The longest day

What a day we decided to cruise all day as it was so nice, we did a total of 11 hours and finally moored at Tilehurst.

Red kite sitting on the post with Whittenham Clumps in the background. Over a field being ploughed, we counted 14 Red Kites.

Heron

Tiller Girl.

Plenty of Copter movements at Benson

Just a push of a button to work the locks

Terrapin

Stealth boat

Llamas

Peace Man

Thames

 Todays the day we finally go on to the Thames we left Thrupp around 1100hrs and stopped at the water point to fill our tank, it holds 300ltr and if the water pressure at the tap is low it seems to take an eternity to brim, luckily today the pressure was satisfactory and we were brimmed in 20 mins. Usually, boats will take a short cut down Dukes Cut to the Thames but I wanted to top the diesel tank up at Oxford Cruisers so we continued on the Oxford Canal. This now until we reach the Thames is new territory to us and Sue managed several heavy-lift bridges on her own.

Fuel tank filled we continued to Kings Lock and onto the Thames

Last time we were on the Thames we owned a Birchwood 33 GT that was  16 years ago,

it is going to be interesting to see what changes have been made.

Punting in Oxford

We moored in Oxford and within 10 minutes we were being pestered by a drunk. As it was only 1600hrs we moved on and are now moored at  Sandford in peace and quiet.

Nice and wide , plenty of room for everyone.

One for Clarky.

Wasn't me honest!

Posh garden shed.

Tonight's mooring

Sue is cooking shepherds pie for our tea then we are going to the Kings Arms by Sandford lock to see if they remember us.

Taken tonight 

Chill out day

What a glorious day the whole country is bathed in sunshine, must be the hottest day of the year so far. We decided to stay in Thrupp till tomorrow and join the Thames when the weekend crowd has gone back to their berths.
 Elly and Mick pulled in just before lunchtime, we had a coffee and a catch-up. Since we last met in Braunston in April and while we have been tootling up and down the Oxford they have had an epic adventure via the Grand Union to London and down the Thames from Brentford to Oxford. After coffee, it was agreed we would have lunch at The Jolly Boatman for a better catch up.

After Elly and Mick had left aboard their good ship Parisian Star, Sue settled down to watch Andy Murray beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon Final and I had forty winks. The evening was spent fishing and reading.

Tynwald day

Yesterday (Friday) we stayed moored on the meadow enjoying the suns rays and watching the herd of cattle play follow my leader around the field. In the afternoon we cruised a few miles down to Lower Heyford for some unknown reason I couldn't find the satellite with our dish for the TV, so after our tea, we went to The Bell Inn and watched Andy Murray get into the men's singles Wimbledon final.

Today we set off and moored on the water point to fill our tank, a tug style narrowboat was already filling their tank up but allowed us to interrupt their fill as they have a huge tank that takes an hour to fill and they didn't want to hold us up. Now that was very friendly of them, it wasn't until we got going that I noticed the name of their boat.

We continued as far as Kirtlington and moored just before 11am as we wanted to watch the Lions thrash the Aussies in the deciding test in Sidney which they did 16-41. After the game we moved further along the cut to Thrupp where we had a chat with Maffi before he lifted the bridge for us,  that's two lift's to one in Maffi's favour. This evening we went to The Jolly Boatman where I enjoyed a glass of Guzzler looks like lager tastes like bitter.

This weekend we have been flying the flag as it was Tynwald day in the IOM yesterday (Friday).

Somerton

The morning was overcast and windy as we started our cruise this morning but it soon brightened up and the afternoon and evening were very warm in the sunshine.

After two miles of cruising, we pulled onto the pontoon for The Pig Place and Sue went in to buy sausages and came out with sausages, strawberries, water buffalo ice cream and courgettes.

Last time we were here we had burgers cooked for us but it was too soon after breakfast for a repeat today.

We continued for a further 3.5 miles and have found a fantastic mooring beside a meadow near the village of Somerton

Views of todays back garden.

Sue returning after lifting the bridge to let me through.

A sea of blue in the farmer's fields.

Poppy's

Sue made a large pot of chicken curry for our tea and afterwards we both had a 3-mile ramble to Heyford Common Lock under a warm cloudless summer evening sky.

Posh Gazebo 

West Cornwall Pasty Company

We left our overnight mooring and made our way down the five Claydon locks. One pound was very low and several boaters warned us that lock twenty would be difficult to set someone ashore to do the gates. We heard of a lady that was in the water reattaching her rudder as it caught on the sill going into the lock. On this occasion, we didn't encounter any problems other than scrapping the bottom in a couple of places.

The sill of a lock gate

Diggers working on Cropredy Marina .

I took this just because I liked the colours.

Another Historical boat moored in a winding hole?

Sues hand on hip hurry up Andy stance.

We stopped in Banbury for supplies and a lunch of Cornish Pasties from West Cornwall Pasty Company. We have moved two miles south of Banbury and moored in a nice spot by bridge 172 although we can here the M40 it is not too obtrusive. Sue is fishing as I write this and is reeling them in one after the other.

Congratulations to Carol x

Claydon

Crikey it's cold today, I've had to put my fleece on as we cruised this morning and some long trouser wear. We have moved a six miles and are now moored for the night  near  Claydon the most northerly village in Oxfordshire.

This picture doesn't do the colours in this field justice,it is full of purple red orange and yellow wild flowers.

We moored earlier than we going to today as it was just started to spit with rain as we approached the Claydon locks and didn't fancy getting wet while we worked the locks so we will wait until tomorrow before working ourselves through.

We both had a nap this afternoon, relaxing is very tiring . While Sue was napping I set of on foot to walk into Claydon its less than half a mile from the canal. I walked for 1.25 miles and came across a sign at a crossroads which told me Claydon was 1.50 miles back the way I came. I really should have studied the map before I left, I had turned left of the canal instead of right!

St James the Great , Claydon

Thames bound

We are on our way to the Thames  now, last night we moored at Napton and this morning we had an early start up at seven and pins pulled by eight. Are historical narrow boats exempt from the rules one was moored in the winding hole and another was on the water point. Perhaps they are, we wouldn't know we are still newbies

We ascended the Napton Flight which was very low in water, we were aground in one of the pounds and Sue had to let a lock full down so we could get going again. When we reached the top lock a C&RT volunteer lock keeper was on hand to help.

We are now moored at what is becoming one of our favourite mooring spots in between bridges 129-130. I gave the roof a good wash, had to use the scraper on some of the bird poo, not sure what the little feathery bundles eat but it sets like concrete. Sue has baked us a lovely Coconut cake and a loaf.

I left Sue watching Murray get through to the next round at Wimbledon and cycled down to The Wharf at Fenny Compton. I was so hot I had a glass of cold larger and sat in the garden and watched the people and boats for an hour.

Birds of Prey not sure which, maybe Kestrel's or Red Kites