Did I say it was hot?

Well we arrived back at Fenny Compton in the heat.  Golly it was so hot I wore my new LARGE sunhat to unload the car.

WaL was moored up just outside the dry dock and Reader I have to say she don't alf look grand.  Let me qualify that by say her blacking looks marvellous.  The cratch cover is looking "Gorn over" my grandmother would have said and the varnishing on the front of the cratch woodwork looks fab although yes needs more coats...

We chatted a bit to Phil who did the blacking and when David lost the car somewhere in Fenny Compton village I made the bed up although in this heat I assumed we'd just be under a sheet tonight.  

We did a pump out, filled with water and drifted off southwards with no plan in place, just cruising until a nice spot came into view.

It did so a short way back from the Claydon Flight which we were to do in the morning.  It was pretty busy this afternoon.  Hire boats out in force and the only surprise is that it hadn't been busy up till now.  Jolly faces and big smiles from folks on holiday is always cheering.

Somewhere on the South Oxford canal.  Birds singing, sun shining, all is green, growing and lush.

A good "River mooring", that is to say WaL is sticking out and you have to do the Leap of Faith to board her.

We were going to put the chairs out in the semi shade but Reader frankly it was too damned hot.

The view out of my kitchen window tonight.

We sat in the cratch to relax, carefully positioning ourselves to be out of the direct sun.

A hire boat came around the bend behind and moored up in front of us.  The two couples onboard included two kind men, who when a cyclist appeared in front of their boat and unsighted by us, gave out some expletives when his luggage tipped off the back of his trailer he was towing, he didn't lose it into the canal but it was a close thing.

The two men had gone forward to help the chap who David and I thought momentarily was the Naked Hiker  HERE  due to his topless state and flesh coloured shorts and all over tan, but no.  The kind men helped, one push his bike past the moored boats and the other held the trailer level whilst he went back for his possessions.  The tow path between here and Napton is narrow, (see my photos) and isn't best suited for cycling, ask one who knows and I think his best chances were to get on a lane.  Maybe one of you can tell us how he progressed.  

Supper was beef from home that was on the date, salad.

It was hot still till 10pm when we retired due to bad light preventing reading.  We slept with the back doors open as it was still hot.