Monthly Archives: September 2019

Teaming Uphill. 6th September

Froudes Bridge to Greenham Lock

Todays goal was Thatcham, further if we could. As we had breakfast it rained, but only gently, not enough to be an excuse, so we pushed off at just gone 9am.

Ahead major works were happening. Two big diggers one each side of the canal, there was a very big hole on the towpath side and lots going on. The chaps halted what they were doing as we approached.

Then one digger gave a skip boat a great big shove, pushing it and a chap on board across the cut. A tug then biffed it over some more to where the other digger could claw it in towards the bank.

We’d passed a length of blue rope hanging down from a tree approaching the works, and just past them there was another with an A4 sheet attached warning boaters.

Lock and the river coming in from the left

We soon reached Woolhampton and heeded all the instructions in our guides and those from other boaters. Here there is a swing bridge, The Rowbarge (a nice pub, although too early to stop today), the river then comes in from the left just below Old Woolhampton Lock. The river can cause quite strong currents and the advice is not to stop between the swing bridge and lock. So heading upstream you should have the lock set in your favour and open, if heading down stream you shouldn’t leave the lock until the swing bridge is open.

Must remember the radios when heading down stream

The lock was empty, I opened the gate and walked back, the flow from the river hardly noticeable. Key of power and the bridge swung open, letting Mick through and only holding four up, bit disappointing really. The current was a touch stronger than it looked but Mick made into the lock fine and was sat waiting for me.

As we filled the lock a lady walked up the hill towards us, windlass in hand, boat down in between the bridge and the lock, good job the flow wasn’t stronger. They were in a narrowboat so we said we’d wait for them at the next lock, they were aiming for further than us today and sharing some locks would be good.

A swing bridge was next, this one with a lock on it. I think the manual one yesterday most probably had the same locking mechanism on it as I noticed the nut welded onto the bridge, the chain and shackle must have been out of sight. I left the bolt loose, so the boat following us wouldn’t need a windlass to loosen it and on we carried to Heales Lock which was empty and waiting.

NB Harold with Maddy and Simon soon arrived and we filled the lock. They were having a few days helping to move a friends boat back from summer cruising to it’s mooring further down the K&A. They quite often hire boats with friends and are planning on doing the Four Counties next year.

Time to put my feet up waiting for the last foot to fill

The lock took forever to fill the last foot and it took both Mick and myself on one gate to ease one side open to level things out. As we left another boat appeared below. The crew standing by their boat, it took them sometime to realise nobody was going to empty the lock for them.

A volunteer boat getting a new lick of paint

The locks are spaced out fairly evenly about a mile apart, enough to keep wondering if you could make a cuppa, but not far enough to drink one too. A couple more locks and we reached Thatcham. This is where our plan was to stop for the day, Maddy and Simon wanted to pause for lunch. Last night we’d checked for stoppages on the K&A and noticed that the 48hr moorings here were suspended. So on to the next lock.

Monkey Marsh Lock, is the other turf sided lock. This one was rebuilt in 1990 to it’s original form. Plenty more ladders and a railing to keep people from falling down the turf banks into the lock. Both boats came into the very long lock and we filled it up, all the time the level slowly rising. The ladders and walkways proved useful as Maddy had made a cuppa which could be passed over to her once the boats had risen far enough.

Our next aim was to reach Newbury two more swing bridges and another four locks further on. We’d stay to close up a lock whilst Maddy went on ahead to open a swing bridge or get picked up. Mick would stop Oleanna in the throat of the lock and help with gates then we both could step back on board. Simon preferred to pull over to a lock landing, sometimes Maddy would be there other times he’d miss it and plan to pick her up elsewhere. Plans are good things, but lets just say they didn’t always work out for Simon and NB Harold.

Below Ham Lock we were all in need of food and it was starting to rain. As NB Harold waited for the lock to empty, somehow their stern rope fell off the back and neatly wrapped itself around their prop. A nice tight rope going down into the water. No need to turn the engine off, it had stalled. Simon tried to pull the rope up, but no chance. The centre line was passed up and Harold was pulled to one side as Simon undid the weedhatch and investigated. The rope was wrapped around the prop at least six times. Mick had a routle on Oleanna and arrived with our incredible sharp rope knife. Only one thing for it, cut the rope off. With this done both boats were soon in the lock, although NB Harold seemed to have a touch of difficulty with reverse.

At Greenham Lock we waved Maddy and Simon goodbye as they headed to the boat yard to fill and empty as necessary and hopefully buy a new rope. We tagged onto the end of a line of moored boats. A late lunch well deserved, some shore leave for Tilly. A shopping trip was put on hold by a downpour mid afternoon, so we made do with a recipe I adapted from the internet for chicken and squash couscous, swapping couscous for quinoa and adding a few chilly flakes instead of harrisa paste. It was quite tasty.

