Bobs rambles 2019.

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.