Category Archives: History

Look No Key Of Power. 8th August

Laleham to Windsor Racecourse Marina ish

Another morning without tea in bed and we were away and into the first lock of the day by 9:30am. After a couple of miles we were in Staines-on-Thames. Here we found a mooring by the road bridge so we’d be close enough to head to Sainsburys, but first it was a trip to an Opticians to get my glasses mended and then Hobbycraft. We hoiked ourselves up the high wall and walked through town.

Staines seemed to be full of food outlets and chain restaurants along with barbers. Here is where Linoleum was invented by Fredrick Walton, who opened a factory in 1864. The factory grew and grew and by the 1930’s it covered 45 acres. Nearby where the factory once stood are two very dynamic chaps holding a roll of linoleum.

Boots did the job of a new screw in my glasses and Hobbycraft provided me with card for my next model. Once this was dropped off at Oleanna we crossed the river to do some shopping. Four heavy bags later we had an early lunch before pushing off again.

Soon we were passing under the M25 for the last time this year and pulling in behind a couple of cruisers at Bell Weir Lock. The river isn’t really made for narrowboats, the lock landings tending to be quite high. Here Oleanna’s gunnels slipped easily underneath, and before I could do anything about it the wooden edging of the landing managed to rub a mark on the front edge of the cabin side. B****cks! It’s not huge, just a real shame, we’ll be more wary in future.

This lock was on Self Service, a chap from the front cruiser worked it, emptying and filling as needed. Most Thames locks we’ve been through tend to fill from the top gates, but every now and then one fills from the sides. It’s quite hard to keep hold as the water forces you out from the sides of the lock towards the centre, good job we weren’t too close to a cruiser.

The next reach takes you past Runnymede where King John sealed the Magna Carta in 1215. Set back from the river are memorials to J.F. Kennedy and the commonwealth Airforces. I had wondered about stopping and having a look around, but time was getting on and with a couple of days horrible weather on it’s way we wanted to be further along. Next time list. I’m actually going to have to start writing this list soon!

A rather nice cottage with possible mooring

Once up Old Windsor Lock and under Albert Bridge we were skirting our way around Home Park the private park and farm land of Windsor Castle. There is no mooring here even though it’s tempting, it is a criminal offence. We could see Royal cows and a pretty Cottage that sits beside a little bridge that would just allow a narrowboat through.

Romney Lock was on Self Service and when we arrived we were on our own, time to push some buttons. Big signs suggested that the bollards on our starboard side had just been painted, so please use the other side. A boat was coming down, tied to the painted bollards, their ropes did look a touch darker than they should have been, so I suggested to Mick to use those on the port side.

Of course he didn’t hear me correctly, so he really didn’t understand why I wanted him to be over that side. He’d thoughtfully laid the bow rope on the starboard side roof for me to pick up and tie around a bollard and now it would be on the wrong side! A cruiser followed us in, I closed the gates and with the use of our new boat hook I was able to reach the rope and tie it.

Then I was on button duty. No Key of Power required on the Thames to work locks, just fingers. I made sure I read the instructions and pressed the ‘Sluice’ light. This is all that is required until the water is level, then you have to hold the gates button. By now a trip boat had arrived above, I could see the staff running up and down trying to serve drinks before they had to be on lock duty. Mick untied and once the cruiser had gone past he pushed over to pick me up leaving the lock to the trip boat.

Three years ago we stayed overnight in the lock cut here, but there are new signs to discourage this. My Aunt and Uncle lived in Eton during my childhood so I know Windsor quite well admittedly from the lower point of view of a child. Last time we’d walked round Eton, looked up at the flat, tried to find the fudge shop and ate mediocre fish and chips. The only thing I said I wanted to do was visit Queen Mary’s Dolls House, well I’ve had to look at lots of planes and buses recently! Checking on line later I discovered that the Dolls House is currently closed. I also discovered that it was designed by Edwin Lutyens and the garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll. I think I’m likely to appreciate it more than I did when I was 8, another thing for the Next time list.

Windsor Bridge is where we would rush out to stand to watch Concord fly over. My cousins both older and pilots would get Andrew and myself to listen out for the sonic boom, we never heard it, even if they said they did! Past all the swans that we used to go and feed with white sliced. Here we could have pulled in to moor, but decided to carry on a bit further and save our money as Eton College charge for you to moor on the Brocas. The only thing that had to be done was take the obligatory photo.

Onwards to Boveney Lock where a wide beam and a cruiser sat waiting. The locks so far would have fitted all of us, but would we all squeeze into this one. The Lockie checked our length and then asked the widebeam to move further up leaving enough room for us and the cruiser to sit side by side at the back.

Now we wanted somewhere to moor for the night. The first few spaces were all full and on the 24 hr mooring there were quite a few gaps but only suitable for cruisers or gits. Our Waterways Routes map had one more place to try just around the big bend. A life boat was occupying the first stretch, but then it was vacant. We pulled in and quickly decided that we’d have a barbecue before the weather turned.

So, the crew have been quite inconsiderate of late. Last time we were in this Thames outside I was still quite new to the outside moving. Now I’m a bit of an old paw at it all. She and Tom keep playing tricks on me. They move the outside, She walks through and then the outside stops, the rumbling stops too. This usually means they have tied the outside up for the day and I can go out to explore. But oh no! The rumbling starts again she comes back through and shows me that Tom is moving the outside again. How stupid is that? Letting it go. Then they go and do it all over again! And again!!

Not a bad mooring, if only the planes would go away

At least when they finally admitted that they had tied it up for good today it was a good outside. Plenty of pouncing possibilities, trees, a lot to explore. They decided to cook outside so I got even longer still in fact I got until they were getting bored of watching the big birdies flying over to Heathrow which is when it started to rain.

Property Game

4 bedroom bungalow with gardens out the back. Cash buyers only!

How much?

5 locks, 12.13 miles, 1 mended pair of glasses, 1 sheet black foamcor, 2 boxes wine, 4 full shopping bags, 4 longer arms, 1 very big step down, 1 cabin scar, 6 nights beach airbnb booked, 0 key of power needed, 1 wave to Aunt Nancy and Uncle Peter, 1 crashed drone, 3 a tight squeeze, 4 pork and apple burgers, 4 veg and halloumi kebabs, 2 cobs of corn, 1 royal courgette still, 20 second gaps between planes, 1 Mrs Tilly Stamp of Approval.

https://goo.gl/maps/SKhEq1u3WTWTCCeXA

Here’s a different angle on this house on it’s island

https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/residential/for-sale/pharaohs-island-shepperton-surrey-tw17/wbe180079

£2,250,000 A bargain. Sorry Jennie you were over a million out.

