Emailed blood pressure readings to Dr Sushma at the Rugby practice. Listening to the radio made me remember that as a child I was concerned by the threat of the cold war which coloured many aspects of my life and was quite a controlling influence. The controlling influence that is affecting my childrens lives is Climate Change, Food Shortage and Energy Deprivation.
While I was here I set up the pole lathe and tried out
some of the wood we collected a few days ago. While I was
playing a young coloured lad came along the tow path with
some pieces of furniture and deposited them on a boat
further along. He then returned and watched me for a while
and then remarked that his grandfather used to use a pole
lathe in Nigeria when he was younger (the lad that is). He
nicknamed me Joseph the Carpenter. He also showed me a
chair that his grandfather had made similar to this one. He
also told me that the back of the chair doubled as a shield
and the seat portion doubled as a short stabbing spear with
a broad blade. When the warrior was was tired he could
assemble the shield and spear into a rudimentary chair.
Recent research tells me that it is actually a birthing
chair, perhaps his grandfather was giving him a fanciful
story for a young lad.
10th 11th 12th Swinford Bridge River Thames to Trout Inn, Tadpole Bridge 18 miles 8 locks
Now we are on the Thames. Cruising a river like this is
totally different to the canals. The river meanders all
over the place and sometimes it is difficult to negotiate a
sharp bend when the current is against you. There is so
much water around and underneath the boat that there is no
impediment to moving. On the canal there is always the
bottom of the canal just inches from the bottom of the boat
and often the bank is just a few feet away, both dragging
on the boat.
On the river there is always enough room to turn around
wherever you are. On the canal you have to travel to the
next winding hole to turn around, sometimes many miles
away.
Going upstream guiding the boat is easy, going downstream
less so, it is easy to get into trouble by approaching an
obstacle more quickly than you had estimated and then being
unable to slow down quickly enough. You soon realise why
you must give way to boats coming downstream.
Richard vidited while we were at the Trout Inn.
13th Cragle Bridge 2½ miles 2 locks
Emptied elsan at one lock and filled up with water at
the other lock. Lost my baseball cap somewhere in the
river. I cannot remember how many hats I have lost to the
wind, I must remember to only buy hats with chinstraps in
future.
Decanted 5 litres of wine.
14th Lechlade 5 miles 3 locks
Mooring fee £5. The cows can be a bit of a problem as we
are moored in a farmers field. The cows keep trying the
taste of the mooring ropes.
Since we are unlikely to get the opportunity of returning
here we made the most of it and stayed for several days
investigating thr area.
18th Tadpole Bridge 8 miles 5 locks
Heading to the Kennet and Avon canal.
19th Swinford Bridge 12 miles 3 locks
D'fer limping very badly. Couldn't walk to the vets so Richard came and collected us and drove us the three miles to the nearest vet. She examined him and was surprised at how compliant he was considering the pain he was in. She thinks that he must have been stung as she could find no evidence of any foreign object between his pads. Prescribed pain killers and Cortisone with a top up of antihistamines (Lorratidine hay fever tablets to you and me) available from the chemist.
22nd The Perch 4 miles 3 locks
Emailed my peak flow readings and blood pressure readings to the practice nurse at Rugby.
24th Abingdon 10 miles 4 locks
I set up the pole lathe on the bank and had a play with
it.
Role, my No. 2's brother-in-law, visited and
joined us for a couple of days cruising to Wallingford.
I followed up with the nurse on my BP readings and she said
there would be no change to the medication.
27th 28th Wallingford 13½ miles 4 locks
Role left to get back to his car at Abingdon.
29th Child Beale Wildlife Trust 8½ miles 2 locks
Lovely place to moor up with all the birds to watch.
30th Riverside Meadow, Pangbourne 1 1/4 miles 1 lock