Sunday 6 August
It’s been a very lazy day for us today. Tom wasn’t feeling one-hundred percent so Leigh’s been mostly making soup and talking to her granddaughter, Katie, online. It was very sweet watching them.
Leigh was telling Katie how to make carrot soup – stopping to show her the ingredients at each stage. Katie drew a picture for Leigh and one for her Nanny. Whilst doing so she proceeded to explain how she sees Nanny as her ‘real Nanny’ and Leigh as her ‘real Nonna’. She went on to say that whoever has the most dogs (out of Nanny and Nonna) is the one she loves the most. That really made Leigh laugh; she is a girl after Leigh’s (and mine) heart for sure.
Rosie is almost thirteen now. She doesn’t really care for long walks anymore so this afternoon Leigh and I went out for a walk whilst Tom and Rosie stayed home. This part of the Kennet & Avon is extremely pretty and natural – walking along the towpath was a real pleasure.
I met a few other off-lead dogs. It was a relief not to have to warn them off – or panic in case Rosie (on the defensive) growled at them. When we arrived back at V.P. we were surprised to see all the vacant moorings had been filled and the boaters were all sitting out chatting and relaxing. This is the life eh?
For some reason my eczema has been playing up and I’ve created a bitofabaldpatch on one of my back legs so I am wearing a collar just now. I guess it helps as it stops the scratch of the itchscratchitch syndrome but it is a tad uncomfortable.
Woofs, Martha x
Saturday 5 August
Newbury to Woolhampton
I thought of yesterdays travelling companions today. Lynda and Ken were so right about the weather here in Blighty. We’ve been through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter today. Warmth then showers, intense heat whilst sitting on a lock waiting for it to fill, torrential rain, thunder and lightening and then hail all hit us within a seven-hour period.
Setting off rather late – Leigh struggled to get going so Tom took advantage of ‘wasted time’ and went to the launderette – we paired up with a couple of boaters called Anne and John. A friendly couple, they have had their boat, Venetia, for over thirty years so John knows this canal very well indeed. Leigh and Ann quickly got into a routine of doing the locks together whilst John and Tom steered and chatted about allthingsboating. John recommended a pub called the ‘Rowbarge’ for dinner; coincidentally this was in the village that Tom had loosely planned to moor up at.
The first few locks were fairly easy – the mechanisms were in good working order and the gates not too heavy – so Leigh and Anne enjoyed chatting and getting to know each other a little. Both were dressed in t-shirts and shorts as the day had begun with sunshine and warmth. At around the fourth lock, just as they were bang in the middle of opening the paddles, the heavens opened and torrential rain poured onto them. They both made a run for their respective narrowboats shouting, ‘Get me my waterproof’. I was so glad Rosie and I were inside. I think Leigh is a bitofawitch; she persuaded Tom to buy that waterproof hat yesterday, promising it would be a ‘Godsend’ and, boy, so it has!
Tom even put the canopy up on the stern whilst waiting in the lock – a rare occurrence when the boat is in motion. Leigh and Anne – dripping wet and hiding in the trees at the side of the canal – debated whether they should actually be under trees whilst thunder and lightening were in motion? Yelp!
At least twice they got drenched and at least twice they dried out in the heat of the sun. At one point they debated putting sun-screen on, so hot was the sun on their necks.
Leigh’s favourite lock is one of two listed turf-sided locks that exist today, which means Monkey Marsh lock takes an age to fill and empty – but it is rather beautiful in it’s own way!
After what seemed a heavy old day we took a stroll around the village of Woolhampton.
Crossing the canal swing bridge and railway crossing was enough excitement for us; Leigh and Tom were worn out, Rosie had just about calmed down after the thunderstorms and I was fed up of being cooped up in the boat all day!
Woofs, Martha X
Friday 4 August
Hungerford to Newbury
Leigh and Tom knew today would be pretty much gogogo so we set off early. As Tom was steering Very Pinook into her first lock of the day, Leigh could see another boat cruising towards us so waited (as you do) for it to enter the lock. It turned out that the couple on board, Lynda and Ken, were making for Newbury too. Two N.B.’s in a lock always attracts extra-attention from gongoozlers and I can understand why.