This house is only accessible by boat as it is on Pharoah’s Island. The island was purchased by the Treasury and given to Admiral Nelson after the battle of the Nile in 1798, most of the islands 23 homes have Egyptian names. Spinx was built in 1903 and has been owned by actors Janet Munro and Ian Hendry.

More Kings And Queens. 5th August

Hampton Court Palace

The Palace isn’t just Tudor, it was a Palace for other Kings and Queens too. When William III took the throne in 1689 he asked Christopher Wren to design a new Baroque palace . Originally the Tudor Palace was to be demolished, but the cost was to be too much for the Royal purse. Instead a third of the palace was replaced.

Pistols and daggers, who needs wallpaper

A grand staircase with small steps and huge painting takes you up to William’s state apartments. This was and still is an impressive way to enter. As with Henry VIII, visitors were vetted before being let through to the following rooms. The guard chamber is almost encrusted with weaponry showing Williams hunger for war. These were not just for show, but could be used by the army should the need arise.

Possibly the first chandelier of it’s kind in the country

Next follows a succession of chambers each with a throne and canopy. The further on you got the less fancy the canopy, but the chair beneath got comfier. Large paintings cover the walls and other than the throne there is little furniture in the rooms, instead they would have been filled with beautifully dressed courtiers. By the time you reach the Privy Chamber the chair is fluffed up and plump the canopy has disappeared, a wonderful crystal chandelier hangs in the centre of the room which lines up wonderfully with the Privy Garden outside.

A very busy ceiling that would keep anyone awake

A huge bed sits in the Great Bedchamber, this is where the King was dressed in view public, an incredible painted ceiling above faces the on looker not the king. This was all for show, which the King would rather have lived without.

Padded toilet on a chest. Maybe a precursor to a Kilwick

Below the grand rooms are the more private apartments where the King really lived his life. Here his collections of favourite paintings hang on ropes, many of them night time scenes now hard to distinguish their content. The Orangery houses the orange and bay trees during the winter months, gives a great view down the Privy Garden.

These are less flamboyant rooms, cosy and homely. In his private dining room he surrounded himself with full length portraits of the Hampton Court Beauties. The serving area could be closed off after the meal leaving the king and his guests in peace.

Queen Anne followed doing a touch of remodelling herself. The Royal Chapel which had stained glass and a fantastic blue and gold ceiling from Henry VIII’s time was altered. The window frames left in place, but the glass depicting Henry, Katherine and Wolsey are long since gone. Much of the lower walls are now wood, vertical parquet covers the wall behind the alter and huge wooden columns attempt to hold up the Tudor ceiling. Sadly you’re not allowed to take photos here, the ceiling is great.

Then came the Georgians. George I built a set of rooms for his son in which he and his wife entertained lavishly. A new kitchen was also built which you can now stay in as it is one of the Landmark Trust properties, The Georgian House.

When George II succeeded his father in 1727 the palace entered it’s last phase as a royal residence. The Queens staircase had a make over by the architect William Kent with Roman niches and trompe l’oeil panels below another great painted ceiling.

The Queens Guard Chamber has quite a fireplace. Two men, possibly Yeomen of the Guard have the huge mantle piece resting on their hats. Here as else where in the Palace visitors would be vetted before being let further into the rooms.

The Public Dining Room is decorated with more impressive painting and a large table shows off a display of napkin artistry.

Stood in the room are white costumes made from fibrous paper, these represent members of the court and have a small resume on their bodices or cuffs.

The period detail sewn into them is wonderful. There is a more sociable feel to these rooms than those of earlier periods. Courtiers would play games, gambling, loosing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

A bit more painting, anyone would think this was a palace!

By 1737 George II no longer wanted to use Hampton Court as a royal palace so it was filled with grace and favour residents. The accommodation not the best, some residents didn’t have access to hot water. Many residents were widows who’s husbands had worked for the monarch. This continued until the 1960’s and there are still a couple of elderly residents still living in the Palace.

In 1838 Queen Victoria decided to let the public see inside the palace and opened up its doors, this proved to be very popular.

Looking back to the house from the Privy Garden

The Privy Garden needed a closer look, especially as there was a nice boat moored just outside the Tijou Screen (a shame they still haven’t finished painting it!). After a fire damaged the palace in 1986 the decision was taken to restore the privy garden back to how it had been in William III’s time. The trees were kept clipped at 7 to 8 ft high and a view of the Thames was possible. This in later years had been left to grow and had got quite out of hand, no longer could the palace be seen from the river.

During August there is plenty happening. The King Henry VIII’s sporting academy is taking place throughout the gardens. Real Tennis is played on the indoor court, there is fencing and sword fighting, wrestling, crossbow and falconry displays.

After quite a busy day we deserved some chilled medication and a good job we got it when we did as the stand closed soon afterwards. Mick had Chocolate Brownie and I had a very good Raspberry Sorbet, no gluten free cones today though!

Other areas of the grounds are open to the public. The Rose and Kitchen garden were worth a wander around, plenty growing in the vegetable beds, they even had some Royal Blackberries!

Even though we’d been a touch reluctant to buy two full price tickets to the palace we were amazed at what we got for our money. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, so much to see and do. We didn’t quite manage to see everything so we may come back another time to look at the galleries and go round the maze, however, we’ll try to time that with a two for one offer.

This one was built by it’s current owners and has three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

https://www.tudorandco.co.uk/properties/12395356/sales

£1,295,000 no chain and it’s detached!

Sorry Ade, at least you were only a million out this time!

The One Who Survived, She’s Dead Now. 5th August

Hampton Court Palace Gates

Last night we spent some time deciding on what to do. We’d planned on using a two for one days out to go to the Palace today, making it far more acceptable to our pockets. But this is not available during the school holidays! We’d have to pay full price, even Mick wouldn’t get Old Git’s Rate.

In the end reason saw through our Yorkshire pockets and we purchased tickets on line, which saved us something. Paying more than £20 each we had to make the most of the day so planned on being at the gates as they opened for the day. This of course didn’t quite happen as we kept forgetting things like a coat should it rain again and a water bottle.

