Author: Mary

We had to start moving the boat early in order to cover the distance required so that by Sunday afternoon we will hopefully reach Banbury where I can moor the boat for the week whilst mainly on my own. R is returning home Monday morning for more lawn mowing and paperwork.

I think I forgot to mention in yesterday’s blog about the death of Prince Philip at the age of 99 and three quarters. It’s the kind of detail I probably should record as it’s quite a feat for him to have achieved such a great age and still been seen relatively recently in public. Whatever one may think about the Royal Family, there’s no doubt he and the Queen have been quite a remarkable team for over 70 years.

Back to boating! Our destination was Aynho although I wasn’t too hopeful that we would find a mooring.  Passing through on our way to Thrupp, Aynho was fully occupied, hence why I ended up in Lower Heyford with no mobile signal! One detail we nearly always forget before setting off is the chimney, which really needs removing because of the low bridges. A common scenario is R along the outside of the boat racing to remove said chimney before encountering the imminent low bridge!

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As we passed ‘Jane’s Enchanting Tea rooms’ I was sad H was still abed as she loves everything pink and I had forgotten just what a pink spectacle they made from the boat so I had to make do with showing her a picture. Quite tricky taking photos whilst on the helm but it’s a skill I am perfecting by regular practice of steering with my back, thus hands free, a bit like riding a bike with no hands on the handlebars! We contacted our local friends, O and S, to see if O wanted to join us as we were passing so close by to their house. He suggested he join the boat at Upper Heyford and travel with us to Aynho. His daughter lives on a narrowboat so he’s familiar with the drill. He took the helm almost immediately, which gave me free time to enjoy the view from the bow, safely taking photos whilst also making lunch and cups of tea. R continued operating the locks although there were only a couple en route. We saw a heron on the towpath but sadly it flew off before I had time to take a picture. The sky has also been full of red kites in the past few days and R was so excited to see two swallows that he remarked upon this to anyone we encountered walking the towpath. It was really noticeable how much greener the trees were in just over a week  and the white blossom looked luminous from the hedgerows, peppered with the occasional cherry or apple blossom . Spring is really on it’s way although the temperature was still very nippy. Thank goodness I had resorted to thermals and many more layers of clothing in the morning.

Once we arrived at Aynho, relieved to see a couple of spaces to moor up, we set up the firepit – the towpath was just wide enough for us and the occasional passerby! It meant we could all be outside of the boat as we awaited the arrival of S, to take O back to his car. S feels the cold so I was delighted we could offer her a warm welcome.  Sadly she couldn’t find a suitable place to park her car, so she actually didn’t get the full benefit of the firepit but it had served its purpose and R sat next to it as the embers died away, whilst I made full use of the hotwater by running a deep bath for a long soak.

Adventurously, I made a moussaka for supper with a few tweaks. The only mince I had in the freezer was venison and as H can’t have onions I used celery and green peppers instead to make a meat sauce. The topping was a mix of what I found in the fridge – sour cream, mozzarella, a bit of boursin (forgetting it had garlic but H seemed to tolerate the small amount) and an egg! The aubergines were pre-fried on the wood stove. All in all I don’t think it tasted too bad. H was excited we actually had some ice cream but her hopes were dashed when we realised it was cookie dough flavour, which of course meant it contained gluten! To make up for it I offered to make some proper egg custard. H declared her version was far better than mine but acknowledged that might have something to do with the amount of sugar she adds to her custard in comparison to the sprinkling I added! Wanting to watch different things on our screens, H found a corner of the boat to settle with her earphones whilst we enjoyed the final two episodes of ‘Keeping Faith’. I think I found the ending a bit disappointing but it’s always hard for a series that starts unexpectedly well to keep up the pace and get continually better. To counteract the slight disappointment we ended our viewing with an episode of Canal Diaries, which covered a part of the canal we travelled a decade ago. I didn’t remember much it has to be said although I think the flight of locks, Tardebigge, numbered 30 and was quite a marathon to complete in one day so we stopped halfway up outside a pub. Am not sure that was strictly allowed, listening to the guy’s commentary on CD, as he suggested the locks had to be done in a day.

All in all a satisfying day of travelling further than we had anticipated aided by our extra helping hands.

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Last night, having watched ‘Canal Diaries’ and been reminded of how stunning the mornings can be on the water, I found myself awake at about 7am and it was the most glorious morning. The sky was a hue of different colours as the sun rose high into the sky. Sadly it didn’t last all day but up until lunchtime we enjoyed good weather and no rain.

