Had help doing the locks from Cropredy to Claydon – there were 8 in total. So many more boats in evidence and it’s fun arriving at a lock just as someone is leaving so that you can glide straight in! The weather was warm and gloriously hot in the sun. It made me want to spring clean the boat and tidy all the surfaces. It doesn’t take long to accumulate stuff. I walked into Claydon, a pretty village with a church and nothing else of note – no pubs or shops so a good thing I have everything I need on the boat. Having said that, my diet today has been rubbish. Crumpet as usual for breakfast, a hummus and pumpernickel roll for lunch and a salmon pate and cucumber toastie for supper, followed by 70% chocolate. Not good! Too much bread. Returning to the boat along a quiet country road the silence was suddenly broken by the roar of motorcycles. I also passed at least three separate groups of Duke of Edinburgh award students.
I watched the funeral of Prince Philip and then Zoomed with my Friday friends a day late. All of us remarked how surprised we were to feel so sad thinking perhaps it is the Queen we are sorry for. I wonder if his death links us with the death of our parents, a similar generation and the realisation that we are now the oldies! A friend remarked on the amazing lives so many of our parents led and how much they achieved in comparison to us. Perhaps the war had something to do with that. They were incredibly resilient. I wonder if the pandemic will build resilience into our young people and they will change the world for the better. Only time will tell what legacy will be left. There’s no doubt at the moment mental health issues are becoming more and more prevalent in the young and perhaps we should be doing something to help. We have done so much to prevent covid overwhelming the NHS. Perhaps we will have to do the same with the mental health of our nation and work out some strategies for supporting those who are struggling before they tip over the edge.
A couple of people sent me messages asking how my talk went over Zoom for the FS. It was difficult to answer because delivering a talk to a screen with no human interaction leaves you unable to assess the response to what you are saying. You crack a joke and have no idea if anyone laughed! It was good for me though to put a timeline to our narrowboat experience and to get clear in my head the purpose of our trip to date, God’s part in all that and where He may be leading us in the future. Quite exciting really!
I found myself vacuuming the boat and washing the galley floor about 8pm. The thought went through my head – what happened to all the Saturday night supper parties? They seem a lifetime ago! Watched a film called Hope Springs on Netflix starring Merryl Streep which is one of their new releases. Otherwise all very very quiet and dark. No street lights, no trains, no traffic. Just fields and locks and wildlife. At least two bumblebees buzzing around. The trees are looking much greener than on our journey down and I saw some beautiful tulips on a verge when I walked into the village at lunchtime.
NarrowboatTLC 