Our mooring and advance tickets meant we could gain entrance through a side gate and head straight to the main doors where our tickets were scanned and we were pointed in the right direction for an audio guide. These are well worth getting, plenty of interesting information as you walk round. With maps and guide where should we start? Henry VIII ‘s kitchens.

The courtyards have atmospheric noises, reminiscent of those at Bletchely Park and footage of Tudor gents plays over bench backs, discussing purchases for the kitchens. The kitchens here didn’t only cater for Henry, his court and guests, but on a daily basis there were 400 people to cater for. Henry not only wanted the best of English, roast beef was always on the menu, but also spices from far afield. The staff would have one meal and the Royals would have another of two courses, but this had many different plates.

The kitchens are huge with high ceilings, at least six fires were used for cooking. Chopping boards line one bench, if you put your hands on the board hands and knives are projected chopping and grinding ingredients.

One fire was lit today with a chap wearing heavy woolen clothing turning a spit. Here two large joints, by modern standards, of beef were roasting. The kitchen each year would use 1.3 million logs to cook the palaces food. The logs piled up were each bigger than our stove on Oleanna.

Rooms of pewter and linen headed off to the sides of the serving corridor and then a vaulted wine cellar big enough to house several families. The Tudors liked their wine and beer, but they still drank water, it’s not mentioned as much in records, because once the lead pipes were in the water was free. The water for the Palace came from a spring three miles away.

We refrained from buying anything from the Kitchen shop and headed on to Henry VIII’s Apartments.

Walking into the Great Hall you could hear everyone’s gasps of awe at the sight. Such a wonderful ceiling, which now is tame in colour to what it would have been. Large stained glass windows, wooden carved deer heads and tapestries measuring 5m by 8m, my photos don’t do it justice.

Tables are laid up with cloths for you to sit at, it was good manners to undo ones’ belt as you sat down rather than when it became necessary during a meal. Here banquets would be held with all the trimmings for such a fine room, but on normal days this was actually the staff canteen and Henry was more likely to eat in his private rooms.

The great Watching Chamber follows with it’s wonderful gilt ceiling. Here Yeomen of the Guard would stand watch controlling access to the state rooms, only high ranking visitors were permitted beyond this room. Through the next few rooms the visitors were filtered, only those of very high rank would make it to the final room and meet the King.

Cardinal Wolsey first acquired Hampton Court in 1514 and transformed it from a manor house into a Palace for Henry. He collected tapestries and treasures for the palace, but lost them all to the King when in 1529 he fell from power. The King loved to show off and Hampton Court was just the place to do that.

The Young Henry VIII’s story is just that, the story of his earlier years as King. Rooms are laid out with large backed oak chairs telling his story. He was the first king in 100 years to inherit the throne peacefully from his father. Once king he soon married Katherine of Aragon, she had been briefly married to his brother before he died. Katherine produced children, three boys all of whom died soon after birth or were still born, only Princess Mary survived past the age of seven weeks. Was the Kings marriage a cursed one, him having married his brothers wife?

Anne Boleyn came on the scene, the King fell in love and secretly married her in 1532, still married to Katherine whom he managed to divorce a year later. This is where the saying Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived started from. As a child I never learnt this, but Mick did. However he did today add that the one who survived Henry, she’s now dead!

Still having our tickets meant that we didn’t have to folk out £20 plus for lunch and could return home instead. We handed back our audio tour and had a comfortable sit down back at Oleanna.

Property Game

5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms with river moorings.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 cheap internet tickets, 2 4 1 not available in school holidays, 2 days mooring booked, 2 audio tours, 400 mouths to feed, 6 fires, 1.3 million logs, 6 wives, too many wonderful chimneys to count.

Yesterdays Answer

https://www.watersideresidential.co.uk/property-for-sale/?id=10245&type=2

£799,950 for 3 bedrooms with pedestrian access, but with two moorings.

Sorry Ade you were miles out with £2.7 million.

Bugs, Bees and Bones. 21st November

Aristotle Bridge

The weather wasn’t conducive for a return visit to Blenheim today, we’d only be allowed into the park anyway as Christmas displays were being installed. So instead we decided to head back to the Natural History Museum we’d only glanced at yesterday. The walk there was bloomin’ chilly and we were glad of the small amount of heat once inside.

We suspect the museum has been updated from it’s original Victorian self. Here is where in 1860 representatives of both the church and science debated the subject of evolution. Stone carved scientists look down on the exhibits and those viewing them, making sure all is in order.

There are still display cases of insects, birds etc, but the contents have been modernised. The large displays, dinosaur skeletons and other bones sit in the main aisles on the ground floor with stuffed birds and fossils on display around them.

On the first floor there are displays of insects and bugs.

Here a Bacteria exhibition gets you to match the good with the bad and see which ones would win in your gut. An artist took everyday objects and pressed them onto petri dishes to see what bacteria would grow. From these she has then crocheted in minute detail the results. It took a while for me to realise that they were made up of the tiniest of stitches, it’s amazing what a pretty result a plastic unicorn gave.

Also on the first floor is a bee hive. Not your normal type, but one built for display. A large glazed area means that you can see straight into the hive. Today those bees near the top, seemed (we hope) to be asleep. But those nearer the bottom and the outside world were more active, a constant movement from these could be seen, enough to make you back squirm. The display case sits on top of a perspex tunnel that leads to the outside world where they plan to add a roof top garden for the bees. Through the tube you can (on a normal warm day) watch the bees heading off and returning with pollen on their hind legs.

Other living displays sit in glass cases around the gallery. Stick insects and spiders, although one spider did seem very absent. Tilly would have liked this floor, but I suspect these spiders would have fought harder than the normal eight legged friends she finds!

Several things stood out from the collection.

An Argonauta nodosa shell collected in 1786 was stunning. It is the shell of a pelagic octopus and must have been about 10 cm long. Isn’t nature amazing when it produces something so beautiful.

Butterflies with their incredible markings.

Dragonflies that have lost their colouring through the centuries and one for Tilly, Mayflies Yo-yo flies!

We’d maybe seen the more interesting bits yesterday, but the building kept giving more angles to view itself.

The individual pillars of British stone continue upstairs, these originally cost £5 to have made. It was hard to choose which was our favourite and astounding that so many similar stones in name could look so different.

