This is the life!

So this morning I woke with a slight sinking feeling. 
Firstly we had to do a flit to Waitrose here in Abingdon then we had to start this cruising business.  
Gulp.

I of course thought we would go to the supermarket in the car, David had of course thought we would walk.

We were moored on the visitor moorings above the lock here, I had understood that the supermarket was over the weir, along a bit and you are there, but in the event we had to ask people the way the last was a postman and we had arrived.  My last words walking around the store were "This carrying is going to kill us"  I wasn't far wrong.

David as always firmly took control of the fridge loading, I simply can't be trusted.  Bish bash bosh and really no more excuses the time had come to move Still Rockin'.....
Gulp!

Life jackets on, a few precautionary mini jobs and I went forward to untie the ropes, 
David; "Have you untied yet?"
Lisa;  "Yes but get onboard first"
David; "I will when you've untied the rope"
Lisa; "I'm not untying this until you are at the controls"
and so forth.  David turned SR 180 degrees with huge skill, thats a lie, he pressed an button and SR turns on a sixpence.

So there we are.  We pulled SR onto the water point in front of some charming Germans on a 'Le Boat', they apologised for taking so long and assured us they wouldn't much longer.  

Me hanging on and the charming Germans on a Le Boat in front.

Behind them was a narrowboat (out of view), they had had a self pump out and David and I stood there waiting for the water hose to become free she asked the Germans if they wouldn't mind if she went into the lock first as they were in a great hurry, the charming Germans said no of course go ahead, thank you she said, we'll just wait here (blocking the water point) while we wait for the lock....
Errr can you please wait on the lock landing madam, we are waiting for water?
Oh alright then....

So off they went into the lock first, next the charming Germans went in and finally our turn.  As David inched forward I greeted the sweet lock keeper and said its our first lock!  He was a bit disbelieving that this could have be the first lock and we are in the middle of the Thames, but I explained that we had borrowed this and had not had a wide beam before "Bloddy hell!  You must be good friends!"

We had a chuckle and it and explained the situation, I don't really think he was any less surprised.

They took great slow care with us and SR going down in the lock and I managed to push SR off of the back with my gloved hand giving David a 'Straight line' out of the lock.  Strangers to Abingdon will not know that above the town the river is wide, it narrows through the town, with even larger boats moored on the meadows below the lock where there was a wee speed boat bobbing about in our way, go a bit right David, a bit more, oh god that Dutch Barge is a bit close!

Then Hells Bells there's a bridge with arches to get through God Forbid there should another NB coming or even another Wide Beam, perspiration evident now on me.
Go a little bit to the left David, says I helpfully, now look here Lisa I can't have you telling me how to drive this you just keep quiet, so I did.

Just past the first group of moored boats on the meadows out of the lock.  The wee white cross centre of photo is the limit of SR, it is the navigation lights.

David concentrating with white knuckles.  Sorry that was me with white knuckles.

Beautiful launch Anamac 1938  39' 8", what a beauty.

Fabulous flower displays.

We got through the hurdles, I congratulated him and then guess what we saw, that annoying woman from the Narrow Boat a the water point, they had moored up!  Not in much of a great rush then?

We pottered along, very very very slowly.  Probably even slower than when I learnt to helm, then as I said old ladies with small dogs were over taking me walking along the tow path.

Suddenly making me jump a mile in my heightened state of awareness we were over taken by rampaging Rowers they sort of saw us but did take last minute evasive action.  There's nothing like looking where you are going is there?

They were a bit closer than this suggests.

We moored up near Culham and were glad to.  David got SR in smoothly and without bumps George, I hopped off with the most lovely silky rope that they have on SR, and held it as David fetched out the stakes.  Everything is big on SR that includes the stakes (size of a child) and the mallet with I could hardly lift (Size of a small woman).

David with giant mallet and the most lovely Still Rockin' with the lovely silky ropes.

Breakfast at about 2pm.

So you find me now, blogging again on the back deck, (George has an electric plug here), a glass of in my hand, a smile on my face and a happy, oh so happy husband.

Supper will be, cheese and onion quiche with salad then coffee and chocolate.