get a good night's sleep here.

We're hoping to make it up to Wargrave tomorrow, without stopping at Remenham or Henley. Because as soon as you set foot on land there, the bloke will be knocking for his mooring fees. We've heard people moaning about him up and down the river, and neither of us want to make him any richer. Remenham is a lovely spot, but there are equally nice places to stop, just a short journey upstream.

Bourne End

2011-08-23T13:59:00.019+01:00

Oh well, it had to end, sometime. Our unbroken run of free summer mooring spots finally ended at 9am in Maidenhead yesterday. A very polite gentleman knocked on the roof, apologised for waking us up, and (in exchange for money) gave us this..

Nowhere at all to stop at Cliveden islands, because they were completely stuffed with boaters out enjoying the summer sunshine and picnicing. Lunchtime was probably a dumb time for us to cruise through there, and expect to be able to find a 54ft space. But the journey was fun, in itself.

Popped into 'The Bounty' for a quick pint, and ended up doing an overnight at Bourne End marina. Peter the marine manager kindly shuffled boats around for us, so that we could squeeze in. Which we did, just about..

Alan & Sue (M/v 'Latitude') graciously let us moor up on the inside of them, so that we could hoist Sumo off of the front deck easier. Even though this meant they'd have to clamber on and off over our roof, in the wet. We're all very grateful.

Bumped into Peter (Wb 'Big Baloo'), who was just visiting, and was happy to bring him up to date with our travels so far. Funny to think, that this time last year, we were wary and trepidatious about setting off into the unknown for the first time. Thanks for taking us out, and teaching us how to steer, Peter. Much appreciated.

Bourne End has some lovely country and riverside walks, which we all enjoy very much.

Maidenhead

2011-08-21T16:49:00.013+01:00

We're enjoying a couple of days stopover in Maidenhead, because the river is heaving with people showing off their wealth at the weekends.

Did an overnight at Dorney lake, but despite the heavy rain, the river level dropped overnight, and left us lumbered with a significant list to port. We were grounded on some submerged sandbags filled with concrete, and no amount of reversing would budge us off of them. Two blokes on m/v "Minus 13" took pity on us, and helped us wobble ourselves free. Cheers guys..

From there, we were going to travel down to Windsor, to top up supplies, but there was a queue of over 20 boats lined up to get into Boveney lock, and we couldn't be arsed with the wait (or the aggrieved whinging from the inconvenienced). Nobody was travelling upstream, so that seemed the most logical direction to head off in.

Windsor

2011-08-18T15:18:00.012+01:00

We reluctantly left the luxurious surroundings of Shepperton and Lady Lindsay's Lawn behind us, and cruised ourselves up to Old Windsor in the pouring rain. But, when we got there, we were rewarded with a spectacular sunset. Spent the night tied up outside the 'Bells of Ouseley' pub. The owner of M/V 'Artemis' helped us to moor up, which was kind of him.

Some National Trust money had obviously been well spent at Runnymede, because there were several nice new narrowboat length pilings to tie up on, if we so wished. But after our long unbroken run of free mooring spots, we were feeling too tight to pay for anywhere, and pressed onwards.

Today was a similar story. Cruised ourselves up to Windsor & Eton in the pouring rain. Again, with looks of sympathy from canopied cruisers, and narrowboat owners ensconced within the dryness of their pram hoods. But we loved every minute of it.

Currently tied up on the Windsor leisure island, with our first fire of the summer. Still heaving it down. But now we're warm & toasty inside.

Lady Lindsay's Lawn

2011-08-16T12:00:00.014+01:00

Cruised ourselves up to Shepperton, where we were lucky enough to find a narrowboat length mooring spot at Lady Lindsay's Lawn, tucked up behind the mass of cruisers...

Sumo helped himself to blackberries direct from the bush, and we met up with Lisa, the lady who sold us our boat. At first, I thought she'd come out to inspect the back end of her boat, and make sure we didn't bump into it while mooring. Which is what most cruisers owners do. They pop out suddenly, like the shopkeeper in "Mr Benn".

But when she started waving, we recognised her. Apparently she'd spotted us further on downstream, and wondered if we were the same boat she'd sold in 2009. Nice to catch up on gossip, and the towpath telegraph from this end of the river.

This place is such a popular spot, because it's owned by the local council, who can't be bothered to collect any mooring fees, or move people on. Surprising, really. Given these cash strapped times.

Not that we are complaining. When we step off the boat, we have our own little garden, and as many fresh blackberries as we can eat.

72 Hours

2011-08-15T19:50:00.002+01:00

We all enjoyed our stopover at Molesey. We stayed put for the maximum permissable time of 72 hours, because it was such a nice, quiet and peaceful spot, with nearby shops, and plenty of good dog walking opportunities.

It was also the first time we've actually seen the EA people do something. They were very proactive in patrolling, moving on overstayers, and slapping notices on unlicensed boats.

West Molesey

2011-08-12T17:54:00.018+01:00

Roy & Sue (Hotelboat 'Baglady') berthed alongside us last night, and recommended that we check out Kingston upon Thames. Set off down there this afternoon, but it looked too built up and "Londonish" for us, so we baled out, and headed back upstream. We're currently on the 24 hour free moorings at Molesey. Tree lined, quiet, & rich in history. Which is what we like...

Exactly 200 years ago today
The Curious Incident of the Aeroplane in a tree
Suffragette Arson at Hurst Park Racecourse

Overgrown

2011-08-10T14:11:00.007+01:00

I was searching for references to the mooring spots at "Lady Lindsay's Lawn" (stuffed solid with huge GRP cruisers when we passed it), and came across this...

As regards bank maintenance by Riparian Owners. The costs here are horrific, you think boating is costly then get a quote for 10 yards of bank restoration. PLUS to restore a bank requires permission from the EA with all the paperwork that entails. Yes! you can repair bank but if it's eaten away and has to be rebuilt, back filled etc. etc. Then it's a jobsworth happy day. You cannot take dredgings and put them on your land, they have to be taken away to a designated area. It's all a nightmare and easier to let it rot. I know I am tempted to do so every time I have to fork our hundreds of squids to fix something.

