Thrupp To Heyford

After a particularly enjoyable weekend with my parents and attending my friends wedding (which was a day of perfection), I returned home to Thrupp, refuelled in the tea rooms and pulled the pins. The canal is thoroughly alive at the moment. The banks are covered in wild flowers, reeds and beauty.

I was approaching a corner before pigeons lock and noticed a bunch of pensioner ladies loitering on their boat. Their ropes weren’t attached to the bank and I wondered whether they would pull out in front of me. It quickly became apparent that they weren’t going anywhere.. “ We are STUCK"” they hollered out in an old school way. They had expected me to go whizzing past and with my wash float them off (the speeding on this canal is exceptional), but I was going very slowly. They announced their dismay and I pulled over and gave them a hand rocking the boat until it freed up. They were rather delighted. As I left pigeons lock they arrived and the crew of ladies strolled up and examined the goings on of the lock. As I looked back I was amazed at how menacing they looked… and people think youth look menacing!

I am now moored in Lower Heyford with the river Cherwell bubbling on one side and the church and its bells on the other.  It is utterly beautiful.

Last night I took Boots for a run (he ran - I puffed along wheezing behind him) when we heard some bells. They were Morris Dancers. Apparently the local pub often has requests from Morris dancers to come and dance and drink beer . I was tickled pink when I saw this band had a trombone in… it was very giggle inducing.