Linz, Paul's and Jacks adventure, 8th - 20th May 2013
Well we haven't gone far since I last wrote to you! In fact we stayed at Tednambury lock until Monday 13th May and have only gone a few miles and a few locks down the river back to the meadows at Roydon, nr Harlow.
As we had the car with us we went shopping in Harlow. We also had a visit from my brother, Matt, and his wife Jo. That was lovely. We went to Hallingbury Mill for a fantastic Sunday lunch (the pub we tried and didn't think it looked good), it was lovely, and had pudding! It was lovely to see them, we had a lovely time.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here, but were quite keen to find a new view out of the windows, so we decided we'd move a bit further down river, somewhere we could move our car to just in case we got the phone call saying my new grandson was on his way!
We stayed there until the Monday and then left for our trip down the river. It was a lovely day but the forecast said wind getting up to gusts of 25 mph. In the morning it was calm and we had a lovely cruise. We stopped at Harlow lock to fill up with water and got some diesel and a bottle of gas from a passing work boat, guy by the name of Mike. Behind him came another working boat, Archimedes. When I was moored in Uxbridge area 13 years ago, different owners, same work boat, used to deliver me coal, diesel and gas! Only now Trish and Alan who used to own it have retired to a bungalow in France and now a chap called James is running the business. had a good chat to them.
Just below the lock and around the corner we came to a very hurried halt. There was a tree blew down in the strong winds we had been having lately and a huge Canal & River Trust boat was across the river, chopping it up so the river was clear. They turned their boat so we could get by, cutting out the prop as we glided over the branches and debris across the river.
As we got out of Harlow the wind picked up making landing at lock stages very tricky if the wind was in the wrong direction. At one lock, Parndon Mill lock, Paul was struggling with an extremely tough lock gate while I was clinging on for dear life to the boat as the wind tried to take it across the river as I was trying to land it. Paul was oblivious to what was happening, and felt terrible because he hadn't seen I was struggling.
But all sorted, wind really getting up now, waves coming down the river and we weren't enjoying the cruise one bit. So we stopped at the nearest convenient place, under some trees in a sheltered lock cut just above Hunston Mill lock.
We decided to stay there although we didn't have a telly picture or Internet we felt safe and cosy.
Paul went on his bike to collect the car, a 7 mile cycle ride up the towpath. I walked Jack round an amazing meadow and he ran and ran like Forrest Gump!
We moved just below the lock the next day back to the Roydon meadows except we stopped in an even better place than before, nicer wider towpath and such a choice of walks!
It's so lovely here Paul's happy to stay here while I'm away, as soon as I get that call!
Well the call came, well a text anyway. On Wednesday morning about 8:30am. Panic mode..... Pack bags, collect washing together (Donna would be cross if I didn't bring our washing). The day had finally come, nearly a week late, but he was on his way! So was I. I wasn't going to miss this for anything!
Paul and Jack walked up to the car with me, Jack looking a bit puzzled as Paul and I struggled up the towpath with duvets and two huge bags of washing and all my gear.
It took me about 2 and a half hours to get to Diss, I was about 5 mins away when Deane called me an said they were on their way to hospital. It was about 1:30 by now, so I made a slight detour to Eye and turned up at Donnas, my home for the next few days.
All day we were waiting for the call, we got a couple of texts as things progressed, and at 8:35 little Leo Bernie Mayes was welcomed into this world! Fantastic! I was sent a picture within an hour of him being born, gonna share it with you!
Over the next few days I spent all my time with family; my daughter Donna and my two lovely grandsons, Callum and Jay, little sister Milly, husband Mark and her lad Jack, my little brother Pete, wife Bev and their two lovely kids, Courtney and George, and of course Deane and Marie, granddaughter Lexi, and little Leo, our brand new baby!
I came back to the boat on Sunday after a 2 hour drive and was met at the car by Paul and a very bouncy and happy Jack! we went for a lovely long walk following the Ordanance Survey App I'd just downloaded. It was brilliant, jack was amazing, very happy and full of running! In the evening we walked into Roydon and went to The Crusader in the High Street. Jack came too and we sat outside and had steak and chips in the sunshine, he was brilliant, loved his extra walk along the rabbit filled fields back to the boat.
On Monday we went to Harlow shopping, Tescos, and had to call in at the KFC as its the law here! Shopping unloaded, we walked again, and came home and relaxed.
On Tuesday Paul took Jack out for his walk and I did the journey out to Milton Keynes in the car to take it back to its little spot at Mel and Elaine's, Lyndz's parents. The journey was good, my mate Sat Nav came with me and got me there no trouble. After getting a bus to Bletchley, I caught the train to Euston, the underground to Tottenham Hale and a train to Roydon. Paul and Jack came to meet me and a very excited Jack showed he'd missed me!
More tramping around the fields and two hours later we were back on the boat with a much earned cuppa!
We're moving off from here tomorrow, were going back down the River Lee and back into London in the next few days. we've had an amazing time here, but were needing to move on now, get ourselves down to the Thames ......
Last updated 20.5.13 at 18:00, Roydon meadows
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