The stove was lit and we cosily sat and watched the first episode of Scarborough the new BBC sitcom. It wasn’t the funniest thing on TV, but we got to see Scarborough at it’s sunny best. We wondered how many days they had to wait for the sun to set without sea fret for the final shot.

9 locks, 8 shared, 7.53 miles, 5 swing bridges, 4 held up, 2nd turf sided, 2 diggers, 1 very short stern rope, 1 renamed pub, 1 renamed salon, 3pm lunch, 1 down pour, 2 fingers crossed, 1 folder of model photos sent, 1 sunny Scarbados.

https://goo.gl/maps/1LJzJHLidReBoxw28

Jumpers And Fleeces. 5th September

Theale Swing Bridge to Froudes Bridge 29

Autumn is starting to show itself. This morning I considered knitting myself some fingerless gloves as it was chilly inside. Out side there was need for coats as well as jumpers to start the day.

Do not open these gate paddles until the lock is half full. Newish blue signs on Sulhampstead Lock. Well if you followed these instructions you’d be waiting a lifetime as the only paddles to fill the lock are on the gate. At other locks the more sensible signs tell you to raise paddles with care, keeping an eye out for jets of water and turbulence.

The water certainly rushes into these old turf sided locks. Not locks you want to drift forward in with your front doors open!

A selection of bridges today. A totally manual one with no lock, the others operated with the key of power. I had varying success in holding vehicles up. First six cars, then only a bike at Ufton Swing Bridge.

Three boats through with one key of power

Here I spotted a boat coming the other way so we waved them through first, he said another boat was following, they appeared just as Mick brought Oleanna through so I kept it open for them, all the time a patient cyclist waited. Normally I’d have been concerned at waiting motorists, but here the road was closed. A police sign and a police car sat by the next railway bridge. Apparently this is where PC Andrew Harper was killed a couple of weeks ago.

A top up of water at Tyle Mill, back to slow taps

We rose up to Aldermaston. Here there are four hour moorings, or you can pay to stay overnight next to the hire base. This is where NB Waiouru was brought to be fitted out after Tom and Jan managed to get their boat out of the hands of their first builder. Today a couple of marquees filled the yard, making a suitable space to paint in, voices could be heard from within. Out on the water a very short boat was having work done, the size of it’s solar panel was almost bigger than itself.

I walked up to the lock to open a bottom gate and then back to Aldermaston Lift Bridge. Key of power turned, I waited for a gap in traffic then pressed the first button. This set sirens and flashing lights into operation. Then with the barriers down I pressed the lift bridge button. One press was all that was needed, up it went. Lines of traffic now building up in both directions. As soon as Oleanna was through I held the close button to finish the process.

Now it’s all very well there being traffic lights to aid the traffic flow across such bridges, but it doesn’t half make it hard to count how many you’ve held up! Twenty two one way and ten or maybe more the other. Were the last few cars just arriving and managing to get through with the others? I did my best to count on the way to the lock.

Aldermaston Lock is 7ft 4 deep and the cill is visible when the lock is empty. But when full which is the correct marker on the side of the lock?

This is where our route planner had us stopping for the day. There was nowhere obvious to stop so we continued. The railway, which will be our shadow for sometime, came close and then drifted away, a low edge with a couple of boats moored and some space. We tried pulling in. I managed to hop off, but the back end wasn’t coming in. I hopped back on again, we’d carry on, so I took a comfort break and bobbed to the loo.

Outside I could hear a lady suggesting to Mick that it was a touch deeper by her boat the one in front. She was quite insistent that he tried again, she held the centre line as he brought Oleanna a few inches closer. We were mooring with our new neighbour. We chatted away, her lercher dog being watched all the time by Tilly from the window. A parting comment from the lady was that she’d named her boat after the book she wrote ‘The Black Cat’. Of course this was checked out and a familiar name popped onto the computer screen. Edgar Allen Poe, but also Jenny Maxwell. Jenny makes many comments on Facebook groups and is a member of Cats on the cut. She very sadly lost her cat Murphy earlier in the year, he was run over.

Our first gang plank mooring, it won’t be the last

Along the K&A there has been a spate of break ins. Jenny is putting together a campaign to help boaters deter such acts. If you are on the K&A and hear five short blasts from a boat horn, join in, hopefully others will join in too. If the button for your horn is outside airhorns are now available from chandlers along the canal, so you can have one by your bed. Houses in areas which have been targeted will have letters put through their doors to inform them and Jenny is hoping to get the police on board with it too.

We settled down for an afternoon listening to the cricket, some model making for me and some climbing trees and friend finding for Tilly. She managed to stay out past curfew, but popped out from the friendly cover at just gone 7.

5 locks, 4.39 miles, 4 swing bridges, 1 lift bridge, 42 held up, 1 blocked elsan, 1 full water tank, 1 black cat, 5 hours, 3 Dans, 1 cyc, 10 sleepers.

https://goo.gl/maps/wTnW2bBs2LGcPfZt9

Gongoozeltastic. 4th September

Fobney Lock to Theale Swing Bridge

To celebrate being back on a canal Mick set to work this morning to make the most of the supplies we’d purchased at Meatmaster in Oxford. Breakfast!