My friend A was coming to lunch with one of her grandchildren but rang to suggest they arrive earlier to beat the rain. R and I were en route walking back to Thrupp, having left our car near the canal and local railway station a couple of miles away. We met A at Annie’s cafe where I had the most delicious hot chocolate. I have avoided the cafe all week knowing that if I had discovered the hot chocolate earlier I would not have been able to resist having one daily! We then foraged for wood in the nearby forest, replenishing our supplies which had severely dwindled over the course of a week, not helped by the firepit!

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Our boat neighbours, S and J bartered 4 hot cross buns, 3 courgettes and an aubergine for one tomato – I think we got the better deal! J was leaving the boat to return to work and knew S wouldn’t eat the veg! S didn’t like the flavour of the hot cross buns – we are just pleased to have some.

Had quite a quiet afternoon until the arrival of our eldest daughter H, who is staying a few nights. We bubbled with her at Christmas and P who drove us to her flat then from the boat, drove her to Thrupp today. He’s an uber driver which comes in handy. He got a severe bout of Covid earlier in the year but it wasn’t from his job although I would have thought taxi drivers would be at risk. He ended up in hospital so for a while we were obviously anxious but he appears to have made a full recovery and had plenty of energy to help R with a couple of locks and enjoy cruising a small section of the canal, standing on the bow.

It’s so different having three on a boat! Suddenly the space seems much smaller and everything needs to be tidied away immediately if not in use. H was hungry but is onion, garlic and gluten free so all a bit more of a challenge. R and I are used to eating quite late and not worrying too much what we eat, often a mishmash of leftovers! I rustled up a cauliflower cheese which seemed to go down well and then we settled down to watch Northanger Abbey, inspired by recently watching the take on Jane Austen film. At the Thrupp boathouse there’s a secondhand DVD and book shop under an outdoor shelter and R spied the NA dvd! It was OK. Made a change from all the murder mysteries! Which reminds me, when I said farewell to Steve next door, he gave me his business card so we can keep in touch. Pre Covid it transpires he ran private tours around Oxford and one of them was a ‘Morse’ tour. I knew he’d been a publican but he’d kept quiet about being a tour guide – once we are allowed to travel in cars again he’s promised to give me the Morse tour! Any other Morse fans, come and join us!

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Wash day today, including ourselves! R ran the engine from 8am, when it’s considered polite to do so. 8pm – 8am is verboten! Enough hot water after a couple of hours for a really hot bath and R washed his hair using my very special shampoo and personally I think he looks very dashing! He’s wearing the jumper youngest son P gave him for Christmas  – plenty big enough, even if he tries to shrink it and a lovely colour!

Stripped the bed and collected everything that can possibly be washed ready for a trip to the laundrette later in the day. Decided to wash my silk thermals by hand and the tiller handle became an impromptu drying line, as the weather was windy enough to blow the clothes dry.

Had two lengthy conversations with friends who whatsapped to say they were still reading and enjoying the blog. So often these messages arrive just as I feel I am writing to myself! Which in a way I am, as this blog will be a reminder of so much I have already forgotten. Midday saw the arrival of a great friend who moved away from our home town 5 years ago and now lives 45 minutes from Thrupp.  She watched and took pictures as we attempted to reverse the boat 75yds back to the electric swing bridge and around the corner to fill up with water. It was rather a tricky manoeuvre due to the wind and the four moored boats that we had to pass. Just as we thought we could relax, the stern rope, carelessly strewn on the back deck by myself, got caught in the propellor. Rookie error and one R has been warning me about all the trip. It took quite a bit of patience and skill for R to carefully untangle the rope, which I was most impressed that he did without ruining it.  Meanwhile I filled the boat tank with water and then we reversed back to our mooring which proved far easier on the return trip. We wanted the boat to face in the opposite direction, ready for our departure from Thrupp towards Banbury.  I would like R to be on the boat as we travel up the River Cherwell and face the two hexagonal locks which I don’t feel quite confident enough to attempt alone. Returning  along a part of the canal you have already navigated is good and bad depending on what you consider to be the hazards ahead. Ignorance is sometimes bliss!

A lady stopped to chat outside our boat. It transpired she owns a boat that they are thinking of selling next year, including the mooring they have here at Thrupp.  My ears pricked up and we exchanged numbers – who knows, it could be meant to be! We passed the boat as we returned from a circular walk to Kidlington and it looks very smart. Apparently it has a bio- compostible lou although I didn’t like to enquire too much as to what that meant and what that requires from the user!

