Friday, 19th August
After shopping and making the boat shipshape, we cruised to Oxford Cruisers, to wait for our friends, Jane & Pete, who are coming to stay for the weekend. The marina has agreed that they can leave their car there whilst we all go cruising.

They arrived around 3.30, stowed their things on board and then we set off upstream. The weather was lovely and we cruised as far as Bablock Hythe, where we moored up and had a barbecue. We had rain later in the evening, and a rainbow.



BABLOCK HYTHE

Saturday, 20th August
We continued on upstream, through some beautiful countryside. Jane & Pete lead busy lives, and were glad of the time to relax and have nothing to do. We went as far as Rushey Lock, where we initiated our visitors into the joys of a pump out! Then we moved just around the corner and moored up. We remembered this mooring from last year, and hoped there would be space. There was--just! We squashed in between two other boats.

The people on the boat next door had a performing dog, yes really! Its owner was training it to do tricks with a view to entering it in Cruft's! They gave us an impromptu demonstration. So look out for a dog called Brecon...........

Sunday, 21st
We had to turn round today to get Jane & Pete back to the marina and their car. The marina locks its gates at 6.00, so we had to keep an eye on the time. The weather was perfect, and we stopped at Bablock Hythe for a picnic lunch. Then we continued on downstream again.

As we approached Pinkhill Lock, I spotted a sheep in the river, desperately trying to get out up a steep bank. We pulled over and Pete and I got out on the bank. The silly sheep then decided to swim away from us, so Trev brought the boat towards it, which made it change its mind and it swam back in to the bank. It was sinking lower in the water and beginning to gasp and really panic. Pete and I got hold of its fleece and held on to it, but we couldn't pull it out, it was waterlogged and very heavy. Jane leapt off the boat and the three of us managed to heave it out on to the bank, where it lay for a few seconds. We rolled it over and it got up and ran off without a backwards glance!

Monday, 22nd August
It poured with rain in the night, and was still raining when we got up. We waited for a breok and then walked in to Eynsham to shop. It's about a mile in to the village, and it started to rain again as we approached. We bought the shopping and repaired to The Red Lion for coffee and to read the papers, whilst we waited for the rain to stop. We walked back to the boat, but didn't start to cruise as it started raining again.

Later in the afternoon, it brightened up and we set off, and travelled as far as Bablock Hythe--again. There is a pretty mobile home park all along the river here for nearly a mile, and the vans overlook the river. I decided I wanted one so went to enquire! They were actually cheaper than I expected, from GBP 11,000 to 30,000. They each have two bedrooms and all facilities. However, the downside was that the site is only open for seven months each year. So I shan't be buying one after all!

In the evening we had visitors. Roger and his wife Margaret came to see us. Roger has helped me a lot over the internet with a secondhand PC laptop I've bought. But we hadn't met, so it was an interesting evening. He lives near to where we were moored.

Tuesday, 23rd August
We heard a bit of a commotion and looked out to see a group of young people waiting to be ferried across the river. A ferry is marked at this point on the Ordnance Survey map, as the river path changes sides here, but the ferry is just sitting by the bank and looking very forlorn and unused. However, the young folk had been camping in a corner of the field and had evidently made arrangements with someone to take them across the river in a motor boat, and it took several trips to get them and their gear across. Then they hiked off in to the blue yonder.

This is a very remote part of the river. There aren't any shops between Eynsham and the end of the navigable river at Lechlade, a distance of twenty-seven miles, not far I know, but we don't want to hurry it. So we have had to make sure we had plenty of supplies on board.

The weather was gorgeous and we had a lovely cruise. There was little traffic about, which was just as well, as there are some very sharp, blind bends and one goes round on a wing and a prayer. Being so long, we take up the whole width of the river as we go round the bends! The tupperware boats are much more manoeuverable than us and would hopefully dodge out of the way, but if we were to meet another narrowboat it would be "interesting"! Fortunately this didn't happen.

We stopped at 'The Trout" at Tadpole for a lunchtime drink. Yes, it really is called Tadpole where the pub is situated. Isn't that a lovely name? Whilst we were in there, we looked at the menu and decided that it would suit us very nicely, so we booked a table for the evening and repaired to the boat for a little nap.... Later in the afternoon, I painted the gunwhale on the moored side, and also touched up some of the rust spots on the roof. The boat is beginning to get to the stage where it needs attention, unfortunately, as neither Trev nor I are very motivated to do painting. However, I recognise that if we want to sell it one day, we have to look after it.

Wednesday, 24th August
It was raining when we woke up, and rained on and off all day. We didn't have the option to stay where we were, as it was a pub mooring for patrons only and we thought we'd probably had our turn. So we waited for what we thought was a gap in the rain, and set off, but unfortunately it was a very brief respite, and we got soaked. We travelled as far as Rushey lock, about a mile, went through the lock and pulled in to offload rubbish. The wind was incredibly strong and we couldn't get back off the side again for ages, it kept blowing us back in. Eventually we did make it and went round the bend and moored where we'd stopped with Jane and Pete on Saturday night. This time there was plenty of room. We went below decks and put the central heating on to dry out. Funnily enough, when I looked in my diary at the same day last year, we were in Eynsham, just a few miles back down the river, and the weather had been very similar and we'd lit the fire then to dry out!

Thursday, 25th August
One thing I haven't mentioned is the World War II pillboxes situated all along the river from Eynsham to Lechlade. Apparently they were to repel the Germans in the event of an invasion. They're so spaced out, I can't actually see how they would help. I also spotted some ant-tank traps on the bank.

The weather was gorgeous when we woke up this morning, and as the forecast was for rain later, we got moving early. We set off at 8.00 and made the big push for the end of the navigable river at Lechlade. The weather was good and there was plenty of mooring at Lechlade. It was definitely a good decision to travel in the morning as the weather changed later in the day and we had rain.

Trev walked in to town and fetched a few essentials, and we stayed put. We shall probably stay here until Monday, at least, as it is the Bank Holiday weekend and the river will be busy. This is a lovely mooring, there is lots going on, but it's not intrusive. There is a couple of pleasure launches giving rides, and little boats for hire. There are also quite a few private boats about, and it all makes for interesting watching!