A look around ...

Hambleden Marina on Saturday (3rd October) ...

As I mentioned in a previous blog, the River Thames is currently at a very low level so I went for a walk around to see what was going on at the weirs ... firstly from the marina

 In the three winters that we've moored here I've never seen the water so low ... THIS is a photo I took exactly 2 years ago today as I write this post (Nov 4th 2016), and today there's no water at all spilling over the weirs!

 The swan is taking advantage of all the algae that has been uncovered due to low water

 Across from the weir stream to the Mill Stream and our mooring.  The marina owner's houseboat Gypsy Willow has come in and moored behind us, where we usually moor up and a narrowboat that we've not seen before is also in for the winter.

I think we'll be ok there, but we really could do with some decent rain (sorry!) to lift our bottom off the bottom!

 Walking over the bridge towards the marina exit ...

 Hambleden Mill and the Mill House ...

 and onto the weir bridge looking back at the converted Mill

 Not a drip of water!

 Seven of the eight sluices are closed and there's no water at all spilling over the top of them

 There's just this one open which is always open ... the water has to have somewhere to go or the river would dry up downstream!

 Looking back

 The whitewater canoeists can't be having much fun either ... with only the one sluice open the water is not white at all. Click HERE to see how it looked for the canoeist in November 2016.

Back at the moorings ...

 it looks like children have been playing here during the summer

and George is wearing well under the apple tree.

On a bright and frosty morning ...

He have heard the resident Kingfisher(s) more than we've seen them!  We can hear the sploosh as they dive in the water and through the window George saw one dive from the top of Still Rockin' and fly off with a small fish of which there are many in the mill stream.  I've learned today that the difference between male and female Kingfishers is that the female has a pinky/orange hue on its lower beak.  I think the one above taken through the window, is a female but the colour is not as sharp as the the sighting we saw on  THURSDAY ... perhaps there is a pair!  Now that I know I shall look more closely each time.

Yesterday (2nd November) we woke to a hard frost with the promise of a clear blue sky ... George's bust is still sitting under the tree ... good to see.

A fluffed-up pigeon catching some sun

I washed my window nets yesterday and left them hanging overnight to drip-dry and of course this morning they were frozen stiff!

 Waiting for the bus to go into Henley

it is so beautiful around this area.

In Henley we paid a visit to the Travel Agency who have organised our extended trip to Australia in February next year to finalise the documentation ready for the final payment next week.

From there we caught the bus to Marlow (senior person bus passes really are the business for us!) to collect post from the post office and pick up a few provisions for the weekend.

Home ...

I was going to say 'at last' but it's that strange feeling of doubt you can get at the end of an adventure and arrive home ... wish you were still there yet glad to be ... home.

 Very misty this morning before 7 o'clock and it's 0°c once again

 Hire boaters pass wearing hats and winter coats

 Historic boat Dover going upstream in the cold sunshine too ...

 and then came the Royal Air Force from their Water Sports Centre at Danesfield.  Hope they're not flyers ... their rhythm on the drum was as out of sync as the rowers paddles!

 Leaving Medmenham, the sheep and ...

 the goose poo at 1:30 pm ...

 we're really heading for home now!

 Still some hardy souls out on the water

 Coldy, coldy!

 Hambleden Lock on the left, marina on the right

 We need to go to the right of the cruiser, taking a wide angle as the mill stream will be silted by the bushes ...

 and to keep close in to our left as we enter the stream

 Richard and Marc appear in the marina workboat to ask if they can help us ...

 and since Still Rockin' is sitting on the bottom going nowhere we take up Marc's offer of a tow ...

 that's where we moor on the right by the first metal riser ...

 but we had problems getting close into the pontoon so moved forward where we were eventually able to tie up close enough to get on and off easily.

Marc the marina manager has opened the mill stream sluice in an attempt to move some of the silt which had both helped and hindered us to get into the side.

After the all heavy rain in the spring that prevented us from leaving Hambleden Marina until mid-April which caused high water, and then the lack of rain during the unusually hot summer, the water on the Thames never regained its usual 'normal' level. 

 Our Winter Home until March 2019

 A wonderful Kingfisher welcome too! ...

as we relax on the deck with a cuppa in the warm sunshine out of the cold wind.