Each time the huge Fobney Lock was being filled Oleanna would gradually list, recovering after a short while. A couple of boats came past us before we were ready to push off, we could tell another was on it’s way, maybe we’d have a boat to share locks with. But as we pushed off we could see that we were being followed by a widebeam, no chance of sharing with them.

Approaching Southcote Lock we could hear the chatter of kids behind the sideways trees on the off side, glimpses of high viz too. A school class crossed over the footbridge and all lined up as we were coming in to tie up and set the lock. ‘What colour is the boat?’ ‘Blue’ ‘Red’ ‘Well yes, but what sort of blue?’ We were inspiration for a poem the class was writing. Then another class appeared over the bridge, followed by another. In the end we had 90 gongoozlers watching us go through the lock. A record for us, apart from maybe at Camden Lock where it’s hard to count.

The crew from the wide beam came up to help and we were soon on our way leaving them to close up behind us. Slow progress past moored boats, after a month on the Thames this seemed to be very slow.

At Garston Lock there was a boat about to come down. I headed up to lend a hand. One of the top gates was swinging open, the chap was running to the bottom gate to try to catch it by opening one of the paddles, but it had gone too far, so needed some assistance. The paddle was whipped up, he’d not seen that Mick was below who was now battling with the force of the water pushing Oleanna all over the shop.

Once they were clear we were on our own. Our first turf sided lock. An early form of pound lock, there used to be twenty of them between Newbury and Reading, only two remain. The lower part of the chamber has timber sides, then above the water sloping turf banks. They were cheap to build but fell out of favour as the width of them made it hard to get on and off boats. Today a metal frame helps hold your boat in the centre. A ladder leads to a walkway above the turf sides, both ends of the lock are brick where the gates are hinged.

With no bollards along the sides of the lock to pass the centre line over we looked round. There is a bollard roughly where our bow line was and a very large post at the bottom gates. We decided to adopt the River Wey method and tied the stern rope around this post, which would stop Oleanna from moving forward as the chamber filled. With ground paddles rather than gate paddles the level rose in a gentle fashion. Once up and out we closed the gates and as requested, I lifted the bottom gate paddles to empty the chamber.

Next Sheffield Lock only rising a foot, but an interesting shape with it’s crinkly sides. A chap and dog appeared from nowhere with a windlass in his hand, his dog determined to fall in. ‘I’ll finish up here, go and sort the swing bridge out’ he ordered. I should have thought about it and declined to run ahead, we’re not in a rush. But I walked on ahead key of power in my pocket, would the swing bridge be manual, automated, half and half?

Two boats were just coming through and I could see that it was automated. The lady closed it up and the traffic started to flow. From behind I could hear the chap with the dog barking something. What was the emergency? It turns out he was shouting for his boats to slow down, no cause for shouting, I thought someone had fallen in or a boat was sinking!

I waited for a gap in the traffic, turned my key and pressed the button. The traffic is controlled by traffic lights on both sides, the bridge only being wide enough for one way traffic. I was slightly alarmed when a van and motorbike came round the corner and crossed the bridge as the flashing lights and siren had started. I took my finger off the button, knowing the process I’d started would stop. I hoped time was built in to get the last vehicles across before the barriers dropped, but you never know. I let them clear and then pressed the button again. The barriers came down and the bridge swung.

Twenty seven vehicles, not a bad number on our first of many swing bridges on the K&A. Mick pulled Oleanna in at the end of the vacant moorings, furthest way from the road for Tilly. She was out straight away exploring, but coming back regularly. With no river bank to pounce from it feels a lot safer. Cat curfew has been brought earlier as the evenings are getting darker, nothing to do with her going AWOL the other night at all!

The afternoon I attended to a couple of things for Panto and then did a few hours on my Houdini model. The false proscenium now has a suggestion of decoration and the smaller elements are made too. Only some large chunks of timber to put in and sort the cyc out and it will be ready to photograph and see what the Director and Actor/Writer make of it.

This evening we watched Grand Designs, following Andy and Jeanette who run bearBoating build their house on the cliffs of Galloway. Back in October 2013 we did a helmsman course with Andy on NB Molly Moo, picking up any tips we didn’t know about and sleeping in our first cross bed. If ever we’re having hassle pulling in or away from the bank due to wind we do what we call an Andy. We’ve met up with them a few times at Crick boat show since and have always had a good catch up. When our first boat build went wrong and there was a slim possibility that there was a shell somewhere with my name on it, Andy offered to finish it for us. So tonight we had to watch.

