Hello again family and friends.

When I was a small person in a village primary school, my class was told that the area where we lived in North Bucks was to be built into a new and very modern city called Milton Keynes. We were given a chance to draw what we thought it would be like and I remember that my contribution was a design for a multi-story cow shed! Now here I am, 50 years later, moored up in my narrow boat to visit my family who still live in what became the city of Milton Keynes.

My daughter Jane was still with me for most of the week, STILL on Christmas hols from university and enjoying with me a great time visiting my dad and brothers, eating lots of home cooked food and having them visit the boat along with nieces and a nephew.

Daughter, Jenny with her husband and little Edith and Thomas also visited for a family "fish and chips" evening. These are wonderful relaxing times.

I've really enjoyed exploring this city which is built around big parks and nature reserves, cycleways and footpaths. Bunty has had a week's intensive training on a lead and socialising with other dogs, and we've visited all kinds of brilliant art installations and sculptures, such as concrete cows, giant dinosaurs and a peace pagoda- its very different from other cities, but there's no multi-story cow shed!

I've spent time alone here too, which has given me my first taste of living aboard and not travelling. I feel that I'm part of the canal community as fellow boaters are always chatty and ready to help each other. It’s been a cold week with Therapy being iced in for part of the week, but today Ewan visited and we moved her like Titanic through the icebergs to Simpson.

Philippa, a close friend from school is my next crewmember and although she now lives in the Channel Islands, her family home is beside the canal in Simpson. It was with joy that we hugged each other on the towpath outside her mum's house- I know that we will have fun this week.

Thank you for lots of encouraging messages,
Love and warm wishes to all,
Sally
X

Hello friends and family.

I hope everyone is keeping safe and warm in this bad weather; I am currently moored up in the city of Milton Keynes with my daughter who is still on holiday from Glasgow university. I have family in these parts and will be staying here until 26th January. The weather has been windy and tends to blow the boat about a bit but the days are predominantly sunny and the world looks bright from the canal where people are so friendly and helpful.

I had a night alone in Braunston, a place that has a bright holiday feel about it, even in winter. Ally arrived early next day with her husband Nigel who is a shepherd friend of Ewan's. I couldn't ask for more as Ally took my washing and lent me her husband for 2 days.

We took off down the Braunston flight of locks, Nigel driving and me at the windlass working the locks. It was with great relief that I looked back at them knowing that the closure next day would not bar my way. The next exciting event was Braunston tunnel, over a mile long and very dark. We turned off the boats front light somewhere in the middle to find ourselves in complete blackness. It was quite amazing. We reminded ourselves with incredulity that this tunnel was built in days gone by when workmen had no diggers and bulldozers.

As we moored up that evening we met James who was taking his unusual concrete boat through the locks alone- quite a feat. We agreed to meet him next morning and undertake the next flight together to share the workload as well as save water. James had been in the navy and still had the urge to be on water rather than land.

The lovely Nigel treated me to supper in a canal side pub and Bunty had her first taste of being "home alone" which she managed fine.

Next morning we met James again and together we systematically got both boats through the next flight of 7 locks. The weather was deteriorating and was probably the worst day I'd had so far. But Nigel drove on manfully all the way to Gayton. the most northerly place on my journey and a third of the distance covered. I'm making great progress. Ally collected Nigel that evening and returned my lovely clean laundry. Many thanks to Nigel and Ally for all their help.

Next morning my brother Bob cycled up to join me for the next stretch, including Blisworth tunnel, over 2 miles long and one of the longest in the country. Bob was a little apprehensive to start with but quickly got used to driving Therapy. Again we were amazed at the engineering feat that was this tunnel, and remembered respectfully those who my guidebook told me died in the building of it, and the "leggers" who apparently pushed boats through the tunnel by lying on their backs on the roofs and walking them through. We also chatted about the ghosts of these people that are doubtless still there- or was that just brother and sister winding each
other up in the dark!

