Saturday 21st April 1984

Easter Saturday - Family Day trip aboard The Lady to St Neots and Conygeare on a beautiful day, taking lunch ashore and then home to a barbeque to hear poignant news from neighbours of the illness and death of other river plot users

Awake to another beautiful day and first to read The Times in detail before a wash and hair shampoo which was much overdue. After the normal Saturday preparations I suggest we go to St Neots for our shopping on The Lady. So, after a ‘pressing’ exercise with Daniel, we cast off and made our way to the Paper Mill Lock in beautiful sunny and warm weather. I had managed to repair and commission the fresh water and toilet plumbing and Di spent most of the trip compulsively cleaning the galley and rear cabin areas. Dan was my crew member and I also let Debbie out to help and she held the ropes as we rose gently in the lock.

Then a stately cruise towards the town, passing the riverside houses and boatyards on the way. Then to arrive in the town centre and moor against The Bridge Hotel by the bridge span. There to enjoy a glass of shandy before setting off by foot to the shops. A fine purchase of prawns, redemption of my double-breasted suit from the cleaners but I found the bank closed. Hungry, we returned to The Lady and lunch at The Bridge steak house, overlooking the river which was more expensive than the Happy Eater but a pleasant change. We were glad to eat at 12.30pm because by 1 it was very busy and so we cast off and cruised upstream to Conygeare to moor and have soft ice creams from a van, while the children played on the large slide. Then to cruise home and lock down again to Little Paxton in a very warm spell with the sliding roof providing a welcome source of shade. As we moored, our neighbours were just taking off for the Garden Centre at Eaton Socon, where we had also been today. A rest and brew of tea and then to set up the barbeque for another feast of hamburgers and sausages and the sun set. After tea, Daniel was a great help in unfurling The Lady’s cover to dry before folding it tightly for storage. I then took a stroll to the common to see the radio control planes being flown, pausing on the way to chat to Marilyn and Caroline. We were sad at the news that Bill’s sight was failing and couldn’t easily come to the plots any more. This followed his wife Vi’s deterioration of mental health and also the recent death of Jack; the old-timer who always fished from the plots and once owned the land before tending it. To think that such simple folk and their pleasures are no longer possible is worthy of some eventual remembrance I think. Late watching television of heroic ladies in motor racing and police work before a deep sleep tonight from the day’s air and exertions.