We walked to Kidlington to see the inside of the parish church that we had seen yesterday from the outside,as I had not realised that it was open. Leaving the church we walked along the same street as before and one of the immediate houses on the left had two men conversing. I did a double take as one of the men R and I know fairly well from our Thorpeness holidays. He is a clergyman and an excellent preacher, who often takes the holiday service that goes on weekly in Thorpeness throughout the summer. He just happens to live, unbeknownst to us, in Kidlington! Recognising us, he made us all a cup of tea and we had a lovely chat outside of his house. When we had seen him, I think the summer of 2019, we had told him all about our proposed canal trip and he had asked us to let him know when it was happening so that he could pray for us. Due to the trip getting delayed, I had never contacted him and yet here we were today bumping into him. If he had not been standing on his doorstep we would have been none the wiser. As it was, at the end of our tea, he prayed for us in the street and it was very heart warming and reassuring.

We still had to do the washing before the laundrette closed so our feet barely touched the ground as we hot footed it back to the boot, bid a hasty retreat to our friend and set out for Summertown armed with a large bag of washing. It proved to be the most expensive wash to date – as I went into the laundrette R reversed the car around an invisible bollard, which made rather a considerable dent in the driver’s door. All I can say is that I am glad it wasn’t me driving!

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We took the opportunity to visit R’s old school that just so happens to be in Summertown so it was a trip down memory lane for him. By the time we arrived back on the boat we were just ready for a quick supper and a bit of screen time – another couple of episodes of Keeping Faith. We really should be watching Morse – apparently at least one grisly episode was filmed in Thrupp – all to do with dead bodies in canals! A couple more interesting facts we have learnt in our week here. The aid organisation, Oxfam, was started in Summertown and the other fact was that the Manor House, next to Shipton on Cherwell church, used to be owned by Richard Branson. It was there Mike Oldfield produced ‘tubular bells’ that iconic sound of the 70’s  as RB used the house as a recording studio. He also used to throw wild parties, open to everyone who lived in the village – hard to imagine this sleepy village being the centre of the groovy scene!

Finished the evening watching ‘Canal Diaries’ on iplayer. A friend has recommended we watch it, but as she mentioned it was on Channel 4, I thought it was no longer available as I couldn’t find it! Watched episode 1 followed by 2 because it became compulsive viewing – it has wetted my appetite even more to travel towards the north of England. The weather was amazing, which made the countryside look even more beautiful and the industrial towns looked worth exploring. The main downside was the copious quantity of canalweed that he found wrapped around his propellor – obviously I need to get over my phobia of putting my arm into unknown waters! It has to be said, I could do with an extra 2″ on my arm – there is this slight fear that the whole of me is going to fall down the propellor hatch as I have to stretch my body full length to reach it on our present boat!

Last night was really cold as we discovered this morning when the magnolia tree that has been looking magnificent since I arrived last Thursday was singed by the frost. A thing of beauty lasts but a short while. Walked into Kidlington from Thrupp through a forest of bare trees on a public footpath that brought us out next to Kidlington Church. I have really enjoyed the variety of churches that we have seen on our travels. So many of them with their mixed architectural styles display an interesting picture. Obviously there are not many we have found to be open due to Covid19 so sadly we have missed out on the interiors. I have also been surprised by the loving care and attention afforded to many of the churchyards. St Mary the Virgin at Kidlington is a case in point. The graveyard looked lovingly cared for, with so many of the graves adorned by colourful fresh flowers.

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I love the Oxfordshire villages with the beautiful light stone buildings. There was one by the church that made us smile due to the dates above the doors. R thought his extensive family in America would be amused.

There was a man standing outside the local Tesco store ushering people inside and I remarked it was rather a cold job on a chill April morning. He told me his car heater wasn’t working either so he was wondering how he could get some warmth in the car on his journey home. I suggested he buy one of those instant porridges that you just add hot water too. I always find porridge acts like internal central heating. He though this an excellent idea, especially if he added extra sugar! Perhaps I should return tomorrow to see how he got on. The jobs some people have to do which we just take for granted.

