Packet Boat Marina (Slough Arm) – Wednesday 3rd September

Well we are back and ready for another month’s cruising.  We have a busy time ahead which will unroll as we go along!

While we have been away we have been busy.  Over the Bank Holiday weekend we went to my cousin’s son’s wedding near Bradford-on-Avon.  We took our caravan and Penny and Jim took their motorhome.  The wedding was amazing and Ian and Jess looked so happy :-)  Bank Holiday Monday was Penny’s birthday and it poured with rain!  We cancelled all our plans and ended up in the local Asda!  It was then off to a farm shop for a wonderful cream tea.

  

Ian and Jess with Philip and Dawn

The three cousins

We got home on Tuesday with Penny – Jim took the motorhome home and played the “home alone” husband until Friday!  On Wednesday my Mother and Richard came to stay for a few days (hence Penny coming back with us).  We had a lovely few days which we completed by a get together with Richard’s youngest son along with my three.

 

The cream tea

It was then a mass sort out and tidy up and then packing to come back to Mary H – so we didn’t let the grass grown under our feet while we were away from the canals.

We have got this packing and unpacking thing down to a fine art now and were actually away at 9.45am.  We work from lists to make sure we don’t forget anything and it seems to work!  My plants have survived my absence – I had asked a chap down the pontoon if he would water them which he must have done though they were very dry today.

I must tell you about a very strange occurrence.  Last Friday I was reading my blogs in bed and about 10.45pm I read Elaine and Paul’s from the “Motorhome - 'The Manly Ferry'”.  (It used to be NB Caxton but they sold up earlier this year and bought their motorhome.  I have been wittering on to Penny and Jim about their adventures around Europe and the UK all summer.)  Elaine and Paul were “moored” up for the night at Colaton Raleigh where Penny lives!  I forwarded the email to Penny which she picked up immediately and she emailed Elaine – who was also still up!  To cut a longish story short Paul and Elaine went and had coffee with Penny and Jim and they had a good chat about narrowboats and motorhomes!

  

Paul and Elaine

Penny and Jim

As I was inserting the above photos the one of Paul and Elaine came out upside down - so what you might say but they are from Australia.  How weird!!

Tomorrow we head back down to the Thames but which way will we turn??