Makes sense. Next time I grumble about a designated mooring spot being overgrown and unusable, I will try and remember this.

Hampton Court

2011-08-10T13:38:00.019+01:00

"Not many people could have done that", said the lock keeper as I pulled off a nifty bit of manouvering to get into Sunbury old lock. For some reason, he wanted us to use the old lock, when we were right up against the new lock gates. I used the trick Sue & Vic (Nb 'No Problem') taught me, to bring the bow around without any effort, then made a sharp left and right turn to avoid the telegraph pole and an unopened lock gate, which he couldn't be bothered (or was too busy) to sort out.

"Wow... that was ultra cool!", said an onlooker. "This guy's a real expert!". I was supremely chuffed with myself, and bored Sheena with it, for the rest of the day.

Passed down through Shepperton, Sunbury and Molesey locks, before arriving at Hampton Court late in the afternoon. Where we got a nice mooring spot, right beside the golden gates of the palace. It's free for the first night, and then £5 per night after that. For a maximum of three days. An offer I think we'll be taking them up on, because there is so much to see and do around here. The royal park (dog friendly) is huge, with scores of deer roaming wild, through the trees, and over the golf course.

Must say that I'm really glad we've ventured down this far. Thought it would be much more built up than it actually is. What a nice surprise to find that it rivals the upper river for it's width, and variety of sights. If we do see another boat, it's rushing to get to the next lock, and then we have the river to ourselves again. There are quite a few free places to moor, as well. And people don't have their hand out as soon as you tie up, like they do in Henley & Remenham.

Highly recommended destination.

Chertsey

2011-08-08T20:13:00.012+01:00

We've covered 9.71 miles today, and done 3 locks.
Old Windsor, Bell Weir and Penton Hook.

Set off late from Windsor, and enjoyed a pleasant cruise down to Chertsey, past the royal estate, Runnymede, and through Staines. We're currently tied up on the 24 moorings by Chertsey lock. The lock keeper said "You got here after 7pm, didn't you?". And "You're around the bend, I can't see you". So, he didn't charge us £8. Or anything at all. Nice one, Mr. Lock Keeper. Cheers!

Took Sumo for a walk underneath the M3 bridge (not nice), where we found Laleham Park (very nice). What looked like a windswept corner, when we tied up to it, turned out to be a very nice spot indeed. Glad that we stopped here. And will definitely be doing so again.

Roast Chicken for tea.

Windsor

2011-08-07T20:11:00.010+01:00

Lovely Boating Weather!

Friday, we stayed at Bourne End, where we were fortunate enough to get a spot just 20 paces from 'The Bounty' pub. A perfect opportunity for a few pints, catching up with gossip, and bumping into old friends.

Saturday, there was a large queue getting through Boulters lock. The sun beamed down on us for two hours, while we waited for over a dozen boats to work their way through it. The temper fuses of the inconvenienced cruiser owners were extremely short. And not helped by a snide and bitchy group of Americans on a hireboat. Some poor sod queue jumped, which nearly lead to fisticuffs. Us? We weren't in a rush, so it wasn't really a problem for us. Got a nice mooring just below the Brunel bridge at Maidenhead. As everybody else, zoomed off down to the next lock, to repeat the same process all over again.

On sunday, we cruised down through Bray, to Windsor, in alternating sunshine and downpours. We'd just got through Bray lock, when it heaved it down with rain, and there was a thunderstorm directly overhead. People in canopied cruisers offered me looks of commiseration for having to steer by tiller, out in the rain. But I loved every single minute of it.

Temple Weir

2011-08-04T19:40:00.005+01:00

We've travelled 12.75 miles today, and done 5 locks.
Shiplake, Marsh, Hambledon, Hurley and Temple.

Oops. Hambledon lock strikes again. A hireboat got caught on the edge as the water was being let out. A prompt refilling by the lock keeper averted the disaster. While this was going on, downstream, a widebeam ran foul of the weir, and got pulled off of the layby, into the bushes.

Our journey was fine though. We got rained on a couple of times, but nothing that dampened our spirits. After the baking heat of the last couple of days, it was nice to be out cruising in a breeze. The bad weather also limited posing opportunities for the big 250K plastics. They were all tucked safely on their marina berths, and empty.

While I was turning us around this evening, a hireboat coming upstream whizzed in, and plonked themselves right in the middle of the public moorings. If I'd been selfish, I could have turned round in front of them, and made them wait. But I'm not that much of a git.

Sonning

2011-08-04T11:34:00.012+01:00

We've spent the last couple of days below Sonning bridge, visiting our friend Chas on narrowboat 'Long White Cloud'.

The moorings across the river where we stayed for 3 weeks when our head gasket blew, have had big signs erected next to them. They state that the hotel ('The Great House') now want £20 per night for the privilege of stopping there.

That's £10 more than Uri Geller's, 100m downstream. I wonder if they're surprised that nobody at all is using them. Or if that was their intention.

Through Mapledurham

2011-08-01T23:00:00.012+01:00

"Simply messing...about in boats -- or with boats... In or out of 'em it doesn't matter. Nothing seems to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not."

~ Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

Most of the journey downstream was picture postcard lovely. Got bumrushed by large plastic hireboats a few times, but we just pulled over for a bit, and let them speed off down to the next lock. When we got back to 'Civilisation', it was a bit of a shock, because there were millions of people all along the riverbank. Never seen Reading so busy before. Narrowboats everywhere, of course. But most of the owners were in a remarkably cheerful summery mood. Lots of waving, smiling, and lifting of beer glasses.

Sumo travelled in the lap of luxury today, with his own air conditioning system. The fan only uses 1.3a. And it chilled him right out. He wouldn't budge.

