A couple of Friday evenings ago I was preparing to head to the local Texas Holdem poker tourney and was doing some chores like getting the fire set and a stockpile of wood and coal inside the NB.
As I was about to close the front hatch I heard a Horn blaaassstt and looking along the canal toward Banbury I spy the familiar colour and shape of NB Milly M..
About to tie up is....
"The Mafster". Maffi with Molly on the roof.. 0n his way back to Thrupp after his winter cruise which covered 600 odd miles.
So the poker night was abandoned and we frequented the close by GWA pub for an enjoyable couple of ales....
The next morning I looked across and saw Maffi about to move his boat forward. I walked across the road bridge and along the canal to learn he had dropped the handle from his pump out pump into the canal....
Using a......
Sea Searcher magnet and a boat hook we "fished" but to no avail...
Later in the morning......
Maffi set off toward Thrupp......
Previously we had visited Waddesdon Manor.. The home of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild.
That day the rain and wind were too much so we only got to see the inner confines of the house.
A nice sunny day so I said to Leonie "get on the car" and soon the "race tuned Ford focus" was into gear.
I pulled a plug lead off No, 3 plug to restrict the horse power, slow the "motar," so we could travel more sedately and enjoy the Buckinghamshire countryside en route...
The large perfectly manicured grounds.....
Feature large flower beds that were just coming to their best....
And many.....
Statues through out the grounds...
The Baron, like a lot of males, was keen on "Birds" so.....
He had built a rather "Trendy" ornate aviary.....
Nice detail.... No Plywood and Chicken netting here...
In the 4 part aviary complex a ........
Water feature is a must.... all those coins in the pond could be put to good use buying bird feed.....
The planting of a......
White garden in front of the aviary is a work of art completing the master piece......
Back in the garden.....
This large bird was completely planted over with flowers and will look awesome in a couple of weeks....
The House is very French Styled......
Clever As.....
And the gardens were showing magnificent colour....
Looking farther away there's walkways through the trees....
Clipping the hedges, bushes and trees must be never ending work....
After a very worthwhile visit it was back to....
How the Other Half live..... After the winter wet preparing the rear deck....Sanded back to bare metal...
For a coat of steel primer and then topcoat beneath the floor boards....
