Narrowboat Tacet

Silent Movement - Our gap year travelling the inland waterways



Thursday 24 May 2012

Feeling At Home Back On The Canal

Today we have a decent broadband signal, so hopefully we can manage to post a blog. And with pictures.....

After spending about six weeks on rivers, the Lee and Stort, then the Thames and Wey, it was so nice to leave the wide fast flowing stuff behind and get back to the calm of the canal.
leaving one of the big, wide locks on the Thames
back on the quiet waters of the Oxford Canal.

Once we got back to Oxford we managed to meet up with our son, who fitted us into a small window of his busy schedule. Exams are over, social activities are full on, life is busy you understand!  An offer of lunch, Dad paying, helped.  We enjoyed the hot sunny day, finding a shady spot in a pub garden and then had a wander round the Botanical Gardens together.
tiny plants in the alpine house
pitcher plants in the insect plant area
iris in the species area
Chushan palm,
the dense yellow fibres at the base of the leaves are used to make rope, sacks and other coarse cloth.
A black pine planted in 1800
it's cones were dropping, and someone had been busy using them for 'art attacks'.
so much fresh bright green
one of the great glass houses.

So we are back on the canal network, heading north again, back to the Pennines and Yorkshire.  It's not long since we were on the South Oxford, (January) so we shall be moving fairly quickly through and with this lovely weather, enjoy cruising in the evenings again.


Tuesday: Wallingford - Sandford, 17 miles, 6 locks
Wednesday: Sandford - Shipton-on-Cherwell, 11 miles, 7 locks, 4 bridges
Thursday: Shipton - Kings Sutton, 16 miles, 11 locks, 1 bridge


3 comments:

  1. That is an impressive glass house! Isn't it wonderful to see the fresh bright green again. Round here, the hawthorns are in bloom and the hedgerows are adorned in white. It is so beautiful!
    You're heading back up to my favourite part of the country!! Anticipation :)

    (Incidentally, have you ever thought of ditching the word verification? I got rid of it a year ago and have had no problems. It's such a pain.)

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    Replies
    1. The canalside is glorious in white too. Pictures coming up.
      Sorry, didn't realise the w.v was on, it is a pain, it should be gone now.

      Delete
    2. I've just commented on your next post and the VF is still there I'm afraid.

      Delete