Bob had not been aboard a narrow boat before and this evening learned locks. We negotiated the first 2 at Stoke Bruerne before mooring up and going to the pub for supper. Next day we went through the last few of the flight, Bob cycled back for his car and then drove me to Milton Keynes railway station to pick up my daughter Jane. Bob took us back to the boat and took his
leave. He was delighted to have been aboard and said he loved the tunnel experience.

Jane and I continued on to Yardley Gobion where we did the boating chores (filled up with diesel, gas and water) then moored up carefully in a sheltered spot as Ewan had called to say that a storm was brewing tonight.

We were both woken by the wind blowing during the night but the moorings held and the next day was bright and sunny as we approached the big city of Milton Keynes. We travelled across a very exciting aqueduct over a river and then over a big motorway. We were now in an urban area and decided to moor up early to replenish our fridge.

I'm expecting my husband Ewan to visit tomorrow and then various family members over the next week or so; adventures on board will probably be limited, but I will resume my traveller’s tale when I cast off again towards London.

Warm wishes to all
Sally
Xx

I live aboard our historic narrow boat Trout, built in 1936, with my husband Lloyd (aka Bacon Boy!!) Lloyd has been around narrow boats most of his life; he started at 14 helping steer the horse drawn narrow boat Iona in Godalming Surrey.

In 2005 Lloyd convinced me to take a narrow boat holiday for a week and just like that, I was hooked: the peace, the nature, being in the middle of nowhere. I loved it! And the people were all amazing, especially after I had been working in a stressful environment!

Every year we would take a holiday on a boat somewhere in England, until we got to the point and decided to buy our own boat, with a view to retiring in a few years time to live aboard.

However life took a different turn, when we lost 4 friends to different illnesses and realised life's too short. So within 3 months, we had sold our house, left our jobs and moved onto our boat!! The first few years were amazing, travelling to places/villages I never knew existed, meeting some lovely people. At some point we realised in order to maintain this life, we needed to go back to work, which would be challenging. How would we manage moving the boats and travelling to work....

Then Covid hit, which meant we couldn't work. During this time, more people started walking the canals and we realised there were very few places on the canal to grab a coffee and cake. The seed was planted.

After the first lock-down in June 2020, we started looking for another boat and with the help of friends, Norah was purchased!! Norah is an Historic LMS station boat built in 1930.

Lloyd and I worked hard to get her fitted out and looking the part; she needed a lot of work!! But, in March 2021, she was ready!!

And so, Daisy's Bakin Butty was born!! the name comes from; my name, Steve Wright's radio 2 show “Only Jokin” (No G) and the fact that Norah was a Butty.

Our first opening day was the 12th March in Braunston on the Grand Union: the cakes were baked, the coffee machine was on, the flaps were open... The worry was, would anyone come? But come they did, and by the end of the first weekend we knew we were onto a winner.

Since then we have travelled from village to village opening up at weekends. During the summer we open much more, meeting some lovely people. We have customers that have visited us nearly every weekend since we opened; we call them our “Cake Stalkers”. In fact, if you visit more than 4 times, you will become a Cake Stalker!!

In 2022 we attended two  festivals and although it was hard work, we had a great time!

The past two years have been amazing, we get to keep the lifestyle, whilst earning money to get by. Believe me, we are never going to be rich!! But we get to meet some lovely people, so life is good!!

Daisy Hampshire and her partner Lloyd have only been roving canal traders since 2021, although they have a long association with boats and the waterway system. They live on board historic narrowboat Trout, with accompanying butty Norah. Their pop up cafe is open every weekend, and longer in summertime.

You can contact them by email: or follow them on Facebook or Instagram

In May 2023 the ECP&DA will be hosting a boat rally at the Great Northern Basin at Langley Mill. The rally is to celebrate 55 years since the formation of the association and also 50 years since the restoration of the basin, lock and surrounding area.

Following our formation in 1968 the association is still going strong and we now own Sandiacre Lock Cottages and the cottage at Langley Mill, which is our headquarters. We have an ex British Waterways work boat that we have restored. The boat, named Pentland enables us to carry out work along the canal. This includes lock repairs plus vegetation and litter clearance. We are currently involved in restoration work at Langley Mill with the Friends of Cromford Canal on the Beggarlee extension. This will take the Cromford canal under the A610 via two locks.

