The Big Summer Cruise starts here! Well, it ought to have done and we should have been on the Thames tonight, but we only got as far as the Anchor Pub and MM is still in the Marina!
We were a bit later leaving home than planned; we were both tired this morning. R had been up at Goring on Wednesday night to help Abbie host a business dinner and M had the choir AGM, so a late night for both of us.
We left the car at home and took the bus into Redhill and then the (slow) trains to Byfleet and New Haw station. R managed to find an unmarked path through to the canal and we walked the two miles down the towpath towards Pyrford. It was a lovely walk, apart from the unrelenting noise from the M25 close by. It was VERY hot and the lure of a cold drink at the Anchor pub was irresistable. Shades of "Ice Cold in Alex" as we savoured our lime and lemonades in frosted glasses with the ice cubes tinkling merrily. Bliss!
How lovely it was finally to board MM! Her interior was, however, even hotter than outside, at 31deg. M was cross to see that the boat had a thin film of sooty dust all over her - again! And we only washed her last week! Damn that infernal M25!
Another first - we had a G&T sitting on the "Barry Seats" at the stern. There were many times before that we would have loved a G&T but this was difficult as we had repeatedly forgotten to bring any gin on board!
Guy sat up on the "Barry Seats" for a while overseeing activities in the marina; there were quite a few folk working on their boats. The "coal scuttle" (a gift from Carol and Philip in the choir) has now been re-planted in red, white and blue (geraniums, alyssum and lobelia) in honour of the forthcoming Jubilee celebrations, and looks splendid.
The sun has just set as a huge vermillion ball over the golf course next door. The birdies are still singing merrily, the Mozart Requiem is playing on Classic FM and we have decided to have an evening off choir stuff and Capture work.
We called Simon to see if he would like to join us one day over the coming week and sent some emails out to friends.
We've just been admiring the moon (a slender crescent, just a few days old) so its now time for bed.
We looked at the possibility of going up the Basingstoke Canal tomorrow but sadly it is currently closed beyond the first six locks, so it is probably not worth it. Looks like we are going to head out on to the Thames and up to Reading, then go down to Aldermaston by the end of next week. We are planning on the basis of only three hours cruising per day on average, so we can take it very easy. There is a marina with a railway station next door where we can leave MM while we go up to London for the Jubilee party in Battersea Park.
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