Bartimaeus

When we aren't in a town, we don't put down as many blinds. We don't expect so many passers by our windows. Dog walkers are quite common but on the river where there is no towpath, there is even less traffic, especially when there is a storm forecast when people might be trying to keep away from trees or minimise being outside. I was surprised in the morning to see that there was indeed someone just outside the window, and not walking a dog either.  

Usually ponies get a bit of freedom to roam and walking them isn't a common practice, unless they are confined to sheds, but this might be a regular haunt. It could be going to shelter during the storm and this was a quick walk before the worst came. We managed a little walk ourselves before the weather deteriorated much further. 

There were occasional opportunities to leave. It wasn't too bad. No trees fell. We continued to feel happy and safe on the beautiful Avon.

We were planning to stay put but that didn't mean doing nothing. I had some catching up to do. I had embarked on a knitting project the year before in October. It came out too small and I failed to reknit it larger last winter despite best intentions, bringing all the wool to Edinburgh, as I left the pattern book on the boat. The urgency to reknit a warm hat in the Spring had vanished and I was trying to finish a different project by then.

I had started with a brim lining, using a lighter wool so it was less thick. I didn't have quite enough wool for the main body with thicker wools, unless I ripped out and wound up the wool from the old hat as I was using the same pair of colours and needed more if I was to make a larger hat. I don't really know why I chose to reverse the colour pattern.

Having stayed still for two days we were ready to move on and enjoy cruising again. While other waterways were blocked by trees, we had a clear run. Shane worked a tricky lock, with a swing bridge and I was happy to let him. He took the helm back later.

The weather looked fine but we passed some fields where the cattle forecast more bad weather if folklore were to be followed.

The cows were not very good forecasters it seemed. They didn't  even all agree in the one field. They were in two factions.

We moored up in a slightly awkward spot, but it worked. Shane made a booking for Sunday lunch in Eckington. We had a pleasant walk there and saw other bovines were busy ploutering in the puddles and eating cake, or a Sunday special.

It was quite quiet when we arrived. We had a slap up dinner at the Anchor Inn, a different one. This one isn't even by the water. On the way back we walked by the river, we needed to walk that dinner off. We met a whole herd of cows that came to greet us at the gate. This was the public path, so we carried on slowly through and they gently parted as we walked.

I barely felt like eating until late in the evening and with no cooking required, I had plenty of time to finish off the hat.

The next day we tackled the lock. I volunteered to work it. There was no swing bridge but there was a pile of weed that had been fished out of the lock by the workboat that morning and a large pile of wood on the other side. I found myself feeling a bit uneasy walking close to the deep lock with roly poly logs lolling around. One large one had already rolled into the lock. At he other side of the log pile was machinery for moving the logs and a workman on his phone, eating brunch, so I didn't like to intrude. It didn't leave much of a path. It was a necessary journey for gate operating all the same.

One of the gates had a sign saying to use the attached metal spike to prop the gate open against the first line of raised bricks that were painted yellow. The large log in the lock prevented the gate fully opening and the spike was not going to reach the yellow brick line. I then saw that, log or not, it must often fail to reach the carefully indicated place and in stead there was a small depression in the concrete a few inches away from the yellow brick line, and it had been surround by a small yellow rectangle. The spike fitted in and didn't slip and I could leave it unattended to walk round to the other gate. I intended photographing it and got Shane to pass the camera but two workmen came to operate the lock for their boat, so in stead of going round to that side again, I went down to get back aboard.

What a glorious day! For a change it wasn't just us enjoying the bridges. Two cormorants were enjoying a sunny perch.

It looked like summer. The cows were getting thirsty. We decided to break our journey for a swift half and a delicious lunch at the Fleet Inn out on the sunny terrace.

The balmy autumn weather continued all afternoon. I had my sun hat on and the sheep could do without their woolly coats. They would have been handy when Amy was about.

We achieved a leisurely pump out at a marina, with friendly staff doing all the work, getting me to pay first so I didn't have to come back upstairs to the office. It was service with a smile there.

We then went on to Tewkesbury where we would be stopping waiting for the water to drop. In Tewkesbury we moored up at a bit of an awkward spot, better suited to cruisers with a higher deck. I managed to get out across the bow during the turn with Shane calling not to put myself in danger. It was dry enough to get off safely, though it wouldn't  be my exit of choice, then noticed a buzz of activity by the mooring pole. We had disturbed a wasps' nest. The sun made them happy to come out in goodly numbers. I already had my rope through the ring but suggested to Shane we go back a bit and use the next one. He agreed readily!

In the end we moved again later to a jetty at a better height, next to the River Avon Welcome Centre, which was itself a boat. We scouted the town and had a list of attractions to keep us busy till the Severn slowed down a bit, since the lock next to the Welcome Centre takes us there and at current flows we might not go anywhere at all, since on the Severn we intend going upstream.