Thames Stroll

We took a very pleasant 5 mile stroll along the Thames Path. There is always plenty of activity both on and off the river, and the town of Abingdon was equally busy. Of course, the sunshine brings the crowds, and many tourists want to either walk beside the river, or rent a boat, and get afloat. Either way, solitude is not something they will be experiencing.

There are some very large boats moored near Abingdon, and we wondered just how they manage to get underneath the bridges.

Can I just Show You This

Things were going so well. I just knew that when I heard those words shouted up the stairs by "the builder" that something had gone wrong, and it was going to cost. Well, this is part of my lounge wall, and it's not meant to look like that.

It is meant to look like the other side of the hole, because it was time to replace front and back doors on the house.
A visit to a handmade brick supplier was then organised to get the matching bricks and the wall was rebuilt. Just my luck, why was the house not built with ordinary bricks, which could be sourced from an ordinary builders merchant?

It's a most disruptive experience, and I took refuge upstairs along with my laptop, whilst the house was pulled apart.
Our cat took flight and went missing for 3 days. We put leaflets with a photo round the neighbourhood and she returned the same evening. She now has her very own Loc8tor tag!

These workmen consumed lots of tea and coffee and huge quantities of biscuits, but they did work hard and the job is now completed, mostly.
The finished doors and windows are in oak and I hope they will last a very long time.

Golden Opportunities

It has been unusually hot and sunny, so we decided to head the nearest high spot, White Horse Hill to cool down. We have been visiting for 9 years, and the hill, with it's chalk horse draws locals and tourists to The Ridgeway, which is an ancient road. Imagine our surprise to see an almost empty car park with a couple of these installed. I would not mind paying a charge, if there were facilities, though it does seem a real coincidence that this gets installed just as everyone is trying to save money by taking days out closer to home.

There is little option, but to pay up or drive away, as the roads are really narrow, so we fed the machine and set off on a walk described by the local council as "strenuous" and steep.

It was a really pleasant way to spend a couple of hours, marred only by worrying about being back at the car before the ticket ran out.

Flaming June

Apparently, the expected rainfall for the month of June has fallen in 8 hours. Never mind, after last years' flooding, the council and landowners put in many hours work opening up drainage channels and clearing ditches, so the village would not get flooded in the future. Observe the results of their efforts.