Another rude awakening!!!!

So I told you last night it was a heavenly mooring didn’t I? So I was in no rush to leave it this morning, pure sunshine, blue skies, just a few boats here. (Although one chose to have his engine on from about 4:30pm even though he was on the boat all afternoon UNTIL 8:30pm.)  Still no need to hurry….

"Whats that noise?” says I, a low rumbling noise seemed to get a tad louder then as the slow dawning on two slow people and we knew with sinking hearts it was the CART strimmers, RUN!!!!! 

         
So we did in both directions David at least was dressed but I had been writing my journal in my new green pen, in our efforts to escape them, one of those nasty rows exploded about my knots again, same cause too.  I managed to get jeans on and ran in my new pink slippers onto the already cut grass at the pointy end to untie my fab knot that never slips. Pink slippers now quite green. 

But we escaped the strimming gang.  I should tell you reader, that when WaL was but two days on the water we had a stone go through our bathroom window, it was from about 15’ across a wide bit of canal from a strimmer, which shattered the glass all over the bathroom floor and into the shower and down the loo, for months we were still finding the bloody stuff in the shower and corners, so our fears are justified.

The Strimming crew caught up with us at Somerton Deep Lock and I have to say how charming they were, all smiley and greetings. 

Seems to be going sideways...

M40 again, glad I am not on it.

How cute is this?

STRIMMER and a very nice gate.

Goodbye beautiful mooring....

WaL in Somerton Deep Lock

Bad photo but this is how deep it is

We met Dusty the fuel coal boat exiting Somerton Deep lock, he seemed quite cross with the heftiness of the lower gate. He told us he had phoned CART to express his feelings in a full and frank manner. I am glad I wasn’t on the receiving end of that chat.  I asked him if he did pump outs but sadly not, this is indeed sad as our dial now reads 9.5 out of 10, Aynho’s pump was broken yesterday, oops.

             
So minutes later we had arrived at Heavenly mooring number two at Somerton Meadows, at 10:30am, all of one lock and two miles, I begged to stop here as we couldn’t last year when we passed this way, the only boat moored departed as we arrived and its fab.

What a day!

Another beautiful gate

Somerton Meadow for tonight

Bikes out, and off we cycled to search Oxfordshire for skimmed milk, there’s not a lot of it about.  We biked 2 easy miles through open farmland, David loves doing this, he has a good snoop to see how the farms are doing, whether their spray lines are straight and if they have striped their nitrogen spraying.  (He used to do this when driving but my screaming was off putting so now I drive).  At Fritwell village there was this shop. 

Great shop.

Go here!!

Ardley Church, 940 years old.

Beginning of Somerton Meadow.

Well pull it in woman!!

 I want to publicise this FAB shop at Fritwell because they don’t get much trade from the canal but its a post office,  a butchers,  it has a cheese counter and grocery shop with a stall outside with veg, I had an eclectic shopping list today and got most of it, except the skimmed milk!!  So go on... Get on yer bike.

We carried on to Ardley the next village on to see the church which dates back 940 years. I was miffed it was locked.

Back to boat to sit in the sun in the cratch.

Salmon salad for supper.