I have had a most WONDERFUL weekend, a family get together, a FAM JAM. It was actually a birthday present to my sister Pat from her nephews.
Jeremy and Pat picked me up Friday afternoon, and we went to a nice hotel and had dinner in Market Harborough, Leics. near the wharf. Saturday morning we met up with James and his family at the Union Wharf, Market Harborough, where a narrow boat was going to take us along the Grand Union canal to Foxton Lock.
It was all very pleasant on board cruising along the canal - and we were very blessed with warm, fine weather - passing through several locks on the way, and at one point Naomi produced a nice lunch I am a big fan of all the Countryside and Country file programmes on tv so was interested in all the wildlife we saw on the way.
I don't see very much of my grand daughters, Pearl and Doris as they live in Leics., so it was lovely getting to know them better, they are 6 and just-turned 3.
We turned round at Foxton Lock arriving back at Market Harborough about five thirty ish when the boat had to be turned in. At one point I was stretching my legs along the towpath and noted the distance from Market Harborough to Foxton Lock was 5.5 miles.
I am not too far away in Oxfordshire, but Pat had left her car at Jeremy's in Surrey so had a long drive back to the south coast. I got home in the early evening.
Yesterday, Sunday was pretty uneventful. Tim picked me up to go to the eight o'clock at St Andrews.
Update or Explanation on above
First of all I should perhaps explain that my blogs when I was in the States were for the benefit of the family back here, but now they are written mainly for my friends in the US, and after I published the above it was brought to my attention that my US friends are not familiar with our inland waterway system of canals and locks and narrow boats. I wish I had taken some photos.
Before we had roads to transport goods around the country we had to use our inland waterways, hence the development of canals and narrow boats. The narrow boats have to be less than 7 feet wide to navigate the canals, and are usually 6'10" and steered by a tiller. Of course now we have motorways and the like, the canals and narrow boats have become a recreational pursuit.
The locks are the means of raising or lowering a boat from one water level to another. I am not terribly au fait with how it all works, but a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be changed, and James and Jeremy dealt with getting through the locks; opening them, going through, then closing them behind us. I think I should have been paying more attention to what was going on instead of lounging about.
Update or Explanation on above
First of all I should perhaps explain that my blogs when I was in the States were for the benefit of the family back here, but now they are written mainly for my friends in the US, and after I published the above it was brought to my attention that my US friends are not familiar with our inland waterway system of canals and locks and narrow boats. I wish I had taken some photos.
Before we had roads to transport goods around the country we had to use our inland waterways, hence the development of canals and narrow boats. The narrow boats have to be less than 7 feet wide to navigate the canals, and are usually 6'10" and steered by a tiller. Of course now we have motorways and the like, the canals and narrow boats have become a recreational pursuit.
The locks are the means of raising or lowering a boat from one water level to another. I am not terribly au fait with how it all works, but a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be changed, and James and Jeremy dealt with getting through the locks; opening them, going through, then closing them behind us. I think I should have been paying more attention to what was going on instead of lounging about.
It sounds a lovely weekend indeed. I am delighted that you got to enjoy it as you did. And thank you for the specifics of the water- ways. With the exception of the Erie Canal in early days, the U.S. has not developed inland water passages, but uses natural ones.
ReplyDelete