Mike has left once more this afternoon to go back to Cornwall for tomorrow. This morning he wrote yesterday's blog, while Christine did some cleaning up since Alice and Jess were due this afternoon to stay until Friday, this being half-term holiday.
After shopping at nearby Waitrose, we moved - all of 50 yds further along the towpath, the boat in front having departed. Why? We had been moored under an ash tree that was fast shedding its leaves. Hopefully not so many now to cover the boat.
Then came lunch. Mike checked he had everything he needed and we waited for Joanna to arrive with the girls - Mike whiled away the time with a visit to the Candyboat moored nearby.
After a quick mug of tea, Mike and Joanna left - she was giving him a lift to Slough station to help him on his way.
The girls soon opted to go over to the playground the other side of the canal. Christine locked up and then followed them. It was very popular, but eventually the girls were persuaded away to visit the adjacent icecream van.
Christine suggested they went to find the site of Berkhamsted Castle. It was about 5 minutes away, the other side of the railway line beyond the station. It proved most impressive - an enormous area, just some of the ruined flint set walls but from the earthworks, double moat, the motte mound towering up, it was reasonably easy to get an idea of what it was like in its heyday at the time of the Black Prince.
First they walked round the wall dividing the two moats - were they ever going to get back to where they started? Then there was just time before it began to get dark to walk into the bailey then climb the 64 steps up to the top of mound. Very impressive.
They arrived back at the boat with just enough light for Alice and Jess to climb up onto the boat roof to brush off those leaves, as referred to before!
Then iPads are a great diversion while the evening meal is cooking!
Mike's Journey was a bit hairy! Joanna made it in good time to just 10 minutes away from the station where they encountered a long delay at temporary roadworks which seemed more intent on letting traffic out of Slough rather than back in again!
Eventually they made it with a few minutes to spare and, after extracting his tickets from the machine (entering a long random key seems to take for ever!) and dashing over to the right platform, the train was announced as running a few minutes late.
At Reading it was a tight connection as a result but eventually Mike was able to sit back and relax (except that he discovered he had left his tablet behind on the boat. He was more relieved when he heard from Christine that he had indeed left it behind and not had it removed from his rucksack!
Avid readers of this blog will know that when Mike left the little red car at Bodmin Parkway last week, he did so after a scare with the car electrics was had be re-assured when it re-started after being parked. So, tonight, in the dark and settling think mist, he returned to the car wondering what he might discover. With relief it started straight away.
As he drove down the ramp from the station he realised that the headlights were not very bright! He quickly established that, although the main beam lights were working, no dipped headlights! There was also a diversion from the station around the narrow back lanes to Bodmin to allow night time road works. Rather a lot of cars flashed at him but there was little he could do. He certainly did not want to break down on a dark narrow country road. Eventually he made it home, rather relived to discover that it had not burnt down or flooded in the meantime!
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