Normal Service Can Now Be Resumed

Today our two young charges have been returned to their parents, intact, dry and happy, (I think).  It has been lovely having them with us, it seems very quiet here now that they’ve gone.  We have enjoyed seeing and experiencing things through their young eyes. Our evenings have been busy playing games, Ligretto is the favourite, making things and reading Just William stories too. They’ve not had the time or thought for anything involving a screen of any sort!

Here are a selection of photos from our last few days as we’ve braved the rain along the Nene, the rising waters and speedy flow.

We’ve stopped at Northampton, Wellingborough, Thrapston and spent some quiet nights with a long plank to the bank.

 

We’ve squeezed through narrow bridges, ducked under low bridges, marvelled at wide, long bridges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We played with a model boat made by B, seen a few narrowboats on the way, and fishing boats out on some of the lakes alongside the river.

 

 

 

And yesterday we enjoyed warm sunshine all day.  Though the previous days’ rain meant we had to stop at Thrapston as the river was too high for us to fit under the footbridge below the lock. This morning we went along to the cattle market where they were holding a ‘fur and feathers’ auction.  Where there were all manner of small ducklings, chicks, goslings, quail, as well as rabbits, ponies, pigs, goats and calves, under the auctioneer’s hammer.  It brought back memories of visits to our local market with my Grandad when I was small, especially seeing the old farmers in their tweed caps, boots and stick in hand.

Our mooring now, at Islip Mill, the levels have dropped we are free to go again.  And the forecast is good for the next week.  Hooray!

So life returns to normal, well as normal as boating gets, never knowing what is just around the corner bend in the river.