Folly events and flying ants

 So we decided next to pay the dear old Folly a visit.  Having surmounted Calcutt locks, pausing to buy an ice cream as we did so, we swung round Wigrams turn, narrowly missing another boat like you sometimes do (it's a blind junction) and pressed on towards Napton, noticing how much more boat traffic there is on the Oxford than on the GU.

Electric car owners reportedly suffer from range anxiety, where as we boater suffer from mooring anxiety.  Would there be room at the Folly moorings?  We arrived to find them full. Bah!  Nothing for it but to turn round and head for the next spot a long way back. So we had to turn the boat in the winding hole, and as we started back another boat pulled away and left a gap for us. It wasn't the best gap for two reasons; one being that our bow was protruding over the fenced off bit where CRT have restored the bank with coir sausages with deep soft mud behind.  Very pretty though, and not too hard to climb on and off the bow.

Loosestrife planted in the sausage.

The other reason it wasn't the best spot was that right by our aft end was an ants nest which was in the process of swarming - flying ant day. In half an hour Herbie's aft deck was covered in the little winged buggers and the canal water behind us was teeming with drowning ants.  I'm afraid I had little sympathy for them.

So evening came and we graced the Folly potting shed with our presence, supping pints of Shagweaver and noshing on, in my case, faggots chips and gravy, and in Kath's, battered halloumi and chips. Well you eat healthily all the time.  Landlord Mark came over for a chat and was very enthusiastic about their upcoming music quiz a week next Thursday.  Apparently when they did it last time it was a brilliant evening. I love a good quiz, especially on music as long as it isn't 21st century. Mark assured us that we baby boomers would be able to tackle the majority of it.  We'll try to return for it.

More  immediately, we discovered that Mikron Theatre would be here the next night, so we've changed our plans and stayed put today so we can enjoy the fun.  We did the obligatory hike up the hill to the village store this moning and bought some reassuringly expensive culinary delicacies for lunch and an early dinner. Well we deserve it.

Lots of boats have come through today and quite a number have not been able to find a mooring and have had to move on or turn back.  It's a popular spot alright.

Mikron show report tomorrow.