We had arrived later in the day, so as the sun started to set the lights inside brought out new details and emphasised the soaring arches above our heads. The building was upstaging all of the exhibits.

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 bridges, 2nd visit, 1 guided tour of Pitt Rivers, 2 many words, 45367 bees, 128 rocks, 192 capitals, £5 each in 1850, 0 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula, 1 freezing day, 3% of Antarctic glacier ice is made from Penguin urine!

Stuff And Stuff, Stuffed Everywhere! 20th November

Jericho Wharf to Aristotle Bridge

Time to move on.

We’ve not got our winter clothes out from under the bed yet, this morning we wished we had. Blimey it was chilly, lined trouser weather!

Squeezing our way past College Cruisers, with all the boats in it’s a tight fit. They seem to be doing weekend breaks, but come next week the distance you’ll be able to travel will be much shorter as Dukes Lock is closing for three weeks. This means that hirers will only be able to cruise up and down through Oxford, or go out onto the Thames for a couple of locks to do a ring. We’re planning on being through Dukes Lock in the next couple of days.

We only cruised on to Aristotle Bridge, passing a stack of bikes that had been pulled out from the cut at one of the bridges. Very glad we’d not got stuck on top of them! These moorings are not that popular. You are asked to keep the running of engines to a minimum and it is only 2 days mooring, All Year. This means you can’t pull up for two weeks in the winter, but it will serve us just fine, the moorings all to ourselves. Well apart from a Fountains team who were cutting back the hedges along the towpath. One chap had laid his long reach trimmer on the towpath, turned round to help clear what he’d just trimmed. As he did this his trimmer rolled into the cut, two of them had to fish it out with a long stick, suspect it’s petrol engine needed a dry out before it would start again.

Once we’d settled and warmed up we decided to head out to visit some museums. Our friend Bridget had suggested we should visit the Pitt Rivers Museum, so that is where we headed off to.

The Natural History Museum stands proud set back from the road and the Pitt Rivers Museum clings on behind. In 1884 General Pitt Rivers, an influential figure in the development of archaeology and evolutionary anthropology, gave his collection to the University of Oxford. The building was designed to hold the collection of some 26,000 objects from around the world. The museum opened it’s doors to the public in 1887 to show part of the collection. Since then more items have been added reaching over half a million in number.

Walking through the rather chilly Natural History Museum I rather wished we’d done a torch lit tour last week. Built between 1855-60 it is a fine (if chilly today) neo-gothic building. A glass roof supported on cast iron pillars covers a square court divided into three aisles.

Cloistered arcades run around the court, each column made from a different British stone. Each pillar and column are decorated with differing natural forms such as leaves and branches mixing Pre-Raphaelite styles with that of science. What a building, filled with skeletons of various animals including dinosaurs. We had a quick look round, but decided to return at a later date to give it more time as we’d been warned of the quantity of stuff in the Pitt Rivers Museum.

Through an archway we descended into the museum, much warmer, maybe to help keep the stuff at a better ambient temperature, bones not needing much warmth in comparison.

Display cabinets filled the floor surrounded by two balconies running round the full building. In most ethnographic and archaeological museums items are arranged according to their country but here they are grouped by type. Musical instruments, masks, boats, lamps, guns, spears, baskets, the list goes on and on and on.

We took our time walking round the display cabinets, the odd item jumping out from the masses. Egypt had followed me here too, a sarcophagus, oil lamps, amulets, a boat similar to that I’d based Aladdin’s canoe on. Models of houses and boats filled cabinets, shrunken heads and skulls others. The amount of stuff was quite overwhelming. Below the cabinets were drawers filled with stuff, perched high above cabinets were more filled with stuff, slotted in between roof joists was even more stuff. So much stuff! I’m surprised that they haven’t started to add galleries crossing from balcony to balcony, but maybe the foundations wouldn’t be able to cope with the extra weight.

Various masks caught my eye and the way spears were displayed was quite an art form in itself. Each item is labelled with its details. A fantastic place for research.

After a good walk round we had had our fill of stuff. So headed to the Natural History Museums cafe for a bite to eat and a rest. Sadly with only one GF choice (a nice looking cake) we decided to return to Oleanna for lunch instead. The afternoon was spent winding up my receipts for Chipping Norton and keeping warm whilst Tilly explored the surrounding park, until the noisy kids headed home from school!

0 locks, 0.63 miles, 1 chilly morning, 2 museums, 519,897 pieces of stuff, 1 museum stuffed to the brim, 1 cake, £20 forgotten about, 27 reciepts, 4 stars, 3 rows off finishing a sock.

https://goo.gl/maps/Emxei8H78Vu

First Time Visit With Plenty Of Memories. 18th November

Blenheim Palace

Today with the sun shining we ventured forth and caught the S3 bus from the station. This bus normally goes all the way to Chippy, but that was not our destination today. We hopped off the bus a few miles short of Chippy at the gates of Blenheim Palace. Today was going to be an expensive one, Blenheim isn’t a National Trust House and costs quite a lot to get in. However a thorough look at the website meant that we knew about their Good Journey Offer. If you travel by bus or train to the house and present your ticket at the entrance kiosk when you buy your ticket then you will receive 30% off. If you also make this payment as a donation you will then be given a donation receipt to be able to convert your day ticket into a yearly pass. This we hope will be worth the queue to get such photo passes. I think this is a way for them to claim gift aid on your entrance, except we don’t pay tax so couldn’t tick the box, we still got our passes.

We’ve tried to time our visit before the house and garden get revamped for Christmas so that we could see the house rather than the Christmas displays. Yet everywhere was filled with Christmas trees, most groaning at the weight of all the decorations. Masses of Poinsettias crammed into dishes on tables. This would have made my father rush for numerous black plastic bags to give them the correct amount of sunlight a day that these Mexican weeds require. (This once dominated one Christmas for him, trying to keep the red leaves attached to the stems for as long as possible by lowering a black plastic bag over the poor plant each night, he’d even rigged the bag up on a piece of string so it could be lowered and raised at the correct times.)

An audio guide gave us information of key parts of the ground floor and on various paintings that adorn the houses walls. All we can say is, the Churchills were rich buggers!