The pumpout machine at Mapledurham lock is the best we've encountered so far. It has great suction. The rinse hose is as powerful as a pressure washer. And you get 10 minutes. Wehey!

" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636057546799386050" />We were shafted by a shiny shiny narrowboat owner at the Tesco moorings. They were berthed up, three abreast. Until they saw us coming. Then they pulled themselves back, into the last remaining space. Cheers for that, so kind. Thankfully, another narrowboat (Nb 'Eucalyptus') was just leaving, and they waved us in. Thankyou.

Big Bully

2011-08-01T22:21:00.001+01:00

On our way down to Reading from Beale Park, we were bullied by the 'Caversham Princess'. Her skipper attempted to turn across our bow, after giving an incorrect sound signal of four long blasts, followed by three short ones.

It became obvious that he was "turning around to the left" when his vessel started coming straight for us, at a rapid rate of knots.

Once we'd seen him start to turn, we floored it. Not enough time for us to stop, and/or reverse. We found out that dogma can really shift, when we need her to.

10-20 seconds of maintaining his course, and we would have been comfortably downstream, out of his way. That would have been the safe thing to have done. But, no, he wanted to play the "I am a working boat, get out of my way" card. Down below Reading bridge, he did exactly the same thing to another narrowboat (which was coming upstream). Again, with an incorrect sound signal.

For what? Why did he turn himself around in such a hurry?
So that he could tie up at a Restaurant.

Beale Park

2011-07-31T18:01:00.021+01:00

We've travelled 5.88 miles today, and done 2 locks.
(Cleeve & Goring).

We enjoyed a nice leisurely cruise down the river, on a sunny summer sunday afternoon; with a gentle waft of breeze in our faces all the way.

(Boring) Goring had much more life to it, than the last time we passed through, in the pizzling grey drizzle of late May. The watermeadows above the lock, were full of narrowboats, double berthed. The lock was packed with 1001 spectators enjoying their ice-creams, and waiting for boats to mess up locking ("Le Boat" hirers are especially good at this). The 24 hour moorings downstream of the lock, were completely full to bursting point. Like they were at Wallingford, when we set off at 9.30am. It's the busiest time of the year, I guess. Boats everywhere.

Managed to get ourselves a nice spot by Beale Park.
Peaceful & Quiet. Sorted.

Wallingford

2011-07-29T19:31:00.009+01:00

We've travelled a total of 14.57 miles downstream today, and come down through 4 locks. Culham, Clifton, Days, & Benson.

The Wallingford town jetties were stuffed full of boats, but on the way down, we'd noticed that a few of the fishing holes were vacant. Turned around below the bridge, and found us a cosy little spot, where we are tucked up safely in the bushes, anchored to trees, and directly opposite where Mr. Jethro Tull used to live.

A nice day for cruising, because it was warm, but not baking. There was hardly any wind. And we had large chunks of the river (which was like a pond, again) all to ourselves.

Broken

2011-07-28T19:00:00.006+01:00

The pump out machine at Abingdon has been 'broken' for the last 5 days. And nobody seems to know or care when it will be working again. Some people say it's the card reader that's broken. Others maintain that the "right type of truck" can't be found to empty the storage tank. Boaters needing to pump out their poo urgently are being sent downstream to the marina (where it costs £15 instead of £8).

Jolly bad show, EA.

Have a Look!

2011-07-27T11:47:00.005+01:00

"Have a look" ... is the expression to use, if you want to get a sculler's attention, rapidly. One nearly rammed our stern, and ended up in our propeller, as we were travelling up from Iffley lock. But, yelling this at them avoided the collision. We also spotted the sculler who'd crashed into us on our last visit to Oxford. So the experience hadn't put him off sculling. Which was good to see.

It seems like complete and utter madness, to be rowing yourself backwards, and into the path of all sorts of river traffic, without mirrors. I really don't understand it's popularity, myself. I appreciate that it has a long and historic tradition with the colleges. But they didn't have tripboats, and speeding cruisers to contend with, back in the day.

Abingdon

2011-07-26T21:26:00.003+01:00

After a busy few days in and around Oxford, we pootled off downstream to Abingdon, where we were lucky enough to get the primo out-of-town mooring spot. Every time we've passed this mooring before, it's been taken. Sumo couldn't believe his luck, either. Twenty doggy paces to a superb little swimming beach.

Nice to see you Martin, Richard, Shaun, Adam, and Jorma. Thanks for coming to visit us.

More Eynsham

2011-07-23T22:06:00.001+01:00

Downstream, through Pinkhill Lock, to Oxford cruisers; where we filled up with diesel. We were still 3/4 full, but I wanted to top up, and avoid being ripped off and extorted further on down the river. We got 68 litres. Other liveaboard boater friends of ours, have recommended that we split it at 5/95. I agree with that figure. Why should we pay more tax than we have to, when the government is already stiffing us in numerous other ways. Who decided that the 60/40 split is "fair" ? But, when it came around to the time to declare what split I actually wanted, I bottled it. Wimped out, and went for 20/80. A figure which I believe honestly reflects our fuel consumption.

My friend Ad, also pointed out that the person doing the steering, doesn't have to shout to get themselves heard. I forget that it's quiet up at the front, because I'm standing over the engine, and he has to shout to me. So, my brain assumes it's also noisy at the far end of the boat. He was quite amused that I was bellowing at him, when normal conversational volume would have been sufficient.

Carried on down through Eynsham Lock, where we went for supplies and had lunch. Sumo got to play with an 8 month old lady lab, who wore him out. Then we turned ourselves around and headed back for the meadow, so that he could run round like an idiot. Unfortunately, when we got there, it was full of cows, the biggest Hereford bull we'd ever seen, and an enormous number of cowpats. Which I inadvertently trod in, when we were mooring up.

