A Bit of This ...... A Bit of That.....

Been spending time in the Oxford and Thrupp area  sorting things to come and generally having a great time . The weather is still warm and every day has been a tee shirt  day.

Wilst moored in Oxford we saw overhead.... making the most of the great weather.....

 

First this ballon...  followed by...

This one with the very familiar Virgin logo....


Then a few days later in Thrupp...

There  it was again...this time to Hot to be a Virgin...

It's a very nice  place to be moored is Thrupp, great  facilities  including two pubs real handy and......

Local and nation wide identity Maffi.  Here he's heading back to the boat after a days work...

Had a couple of nights at the Boat Inn with Maffi, a few beers and good company... Maffi  loves his  Guiness  and more so when they're the right measure.....

The lift bridge to cross to get to the old stables..

 

 

And  Annies  Tea Rooms always busy...

Also the canoe  and NB hire that Maffi  handles....

Maffi setting free some more hirers...  Had one Big fella capsized 3 times.... Had to use a ladder to extricate him from the water on one attempt...

 

Our Kiwi mate  Spencer   came and picked us up last Sunday and we spent the afternoon at  the village  where he lives.
Monday was a public holiday so the local pub had a barbecue lunch going, with entertainment for the kids, at  2 quid a meal was good value..

Down the local, they served cold beers too...



Up the road was this house belonging to...

Some dude who does sunken treasure diving and salvage ... apparently he's had a huge collect...

 

Spencer  likes motor cycles to..

This 500 TT Yamaha has never been ridden or started....  There's another one  there with low miles...

2004  soft tail Harley  Big Block....

And a Buell....

Had an  Ex, day with Spencer, Karen and Ryan....

Monday morn, its a holiday for workers remember and the Poms were out in force on the tow path,  NB Kotuku pulls  in to moor in front of us.
Keith and Bronny two Kiwis aboard  have been living the  good life for 6-7 years  and  when Keith  suggested a  barby  no one  could  find a reason  not too.

Spencer rang and said  he was bringing the  "Whanau" out for  a  check  of   FireflyNZ  so  the day was set...

 

Keith  makes  cooking to Michelin Star quality look easy as Spencer, Pam and  Karen offer no help...

 

 

Foods up on the tow path.....

Cut the breads and help help yourselfs...  Afte 7pm and still warm...

 

Suns gone but the pavlova and  strawberries and raspberries and blueberrys  have gotta be eaten...

Keith and Bronny  doing it Kiwi style....


Sometimes  different  sights  just pass by...  was it the beer??



No , a woman walking doing the Google mapping thing... 

Next day  Leonie and me headed across a local public track and checked out this old church...

 

Several graves of victims of a local train crash on  Xmas Eve, 1874, 34 dead....

Then over to the adjacent Manor house ruins...

You have to ignore the sign that says don't enter grounds to enter the grounds......





On the track  this bridge crosses the river  Cherwell....
The  church in Shipton on Cherwell in the back ground...

 

There's heaps of  Blackberries along the canals so it's easy picking especially if you steer the NB into the bush on the opposite side to the towpath...

The breakfast of a Champion... cereal, yogurt , sultanas, apricots, stewed  and raw  blackberries, grapes and milk and cream.... OOHHH I have the same...

Some of the Thrupp dogs...

 

 

 

 

 

And Maffi's  Molly...

 

Oxford City...

Having moored in Oxford city we've just been taken it easy filling in time as the location is good for bus and train departures and arrivals.

The weathers still warm but had the occasional shower. The temperature is to rise back up to 28c later in the week another heat wave.

A nice cruise on the Oxford and Tait chuked together a few shots from the Go Pro....
Here's the link..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWJASTub23c

 

 

Leaving Banbury the shoppers stopped for a look.....

 
A lot of the lock keepers cottages are pretty run down but this one's still good....

 

Passed this sportster. It's an NG kit car... they're for sale complete or you can assemble the kits with a touch of mechanical knowledge..

The running gear is based on .........  Morris Marina..... (pppuuukkk)...  1800cc....  has a "boat tail" look at the rear.... (a tug)....

Leaving a lock that exits under an  arched bridge then under a motorway bridge....

Tied to the railings at Aynho Weir lock... the river Cherwell runs across the canal through these arches and after rain, in the winter usually, the swift cross current makes for tricky maneuvering entering the lock....

Somerton Deep lock has a desirable lock keepers cottage..... they had a generator running out back, maybe never been hooked to power...

A rail bridge keeps track of the canal.....

Real country setting...  Us, cows, water and lock....  noiseless... Perfect....

Dressed for the occasional  showers that fell.... great locking team...

Caught up to 4 guys in a row boat doing a lock so I suggested we share the lock... with a wooden boat they were braver than me...

They angled it across the lock to open the gates and emerged still Whole... I had the rudder touching  the rear sill to give them room to fit in...

Old cement works I think??..


As we approached Bakers lock the sky darkened and then the rain came. It fair poured down  for a short time then a hot sun came out and dried everything...

Five minutes before the storm this dude was doing all he could to gain a lightening strike...




Through Thrupp we passed and Maffis boat was moored but no sign of him...

The CRT fellas were  in the area putting up the new mooring signs so Maffi was probably on their Case.....

 

How to park your NB on the tow path, stove and all......



If you don't have the stop  lever on the cog of the paddle winder and your windlass hits the lock beam and your hand lets go the windlass you get.....

A Smack on the head from the flying handle..... ooouuuccchhh he said.....


Tait was flying out today to return to PNG via NZ..

A chill out time while mum cooks lunch...

One of the favourites... Ox Tail and jacket spuds....


Down to the bus for the direct run to Heathrow...

Leonie says good bye still smiling, but with a sad heart.., probably be two years now until we catch up......

Me too.... Awesome visit M8... take care.......

Oxford Canal....

Moved down the Oxford canal and I must say it's a very nice rural trip with plenty of meandering stretches that almost turns back on itself.

Plenty of traffic in the opposite direction as they headed  North from the Cropredy festival where Fairport Convention, Alice Cooper and 10cc played to  name a few.

Moored up in Oxford checking out the town and trying to plan the winter schedule.

 

 

Passed this classic but havn't been able to identify it yet..  Sort of a Del Boy Sportster......

Tait getting very competent steering, well he's had a great tutor, exiting a blind corner...


Had a morning where it got a bit chilly compared to the last months weather but by the afternoon was back to tee shirts....

Steered through the narrows...

A shower of rain then the evening turned out great.... looking from our overnight mooring...

Chinese laundry??.. clean clothes infused with the aroma of the plants...

 

 The RH side of the new Cropredy marina... just puddles...

The LH side and entrance has water in undergoing a "leak" test for 2 weeks..   still a lot of work to do....

 

A couple of well groomed donkeys.....