Tuesday, October 01, 2019

Right now, dear reader, it is hissing down with rain outside and thunder storms are rumbling all around.  I'm not sure how the Met boys saw that coming a few days back, but they did.  When we arrived here, all was serene (even if it was looking a bit black over Will's mum's.

Now look at it.

Never mind, we got tied up and snug inside before the deluge arrived.  So now I can relax and ponder the mysteries of life.

Occasionally I think about painting a slogan or strapline under Herbie's name on the side of the boat.  I was sorely tempted in the past to add "GRAND ONION CANAL".  I'm absolutely sure we could have fooled some gullible gongoozlers into thinking that the canal was built for the transport of onions. Once upon a time I was playing my mandola and eating an apple at the same time (no mean feat) and as I peeled the little sticker off the apple I stuck it on the headstock of the mandola  (it is still there to this day).  Sometime after that I was playing in a session in a pub and a chap said "That's a nice mandola, what make is it?".  Pointing to the little apple label I said "It's a Braeburn" that being the variety of the apple of course.  Well yer man said "Oh yeah, I've heard of them.  Nice instruments".  That memory has given me much pleasure in the succeeding years.  Anyhow, I digress. I still muse occasionally over a strapline for Herbie.  I had thought for a long time of something like "Geriatric Logistics Solutions."  yesterday I came up with a belter.  Bearing in mind the current weather and aligning myself with CRT's current strapline, how about. "Making Life Wetter by Water".  It could be a winner.

Day 2 of our Autumn cruise and we have exceeded our expectations and travelled all of 3.7 miles.  Well, the forecast was bad so we had planned just to stay put and have a lazy day doing nothing, but when we awoke this morning the weather was OK, so we decided to do a little bit before it rained.  We managed to squeeze in a visit to Tooley's Yard to buy some new mooring stakes and a long throw windlass to replace the one which catapulted itself into Kings Sutton lock last time we were out.  Then spotting Milly M below Banbury lock we pulled over for a quick chat to Maffi before popping over to Morrison's for groceries, then we motored on expecting to have to stop for the rain at any minute and got all the way to the bend before Kings Sutton where we now rest listening to the thunder outside.  So not too bad for a day supposedly doing nowt.


4 comments:

Oakie said...

You are heading north, but you said you intended to go to Reading. Have you lost your sense of direction? Or has your train of thought left the station without you? 😆

Herbie Neil said...

Where did I say we were heading north?? Banbury to kings Sutton used to be southwards. Have they changed it? We should be told. I blame Brexit.

Lesley K said...

We are heading off next week after Steadfast is blacked for our autumn cruise. We will be fully equipped with wet weather gear and the inclination to moor up at the first sign of serious rain!

Herbie Neil said...

Good policy Lesley.