The rally will include a mixture of trade, historic and private narrowboats plus trade stalls and display stands from other canal groups. Public entry to the rally is free. The rally will begin with historic narrowboats Bath and Meteor setting off from Anchor Bridge at 10:30 carrying the Long Eaton Silver Band to the opening ceremony by the lock at 11:00.

Other attractions are:

• Food and drink, including real ale tent.
• Musical entertainment sponsored by, PPL PRS. Buskers corner.
• Battle of Britain Memorial Flypast (subject to availability).
• View boat and butty Oak and Ash in Langley Mill Boatyard dry dock. The boatyard will also have a display of engines and those that are ticketed are for sale.
• The Victorian pump house will be open with opportunities to learn about its purpose and how it works.
• Take an informative guided walk along the restored stretch of the Cromford canal and learn about ongoing plans for the future.

If planning to come along with your boat please book in; forms are available on our website 
Further information and booking forms for rally can be found in the news and events section of our website.

Last summer, River Canal Rescue highlighted the problem of sticky fuel and how this was causing an uncharacteristic peak in fuel-related component breakdowns not linked to diesel bug.

Managing director, Stephanie Horton, comments: “We first became aware of the issue when we had two identical jobs where fuel injectors were diagnosed as needing an overhaul, yet their replacements stopped working within a week, and the injection pumps were found to have failed even though the diesel was clear and bright.

“Our engineers found in both cases, the injector pump racks had seized solid and the nozzles were blocked, and when replacing the plunger filter head, they found the fuel had a sticky, syrup-like substance. Alongside stuck injection pump racks, injectors and filter head plunger failures, we also had cases of fuel filters blocking with wax inside them.

“Initially we suspected sugar in the fuel, but sugar stays crystalline instead of dissolving. We’re now considering it may be related to a change in fuel and fuel treatment additives. This is not contamination in the traditional sense (all the samples sent away for analysis are clear); it’s only the smell of turps that alerts us to a problem.

“Following discussions with several leading fuel analysis companies, we’re now working with a university lab to use IR spectrum analysers and range of samples/treatments to see if we can identify what is causing sticky fuel.”

Stephanie concludes: “RCR is taking these steps as cases are increasing to two-three per week, and although there are some trends and patterns developing in the more cases we see, it’s important to have scientific evidence to back-up our theories. As an industry we must work together to find a solution.”

Here, two boaters share their experiences:

Unpleasant & expensive

Dear RCR,

Re the ‘sticky fuel issue’, we had a similar episode with our narrowboat nb ‘Many Meetings’ in August 2020.

Our narrowboat was launched in October 2011 and up to the incident had done 2,850 hours. We cruise in the summer and over winter, we’re at Aston Marina near Stone, Staffordshire.

In 2018, we did the Severn Estuary from Sharpness to Bristol and, in preparation for that, had the fuel polished in July. There was absolutely no water or contamination in the fuel.

In 2019, the boat was serviced by our engineer in the spring, and again filters and fuel were clean. We then went up to Lincoln and Boston via the Tidal Trent. We refuelled twice at Sawley Marina, twice at Burton Waters Marina and finally topped the tank off for the winter back at Aston Marina, when we arrived back there in October.

Due to the pandemic, the boat remained unused until 20 August 2020. Before taking the boat out, I checked the engine and fuel filter, and checked the fuel draining from the filter was clear, which it was. We over-nighted at Weston before continuing to Great Haywood on 21 August, and the engine (a Beta 43) ran fine.

On the morning of 22 August, the engine was reluctant to start and produced clouds of white smoke. Luckily, there was an Anglo Welsh hire base and their engineer said he would take a look at the boat the following morning, which he did.

The engineer checked the fuel and filters, which looked fine, and drained off some fuel, which was clear. He then removed an injector and tested it. He found the injector was blocked and so replaced all four injectors. The engine started and ran fine.

The following morning we set off, but only went a few miles south before stopping for the night. The engine ran fine.

