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After our week in Scandinavia we arrived back in the UK to have 2 weeks on the narrow boat with Gail.  Starting from Gayton Marina in Northamptonshire we headed along the Grand Union and Oxford Canals towards Oxford.  We chose the first two weeks in June and have been used to having pretty good weather for our annual trip over the last few years but this year our luck ran out.  We did manage a BBQ on the first night but after that we endured day after day of a cold wind and driving rain and showers.  Midway through the second week Neil had set up the table and chairs for a second BBQ only for the cloud and rain to come from nowhere and bring us back indoors.  Neil wasn’t going to be beaten.  The wind was in the right direction so he closed the roof hatch but left the door into the cabin open, he dragged the BBQ to the entrance and cooked our dinner from the inside! 

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On the way to Oxford we came across a teepee in the middle of nowhere which had a woodfired hot tub outside.  That looks perfect we thought.  On the return journey, during one of our coldest and wettest days Neil shouted to Cheryl and Gail to come out of the cabin, bring the camera and come and take a look.  Sitting in the steaming hot tub were a young couple drinking beer.  Neil gesticulated to them that he had respect for their decision to face the elements in the tub and they shouted back that they were ‘on honeymoon from Australia’!

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Weather aside, the Oxford canal is quite lovely with open views of the countryside, farm animals and wildlife including kingfishers, foxes, deer, swans and kites.  Boaters generally are friendly people always passing the time of day.  The inclement weather seemed to encourage people to be more friendly and jokier about the persistent rain.  As he passed a woman waiting to take her boat into a lock Neil commented to her that he liked her woolly hat that had long sides that looked like long droopy ears.  She laughed and shouted back that ‘at least I didn’t have to do my hair this morning’.  Neil removed his woolly hat and shouted ‘I never have to do my hair’!  She laughed again.  There were lots of jokes that we were a week away from the midsummer solstice but despite the crappy weather we can’t wait for next year!

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Boat trip over it was time to travel back to Bristol to move into Cheryl’s house, which is also up for sale, and set up home yet again. We had some time with our fast growing grandson who is now standing up and also to catch up on some paperwork.  Neil sold his last rental property making him a totally homeless person – he’s very grateful that Cheryl took him in.

We were only back in Bristol for a few days before it was time to travel to Gloucester to attend the annual family gathering.  Sadly, not everyone was there but then that would be almost impossible, but we managed to get 24 family members together. 

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In complete contrast to the previous two weeks the weather was very kind to us, sunny and 21C and it lent itself to games with water guns.  It wasn’t long before some of the children had shed their wet clothes to just enjoy running around getting even wetter.  Roy performed a magic trick that isn’t really magic but his request for a gullible adult to assist him failed.  No fear, Maisie stepped forward to assist Roy only to get a thorough soaking.  She was a star, brave and stalwart despite the shock.  Neil did the BBQ and the day was fantastic.  Thank you to June and Roy for hosting the event and putting in so much work.

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Back to Bristol to host Clive and Karen from Spain.  They were over on a whistle stop tour to do ‘family stuff’ with children and Karen’s mum.  We usually meet up on a camp site but with our 2 weeks on the boat and their family commitments we were only to have an afternoon.  Sunny weather, whoopee, meant we had a BBQ, chat, jokes and compared travel plans for the coming year.  Good to see you guys, let’s try not to leave it quite so long next time and definitely make it more than an afternoon!

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