Still Rising

There was a look of complete doggy surprise when we went out this morning. Normally, we have to step down to get onto the boat. As there's only a couple of inches left to go, before the river breaches the edge, I'm hoping we can move to the service jetty tomorrow. It's a floating pontoon, and we'll be safer there.

Misty

The mists started rising around 2.15pm, when the sun realised it had no chance at all of burning anything off..

Last night, it blew a gale. And then heaved it down with rain until 3am. So, now everywhere is even more wet, completely sodden and throughly drenched, than it was before.

Inside the boat, we are warm and dry though. The river is running very fast, and has risen more than a foot overnight, but doesn't look like it will flood. Sympathies go out to people who have had their lives made miserable by the recent bad weather.

Stormy Weather

Battered by nature, today.

Did not move further than the fireside. It whipped the river up into a raging torrent, heaved it down with rain, and bobbed us about for most of the day. But, then everything went all calm, serene and orange for 10 minutes, before turning grey, overcast and sullen again. Very strange.

Unfortunately, all the trains are cancelled now.
So Sheena is still stuck down there in Devon.

I never knew...

Back with another 15gb. In the downtime, I've been reading this interesting book that Sheena got me for our anniversary.

Louis Bleriot

Owner of a large riverside property, “New York Lodge”, later renamed “Riversdale House” at Bourne End from 1916.

Unfortunately, a major fire destroyed the property in 1926.

Rebuilt. Naff interior. Yours for.... 3.7 million!
Riversdale house @ Sothebys.

Agg Lake

Panoramic view of the manmade aggregate lake..

Just downwind of the sewage treatment plant. A pleasant enough walk, which isn't as bad (or as whiffy) as it sounds.

Here's mister, enjoying some exercise. He didn't roll in fox poo, or launch himself into the river today. Good boy!

I appear to have caned this month's internet allowance, on checking out the current state of free PC game engines. So, no more posts for seven days, or I will get spanked with 3's extortionate excess charges. Sorry about that. We're fine though. Missing Sheena, who'll hopefully be able to rejoin us again soon. But, otherwise, OK.

Also, as it's Rememberance Sunday, here is a link I've been meaning to post for a while.. Eyewitness accounts of WW1

We will remember them.

Sunshine?!

Not exactly shorts and T-shirt weather, but it was nice and sunny this morning. Didn't last long into the afternoon, but it made a nice change from the howling wind whistling down the river.

Our supply of winter fuel also came today. Ten bags of the excellent 'Supertherm' smokeless coal, and some more dried and seasoned logs. Which should see us through. We got a good deal from Harringtons Bottled Gas Co. (a small family business who are competitively priced and 100% hassle free to order from). No more lugging it back from the village, a bag at a time. Wehey! We are happy puppies.

You may have spotted that our roof was already full of wood. Well, yes. But, a lot of that is diseased, and only really fit for kindling. The disease makes the grain go all fibrous and spongy. So, when you try to burn it as 'logs', it just goes "pfffftt", and dissapears in under 5 minutes! Even a roof full of good wood can vanish surprisingly quickly, as we often get through 3 or 4 in an evening when it's cold.

Bourne End Reach, taken from the Upper Thames Sailing Club.

Red boards everywhere!

I'm counting my blessings. The latest deluge of rainfall has had a detrimental effect on river conditions, and there are red boards everywhere. Thank goodness I had the foresight to set off, before I got stuck on the other side of Henley and Marlow.

Here is mister, taking a rare break from his tea, to let me know he's not at all bothered by the fireworks...

Cookham sailing club put on a fine display again this year. Oooooooh!