Monthly Archives: May 2015

Marlow Meanderings and Cookham Culture

Leave a reply

Just next to our mooring near Marlow Bridge one of the big boating outfits was advertising 45 minute round trips to Temple Lock and back. Some newly moved friends had taken an evening off from sorting stuff to come down and join our merry crew for dinner: the cook decided there was time for a quick pre-prandial cruise, so we headed off to Temple Lock before coming back to our original mooring. Even managed to use the same holes for the mooring spikes. The big boys always always look as though they’re breaking the 8kph speed limit, but our little cruise took 45 minutes. Well there you go…

Feeding time at MarlowHappy Chance again

Mooring near a posh town centre, pros: freshly baked croissants for breakfast; cons: the locals tend to demand their breakfast with menaces.

Cookham Church

On the advice of the local lock-keeper regarding amenable moorings, Sunday morning saw a gentle wander in increasingly splendid weather down to the picture book village of Cookham, which was pretty but mobbed. A visit to the Stanley Spencer Gallery seemed to be compulsory, and they had some significant extra paintings from other UK collections. He might be a much lauded local and national hero, but I’m afraid that the views of Biggles and his crew were rather more mixed, though we suspect Christ preaching at Cookham Regatta would have hit the spot had he finished it.

Less impressive was the local water bailiff, who came to collect the mooring fee accompanied by husband and three unruly dogs all off the lead, one of which tried to jump in via the side hatch to say “hello” to the Captain. The Captain was not  impressed. Telling someone after the event that “Oh don’t worry, he likes cats…” only adds insult to injury. Why do people with dogs just assume that everyone else takes delight in their dogs bounding up to them and jumping/barking/slobbering at them. Stiff letter to council required.

Where it all started

Leave a reply

Just down the water from Henley-on-Thames, near Remenham Hill and Temple Island was the river bank where we had first come across Toulouse, the boat that Pipers copied to make Song & Dance.

It all looked very empty compared to that first visit as we passed by on our way to Marlow for the night.

Temple IslandWhere it all started...

Temple IslandBench for The Invisible Man?

Hooray Henleys

Leave a reply

After getting over the shock of Pay & Display machines for boats, a wander round Henley-on-Thames, a pleasant town with lots of interesting buildings, even if the green open spaces are already being taken over by marquees in preparation for the regatta.

A nanosecond’s glance in any of the estate agent windows makes it abundantly clear that if we decide to move house, it won’t be to Henley. Just opposite our mooring, on an island with no pedestrian or vehicular access (boat excepted) a new house – well, more a substantial garden shed – has apparently just been sold for upwards of half a million pounds…

Where's the Pot of Gold?

It rained a bit but the sun came out and gave us splendid double rainbow.

Getting one's ducks in a row...We musn't keep meeting like this...

Some Canada Geese put a new slant on getting one’s ducks in a row, while we bumbled into Happy Chance once again. She does look rather splendid, but we’ll have to stop meeting like this.

Henley-on-ThamesGetting ready for the Henley Regatta

Mayflies, Table Football and Pay & Display Machines

Leave a reply

Although we were occupying facilities we really shouldn’t, the winds on the Tuesday after the Bank Holiday were so strong and gusty that Andy the lock-keeper let us stay put on (sniff)elf’n-safety grounds and we arranged to stay a second night. The fact that he was also a cat-lover and bird watcher probably had nothing to do with it. The very few narrowboats out were having a real struggle, and Happy Chance the new Piper Dutch Barge was having an “interesting” time under tuition from one of the training schools.

But although very windy and gusty, it was warm, intermittently sunny, and the mayflies were emerging in large numbers. As a result of which we had some splendid entertainment by a pair of Eurasian Hobbies (Hobbys?) flashing to and fro around the river and the weir stream and in and out of the trees, catching mayflies in their talons and scaring the swallows and martins. None of the crew had ever seen a Hobby before, and for our first sighting to be a three-hour grandstand demonstration of unbelievable aerial agility, without any sign of landing or taking a breather, was a special treat.

