It's Summertime and de living is easy........

Since we got back from France (see blog before last) we've been enjoying some wonderful Summer weather and long may it continue. Two great benefits derive from a proper sunny day: firstly you know that whatever clothing you decide on in the morning, it will do for the whole day. Unlike the rest of the year when it is advisable to carry something suitable for all four seasons. The rather transient life I lead means the back of my car-and sometimes the front-is chocker with all sorts of clothing and footwear. All there just in case.

Second is eating outside. I love being able to enjoy good food, drink and God willing, company, in the fresh air whether it's the ubiquitous barbecue or whatever happens to grace the table.

We had a lovely sunny afternoon for a lunch at Pam's with friends Mark and Diane and Dan and Jodie.

Dan, Jodie, Pam, Mark and Diane

To put that in context Mark and Diane had travelled up from Shepton Mallet to meet Dan and Jodie at Heathrow as they returned from Uganda. Avid readers (that's both of us) will recall Pam's visit to Gulu, Uganda a while back where amongst other things she stayed together with Diane (of Mark and Diane-do keep up) at Australians, Dan and Jodie's, volunteers with the local community/school/church.  Well, Dan and Jodie have finished that stint in Uganda and are having a break before going back to Gulu to begin another project about which you will learn more in due course -after I do. Rest assured it will cost you money. Hee hee.

Cheers and Welcome!

Anyway after collecting the returnees from the airport Mark and Diane brought them to lunch at Pam's and a very enjoyable lunch it was. Lovely people, good food, a drop to drink and , thank God, a sunny day.

Another plus of the good weather is that if one is trying to build a partition wall inside the boat (and have been for two years now) then the weather is such a factor in cracking on and getting the job finished which is exactly what I've done prior to cruising off to Leicestershire in a couple of weeks time.
I suspect that one of the reasons in being able to entice any crew on board was the provision of a wall to give some privacy when necessary so I now have a wall and sufficient crew to get me to the Shackerstone Festival on the Ashby canal all with their dignity intact.

Mind you the weather hasn't all been sunshine. We've had a couple of belting storms with one the other morning comprising continuous forked lightning illuminating the boat through every porthole. Now you may or may not have any religious feelings but believe me at three in the morning in a steel narrowboat in torrential rain with lightning flashing like you're Posh and Becks on a catwalk you will review your outlook. I am convinced that last year going through Braunston in torrential rain my boat shifted sideways as if struck and there was no gap between the flash and the thunder. A change of underwear is recommended for such situations.

Looks bleak out there

Phil and Geoff shelter from the rain. Happy 50th Phil!

This time of year seems to bring an abundance of important birthdays. All birthdays are important because the more you have the longer you live but these are more important either because of whose they are or what age they've reached or both. Pam and Joseph both have birthdays in August and brother Jim hits 80 on the 6th. So I have a birthday barbecue on the 2nd for Pam and another on the 3rd for Jim. In July we had the joint 70th for five fellow moorers at the Greyhound, Wigginton (see last post) and sister, Moira, friend Annie and Landlord of the Lamb, Phil all turned another year with Phil reaching 50 though he hides it well.

And as I discovered on our evening stroll round Berko the other night Graham Greene would have been 110 this year.

Reminds me of an old Ken Dodd joke. Holding a note from the theatre manager.... "This evening I am told there is a lady in the circle who is 111."

Round of applause.

"Sorry -apparently she's ill."

Like Marmite our Ken. I love him.

Jemima and gang still call by for a quack and a stale roll

This one's called Daphne

Our swan and cygnets are doing well though mum, as shown here, is rather forward in nicking bread.

It's not so long ago that a swan tried to nick my dongle-not nice.

This brood of mum, dad and seven cygnets seemed to be doing well but I noticed tonight we're down to six when last they came poncing bread.

RABBITS  however do not come tapping on the side of the boat and explain that they are trying to feed a family of six with no government support and could you possibly spare a piece of stale bread.

Oh No. Rabbits wade straight into your smallholding (no jokes please) and eat half of each of your cabbages of which you were inordinately proud. They have already laid waste the pak choi crop and made inroads into the celery.

Why do they eat half of two cabbages? Why don't they eat a whole one? It is because they are EVIL rabbits, devil worshipping ,fluffy, fascist vandals who must be destroyed before they take over the world...well half of it anyway...they wouldn't want a whole one.

I decided to thwart them and pulled up 4 of the remaining 5 cabbages and give them to the poor and needy before the rabbits could eat half. That's left one which they wont touch because they are now wondering what my next ploy will be. Well Mr Bunnyrabbit I aint teelling you. Heh Heh Heh

And here is my much praised Rabbit and Cabbage curry**



On matters horticultural I have had some success growing celery on the mooring and it looks as though the rabbits have got bored with celery. Only problem is so have I. I have discovered that celery leaves make good soup,garnish and even as a substitute for coriander.
I've also learnt that if you cut the base off a celery plant and by use of three cocktail sticks suspend it over a bowl of water so the routes are in then hey presto Celery!

