Keeping Up in 2010

[Keeping Up]

After a mad dash up the River, in company with Janet S and RJ on Rosemary, we are tonight comfortably moored above Abingdon Bridge - and by an amazing coincidence the boat behind us is our old boat Thistle.

 

So we should easily be at Thrupp for a small banter tomorrow evening - with Bones and Maffi that makes at least 5 Forum members, is anybody else around?

[cheshire~rose]

The photo's are amazing. I am so pleased you are enjoying yourselves

[Peter R]

So we should easily be at Thrupp for a small banter tomorrow evening - with Bones and Maffi that makes at least 5 Forum members, is anybody else around?

 

I'll say probably!

 

As it happens i've got a family gathering in Shabbington tomorrow lunchtime (on account of it being my birthday on sunday), after which i'll be driving back to the boat at crick. As a visit to Thrupp appears to involve only a small detour, i'll try and drop in en route. Any idea where you'll be? I'm guessing if I head for the location of the last thrupp banter I shouldn't be far off!

 

Peter

[Keeping Up]

We're outside the Jolly Boatman at the moment, which is where we'll be tonight (inside it, that is).

[Keeping Up]

Well it was a superb banter at the Jolly Boatman - Seven Forum members plus sundry partners and mothers - but now we've waved goodbye to Janet & RJ who have continued northwards, while we've turned around and are drifting slowly back doen the river. We're at Abingdon again now, having just had a fabulous barbeque (if the swans had been any more of a nuisance I'd have chucked them on the fire too). SO if you see us on our way back to Reading, do please wave and shout and jump up and down, we'll stop and join you.

 

After Reading we're going up the K&A to Devizes, so we're hoping to meet up with lots more Forum members on that part of the journey.

[Graham Davis]

Allan, and all the others,

thanks for making us welcome at the banter, was a very good evening. Sheila did finally find she wasn't full after eating all the HUGE fish and chips.

[n.b.Goldie]

Hi Allan, you are having a great time, I am very envious. Since we saw you last at Stoke Hammond our little Goldie has had to go into Wyvern Shipping for a new stern tube, we were supposed to be on holiday this week and are waiting for her to come out of dry dock.

 

Keep up the posts we enjoy them very much.

 

All the best

Ditchdabbler

[Keeping Up]

It's just too hot to travel in the afternoons. At least that means I'm not having to worry about our intermittent central heating pump.

 

We're making our way slowly but steadily up the K&A; we've shared locks with some wonderful people so far (hopefully some of them may join the forum, we've been spreading the word. Yesterday we barbecued at Woolhampton (the beer at the Rowbarge was good but the price of their food was ridiculous, hence the bbq) and today we're at Newbury about to have dinner with the people we bbq'd with yesterday. That's the joy of the canal to me, the instant camaraderie that you get (and all the drinks you share).

 

Apologies to people who are getting jealous of our trip - we ALMOST feel sorry for you! And Graham it was good to meet you at the banter, I'm glad you were able to join us.

 

Edited to add two photos specially for Janet, taken out of the window this afternoon.

 

 

Edited May 23, 2010 by Keeping Up

[Janet S]

Hello all,

 

This is R.J. here.

 

I am currently on the canal bank at Marston Farm Hotel - Curdworth (Minworth flight I think).

 

As you can tell, we have the laptop back and have finally plucked up the courage to start playing with it again. The BLOG will be updated as soon as we get it typed up onto the new Open Office software that has been kindly loaded on by Mr & Mrs Tawny Owl. The Laptop was delivered back to us by Sue & Richard night before last at Kegworth shallow lock on the River Soar. They have both been extremely helpful, calming my nerves whenever I spoke to them on the phone. I've had the laptop collected, fettled and returned within a week of Bones' SOS and can't thank everyone enough for the assistance. CarlT for collection and Sue & Richard for the technical services.

 

I can highly reccomend the services of Computer Help Service Ltd, which is the name of Sue & Richard, (Tawny Owl)'s computer business; and their slogan of "Effortless Computing" certainly describes the interaction I have had with their company. I do live quite a way from their usual catchment area, but would be tempted to travel to use them again if needed. It is always nice to know you can talk to someone who understands your predicament and can give a personal service; rather than a call centre that is out in India somewhere.

 

Finally, I must put a thank you in to Bones, who initiated the SOS. She is a fab friend, who I really enjoy meeting up with on the rare occasions that we do.

 

R.J.xx (Janet has read this and agrees with everything I have said)!

 

P.S. Janet would have replied herself, but she is using the last of Bones' maggots - unfortuntely they have turned to casters - but are still catching Roach!

[Keeping Up]

Well here we are at Hungerford. The afternoons are too hot for travelling, so we've taken to finding a shady spot at lunchtime and then stopping. Yesterday, after an afternoon at Newbury where the lovely people we'd shared locks with the day before, came to visit bearing a sumptuous hot meal to eat, we set off to move in the cool of the evening and only travelled half a mile before meeting up with our old boat Thistle again and stopping to chat for the evening instead.

 

Today the fish swimming near the surface were even more plentiful than the ones in the pictures I took in Newbury, and a lot bigger too. I've never before seen so many hundreds (maybe even thousnads) of fish in just a few miles of canal, most of them at least a foot long too.

[Henhouse]

I took a walk from Great Bedwyn to Crofton Yesterday, and above the last lock before Crofton there were similar quantities of fish. Some of them at least 15", and possible 18". ( I'm not a fisherman, don't need to exagerate about it .

[Keeping Up]

We've spent a lovely day at Devizes today. Spent all morning wandering around the market buying lots of wonderful things to eat, followed by an afternoon at the Wadworths brewery - after which we sampled a few of their offerings and brought home as much of their product as we could carry.

