Yelvertoft to Thrupp.
Oil level …….Check…
Water level …Check
Fan belt ……..Check.
Food cupboards
full
Wine cellar ….topped
up ...well enough for a fortnight if we are good..
Engine started
...Oil pressure good.. Slip her into reverse and pull slowly off our
Yelvertoft mooring.
Our 2019 cruising
adventure is about to start. Bristol on the Kennet and Avon Canal
here we come.
Winter this year has
come and gone very quickly. Doesn't seem five minutes since we moored
up and went into hibernation mode. We soon settled back into village
life.
Friday night, is
doggie day care as we call it. Lots of us in the local pub with our
dogs all off the lead and enjoying each others company. 5 pm till 7pm
..
The owners putting
the world to-rights and the dogs playing ball and other run around
games. .
Sadly someone who
wasn't looking out for their animal spoilt it for us all, allowing
their dog to ‘mark their territory’. A rule was passed by the
management, all dogs must be on a lead.
It killed the
atmosphere dead, such a shame. A few customers stopped coming as a
protest, but life goes on.
Good to see the guys
from the Independent Chapel and catch up over Sunday services and a
drink at the local as well. A good village too me must have a good
church and a good pub. We are so lucky we have both. Well 3
churches...Independent. . . CofE and a Roman catholic. At the local
boozer, you never now what there is to drink, they keep changing the
guest ale.
Winter was the usual
health check ups and catching up with family. Diabetic check for me
was OK, no change which was good.
Had to go back to
dentist because my teeth which I had last year were causing a few
problems. Badly fitting.
Had a new set made
(which I had to pay for again) not happy but that's life. The second
set were just as bad as the first !! but story of my life. Have
learned to live with it.
Jenny is as usual in
fine fettle. Keeping fit with dog walking and house work ...sorry
boat work.
Had a few weekends
away with friends in Norfolk and the Fens.
Christmas was good
catching up with my family. Clive my son came back from Switzerland
and we had a family reunion at my ex-wife's home.
We soon took our
‘duties’ up again, child minding for Darren and Karen, not a
problem because Rebecca is a great little girl. She comes over for a
sleepover occasionally to save us getting up at 5 am to get to her
home, when mum and dad are on early starts. (policeman and nurse)
Jenny has been
telling me for a couple of years that I've got ‘cloth ears’. Just
to stop her moaning and to prove I wasn't deaf, I booked a hearing
test at a local hearing centre.
Sat down and had a
chat with the audiologist ..She checked my luggs… remove a bit of
wax from one.
Then head phones on
and the test began. I heard the beep...pressed the button.
Easy...no problems.
I had been told years ago that the higher frequency was a bit
suspect. Probably due to being a DJ in the late 60’s and loud
music.
The computer did the
analysis, then she showed me the graph that it made.
Conclusion...I would
benefit from hearing aids. Right I thought. Here come the sell.
Would you like to
try a pair… yes please … well !!!
When it was placed
in my ear, I jumped !!. . . . Everything was so loud...
I didn't realise
what a difference it would make. BUT then !!!
She came up with the
price £3000.00 ...No way could I justify the cost… So after a
‘hard sell’ with a reduced price option offered. . we left.
A few days later I
received a letter from our GP regarding my visit to the hearing
centre, asking me to make an appointment with her. Because I suffer
with tinnitus the centre have to notify our doctor, She asked if the
aids made a difference. . . Err yes.
I was given an
appointment with the local NHS audiologist. Two weeks later fitted
with the same aids (the cheaper of the two offered privately)
Free to me and I’m so pleased to be hearing again properly.
Jenny was joking
about getting a wooden leg as well and I'd have a full house !!
Dentures ...Hearing
aids but not funny really... as a musical friend from Norwich who is
diabetic like me has just had his legs amputated.
Well we are off, our
planned destination this year is Bristol via Oxford on the South
Oxford canal ..onto the River Thames and the Kennet and Avon canal.
Making a plan to go somewhere is a complete waste of time for us
because we have never made the destinations yet.
Last year was the
peak district. . failed. . ran out of water in the canals due to
drought conditions.
The year before the
Llangollen Canal ...failed. . we got stuck in the bottom lock at
Hurleston. In lots of ways we are blessed but unlucky in others.
Leaving Yelvertoft
14 days ago we had lovely run down to where we are now.
Down the Grand Union
and at Norton Junction ..right turn to Braunston...left turn on to
South Oxford canal until Napton then after that... it’s been
‘virgin canals’ for us.
 |
| Napton Junction |
The first main town
was Banbury. Arriving just before the town, we moored at about 2pm.
Five mins walk up the towpath and we were in the town centre,
literally. Right by the Quay shopping centre. We had a look around
and what a lovely old town, lots of the old buildings have been
looked after and preserved sympathetically. The local old fashioned
market place with the greengrocer shouting out his wares and the
price, something I haven't heard since a kid at Northampton market.
Carly is ok out and
about but Jake was getting a bit stressed because of the people and
cars. As it was ‘early doors’ time we found an old pub ...’Ye
olde Reindeer’ which was doggie friendly and so sampled the local
brew. It would be bad taste not too.
So much for a quick
one…we started talking to a couple of locals, my favourite
subjects..
politics and
religion . . I know . . dangerous ground .. but I’m not bigoted.
It was a really fun
hour or so, we all had our opinions and shared them. One guy was
about to leave when we arrived, when we left he was still there, on
his ?? bottle of cider. Another guy came over and joined in when he
heard us, but it was all amicable, when we left a warm handshake all
round. We had a three day stopover, a long weekend before moving on
to Thrupp, a small town just south of Oxford.
 |
| Bridge to Banbury town centre |
 |
| Banbury shopping centre by canal |
We are now moored
outside the local canal-side pub ‘The Jolly Boatman’. They do a
lovely pint of my one of my favourite ales, Greene King’s ‘Abbott
Ale’… a bit expensive, but a lovely, well kept pint. While having
a drink, we were joined by the lady from the boat moored behind us.
While chatting we realised we had met before, last year when we were
at the Barley Mow pub on the North Oxford canal at Newbold on Avon,
she had broken her leg and was in a wheel chair.
We met up with
Jenny's brother and Sister in Law yesterday, George and Pat, when
they drove over from Northampton. An hour by car 14 days by boat.
A lovely lunch in
the pub and a good natter and catch up.
We are running low
on some supplies (wine) so Jen has placed an order with Ocado, the
‘on line supermarket’, for a delivery tonight (Good Friday) to
the car park, then tomorrow we will be off again, through Oxford and
then onto the Thames…Turning west down to the Kennet and Avon
canal.
Just checked out the
costs involved...for a 7 day licence is about £100 !!
That is just one way
...we will have to pay again to get back..some one reckons he sits on
a horse with a mask on !!...well Dick Turpin did!!
Well that’s the
starter blog for this year.. let us know if you are reading it ..
if not I won’t
bother...over to the censor...whoops, sorry ...the editor to be
proof read and photo’s added (if you’re lucky) .
A happy and a
blessed Easter to all our readers
Bob and Jenny …..
The old age travellers.
