Christmas Day

We went to the midnight service at St Matthew's Church in Yiewsley. The church was very full with many people who come just on these special occasions but it felt very friendly and at least it was warm! We have been here several times before when staying on the boat in the marina.

As we drove down and parked the car just a few moments away from the church, we were able to return to the boat quickly after the service. However, we felt the need of a Christmassy drink before finally retiring!

The morning gave a chance to prepare more of the components for tonight's Christmas Dinner - turkey and the lot! It was an almost cloudless day, chilly but not too windy. Some beautiful skies and trees in the sunshine, all though the day.

Andrew called about 11:30 to give us his expected time of arrival and indeed that was when he turned up at the gate. By then lunch was the next item on the agenda and finally our minds turned to a short Christmas Day walk. With nothing like the scenic views from the canal at Devizes, we ambled along the Slough arm towpath with a possible route in mind from the second bridge that would bring us back down the Colne Valley.

Alas, when we arrived at the point where the footpath should have crossed the canal - and a signpost still indicated - the bridge is no longer, having collapsed a year or so ago. There was but a precipice!

So, we turned back to the previous old railway bridge and picked up the London Loop footpath along the Colne Valley to the main road close to Iver - we could see the parish church just across a field.

The valley has many worked-out gravel pits which now form a series of lakes - this one called Little Britain as some people think its shape resembles Great Britain - needs quite a bit of imagination!

After a very short walk along the road we came to the canal Main Line towpath alongside Cowley Lock - a boat was about to go down (perhaps having allowed its steerer refreshment at the lockside pub - and then another arrived to come up. Busy!

Back down the towpath to Packet Boat lane and thus the marina gates - just over three miles. Time to think about dinner, watch an old movie (it's Christmas so they must be old!) and sort out which bottle of wine to begin with!

We forgot to mention that when we arrived a few days ago we realised that nb Chance was now moored next to us. However James and Doug are not aboard - although they are usually prolific bloggers (http://narrowboatchance.blogspot.co.uk/), they seem to have dropped below the blogosphere horizon since they returned from their last cruise! We usually manage to just miss each other - will this be another occasion?

The above blog was - of necessity - written before we settled down to dinner, but here are a couple of pix of the turkey roast added on Boxing Day. (To make up for the fact that there are no photos for that day!)