Diana feeding swans from The Lady
Diana feeding swans from The Lady

Summer solstice for a cruise from Ely and up The Lark to Prickwillow aboard The Lady on a sunny but cool day after we buy Daniel’s first 2HP outboard motor. The Pope starts Glasnost and the communist block fall.

Another fine morning after early cloud had been burnt through by the strong sun. The Northerly breeze has kept us cool since Friday and today was no exception. A walk to the centre of Ely and the purchase of provisions including much fruit such as Strawberries, Pears, Apples & Melon. On the way back to the boat we purchase a 2HP Mariner outboard motor which we will soon have bolted to The Lady’s tender. Daniel quickly learns how to start and use it and is happy to cruise up and down and help clock up the hours towards the 10/15 needed for the first free service.

We set off, dinghy in tow, and stop at Littleport for 5 gallons of diesel, and some low calorie canned shandy which I find delicious. The boatyard owner of The Boathaven, kindly consents to us mooring our boat at his yard for the afternoon while we walk to Littleport town centre and buy two-stroke petrol for the outboard. The shops are very nicely laid out with a good variety of all sorts of goods. This plus a Bank, Post Office and several building societies makes Littleport one of the best local villages for shopping. Back to the boat and upstream to turn onto the River Lark and a slow cruise to Prickwillow and the moorings below the road bridge. Before tea a brief visit to the Pottery for some small items and a look alone at the newly restored Prickwillow Engine Museum where voluntary restoration is very good indeed. After tea Diana and I, a walk around the village noting the well-tended kitchen gardens, goats, Shetland ponies and cluster of ageing and rusting agricultural implements. Signs of the local school being threatened with closure which I think will be a shame. With two other boats we spend the night. Today we here that the Pope is making even bolder statements about Solidarity and a dialogue with the Polish people and government. The state makes warnings about including ‘political’ statements in the Pope’s Addresses and I wonder on the outcome. Negotiations continue between the Broadcasting Union and the BBC whose members object to producing Hotel Receipts when claiming overnight allowances. ACAS sponsored negotiations temporarily avoid the disruption of television coverage of Wimbledon where British players are soon eliminated. Also Cricket World Cup, where England is reigning supreme. This day we have brought a good number of local guide books for Ely and are particularly intrigued by the account of the 1947 floods.