Pinkhill Resevoir

2011-07-22T21:08:00.003+01:00

Set off for Bablock Hythe on a bright sunny July morning. On the way up there, we noticed a lamb had fallen down the bank, and was paddling about in the river. Exhausted, and in obvious distress. I pulled the boat over, and Ad stripped down to his skidders, and clambered in to rescue it. After getting himself stabbed by Blackthorn, and avoiding getting his toes nipped by crayfish, he managed to lift it out, up onto the bank. Where it bleated, ran off, and immediately began stuffing itself with grass.

When we arrived at 'The Ferry' pub, there were no boats there at all. Completely deserted. A very strange sight.

On the way back downstream, we saw a lady farmer on a quad bike, riding along the towpath. "Have we seen a lab?", we thought she said. "What colour?", we replied. Then we figured out she'd said "lamb". It's hard to hear stuff shouted from the bank over the engine noise. "Yes, we rescued it about an hour ago", we replied. She was really grateful. Which was a nice instant karmic payback for Ad, who later had to remove several blackthorn splinters, with the aid of a stanley blade.

Had the river to ourselves on the way back, and when we got to Pinkhill Resevoir, we discovered that was unusually quiet too. So we got the pick of some nice mooring spots, as well.

Eynsham Meadows

2011-07-21T16:46:00.005+01:00

Cruised up from Oxford to Eynsham Meadows. Through an overcast day, with rain that was refreshing, rather than a miserable downpour. The result of which, was that we had all of the river virtualy to ourselves for the whole journey. All of the Lock keepers we encountered were, friendly, helpful, and chatty as usual. The keeper at Eynsham noticed our Devon pennant, and said that he used to live in Torquay. And, as if that wasn't close enough, he'd also worked in the seafood stall on Paignton seafront. What a small world.

Sumo revelled in the opportunity to run around like an idiot in the newly mown fields. Last time we were up here, the grass was up to our waists, and well over his head.

Moored up (skillfully) in front of Narrowboat "Ratty", and tucked up for the evening. We all enjoyed the beautiful sunset, which hinted optimistically at a nicer day for tomorrow. When the moon came out, so did the river mist. A very peaceful and tranquil night spent under the stars, with no light pollution at all. Felt very lucky to be "out in the wild", with no discernable traffic noise.

To Oxford

2011-07-20T21:11:00.004+01:00

Sheena is in Devon for a week, and my schoolfriend Adam has come down for a jolly. Cruised up from Abingdon to Oxford and only saw a couple of boats moving. We arrived late, at around 4pm, and found the Folly bridge moorings all taken. Pootled around the back of Oxford, to the East street moorings, and found ourselves a space in front of Dave (Nb 'Chavori').

Later on in the evening, Adam and Dave enjoyed a "Busk-Off", seeing who could pick the most complicated song. And Dave had us in stitches with his innovative cover version of "Runaround Sue", played in the style of the Wurzels.

Dave gave me 2Kg of Liquorice allsorts. I was pleased to be able to reciprocate, and gave him the last of our Vactan, so that he can de-rust his water tank. And a bloke who I've never seen before, wandered along the towpath with a bag of frozen meaty bones, and a claw hammer. All of the dogs on boats got one. (the clawhammer was for chipping individual bones off the big block).

Cheers Dave! My favourite confectionery.

Not Moving

2011-07-15T12:18:00.004+01:00

We're staying put in Abingdon for a few more days. Enjoying the summer sunshine, and entertaining some friends from Devon. The hay has just been cut. Everybody is out in their shorts and T-shirts. It's very peaceful here.

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world." ~ Ada Louise Huxtable

Baking

2011-07-11T12:05:00.005+01:00

Had to pull the pins, and set off in a hurry this morning, as the two 'Salters Steamers' tripboats (Goring and Wargrave) were blocking the river, & traffic was backed up downstream. Not our fault, as we were on a proper mooring spot. But, we would have been the ones to get it in the neck from irate boaters unable to proceed.

Cruised 200 yards up the river, and got ourselves a really nice place, which had only just been vacated. Even on this short journey, another narrowboater tried to cut us up, and sneak themselves in before us. "You wouldn't even do that in Tescos", said Sheena.

The sun is baking hot. So, I guess everybody's tempers are a bit frayed.

Ridiculous

2011-07-10T19:24:00.000+01:00

At Sandford Lock, a group of (drunken) Sloanes on a dayboat said "narrowboats should be on the canals, not the thames".

When we arrived at Abingdon, it resembled Gibraltar harbour. Stuffed, wall to wall with ostentatious wealth boats. Huge blocks of white plastic Med cruiser, with brand new gleaming shiny shiny white fenders that have obviously never been out of their fender socks for more than 24 hours.

Luckily, we did manage to find a mooring. Very close to the bridge. But it was somewhere to tie up for the night, and we were grateful for it.

Aunt Sally

2011-07-09T22:37:00.019+01:00

Well, the afternoon and evening turned out much better than the morning. I wandered down to have a chat with Dave (Nb 'Chavori'), and he gave us a year's supply of Basmati rice. Somebody had told him we'd "blogged him", and he was well chuffed. Roy from Wb 'Baglady' stopped by, and accused us of "all being a bunch of vagrants". Sumo then hoovered up Dave's kitchen for him.

Later on, Graham and his bro-in-law Thomas turned up and dragged me down to the "Folly Bridge" pub (dog friendly), where we drank alcohol, discussed bands, the stresses of touring, the works of Cicero, the epic rages of Klaus Kinski, Gormenghast, and the documentaries of Werner Herzog.

And, to top off the evening's entertainment, we were legally allowed to throw large wooden sticks at a small white ball, from a distance of 30 feet away. Aunt Sally is absolutely the best pub game ever invented! Tom reckoned my aim was good enough to compete in 'the local league', but our game ended quickly & quietly, when a launched stick slipped out of my hand, bounced off of the perspex roof, and nearly took out an Audi's windscreen. So glad that we didn't go to "The Head of the River", which was absolutely heaving with tourists.

