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| On the South Downs Way |
Tuesday was Callum's 9th birthday and we had a busy program which worked out ace. We started in The Triangle Leisure Centre, where a great deal of fun was had. Stephen and Roy were on gear duty, while the rest of us went down the slides a dozen or so times, got very wet and loved every minute of it.
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| The birthday boy with his cake |
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| Party poppers |
The birthday lunch was organised for 8 of us in The Six Gold Martlets, a simple working class pub in the centre of Burgess Hill. The cake was delicious and a lot of fun was had.
And then on Wednesday we departed NW to meet up with Chris and Jo on their boat in Oxfordshire. The trip was a bit slow on the M25, but that was to be expected. Getting on the boat was easy and the journey began. I have only ever been on a narrow boat once for the day with an ex-colleague and that was fun, so I was really looking forward to it.
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| Cherry, our home for the next three days |
Chris and Jo have planned a half day sailing up the Oxford Canal from our start point to a canal-side pub, called The Great Western Arms in Aynho. The countryside was very pretty, the speed of travel relaxed and the company pleasant. Callum had taken to the leisurely speed instantly and all was well on the water.
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| A boat coming the other way |
The Great Western Arm was a great place, after arrival we sat in the courtyard drinking and chatting, Roy and I have taken up residence and the dinner was delicious and reasonably priced. On the first night Callum found out that space on a narrow boat is at a premium, but still managed to have a reasonably night's sleep wedged between his parents. He has, however, mentioned that should there be an extra bed in the next pub where Roy and I were staying, he wouldn't mind spending the night with us. :)
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| Canal-side life |
On the second - and first full day - on the canal Chris and Jo set about teaching Callum the fiendish art of narrow boating. By the time we got off the boat at the end, Callum became an expert at opening and closing locks, lifting and lowering sluice gates and even tried his hand at steering the boat. I cannot imagine a healthier, more exciting and at the same time educational trip for a bright 9 year old than boating.
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| Roy enjoying himself |
We were out in the fresh air, saw many things that were good for the soul, relaxing, pretty and showing a very practical, hands-on way a lot of the history of the country. The society of other boaters is fun too, many people recognised each other, as boating is a large, extended family on all the canals of Britain.
The second pub, The Brasenose Arms, was even better than the first. Very friendly staff, excellent food and our room big enough for a second bed, so we had Callum's company overnight, which was lovely. On this day we also tried esperately to coax Georgie out from under the bed or the cupboard, but didn't manage to see more of her than the end of her tail, or vague shapes of her eyes and ears. Unfortuately, on the last day she managed to fall into the canal and Chris had to fish her out, but at that time I wasn't there, so I will have to take Jo's word for it that the boat had a cat on board. :)
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| The Captain |
On this day we managed a little visit to Banbury, which is a pretty old town, had lunch there and did a bit of shopping and a quick look at the centre.
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| Some of our companions on the canal |
The third day started with a bit of a hassle, in that I managed to get lost en route back to the boat. I did remember that we came to the pub from the canal absolutely straight, without any turns, but on which road, that was not completely clear. I felt so happy that morning, that I was a bit away with the fairies and got going on the wrong one. By the time I realised I was nearly a mile and a half away North, but having seen lots of boats behind the hedge, thought I would go that way, pick up the canal and walk back on the towpath.
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| Callum in pensive mood |
Unfortunately, even when I found the Marina, with the canal flowing past it, I couldn't access the towpath, as it was on the other side with no bridge to it. So I had to walk back another mile and a half, which was quite interesting, but tiring. The day also ended with some problems, as Chris needed to fetch his car, so that he could help a fellow boater, should the need arise and when Roy and I tried to book into our B&B, so that Alex could take Chris back to the start of our trip, there was nobody around at the B&B.
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| Canal idyll |
Normally that shouldn't have been any trouble, but that was a long day and I was desperately in need of an afternoon nap, which I didn't get. As a result, I had to go to bed early and missed the play at the pub, but such is life, isn't it? The saving grace of the day, however, was the B&B itself. Once we managed to locate somebody to let us in, the place turned out a gem. Wormleighton Hall was built at the end of the XIXth century, using the stone from an earlier building, it looked very grand. It had beautiful grounds, horses, a ha ha and all the trappings of a wealthy gentleman farmer and his abode.
On Friday we said good-bye to Chris and Jo and departed Southwards. We had to drop into The Brasenose Arms, as Alex seemed to have lost his necklace there, but after some anxious hours a lovely lady appeared with it from the lost property section of the pub. This set us up for the trip back to Hassocks in slightly better mood than when we started.
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| The young apprentice |
As Meaghan is a great fan of Midsomer Murders on Netflix, we had to visit at least one filming location on our way. This we did in Chinnor, where one of the scenes involving a lovely old steam railway line was shot. The reailway station was cute, and the pub in the next village lovely. My dish of fish mezze was amazing: it had cod in batter, smoked salmon, whitebait, beetroot and a chunk of bread. Yum, yum!
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| Wormleighton Hall |
Back in Hassocks we decided to take all the boys into Brighton on the Sunday, which ended up an epic undertaking. We would not have fitted into the hired car, so we took the bus, which was much enjoyed by all the boys. Amazingly we managed to get the very same double-decker on both trips and there were free seats on the top deck for them to enjoy the views.
We started with a walk on the seafront, followed by a visit to the Palace Pier, where we had donuts, gambled on the penny machines and had fun in a soft play area. Callum had a much desired Fortnite T-shirt and another one for his best mate. Lunch was taken in an "all you can eat" pizza and pasta place, where I had three platefuls of salad, which was great. We were home with them by 4pm, when I managed to collapse like a rag doll and had a much needed nap.
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| Chinnor station |
Alex and Meaghan went to the Komedia with Stephen on Sunday night, which they tell me was fun and then on Monday we departed Westwards to see auntie Sheila and spend some time in a holiday camp in Cornwall. The trip down was long, but all passengers in the car managed to put up with it with good grace. The lunch stop in a service station was OK and we were indoors at Sheila's by just after 4pm.
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| The Grants by the Pier |
Hoseasons seems great and if the weather plays ball, even some swimming can happen today. Roy and I are staying at Sheila's, Alex, Meaghan and Callum are in their caravan, awaiting the arrival of Stephen, Elian and Xander today. I might join them sometime today if the weather is good and I don't feel too exhausted. On the other hand, if I can have a relaxing day with a couple of naps in between chats with Roy and Sheila, I might not move form here at all. We'll see - said the blind man!
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| Dinner at Sheila's |
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| The antique puzzle - a family effort |
Next post hopefully still from Hassocks, if I get a minute. :)
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