The next morning, the engine wouldn't start. The brilliant engineer from Anglo Welsh came to find us on his day off and, after a couple of hours, he finally managed to get the engine started but it was running quite roughly. Gingerly, we made our way back to Great Haywood.

At Great Haywood, the engineer removed the injectors to check them and found they were welded shut. He put one in a vice and tried to pull the centre pin out with a pair of pliers, but it was completely jammed solid.

The fuel feed for the engine is above the bottom of the tank, so we removed the bottom drain and dumped the tank contents of 135 litres of fuel. We used the bottom drain and a powerful pump to rinse the tank and ensure that any contamination was washed out. We then put another 35 litres into the tank and dumped that to rinse the tank out.

Anglo Welsh very kindly disposed of the fuel for us. When we drained the tank, we took a sample from the very bottom of the tank, which did not look very healthy - although the rest of the fuel looked fine.

We replaced the four injectors again (those things are not cheap), drained all the fuel from the engine and filters, and ran the engine on clean fuel from a 5 gallon drum for an hour or so. We then put 100 litres of new fuel into the tank and ran it on that successfully. Subsequently, the engine started and ran fine. You can be sure that when (hopefully) some normality returns, I will take a fuel sample from the very bottom of the tank before we set out again.

It appears the contamination was settled at the bottom of the tank but the motion of the boat meant some of it got picked up into the engine. The engine ran fine and the injectors worked OK when the engine was hot, but it seems when the engine cooled down, whatever it was blocked the injectors.

Altogether an unpleasant experience and very expensive - dumping 170 litres of fuel and putting in eight new injectors. However, all credit to Anglo Welsh and their brilliant engineer.

Robin Sundt, Redhill, Surrey.

A bit of a pain

Re: contaminated fuel, I have experienced the same problem with my boat and it was a devil to get rid of and until I run it again, I have not proved it is gone. My boat is called Pyrus and is kept in the Grand Union at Blisworth, Northampton. It has a Greaves twin cylinder engine which is built in India and is a development of a Ruston Hornsby unit. Below are the chain of events I experienced:

1. August 2019. Having returned from a long trip through Shropshire, Wales and the North we returned to our mooring intending to have a rest for a few months from boating. In advance of mooring up, we filled up with diesel at Rugby Boats, near Weedon, and I added Fuel Set (as I have always done since owning the boat in 2012).

2. October 2019. We have a heritage cooker installed in the boat which runs on diesel and this packed up. On inspection, by draining the filter, the fuel came out looking like water, with a grey tinge. Not pink at all. I had not run the engine since August and did not at this time. I change the filters every year about April/May and they are always clear of any debris/water in the bowl.

The UK agent for Greaves is close to me and came down to help clear the problem. We syphoned a lot of fuel off to the point we thought it was clear and added two or three bottles of Marine 16 to treat it.

3. November 2019. The engine started and appeared to run OK. At this time the engineer visited to sort the cooker, but found contamination still present. It looked like frog spawn. Also by this time when trying to clean the fuel, the tank was below half-full.

4. January 2020. I got Tankbusters to polish the fuel. Took about 4 hours after which the fuel looked to be the correct pink colour and again more Marine 16 was added (the tank was also topped up at Blisworth marina). The cooker was sorted and that and the engine seemed to be working OK, following a test trip up the canal for a day. Shortly afterwards lock down was imposed which put a stop to any further use.

5. July 2020. I took the boat out for the weekend. At the end of the first day the engine was running a little lumpy. The next day only one cylinder was working and I struggled to get back onto my mooring. The injectors were seized so I took them to be rebuilt.

6. August 2020. Injectors back in boat - took it out for a 6 hour test. This started very well but as I was returning it started to run lumpy again. The following day I found the injector pump racks were seized and I assumed the injectors would be affected (which proved the case when I took them in to be fixed). I used diesel specialist, Colchester Fuel Injection, and I gave them a sample of diesel to test. The results were about 4% bio which is within limits.