4 locks, 1 turf sided, 3.68 miles, 1 swing bridge, 27 held up, 90 gongoozlers, 1 poem, 2 hatch doors, 1 suitcase, 1 chair, 43% smaller, 6:30pm curfew, 1 cliff top house for 3, 28 likes, 23 from Ade.

https://goo.gl/maps/ZDdXKaqLUTaoZv589

It’s Only Taken Us Four Years. 3rd September

Beale Park to Fobney Lock, Kennet and Avon Canal

Our Thames licence ran out today so we had to take one of three options. Seriously get a move on and catch the tide at Teddington (18 hours cruising so not possible), wind and head back up stream to Oxford to hop onto the canal there (10 hours, so possible) or carry on down stream and hang a right at Reading (3 hours, the preferred option).

We pushed off at 9am the sky and river bright blue behind us.

Ahead I managed to get pictures of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’.

Each one unique, the one currently for sale the plainest.

Have to say I’d quite like one with towers and balconies, but the road and railway would still put me off. The fifth one along (Three) is really quite shy, the trees in front of it giving it good solid cover from the river.

At Whitchurch Lock we descended on our own a narrowboat arriving just a touch too late to join us. I bobbed below to get some alterations done to my model as we cruised towards Mapledurham Lock.

A hotel wide beam was coming up in the lock and we joined the queue to go down, the lock being on self service meant it filled slowly. In front of us was a rather beautiful Humber Keel, Daybreak. We’d passed them at Wallingford on Sunday, moored up with their mast upright and plenty of bunting about the place. Today her mast was horizontal with a long red ribbon dangling to the water.

Mapledurham being just over 200 ft long meant we’d fit in the lock behind them. They may be wide, 15ft 6″ but only 61ft 6″ long. So once she was in the lock we followed, being joined by the narrowboat that had been following us. There were three crew on board Daybreak so one chap operated the lock as the chap at the helm adjusted the stern rope and kicked the tiller arm and throttle.

It was with relief once the lock was empty to see a boat arrive wanting to come up, nobody would have to stay behind to close up.

Caversham Lock is that bit shorter. Would we fit with Daybreak? The lovely lady volunteer came to ask how long we were, ‘Sorry’ the lock’s only 110ft long, ten foot too short for the both of us. There were only a couple of feet spare width wise, the crew holding very fat fenders to keep the pristine paintwork away from the lock gates.

They gently nudged their way in, tiller a touch that way, then corrected, then the other way.

The same procedure was repeated as they exited the lock, fenders moved along to where they were needed most as they inched their way out. Once the boat was clear there were high fives from the crew, no touching up required!

Our last button operated Thames lock for a while

Some fresh supplies were needed, but the last big enough space at Tescos was just being taken by a narrowboat, they kindly offered for us to breast up to them. A quick shop and some lunch before we both wanted to be on our way. Their shop and lunch were a touch quicker than ours, but as they headed off the moorings were empty, so we just pulled along to let them out. By the time we’d finished our break the moorings were filling up again.

Not far until we turned right. New water again. Under the numerous bridges and along to Blake’s Lock, our last EA lock for a while. A match stick lock which works in the opposite direction to those I’d worked further up the Thames. It was full with the top paddles open! No poles to help open and close the other gate, so we opted to only open one, there was plenty of room.

We could have pulled in on the Jail Loop but wanted to get a touch further if we could today.

Ahead signs welcomed us to The Kennet and Avon Canal, back on C&RT water, along with telling us of a boat traffic light ahead. We’ve seen pictures and heard of this and at last we were here.

Mick brought us in towards the button, just like those on a pedestrian crossing. I wondered if it would light up the WAIT, but we got a green straight away. A newish shopping and restaurant complex surrounded us, one tightish bend but the rest of the controlled length of canal seemed far wider than a lot of places we’ve been. Were the lights put in when the new complex was built? Was the cut narrowed? Well it’s actually a length of river, so the levels and flow can vary, so one way traffic stops the possibility of coming across a boat that can’t stop coming down with the flow.

Plenty of people to say hello to, the schools in the area can’t have gone back today.

We soon arrived at County Lock, all of 1ft of it. All four top paddles were open, were we following a serial paddle leaver?

Now we were back onto the River Kennet, heading upstream. The houses totally different to those on the Thames. Here we’d need about four back gardens to have enough length to moor Oleanna, their width about 15ft wide, the houses the same.

One rowdy woofer came and woofed at us. Stupid thing! Maybe it thinks it’s managed to see us off, works every time, so just keeps on woofing at boats. A bit further along there was another woofer who’d been fitted with a lion silencing device. It worked very well.

One big deep lock, we’ve got deeper to come!

Fobney Lock 105, a touch different from County Lock with it’s 8ft 7″ drop and much longer. Luckily we’d just passed a couple of hire boats so the lock was more or less in our favour. We roped up using the centre line and Mick loitered towards the back of the lock. On each new canal you wonder what will be different. Here we only had gate paddles, would the water go down the side of the lock, or diagonally to hold the boat into the side. Luckily it was the latter. We rose up and then looked for a mooring.

