Moving on ...

Lovely to see this little bumble bee on the violas this morning ...

 as we were preparing to cast off the ropes ...

 and leave Beale Park.

 Winding in the stream, missing the fallen tree ...

 and continuing north, upstream.

 Looking back at Gatehampton Bridge and the lovely countryside beyond.

 Just 40 minutes later we're approaching our destination ...

 below Goring Lock

 and looking back from whence we came!

 Beautiful Victoria plums in a garden as we walk into Goring for lunch

and the late afternoon sun dipping behind the trees opposite our mooring.

Tesco delivery in the morning.

Saying cheerio ...

This morning (Tuesday 28th) ...

 the River Thames was like a glass lake

Just after 9 Sue and Vic are getting ready to set off

 Ann's Molly looks sad to be going!

 Oops Ann ... caught you with your eyes closed ... sorry!

 and away they go downstream

 Enjoy the rest of your trip Ann on the good ship No Problem and we hope to see you again in the not too distant future

 Walking back to Still Rockin' ...

 and it's time for us to leave too

 Swinging round to return upstream for us

 Another tree down leaving the bank in a very precarious state

 Just half an hour and we're moored up once more with a slightly more open views.

Another quiet day for us after picking just over a kilo of blackberries for the freezer.  I'm so surprised that more people don't pick this free beautiful food.

Bank Holiday Monday

... dawned dry and sunny.  The River Thames here has been busy with boats moving but no one seemed to want to stop and moor up ... perhaps they're on their way back to base and back to work tomorrow ... but not us of course!

Adolescent Great Crested Greebe

Lunch time was spent on the deck of Still Rockin' with Sue, Vic and Ann finishing off the bbq food from Saturday night

 During lunch this swimmer came by ...

it's Andy Pinock who is swimming backstroke from Goring to Pangbourne (4-miles) today (27th) for the Lymphoma Research Trust ... if you would like to donate to this charity, the just giving link is here 

The remainder of the day was spent quietly and we watched the second episode of 'Body Guard' on BBC1 in the evening ... it was just a bit tense ... can't wait for next Sunday's episode!

Wet, wet, wet

It was so cold this morning (Sunday 26th August) and we finally gave in and put the central heating on in Still Rockin'.  The rain came down mid morning at a 45° angle in a wind gusting up to 50 mph ...

 We felt so sorry for these youngsters, they have tied the two canoes together to give them more paddle power

They must have a schedule to keep or surely they wouldn't be out in this atrocious weather.

It was still bucketing down at 2pm when we went round to have dinner onboard No Problem with Sue, Vic and Ann, carrying a very hot blackberry crumble straight from the oven and custard on a tray covered in foil in an attempt to keep it dry.  With my hood falling over my eyes it was difficult enough to even see where I was going ... but it was worth it ... best Sunday roast ... cooked perfectly by Vic as always, thank you.

The rain continued well into the evening and the heating stayed on while we snoozed the remainder of the afternoon away 'til bedtime!

Good news from the weather forecaster on Country File though ... summer will be coming back next weekend!

Bank Holiday weekend

We slept late again this morning (Saturday 25th) waking at 8 o'clock; we've been sleeping better now its cooler, it's 9°c outside, 16 inside with condensation on the metal frames of the windows.

 It was 10:15 before we set off from our mooring at Runsford Hole ... we shall definitely moor here again in the future

 Our first lock of the day ... Cleeve ... is over there across the meadow ...

it's a bit further though along the river.

 It's taken me a while to figure out what this is ... a cockerel!

 We usually see Fred a relief lock keeper, in Abingdon but over past few weeks he's been manning other locks too but we were surprised to see him this far south!  He was certainly being kept busy!

 Meeting other vessels as we leave the lock ... it's only ¼ mile to the next lock at ...

 Goring ... no apologies for yet another photo of what I think is the best lock setting on the Thames ...

 in Goring Gap an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

This lock too was busy and I needed to put our bow rope on the very end bollard just a few feet away from the alcove into which the gate fits when open ... we were fine! 

He'll not catch any fish there!

Leaving Goring Lock ...

There are a few trees down ...

creating a bit of a surprise to these two cruises who take swift action to avoid a collision

 Approaching Gatehampton Bridge round the corner

Lots of people enjoying the sunshine ...

on what looks to be the best day (weather wise) of the Bank Holiday weekend

Fantastic views beyond the bridge ....

Another Isambard Kingdon Brunel designed bridge

This is a lovely reach (stretch of water between locks) to travel too 

with its steep wooded banks ...

and glimpses of what's beyond

Ferry Cottage is up for sale

Disappointed to see these brand new signs have gone up all along the banks of Beale Park

So far we've not seen any moored boats

That's where would normally moor but not today

There they are!

Sue came to help with the ropes and invited us onto NP for a cuppa and a bacon roll for lunch ... just the job.  We met up with Ann who has come to stay with Sue and Vic for a week or so, it's been 3-years since we spent time with Ann and it's so good to see her again.  We arranged to meet up with them at about 5pm for guess what?

A BBQ .... in the rain .... again!

Waiting!

15-minutes later the grey clouds are moving away south ...

and the sky is brightening up

Tucking in!

The last of the sun's rays.

A good day!