Got back, and went for an evening walk with Sumo, where the colours of the sunset were indescribable. All orange and purple. The river was like a sheet of glass, and there was nobody about at all. A completely different type of Oxford experience, to the ones of this morning.

Cheers, guys!

Splash!

2011-07-09T13:36:00.011+01:00

Did an overnight at the East Street moorings in Oxford last night. A quiet enough place, though the towpath was floodlit like Wembley stadium all night. Witnessed the 'other side' of Oxford when I took Sumo out for his evening walk. Saw a bearded baglady, carrying all her worldy possessions around in Tesco's carrier bags. And also some dodgy dealings being conducted in the park. Bet you won't see that on "Lewis".

Set off downstream this morning, and got gobbed at by a delinquent youth with baseball cap askew, as we passed underneath a footbridge. Thankfully, he missed. The other human shapes in this photo, are his family, who said & did nothing about it..

Took the south channel under Folly bridge again, and just as we were turning ourselves around, a single-handed sculler rammed into us, and fell into the water. He was obviously shocked, at the sudden dunking, and his momentum being reduced from 20mph to zero instantly. He glowered at us, and refused our offers of assistance. I'd tried dangling off of the horn, but he hadn't heard it. "Why didn't you shout?", he said. I explained (politely) that I had sounded the horn, and as we were travelling downstream, we had priority. He also hadn't looked behind him for the whole stretch. He wasn't impressed, and maintained that the collision was all our fault.

I'm sorry mate. But you really should have been looking where you were going. The river isn't a race track.

Pinkhill Resevoir

2011-07-07T18:36:00.008+01:00

Got woken up at 9.30am by a shiny shiny narrowboat owner reversing badly, and ramming us. BONNNNNGGG! Sumo jumped on the bed for reassurance. Mrs Shiny appeared at the back hatch, berating Mr. Shiny for his bad steering. But then they just buggered off. Cruised up to Oxford Cruisers marina to see if they'd got the fanbelts they'd ordered for me. They hadn't. They are an 'unusual' size apparently. Yep, I knew that four days ago, mate. Cheers.. Will have to find them somewhere else now. Pootled on through Pinkhill Lock and bagged us a nice mooring by the resevoir and nature reserve. A pleasant peaceful spot, where we're staying for the night..

Turning around and heading back for Oxford tomorrow, so we can hopefully meet up with our good friend, Graham.

Ye Meadows

2011-07-06T20:35:00.008+01:00

Another day of alternating sunshine and deluges. Go out in waterproofs, and 20 minutes later, they've turned into a sweatsuit. At lunchtime, narrowboat 'No Problem' berthed up alongside us, so we could have a chinwag and a cup of coffee (Cheers for the milk!). Sue explained how we could get Tesco's to deliver directly to our boat, and told us about a nifty boathandling manouever, which I'm looking forward to trying out. Vic kindly gave me a chimney liner and a stubby chimney, for when we lose ours at the first canal bridge we encounter. Thanks guys! Ten minutes after they'd taken off, it heaved it down with rain.

Saw narrowboat 'Rallentando' (from the CWDF) cruise by. No sign of "Lady Muck", but the "Submarine Captain" was at the helm. Didn't have time to pop out and wave at them, because they looked like they were on a mission to get downstream quickly.

Pootled ourselves down to the waterpoint at Eynsham and filled up, but all the 24 hour moorings were taken, so we had to turn around and moor ourselves back upstream, then walk back into the town for supplies. Keeps us fit, anyway.

Flapjack Day

2011-07-05T14:25:00.003+01:00

"I'm walking.. Just walking.. In the Rain." ~ Grace Jones

Not a very nice day for going anywhere. So I made some flapjacks. So good, they deserve two photos..

4oz Butter
2oz Brown Sugar
4oz Oats
1oz Dessicated Coconut
1tbsp Golden Syrup
1tbsp Chocolate Syrup
A sprinkling of Raisins

1. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup until caramelised.
2. Pour over the dry ingredients
3. Mash it up!
4. Smooth into a greased baking tray
5. Gas Mark 4, for 15-20 minutes. 25, if you like them burnt.
6. Let them cool down on a wire rack, while you exercise some self-restraint.

Grumpy Bastids

2011-07-05T01:30:00.010+01:00

Top ten reasons why narrowboaters are grumpy.

1. No Milk.
2. No TV/Internet reception.
3. Inconsiderately moored plastics.
4. Other narrowboats not waving.
5. Other narrowboats always waving.
6. Wife doing all the steering.
7. Poo tank full, and nowhere to pump out.
8. "Canya?" *
9. A favourite mooring spot that you are heading for is taken up by another boat!
10. Boat passes you, just as you were about to set off, and takes all the locks that were set ready for you by a boat coming down the flight!

* See Comments

Swinford Meadows

2011-07-04T22:04:00.005+01:00

Another beautifully sunny summer day. We set off at lunch time, using a mooring post on the old ferry at Bablock Hythe, to turn us around without having to use the engine. Sadly, nobody saw this magnificent piece of boat handling, with which I'm sure the old working boatmen would have nodded their approval. "Aye, Lad".

Down, past the caravan park, and through Pinkhill Lock.

Passed Oxford Cruisers boatyard.

And carried on down, through Eynsham Lock, where we tied up for a couple of hours, took Sumo for a walk, and chatted to a rather p1ssed-on-wine Kiwi boatowner, called Terry. He'd just been to view several £750,000 pound propeties in Eynsham village, where the 'luxury' fixtures, fittings and furnishings turned out to have been glued on, and hastily constructed. I think it was the Bordeaux talking, when he said this..