7. September 2020. Injectors and pumps back in engine but not started. I pulled the boat to a local boat yard and had all the fuel removed and the tank cleaned out. Pulled the boat back onto the mooring where it was filled with fuel from fuel boat, Jules fuel. No additive was put in and I do not intend to use any. The cooker works, but I want to test the engine over a day trip as recommended by Colchester Fuel Injection rather than a short quick run.

All in all a bit of a pain. My engine is rather agricultural and simple and it is the first issue I have had with it ever. I thought it would run on water. Obviously not and this fuel has been a real issue. Hopefully I am over it now.

Chris Browne, Chelmsford, Essex.

Abigail Joy Tobler’s love of waterways has, sadly, never found her on a canal boat. She has, however, paddled dug-out canoes on rivers in Mexico and Brazil. In England she has enjoyed many hours walking the Thames towpath near Henley whilst dog-sitting for friends over many years. She enjoyed watching the many passing canal boats navigating the locks, and always felt especially blessed when catching glimpses of a kingfisher.

She began writing poetry whilst battling severe depression and has continued during happier times. Many poems are triggered by things heard or seen, and often reflect her Christian faith. She has published 6 collections of poems plus the booklet ‘Tales from the Towpath.’

Joy has had a very varied and adventurous life. When she was young she was a very active sports person, especially in cricket which was her great love. A change of ambition following injury saw Joy become a grammar school teacher, with her subjects being Mathematics and Religious Education. She also studied linguistics and translation.

Joy married a Swiss, and together they went to Mexico where they underwent 6 months of jungle living and survival training. This was followed by a long period in Brazil, where Joy taught literacy and Bible translation to a group of indiginous peoples.

They lived in a village along the banks of a little jungle clad island in the middle of the Amazon delta swampland. All of the houses were on stilts, without walls, and palm thatched. Joy had three sons while she was in Brazil, athough they were all born in the city as malaria (and consequent miscarriages) were rife in the villages.

After thirteen years of life on the banks of the Amazon, Joy had to leave Brazil because of her husband's ill health. Returning to the UK, Joy worked at the home office of the mission, Wycliffe Bible Translators. At some stage she developed M.E. which damped down her life for 25 years. It was at this stage that she began writing her poetry.

Eventually, Joy moved to Sheffield to be nearer her sons and their respective families. She continues to be an active church member, singing in her church choir. Some of her poems have been set to music as anthems and one as a carol.

Abigail Joy Tobler, better known as Joy, has written several volumes of poems. Her books are available to buy from Joy herself, although there is some availability on Amazon

You may contact Joy by email:

Since the start of Covid19 the Roving Canal Traders Association (RCTA) along with many other charities, non-profit making groups, business's & traders that make up our canal network have had a tough time. This year however, things returned to almost normal & our Floating Markets started to take off once again. This meant that we have been in a position this year to resume our annual charity donations as voted for by our members.

This year our members voted for the Waterways Chaplaincy charity & the Forces Vets Afloat Project with a donation of £500 to each.

The Waterways Chaplains work alongside Canal & River Trust to make sure boaters who have fallen in hard times or need some sort of support are not missed or lost in the system, they work with food banks around the country & make sure that essential meal, bag of coal or fuel gets to those who might otherwise go without, they maintain contact & support in so many ways. Our traders often come into contact with some of the Waterways Chaplains who are very supportive of our events so it was suggested that our donation was presented to the charity via Waterways Chaplains Malcolm & Stephanie who live beside the Shropshire Union Canal in Market Drayton & are very well known within the boating community. Mark Chester Senior Chaplain said “This donation of £500 will make a real difference in the lives of some of the boaters we encounter.”

The Forces Vets Afloat Project are close to finishing one of their donated boats nb Daisy ready for a Forces Veteran to make her their home. The founder of this project Andy Flint said "what a lovely email to wake up to" when we informed him of the donation. We hope it helps them with ongoing projects.

We also make a smaller annual donation to CRT if possible, as without their support Floating Markets & other waterways events would not take place.

RCTA is open to all licensed Roving Traders & we welcome new members via our website www.rcta.org.uk. We strive to support Roving Traders and open up as many trading opportunities as possible. We are run solely by volunteers & are always looking for new volunteers to help with moving the Association forward.

