Last night whilst moored at Wallingford we had a beautiful full Moon which was an almost golden colour.
The following morning we set off in lovely sunny and calm weather heading down stream passed this magnificent University Boat house and some local ones, with rowing boats all around us. Some were practicing racing others were just out for a Saturday morning row. One chap nearly came right up our stern as he had not realised he was going so fast and we were only going slowly. We had a good chat whilst he got his bearings and then shot on ahead of us.
Further down stream is the Sheridan Marine Boatyard with lots of cruisers moored and one just being put into the water. A little further on is the Beetle and Wedge Boathouse Pub which was originally a manor house standing in a superb riverside situation with nice garden and jetty. A Beetle was a mallet used to drive the Wedge into a tree to split it into planks and float them down river to London, a practice last recorded in 1777 but lives on in the name of this pub.
We arrived at Cleeve Lock to see the Self Service sign on display and were just about to get the lock ready when the Lockie arrived and saw us safely through. He said he would see us at the next lock, Goring, as he would be there for the day and only come back to Cleeve if there was a problem or to check the water levels later on. Sure enough as we arrived at Goring he turned up having driven the 1/2 mile and saw us through the lock together with a small cruiser. The approach to the lock is very attractive with the steep hills in the background and the Swan Diplomat hotel at the water front in Streatley, the village on the opposite side of the river to Goring.
Graham and Carolann were off to see a relative in Streatley so moored up just after the lock. We decided to carry on to Beale Park as it was a nice day and we wanted to be out in the country. There were a lot of Grebe with their young on this part of the river and it was so clear we could see the young ones swimming under the water. Carolann saw a Grebe with a baby on its back similar to how the swans carry their signets.
After lunch I took Jimmy a walk to reccy the Beale Park Centre and the Racing and River Boat Museum as it would be nice to visit them in cooler conditions. There is a lovely circular walk which brings you back along the river with some beautiful butterflies and wild flowers everywhere. Jimmy decided to have a roll in something awful just a few yards from getting back to the boat so it was a bath for him, which he seemed to enjoyed. He dried in no time.
We had just made a cup of tea when Autumn Years must have smelt it and came around the corner to moor in front of us. We sat on the bank chatting until dinner time.
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