Blenheim Palace was built as a gift to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, from Queen Anne in thanks for his victory at the Battle of Blenheim on 13th August 1704. It is the only non-royal house in the country to hold the title of Palace and was built between 1705 and 1722. The house became the subject of political infighting leading to Marlborough’s exile and damaging the reputation of it’s architect Sir John Vanbrugh. Funding for the building was never fully agreed upon, Marlborough put in £60,000, the government and Queen picked up much of the rest, but in 1712 after an argument between the Queen and Duchess funds were halted, £220,000 already spent, £45,000 still owed to workmen. The Marlboroughs were exiled to the continent until after the Queens death in 1714, when they took it upon themselves to finance the reminder of the build. Magnificence of such buildings was far more important than comfort or convenience.

Designed in the English Baroque style it became home to the Churchill family which has now spanned some 300 years. An act of parliament was passed when there were no sons to inherit the estate, so the amassed wealth could be passed down the female line. It’s most famous claim is that it was the birth place of Sir Winston Churchill. The generation that decided to open up the house to the public (helping to pay for it’s upkeep and almost certainly avoiding inheritance tax) were most probably very grateful that Winston was a premature baby. At the end of the 19th Century the palace was saved from ruin by the 9th Duke marrying the American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt.

Today you enter the building from the Great Court where colonnades flank either side of the house, each opening currently filled with a Christmas tree. The large hall follows with impressive Corinthian columns and vast amounts of carved stone. 20m above you is the ceiling painted by James Thornhill, where Marlborough kneels in front of Britannia with a map of the battle of Blenheim. This gives you just a small taste of the opulence that is to come in the State rooms.

Weaving around the hall, family portraits cover the wall. The most pleasing of 20th Century women.

A large cabinet is filled with model soldiers all standing in line and huge collections of china are displayed in all their grandeur along the hallways. Where ever there is space for a Christmas tree there is one, struggling hard to stay upright with their coverings of bows, baubles and the occasional pumpkin!

Drawing Rooms and Writing Rooms of various colours follow one after the other. Silk covered walls with matching upholstery. Furniture of every size and type. Courting couches where a couple could sit on a long stretch with space for a chaperone to sit at the end making sure nothing untoward occurred. Large lounging sofas, sprawling out as wide as Oleanna to narrow bolt upright sofas which were never intended to be comfortable.

After several such rooms we arrived at the first with the walls covered in tapestries. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit the house. Back in 1991 at the end of my second year at Croydon College (where I studied Theatre Design) we had to realise part of a theoretical design.

I chose to realise the masking from my design for the Benjamin Britten Opera Owen Wingrave based at the old Glyndebourne along with a large globe. The masking was based on the Marlborough tapestries which surrounded a large revolving skeletal house. Thanks to my old tutor Rob Muller for the photos of my work. I had given the tapestries a bluer hue than the originals and had painted into the more dramatic scenes with red highlights. These I planned would loom out of the tapestries when the lighting changed, a specific blue lighting gel did this for me, to add to Owen’s torturous nightmares of warfare.

Today was the first time I’d seen these tapestries in the flesh, the detailed border still very familiar to me (even though I’d simplified it somewhat). My painted versions must only have been a touch smaller than the originals and those on display in the state rooms are far calmer than those I’d chosen for the opera, these must be elsewhere in the Palace. Memories of hours drawing followed by painting them came back to me, along with the complaints from the computer department further along the corridor due to the aroma the blue pigments create once painted onto flameproof canvas. I was stood in front of old friends, the recorded guide burbling along in my ears about something or other.

The Saloon sits behind the Hall and is where guests would have been directed on their arrival. The tapestries had kept me for sometime but now the incredible painting by Louis Laguerre filled the walls and ceiling around us. Originally Thornhill was to paint this room giving a quote which in todays terms would have been around £84,000. Laguerre halved the quote, but certainly didn’t scrimp on the expertise. My photos do not do his trompe l’oeil justice. The painted balcony front is painted in such away you almost have to touch it to realise it is not three dimensional, putting my panto trompe l’oeil to shame. The mouldings on the walls and ceiling are wonderful, filled with portraits of people looking into the room (one of the artist himself). What a room to have your Christmas Dinner in, the Churchill family still do.

On through a few more rooms to the Library. Originally conceived as one long room it was divided up into five sections, suggesting different rooms. Like a long gallery it takes over one side of the house, filled with books and plenty of space to enjoy their words whilst maybe listening to a tune played on the organ! Queen Anne (a svelte version of her majesty) stands looking towards the far end of the library where the organ dominates. In WW1 the library was used as a hospital for returning injured service men and in WW2 it became a home for evacuated boys. Some of these stole three of the smaller pipes form the organ, which wasn’t noticed for some years. A few years ago a parcel arrived containing a note and the three pipes. The note was anonymous and was from the wife of one of the lads who’d stolen the pipes, saying that it was one of his last requests that they should be returned.

From here you can weave your way around a display all about Winston Churchill. This we did quite quickly, the crowds in the small rooms making it hard to read all the panels. Quotes and interesting facts had been put in larger print on panels around each room so we still got to learn a few details. One of Winston’s Siren Suits stands in a cabinet, velvet with matching monogrammed slippers. The bed he was born in and a small cotton top which had to borrowed from a local solicitors wife for him to wear as his arrival was unexpected.

Another look around the Library was needed and as we did so I spotted two very familiar people sat taking a well earned rest. Pearl and Rodney are the parents of my best friend from my college days, they became my other Mum and Dad whilst at Croydon and the following years. We’d last seen them at Kathy’s wedding in Lanzarote seven years ago. What a wonderful surprise and lovely to have a good catch up with them. Despite some health issues over the last four years they both looked great. As we sat chatting the organ started up with a very capable chap at the keys and stops, so we all stayed put for a while longer to listen.

Big hugs all round and we headed off ahead of them to visit the colonnade and chapel where a subordinate organ sat in the corner.

Past lunchtime we got ourselves a sausage roll and sandwich with a slice of cake each (good GF options even if nobody can make a GF sandwich look all that exciting!) at the Pantry before checking out the stalls in the Christmas craft fayre that surrounded the entrance. Here there were all sorts of yummy things to eat, some really good looking pies (from East Yorkshire, no wonder) and plenty of well made not standard craft fayre tat. One stall did nearly see me part with cash, but with Christmas coming up I just gave a very big hint to Mick.

As the sun started to set we rode the bus back into Oxford, knowing that there is so much more for us to see at Blenheim, we’ll just have to go again.

