Boat people.
Today has been a significant day in the calendar! The sale of our house is complete and we have moved onboard Penelope while we wait for the purchase of our next home to progress.
One last trip to Bodicote to pick up the last of the items to be squeezed into the MG, Martin constantly asking where it would all go, I took a final photo, in the sunshine.
Then a dash into town to drop the keys off at the Estate Agents and pick up a last few bits of shopping, including a refill of washing up liquid and so breakfast cereal, I will miss Nothing But Footprints but hopefully will find other refill shops on our travels. Back to Penelope to unload and wrap the car up in preparation for out travels and a quick bite to eat, as usual the wind picks up just as we cast off so Martin has to fight the breeze to execute his manoeuvre out of the basin and onto the Oxford canal. We have spent the last five months turning right out of the marina and heading down toward Banbury so it felt strange to turn left and head north.
A glorious afternoon for cruising, up through Broadmoor, Varney and Ellington locks before we met any traffic coming the other way, and the five Claydon locks were quickly navigated, thanks to the amazing V’Lockies who interrupted their efforts to let water down into the lower pounds to let us climb the 30 feet up towards Fenny Compton. The Fenny Compton tunnel, which was completed in 1777, is no longer a tunnel since the removal of the final section of roof in 1869 but the section is always interesting not least because of how narrow it is and this time we met two boats and on each occasion we were at the narrowest parts!
Todays short cruise ended at a mooring just below The Wharf at Fenny Compton, it’s Friday so we celebrated the house sale with Fish & Chips although they were so busy we were relegated to the garden, luckily the sun remained long enough for us to enjoy our meal before retiring to the the boat for an early night!
