We began our journey from Oxford to meet the Kennet at Reading last Friday morning, heading for Abingdon.
Our Oxford moorings by Osney Bridge
We think this is the Folly which gives Folly Bridge it’s name
We arrived at Abingdon at lunchtime after a perfect mornings’ cruising. It’s on days like these that we feel privileged to be able to live this life! We were expecting a couple of sets of visitors, so we decided to spend the weekend there. On Saturday afternoon we were approached by a Heather and Roger on board nb Celtic Kiwi, who had moored opposite us, and said that they had been reading our blog for a long time. We had a good old natter for a while until they left to have a wander around the town.
I promised to give them a mention – it was great to meet you both, and hopefully we will meet again later on in the summer on the K & A.
Later on in the afternoon, daughter Emma and family arrived for a brief visit. It was lovely to see them, and to see how much Elizabeth has grown since we saw her last, when she was only 5 days old.
Friends Sally and Lisa came over on Sunday for a few hours, bearing chocolate and cider. We all went for a wander around Abingdon.
We left yesterday morning, after a short delay - as Rog put the engine into gear there was a horrible knocking sound. we discovered that one of the bolts holding the drive shaft was so loose that it was banging as the shaft turned. In fact they were all loose. Ian climbed down our engine hole, removed the bolt and tightened the rest, and Karen and I made a quick trip to the nearby chandlery for a replacement and we were soon on our way. We consider ourselves lucky that it didn’t happen mid-river, or we’d have found a use for our new anchor!!
We had a little trouble finding moorings again last night, but eventually managed to get in somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
This morning was another glorious one, we were up early and witnessed the mist on the river before the sun burned it off
The scenery was again absolutely stunning – the photos don’t do it justice
We stopped by the Tesco in Reading and did a huge shop. We decided to stay here on the 24hr moorings and make a fresh start in the morning. We were treated to a rare sight – a pair of black swans and their fluffy offspring – a perfect end to a perfect day.
We say goodbye to the Thames in the morning, at least for the next couple of months. We have enjoyed it immensely, and could not have had more perfect weather. It will seem strange to be back on the canal.
Hi, Gorgeous photos!
ReplyDeletelooks like a great life,good pics.
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