0 locks, 0 miles, S3 bus, 7 bus, 1 very rich family, 1 car park almost full, 2000ish visitors, 30%off, 2 annual passes, 1 amazing house, 27 years later, 2nd parents, 7 years later, 2 slices cake, 1 sausage roll, 1 sandwich, 2 much to see, 0 tat bought, 1 lovely day out, 1 tension square and pattern done for the next pair of socks.

Illuminating Oxford. 16th November

Jericho Wharf

Living on a boat means that I couldn’t put off unpacking the four bags I’d returned from Chippy with for long. Any spare space on the boat had been taken up by them last night, so after a slow start to the day I started to unpack. Returning things to where they’d come from meant taking out the back steps and dismantling the dinette to return my sewing machine, steel toe cap boots and paint brush bag back to the depths they normally live in. Mick had managed to empty the washing drawer earlier in the week, but I filled in again! My dungarees, that had been gradually getting duller have now had a brightening up with primary colours, hope it clings on in the washing machine.

An afternoon of watching Lego Masters and knitting was followed with a walk into the city. My landlady in Chippy had mentioned that she would be singing this evening at the Ashmolean Museum, this was to be a small part of a light festival. Looking it up I discovered that the light festival was right across the city, lantern parades, street markets, food markets, installations and performances. A quick look through the website and we decided to head to Broad Street where there would be a market and several other things going on as it got dark.

Broad Street was cut off to traffic and filled with a market, both foody things and craft bits and bobs. Chippy panto seems to have set a trend with various camel themed items for sale throughout the market.

What we’d actually come here for was to watch the Heliosphere. Up ahead a large white balloon sat tethered to a heavy truck. A lady climbed inside a harness and strapped herself in. The lights were turned on in the balloon as it was unclipped and allowed to rise from the ground taking with it the lady. In a spangley catsuit, similar to that of Queenie the Genie (Chippy Panto) the lady rose up above the crowds suspended below the balloon. Two chaps also with harnesses had guide ropes, as they moved close to each other the balloon went higher, further apart the lower it came above the crowd. The lady span round, twisting and turning in her harness floating along the street, pausing to touch hands with the crowd before rising high up between the University buildings all the time a follow spot doing it’s job (making it hard to get good photos of her) and the balloon changing colour.

Further along is the Shimmer Tree by Dan Fox. A 6m high sculpture with twelve branches which suspend a cymbal on each. Lights shine up to the cymbals and sounds are created. The cymbals act as directional speakers and resonate as the lights chase round. From a distance this didn’t seem like much, but stood below it was quite mesmerising.

We decided to hunt out the other installations around the city. Down by the Castle people took turns to sit in an ice throne lit from below.

A food market, only a few stalls, is hoping to grow in time and become a regular thing. Round the corner, after following oddly positioned signs we got to the Voice Park.

Last Sunday I’d come across people who looked like they were poor imitators of the Ghost Busters. Apparatus on their backs with empty water containers, surely to collect any stray ghosts. But no, they were collecting voices from people. Here pods not unsimilar to growing Chrysalids are joined by pipes and cables. Speakers with lights embeded inside their red pods. If you make a suitable noise next to them they respond by playing human sounds back. I got one to work by saying hello, but Mick struggled as his voice was too low for it to react. One for the kids.

We then set out to find projections on museums. These were further afield, north out of the centre. The Radcliffe Humanities Building had a large projection to do with Diseases of modern life. This was amusing in it’s animation of Victorian illustrations.

Weaving our way further east we reached the Natural History Museum where vast projections created by Luxmuralis covered the front of the building. There are to be more of these over the weekend, moving around the city and projecting onto other buildings. Torchlit tours of museums were also being held, but we were a touch pooped by now so we’ll return in day light. So we wove our way through the streets back in the direction of the canal for a quiet evening in front of the stove with some nice food.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 poached eggs, 2 slices toast, mushrooms, 4 bags unpacked, 1 homeless bag, 0.5 glove knitted, 1 large balloon, 12 cymbals, 5 uninspired cubes, 2 SILENT signs, 1 noisy man, 3 illuminated buildings, 4 soggy bums, 1 bench a touch too close to the boat, 1 tree, 1 cat, 1 squirrel, 1 ft away, 1 unfair advantage.

The Gods In Cornwall. 11th October

Oxford

Oxford to Cornwall to Oxford

There were only 3 trains that we noticed last night, but it was more the generator going all night that disturbed our sleep. We couldn’t go and knock on the roof of a boat to get it turned off as it was on the railway line across the mill stream. Anyway the alarm went off early as I was due to be on the 7:21 train.

Gemma and I had planned our journey with the aim that I would already be on the train that she would catch at Bristol to Plymouth. I had to do a route that missed Reading and split my journey in Bristol to save almost £200 on my return ticket.

First change was at Didcot Parkway where the sun was just trying to peak through the very dark clouds. A quick count of those heading into London on the opposite platform came up with three newspaper readers out of getting on for a hundred people. Most stood looking at their phones, at least this takes up less space on the platform compared to the days of everyone reading broadsheets. Next change Swindon. Here I got on the train Gemma should be getting. There were no reserved seats, just as well as mine was meant to be in coach J which didn’t exist! I found a table and staked my claim.

As the train neared Bristol I got a message from Gemma asking if I’d like a cuppa if she had time to get one. Marvellous it now felt like an age since I’d had one back at Oleanna, however it did feel like she’d but cutting it fine. At Bristol Temple Meads the train pulled in and most people got off, I kept an eye open to see if the only other table in the carriage became free. It didn’t. I waited and waited. The train pulled out of the station, no sign of Gemma. Maybe she’d got on at one end of the train two teas in hand and was working her way along the carriages to D. She’d let me know if she’d missed the train surely. I waited and waited.

Ten minutes later I sent her a text, ‘Did you miss the train?’ nothing came back. Another ten minutes and I was so puzzled I gave her a call. ‘Just wondering where you are, and where I am?’ She was puzzled. Yesterday I thought we’d agreed to be on the train leaving Bristol at 9:12, I was on that train, but it was going to arrive 35 minutes earlier than I thought. Gemma was going to be on the train that arrived at the right time, how had that happened? No idea, but at least we’d both end up in Plymouth.