 

We'll be spending tomorrow night at the Bridge Inn after a day cruising with friends, and then we'll start the trek back east again.

[Grace and Favour]

Sounds like a wonderful trip - - and am enjoying the updates - -

 

I do hope you're prepared to keep enjoying yourselves on our behalf!!!

[Nightwatch]

We've spent a lovely day at Devizes today. Spent all morning wandering around the market buying lots of wonderful things to eat, followed by an afternoon at the Wadworths brewery - after which we sampled a few of their offerings and brought home as much of their product as we could carry.

 

We'll be spending tomorrow night at the Bridge Inn after a day cruising with friends, and then we'll start the trek back east again.

I like the bridge. Used to pop in when passing on our holidays some years back. One of the few pubs where the landlady and staff have taken time out to really talk to us.

 

Keep on on enjoying. Did you find the antique market in Hungerford? I think it's worth a visit. Up the High Street passed the railway bridge on the right.

 

Martyn

[BlueStringPudding]

P.S. Janet would have replied herself, but she is using the last of Bones' maggots - unfortuntely they have turned to casters - but are still catching Roach!

 

 

[luctor et emergo]

spotted, on FRiday morning at Devizes.

 

 

 

 

o4.30 on way home from work, so no chance to say hello.

[Keeping Up]

spotted, on FRiday morning at Devizes.

 

o4.30 on way home from work, so no chance to say hello.

Excellent!. Shame there wasn't a chance to say hello. But at 0430 in the morning we wouldn't have welcomed an unexpected visitor.

 

We successfully achieved our objective at Devizes. We bought these at the Bridge Inn after an excellent meal there and lots of superb beer from the cask.

 

 

Crofton was in steam this weekend too, so I was really pleased to be able to see that.

 

We're at Hungerford now, and planning to sample some more of the excellent Ramsbury's bitter that we discovered here last week.

 

Edited to add: the bitter and the accompanying food at the 3 Swans in Hungerford were absolutely excellent.

 

On the way back to the boat I spotted a card in a shop window that said:

 

My marmalade's called Nigel

My toast is called Elaine

I bet my butter wishes

it had a proper name

 

I just loved that!

Edited June 1, 2010 by Keeping Up

[Keeping Up]

After another good day's boating, we're back on the Thames again now - moored outside Tesco's at Reading.

 

We enjoyed the K&A, especially Devizes.

 

Highlights of the week: the Bridge Inn at Horton, and also Crofton being in steam.

 

Lowlight of the week: having to empty the locks behind us because they don't have by-washes (just like the Grand Union ones don't) and instead of making the bottom gates low enough to overflow when there's too much water they've made them high enough that the towpath floods (this is the explanation as told to us by BW)

 

Idiot of the week award: the boater who couldn't find the ratchet on the top paddle (it had a hidden brake band instead) so assumed it must be out of action and left it up while he tried to empty the lock. He had phoned BW to say he couldn't empty the lock even with both bottom paddles fully raised, and had sat there for 2 hours watching the water flow through while he waited for BW to come and help him (they never turned up). No wonder the pound below was so full - pity about the pound above though!

 

Next destination is Thrupp again at the weekend.

[Janet S]

Glad you're still having a great time! We both wish we were still boating...

 

However, remember this?

 

 

Answers on a postcard please from anyone who knows what these silly buggers were doing!

 

From left to right - Christine, R.J., Allan and Debbie. I was the rather bemused onlooker working the lock and wondering what the chuffing heck they were all up to!

 

Janet

[Peter R]

I haven't got a postcard handy, but if you read right to left it looks like it might be YMCA?

[Janet S]

It was indeed (as I found out later...) supposed to be Y.M.C.A.

 

However, as I was facing them, all I saw was A.C.M.Y. and a bunch of silly buggers giggling insanely...have you seen the look on Allan's face?

 

Be afraid....I was! I had no idea what the heck they were doing, but it all made perfect sense afterwards...I think!

 

Janet

[Keeping Up]

We're in Thrupp again tonight (and maybe tomorrow night too). If anyone else is around this way - or passing by - you may be interested to know that we will be broaching a small cask of draught Wadworth's ale and may need some help in consuming it rapidly while it is still at its very best.

 

We're just a short way south of the Jolly Boatman, moored about 4ft from a shallow length bank!

[Janet S]

Allan, you are such a tease....!

 

Glad you're still having fun...

 

Janet

[NB Alnwick]

We're in Thrupp again tonight (and maybe tomorrow night too). If anyone else is around this way - or passing by - you may be interested to know that we will be broaching a small cask of draught Wadworth's ale and may need some help in consuming it rapidly while it is still at its very best.

 

We're just a short way south of the Jolly Boatman, moored about 4ft from a shallow length bank!

 

We would love to come down to Thrupp again but Jane must get back to work in the morning! We shall be back on the Oxford Canal by Tuesday and probably back on our mooring at Cropredy by Wednesday - are you continuing northwards?

[Keeping Up]

We would love to come down to Thrupp again but Jane must get back to work in the morning! We shall be back on the Oxford Canal by Tuesday and probably back on our mooring at Cropredy by Wednesday - are you continuing northwards?

We're staying here another day - by then, with Bones' help again we should have finished the first cask of our excellent Wadworths beer - and then we're going to take a quick diversion up to Lechlade before we continue northwards, which means we'll probably reach Cropredy on Sunday. If you're lucky we may be in the mood to break open our other cask (containing the rather amazing Swordfish ale, which is effectively 6X laced with Pussers Rum)