Awake on another rainy and cold day to set off, once we had freed The Lady from the dropped water levels on its muddy ‘Twenty-Pence Inn’ berth before the slow cruise along the ‘Old West’ River Ouse and then a faster one from The Fish and Duck to Ely where I bought spares and accessories to make some repairs from The Ely Boat Chandlers as Di shopped for supplies in Tesco’s and we met back for lunch at Bonnet’s. Then some repairs to The Lady as Di and the girls found a Fair in the Market Square and then the children’s playground in the Cathedral Park before we had tea on The Lady and just the radio news. Disputes in Fiji over the Indians being excluded for the new elections, 29 people killed in a Texas hurricane and the election debate turning to tax and public expenditure cuts but of sunny and warm weather tomorrow for a change!
It was raining again as we woke up this morning. I heard the girls in the front cabin and Di took up my offer of starting the heating and putting on the kettle. Soon warm and drinking hot refreshments. Di started washing and was naked when the boys came on to The Lady from their cabin cruiser! They had got rather cold last night and were glad to warm up with some drinks too. We all settled to breakfast after washing as best we could and then made the boats ready to set off. Unfortunately, The Lady was aground at this time, the levels having dropped and the moorings being very shallow anyway. It took me and the two boys pushing to get her free. The rain continued on and off as we cruised, but by the time we had got to Ely, it had stopped. A good chance to charge the battery in the main river, but we were only idling along The Old West. Good to see the Fish and Duck back in action again, after a recent lull, but the moorings are too frugal to attract Di and I for a meal in the restaurant. We all went shopping at 10.30am, the girls to Tesco’s and the town centre and me and the boys to Ely Boat Chandlers.
We got a replacement tachometer for the one that was broken and also a new pressure water pump for The Lady and a new boating hat for me. Di had succeeded in breaking the forw’d toilet this morning (‘the handle came off in my hand’) and so I only walked up to Ely Square for lunch, before returning to The Lady to do some work. Bonnets, our favourite luncheon place, was still going strong and so this was the restaurant chosen for our lunch. They are so helpful, the food so nice and the atmosphere more like that of a dining room in a country hotel, rather than a restaurant. Once on my own back at the boat, I cleared the saloon and started work. First I sorted out all of my Raritan Compact toilet spares and then repaired the handle of the for’d toilet. Next the long job of replacing the water pump, which I eventually managed. Also put a filter in line of the bilge pump hose, to stop it blocking when next in use. Had just about finished when the girls returned. It had turned into a fine and sunny day and they had found a Fair in the Market Square and then the children’s playground in the Cathedral Park. Marvellous to have our toilet and water system working well – we all appreciated it. A nice tea of prawns, with cheesecake to follow, then a quiet evening writing up my journal, with Di writing letters and cards to our family. Nothing of interest on the TV and so did not waste the battery on it. The news in Fiji is of new elections planned under the Governor General, but the Indians aren’t happy, as the constitution will be changed to prevent them being re-elected. England lost their second one-day match against Pakistan in the cricket and the series is now tied one all. The main news is of 29 people being killed by a hurricane in Texas. Labour/Tory conflict over tax acts and public expenditure as the main election story. The weather forecast for tomorrow is sunny and warm, which came as a shock to us after two chilly and wet days.