Hello again friends; my journey continues.

At last I reached the gentle and picturesque Oxford canal where I wait for my next companion, Helen my best friend from Scotland. Not all middle-aged women would travel to the other end of the country to spend a cold week on a narrowboat but Helen arrived at lunchtime full of enthusiasm. Bunty galloped down the towpath to meet her new aunty.

I had done all necessary engine checks in the morning and tried to start Therapy up, and despite trying my usual tricks with connections and plugs she failed to catch. As I was moored opposite a boatyard I asked the nice man to come and take a look and needless to say his magic hands started her immediately. I did all the boating chores (topped up with diesel, bought a bottle of gas, pumped out the loo, filled up with water and dumped the rubbish) and Helen and I were off.

The voyage has been carefully planned around the winter navigation stoppages, which is canal speak for locks being closed for repairs. At Braunston where I will turn off the Oxford and onto the Grand Union Canal, a flight of 6 locks will close on Monday 12th January and we had just a week to get there. It was important to make the most of daylight hours and I had to be a tough captain to have my crew up and ready to go at 8am. Bunty always helped with this.

Mostly the weather was very kind to us with fantastic bright sunny afternoons, despite storms in Scotland that brought down trees in Helen's garden and put out the electricity for thousands. On Wednesday we arranged to pick up a friend Rosemary and we cruised into Banbury just as the sun set and just as Helen's daughter, Alice appeared under a bridge to meet us. Some big winds blew up to challenge us and give us bad dreams about becoming unmoored at night, on Thursday and Friday but our steering skills were improving all the time.

The week went by too quickly and Friday evening found us moored just outside Braunston with a short run into town left for the morning. I did the usual checks before starting therapy only to find that I couldn't get her going again. Helen and Alice had to catch a train from Rugby to London for an onward flight to Inverness and a decision was eventually taken for my poor friends to walk the last couple of miles into Braunston while I waited for the canal AA to come and help me. As I said goodbye, I noticed that Alice had a wriggling puppy secreted about her person as she tried to steal Bunty!

Soon a 15-year-old boy walked towards me waving- he was the engineer come to help me. He quickly and efficiently bled air from the engine and promised that she would start first time every day from now on. He also tried to persuade me that he is 22 but I must be getting old.

I cast off and enjoyed a slow cruise into Braunston, successfully mooring up by myself despite the strong winds. I felt very pleased to be in Braunston on Saturday night, ready to take on the flight of locks before they close on Monday.

I look forward to my next companions arriving and setting off on a new canal that will eventually take me to London.

Best wishes all,
Sally

I live aboard Merly B, a 67' Tyler Wilson nb built in 1988, with my husband whom we call Mr. O and Henry the dog. We're continuous cruisers.

We bought our first boat, Irene, in 2001. She was a 57' iron BCN boat built in 1927, a beautiful boat with great character. She had a 3 pot lister (situated inside next to the loo!), 12v power only and a foot pump if we wanted water, no hot water. She had several leaks, every time it rained we got all the pans out to catch the water. It was damp, smelly and noisy. We were so excited to be living afloat that none of these things mattered.

A few years later we decided to have her lifted out and surveyed. Complete disaster! Her hull was extremely thin in places, she had rotted from the inside due to the leaks. Always get a survey before buying! We learnt the hard way.

We were advised to weigh her in and use the money for another boat, but we had fallen in love with her and so decided to have her overplated. 18 months later she was floating again once more, that was a great day!

In 2018 we bought Merly B and we feel so blessed, another beautiful boat but this time with hot running water, proper plug sockets, lights, even a heated towel rail! Also an engine conveniently placed under the back deck, not inside the boat! This is our forever home.

my business

My Wendy Witch business began in 2000. I'm a White Witch and Celebrant. I have been pagan all my life. My beliefs and skills have been passed down through generations and I'm proud of my heritage.

I have been reading the Tarot since I was a child. During the winter my Tarot readings are on board, in the warm weather outside on the towpath. The readings are an hour long, I don't like to rush and we have tea, coffee and sometimes cake!

