Escaped?

We've been thinking hard about what we should do after the missives from both the Environment Agency (EA) and Hambleden Marina a week ago.  Wherever we decide to go there are a few problems we have to try to overcome first - food deliveries, post (especially Pharmacy2you) which we both use on our travels and that we need somewhere we can stay (in our own isolation) for an extended period and when to leave.  EA guidance states that live-aboard boaters can only move if essential which our move would be and if we didn't need to use a lock we could leave as soon as we had sorted everything out.

Where to go? - we had already made provisional arrangements to stay at Medmenham meadow (SRB Moorings) when it was uncertain as to the date we'd have to leave the mill stream but cancelled the arrangement when we were told that we could stay  at the marina until the river reopened, hence the move into the weir stream.  We could see if Steve (SRB) would be willing to provide us with a temporary mooring and is there a space for us?

We need first though to solve food and post.

Food - getting over my initial panic anxiety that if we were on the meadow we couldn't get a food delivery (and after a face to face call with daughter Sharon, thanks sweetheart), I realised that the situation really is no different from when we're normally cruising.  

There are houses in Ferry Lane at Medmenham ('our' meadow mooring would be just to the left of where the lane reaches the River Thames on this map).  I could use the postcode of one of the houses as the address for my order and put direction instructions from there to the slipway at the end of the lane from where we could transport our order in rucksacks and shopping trolley the quarter mile to our mooring.  Fingers crossed that this works ok ... it normally does.

Post - is there a 'community' for Hambleden Village?  Lovely daughter Sharon helped with this one too by finding a facebook community via the Dog and Badger (top of Ferry Lane) but didn't get a reply from her message to them. Anyway, yesterday morning I rang the pub ... no reply, so went into another of their fb pages and a chat window opened so I explained our predicament and asked if they could help.  Result! I was given a telephone number for a lady who lives nearby who has very kindly offered to take any post for us and will leave it in a safe place so that we can collect it without personal contact.  I am so grateful to her for her kindness.

George checked with SRB moorings and we were told that we would be welcome at the meadow mooring until initially, the end of July ... great news!

Our original idea was to wait until May 29th after a Tesco delivery to us at the marina but having spoken to Peter (owner) of our plans he offered to pick up the order (if we wanted to move sooner) and bring it round to us by boat!  Another result from another very kind person.

So ... yesterday it was all systems go ... water tank filled, nasties emptied, mains electricity cable removed, people informed of what we're doing, lunch taken and at 2:20 we let our mooring ropes go.   George bow-thrusted Still Rockin' out of her space and into the weir stream, a turn of 360° through lines of plastic cruisers.

Looking back as we cruise through the weir stream ... there's no water at all coming over the weir ... we've never seen that before!

Looking back again and forward as we reach the open channel and turn left downstream.  We're only going about half a mile ...

Canada Geese and their nursery of goslings

Lots of people enjoying the sunshine and water

Another first ... a narrow boat moored on the Flower Pot hotel pontoon.

canoeists on one side of Still Rockin' and paddle boarders on the other ... they're all out today

Approaching and passing Culham Court ...

we arrive at the lower end of the meadow

That's 'our' mooring ... we winded (turned) in the channel and moored up ... the whole journey took just 35 minutes!

Windbreak out to deter passers-by from ignoring social distancing ...

and our views up and down the meadow.

Not sure that the title is quite how I feel.  George says we've escaped but I feel rather that we've just moved from one isolation to another ... apart from the view ... nothing has changed ... I hope that it stays that way for us now and for the foreseeable.

Come for a walk with me ...

Thursday (14th May) walking on my own today ..

Over the road where the portable loo is is the bus stop into Henley which has been removed from service since January due to Southern Water blocking it off whilst updating pipes which had caused leaking in the immediate area.  I was surprised this morning that it was all gone as it was still there yesterday!

I'm doing our circular walk but slightly different today ... through the meadow towards the village ...

Life is always greener ... as they say!

at the top of the meadow I turned right ... lovely views ...

Hambleden Village is to the left of the fork, but I'm keeping right ...

I've walked from the fork along this pathway ...

to this kissing gate, the third one of this walk ...

and through the gate to another fork.  Usually we go straight ahead through the woods and bluebells (now gone over) but today I took the right fork and through kissing gate four ...

Wow!

Looking down on Hambleden village to my right ...

and Culham Court in the distance to my left

through kissing gate number five ...

across another field that I thought was going to be a dead end but then spied this little pathway through the vegetation ...

and out onto Rotten Row ...

where I have usually ben turning round to go home when on recent short walks by myself.

Arriving home at the marina entrance ...

and Still Rockin'.

The first canoeists of the season passed the boat this afternoon ...

heading for the one open sluice of the weir ...

Rather them than me!

Craning continues ...

Monday (11th) and the Prime Minister informs us that some sanctions will be lifted this week ... we will await to hear from the Canal and River Trust and the Environment Agency as to how it will effect us.

Tuesday here at Hambleden Marina they're into the second week of craning the cruisers back into the water

There we are!

The bankside behind us is looking pretty now

Final day of craning on Wednesday (13th) ...

and the Mill Stream is now chock a block ... very different from what we usually see ...

when I took a short walk towards Medmenham to blow the cobwebs away

From the river end of the mill stream

and where those cruiser used to be.

CRT and the EA have lifted sanctions on water sports from today ...

and at 6:45 here comes the first ... a canoeing angler!

We understand that live-aboard boaters can still only cruise for essential reasons but that this may change in early June depending on whether the 'R' rate continues to fall apparently.  We have also had an email from the marina today to all its customers ...

"As you will know from our previous email we have continued with our start of season craning plans so we can be ready for when the river reopens for leisure use.

The Environment Agency guidance emailed to river users today does not allow the use of the river for leisure boating yet.

We can confirm that the marina is now open for customers to visit their boats (but not use the river). Please ensure that whilst at the marina the 2 metre distancing rules are followed and please if possible avoid the use of our sanitation facilities.

Currently with our winter storers we have more boats than we have space, but rest assured that these extra boats will be leaving as soon as they reasonably can once the river restrictions ease."

It leaves us in no doubt that we will have to move on when the River Thames is fully open again.  

Communication from the Environment Agency advises us that there are still problems at a number of locks which need to be fixed before they can be used by boaters, and that weirs etc., need to inspected, but give no indication of when any of this may happen.

We shall have to wait and see.

Before the weather breaks

Saturday (9th May) ... what may be the last of the warm days as the forecast for the coming week is very cold starts and winds from the north.

Just a short walk today ... over the meadows ...

to Hambleden Village ...

and the quaint village shop where George waits his turn ... only 2 shoppers inside at any one time ... we're treating ourselves to a Magnum and take them to the village cricket pitch ...

where we sit in the shade under the chestnut tree heavy with their candelabras ...

and we can see the old manor house opposite.

Behind our seat is this beautiful, peaceful scene ... the row of Garden Cottages.

Another treat today ... perhaps the last one for a while ...

another bbq ... turf and surf this time ... taken again on the deck of Gypsy Willow ...

where we sat once again until the after 8pm and the sun was very nearly set.