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We returned along the towpath so it was a pleasant circular walk. Turning the engine on for an hour, I vacuumed the entire boat and then had enough hot water to wash my hair. R meanwhile assembled the firepit and by the time our friends arrived we had a glowing fire outside which helped keep the chill off as we caught up with news from home. The birthday cake was received well, with the homemade jam and I even made some letters and numbers out of chocolate to decorate the top. A few sparkler candles and a glass of bubbly, gave the day a bit of a celebratory feel.  We went on the same walk that we have now done twice so I was confident that I knew the way. This confidence was misplaced as we eventually ended up in an unrecognised field! My canal map app luckily show the footpaths so we were able to get back on track but the walk was somewhat elongated! The rain held off, we all were layered up and we walked briskly so the chill of the day was held at bay. It was such fun seeing friends I had not seen since October. The wonderful thing about good friends is the ability to take up where you last left off and the time in-between is inconsequential.

Ra and C had asked us to attend a Zoom call with a couple being interviewed who had started a Christian festival called New Wine. It was fascinating hearing their life story which involved them living in Chile for a number of years as he was the Bishop out there.

Looking at iPlayer I came across ‘Keeping Faith’, series 3. I had previously watched and really enjoyed Series 1 and 2 and had no idea a third series had been produced.  It was such a treat to watch two episodes although it did involve quite a bit of explanation to R who had never seen KF before!

Quite a chilly day, with occasional flurry of snow interspersed with bright sunshine. Was rather glad we had the car to hand, although it did feel a bit like cheating using it to go shopping. I decided I wanted a small firepit that we can use outside when there’s enough towpath to meet with friends and family. Tomorrow our friends J and M are coming for a picnic lunch to celebrate her birthday and as they can’t come in the boat, a firepit is a better solution. I tried to get one delivered to the boat but they are in short supply. Homebase had one but can’t deliver it until Monday. Then I had the bright idea to Google firepits and Oxford. A garden centre 9 miles away had .k

. Gy firepit left, so off we went to see if it was suitable (not to big, bulky or heavy) and it’s just what we had been looking at earlier in other stores, but they had all been out of stock. We were also able to buy more wood and a present for JQ so a successful mission. We then found an upmarket deli to enhance the birthday picnic and arrived back at the boat a little lighter in the pocket!

I’d tried to buy a Victoria sandwich cake as that is JQ’s favourite apparently, but that was easier said than done. So, taking my courage in both hands, I set out to make one on the boat in the temperamental gas oven. Those of you who bake will know the success of a Victoria sponge is getting equal proportions of the four main ingredients – the butter, sugar and flour should each weigh the same as the quantity of eggs. Not only do I not have scales, I only had plain spelt flour and baking powder. R, with his boy scout hat on, said I needed to get a pencil and lay the lightish chopping board on top and balance the board, with the same weight bowls. So I put the eggs in one bowl and the butter in the other until balanced. Then carefully, without moving the position of the bowls I removed the eggs and replaced them with sugar so that the sugar and butter weighed the same. Carefully spooning out the sugar into the mixing bowl, I then weighed the flour. It was quite a labour of love. All I had to bake it in was a loaf tin. My first attempt was not a success – too much baking powder and I think too much butter. So I started all over again and was much more pleased with my second attempt. Then I discovered we had no jam! So the strawberries I had brought for decoration I turned into jam with some icing sugar I happened to have. (My only other sugar was brown!) That was not an exact science but it seems to have worked, bubbling away on top of the wood burning stove. Tomorrow I will assemble the cake, I even found some birthday candles on the boat, and just hope it doesn’t taste too bad.

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We also went looking for the place R needs to park our car so that when we move the boat he can get a train back to the nearest train station to where the car is parked. I vaguely knew where the parking was if I walked along the canal. It was all a bit different finding the parking from the road. The air turned a bit blue as we both got a little frustrated in our attempt to do this. Eventually my brain computed and we have worked out the correct footpath, as well as towpath that needs to be walked. Our neighbours on the next door boat said the movement of car and boat is often very complicated, made more so if you agree to meet up again at a certain bridge and get the wrong bridge number!

A relatively early night after watching a film about the Jane Austen Book Club. All a bit convoluted and probably would have been better if we had read her books recently. I think I last read them at school! Perhaps worth a reread.

After the warm sunny Easter Sunday I could not believe we actually did wake to a snow flurry and a blanket of cloud. Not the kind of weather you rush out of bed for on a boat so I didn’t! R wanted a catch up on my blog entries for the week. He usually comments before I publish; when I read them to him today I realise why – quite a few typo’s, a sentence that made no sense at all and even worse, a paragraph I manged to move into a different place so that I told you all about my log carrying before I had even picked the log up!

