Bourne End to Reading and the stresses of boating !

Hi there.

Oh for a stress free life, but even as simple a life as boating is, it still throws up its dilemmas and decisions. One of the worst being 'where are we going to be in ......' . Where are we going to be tomorrow, i can cope with, where are we going to be next week, getting harder and any further on from that, well, I couldn't even stab at a county. I'm sure many of you have had the same question asked of you and the 'but how don't you know where you'll be next month!!!'

Well this time our dilemma and decisions are more of our own causing and based around two events. Firstly, Nicky's decided to do a half marathon (she's never run before) back home in Jersey the middle of June. As I'll be staying home alone with The Boys we haven't got the added headache of where to moor the boat, but we still need to sort out flights from either Southampton, Bristol or East Midland airport, BUT, where will we be. Then, secondly, we've got some friends hiring a boat to do the Avon Ring at the end of July for a fortnight so we've then got to decide how to get from wherever we are when Nicky flies back to Stratford on Avon without having to doodle around for weeks or going like a bat of hell to get there.

So to cut a long story short, for those that haven't got bored by my ramblings and gone away already, is that we've deviated from our original plan of doing The Thames and are now turning left onto The Kennet and Avon Canal and off towards Bristol where we've booked Nicky's flights from. So if nothing else, we know where where we'll be for the next eight weeks, well, sort of. Then it'll be a home alone week for me followed by a six week trip back along The Kennet and Avon Canal, do The Thames that we haven't done yet from Reading to Lechlade, backtrack to Oxford, up The Oxford Canal, along a bit of The Grand Union Canal then down The Stratford on Avon Canal to Stratford to then do a fortnight around The Avon Ring. Oh the best made plans, watch this space....

In my posts over the next few months I'll be starting off with a countdown for Nicky, nothing to do with her half marathon though, just the number of locks on the Kennet and Avon canal she'll be doing (there and back). So at this point she's on 0 done 208 to go (chuckle chuckle).

Anyways, less of the writing and some pictures of our recent travels between Bourne End and Reading.

Our Bourne End mooring for the day with a walk forward to Marlow to check mooring options, about two and a bit hours and then a walk round the lake before setting off the next morning.

And that's us off for just a quick half hour journey to Marlow.

Moored up below the lock at Marlow for the night.

Then an even shorter hop the next morning with a lock in our favour, a lock keeper on duty and about a half mile journey to moor at Marlow.

Nicky with a day in the office doing the dreaded tax forms,

And me, well I'm Benji's cushion for the day who still thinks he's a puppy and not a twenty something kilo dog.

Then once we've had our fun! it's time for The Boys walk

Very photogenic aren't they

And what we're assuming are Red Kites, are we right?

The romantic in Nicky, who credit goes to fot all the photos I use.

Moving every day at the moment, but only another half hour trip this time onto Hurley where some friends are coming down to meet us so a non moving day tomorrow, yippee.

Moored up and ready for

Our friends, Chris and Maralyn​. Chris fitted our solar panels about four and a half years ago now and stays in touch. One of our best ever purchases and paid for themselves about two years ago. Just not sure whether to sell them with the boat or transfer them onto our motorhome next year. Oh, decisions decisions.

On the move after our day of rest

Just passing through Henley on Thames as we've stopped there a few times before on holidays and running the cupboards and fridge down for our shop at Reading.

Getting close to the lock at Sonning

And moored up for the night just above it.

And of course, Nicky does like a sunset. Just a shame she's a sleepyhead in the morning and misses the sun rises.

And that's just about us, moved onto Reading this morning and moored just before the junction with the Kennet and Avon Canal that'll be our home canal until about the beginning of July I'd guess.

And so in signing off,

Day 1355 in the Badger Sett Narrow boat - 2909 miles, 1785 locks and 1445 cruising hours further on from when we started.

Windsor to Bourne End

So after three nights in Windsor, at a tearful mooring cost of £8 a night, it was time to get back into cruising mode, well all of two miles and one lock, but plenty enough for the first day.

A quick walk for The Boys first though who managed to photo bomb Nicky's shot of Windsor Castle.

And again!

Not this time though. . . .

No rest for the wicked at our next mooring spot through as a bit of spring cleaning, or in this case rubbing down and painting, was on the agenda.

Binks snoozing outside and

Benji looking very comfy in the cratch.

Back on the move after two days of decorating

Heading through Maidenhead after making a pit stop at Lidl for the weekly shop on the way past

And moored up for the night at a far more cost effective £0 per night 😀

Currently at Bourne End, having walked forward to Marlow to check out the mooring spots for tomorrow. Certainly won't be one of the £12 a night ones though, prefer to just chuck the anchor overboard and bob about for the night!

And so in signing off,

Day 1347 in the Badger Sett Narrow boat - 2896 miles, 1779 locks and 1439 cruising hours further on from when we started.

The Wash

I've just added another page tab to my blog of our journey across The Wash from Boston to Wisbech last year. It's taken a bit longer than I'd expected so I'll update you as to our current whereabouts in the next few days. I hope you enjoy it and put it on your 'must do one day' list.

No points for guessing where we are . . .

Hampton Court to Staines

On the move again having first got to Hampton Court in the middle of February. Well, okay, we haven't just been at Hampton Court as we've spent three of these weeks on the River Wey, done a bit of work on the boat and pottered around a bit waiting for a visit from our son Aaron whose with us for a week.

A last look at the deers at Hampton Court where I'd guess there must be a good two hundred

Sunset on the mooring at Hampton Court

First bit of new territory for us since February, all of about five minutes above Sheperton Lock

A walk with Aaron (and Nicky of course, but someones got to take the photos for my blog)

 A warm sunny day and a river to play in, perfect for The Boys

And then a play fight to finish off with and finally

 A well earned rest

Moored up in Staines

And some Egyptian Geese to finish off this post from our last walk of the day.

And so in signing off,

Day 1339 in the Badger Sett Narrowboat - 2877 miles, 1772 locks and 1431 cruising hours further on from when we started.

We're still around and The Ribble Link

When we set off on our travels around the waterways network, the plan was for it to take about two to three years. We now find ourselves four and a half years later on and our somewhat longer than expected journey is still not complete, but we're slowly getting there as you'll see by our map.

Currently down on The River Thames, Hampton Court to be exact, with red being the colour for 2017.

A nice photo of our home, Badger Sett that is not Hampton Court, that I borrowed from Carol and George's Still Rockin blog.

A while ago now I saw a phrase on a blog somewhere (Can't remember whose so I can't pay them credit) but it stuck in mind and went something like 'Days without a name and time without a number' and pretty much sums up our life aboard these past few years. Terrible when you have to date and sign something though as I even struggle with a month and a year sometimes yet alone a time and a day!

Anyway, to ease myself back into this blogging lark I thought I'd just cheat a bit and start by putting on a couple of extra pages with photos of some of our 'Adventures' . The first one being The Ribble Link that we did way back in September 2013.