Boat trip to St Ives
Boat trip to St Ives

Cruising aboard The Lady in the rain from St Neots to Waits Quay, St Ives, for a swim at St Ivo pool as South Africans start selling up and  expats are leaving Uganda too

Awake first on a dull, cloudy, cold and breezy day and spent ¾ hour reading my computer journals before Diana awoke and got the morning drinks. The children were awake, Daniella with a particularly messy nappy, and so our routine was spoiled somewhat. After breakfast (where Della now enjoys my buttered/marmalade toast fingers) the children went for a walk with Daniel pushing the baby in her pushchair and Debbie tagging along and then played on the swings with Jason Chambers (whose family had moored late last night) whilst I walked to the newsagent for a Sunday Times. We tarried a while, read and relaxed, and suffered for it as it began to rain as we unmoored, and got progressively worse as we navigated through the three locks to St Ives. We were pleased, however, to get a mooring space at our favourite Waits Quay, which was a surprise. Diana cooked us a fine meal of sausages and mixed vegetables, with treacle tart and cream to follow, which was good as the hot food helped to counter the cabin temperatures of 60/65degF and the cool wet of the cruise.

I read some time whilst Di cleared up and played cards with the children as the rain poured. Eventually, in a slightly drier spell, we set off to St Ivo and a long swimming session. All of us went in the water and Debbie swims a little without arm bands, which is good progress. We played hard, Daniel & I ducking each other and ended the session worn out and in need of the drinks and crisps in the bar upstairs after. A slow walk back with the pavements miraculously dry, but the rain started again as we settled in The Lady for a bread, butter and jam tea. The kids to bed after and then Diana & I took a slow walk around the town centre of St Ives where I think I spotted that the antique auction might be planned for next Tuesday, in which case we will stay for it. Daniel was pleased to see us back when we returned and the girls were fast asleep. The Lady is cruising well at the moment and there are now no leaks onto the berths, as the silicon sealant has worked its trick. This is just as well as the weather forecast is for more rain tomorrow and the barometer has been dropping all afternoon and evening. We relax, read and write this evening before settling down to the TV news as the weather sounds wet & windy outside. On today, the Queen Mother’s 85th birthday, there is a special service and much celebration in support and admiration of this special lady. More pressure on South Africa as today their athletes have to leave the Disabled Olympic Games at Stoke Mandeville and then more people seem to be selling up and leaving the country with forecasts of worse to come. First television pictures come out of Uganda to reveal control in Kampala for the Army Coup leaders, but outside, the gorilla leaders still remain silent on their loyalty. 800 Britons are staying on, but others have left. The death toll from yesterday’s French train crash is now put at 35 and 5 more die in Colorado in the US in another head on train crash of two freight trains.