Bartimaeus

The locks feel quite clunky and a lot more metallic, on the Avon though they seem to empty gently enough despite the warnings about using ropes. We stopped before a lock that at least had been tarted up a little with the addition of flower boxes. We helped some others through. One man said they were very fierce when rising, a warning to bear in mind if we do that! Another boater felt they were not well maintained. The flowers may be getting more attention than the lock itself.

Some pluses on the river have been the regular sightings of kingfishers, one very close and still, but mostly flying past us in one direction or another. We have seen egrets too. One lives happily beside this very lock. 

We moved on to the next lock, for the first time sharing with another boat. He was on his own so it was a lot easier for him to share the effort of working the lock. He had waited for us at the next but we were not going in. Shane helped him through the lock anyway.

We had a sunny day ahead and I wanted to go to the Post Office so we got out the tandem and walked across the fields. We lifted it over the base of a gate with a solid bar a foot off the ground. I don't know what purpose that serves except to make it harder for everyone to go through.

Shane had big upped the village with a claim of having the tallest maypole. It was certainly tall at 65 foot high. It must take a lot of ribbon to wrap it up. Perched on the top was a weather vane of a fox running. There was a house behind with a rooster. When the wind is blowing the right way he will be being chased by the fox. 

At first I thought there wasn't a post office. I couldn't see a sign and there was no separate area in the shop that I could see. Inside the post office notice was below waist level rather than above the counter or doorway. Outside while I had looked up and there was a sign it was hidden between two bay windows from where I approached. Shane saw it from the other side of the road. Only one man was there to serve but the two tills and queueing spot was different. He danced behind the long counter and at one point he was serving three people simultaneously.

I was soon to find that looking up, apart from when looking for the post office, was a good idea in Welford on Avon. There were lots of thatched cottages and several had thatch creatures. Apart from the cockerel there were hares, cats, a long eared dog, a fox and ducks.

Lunch in Shakespeare's Pub was tasty and swift and larger than I expected when I had chosen from the light bite section. I liked the Shakespeare quotes on the walls. Altogether we had a very pleasant outing and if felt like a summery day. 

We visited the church which had an autumn display on top of its font. It was perfectly summery on this day but the forecast for the next day was wet or dull all day so we had made the most of this spot.