Forgot to mention yesterday that wrinkles took a tumble, she insists on getting off at locks and stepped off the front of the boat where the bank was a bit lower than she is used to, she did a sort of slow motion tumble and roll, luckily FL was undamaged. She had another mishap today while getting back on the boat at the stern she panicked about stepping over the 3 inch gap from bank to boat, I had to let go of the tiller to heave her aboard unfortunately the tiller spun to port and jabbed her in the ribs, the tiller is OK. Sue would like to ban her from getting on and off but Betty is having none of it.
We left the mooring today and cruised through urban Kidlington and Oxford to the Isis lock where a sharp right takes you on to the Thames, we then turned left onto the Thames, under Osney bridge and paid our Thames licence fee at Osney lock, £170 for a month. FL likes the Thames the deeper water allows her to take her head without the wash even reaching the banks. Found a spot on Sandford meadow to moor so it's off to the Kings Arms by the lock for tea.
Jerome K. Jerome described Sandford " As a very good place to drown yourself " in his book Three men in a boat. I presume he was talking about the beer, the beer garden overlooks the lock gardens which are now in full bloom, a credit to the hard work of the lock keepers, if the EA get their way lock keepering will be a thing of the past along with all the beautiful gardens they tend.
On our walk to the pub we met Ken, Shenna and Sumo on Dogma. Dogma's bottom is looking resplendent, all black and shiny. A job FL requires doing again this year, we spent £600 paying for it to be done last year and it is so thin most has flaked off at the waterline already, lesson learnt I will do all future blacking as DIY.
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| Huge weeper |
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| Boat coming off the Thames via Dukes Cut. |
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| Sad sight in Oxford |
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| THE THAMES |
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| Ken on Dogma entering Sandford Lock, my dodgy photographic skills has cut Sheena out on the front rope. |
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| Sandford lock and garden. |
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| Sue and Betty, Sandford lock |
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