Friday, 29th July
We set off through Dashwood Lock and Northbrook Lock, and, just before Pigeon Lock, there was a delightful farm shop, on a narrowboat. There was all sorts of fresh produce for sale, and we bought lots, including a free range chicken--dead, not to keep as a pet!--home made butter and clotted cream, and fresh vegetables. Everything on sale was produced by the owners, and, when we ate it later, it was delicious. The owner was very trusting, leaving an old teapot on the boat for people to put their money in.

As we went past a boatyard, we saw the boat of friends we'd met last year when we came up the Caen Hill flight last year on the Kennet & Avon Canal. The boat is called Elisiana, and the owners are Sheridan and Ron. We'd enjoyed their company and had travelled together for a couple of days, but hadn't been in touch since. So I emailed them to say we'd just passed their boat.

We continued along the Oxford Canal to Baker's Lock, where the canal and the River Cherwell join for a short distance, as far as Shipton Weir Lock, and then we were back on the Oxford again. As we approached Thrupp, we were going very slowly, as there were moored boats on each side of the canal, and we also knew we were coming to a right angled bend with a lift bridge. We said "Good Morning" to two fishermen, whose reply was to ask us if we knew there was a speed limit on the canal! We pointed out that we were going very slowly, in fact any slower and we'd be going backwards. But they didn't agree. Heigh-ho, we can't please 'em all, but anglers do seem to be a most disagreeable bunch.

We took on water at Thrupp, and then found moorings by "The Jolly Fisherman" a little ironic, given our previous encounter!

Saturday, 30th July
Today we reached the end of the Oxford Canal. Here there are two ways into Oxford. One can either turn right, go along Duke's Cut and down the Thames or do as we did, and stay on the canal and go through the back way, past a host of "interesting" moored boats, and what looked like a gipsy encampment. This was a new bit of canal for us and we found a pump out and a water point, both of which we used.

Then we arrived at Isis Lock and went through and on to the Thames again. We went along a narrow cutting which joins this small backwater to the main Thames, turned left at the end and under Osney Bridge. There was no mooring to be had, all the places were taken and it looked as though we would have to drop down through Osney Lock, but luckily a cruiser was shaping up to leave, and so when he had gone, we nipped in quick. This mooring is near the centre of Oxford and is popular. We set off to walk in to Oxford, when the heavens opened, and so we just walked to The Waterman's pub at the end of the road for a drink. We stayed on these moorings overnight, twenty-four hours is all that is allowed.

Sunday, 31st July, Monday, 1st, Tuesday, 2nd, Wednesday, 3rd and Thursday 4th August,
Today we set off on the Thames proper. It's lovely to be back, and to have so much space around us. We can turn the boat round anywhere along here, and it's all very pretty too. I got a 'phone call from Ron on "Elisiana" to say that they were coming down the Thames and would like to meet us, so we made arrangements to meet at Abingdon later in the week. We went on along the Thames, savouring the experience. It's luxury to have all the locks done for us again!

Abingdon is a popular mooring spot, too, and we went all along the moorings, trying to find somewhere to get in. Eventually, we turned and went back up and moored just below the lock. It was a bit noisy, as we weren't very far from the weir.

We shall stay here in Abingdon for a few nights. One is allowed to stay for up to five nights, which is really quite generous. Unfortunately, we have a sad duty to perform. On Thursday we will go to the funeral of our good friend Jan. She died in Warwick Hospital last week, after having been very ill for twelve weeks with cancer. Jan and her husband Don were so helpful when we were having our boat built, and were there when it first went in to the water. They have a boat called Crandon and gave us so much practical help when we were very new to boating and extremely naive.

On Monday, we moved on down the river a little way away from the weir, so it wasn't quite so noisy, but the drawback with this mooring is that the bank is so high I need a hoist to get me off the boat! We had a barbecue this evening, but trev had to do all the barbecuing, I couldn't keep hauling myself up and down the bank!

However, patience paid off and on Tuesday a boat moved away and left a much better spot to moor, so we moved again. We can get on and off the boat very easily. We've arranged for a hire car to come and pick us up on Wednesday evening, so we can get back to Warwick. It's very reasonable, GBP28 for twenty-four hours, including picking us up from Abingdon and taking us to Oxford where the hire car centre is. The firm is called Enterprise, and they will pick up from anywhere and take you to their nearest hire car centre.

We usually put the boat in to a marina if we need to leave it but people on a boat nearby have kindly said that they will keep an eye on our boat whilst we're away overnight.

So on Wednesday we set off for Warwick. In the evening we went out with a group of friends to one of our favourite eating places, Piccolino's in Warwick, and we stayed overnight with our friend Cherry. Then on Thursday, we said our final fond farewell to Jan at Oakley Wood Crematorium. We went back to "the do" at Jan and Don's and enjoyed meeting up with old friends, and having some time to talk to Don. Then it was back in the hire car to Oxford, back to the boat and, a better end to an emotional day, our friends on Elisiana invited us for supper. We had a lovely evening with them and it was good to see them again. We arranged to travel together tomorrow.