Friday 22nd September
Stationary at Eynsham
Wendy, cats Tilly & Mandy
I rang to say that Tony Haynes had agreed to come and crew with us for a few
days to help out while Wendy was hampered by her arm injury. Wendy filled
the water tank, and later went to the John Radcliffe Hospital, where they
decided that her fingers were not in fact broken, but said that the
soft-tissue damage would take a long time to get better "at your age". I
returned in the evening, closely followed by Tony. The two of us ate in the
Talbot.
Saturday 23rd September
Eynsham to Kelmscot
Mike, Wendy, Tony, cats Tilly & Mandy
Before starting Wendy did a little shopping in Eynsham while I was washing
up from breakfast. David and Jan King stopped next to us to take on water.
Tony topped up our water tank then went to meet Wendy and carry the
shopping.
We were under way at 10:00 in very pleasant autumn sunshine. We stopped at
Tadpole bridge and Tony & I went to "The Trout" for beer & sandwiches.
The afternoon run brought us to Kelmscot at 17:33. The built-up moorings
were full, so we moored just round the bend with some other boats,
"Dreamcatcher" (same name as Tony's boat) and "Rainbow". They were having
an impromptu concert, which Tony joined in, but declined their invitation to
go down the pub. After the pub, by which time we were all in bed, they
started singing again, fortunately not for too long.
DAY'S RUN 20.4 miles, 6 locks in 6 hrs 18 min
Sunday 24th September
Kelmscot to Inglesham & Radcot
Mike, Wendy, Tony, cats Tilly & Mandy
We woke to the sound of pouring rain, so weren't motivated for an early
start. After a late breakfast the weather had cleared up and we set off at
11:33. On our way through St John's lock we had a brief chat with Peter and
Liz Payne.
We winded by the Roundhouse at Inglesham and spent some time getting into
the right position for some photos. The roundhouse is now much more visible
that it used to be, as much of the vegetation surrounding it has been
cleared. By now the weather had turned nice again.
We moored for a while just below Ha'penny Bridge in Lechlade for a little
shopping in the town, then went on to the tail of St John's lock where we
used the pump-out machine.
Our evening mooring was opposite "The Swan" at Radcot bridge, where we
arrived at 16:58. Tony invited us to dinner at "The Swan", but Wendy felt
too groggy with the pain of her arm to accept. So Tony & I enjoyed the meal
without her.
DAY'S RUN 11.2 miles, 5 locks in 4 hrs 15 min
Monday 25th September
Radcot to Thrupp
Mike, Wendy, Tony, cats Tilly & Mandy
We had a pleasant breakfast in the pub before setting off at 09:45. The day's
weather was a mixture of sunny spells and cloudy ones, with a few very
black-looking thunder storms that all managed to miss us. Tony (who is a
qualified boatmaster) gave us both some useful tips to improve our
teering - we were both using habits learned on much smaller boats that
aren't as good on the present size boat.
At Northmoor lock the lock-keeper was on his lunch-break, so I wandered off
to photograph the paddle-and-rymer weir, before Tony helped an upstream boat
lock through, then locked us down.
We stopped again at Oxford Cruisers (below Pinkhill Lock) for diesel and
gas, and at the head of Eynsham lock to take on water.
Above King's lock we turned off the main river into the weir stream, whence
we continued via Wolvercote Mill Stream and Duke's Cut onto the Oxford
Canal. Tony worked out that the lock on the Cut was his first narrow lock
for six years. At 18:32 we tied up at the "Jolly Boatman" at Thrupp. Tony
& I had a couple of rather expensive pints each in the pub before dinner on
board.
DAY'S RUN 24.2 miles, 10 locks in 7 hrs 41 min
Tuesday 26th September
Stationary at Thrupp
Mike, Wendy, Tony, cats Tilly & Mandy
The cats went walkabout, so once we'd become resigned to the likelihood of
their not returning until evening, Wendy & Tony pulled the boat a bit
forward onto the 14-day moorings while I was busy catching up on a big
back-log of e-mails from the days when we didn't have a decent connection.
Then we had a barbecue lunch before first Tony headed off home and then I
headed for London for Canalway Cavalcade Committee and a few more days at
the Museum. Wendy's arm was beginning to show some signs of improvement.
--
Mike Stevens
narrowboat Felis Catus III
web-site www.mike-stevens.co.uk
No man is an island. So is Man.
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