(Boats Sickle & Flamingo - posted by Cath)
Saturday 27th July
"Sickle" photographed from "Owl" - Photo copyright Ray Thorp. |
During an enforced stall in parading, the coffees arrive just in time. |
Knitting just under way. |
We headed off to get burgers and a drink as it was by now quite hot, and decided to sit outside the beer tent while listening to the musicians (these were not amplified, thank goodness - a big improvement on previous years when it has been impossible to even order beer) - and chilling with some friends. Our new knitter carried on knitting.
As Alan reverses Sickle round the turn he wonders how much harder with Flamingo! |
[Subsequent EDIT by Alan]
I must have been having aberration when I added and captioned the "reversing" photo above = it clearly is of "Flamingo", and NOT of "Sickle"! I blame the still worsening eyesight problems!
Some hours later on, back at Flamingo we decided to go off for food. I decided to go back onto Flamingo to collect something (now in the middle of the three 'Town Class' boats, as Stanton had paraded in the afternoon). I walked along the gunwales between the back cabin of Chertsey and Flamingo, and somehow tripped. I really don't know how, but I fell and knocked my right knee very hard on the steel gunwale. I was kneeling, with my arms up on the cabin tops. The boats were tightly tied together and well fendered, so there was no possibility of slipping between the boats, but I needed to decide how I got out of there - and I was in a lot of pain. Alan established that I wasn't in immediate danger and that I just wanted to be left to decide how to get up. Obviously, the potential problem in this situation is that someone rushes towards you and the boats rock around, not a good idea as the boats weigh many tons.
Once I got into Flamingo's main cabin I looked at my knee, which was already purple and swollen. Had I cracked my kneecap? I asked Alan to get our friend Polly in to look at it. She said it was unlikely to be seriously damaged, as I wasn't screaming and was able to stand up. We used an instant ice pack on it, and I was given anti-inflammatories and sent to lie down with my leg up. (Note: if you haven't seen instant ice packs, they are brilliant - a plastic bag that can be kept in a drawer until needed, then you squeeze the bag until a smaller bag inside breaks - some chemical reaction - at which point you have an instant bag of ice which will last up to an hour. Ideal for boats.) I fell asleep for a while, then woke up starving hungry - so we headed off for food, with me limping heavily.
I was asked by the people on the Narrowboat Trust boats if I had had my knee looked at properly. "Oh, it's OK, my friend looked at it, she is a nurse", I said. "Er, a VETERINARY nurse", Polly countered. This seemed to cause huge mirth - I can't understand why.
Impromptu music session on Flamingo. |
Everything from Folk to Bowie! |
This, for me, was the vision of what I saw Flamingo as being the first time that I saw her. A social space, somewhere to have friends on board, to drink coffee, beer or wine. To chat, or knit, or play music. As we move the bulkheads and the kitchen further along the boat it will become even better for this kind of activity.
Sunday 28th June
In the morning I found Polly's knitting and a yarn needle, and twisted it once into a mobius strip, stitching it in place.
"Flamingo's" first time on parade - Photo copyright Rob Manning. |
Photo copyright Ian Mulford |
Photo copyright Ian Mulford |
Photo copyright Ian Mulford. |
Photo copyright Ian Mulford. |
In the afternoon we could have taken Sickle out again, but my knee was very painful and swollen and we spent the afternoon sitting in the sun chatting with friends and drinking beer.
Alan with Penny Taylor-Beardow and "Sickle". |
Alan enjoys a trip out round the circuit where he doesn't have to steer. |
"Mike the Boilerman" reverses "Reginald" at Braunston Turn. |
Our own PhotoBucket album of general boaty pictures from the weekend can be found here.
If anybody else captured us, particularly on Flamingo, we would love to see your photos - we really haven't seen many others, despite all the cameras pointed our way.
Monday 29th June
No great rush to get away in the morning. Breakfast at the famous floating "Gongoozler's Cafe". We then met up with Ian and his wife Becky who moor in the marina, and are always there for the festival. They offered to help us up Braunston Locks, and did a lot to speed us on our way, especially as my knee was still making life a bit difficult.
We carried on through the tunnel, and moored up at the top of Buckby locks. We were just deciding whether we would eat at the pub, when Fiddler's Green came past, with Alan's former colleague Steve, and his wife Claire, on board. So off to the pub to chat for the evening.
I got back to the boat, and suddenly thought, "what is this in my pocket?" It was the key to a card safe - I'd forgotten to pay the bill, and they had my credit card. I limped as fast up the towpath as I could to knock on the closed door of the pub - low lights inside showed that the owners were still up - and paid my bill.
Tuesday 30th June.
Descending the Buckby flight, on our way home. |
Down the Buckby flight and back to our home mooring with a brief stop in Weedon for lunch. Then clear the boat and home. At Morris dancing in the evening the others looked at my swollen and purple knee, and declared that I most certainly wasn't going to dance.
Braunston to High House Wharf (Flamingo only) Miles: 10.5, Locks:13
(Plus twice around the parade circuit, but that is so slow, we will omit it from the stats!).
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