With Pam's birthday approaching Joe and Pam have been planning the bbq and trying out a few new dishes. I'm very glad to say that they have been trying them out on me.

Please note Joseph is wearing one of the Gulu  aprons much sought after by serious chefs

and after dinner a geography lesson.

and a wonderful sunset.
Good food, some wine, good company and all enjoyed outside...

Back on the mooring the cut is getting busier as the holiday season starts. Roy and Annie on Panther have travelled down to the Thames and are now heading back up the Southern Oxford canal. They've been very lucky with the weather-I hope it lasts for my trip. I picked them up at Lechlade for the joint 70th party and they hadn't had a serious drenching the closest being misdirected down a weir fortunately without calamity. As in the case of adjacent lightning a weired experience calls for a change of underwear and can leave you feeling...well...weiry

Lechlade-the end of navigation on the Thames

Swans at Lechlade

Panther is now working her way up the southern Oxford towards Braunston. Last weekend I travelled to Snarestone at the top of the Ashby canal to pick up Mac, Carrie and Jasper from the Griffin.  I decided to make a mini-break of the trip and booked into a hotel in nearby Desford. En route I met up with Roy and Annie at Fenny Compton to deliver a jerry can of diesel and steal some of their lunch.

Panther coming in to moor at the Wharf Inn Fenny Compton

A couple of interesting signs in the Gents loo in the Wharf pub. Yes they have a tv in the Gents. Given Mr Milliband's recent admission that he doesn't have a good image the scene showing is appropriate to the saying above it.

After that I drove to Leicestershire where the Blue Bell Inn awaited. An enjoyable evening with my crossword ......one to do.

13 across
A_I_U_
Friction with a problem in wheels

and a couple of jars plus a very fine roast pork dinner. They don't normally do food on a Sunday evening but they explained that they had a visiting group pf foreign gamekeepers so tonight they were.

Hence a good dinner and after a sound sleep (good value b&b at £50) a full English to the accompaniment of Norwegians, Swedes and God knows what describing the best way to shoot things out of the sky or impale a poacher on his own disgorger.

Blue Bell Inn

After breakfast I drove to Market Bosworth, a lovely town with a proper butchers and stuff like that. And flowers everywhere.

After that to Bosworh Fields where Richard the Third was beaten and the War of the Roses decided. It is a beautiful part of the country and I shall return to do the full walkabout.

After that I went to do some scouting round Shackerstone whence I am headed for the festival in September. The parking for the festival is on the road to......what a great name for a village. Must find out why.

Barton is one of many places in England with this name: both this Barton and that in Nottinghamshire were once known as "Barton-in-Fabis" but that is no longer used for the Leicester Barton.In Domesday Book both are just 'Bartone' and later usage has varied (the meaning of Barton in both cases is probably 'grange' i.e. an outlying farm within an estate).

The village of Barton in Fabis in Nottinghamshire was once known as Barton in the Beans (Faba being Latin for 'bean' abl. plur. 'fabis')

A popular saying in the county is "Shake a Leicestershire man by the collar and you may hear the beans rattle in his belly": the author John Benjamin Firth quotes this from a contributor to Magna Britannia, 1820.Leicestershire was once noted for cultivating the broad bean (Vicia faba)^[4] (and in this way the bean has been perpetuated in place-names).

Lunch at The Globe, Snarestone, the end of the Ashby Canal before picking up Mac, Carrie and Jasper for return to Tring. Next time we meet should be back in Shackerstone but before then they are off to Brazil. Bon Voyage dear friends.

Mac ponces about whilst Carrie packs the car

Jasper awaits

and further down the mooring I'm sure I spot one of thr Flowerpot Men

And Rabbits!"

Back to Cowroast..................

I saw (on Facebook)  this picture taken from the top of the tower at the church at Northchurch-opposite is the George and Dragon pub and out of interest I zoomed in on the car park

And lo! Beware Big Brother! If I'm not mistaken-and I aint-that's my car in the middle and Ady is getting out of the blue one. Captured,

Pam is justifiably proud of her lillies and we had to take lots of pictures

A couple of cartoons that caught my eye

And Rabbits!"

Great News-at long last I have a chilli! If the rabbits go anywhere near this then you'll all be on rabbit curry till Christmas!

And finally STOP PRESS.
Jim has been repainting his FMC signs and despite my frequent interruptions seems to have got them right....eventually

The weekend brings two birthday barbecues and then I must prepare Independence for her holiday. Until next time mon ami...........