A little bit stuck

Friday 2nd September; Kidlington area to Chisnell Lift Bridge

Nothing but an occasional owl to disturb us last night.  There was dampness in the air when we got up, but although it looked as though there had been a shower overnight it stayed dry. 

Damp morning but ready to go

We replaced the partially-repainted pole and hook on their cradle, after they had spent the night resting on the tree stumps.  It’s not surprising the big tree fell – it had split and there was a large fungus growing in the stump which looked as though it had been there long before the tree fell.

The canal was very quiet with very few people on the towpath, and just one boat that appeared behind us as we left the mooring.  They caught us up at Northbrook lock where we had unfortunately got stuck as there was something behind the bottom gate.  We couldn’t go forward or back so I raised a top paddle to try and flush us out.  I have seen this done but don’t know if it is recommended.  It lifted us up a bit and moved us back, and then we could get in.  We offered to wait for the chap behind to come up in case he needed help, but he was happy for us to go on.  At Oxfordshire Narrowboats they were moored 5 deep – the school hols are coming to an end but the child-free/not-working-in-a-school hirers haven’t arrived yet.

The golfing frog is still there.  Wasn’t it once accompanied by a rabbit with a shotgun, or am I thinking of somewhere else?  A little further on is Mill Lift Bridge, a doddle now it is operated with the key of power.

One of the locks, Allen’s I think, has a bench cut out of a fallen tree, with the addition of a carved face.

(The chap's brother, or maybe cousin, appears on a stump we saw later on the way to Marston Doles on the summit pound).  Heyford Common lock needs a new beam on its bottom gate.  At the moment it sports a stoutly-built running repair.

I checked on the winter stoppages and a proper beam isn't due to be fitted this year.  But there is a lot of work happening on the locks around Cropredy - new gates - and at various other locks and lift bridges.  A little further on we were puzzled by splashes in the water a long way ahead.  Was it a fish feeding frenzy of some sort?  No, it was a flock of house martins which must have discovered a cloud of insects above the water.  They zapped around us as we passed through them.

They don't really show well, do they?

We continued to Somerton Meadows for lunch.  Meg loves it here, but there were two problems –she has lost the only ball we had on the boat, but the bigger issue was the cattle.  There seemed to be more than usual, closer and noisier than usual and they were moving around a lot more.  One appeared to be calling to the herd on the other side of the canal.  They moved away after an hour or so, so Dave got on with more painting, doing the port side between gunwale and rubbing strake and then a red stripe on the poles, luckily without needing to remove them from the roof.  Meanwhile I got on with a few domestic jobs, and started preparation for tea tonight.  Then suddenly the noisiest cow appeared from behind the blackberry bushes, and bellowing, which scared the dog (dozing on the grass beside the boat) and necessitated the speedy retrieval of a paint-pot sitting on the grass before she kicked it over. 

It started to rain so we had a cup of tea and decided to move on as soon as it stopped, rather than staying on what is normally a favourite mooring of ours.  A couple of boats had passed us on their way to Somerton Deep lock before us, so we weren’t surprised to see it against us.  I am delighted to report that I can still open and close the heavy bottom gate unaided!  We went on a little way above the lock and moored on the approach to Chisnell Lift bridge, which these days seems to be kept open.

Annoyingly, the motorway is now within earshot, and will be now until we get past Banbury.  Tea was lasagne in my charity-shop lasagne dish.

And garlic bread too

7½ m, 5 locks, Mill Lift Bridge