Complete Independence = Isolation
Complete Freedom = Insanity

Set off back upstream, rather later than we'd anticipated. Toot-tooted Sue & Vic (Nb 'No Problem'). And found ourselves a nice secluded mooring on Swinford Meadows. Just behind a narrowboat called 'Ratty', who's owner peeped out of his front door, just like a character from Wind in the Willows. Which made us laugh.

Tomorrow is a lazy day, we're staying put. And either, wandering down to see Sue & Vic, or walking up to Oxford Cruisers to pick up the fanbelts. Hopefully both.

Three Swims

2011-07-03T19:07:00.004+01:00

Not a puff of wind. Hardly any river traffic, and the sun not too scorching hot. A very nice day to be out and about. Cruised up to Eynsham, where alas, the public moorings were full of hireboating people having lunch. Went through Eynsham Lock, and on past the Swinford toll bridge, where we were able to moor ourselves up on the free part past the farmer's fields. Enjoyed a pleasant walk back into Eynsham, to pick up supplies. Sumo got two swims. Then we tickover cruised our way up the river for about a mile, and pulled into 'Oxford cruisers' hirebase, to order two spare fanbelts.

Decided to try our luck at Pinkhill resevoir, but unfortunately, we'd left it too late in the day, and it was full. There were plenty of moorings on the right hand bank (going upstream), but the fields were full of grazing sheep, and we didn't want to alarm or frighten them. As it was a beautiful day, and there were no boats coming in the opposite direction, we decided to carry on for a bit. Past the miles and miles of riverside caravan park, and have finally tied ourselves up for the evening on the free moorings at the excellently named 'Bablock Hythe'. Where Sumo got another swim, and I got a nice pint of extra cold Guinness.

Tomorrow, it's tempting to carry on further upstream. So totally different to our last journey on this stretch, where the wind was blowing in our faces all the way, and it was more about endurance. The river doesn't have a ripple on it, it's like a pond. A real pleasure to boat along. Everybody that we've spoken to, has said it's unusually quiet for this time of year. But, we'll probably head downstream, and try Pinkhill again. It looks nice there. Some nice wide open spaces to walk around.

Kings Lock

2011-07-02T20:54:00.012+01:00

Yesterday we travelled from Abingdon, all the way up to Oxford. Where we spent a night tied to a tree, because the Folley Bridge visitor moorings were all stuffed. Pleasant enough, but the ground was so dusty, we were wondering if the pins would hold. Huge chunks of it disintegrated and fell into the river. But thankfully, I didn't. Sumo got me up at 7am, shortly before the joggers and cyclists spoilt the tranquility of the towpath. It was nice to stroll around for 20 minutes, and not see anybody else at all. Otherwise, Oxford was "full on" in summer mode. Hordes of people, wandering about aimlessly. And Salter's steamers tripboats overloaded to a worrying level of capacity. Not the sort of place we'd enjoy staying for too long at this time of year. So we bought some supplies, pulled the pins, and headed off upstream at slightly faster than tickover.

At Osney Lock, we were informed there was a tree blocking Duke's cut. So we wouldn't be able to get onto the Oxford canal that way. The lock keeper advised us to go via Sheepwash, where we would be ogled. Even after the hairpin bends all the way up to Lechlade, we didn't feel like pulling off 2 90 degree turns in sucession, and then working our first canal lock with a large audience. So, the plan is to go up to Eynsham, to see if we can get a spare fan belt from 'Oxford Cruisers', and then probably spend a couple of nights at Pinkhill, if it's not too busy there. Just pottering about, and enjoying the sunshine.

Sheena steered us under Osney bridge, and was well chuffed we didn't lose the chimney. The water level was a couple of inches lower than the last time we went through it, so we made it comfortably. Saw Dave on Nb 'Chavori', and gave him a wave.

Godstow lock was a doddle, without a wind blowing us into the shallows. Managed to moor up in the bullrushes, ahead of Nb 'The Great Escape' (thankfully, nobody was home), so that Sumo could have a river dunk, and we could wander back to have a look at the ruined Nunnery. There was lots of it remaining, unlike Abingdon, and Wallingford, which have both been levelled, and had all their stone pinched by Henry VIII.

Currently moored up at the Kings Lock campsite we first visited a month ago. It's a lovely peaceful spot.

Fanbelt

2011-06-29T13:24:00.016+01:00

The fanbelt snapped. An essential bit of kit, as it drives the water pump which cools the engine down, and also spins the alternator, which tops up the batteries. Completely stuffed without one.

But, thankfully, not the end of the world this time, as Chas had bought us a spare. After unbolting the alternator, it took an hour's huffing, puffing and levering to fit the new one on. But now it's working, and I can run the engine again. Phew..

We'll need to obtain another couple of spares, ASAP.
This is the reference number, in case I lose the original invoice..

SPZ1287MC ~ WedgeBeltSPZMCog

Dogs and Pubs

2011-06-26T14:03:00.007+01:00

We received a comment from Lesley on Narrowboat 'Caxton' yesterday. And it raises an important issue for dog owners, which I feel deserves it's own post..

>> we tend to judge Pubs by their welcome to dogs, it's a good a scale as any I guess

Same here. If he's not welcome, I don't wish to patronise their establishment. Partly my own choice, and partly, the fact that they won't even let us over their threshold. When we do find a place that lets him in, invariably the regulars all love him. He just sits there and rests his head on their knees or feet, soaking up all the attention.

Good point though. There must be other dog/boat owners out there, wondering where they can go together. So, I'll continue to document places where we've been welcomed and turned away. And I hope you will too. I know we can already google 'dog friendly pubs', but it would be good to have a list that is boater specific.

Other boaters, please feel free to post comments on dog friendly establishments. If there are enough, I'll start up a seperate page. I'm not a big drinker, just the occasional pint. But it's very frustrating, looking forward to a nice cool drink all day, and then being refused admittance, because the place has a cat, or it's turned itself into a gastropub.

Thankyou.

Narrowboat 'Caxton' blog

Ouch

2011-06-26T13:55:00.012+01:00

Hottest day of the year!

