A What's it - Sunday 19th May 2013

Whilst out on our early morning walk Phoenix and I spotted this unusual sight. Can you guess what it is. The answer is at the bottom of todays blog.

There were some fantastic views over the countryside this morning including this field of yellow oilseed rape which was full of Yellow Hammers.

To reach the walk we had crossed one of the many lift bridges on the Oxford Canal, after this one they were all left open up until the centre of Banbury where June had to open it using the hydraulically operated bridge gear.

Our first lock of the day was the Aynho Weir Lock, another of the diamond shaped river junction locks. June again took the boat through the lock whilst I operated the paddle gear and heavy offset beam gates. This time however she drove the boat onto and through the next lock, Nell Bridge Lock. The photo shows her about to exit the now full lock.
At King’s Sutton Lock the apple blossom was out making a lovely backdrop with the sun shining on it.

A little further on we had this Kestrel hovering over head and then it perched on a dead tree a short way from the canal, for once I was able to get the camera out and take a reasonable photo whilst the boat was slowing down.

We reached Banbury in good time and the lock was in our favour with another boat waiting to come down so we were soon negotiating the lift bridge immediately before Tooley’s Boat yard. There was a boat waiting on the other side opposite the boats breasted up at the yard and when I tried to get through we got wedge together. A judicious bit of reversing and I managed to extricate myself and asked the other boat to move forward into the wider stretch of canal so that we could pass.  We moored up in the only available space with the bow under the foot bridge, not the ideal place with the clanking of feet as people walked across. June chatted up the owners of a boat a couple of spaces down the canal and they agreed to let us know when they were leaving in a few of hours time so that we could move into their spot. This they duly did and we managed to move just before another boat arrived to moor.
Photo looking back towards Tooley’s Boatyard and the foot bridge we initially had to moor under with Nb. Glastonbury Tor opposite.

I took Phoenix a quick walk in the park and spotted Nb Tacet moored next to it. Later Ian and Karen stopped by as they returned to their boat and we had a nice chat on the bankside.
After a relaxing afternoon we took Phoenix a walk through the park and around the sailing reservoir to the nature reserve in the woods beyond before returning to the boat for a late dinner.
WHAT’S IT  -  ANSWER
The first photo is looking through the holes in the arches of this railway viaduct near to Chisnell Lift Bridge.