I also conduct Handfasting Ceremonies (Pagan Weddings), Baby Naming Ceremonies and Memorial Services. These celebrations are becoming very popular as many people are looking for alternatives to traditional ceremonies. Pagan Rituals have very few rules so the Ceremonies are customised to suit and every Ceremony is different.

As a Pagan I celebrate the 8 sabbats or festivals throughout the year. I even have a Pagan Altar outside my boat. My altar is a log which I keep on the roof whilst travelling and place on the towpath when we moor up. I decorate it with nature's gifts - flowers, fruit, seeds, stones, feathers etc and redress it for every Sabbat. It makes a great talking point for passersby!

During the summer I have a plant stall with annuals and perennials which I grow on the roof. All the proceeds go to The Huntington's Disease Association. The only thing I initially missed when we moved onboard is my garden but I soon realised that it's amazing what you can grow in a pot!

Living on a boat has been a dream ever since I can remember, making it a reality has been a wonderful experience. We are within nature, detached from 'normal' life. Many of my customers remark that they never knew this canal life was here, even though they drive over it often; "Do you live here all the time?"

The boat people, the wildlife, the seasons, the freedom...all of these things make the canal special, like a long, wet village.

I am truly at home living on the cut, I feel I belong here and here is where I will stay.

Hello again friends and Happy new year to all.

I'm back on board Therapy following a quiet Christmas and a brilliant New Year holiday with all our children and grandchildren.

The boat survived being locked and moored up at Abingdon for a week or so and a driech Saturday morning saw me re-stocking and checking before taking off again for her last couple of days on the Thames. Am I sensible, out in the cold getting soaked? I wasn't 100% sure as I waved to Ewan and cast off again.

My companions for this leg were to be Lynn and Chris from Lambourn but both had been poorly and couldn't make it. I hope you're both better soon and will join me further on. However my son Stephen, here for the holidays with his wife and baby, had just had his own plans cancelled and was serendipitously available. His Vietnamese wife found it rather cold but made sure we all had supplies of hot chocolate. It was lovely to be back on my journey despite the rain and great to spend bonus time with my son. As the sun set, we moored up at Iffley lock and walked into the village for
supper.

I was very lucky that my week off had been dry and the current of the Thames had not been strong. However, by the next day the rain had changed that and yellow boards on the locks indicated that current was increasing. By the time we reached Osney lock, the last one on the Thames before we needed to turn off and on to the Oxford canal, the boards were red, which means strong current, moor up immediately.

What should I do? If I didn't get through today it could be a week before the water drops, or even longer. Friends are scheduled to meet me in Oxford and lock closures further on mean that I need to get onto the more benign canal and away from the mercies of the river. Also, we had only half a mile to go before the turnoff. I made my mind up when a small riverboat, the only other moving craft we'd seen all weekend, joined us in the lock. If he was up for it, so was I.

The current was very strong as we left the lock and I bravely left the driving to Stephen. Even with high revs, Therapy struggled to move forward in the current but we carefully and patiently pushed on.

We could see a low bridge on our right and the small channel we needed to steer down. The water level was high and the current flowing very fast- would we even make it under the bridge? We needed to go through in the centre to avoid knocking the equipment stored on the roof.​ I feel sure that my orders, such as "no steer, left" and "quick, put her in reverse" did nothing to help, but Stephen, with the bravado of a young man who had never driven a narrow boat before, took her successfully through and out of the raging current of the Thames, suffering only a telling off from a resident boat owner for going too fast.

But now ahead of us was an even lower bridge, apparently one of the lowest canal bridges in the country, I was later told. We ducked our heads to avoid losing them and groaned as the precious bicycle on the roof was scraped and thrown about by the rafters. But we were off the Thames and onto the gentle Oxford canal. The bike had a buckled wheel and broken breaks, but the journey will go on!

We moored up close to the railway station where I walked my hero son and his family to catch their train to Gatwick airport from where he would fly back to Berlin. My voyage has resumed and I'm looking forward to travelling with friends through Oxford tomorrow and further north to see where our adventures will take us.

Take care, have fun in 2015 and please meet me if you can.

Love from Sally