Edging ever closer to the end of our trip, we made our way towards Brinkley, the same mooring we enjoyed when my step brother joined us around the firepit. Today it was the turn of R’s uncle and aunt, who before you think are a little elderly to be sitting around a firepit on May day, they are infact the same age as R. One of those family things where there is over 20 years between the oldest and youngest sibling, same parents! Aunt E was the first member of R’s family I ever met as she was living in Birmingham when R was in Coventry. Many a good Sunday lunch we enjoyed with E, S and their growing family. Just T and W when we started visiting but soon joined by P, J and C, all boys. I have never seen so many pairs of shoes in a downstairs cloakroom as I did each time we visited them over the years, gradually all getting bigger and bigger! I often think how blessed our children are to have been born into such an extended family. My dad’s sister died in infancy and my mum was an only child of older parents (maybe not by today’s standards!) so I have no first cousins. I think our children have 25! A couple of years ago we did a family trip to Croatia, all relatives of R – there were 173 of us! We were encouraged to put on an event so I arranged a drinks party for all the ‘married-ins’, which of course all the blood relatives wanted to join, but weren’t allowed! As a result of Croatia, our son G is now working for E and S’s youngest son, C, in America.
We had about two hours traveling time this morning but the first thing we did was fill the water tank and make us of the Elsan, both of which were close to where we moored last night. There were so many more boats on the canal. I really had to keep my wits about me. We just avoided coming a cropper on one corner with a boat advancing. Luckily they were very skilled and not fazed by ploughing through some weeds. R meanwhile pushed off the boat at the bow end with a pole so we managed to get around the other moored boats without any bumps! Had a lengthy telephone conversation with daughter, C and her husband, Ra, as they were on their way out of London to visit his sister. Funnily enough as we were reflecting over the past six months and whether I have achieved anything (where has the time gone!) Ra mentioned my writing and I said I felt God keeps prompting me to write on the subject of ‘grace’, which I have not yet done. Just as I said this we were passing a narrowboat and it was actually called ‘Grace’! My reluctance comes from not really understanding myself what ‘grace’ is. I am currently reading a book called ‘Vanishing Grace’, so named because the author, Philip Yancy, believes it is a word that needs more prominence. I asked Ra what his definition of God’s grace would be and he said ‘being given what you do not deserve’. And ‘mercy’ is not getting what you do deserve. I think I shall have to reflect further!
Arriving at our mooring the kind man in the boat next to where we couldn’t quite fit in, immediately offered to pull his boat along to make space for us. Sounds sensible but not everyone is so obliging! It was also a relief to moor up because there were two boats behind us and I wanted to make space for them to pass. Loads of hot water resulted in bath, hair wash and clean clothes as I set too, to do another stint of hand washing. There’s no laundrette nearby and as the sun is shining intermittently I think the clothes should dry OK. I draw the line at R’s trousers which are just a bit too cumbersome. As one pair ripped yesterday and got binned, I hope he has enough to last the next couple of days. No falling in the canal allowed!
We spoke to the couple in the boat next door. It was 40ft long and they had designed it themselves with the help of a boat builder. The man who is retired is obviously very clever with his hands because all the fittings inside have been crafted by him. It was even laid out the way I imagine a boat should be, with the cabin bed at the front so you can look out of the bow end with your morning tea! I don’t think R was as enthusiastic as me to hear all the details but it has whetted appetite further to look into owning our own boat, maybe even fitting out a Hull to our specification!
NarrowboatTLC 