Total of 306 locks and 391 miles and 16 Tunnels and 3 lift bridges since 5th Nov 2006
Friday was overcast and windy so steering and maneuvering the boat was tricky and it was because of this that I was concentrating on steering and not on the scenery. Dot had gone to the galley to make a drink when she called out about a deer. I suddenly spotted it high tailing it across the field on my left. It was too far away for a photo but I think it may have been a Roe deer because it didn’t have the distinctive white tail and rump of the fallow deer and was too big to be a Muntjac.
Three of the locks today were quite deep with a 12ft, 9ft and 7ft drops. The deepest one, Somerton had nicely kept gardens and a second hand book stall to raise funds to pay for new plants. Dot didn’t buy any but donated 4 old books to the stall instead. I noticed that the old lock keepers house may have been self sufficient with electricity as they had a wind turbine which was going well in the wind and many solar panels on the out buildings.
At Heyford wharf we stopped for water and lunch and while we were waiting for the tank to fill I watched 2 swallows swooping low over the water catching insects. One of them actually hit the water several times before flying up under the road bridge and perching to preen itself. When I spotted this I immediately got out the camera and went back for some photos and I also found that they had built a nest under the bridge arch as well. The picture shows one bird sitting on a bar and the other one in the nest.
Not long after we moored up for the day we were invited to join Brian and Hazel on n/b Willum of Oseney for a drink and a chat. Apparently the boats name came from their previous dog’s pedigree name.
Dot has been amazed at the wild yellow Iris’s growing all along the canal bank, and the lovely Rhododendron at Heyford The last picture was the only one we could get of this lovely thatched house.
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