Spring on the Thames

The clocks have gone forward and today there was a real feeling of spring in the air. After taking Peter back to the station following a weekend visit home, we popped over to Thames Valley Park in Reading to enjoy the sunshine. A skylark was singing above the water meadows and a grebe was busy catching roach in the river. TVP is really the start of the UK's silicon valley with the UK HQs of Microsoft and Oracle on its edge, yet twenty minutes stroll down the river you come to the timeless Sonning bridge and lock. Anyone cruising the Thames should definately stop to visit Sonning.

A couple of narrowboats were moored up above the lock, but only plastic boats and canoes were actually moving. I'm afraid to admit that I have taught ten year old Jacob that people paddling canoes are called canoodlers. One day he'll pay me back I'm sure.

Just a couple of minutes walk from Sonning Lock is the village churchyard through which you can get to the famous Bull Inn (which by the way now has a wifi hotspot. )The churchyard is full of interesting old graves and well worth a visit if only to see the resting place of the unlucky Stuart Carnegie Knox whose gravestone carries an unfortunately phrased inscription. I confess I can't stifle a wry smile each time I see it.

In case you're wondering why we aren't out on Herbie, well, we've been busy with lots of family stuff, but next weekend we are off for a short cruise. Stay tuned folks.