Bloggers Meeting at Thrupp!!!

Yesterday (Tuesday) the day dawned with spectacular colours at Eynsham lock where we stayed overnight.  This was taken at 5 ish in the morning after which James went straight back to bed.

Eynsham weir, of which this is just one section, was showing just a trickle of water indicating that the river flow is so low it’s virtually like a long lake.

It took us about 45 minutes to get from Eynsham to the Oxford Canal via the Duke’s Cut.  This is Duke’s Lock, the first on the Oxford Canal and our first taste of real canal for quite some time.

About 11:30 we reached Thrupp, the gorgeous little old hamlet of pretty little cottages on the canal side, and where we’d planned to meet up with ‘boaty’ friends, some who we hadn’t seen for over three years.  Here they are (Andy and Helen) arriving in style in nb “Wand’ring Bark” with their recent acquisition “The Jam Butty” Montgomery. 

We had splendid lunch together at The Boat Inn which we’d managed to get a mooring right outside. Doug, James (pardon the expression!), Andy, Helen and Maffi.  We first briefly met Maffi on his boat “Milly M” back in 2007 just as we acquired our first boat “Spirit”.   He’s known by trillions of people and we have to thank him for arranging the booking of our table today. 

Well, during the afternoon it wasn’t just the weather that hotted up.  Several more friends joined in for what turned our to be a very splendid and spontaneous afternoon and evening.  Maffi, Helen, Della, James, Rich, Andy 1, Andy 2 and Gary all aboard “Chance” for a bit of a ‘social’.

All boats contributed sustenance for an evening buffet.  The food had to travel a bit as Della and Gary on “Muleless” (a sister MGM boat) were moored up at the top end, Helen and Andy with “The Jam Butty” were down at the far end with only Andy and Rich on “Carp Diem” next to ”Chance” whose Taff rail served beautifully as a buffet table.

Andy and Helen’s “Jam Butty” is just what it says it is – Helen makes the most amazing variety of preserves and has a job to keep up with demand.

The evening was a pleasure to say the least and made even more special by the company of Maffi’s lovely dog Molly.

After the brilliant evening we all had it just remains for a final pic!