Having tidied the blog I got going on the day which miraculously had brightened considerably with blue sky and sun peeping through. Off to the quarry we went, quite a novelty going by car. R thought I should drive, to keep in practice. Never good for our relationship as he’s a practiced back seat driver! However the quarry was well worth visiting. Apparently when it was originally dug out a complete dinosaur was discovered and it is now in a museum in Oxford. I had seen the quarry from the boat en route to Thrupp and it looked intriguing with woodland paths to explore. ‘Jane’s Enchanted tearoom’ was sadly closed, as it’s only open weekends I think, with a notice saying that they are now fully booked for the remainder of the year! I had seen the tea room from the canal and it looked very inviting – comfy sofa’s, armchairs, cushions, all very pink under marquee coverings and outdoor heaters. I imagine it was like this pre Covid, more of an outdoor than an indoor cafe.

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As the sun had warmed considerably we went and visited our friends O and S in their garden, for tea. The visit had been on and off all day, partly because where they live there was more wind to contend with and they thought it might be too cold sitting outside. First off, we went for a walk around the village with O. Passing the church O pointed out a mott & ballie defence rampart, presumably built in the Norman era. The village was gaily decorated with daffodils along its verges which brightened the dat considerably. There was a field shared by llamas and horses. Allegedly llamas are often used as lookouts to protect herds of sheep and goats. Returning to tea, we found a less windy corner to retreat to, so we were able to chat for about half an hour before deciding it was time to return to the boat and let O and S retreat back into the warmth of their house!

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Supper was quite late as I wanted to try out a couple of Indian recipes I had seen in the Saturday paper and I had quite a bit of prepping to do. It was worth the wait – a red lentil daal with coconut and an aubergine and fresh tomato curry. They complimented each other well and served with a hot wrap, warmed on the top of the wood burner, we were eventually well fed! R found a film which I really would recommend as very gentle and heart warming. ‘Our Souls at Night’ I think it was called. Directed by Robert Redford and starring him and Jane Fonda, it was a thoughtful look at late love. Reminded me a little of my mother falling in love after my dad died and remarrying in her early 80’s! It also examined the vital role grandparents can play in the life of their grandchildren and what a unique relationship this can be. Certainly our children I am sure remember the hours of play R’s mum used to devote to them and all her 19 grandkids as they were growing up. Something I think she had little time for when she had her own brood, at one stage 5 children under 4 years old!

Also did a spot of retail therapy – Lands End having a mega clear out, slashing prices considerably. I actually was looking for a jumper for R to replace the one he shrunk, that now fits me! Did not find that but purchased, among other things, some new trousers for R. I think the one’s he has had on the boat all this time will not pass muster back home – far too many stains that are impossible to remove! They will definitely remain ‘boat trousers’!

Happy Easter to anyone reading this blog! For us, it has been a bit strange. None of our children to celebrate it with and yet, quite a busy sociable day.

We started the day walking to a lovely church just along the canal where we participated in an outside Holy Communion and were even permitted to sing. The familiarity of the words of the service and the act of Communion which I had not partaken in since Christmas was very special and though we were strangers, we were made to feel very welcome. It was a small gathering, 30 max I would say but there were a few children so the service ended with an Easter Egg hunt. I was reminded of a similar hunt approximately 25 years ago when we celebrated Easter in Scotland and the sun was so hot, it melted all the chocolate eggs!

The hot weather continued throughout the day so we sat out beside the boat and spoke to many people walking by. Thrupp is obviously a very popular place to walk and enjoy an outdoor coffee at ‘Annie’s’. We chatted to all the people in the boats near to ours as they were walking on the towpath and there was a very convivial atmosphere which served to make us feel less lonely.

At 5pm various family members, from both sides of the family, joined a Zoom for a ten minute Esster service, at the request of our youngest son. Considering how quickly it was cobbled together I think it went OK although the singing left a bit to be desired. We decided to unmute and all sing our hearts out with a lovely rousing hymn, ‘Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder’. I think God must have listened with awesome wonder at the cacophony of sound!! It was lovely to see so many of the family gathered together and of course it was chaos, as Zoom always is when a quantity of people are involved, unsupervised!

A Zoom with more friends followed and also with two of our children individually, so supper consisted of doritos and hummous. Even though I had planned more, I realised R had retired to bed mid conversation, so no doubt will be awake hungry in the middle of the night!

Such a novelty to have a car to hand! We took advantage and went to the local shops where there was an outdoor market alongside a well stocked Coop so  we arrived back on board with lots of fruit, vegetables and alcohol! The latter was in preparation for our first outdoor gathering later in the day.

