Messing about on the river
Hello again and how time flies when you are having fun, We left you last time when we were heading for Stratford and the locks were not open, well they opened on Friday 26th March so we
were able to travel down through them and we got here late on Friday, well quite late for us as it was gone 6pm it was gloomy and raining and the locks although narrow were really tough, ( oohh hang on there’s a parade coming over the green must go and watch)get back to you later !!.....................Sorry it took almost two weeks to check on that band, like I say it’s cos we Are busy having fun, We love it here on the river, Well we arrived here on Friday the 26th March after a right
struggle with those locks, “don’t remember them being that tough last time when we came this way almost two years ago”
Well we were nearing Stratford and I had an apparition appear before my very eyes “a bloke in 15th century dress, sort
of felt trousers, a very odd looking jumper type smocky top thing and a real strange hat with feathers sticking out of it, well I thought to myself “ whoooaaa that’s a freaking ghost but I’ll not tell Richard incase he thinks I’m a nutter (oh he already does that) so I spoke to the ghost and said “hello are you really a ghost or am I just imagining you” No he said I have just finished working at Mary Arden’s house I finish at four, “I really am a nutter Mary Arden’s house is one of the Stratford attractions (she was Shakespears Mum) sometimes I worry about me !!!
Well on Monday 29th March I took in a
bit of the culture and went with Sally and Maggie to see Romeo and Juliet at the courtyard theatre, again it’s so much more understandable when you are a grown up, and I am !! (the original theatre will not be ready until 2011 due to repairs and restorations) We have been on the canal basin for several days as the river is up due to the rain we have had, so we are unable to go on to the River Avon, with the boat that is, we have been walking it most days to check on it, it is just so beautiful and the weather is too so I don’t know why it’s still up so high, The weekends here have been gorgeous sunshine and it’s like being on summer holiday with all of the tourist’s, who we are always showing around the boat, I could have opened up a stall and sold tea and scones I would have made a fortune, all you have to do is add the name Shakespear and it sells a fortune so if I put a sign up saying shakespears narrowboat, the Japanese tourists would believe it, the foreign tourists are always asking if we do boat trips and, they just climb on board the back deck and have their photo’s taken without so much as a bye your leave, whether we are on board and eating a meal, but I feel if we have our doors open then they are bound to think we are a showboat, and we just love showboating, well it is a lovely boat. As we were still stuck here I decided to go back to King’s Lynn for a short visit to see all of the grandchildren.
Came on to the River Avon on Monday and took the short journey up the other way on the River to Maggie and Pete’s house, they have a mooring and we moor along side, I did dinner for them last night as they had done one for us last week and again for Richard whilst I went to King’s Lynn, so we had a wonderful night and as usual I do amaze myself with my culinary skills, Pete doesn’t have sugar in anything so I had to cook accordingly, so the dessert I created from coconut milk fresh pineapple, (which I roasted) cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom pods to add to the taste, it was just wonderful, but instead of it setting in the little ramekins that I like to make my desserts in ( yes Jayne still using them) as I had mixed the whole concoction with gelatine so that they would set in to beautiful set things, well they didn’t, I think there is some enzyme in fresh pineapple which doesn’t allow the gelatine to set (well that's my excuse and I’m sticking to it,) however the coconut pineapple slop went down a right treat ( well who is going to say to your face “that’s a load of slop” so I never worry about serving it) we are here at Tiddington for a few days as Richard is helping Peter to paint the fence, and then we will be making our way down to Evesham so hopefully I will not be too distracted and may write sooner than I did last time, met loads of lovely people along the way, Jackie and Mike of nb Wordsworth a lovely couple who we hope to meet along the way again, and met up again with Simon and Pauline off nb.Empire Queen who we met almost two years ago, I apologize to Simon as Richard was introducing him to me as Kevin, It’s his age you know, see you when we are passing.
Until the next time
Lots of love
Chrissie & Richard and Rio x x x
Pictures to follow, back in not much power country, and also my sister Sharon had a birthday on the 8th April so happy birthday Shar from us, wont mention your age !! |