I made the most of the very grey rainy journey and moved over to the left side of the train. As we pulled out of Exeter I put down my knitting and armed myself with my camera for the journey along the coast at Dawlish.

As far as I’m aware I’ve never been along this line before, but sadly today the view wasn’t at it’s best. However the tide was in and waves were crashing against the seawall casting spray up towards the train. I didn’t manage to time my photos too well despite trying to guess which would be the seventh big wave. It was still quite dramatic.

At Plymouth I had chance to get something to eat and chat to a second carpenter who is building bits for panto. When Gemma appeared we were off and into a taxi dashing to meet the Cremyll Ferry. Down little back streets we were dropped off at Admirals Hard where a concrete jetty heads out into the bay.

Our next form of transport arrived, the Edgcombe Belle. The crew needed to get some steps so that people could get on and off at the bow as the tide was in, it looked calmer here than it had at Dawlish. A touch damp outside we opted for shelter as the boat made it’s 8 minute crossing, the later part getting really quite lumpy. I may live on a boat, but I don’t do waves if I can possibly help it!

At the Cremyll landing we were met by Lou one half of Snell scenery builders who drove us up to the workshop whilst one of her dogs in the boot kept dropping a rather soggy ball on me. Theatre life is so glamourous!

A couple of hours followed with us going through all the drawings of my set, looking at what was built so far, chatting to the scenic artist and hunting for references of Lotus flowers. There are still a few bits to build including the Dames Gin Palace. They have managed to put together enough time and materials to make my 2.5 D Gods, which is marvellous. All is going well and the next time we’ll see it is a week on Monday when it all arrives in Chipping Norton.

Once we’d finished work Adrian and Lou brought out photos for me to look at. A couple of weeks ago in an email Adrian had asked me if we’d ever been past the lock cottage at Kings Lock on the River Soar near Leicester. At the age of 19, Adrian had been on the hunt for a house in need of some TLC. He’d spotted the lock cottage, which had recently been broken into by vandals who had set light to it on Bonfire night. He contacted British Waterways to see if he could buy it. Only available as a leasehold he was told if he was interested he’d need to do something about it in the next six weeks as after that it was due for demolition.

For a peppercorn rent of £1 for the first year Adrian took on the project. Once restoration work was completed the insurance company would pay out several thousand pounds. He arranged for a group of friends from the pub to help him one weekend to clear the site. Only one person turned up and that was Lou, this is when they got together. They worked on the cottage for many months scarfing in new roof joists etc, camping outside in all weathers until it was weather proof. The water froze and they could only flush the toilet by collecting water leaking through the lock gates in a bucket. They stayed for another nine months once the work was completed, but as the cottage would never be theirs they decided to move elsewhere. For those who don’t know the canal and cottage it is now a well known tea rooms. Kings Lock marks where the canal starts and river section ends, so is a safe haven for boaters should the river go into flood. We’ve moored there but never been inside. Three years ago when Adrian and Lou last visited very little had changed from when they lived there, just minor adjustments for the tea rooms. It’s a small world.

A lift back to the ferry now in sunshine, a shame we couldn’t take our time as I only got glimpses of the Cornish bays. The tide was now out and we had a much longer walk back up the Hard to reach our waiting taxi, we didn’t need the steps either. The journey back was much brighter outside, but Gemma and I had things to discuss and work on before we reached Bristol. Two more trains and I was back in Oxford just after the sun had gone to bed.

Mick during the day had climbed a tower to look at views of Oxford. Discovered that his phone microphone no longer worked and nudged Oleanna up by about three boat lengths hopefully enough to move us away from the generator on the railway. Unfortunately he tried a factory reset on his phone and lost any photos he’d taken.

0 locks, 0.04 miles, 6 trains, 1 ferry twice, 2 taxis, 2.5 D Gods, 4 groundrows, 1 palace, 1 backdrop, 1 canoe, 1 pyramid, 1 grubbery, 0 model box, 1 tower climbed, 1 cottage saved.

https://goo.gl/maps/APzn8TumKht

A Little Bit Closer. 10th October

Aristotle Bridge to almost Isis Lock

Our two days at Aristotle Bridge would be up today, so after breakfast we pushed off and nudged our way just that bit closer to the city centre.

Debby from NB Chuffed had given us some handy hints on the moorings further along. As we pootled we discussed our options.

1 We could stop at the back of St Barnabas Church, this is very close to railway lines therefore noisy.

2 We could head down to the far end of the canal where the road cuts off the original route. There are 2 day moorings there and a waterpoint. The trains are further away so it is quieter, but the proximity of the road and a resident cat may not be so good for Tilly. Mick had been concerned that the depth may be a problem, but we’d now seen some boats up there.

3 Which way should we face when we got there? Which ever ‘there’ was to be?

We opted for pulling up near St Barnabas Church to see how noisy it was, if it was bad we could then carry on to try at the end. The occasional train came past, but not as many as we’d been expecting. So we decided to stay put for the night. The rail traffic is mostly freight, which of course continues through the night so we still had the option to move on. Tilly was allowed out and seemed to prefer here despite the many people on the towpath.

Plans were formulated for tomorrow as I am heading off to see how the build of the Panto set is going. It looks like my route will mean that Gemma the Production Manager will be able to join me on the same train as it goes through Bristol where she lives, so we can have a catch up and chat over various things before we get there.

Mick and I had a walk into town via the station so that I could pick up my many tickets. This meant we walked along Snake Island, we’re not going to tell Tilly about it just in case. Then we passed the old railway swing bridge that crosses over the Sheepwash Channel which leads out to the Thames.

The covered market was first on our agenda today. Many shops of all sorts in a good building, not quite as stylish as Leeds. This meant we were close to Whittards so I was able to stock up on my morning brew. The Bank was visited to check for Mick’s new credit card and that had arrived. Great, not much other than sight seeing to keep us here now.

A visit to a college was next, plenty to choose from as most of them open their doors in the afternoons so that tourists can have a good nosy. The entrance price varied quite a bit between them, we decided to see what Trinity College was like, a cheaper one, most probably because it hasn’t appeared in Harry Potter, but is a location in Morse, Lewis and Endeavour. We paid our entrance and the lady buzzed the gate to let us in.

Trinity was founded in 1555 by Sir Thomas Pope and even though it is physically large it only has 400 students. Originally it was a male college but since 1979 it became co-educational. Some of the buildings date back to 1421 when it was Durham College. Large gardens surround the buildings including some very large trees. The central quadrangle focuses on a raised grassed bed, the chapel and dining room to two sides and staircases lead off to student rooms on the other two sides.