Lynda and Ken are Australian and have been travelling the canals and waters of the U.K. for the last five months. They intended staying over here longer but are missing family and friends and don’t quite enjoy the weather; I can easily understand both reasons. When we travelled Europe, Leigh missed her family and friends – which is why we came back for a period of time each year. As for the weather…all four of us would happily live abroad if only we didn’t have strong personal ties keeping us over here.
Leigh and I can cope with the dull grey skies (Leigh always swears the sky is white, not grey), and coolish days but my, oh my, the last couple of weeks have tested our patience. As Ken said to Tom, ‘In Melbourne we can have four seasons in a day. Over here you have four seasons in a day most days.’ True, Ken. Very true. Yelp!
Lynda and Ken made for good travelling companions and were very knowledgable about where to moor in Newbury as they are doing their ‘return route’. Lynda warned Leigh that the Thames has few facilities. Boaters share lots of information about ‘facilities’ so that pump-outs, taking on water, shopping and laundry can be planned for!
As we cruised into Newbury Leigh told me how pleasantly surprised she was. She didn’t expect it to be so pretty. It constantly amuses me how Leigh judges a place by her previous experience of driving through, or past, it. Just like when you take the train, travelling by boat gives a very different view, thus alters your impression of a place.
After mooring we took a quick tour of Newbury – a town of two halves in my opinion. There is the rather new, swishy shopping area, taking in Whistles, Joules, The White Company and the like. In contrast is a shabby shopping centre with many empty units. Leigh couldn’t get out of there fast enough. There are a couple of beautiful old buildings, and the usual aesthically-pleasing old Church, in the town – but all-in-all one day in Newbury was enough!
Leigh spent the evening in the galley. Spaghetti bolognaise, chilli and blackberry jam (all made from scratch) were the fruits of her labour.
Rosie and I snoozed until our final walk with Tom around ten-thirty; a busybutgood day was enjoyed by all.
Woofs, Martha x
P.S. Leigh only does half jars of jam as – having no preservatives – it needs to be eaten within a couple of weeks!
Thursday
Hungerford
We intended to move on today. Alas, Leigh was working on something first thing and by about ten-thirty my humans had changed their daily-plan and decided to stay put; we did move across the water from our twenty-four-hour mooring though!
The weather has been much more benevolent; sunshine and the occasional breeze is more our style and meant that we could go out for several walks. At lunchtime Leigh and Tom walked into town for coffee and cake. Leigh took Tom into the tardis that is Roxton’s (a shop that sells everything) and he ended up buying a rather swishy hat.
He took a bit of nagging to do so as it was rather pricey but as Leigh told him,’The waxed Barbour hat I bought has been a Godsend. You actually need a waterproof hat with a rim when you are stuck on the boat in a rainstorm – think of it as an investment piece’.
Tom retorted, ‘Why, is it going to go up in value?’.
Leigh pulled a face and told him, ‘No, but I’m telling you it’ll be so worth it – you’ll see’…
Whilst out for a walk this afternoon we discovered a little circular walk, leading us down an old public footpath, around the back of some houses and then onto the towpath. To Leigh’s delight the blackberry bushes were full of ripe fruit. I guess people use this route as a cut-through and don’t even notice the fruit; Leigh made a mental note to go back this evening with her fruitgatheringbasket.
After dinner I did something I haven’t done for absolutely ages; I went for a run with Leigh. We ran down the canal over where the railway almost meets it, to a lock and then back up over the common in Hungerford. Gosh I was tired afterwards and curled up for a wonderful evening snooze. Leigh told me my mouth and nose were making sharp, little movements and the odd ‘Yelp’ escaped now and then.
After a cool shower and dinner Leigh went back to the blackberry bushes and filled her basket. I wonder what she’ll make this time?
Woofs, Martha xx
P.S. I thought you would like to see a photo of a ‘challenge’ we stumbled across en-route yesterday. Straddling the canal was a Narrowboat; the owner was still asleep when the rope had somehow released itself from a mooring pin!
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