Paddle gear, the break lifts the opposite way to other canals

Past the line of boats there was still armco, we pulled in. Now where did I put that nappy pin?

Four years ago we’d intended to come this way, not having managed it on our first year afloat. But things kept making us head northwards, new boat builders to chose, then boat builders to meet, the end of a finger to be lost, if only we’d headed south instead of up the Trent!

It’s a canal Tilly, do you remember them?

6 locks, 12.46 miles, 1 right, 1 big bummed boat, 2ft 5″ to spare, 0 wine bought, 1 licence expiring, 1 button to press, 1 lion silencer, 2 windlasses, 2 nappy pins, 0 river bank to pounce from.

https://goo.gl/maps/JjRDDWSx7XCTnn2L9

There Is No Such Thing As A Free Cup Of Tea. 2nd September

Beale Park

The ‘Next Time’ list got a little bit shorter today. After a leisurely cuppa in bed followed by a sausage sarnie ( those sausages were nice), we walked upstream to find the nearest church, St Bartholomews.

Built in flint with stone dressing in the late 13th Century it is Grade 1 listed and owned by the Churches Conservation Trust. It is a simple building with a brick bell tower that was added later. Surrounding the alter are tiled walls. The church is open daily but the next service isn’t until mid October. We weren’t really here to see the church but to visit the resting place of Jethro Tull.

Jethro Tull was born in Lower Basildon in 1674. His life work was key to major developments in the agricultural revolution which took place in the early 18th Century. He invented the first mechanised seed drill which was horse drawn. Rows of seed could now be cultivated reducing waste and enabling an amount of weed reduction. His innovations didn’t make him a wealthy man and nobody knows exactly where he is buried in the church yard. A modern stone donated in the 1960’s marks that the church yard is his resting place.

From here we walked up the hill, over the railway and along the busy road to the gate houses of Basilson Park, a National Trust property sitting high above the valley now surrounded by trees. We showed our membership cards and got a note to use in the tea rooms for a free cuppa, these are given out if you arrive by public transport, bike or on foot. The walk up to the house is through a thick yew wood which a week ago would have been a wonderful place away from the searing heat. Today kids climbed through the branches pretending they were caught in a maze of lazers.

On the drive we got our first view of the house. A Palladian Mansion, possibly one of the finest in the country. You are directed up one of two curved staircases to the guests entrance. Here a guide introduced us to the house with a quick bit of history. The estate was acquired in 1771 by Francis Sykes who had made his fortune with the East India Company. He commissioned the architect John Carr of York (the founder of my Fathers architectural practice) to build him a splendid mansion with neo-classical interiors.

The Sykes owned the house until 1838 when it passed onto the Morrison family. During WW1 it was used as a convalescence home for officers and in WW2 it was requisitioned first by the Americans for D-Day training and then by the British and used as a prisoner of war camp for the Germans and Italians. The house didn’t fair well during this time. During the 1930’s it’s owner had wanted to sell the house to America, hoping to make a fortune. Doors, fireplaces, mouldings were removed and taken to the States as examples of the craftsmanship to try to entice buyers but the depression put paid to that and the house remained firmly on the hill above Lower Basildon.

In 1952 Lord and Lady Iliffe bought the house and set about restoring it to its former glory. Other John Carr properties were visited at one in Lincolnshire they were able to buy doors, frames, fireplaces etc from the house as it was about to be demolished. Here the detail with which John Carr gave to his buildings meant that fireplaces just slotted in at Basildon and doors didn’t even need new screw holes drilling for the hinges as everything fitted perfectly.

Not many of the rooms are as they would have been back in the 18th Century. In the green drawing room the original ceiling is still there, untouched other than by some water damage from a leaking washing machine above and a fire detector. The walls however have been covered with green damask curtains which were found by Lady Iliffe in a ballroom. You can make out where the fabric used to hang in pleats due to the fading of the cloth.

The dining room, the frocks upstaging the room a touch

As you enter the dining room columns of faux marble cut off the servants end of the room, large paintings and details on the ceiling look down on a very long dining room table with a fantastic broderie anglaise table cloth. The paintings from the ceiling were one of the elements that ended up in America, the ones there today were painted only a few years ago. They are good but nowhere near as good as they would have been in the original house.

Around the first floor is a collection of dresses from the 1950’s. Two in the entrance hall were made and worn by Lady Iliffe, the others are on loan from the Fashion and Textile Museum. the displays are not as intrusive as we’ve come across at other NT properties, but because of the dresses the curtains in each room are closed and spot lights highlight the clothes. This does mean the lighting is very dramatic, no chance to see outside to the views from each room and details in the rooms are hidden in dim corners. Quite a shame in the Octagonal Room.

