England

Susan and I flew from Toronto to Heathrow overnight and had no issues picking up our rental narrowboat.  This afternoon we headed north from Heyford on the Oxford Canal.  This canal dates back to the mid-eighteenth century.

Tonight we are stopped at Aynho Wharf, where we’ll eat supper out and get an early night.

The canal, bridges and locks are all just big enough for our boat, which is under 7 ft wide and 58 ft long.  Lots of fun maneuvering.

Addendum by Susan early Sunday a.m. – As I have found to be often the case, Jeff underplays his skills. On day 1 of our latest boating (canalling?) adventure, i was reminded of two things:

(1) while some days I have moderately severe anxiety caused a degenerative disease, I am, deep down in my soul, calm when I am on the water with Jeff. I think this is because I am fundamentally aware of the skills and wisdom he brings to each task.

(2) Jeff and I, and other members of our family, share a wildly practical, sometimes doggedly pragmatic, sometimes ‘unreasonably confident’, belief in our approach to problems.

Mid-afternoon, we encountered a narrowboat heading south. Its captain conveyed through barely understood words and gesticulations that they had turned around because the passage away ahead was blocked by a ‘stuck’ canal boat. Needless to say, we blithely carried on, me silently wondering when and how we would turn around in the narrow waterway, with Jeff opining that perhaps we (he) could help the boat become unstuck. When we encountered the boat a few minutes later. Jeff, with the help of a man biking along the canal, quickly realized that it was unoccupied, and that its position was likely the result of a failed stern line. With some careful maneuvering, they managed to reposition the boat so that the canal was clear. It probably took less than 10 minutes, and as usual, Jeff provided a simple, highly effective solution to a fairly pressing problem.

Here are some of our favourite photos in no particular order.