By 11 'o' clock in the morning, the deckboards were already too hot to stand on in bare feet. Can't even touch the roof. Need to run the engine to top up power, but worried that stuff will melt down there. So, I guess I'll wait until the cool of early evening to do it. Sorry, neighbours. Spending the afternoon bookreading in the garden (our newly mown bank), and later on, taking beastie out so that he can go for a swim.

The GRP cruiser "Wandering Ways", finally wandered itself away today. And this is the new view from our back door..

Priceless.

Cheese

2011-06-25T17:39:00.024+01:00

Went to watch the "Abingdon's got Talent" talent show, with Alan & Sue. Held in the town square where the kebab van normally sits. The Mayor turned out, and the guest celebrity judge was the young blonde woman who reads the news for BBC Oxford. As you'd expect, there were many entries in the 'street dance' and 'body popping' categories. The worst offender being, 'Swan Blanc', who pranced around like an idiot to the "windows crash remix theme". God, that was embarrassing. And yes, that is his real name. If I'd had any rotting fruit about my person, that would have been the time I would have thrown it.

Standouts (for me) were 'Big John', who regaled us with some out of tune Northern soul, belted out at the top of his voice. And the man who attempted to play "Swords of a 1000 men" by Tenpole Tudor, on his ukelele. Both destined to fail. But they gave it a go, anyway. That to me, is pure Englishness. Made from the same stuff as Robert Falcon Scott. Bless them. Unfortunately, I wasn't in charge of dishing out today's prizes, and a man who "Irish Danced" won the over 17s group. While an angsty girl with an acoustic guitar, won the under 17s.

Mister Sumo disgraced himself, by pinching one of the judge's toasted cheese sandwiches. He'd first sniffed it when it was being delivered. And she'd made the fatal mistake of putting it down on the floor, by her feet. Before I knew what was happening, he'd whipped it. The only evidence of what had transpired was a piece of thinly sliced tomato laying forlornly on the ground. The only bit he hadn't managed to cram into his gob.

We then got kicked out of "The Black Swan", before we'd even gone in. Because Sumo is a dog. and dogs are not welcome. "The Black Boar" had a big sign saying "No Dogs", so we settled for "The Punchbowl". The landlady had a fear of big dogs, but he was allowed in anyway, as long as he didn't climb on the furniture. The regulars all made a fuss of him. So, The Punchbowl gets my "Best Pub in Abingdon" award. Rough and ready, unpretentious, and full of lovely people.

Balls

2011-06-23T17:49:00.009+01:00

Is this new?

I hadn't seen it anywhere before last week, but now almost everybody seems to be doing it. It's spread up and down the river, like a rash. What's up with a Sainsbury's bag? Two immediate downsides to this method, that I can see. Every dog that walks past, will think.. "Wehey! A free ball!", and try to pinch it (like Sumo does). Or else, they will wee on it. Like a little doggy lamp post.

From my observations, it's been predominantly shiny shiny narrowboat owners who seem to use them. So I guess, it's been featured in one of the boating magazines, as this month's "Jolly Good Idea". I do like to see a bit of dayglo in the world, but I think we'll be sticking with our disposable bags on 'dogma'.

Diktats

2011-06-22T01:19:00.009+01:00

Sue & Alan (Mv 'Latitude') popped around for a coffee, and to berate me for not updating our blog in three days. Not much to report, really. Abingdon is unique, on the thames, i think. It's got a relaxed attitude towards boats stopping for "more days than 5". Which as I've noted previously, is very kind and generous of them. Their reasoning, so i've been told, is that boaters will spend money in the local shops, which will help the town economy. A common sense approach?! In England?! Unheard of. In comparison, other towns seem much more uptight.

Abingdon isn't 100% idiot free, though. Standing at the non enclosed bus stop and enjoying a roll up as I said goodbye to Sheena, a nicotine nazi loudly complained about us "smoking in a bus shelter", as she barged an elderly gentleman (who was unbothered) out of her way. Before I had a chance to respond, "Madam, second hand smoke has NEVER been proven to cause cancer, by anyone, ever.", she was sat glowering at us from the smokefree(tm) interior of her bus.

So, what else have I been up to? Remarkably little, actually. Which is great. Went for a nice stroll through the meadows with Sumo. And when I watched the evening news, it's cavalcade of fools & idiots, didn't bother me in the slightest.

Miles and miles and miles of meadow to 'dog walk' in, and it's not fenced off to within an inch of the thames path, like in other towns. It really is beautiful here.

Rude

2011-06-17T12:43:00.019+01:00

This week's award for outstanding and spectacular rudeness goes to a shiny shiny narrowboat owner. Nice as pie, and full of Northern charm & bonhomie before we entered the lock, the skipper of Nb 'Norwood' pulled off something so breathtakingly outrageous, we still can't quite believe it.

We entered Abingdon lock first, then Nb 'Norwood' followed us in. We descended, and all was well. Then, as soon as the lock gates were opening, Mr Norwood decided to break with etiquette and slammed his engine into "Full ahead" mode. Narrowly missing the lock gates, and scraping his stern all the way along our bow. No apology. No nothing. Then he sped off down the river to look for a mooring spot for himself and the boat he was buddied up with.

It's not so much the rudeness, or the dangerous and bad helmsmanship (despite having bow thrusters) which was so upsetting. It was the two-facedness of it all. He knew that we were also looking for a mooring spot downstream, when he made the decision to shaft us. I think that was just plain nasty.

But this story does have a happy ending. As it turns out, we did find ourselves a nice mooring spot, with easy egress for Sumo, and good TV reception. Sheena says, they're doubled up, down past the bridge, with a steep bank scramble to get themselves ashore.

Good Karma.