Decorative panel on the wall made from shells

Up the stairs to first the Shell Room. Lady Charlotte collected shells, vast quantities of shells. She wasn’t interested in them for scientific reasons, she just loved their shapes. Whilst on holidays she would leave her husband to socialise so that she could be down on the beach collecting shells. Her collection not only sits in display cabinets but also adorns them too.

The Iliffe’s added modern conveniences to the house, heating and plumbing. One bathroom has a wonderfully deep bath which necessitated the door to the room to be altered.

The Crimson Bedroom has 1950’s wallpaper, but central to the room is a very ornate red Georgian bed that Lady Iliffe bought for £100. This was one of their guest bedrooms with a huge vast wardrobe which may at one time have been used by Disraeli.

At the top of the family staircase we could smell cooking wafting up from below, so we followed our noses. First into the houses kitchen, decked out with worn 1950’s units. A drawer full of familiar kitchen utensils sat out on the long kitchen table opposite a fake Aga. The aromas hadn’t been coming from here. Down more steps and we reached the ground floor and the tea room.

Time for our free cuppas and something to eat. Mick chose a sandwich and a roast veg frittata took my fancy. We handed over our hand written chit for tea and the young lady then asked us for £12! ‘Er don’t we get free tea?’ ‘Oh Yes, £8’.

An original study for the tapestry in Coventry Cathedral

Quite a few of the tables were occupied, but we found one and put the tray on the table along with our number for food. A waitress said ‘Is that number 13?’ Yes it was. She lifted the number from the tray onto the table to one side, I thought that was a touch too helpful. She then proceeded to pick up our tray. She was clearing it all away before we’d even sat down! ‘Excuse me we’d like to drink our tea and eat our food!’ Oh, right! She did apologise briefly when she came through with my frittatta, which was very tasty.

A look around the gardens, plenty of fushia out and wilting roses. The front lawn looks out across the valley. We tried to work out just where Oleanna might be behind all the trees. Then we made our way back down the hill and across the railway. A permisive track took our fancy so we climbed the style and followed mowed pathways through wooded areas. We guessed we were heading in the right direction, cut across a road and then into more fields.

Oleanna should be just about there, but the path took us this way then back on our selves. Eventually we popped out on the river bank a few hundred feet away from our bow.

It had been a good day and well worth stopping to look round the house, ticking off another John Carr building, but they certainly didn’t want us to have that free cuppa!

0 locks, 0 miles by boat, 5 miles walked, 1 gravestone, 1 Jethro, 1 Carr house, 3 staircases, 18 frocks, 26 preparatory paintings for a tapestry, 2 Japanese lamps, 1 red bed, 5m table cloth, 732579 shells, 2 cups of tea, 1 ham sandwich, 1 frittatta clung onto for dear life, 2 repeats in wallpaper, 1 crumbling balustrade, 3 hours for Tilly, 1 woofers ball.

Working Down the Thames. 1st September

Day’s Lock to Beale Park

With the sun out again this morning our mooring was lovely. Lots of sky, sun glowing on tree trunks, views, a lovely spot, maybe one of our favourites.

The orange buoy in the water is a swimmer. What’s left of Didcot in the background

Time to crack on again. We waited for a couple of swimmers to pass before we pushed off. there was quite a distance between them and when we arrived at the lock the first lady was sat on the bank having a snack. Hope her friend got to have a break when she arrived. They were swimming down to the next lock where they had left a car, another four miles!

We were joined by a cruiser on a bit of a mission to get back to their mooring at Cookham, once we’d dropped down the lock we let them head past us, although we caught them up again by Benson Lock.

Maybe it was change over day at Le Boat, quite a few of their cruisers were in but the waterside cafe was heaving! Not one table spare, do they do a very good Sunday breakfast or were people just taking advantage of the last sunny Sunday morning before the schools go back?

Here we caught up with our canoe friends with the crocodile. They are paddling their way to Pangbourne for their silver Duke of Edinburgh Award, today their last day.

That ridge with the chains kept us both pushing Oleanna out from the side

Dropping down Benson Lock we seemed to keep getting slightly caught on the chains as the water dropped. This turned out to be due to a change in profile of the lock, not enough to cause us to get hung up, just a little disconcerting.

Over the weekend Wallingford had been busy with Bunkfest. A free music festival. The town moorings were very full and further out boats were six abreast. We were later joined by a couple of cruisers who’d been to the festival, the music was great, but the drinks a touch expensive.

Goring Lock with the canoe coming in last

I bobbed back from working below to hold ropes at Cleeve and Goring Locks. The lock keeper at Goring being a touch too officious with a canoe that were holding onto our gunnel whilst waiting for the lock. They were in the way of everyone! This they knew, but there was nowhere else obvious for them to go. They moved to where they were directed to so the lock could empty then bigger boats could enter the lock before they were finally waved in to join us. I suspect if the Lockie had used Please or Thank you his instructions would have come across even more rude.