The chapel is quite small but it’s decoration more than makes up for it. It was the first chapel to be built in the Baroque style, designed by Henry Aldrich with advice from Christopher Wren in 1694. As you walk in the organ towers above you, then you walk through a screen into the chapel which more or less consists of a choir. Virtually all wood, ornately carved with bulls, men and cherubs who seem to have a big problem with cowlicks in their hair! Some of the wood was Oak, the pillars pine (I think), but much of the rest of it I wasn’t sure of, Frank Matthews would have been able to tell me, but I guessed at maybe mahogany. What a splendid room. Trinity has one of the largest choirs in the university mostly from members of the college.

We sneakily followed a group of French students into the dining room as there was a sign saying no entry. Here a large room very much as you would expect with the top table and then rows for the students. It had a slight shabby feel to it despite it’s ornate chandelier. Thousands of food trays have worn tables down through the decades. The walls are hung with portraits, at the moment they are all women, quite a few photographs of past students who’ve made it big in their profession. I assume these are here to help mark the centenary of women getting the vote. The photographs do look at little bit odd in such a room where oil paintings normally hang, but not as out of place as the very large dispenser for Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

Through the next arch way are entrances to the staircases leading to the student rooms. The college obviously has rowing teams and chalked up on the walls are various years in which they ‘bumped’ other colleges. If this had happened at my school it would have been classed as graffiti and we’d have been reprimanded. But here it is obviously tradition.

A wander around some of the shops in the Westgate Centre meant that I found a bag suitable for me to take a weeks worth of clothing to Chipping Norton. We’ve not needed anything this size for a while and it had to be able to fold down into next to nothing for storage under our bed.

Back at the boat Tilly went out and carried on enjoying her new surroundings. She was particularly interested in the semi sunk boats on the Castle Mill Stream which sits just behind us. This kept her busy far too late and I had to try to find her and encourage her home. Yet every time she surfaced from the sideways trees and brambles she’d carry on trotting up the towpath in the direction of Banbury. Eventually she tired and I managed to catch her, having to carry her back along the towpath for quite a distance without her escaping again.

0 locks, 0.63 miles, 1 proof on it’s way, 2 return tickets saving £200, 3 packets tea, 1 credit card, 1 market, 1 college, 3 hours, 6 boats, 1 surprised man on a bench, 5 trees, 1 chair, 5 minutes clinging onto a busy cat, 6 minutes out.

https://goo.gl/maps/dnZhiAa16Xy

What A Lot Of Plates! 9th October

Aristotle Bridge

The Ashmolean Museum sits on Beaumont Street almost opposite Oxford Playhouse. It is the world’s first University Museum, originally built in 1678 to house curiosities given to the University by Elias Ashmole. A new building was erected in the 1840’s and in 2009 it had a major redevelopment. Ancient artefacts housed in large Victorian rooms with modern sliding doors and modern staircases.

You could most probably spend all day wandering round the galleries, but we selected what we were interested in and headed straight to the top of the building where Monet, Pissaro, Burne Jones and Sickert paintings hang surrounded by many many more. The collection is quite something with a large room dedicated to the Camden Town Group and Sickert who was one of the most influential and controversial artists of the 20th Century. He lived in Paris for some time mixing with the likes of Degas. When he moved to London this rubbed off on his fellow artists and a trend of painting suburban landscapes and modest interiors began using bold strong colours inspired by the Post Impressionists.

I tend to walk into a room and see which painting catches my eye first, jumping out from the wall and calling me over. The rest of the paintings, sculptures are looked at first, some slowly, others merely passed by leaving the best until last. One such painting by Vilhelm Peter Karl Kyhn entitled From Kolding Fjord caught my eye. The light on the water creating a mist rising in the distance and the shadowy boats and piers, just wonderful and calm (my photo doesn’t do it justice).

Rooms full of plates and figurines. Statues from every period in history. Cellos, violins and violas all with such ornate decorative details. Signet rings. All sorts filling the galleries.

Down in the basement there are galleries covering Greece, the Aegean World and Egypt. I couldn’t help but have a look round the Egyptian carvings, the hieroglyphs and mummies. They fascinate me.

Lunchtime called and we decided to go looking for Morse and Lewis at the Turf Tavern tucked away close to the Bridge of Sighs and the Sheldonian Theatre. Have to say I was very surprised that we could get a table, but the queue was as I’d expected. Mick opted for a sour dough ham and cheese toastie which looked very tasty whilst I struggled to find anything without bread, they had run out of their jacket sweet potatoes. There was only one thing for it but to have some chips and a side of coleslaw to make it a little bit healthy.

We enjoyed sitting out in the sun with the bright blue sky overhead. No sign of the famous Thames Valley detectives. We considered creating a murder scene to see if we could flush them out, but neither of us was willing to die for the cause. We’d not quite realised how big the pub actually was, it stretches back with so many rooms. I’d hate to think what the queue would have been like mid summer! Not only are there connections to Morse, but also Harry Potter and Bill Clinton, as this is where he allegedly ‘did not inhale’ an illegal substance.

A meandering walk around the University brought us to the River Cherwell that we have followed down to Oxford. We decided to walk northwards along the river to then cut across back to the canal. Easier said than done as few paths follow the river and fewer bridges cross it. In the end we stayed on the West bank and followed the river through the University park. Numerous in depth conversations passed us, were these students going to be those who solve modern world problems in the future?

A pause to admire Lady Margaret Hall and take a photo for our friend of the same name and then another at the Dragon School before we cut our way back across to the canal.

The park was full of children when we got back. It took Tilly a couple of hours to pluck up the courage to actually step off the boat. But she soon returned to safety and to watch the squirrels, a cat and two people sitting having drinks in their garden enjoying the last of the sunny days rays, wrapped up warm in coats.

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 bridges, 1 museum, 2 many paintings, 1 Tortoise straining, 1 painting bomber, 3 rooms of plates, 4 mummies, 8 men with beards, 1 pint, 1 glass of wine, 1 toastie, 1 bowl chips, 0 Morse, Lewis or Hathaway, 0 college grounds today, 0 riverside walk, 4 punts, 1 litre milk, 1 dismayed cat.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna