Yesterday morning I took Paddy for his usual pre-breakfast walk and there were two dogs sat outside their boat. Naturally some barking and mutual sniffing went on and so the owner came out. We had a chat as you do and I said that if they were looking for someone to travel with we'd be leaving in a while.
So we travelled with John and Cathy down to Reading!
Getting into one of the locks. Once we'd gone through the swing road bridge at Sheffield, there were thankfully no more bridges to get past, I think there were 7 locks but they all went pretty easily with the extra help.
The two John's enjoying a chat at a lock!
Strangely enough, this is John having a chat with Cathy at a lock! I know I'd be just as bad if the situation was reversed (did I actually admit that?) but I do like teasing him about it!
Spotted going into Reading. Some lovely bridkwork on a house. There was a terrace of four of them all with the pattern on them, and when we got to the side of the house, there was a cross design near the apex of the roof. I wondered if they had been built as something to do with a church, but John thinks it was just a bricklayer who enjoyed his job!
Not something you usually see in someone's back garden...a narrow boat. No idea how it got there but launching it could be fun! Presume they are doing it up. All these unanswered questions? Life is full of little surprises.
As we'd been travelling along John had told the others about us going to moor back at the Bel and the Dragon and they wondered whether there would be space for them, proving that we aren't bad people to share with I like to think! Anyway I sent Wimpy (pronounced Vimpy, South African) a text and he got back saying 'no problem'. So we're going to be seeing each other for another day.
Here it is. Doesn't look that much from here but well worth visiting I promise. We went in for lunch when we arrived and I was very brave and tried one of John's whitebait (my John) and liked it, but I had a broad bean and pea risotto, which was wonderful and declined a pudding, even though I liked them all. My will power amazes me at times!
(Other) John went to Argos and bought a set of dog clippers as it's getting so hot for them, and I borrowed them afterwards. So Paddy had a nice cool bath and then let me remove quite a lot of his coat. He feels like velvet when he's been clipped, I just wish he was less frantic about the whole operation.
It was lovely being on electric again, even if only overnight. I changed the sheets and washed them so that I could dry them the next day in the open air. That's happiness!
This is us moored at the pub. I have to put a mat out for Paddy to walk on as the jetty is metal and he won't put a foot on it. I guess the metal is painful on his paws but as well as that I don't think he likes seeing the water moving under it.
They had live music last night and we popped around to listen to it, and I had a coffee. This halo is getting quite heavy at times.
This morning I walked a mile and a half to get to a Slimming World meeting. I'd lost 1lb. thought I'd have sweated off more than that but anyway at least it meant I got my exercise in today as I had to walk back as well. On the way home I popped into Argos and bought a clipper to use on Paddy as none of the ones in the past have worked that well on him.
Today we left the moorings, with John and Cathy, to head back to the Thames, just one lock downstream.
John and Cathy following us as we leave the Kennet and Avon.
We got to the first lock and tried to buy our licence for the Thames but the lock-keeper was busy and didn't have a volunteer on with him so he asked us to get one at the next lock. We wanted to moor under the lock and our Pearson's Guide told us there were moorings on both sides. When we got there they were all private so we continued down and got in the next lock. The volunteer there said that he wasn't authorised to licence boats but the keeper would be back at 2.00. It was then 1.20. So we sent the others on after the lock-keeper told us where there were some moorings and we tied up at the end of the lock moorings and had lunch.
John went to get it when the chap was back from lunch and I got a text from Cathy saying they'd found moorings and there was space for us! Hooray.
John came back, minus licence as his card was refused, so I went over and paid for it, came back to the boat and we headed off to find the others and moor. We found them and then moored in a nice spot with a bit of breeze. Perfect.
Then another boat went by and called out that I'd left my credit card at the last lock. Brilliant. John (other) has a bike and offered to head back and we waved him goodbye. Then the lock-keeper rang to tell us again, in case we hadn't got the message. John told him that John was on his way only to be told that he can't get there from here without going MILES around. Cathy rang him and he continued trying for a bit before admitting defeat. We're going to go back there tomorrow morning to pick it up! Life is never boring!
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