Of blue skies and hail...

This particular cruising week started with a view out the back cabin doors like this! That should keep all the boaters at home, as unlike the hot sun - not even mad dogs and Englishmen would go out in that, Surely?

Thankfully, the sun worked very hard and eventually prevailed and the hotest bank holiday I can remember won through - with the resulting rush out of every marina in the land, and the North Oxford becoming the summer style thoroughfare that it is.

And so it was, that K2 joined the thronging masses, and queued up for the head South - well South East. In this picture are 6 boats - and that doesn't include the 2 behind me. Of course it might have helped, if the hire boat in front, had remembered to throttle up after the moored boats! Maybe a sign is needed - "you can speed up now, thank you for driving slowly past our village"

However, we were in no hurry. A fact illustrated by the few hours on the mid-line just before the tunnel. Drinking up the sunshine, drying the washing, and supping champagne with a strawberry following!!

In fact, that's where we should have stopped. Good company, a pub that was eager to serve us food - promising anything on or off the menu, sunny mooring, and a chilled out afternoon. But -

the girls wanted a play park, so they, could run off some energy, and they had their hearts set on going to the Bulls Head - knowing it to have an indoor, soft play area. So reluctantly we cast off and chugged off, where the afore said Bulls Head was found and food ordered.

It has to be said - the menu was hugely restricted - and the staff totally unwilling - or unable - to supply around the edges of the menu. So Fish, Chips and Peas - couldn't be "and beans", even though beans were elsewhere on the menu. Childs' omelette, couldn't become adults omelette - a fact that bothered me about the quality of the food. Surely if you are breaking one egg for an omelette, it isn't that much of a problem to break 2?

I'll let you decide on the food quality, by the left-overs here!!

That's my chicken curry, served in the dog bowl - It tasted of bits of chicken chopped into a curry sauce from the local chippy! And the historically "safe", Ham, eggs and chips, was .......

left for the dogs!!

Well congratulations - it was probably one of the most unpleasant gastronomic experiences I've ever had, and not even lifted by the attitude of the staff. We were just very pleased not to have dressed for dinner!!

Just to be clear...

...and to answer all those questions and emails - thank you !! - I love Coventry basin - it seems a waste only because no-one goes there. What would be great is a rally of some sort, it is pretty, lots of potential, but empty.

Oh probably working boats would fight for the dredging to get there - K2 did!!!

Sent to Coventry - but came back again!!

I like Coventry Basin. I was there a couple of years ago, and then considered it a waste of a basin, so I sent the boys trip to Coventry. Well, via the Greyhound. We had the choice of a run to Atherstone, or Coventry, and chose the later!!

It was a quick stop - long enough for a coffee and cake, then nosied back into the canal again.

The canal from bridge 5 down to the basin is very shallow, with black mud swirling under our counter all the way, and the engine fighting for every yard. On the way back Ivor set his satnav up, showing a grand 2 mph at 950rpm. The same engine on the North Oxford saw us running at an eye watering 4mph. Prooving K2 isn't the slowest boat on the cut, but also that she prefers clear water under her keel (if she had one!)

I love bridge 1 - There is enough air draft by 2mm, and plenty of evidence that some boats didn't quite make it!

So an uneventful trip, passing the Ricoh arena; Tesco's; Chris and Yvonne on their lovely 70foot live aboard that they had built especially for them; a natter at Rose on the way through; and NB Clarence on their way out for a drink at the Greyhound, and in to an empty pontoon.

Gleemaiden has gone to Banbury, and Nerus left after us to head for Napton. So it was a quiet night, just like the old days, with just us! In fact we were the only pontoon to be totally empty for a night - good cruising guys us lot!!

We had a rush off to Southampton, and managed to sneak off K2 just before the rain started!!

My final picture is the inaugeral new lighting of the old oil lamp that I have spent 2 years cleaning!! Now installed in the saloon, it throws a lovely light, and plenty of warmth too, and looks fantastic.