One day on the meadow

Yesterday on Mednemham meadow ...

8 am - must be freezing or mad or both!

While we were moored below Marlow Lock in all that rain a few days ago the River Thames rose by about 10" and yesterday we woke up on a tilt as the water had dropped again.  It took some effort to get us on an back onto an even keel again.

Dutch Barge Kyrenia with Brian and Mary onboard.  They spent the winter at Hambleden as we did and Kyrenia has now been sold.  They are taking her to Chatham Dock for the handover to the new owners.

Looking back at SR (with washing out) as we set off for a walk up Ferry Lane

Some very nice houses here

This is the end of a beautiful row of very old cottages

A semi!

A little lane off to the right caught my eye, it's Common Moor built by Medmenham Parish Council, so we went to see what's there and where it goes to

Looking back towards the gate we came in.  There is no discernable patch and the seat hasn't been sat upon for a good while 

There's a well built adventure area too but again no pathway to and from and I wonder if there have ever been any children playing here

We walk on a little way and see these canes stuck what appears to be haphazardly in the grass but there does seem to be a path of sorts 

... and we found wild orchids growing.   Did you know ....

The name orchid comes from orchis - translated meaning "testicle". Some species of orchid have long, thin roots or rhizomes, but the orchis group have a pair of tubers which resemble a pair of testicles. Even to this day the expression is used in Medicine - orchitis is a painful swelling of the testicles.

Now that we'd found a path we followed it, perhaps it will come out onto a road, but no, it came to sturdy bolted large wooden gates.

We turned around as it was obvious that the way in was also the way out and came across what looks as if could have been a very rickety bridge crossing over the stream but there doesn't appear to be any sort of pathway or anything at all on the other side!

An open gate onto what seemed to be a large grassed area so I took a look but it was a private garden.  What a shame that such a space should be so unused, perhaps there haven't been any children in these large houses for a long time or certainly since the park was built.

We continued our walk to the main road and The Dog and Badger pub and had a look at the bus timetable for a trip into Henley.

Once again we turned around to walk home

           

           Being Sunday there was a service going on in the church

... outside of which was this immaculate Vauxhall Cresta.

We walked back the pretty way and could see the Chapel at  Culham Court for which a Swiss banker demolished a house on the estate.

Green!

We can see Still Rockin' in the distance ... nearly home 

Lots of ewes and their lambs keeping the grass short on the meadow where we're moored

Later in the afternoon we were sitting inside and I mentioned how close the sheep were grazing to the boat and low and behold not five minutes later there was a loud sploosh, a lamb had fallen between the bank and the boat.  We quickly went out and George got down on his front on the deck to try to get his arms under the lambs tummy to lift him.  Have you ever felt the weight to a pure wool jumper that is soaking wet?  Well this was at least three time that! Every time George thought he'd got a good grip his hands just slide away so he turned the lamb's back to the hull and put his hands around the top of the front legs and with remarkable strength managed to quickly stand up and launch himself and the lamb onto the bank.  The lamb stood there for a good 15 minutes wondering what the hell was that all about.  George was very wet and muddy and had even managed to get an earful of mud!  Well done George!

And after an eventful day, a lovely sunset and to cap it all the weather is set to get warmer - is this summer coming?  I hope so!