July 2011

1st July. Still in the basin at Blue Lias pictured as this months featured image. Will take off on the bike today to determin where I can pick up an FT from tomorrow and explore the surrounding countryside. Will probably not leave here till Sunday 3rd.

Thursdon village from Draycote Water

2nd July. Went for a cycle ride to Draycote Water and then exlpored Thursdon village and bought some raspberries, gooseberries, red currants and carrots from a table set up outside a house with an honesty box for buyers to leave the money in! Try that in SA!

2nd July. A good days cruising took me to the top of Calcut Locks where I waited for the fuel boat. Diesel for the boat works like this. You get two prices, one for heating and domestic use and a higher price for propulsion. You tell the vendor what the split is eg: 60/40. The Marina at Calcut was selling diesel at £0.90 & £1.40. Fortunately there are still some working boats on the canals. Most of these sell diesel, coal, firewood etc. The diesel I bought from the boat was one price, £0.87. Worth waiting for!

4th July. A glorious day. Even needed sun block! turned into the South Oxford and cruised through beautiful, gentle, rolling countryside. Spotted this windmill a-top the Hill at Napton.

5th July. A good start to the day. Did the 6.5miles and 9 locks to Cropredy by lunch.

Moored up and went into the very pretty village. Got back to the boat just in time before the rain started.

7th July. Moved into Banbury yesterday and will spend the full 48 hours that I am allowed moored up here to do shopping, catch up on e-mails etc. The great thing is that you can moor-up right in the centre of this very managble sized town. It is quite fun, having spent so much time in the hills and fields,  to venture into the bussle of the town again. Browse the 3 for 2 offers in Waterstone’s book shop; visit the summer sales would you believe and it is only July;  have a coffee at Costa’s and admire the C15 -C19 architecture.

10th July. Now moored up at Thrupp, a little to the North of Oxford, at very pretty 7 day moorings. I will stay till Tuesday morning when I move off to pick up Cas at Kidlington and we head for the Thames together. In the meantime the boat gets cleaned!

Getting here involved somereally interesting lift bridges. I really will have to take up with British Waterways its assumption that every boat carries two able baodied folk!

14th – 17th July. Cas from the Wednesday walking group in Cape Town has been on the boat over this period. I picked her up at Kidlington on the South Oxford and we cruised to Letchlade, the furthest navigable point on the Thames. The river has been stunning but like all of them the mooring has been limited and difficult. We moored at Letchlade and walked to the Round House at Inglesham where there is a lovely Saxon church. Jean and Carol picked Cas up this morning and my son and his children will arrive at about three this afternoon. At this point we will head back towards Oxford at speed as we have to be moored up there for Sunday afternoon.      

15th – 17th July My Son Jon and his children were on the boat for the trip from Letchlade back down the Thames to Oxford and the canal.  The return trip was quicker because the wind was behind us and we were travelling with the stream instead of against it. We got into Oxford early enough to have a look round the town.

18th July I was hoping to ‘do’ the Ashmolian today but it is closed on Mondays so I visited some colleges and The Univercity Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum. Both were free and a real treat.

I hope to  do the Ashmolean tomorrow before Jan arrives from London.

19th July. The Ashmolian was amazing. The Special exhibition was of artifacts from the early macedonian civilisations through to Alexander the Great. Jan arrived in the late afternoon and we left town to moor up for the evening in the countryside. A lovely evening allowed for sundowners on deck!

23rd July. Nicky picked me up on Thursday and drove me to Wells. On Friday evening Jon, Nicky, Henry & Charlotte and Marian, Pete and Conor came with me to ASK for a family dinner. Both Jon and Marian have birthdays about now. We walked home in the gathering dusk with a nice view back to the cathedral.

26th July. I came back to the boat yesterday evening after spending a good part of the day at the Bishop’s Palace and Gardens in Wells. To-day I cruised from Thrupp north a good way towards Banbury which I hope to reach tomorrow.

The odd shaped Shipton Wier Lock

Bishop's Palace, Wells

We cruised quietly to Cropredy and back. Had Saturday