Dorchester.

Couldn't move today as the reach between Abingdon bridge & Culham lock was closed, police divers were trying to locate a lost soul presumed drowned.

Can think of worse places to be marooned in. We had a walk around the town, Roly spotted a Wetherspoons and insisted we partook of the full English breakfast, so in we went. The rest of the day was taken up with holding the bankside chairs down.

Met an interesting fellow from Chicago, who has been living on his boat on the Thames for eight years, seems to be making a living odd jobbing on boats.

Tonight's teenaged revellers in the park were not as well behaved as last nights, lot's of shouting and profanities. This morning Sue picked up all the mess they had left behind which included drug taking paraphernalia.

We were allowed to continue our journey this morning even though nothing has been found yet. A bit overcast this morning but still warm as we took in the scenes and sounds to moor at Days Lock.

An afternoon stroll into and around Dorchester stopping at the George Hotel for refreshment where we met a couple of locals who have invited us to stay in their villa in France later this year.

Moored Abingdon park.

Roly & Bev

An art class above Culham lock.

Charming graveyard cottage.

Dorchester Abbey.

Thrupp to the Thames

Friday:
Hot enough for shorts the last few days. After stowing an 08:00 Sainsbury's delivery order we moved along to the water point at Langford Lane bridge to top up the tank but unfortunately some bright spark had stolen the brass fitting from the oulet pipe so my hose connection wouldn't fit .....mindless b@st*#ds. I must remember to pick up a fitting from a plumbers in case this ever happens again.

We made our way off the Oxford canal into Dukes Cut lock, here we met a young guy who has just bought one of the scruffy boats permanently moored here, he also inherited all the accumulated rubbish the previous owner had acquired and was busily transporting bin bags of it across the lock. A labour of love he's calling, it we wished him well.

Down the cut and into an unmanned King's Lock, we are now on to deeper water and a flow, we moored at Godsow Abbey among a carpet of goose poo, we had to walk a hundred feet to put the chairs out and share a bottle of London Pride.

Roly, Sue & Bev.

Klara at Oxford 

Saturday - Being a weekend the reaches around Oxford were busy with single, pairs, fours & eights skulling crews along with coaching launch's.

When we arrived in Abingdon it was busy with moored craft, luckily a 60 footer was leaving a spot by the park, with a bit of effort with tillers, engines and gearbox's we had the two boats breasted up.

Morris men in action in Abingdon Square.

More than one troupe were represented in Abingdon today.

The mooring turned out to be a noisy one, a wedding reception had a rock band playing, the newly weds also enjoyed a firework display that most local authorities would be proud of at 22:00. A group of well behaved youngsters were chilling & singing along to music on the bank but by the time Match of the Day had finished all was quiet.

To Thrupp.

Wednessday - What a lovely cruise we had today, The weather was glorious, the views stunning as we progressed south a few more miles to Lower Heyford, a beautiful Oxfordshire Wolds canal side village.

The paint brush came out to touch up a few of the 2015 scrapes on the starboard side rubbing strake.
Afterwards we had an afternoon of sitting on the bankside chatting with Roly & Bev while exhausting their stock of Guinness....

Somerton Deep lock.

Looking up from the bottom of the lock.

Leaving lock.

Pink Daisys.

Thursday - Another glorious day as we left Lower Heyford for Thrupp, a popular stopping place for those making their way to the Thames or a turnaround for crews not wanting to go on to the river or visit Oxford. It's always a relief when you arrive and find a mooring spot. 

Klara at Mill lift bridge.

Roly, Sue & Bev.

We spent the afternoon chilling on the bank before having a decent evening meal from an extensive menu in The Boat Inn.

Spring has sprung.

We left our mooring that is overlooked by the parish church of St Peter & St Paul's 198' spire at 10:00. The jet stream now moving north means temperatures are finally beginning to improve.. 

Three locks to do today, the first is only three hundred yards from our mooring, with other boaters sharing lock duties on a mostly warm May day made it a sedate enjoyable cruise. 

Stopped at Aynho to top up fuel (70p.pl) & water tanks and exchange an empty gas bottle with a full one before moving on to moor below bridge 193 (Chisnell lift bridge).

Renovation work on King's Sutton church.

Burnt out carcass awaits clearing.

Neat boat.

Nells Bridge lock.

FL taking on fuel at Aynho Wharf

Aynho pub close to the Wharf

Farmer tending his fields late evening.

Our overnight mooring at Chisnell bridge

Fingerprints in Banbury.