Abingdon

2011-06-15T19:50:00.009+01:00

Enjoyed a peaceful night at Oxford, where we made the aquaintance of Dave, and his 12 year old Akita "Oscar", who live on Nb 'Chavori'. We untied and moved up, so he could moor behind us. This morning he regaled us with tales of the towpath, entertained us with "Gypsy Jazz", and gave Sheena enough sugar to last her three months. He also gave a couple of homeless Americans some lunch, and a waterproof jacket. We've met some real diamonds on our travels, and Dave is definitely one of them. Hope we bump into him again. He also recommended one of these, for the times when our sat dish can't find the signal. A "ridiculously small thing that gives a great picture, and can be plonked anywhere on the roof".

Maplins Magnetic Aerial Link

A passerby, who it turned out, used to be a Radio Operator in the Army, extoled the virtues of Communism, Engels, and the novels of Soljenitsin to us, while we were having lunch. Think it was because of our boat name.

Set off downstream about 1 'o' clock. Both of us amazed at the wideness of the river, after the little stream we've been navigating for the last 10 days. Passed Mv 'Latitude' just outside Oxford, but nobody home. Arrived at Abingdon around 5, and glided ourselves onto the last free mooring space in town. It's much busier than the last time we were here. Down below the lock and road bridge, it's completely stuffed with boats of every shape, size and description. Both of us were relieved we'd decided to stop here, and not try our luck further on.

Oxford

2011-06-14T17:16:00.020+01:00

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.

Eynsham

2011-06-13T20:06:00.013+01:00

Not a bad morning, after yesterday's torrential downpour. Set off about 10 '0' clock, and around a couple of bends, the first person we see, is Sue, from Nb 'No Problem' walking Meg and Lucy. Around another bend, was Vic, with his feet up. So we "toot tooted" and waved. Sorry we didn't get the chance for a drink on this journey. But, hopefully, our paths will cross again in the future. Thanks for the inspiration you gave us, when we were boatless. And I hope you can get your power problems sorted out soon.

Then we enjoyed a pleasant cruise downstream in the sun, skillfully avoiding the posse of narrowboats that were heading upstream. Decided to pull in to "The Ferryman" at Bablock Hythe for some lunch, and was just about to commit to turning us around, when another narrowboat came steaming around the bend, and we nearly lost everything off the roof because of an overhanging tree.....arrgghh %**&*&!... oh wait a minute... It's Brian and Diana, on Nb 'Harnser'. (Harnser's Travels). Nice to see you both. Again, sorry we didn't have the opportunity for a drink and a chat. It's good to be able to put faces to names, and hopefully we will bump into you again, when we're on the canals. Have a good cruise up to Lechlade.

Sumo was unimpressed that he didn't get any of my beef.

Tonight, we've ended up just below Swinford Toll bridge, on the public moorings. Ours for 24 hours..

Eynsham wiki

Wind & Rain

2011-06-12T18:50:00.001+01:00

All Day. Unremitting. Stayed put.

Had a nice fire, and baked us some flapjacks.

Pillbox

2011-06-11T19:26:00.006+01:00

We must have seen at least a 100 of these curious WW2 remnants, on the stretch from Oxford up to Lechlade. But, this was the first chance I've had to stop and actually investigate one. I expected it to be all concreted up, and the entranceway barred, like I'd seen with several others. But, no, it was as fresh inside as the day it was built. No graffiti, poo, or vandalism either. Which was good to see.

Duxford

2011-06-11T19:11:00.002+01:00

The middle of nowhere, turned out to be Duxford meadows, which are close to the oddly named village of Chimney, but on the other side. It was a nice place to let Sumo run around like an idiot, without him getting up to any mischief, or launching himself into the river.

Set off around Lunchtime, and enjoyed another tickover speed cruise downstream, which ended up at another large meadow somewhere near Northmoor.

Sheena did Shifford lock, while I stayed on the boat. Heh..

Middle of Nowhere

2011-06-10T16:21:00.003+01:00

Don't know where we are.
But it's very nice here.

And Back..

2011-06-09T19:01:00.016+01:00

Lechlade turned out to be a very friendly little place. While Sheena was topping up our supplies, half of the village must have come out and made a big fuss of him. Including the bloke delivering 3 pig carcasses to the supermarket. Sumo liked him, A LOT.

Then we started our journey back downstream, by pulling off a manouever that the old working boatmen would surely have been proud of. Tied the stern up to a cow scratching post, and let the wind carry the bow around gracefully. Didn't need to use the engine at all. Well chuffed. Especially as I'd seen other narrowboats run aground on the shallows of the far side the previous day. A mile or so further on down the river, and...

Passed Old Father Thames at St. Johns Lock. Unfortunately, he is not so impressive as our imaginations (and picture postcards) had led us to believe. He's rather weaterbeaten and also chained off. So getting a decent photograph of him is virtually impossible. (thanks to Jim Shead for this one).

Took it slowly, and did not ram the 13th century road bridge.

It was much easier going, without the wind constantly in our faces. We got rained on a couple of times, but nothing too unpleasant. We breezed through 4 locks, and have covered around 9 miles today. Currently moored up for the night at Buckland Marsh again. A lovely spot to stay. And best of all, it's free.

Maintanence

2011-06-08T15:41:00.007+01:00

Watched other narrowboaters getting blown around by the wind, and decided to stay for another day here in Lechlade.

Which gave me a chance to get the routine maintanence jobs out of the way. Our starter battery (which we salvaged from our old bank) hasn't been charging to over 80%, so it needed examination. Swapped it for the spare, and topped it up with some distilled water. But, it's still only reading 12.47v after an hour's charging. So, I guess that is scrap too. At least it managed to get us up here before giving up the ghost.

Otherwise, I'm happy to report that we have no leaks, no annoying piddles of diesel, or any electrical problems, at all. The Universal alternator that Chas fitted for us, works brilliantly. Hope to be setting off again tomorrow (whatever the summer weather throws at us), as we need to take on fresh water. And the nearest place for that is downstream at St. John's Lock.