Another day keeping cool

Saturday 12^th July; the woods, again

Another scorcher, with even hotter temperatures forecast.  So it was a bit of a no-brainer to stay put, as there is no guarantee there will be as good a spot further on.

Moored in the shade, still.  The boat in the front has the coolest spot but we have a bit of sun on the solar panels!

We needed the paper and something to replace the lack of home-made cake – it is far too hot to consider baking.  I decided to walk to bridge 21 where I had found a Sainsbury’s Local on Google maps – less than 4 miles for the round trip, so worth doing.  It was a hot walk and I'd got my hat and sunscreen but forgot to take water with me, so knew I would need to buy some for the homeward walk.

Comma spotted on the way

 

When I got back the boat was still well shaded, and it stayed cool till after lunch.  By careful juggling of removing/replacing hopper windows and closing/opening curtains while the sun was on the side of the boat we stopped the temperature inside rising beyond 29C, and there was enough air movement through the windows to keep it bearable.  And the solar panels were happy too for a few hours.

The shade deepened as time went on

 

While Dave was reading the paper, I got the compensation claim for my cancelled return rail journey sent off, before I joined him outside in the shade.  We had been considering where to go as we amble gently to Calcutt – maybe we could go up the Napton flight and potter along the summit pound for a couple of days.  But the lock flights at each end of the summit, Claydon and Napton, had already been put on short opening hours, so it didn’t seem right to add to the water problems.  The announcement that Claydon would be closed from 21^st July came through on 8^th July, and while I was travelling yesterday, the Napton flight followed suit and the whole of the South Oxford will be closed until there is enough rain to put some water in the reservoirs.  So we won't be going that way!  It’s a shame for boaters, but the hire companies must be getting worried by now.  We heard that ABC at Springwood Haven have had two cancellations already.   

Later in the day I retrieved some floating polystyrene which had drifted in to the side. 

By 4 pm the sun had dipped below the tops of the trees and the temperature started slowly dropping.  The offside hoppers came out again and the boat cooled down nicely.  But the marina office had closed before it was cool enough on the blazing towpath to go and get an ice cream.

0 miles cruising