Sunday

After a delicious fried breakfast we set off to Clifton Hampden for a late luncheon. It wasn't long before my engine sounded awful so I dived into the bilges to see whether I could spot the problem; sadly not. We moored up at Clifton Bridge at Halfie and Jan took a stroll around the local area. As far as I can gather they explored most of Oxfordshire in the space of two hours, during which I failed in most of my engine jobs. It sounded slightly better, but the starter motor was still loose, and the rattling was still there. We decided to press on regardless and headed towards the lock. We turned off to the left to take the stream down to the Plough in Little wittenham. I have been intrigued by this stream, but until now had never ventured down it. The mooring at the end of the navigable stretch rises up to the Plough past a tree with woodpeckers nesting, and not the green ones!. Unfortunately we only heard, rather than saw the woodpecker. Evening song at the church was at 6pm so we went a little bit before hand so I could exercise my fingers on the ivories. Sadly no piano, but fortunately an organ, albeit single register.
Evening song was a collection of local ladies and a laid back traditional affair. I groaned when I heard we would have a CD of the organ, but it really wasn't that bad! There were mainly women at this service, and not very many. It is a shame really, these quiet traditional services, regardless of your beliefs, are fantastic for taking time out of the day and reflecting in the peace and quiet.
We pootled home for some delicious cheese and settled down to another relaxing evening.