Also yesterday we were expecting a lot of thunder and rain but as we awoke there were two claps of thunder and a smattering of raindrops on the roof. Then a little while later when we were up, just after I'd walked Paddy there was another five minutes if that of rain and that was it. It turned a lot cooler and I considered putting another layer on but didn't bother in the end. We dragged Paddy around Beale Park in the evening and both somewhat regretted not wearing jeans, because the path became very overgrown in places and there were lots of stinging nettles around. We survived the experience though and at least we had a decent walk.
Today it's been a bit changeable. The sun has been really hot at times but there's also been a lot of cloud and some cool breezes.
We left the mooring mid afternoon as we weren't wanting to go too far, just into Reading so there was no hurry.
We got to Mapledurham Lock and used the pump out, It was very efficient and only £10. We were very impressed, that's all it takes to make us happy, a good pump out! John was also able to empty his cassette and we got rid of rubbish, Strangely though they didn't have water there, There was a tap for filling containers, handy if you're on a plastic pig, but not much use to us. Luckily we knew we'd have water when we got to the moorings otherwise it could have been tricky.
At Caversham they have a new pedestrian bridge that is somewhat similar to the Millennium Bridge in London. We have a feeling that they were constructing it the last time we were here. If it's been there for ages, I apologise and you can leave a comment. Still waiting for some!
We actually got a mooring right outside the Tesco at Reading, this has never happened before, there's been no spaces along the whole length of the mooring in the past but we were directly outside and so we were able to moor up, fill a big trolley and push it to the boat where John was able to lug it all down and I had the joy of putting it all away. It truly is amazing how much space you can find on a narrow boat.
Then it was time to turn into the Kennett and Avon Canal, still at this point very much a river and it was running quite fast, We hadn't had to deal with any current up to now and it felt a bit strange. There is one lock to get up before we could moor and naturally, the first lock John's had to do for a while and there's another boat coming down. I watched him help with the top gate, close the paddles and then open the bottom paddles and sort out the gate for them and when the boat emerged there were the two men on the back who I'd seen and two women sat in front doing sweet f..a... I love John dearly but I do wish he'd stand back and let others do their own work sometimes.
We are now moored at the Bel and the Dragon in Reading. It's just before the gaol where we usually moor but it much nicer. They have water and electric, don't charge a mooring fee as long as you spend money in the pub. Jess and Ju are coming tomorrow and staying over so we're going to eat in there with them, we've been in for a drink with the people in the boat next to us, Victor and Eve who live on their wide beam, The Great Escape. They were lovely and we hope to catch up with them again before we move on. We're likely to go up towards Newbury on Tuesday as we want to be back on the Thames in about a week so we can have a week to get down to Brentford then a week to get to Little Venice, hopefully meeting some friends along the way. If you're in the area, please get in touch and we'll try to arrange something.
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