Beale Park

It's been another hot sunny day again today and we've been queueing at the locks which have all been on self-service. We caught up with our "numpty" from Godstow and he's still being a prat in locks. I got talking to a lady on another narrowboat and she'd had dealings with him too and was glad that he'd managed to get himself a full 2 locks in front of us.

The houses and boathouses are still very varied and affluent.

There were a couple of absolutely spectacular ones that I'll photograph on the way back. I was washing the dishes when we passed them and couldn't get the camera in time.

At Goring Lock we had to hover in the main stream as the lock lay-by was full of queueing boats.

This huge Dutch Barge came into the lock behind us 

I didn't realise this was a statue of a heron until we'd gone past and it hadn't moved

It's been so hot that we've seen lots of cows paddling to keep cool

The scenery remains spectacular and we moored in a beautiful spot on a field just before Beale Park.

It was far too hot to stay indoors or just sit in the sun, so we took Chico and went walkabout. This Grebe was fishing near the boat and very obligingly stayed above water long enough for me to get a photo. Normally as soon as I get the camera out they dive under in search of fish.

This family of Coot babies were very noisy, calling for their parents who kept swimming off and leaving them.

We walked round the lake in Beale Park and went over to the far side to see the boats that had been part of the Classic Boat Auction which had been held over the weekend.

 

This was my favourite.

It was one of the Dunkirk Small Ships and is in fantastic condition.

It was listed on the catalogue as:

• A MB278 Naval Pinnace built in 1914 by W. White and Sons of Cowes. This magnificent “Dunkirk” boat was built and delivered to HMS Sir John Moore in 1915. The Sir John Moore was a Lord Clive class monitor. Estimate £50,000 to £70,000

The shine on the woodwork is just beautiful