Great excitement.  At 3.30pm two of our  oldest friends arrived at the boat armed with a box of wood for the fire, homemade cake, freshly laid eggs, homegrown rhubarb and fresh herbs. A cornucopia of delight! The day which had started out quite chilly began to warm up, as we set off on the same walk I had done yesterday with Ra and C. Safe in the knowledge that I shouldn’t have forgotten it less than a day later, we were able to chat nineteen to the dozen without having to concentrate too hard on the route! By the time we were back to Wind Rose we all needed hot cross buns and cherry cake to refuel. Just as we finished enjoying tea, our other local friends, O and S arrived for 6 o’clock drinks. We cracked open the bubbly, such a novelty and luxury it was to be able to have six of us together! It deserved celebrating. It was fun reuniting our two sets of friends as two of them had grown up near to one another and their parents had been friends.  Not only that but the reason I know them is through our siblings. We each had/have a brother a decade older than ourselves and they were good friends and that’s how we three met half a century ago, Scottish dancing! The last time our friends had met each other, they thought, was probably at our wedding. We chatted until the chill got to us all and even the rugs over our legs, making us feel even more ancient, were not enough to stop the hands turning blue!

We wanted to watch a complete film, rather than a series so browsed Netflix’s offerings and happened on a 1990s film called Sleepers. If I had looked more closely at the synopsis we probably would have passed it by because it turned out to be a story, based on truth, revolving around child abuse in an American juvenile detention centre. Some of it I could not bear to watch so we fast forwarded, but the film itself was sobering and thought provoking. The child abuse was, to my mind, so horrific that it caused me to reflect on the blog I have just written on forgiveness. Would I be able to forgive someone who committed those acts on a child of mine? Conversely, if I didn’t forgive, how would that play out on me for the rest of my life? How would I deal with the feelings of anger and hatred – would they become all consuming. I think I came to the same conclusion as in my blog – that in order to heal and let go of the past, so that I could contemplate an hopeful future, I would have to find it in me to forgive. This would probably be impossible without using God’s strength to help me and also to recognise that true forgiveness may take a very long time, even a lifetime, to achieve.

As if that film were not enough for one night, we suddenly remembered we had not seen the final episode of ‘Unforgotten’, of which I cannot say much, as I do not want to spoil it for those of you who are a bit behind! Suffice to say, I eventually retired to bed emotionally exhausted!

Still quite cold on the boat overnight. Missing my human hotwater bottle! Really strange to see R, looking very serious, on a Zoom prayer meeting first thing – he in our kitchen at home and me back under the duvet in the boat! His relaxed face, since his accident, does have a rather severe look, so I often have to remind him to smile. He reassures me that although at times he might look miserable that is not necessarily how he feels. It just takes more effort to keep up a happy expression. Had a few chores to do in anticipation of daughter C arriving at midday with her husband, Ra. Also attended a Zoom Good Friday service which was really meaningful – it wasn’t my usual church – they had a live service in the churchyard in the afternoon.

I was so excited to see C and Ra – December was our last meetup. I took them first to Annie’s cafe and treated them to hot chocolate with all the toppings! Then we had a picnic lunch followed by a beautiful walk recommended by S in the boat next door. Returning to the boat in time for hot cross buns, we offered to toast one for our neighbour. He was delighted to hear it was a traditional hot cross bun, rather than a faddy taste, such as ‘chocolate and orange’. He had to slather it in butter himself as I have run out of butter and just have R’s cholesterol free spread on board.

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Managed to get the fire lit. R had left it primed and ready to go but it still required abit of tlc. Ra and C were not impressed that after 5 months on the boat, I had never observed how R tended the fire! It really has been a ‘blue’ job. Needs must and I managed to get it going without too much smoke filling the cabin and by the time R arrived back at the boat it was pumping out a fair bit of heat. He arrived laden with some summer clothes for me (ever hopeful), post, including some welcome Easter cards and a few parcels. He’d managed to work the washing machine but failed to notice his new woollen jumper required 30° not 40° so it had shrunk just enough to fit me better than him! In the shrinking process the knit has almost felted so it is now extremely warm and a welcome addition to my wardrobe! Unusually for us, we didn’t watch a film. We actually had quite a lot to talk about, catching up on each other’s week and who we had seen and where we had been. R was also fairly exhausted having mown our lawn twice in three days with a heavy, petrol driven, push along lawnmower. It requires brute strength and determination! Coupled with then driving here and the concentration required when you haven’t driven for five months, we were both up for an early night.