Wednesday 18 September 2013

Villages R Cool....



Yesterday was a rainy don't do anything outside of the boat sort of day. So the only time I ventured out the hatch was to turn the ignition key to run the motor.

Today was much better so we headed off for a walk  around a couple of the local villages and then it started to rain. Didn't last long  though and with a fine warmish day we had a good look around.

If you've read this blog before you'd have seen house photos before but I make no excuses as where else in the world can you see such living history.
I'd rather look at thatched cottages and stone buildings  than a row of State house's in the "Nui" or  Wolverhamton or anywhere else in the world.

I think the English and their  imports, all ages,  take them for granted and It wouldn't surprise me if  most teenagers  said that  they hadn't noticed any.



Aynhoe Park is privately owned and has 250 acres with Capability Brown designed gardens....





It can be hired for weddings, or just a good OL p - ss up....


 








A lot of it was rebuilt after the 17th century English Civil War...



The neighbouring....




Church of  St Michael..


Continuing around the narrow streets, many one way, we found several thatched cottages...





This in Aynhoe...



















Aynhoe.....

 
 
 







 
Also Aynhoe.. the holes on the end wall would  originally be for  entry to a pidgeon loft  I'd say....


This house on Blacksmith Hill.. Originally a Dairy building, the lounge was where  milk and cheese was stored..



In Aynhoe ...... Original flag stone  paved entry hall....



 

Is for sale at 790,000 quid... Grade 11 listed.. that means you'd probably need  permission to install a new toilet roll holder...



Some interior photos...







Door to master bedroom...

Then up the road a bit...


A couple of pheasants....



Several of the cottages had names with reference to black smithing which must have been what  was originally housed there...





Lovely verandah over front door.... How old some of those horse shoes??


A stroll of a couple of miles to the village of Clifton and...




This thatch stands alone on design...... Who wouldn't want the room at the Top?......
 
 
 
 
 Then in Deddington no thatch  but plenty of Class....


So if one has to stand on the head stone in the cemetery to take the above photo over the stone wall....




 
May as well take a photo there too...
 


Around a village tree was miniature cyclamen....

On the local radio station this morning, "traffic hold up on local road due to Wild Deer on road". How cool is that, 20 miles from centre of Oxford city.

The only hold up you'd see 20 miles from a large city in NZ would be the so called "First Settlers" holding up and robbing  tourists  in a camper van or a couple of back packers.

Tomorrow  Gatwick.....
 
 

Monday 16 September 2013

Blowing a Bit....


Up early to leave our mooring  at Thrupp,  the CART  sherriff  would be doing his rounds later in the day, and we were  reversing  along the canal, by 8.15am,  under the lift bridge to the water point for a top up then headed North.
With fine but cool weather we shared the first lock , the unusual shaped  Shipton Weir, with 2 other boats. By the time we reached Bakers lock, only 1.5miles on, it was a bit showery.

It was good to be cruising on the "cut" again after time just doing short moves enabling us to sort the winter months.

At Pigeon lock there's  a nice house moored  beside  the canal with...







A turf roof on the LH end...


And with plenty of helping hands doing the business on the locks......




Leonie found time to pick a few blackberries......    tasted OK in a sponge later  for PUDD....


 
At  Dashwood lock  we caught up with the Thrupp  "deputy sherriff,"  lol, .....







Maffi... have coffee will travel.. the layers of clothing worn have increased 4  fold since last week but mainly to keep dry......

As I drove into the lock Leonie yelled "Maffis here" as he approached and began to chat.
That didn't last long as a scream from the direction of the NB  at the top of the lock, and which Maffi was helping the two woman crew get to Thrupp, had him sprinting faster than Usain Bolt to the canal edge and drag one of the crew backwards onto the towpath  from the canal water. Wet but not injured so we continued our yak..
 Thanks for sharing  conversation and beers at the "Boat Inn" who knows where the cut will lead..


By the time we reached Lower Heyford Leonie had had the washing on the drying rack out and back in  from the front of the boat several times and every time asking me " is it going to rain, how longs it going to last"?...
Hey I'm a master boater not a freak'n  ambassador for the weather bureau....

We moored at Upper Heyford and took a walk around the village, small but had the standard pub and...




A nice row of thatched cottages...






 

And this stone  house with a trendy .... everything.... fence , entry porch...


We  pushed on but the wind was increasing  in velocity making it uncomfortable so we picked a nice quite rural mooring and closed the hatch just as a heavy wind driven shower hit..... who cares....


Up this morning, not early as we had to recover from yesterdays early start, and the sky was blue but the wind was still strong.
Pressing on we shortly arrived at Somerton Deep lock to find we were 5th in line to go up. This lock is so slow filling and emptying there always seems to be a queue.

Being exposed to the wind meant each NB arriving needed help from the towpath to get the mooring ropes secure so it was a bit of fun playing hold onto the blow away NB....

 




Somerton Deep lock has a 12 foot rise and fall... at this end ...


 




And this end too......

Made it to Aynho, pronounced  A  No, had a pump out, filled with diesel then bought a new water tank , petrol  and  pumpout cap key as I dropped  ours in the canal  then moored on the opposite side of the canal.

Watching Doc Martin on telly to night recognizing the Port Isacc sights we recently visited  but havn't  noticed that prick giving out 100 quid parking tickets......

Tomorrow we'll see what the weather brings...