Marston Dole to Braunston

When I went for my morning with walk with Boots at silly o’clock the sun was already really warm. By the time I had mucked about, filled with water and pottered about it was positively boiling o’clock. On the verge of melting I was delighted to see Elizabeth and Pete hove into view – it is much easier work with friends to grin at along the way: We have been meeting up in the morning, doing the locks and then I sail off into the sunset one way and them in the other.

I picked up my bicycle with a flat tyre from Rick half way down the Napton Flight and from there on the view gets breathtakingly, kneebendingly stunning. I have often seen the post card in the shops of Napton but to actually be IN that scene was magical.  The windmill sits proud on the hill. Men seem to feel the need to take their tops off when the sun comes out so I had to take a second glance at the man in the bottom left-ish corner of this picture as his shorts are the same colour as his skin!

At the bottom of the flight we meandered our way around to the Bridge Inn for coffee in the garden before going our separate ways.  I set off and moored up again as the engine was being silly. It didn’t take long to coax it into action and we were off very slowly to Braunston. very very slowly, just like the boat in front. The boat in front stopped for lunch so I pootled fast and sat behind another very very slow boat. I don’t mind going slow, but I did find their mooching and canoodling rather off putting.  The approach to Braunston was lovely  - there was an extraordinary crinkle top field:

The world is incredibly yellow at the moment. The winding Oxford makes it look like the boats are going through the fields:

with some old boats to feast upon. It was really rather crowded.

I found a mooring spot easily in Braunston and I have been overheating ever since. I spent the afternoon (after putting Boots under the tap) flopped out in the doorway only to be disturbed by yobs tooting their horn. It turned out to be Wand-ring Bark! We had planned to meet on Saturday but they had got their days confused and were going through on Friday. I thought they would be LONG gone by the time I got there, and they would have been had they not been caught in a 3hour queue at Watford. It was a lovely surprise and most splendid to have the opportunity to drink their gin and catch up on the news. I took a splendidly out of focus shot of them as they vanished off into the distance, and then another that is in shot but makes them look like they are jigging their way into the distance.

David popped in in the evening and we went over to the pub and back to the boat for tea. He only had one cup which means I STILL have 4 cups of the nasty tea bags to drink before I can open the nice pyramid ones.

Elizabeth and Pete did ask me if I needed any supplies but I had a full fridge… I failed to recall it was mainly full of cabbage and cheese so I will look forward to a trip to the local village shop which is well stocked apparently. Shopping is not my forte. Clearly!