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Home to Paxton from Tempsford after a walk through lovely Roxton and refreshments at their Post Office as Joshua Nkomo starts the return of exiled Zapu to Zimbabwe
A hot but windy day. The barometer stayed around 1013 all day and temperatures varied between about 60degF overnight to 78degF in the open saloon cabin during the day. A good sleep and lay in before we all rise for breakfast in The Lady for the last time this long weekend. A walk after to the Parish of Roxton across corn and vegetable fields. We pass ducks and geese and walk through Roxton Hall, a well-kept farm with new sheep pens and outbuildings. They also keep flamingos for their distraction.
Along to the main crossroads and ice creams and soft drinks for all at the Post Office. Roxton is a pretty village with a school and well-kept traditional buildings. A few new houses are being erected and I would commend its circumstance to anyone. Back to the boat across the footbridge and a drink in The Anchor whilst the children play in the games room and Diana makes a salad lunch on board. A steady cruise back through Eaton Socon and St Neots locks without finding reason to stop.
After unloading the boat I use the new electric hedge trimmer to clip the Hayling plot hedge and see that I have so much combustible material in this drought that I am forced to stop and burn some of it slowly before it gathers to high and dangerous. I put The Lady to bed and furl her red ensign, mast flags and life buoy, stowing them safely. Off with her gas and electricity power and back to the house.
Today an exiled African leader Joshua Nkomo returns to Zimbabwe, another Irish Republican Army activist is buried and the Building Societies again have an inflow of funds. I am interested tomorrow to see how Comart has been faring but use my last energies this evening to bathe and wash my hair. I will sleep sound tonight.
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Shopping in Bedford and then the cruise back to Tempsford on another hot sunny day as Diana suffers
A later start to another brilliantly clear sky. The barometer has risen to 1017 and the night cabin temperature only dropped to 60*F. A slightly irritable opening to the day as the kids are running amok and Diana, nursing a stiff back, is not sleeping very well. She finds the hot weather very tiring and my remarks about her overweight do not help. As we rise, we see a film unit recording some pop ‘star’ or other recording sessions around Mill Meadow for a pop video or something similar. This latest craze improves on the normal role of the recording artiste by allowing recipients to see as well as hear him or her.
Off to town in Bedford and there to shop in W H Smiths, Boots, Halfords and also a department store. We rendezvous at McDonalds fast food shop for lunch and then retrace our footsteps to the boat. Off we set on ‘The Lady’ and cruise through Cardington, Castle Mill, Willington, Great Barford and lastly Roxton Lock before stopping at the Anchor Hotel at Tempsford. The children enjoy immensely the riverside playground as I read the ‘Observers book of Heraldry’ and learn that any gentleman including myself can apply for a grant of arms.
Later to the restaurant with Diana, noting that the wind has kept up all day and risen to a strong breeze. The same breeze that saw Daniel’s Red Indian Kite first flown on Mill Meadow. The end of the Helsinki World Athletic Championship and Great Britain a creditable fifth. The Lady’s saloon cabin temperatures today ranged from 60degF overnight to 86degF in the shade. Night time barometer pressure had fallen to 1013mb.
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Tempsford via Willington, Castle Mills and Cardington Locks to moor in Mill Meadow, Bedford, on a very hot day
A blindingly hot day, with sunny spells in the 80’s for much of the day. We set off from Great Barford after emptying the litter bins and first try getting through the Old Barford Bridge. Since the river was reopened 11 years ago and the upstream locks repositioned, the headroom has been very low. This is compounded at the moment by repairs to the pointing and coppice stonework which needs scaffolding in place for most of this season. It has scarred many boats in the meantime.
Through reasonably safely and past the old lock and sluice downstream of Willington before we lock through the new lock and moor just above. The rest of the hot morning is taken by walking west through Willington to the old National Trust Stables and Dovecote then south east to the main road via the post office shop and newsagent and then back to the boat. The Dovecote and Stables are closed to the public, except for open days and by prior arrangement – but must be a few hundred years old. In days past the husbandry of the dovecote produced many thousands of pigeon pies – but no more. I think the pigeons are actually kept out now.