A short cruise to Banbury which should only take a couple of hours. That's if you don't encounter a threesome on a boat that probably didn't take in any of the instruction given to them by the hire company or the boaters that they might have met at the 18 locks they have been through to get this far.

Sue did her best to encourage the friendly trio to go about the lock duties in an orderly fashion.

Sue "When coming in to the lock landing best practice is to use your centre rope"

Lady boater " Oh, someone else told us that" while she starts to use her windlass to let water out.

Sue "No, lets wait until your boat is actually in the lock with the gates closed before we raise the paddles!!"

The bow rope has been tied so tight the boat can't manoeuvre.

Nice people who I think were enjoying the experience, I would love to meet them on their return journey to see if they have the hang of it by then. Most hirers have the hang of it after a couple of locks not so this crew.

Pulled in at Banbury for supplies, I also wanted to take my phone into the Three shop, recently I had initiated the phone lock with fingerprint recognition, this was a big mistake as the phone only recognises my smudge once in every five or six attempts. Very frustrating when you reach the tries limit and a message pops up wait another 30 seconds to try again. I'm better off without the hassle.

The chaps in the shop couldn't deactivate it either, suggested to do a factory reset. I'm not sure about that as I could end up loosing lots of info.

Back to the boat we set off for a three mile cruise to King Sutton, lift bridges are usually left in the up position on this canal, Haynes lift bridge was down, got Sue on the offside to lift it. The wind got up and pinned FL to the tow path, every time I pushed the bow out, the wind would push it back before I could reach the tiller, after 10 minutes of heaving with the boat pole I'd had enough, reversed the stern across the canal leaving the bow on the tow path stepped off with the centre rope and heaved the whole 17 tons across the canal.

The heavens opened and I got a proper soaking before we moored up below King Sutton lock.

Banksy & A Rugby Hooter.

Ladder bridge was left behind at 08:30, chilly & sunny as we take the water road to Cropredy. Met a blog reader on route down the Claydon flight but forgot to get names, hope the blacking goes well.

Being a bank holiday weekend the flight of locks were busy which makes locking easier.. plenty of arms around to wind paddles and bums to push on lock gates.

An Andy Russell  or a Banksy.

End of Fenny Compton Tunnel

Totally unrelated:

Daughter Nikita with her mate Zara's famous rugby hooter hubby.

Yesterday a pair of Gold finches were collecting nesting material from the tow path outside the galley window at 07:00.

This is the first time in my 61 years I have ever seen one of these bird, they moved on before I had a chance to photo them.

Web picture.

Braunston to Ladder Bridge.

Friday was a short cruise down to the bottom of the Napton Flight for a Happy Friday drink with our cruising pals Bev & Roly. We get sent a Happy Friday drink picture from our friends where ever they are most Fridays ...it's become a tradition.. not always snapped in a bar but usually they are..... below we received yesterday.

Bev, Roly & Sue (The Folly Inn)

Paul and El with Barry & Wendy.(Emerald Isle, Mojacar)

Dot & Gordon with Lynn & Phil (The Holy Inadequate, Stoke)

Diane & Ray ( Ikea )

Saturday we were up early setting off in sunshine with no wind weather. Deposited our dumpables at the facilities below the first of nine locks today. Destination was Ladder Bridge 5 miles further south.

Some pictures of the journey:

Big smile.

Boat in a pond must now be the most photographed vessel on the Oxford canal.

Marston Doles, last lock of the day.

Napton hill where we started today's cruise.

A sea of Rapeseed.

Sue keeps look out for Klara on Ladder Bridge

Water road.

Cratch cover & Battery

FL has been in need of a new cratch cover since we bought her three years ago. We had been let down by a few different suppliers (not replying to emails, phone calls etc, etc). Here in Braunston marina is a supplier we could actually talk to face to face and pin down. Deposit paid FL will get her new clothes on her return this way in October

The starter battery has been straining to turn the engine over the last couple of weeks, if the engine had failed to start first revolution FL would need a bump start. So I exchanged it with a new one from Midland Chandlers who do a 5% discount for local marina moorers, we moored in Wigrams Turn Marina once .. so we qualified.

643  old unit.

I measured the battery and took note of the position of the + & - terminals to make sure I got the right fit for the wiring.  The salesman informed me all I needed to bring was the 643 number off the label, terminals the other way around would have a 644 number.

It snowed in Braunston yesterday, we thought we'd missed the freezing weather but we were wrong, some forecasters are predicting a cold spell to last a few weeks.