Falco subbuteo was named by Linnaeus over 250 years ago: I wonder why a maker of table football games vaguely remembered from childhood adopted the name…

It was still jolly windy and more importantly gusty on the Wednesday morning, but not quite as bad as before, so rather than risking have Biggles overstaying his welcome, we set off on the short trip to Henley-on-Thames, and tied up safely on the town moorings without incident. The mayflies were once again out in force, and for a short while just past Wargrave we had a Hobby or possibly two flashing around in front of the boat.

To moor overnight it was not only necessary to pay a mooring fee, but – quelle horreur – to do so one had to visit a dreaded Pay & Display Machine in a nearby car park. Boat? Pay & Display Machine!? The Captain was not amused…

Sonning, Shiplake, Storms and Strange Portents

Leave a reply

A morning’s gentle potter in improving weather, with the intention of meeting some friends at The Great House on Sonning Bridge for a Sunday lunchtime drink. For those old enough to remember, it used to be called The White Hart. It was shut for refurbishment. There’s a lot of it about.

Fortunately said friends came equipped with ample provisions for lunch on board. Unsurprisingly for a warm and sunny bank holiday Sunday, there was plenty of traffic about.

Rush hour at Sonning LockSonning Bridge

Sonning also seemed to have a number of strange signs: must be something in the water. (Click on the photos to enlarge them if you can’t read the words).

No access to where?Que?Makes a change from teaspoons

It’s a long time since we’ve seen Uri Geller’s name carved in iron.

Monday morning, and some emergency washing necessitated a hook-up: nearby Shiplake Lock had some facilities for electric boats, and Andy the lock keeper said we could use them if no-one else needed them. It was a pleasant spot on the weir island (shades of Abingdon), and the Captain approved.

Captain & First MateCaptain & SWMBO

Our old friend the mis-spelt and mis-coloured Amerthyst tipped up for some fresh water. And to continue the theme, there was a slightly odd Danger: Shallow Water sign. It’s normally deep water that’s dangerous.

Wrong twice!Makes a change from dangerous deep water, I guess.

Swan-Upmanship

Leave a reply

Following reports from H M Queen’s chappy that last year wasn’t too good swan-wise, this lady at least seems to be doing her best to rectify the situation. Nesting right under the walkway from dry land to the service pontoon at Thames & Kennet Marina, she seemed quite unconcerned by the busy comings and goings of boats and crew. (Mobile phone pictures)

Mum Ahoy.Keeping Things Warm

Poached or Scrambled, Sir?

May Day, Marina, Tesco… Every Little Helps

1 Reply

After spending the day at Beale Park, an uneventful and short run downstream, mooring overnight opposite Fry’s Island by Reading Bridge, before winding our way into Thames & Kennet Marina for the day. Piper Boats had some chaps down for a couple of days commissioning a new boat or two and fixing some problems with Song & Dance and some others (it’s not as bad as it sounds; there are loads of Piper Dutch Barges in that marina).

Not unexpectedly, we ended up staying overnight, and the First Mate declined at the last minute to get up at dawn and dance in the First of May. Can’t think why.

Anyway, with most of the problems fixed, a departure for the long haul to Tesco seemed appropriate. T&K Marina is miles from anywhere by road: just across the river (10 minutes by boat, probably 10 hours by Shank’s pony and public transport) there’s a 24 hour Tesco with reasonably attractive mooring under the trees, no more than 30 yards from the entrance. Can’t even see the store or the car park from there, it’s really quite odd, and deservedly a popular mooring spot. Biggles approves, there’s plenty of secluded ground for him to explore (or perhaps exploit).

A major shop ensued, and later our Reading friends Simon & Hilary walked down to partake of some home cooking: the first time we’d actually tried having guests to dinner. The mooring is only 12 minutes walk from the new entrance to Reading Station, so a quick trip home on Saturday to pick up postal voting slips and some parcels seemed in order too.

Here’s a picture of Vinny, (Piper’s paintwork supremo) having a break from commissioning the newly launched Happy Chance while the new owner tries parking it in the marina on his own…

Happy Chance & Vinny