A lunch in the heat of the day and then we cruise through Castle Mills lock and then Cardington Lock which we clear by an inch. Onto Bedford Mill Meadow to moor but, as we pass under the old railway bridge, boys jump off the structure and soak us with the spray and make young Debbie cry. I do not see the joke and apprehend them; threatening them with the boathook as they laugh at the challenge. Mill Meadow has a swing band playing on the bandstand and later a Salvation Army across the river. The ornamental bridge is closed and a row boat provides a pedestrian ferry for 10p per time. A hot evening resting before taking Daniel to see James Bond’s Octopussy. Temperature up at 86degF if my new thermometer is to be believed. Pressure dropping to 1015. Octopussy unfortunately, ended early tonight and we missed it, walking together instead.
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Cruising from St Neots Riverside Park (and back to Paper Mill Lock) to Great Barford after shopping in St Neots, as the barometer falls
A cool start to an otherwise increasingly hot day. Temperatures rising again to a maximum of 80*F. We awoke early after a very restful night. The Priory Disco of the previous evening had been soothing in music and early in completion. A bright sunny start and breakfast of our favourite “Kellogg’s Varieties” and toast before soon to the shops in St Neots. Purchase of books on beekeeping and goat keeping, a visit to the bank for £50 cash and to pay in my £250 expenses cheque, and then to walk back to The Lady with a large measure of groceries with Diana.
We cruise back to the Paper Mill lock so that Diana could collect her contact wetting solution from the house. I take the opportunity to join her and collect my portable hi fi and tapes from the house too, intending to wire it for 12volt working on board. Back to the boat and next stop Eaton Socon where we moor and visit the Mill Tavern to have an excellent family meal outside on the tables. Then to the garden centre where we look round and I buy a ‘maximum and minimum’ thermometer and later provide securements in the boat saloon.
Then we cruise through three locks leading another craft with a rather plumpish but attractive lady in a bikini; to come eventually to moorings alongside the Anchor at Great Barford. The countryside is pretty but a little boring, but we notice on the way the great efforts that have been made at Tempsford to improve The Anchor’s riverside moorings and gardens. A walk around Great Barford this evening. A disappointing village with shops closed and peace dissected by busy main roads. A nice drink at the Anchor before a late evening listening to my Hi-Fi and a Somerset Maugham story ‘A Point of Honour’ given to me by another Solidath. The barometer fair at 1021 and the cabin temperatures this evening (until bedtime) ranging from 74deg to 81degF which I think is too high and the thermometer is therefore un-calibrated!
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Chairing Comart meetings and then off on The Lady following her repairs for the start of a weekend trip in cooler weather than of late
A cooler day, but hot when the sun was out, but ending very cool with a refreshing breeze under a clear sky. A very early start with John Lamb who collected me at 7.45am for a resumption of the Board meeting at the office at 8.00am. Then to the Finance Report an investigation into the loss of £20,000 Work in Progress stock value which is explained by inadequate monitoring methods and inefficient routing. Then to the personnel report and my complaints about timekeeping and housekeeping and present action of the absence and holiday report.
Then, after the meeting, to quickly review the mail before resuming to chair a Product Introduction Meeting which was a very useful and productive session reviewing all known problems on new product launches. Lunch time catching up with paperwork and both meeting minutes before a session to agree reviews with Ian Nickson. Later to clear up outstanding action items before hearing from June that both car and boat had been fixed.
Home to prepare The Lady for the weekend trip; first by mending the main toilet – an essential facility!
News today of infiltration of British Leyland by political activists, continued hostilities in Chad, hunger in America as the recession affects the poor and the games at Helsinki are well under way.
The Offord Marina engineer checks back with us before we set off and moor again at St Neots Riverside Park. Two 13 year old girls lock us through The Paper Mill lock with all the energy in the world. Tea of bread, tomato soup and marmalade and the evening news on our portable television. The engineer makes yet another call and I wonder whether I should tip him.