Blue Monday!

It might be Blue Monday for some as the Christmas holidays have ended, and the first resolutions get broken, with winter weather still to face, and we have had a blue Monday too, blue skies, blue river,
 all day.
As we left our Jericho mooring at the end of the Oxford Canal, the canal was frozen, so we were breaking ice on our way to Isis lock.

Once out on the river, the feel is different, with a flow of water and wider channel.

Heading out into the wide expanse of Port Meadow, leaving the dreaming spires of Oxford behind us.

We had a lovely cruise up to Shifford Lock, meeting lock keepers at some of the locks, others we worked ourselves. We saw several kingfishers, darting across the river, one day I might catch one on camera.

The 12th century Nunnery ruins at Godsow with an odd collection of boats moored alongside.

One of the lovely stone road bridges across the river, can't remember which one this is, could be Swinford bridge.

And finally the paddle gear on these locks are so easy to wind up and down, and the gates have good long balance beams, they open and close easily too.  A perfect winter day's cruising.

With a perfect ending. Not a Blue Monday for us. Thank you God.

15 miles, 7 locks