Now to find a mooring along Beale Park. The first spaces were occupied, then one with a tree in the middle, we kept going. In the end we pulled in between a couple of boats with not much view on the park side due to friendly cover. Tilly was given six hours which at first she was reluctant to take, but after an hour she was being far far too busy to even come home for some Pocket Pillows.

One of the Newport transporter bridge legs

Most of the day I continued working on my model. The section of the transporter bridge has taken quite a bit of working out from reference photos from the internet. Now I understand it that bit better. It has taken a long time to build, this nearly always means it will take a long time to build in reality too! I’ve been to literal with it and now need to adapt it for strength and ease of building, which will mean a new version. But for my white card model this will do fine.

Quick take a photo before it’s all gone!

Tonight we’ve enjoyed our lamb shoulder. I meant to take a photo of it when it came out of the oven, but forgot. Then I forgot again and started to eat, so here is my Sunday dinner half devoured. I found the last beetroot from Hampton Court Palace today. so that went in with the roast veg. Yummy. Looking forward to cold lamb tomorrow.

4 locks, 13.76 miles, 1 croc, 2 forward wild swimmers. 1 backward wild swimmer, 6 deep, 2 portacabin boats, 901 miles in total, 1 of four legs, 1 lamp shoulder, 6 hours, 1 cat called at DingDing time, 1 cat home quickly, phew! 1 cardigan bound off.

https://goo.gl/maps/vX6quuXB2uoLorcY8

SORRY!!! 31st August

East Street to Day’s Lock

Cuppa in bed, breakfasted and ready to cruise we waited for our shopping to arrive. The van pulled up at about 10:45, one smaller pack of something and tins instead of easily stored cartons of chopped tomatoes, but we did get our Saturday newspaper which in the past hasn’t been possible.

Once everything was stowed we were on our way, we’ve only a few days left of our Thames licence so no dawdling. At Osney Lock a rowing four considered joining us to go down, some of the crew were keen, others wanted to wait, so they left it up to the Lockie. They didn’t join us.

With a load of washing on we approached Folly Bridge. In the past heading upstream we’ve taken the northern channel, so today Mick went round the southern one instead.

One house on the island has a galvanised or zinc deck with tall plants to match. Then an ornate brick building with niches and what once were white statues, a priest had quite a mound of guano at his feet.

Passing along Christ Church Meadow there was an art class, easels out and paint brushes in hand. One chap was being quite free with his interpretation of the river, with mountainous peaks filling his paper. Passing the rowing clubs we waved farewell to Oxford, we’ll be back mid October.

The sun vanished and big clouds loomed, I used work as an excuse to duck inside between locks. Iffley Lock was surrounded by noisy geese. No space to stop in the next reach for lunch, so at Sandford we waited for the lock to fill up with boats and then rise before we dropped down, no space there either. Lunch on the move it was.

It had started to rain as we approached Abingdon services, we pulled in behind NB Wishbone. Alistair used to follow our Lillyanne blog and then Oleannas whilst he waited for his own boat to be built by Aintree and very nice she looks too. They were having difficulty with the pooh sucky machine so we dealt with everything else before backing up fill with water.

A clean bucket for Mick and myself, a clean box for Tilly and an empty of the yellow water. All rubbish disposed of and a full tank of diesel from a couple of days ago, happy boaters.

As we waited for the water to finish filling a small yogurt pot day boat headed towards the lock, the roof drawn over to keep the occupants dry. One chap outside called instructions to the person at the wheel. ‘Left’ ‘Reverse’ ‘Slow Down’ Biff!! ‘Right’ ‘Stop’ ‘No not that way’ Biff!!! Blimey, it was like watching a dodgem car !! BIFF!!

From inside the voice of a young girl started shouting.

‘SORRY WE HIT YOUR BOAT!’

‘SORRY WE BIFFED YOUR BOAT!’

They hadn’t, they’d just hit theirs!

‘SORRY WE DAMAGED YOUR BOAT!’

‘SORRY WE KILLED YOUR BOAT!’

‘SORRY WE SANK YOUR BOAT!’

They were wanting to go down the lock too, they let us go first.

‘SORRY WE KILLED YOU!’

By now I was in hysterics at the bow, unable to chat to the volunteer who was kindly positioning my rope for me. Looking behind the boat was now facing back towards Oxford, then London, then Oxford again. Eventually they made it into the lock, the Lockies held onto their ropes for them, we both descended.

We were out first leaving them to spin round in the lock. So hope they made it back to Oxford in one piece.

Onwards, plenty more miles to cover today. Four lads in a couple of canoes asked where Culham Lock Cut was, Mick pointed it to them hopping they’d seen it instead of heading straight on towards the weir. A boat was coming up the lock and paused to buy a licence from the Lock Keeper so we waited. A young girl on her bike cycled down to watch what was happening, we got chatting. lots of interesting questions from her. Her 4 year old brother arrived and said they’d been on a huge cruise ship, much bigger than our boat. By the time the lock was ready for us the lads in their canoes had arrived and shared the lock down. It’s the first time we’ve shared a lock with a crocodile!

