Catharine brought us back to the boat on Sunday, 27th May, and the plan had been to start cruising the same day. But the weather was bad, heavy rain, so we lit the fire and stayed put. We haven't had a fire for weeks, but it felt cold on the boat. It was the same at the end of May last year. Trev had just got back from Australia at the end of May and it turned really cold so we lit the fire.
The weather wasn't much better on Monday, but eventually, in the afternoon, the rain stopped and we set off. We wanted to getto Bridge 100 on the Oxford, because Margaret and Alastair were moored up there on 'Hepburn'. Margaret is my patchwork friend. We tied up just as it started to rain again, so we were lucky. We spent the evening with Margaret and Alastair.
M & A left in the morning. They're early birds, we didn't see them go! We set off later, and turned right at Wigram's Turn, down the Grand Union towards Warwick. We have a couple of weeks before we're off on our hols again, this time to Mull, so we can't do a long trip. We thought we'd go to Warwick, catch up with friends and have a pleasant cruise. It was a good time, we moored in the Saltisford Marina for four nights, and that was a very pleasant experience. The people there were so friendly, the facilities were excellent--I got all of the laundry done and dried on their rotary lines. It was close to town, so we could walk in to see everybody and to shop.
I haven't told you that I'm writing a book, have I? When we were in Llangollen, we met Judy and Eric. Judy has written quite a few books of walks, and suggested I might like to write one about Warwickshire, it having been my home county for fifty years. So she mentioned my name to the publisher, and the upshot of it all is that I was asked to submit a sample walk. The publisher liked it, and so now I have to write twenty walks in Warwickshire, so we shall be spending our summer in the area, doing some walk from the boat, some by public transport, and some by car. As you may remember, we don't have a car.........but a very kind friend has offered the loan of hers, so that will help considerably with the more isolated areas of the county.
So, whilst we were in Warwick, we did one of the walks, and it was interesting that I found places in my home town where I had never visited, including The Mill Garden. This is at the bottom of Mill Street, near the castle and is an absolute gem. It is right by the river, under the castle walls, and has evolved over sixty year. It was all done by Arthur Measures, who died a few years ago. His daughter now maintains the tradition and it is open every day, for a small charge which goes to charity. There are secret bowers, winding paths and plenty of benches and seats to encourage you to linger. There isn't a website, but here are some photographs:
 |  |
 |  |  |
 |
The whole walk was a real pleasure. Here are some more photos of Warwick:
|  |
 |  |  |
 |
We set off for Mull soon, so come back in early July, when there will be more news
Home Page
Back to Summer 2007 Page