All these interruptions weren’t helping with my model making, only one more lock, Clifton Lock which we shared with more canoes. All along this stretch the view has changed. Two weeks ago three of Didcot Power Station chimneys stood holding their ground, now they are no more, just rubble.

We pulled in at a suitable spot above Day’s Lock, lots for Tilly to explore in what was left of the day. She did her best to sort her own Ding Ding out, but that friend was rescued before it was too late.

6 locks, 16.47 miles, 4 boxes wine, 1 newspaper, 3 flavours of houmous, 2 cheese twists, 1 right, 1 wave goodbye, 1 empty wee tank, 1 empty box, 1 empty bucket, 1 full water tank, 1 apologetic young lady, 1 very embarrassed dad or uncle, 360 degrees in a lock, 1 chatty gongoozler, 3 canoes, 1 crocodile, 0 cooling towers, 1 favourite mooring.

https://goo.gl/maps/bhQnTMHeZx4wdjpQ7

Seventeen to Twenty. 30th August

End of the Oxford Canal to East Street

With a delivery slot booked for Saturday morning at East Street we needed to time our arrival at the moorings well. Too early and no body would have moved off, afternoon then the spaces would have filled up, lunchtime people would stop for lunch at The Punter. We opted to time our arrival at around 11am.

Our mooring last night was surprisingly quiet, we only just started to hear people passing us as we got up. Or was it that we’d had quite a few glasses of wine and a late night! It’s a shame the road is so close here, meaning no shore leave for Tilly despite there being some very good looking trees.

The windlass was brought out again and we made our way back towards Isis Lock. A lady was just bringing her boat into the lock to come up off the river. I gave her a hand whilst she clung onto her boat. She was interested in where we’d been moored, so on exiting she moved out of our way and then started to reverse down the arm. With a breeze and no bow thrusters (mechanical or man powered) this was going to be hard. As we were just dropping down to the river she asked how far it was to reach the space at the end. A quarter of a mile. She decided to abort her idea and see if she could find a space up ahead.

Back on the river we turned to head downstream, as we came under Osney Bridge the moorings looked full. But then we were passed by a boat that had been moored towards the other end, there was hope. In fact there was more than hope. Our shopping was booked to be delivered to 17 East Street and there was a long space just there, Bingo! The bollards didn’t work for Oleanna’s length so we nudged up closer to 20 leaving a space not quite big enough for another Oleanna behind. This was soon occupied by a 55fter, perfect. All we needed to do now was alter our delivery instructions from 17 to 20.

With more shopping added to our virtual basket it was time to get some real shopping. Blog reader Steve last year had pointed us in the direction of Osney Food Shed, a fish market and Meat master Cash and Carry. From the moorings on East Street both are very close, we needed something to eat tonight and I fancied getting a lamb joint to roast with plenty left over to try some of the Charlie and Ivy’s Raspberry and Beetroot dressing that is meant to be a perfect accompaniment.

First we headed for the meat. Here there were joints the size my Mum used to get when she bought half of half a cow. Giant gammons that would have strained the sides of my mums biggest catering pans. Amongst the big joints there were more domestic sized joints, we found a suitable lamb joint, some gluten free sausages and some bacon.

Next the fish. Two sea bass, some smoked mackerel and a few veg bits. We really must get the freezer back on so that we can stock before we head north after Panto. Mick returned to the boat with our food and I carried on to Hobbycraft to pick up some bits for my model. A couple of balls of yarn might just have jumped in my bag too!

I called into Waitrose for a few more bits to keep us going until our delivery arrives tomorrow. Here the veg and fruit isles are doing their very best to go plastic free, Unpacked. Large displays of containers greet you as you walk in and crates of pick your own fill the displays. Strawberries and Raspberries in cardboard punnets for you to put lids on yourself. There was still quite a bit in bags, but a lot better than most supermarkets.

Along the back wall was a section of dry essentials, beans, nuts, grains etc that you can purchase loose, an up market version of weigh and save shops, although those had plastic bags. You can also refill your Ecover washing up and clothes liquid bottles. One thing that I did find amusing was that you can also buy wine and beer unpacked. Bring your bottles for a refill. I wonder if they’d refill a wine box?

1 lock, 0.73 miles, 150ft in reverse, 20 not 17, 2 sea bass, 16 pork sausages, 1 joint lamb, 3 fillets, 1 lemon, 0.5kg potatoes, 1 bunch basil, 70grams olives, 1/4inch thick balsa, 1 sheet tracing, 1 blue ball, 1 sheet card, 1 red ball, 4 boxes on order, 1 bored cat, 2 apologies to Kath and Clare, he wasn’t much of an Adonis!

https://goo.gl/maps/oLDPbcabuDzw8W8r9

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna