Housekeeping on the boat

Every day I sweep the floors from front to back, today I treated myself to a dustpan and brush that I can use standing up as it was killing my knees sweeping up on my hands and knees.
Every other day I mop the floor from front to back, I say mop but it's me on my hands and knees with a damp cloth.
Every day after we've used the shower I mop it dry, we have a gulper, it sucks the water out of the shower when it's in use but it always leaves some water behind so I mop it out and leave it dry.
Every day, after tea and before bed I spent a couple of hours working my way through a list of other jobs. This week the jobs have all been in the gallery, the cooker was filthy, I'm cleaning it bit at a time, today it's the cooker knobs, they are soaking in hot water and will be scrubbed vigorously soon. Whilst I'm doing this Captain Hot Stuff is scrubbing the rust marks off the roof or cleaning the windows.
Speaking of the cooker, there is no handle to the grill pan, I am managing with an oven glove but I will need to get a handle at some point.
Just before bed we load up the stove so it is still going in the morning. In the morning it is riddled and more coal is added.

Gotta love google

We decided to stop at Abingdon today, we had been travelling for about four hours and gone through four locks, Osney, Iffley, Sandford and Abingdon.
Abingdon is beautiful, many old buildings and an abundance of barber's shops.
It was cold and windy, so we decided to stop for lunch I googled 'Weatherspoons in Abingdon' and up popped The Narrows. We had fish and chips and a drink for about £12, great value and if we want anything else to eat later I'm sure a sandwich will suffice. It's still cold and windy so we will stay here overnight.
Tomorrow we will make an early start and head to Benson.

Oxford

Yesterday we met DD at Thrupp, I took some pics as it was so pretty.

Some yarnbombing

Cottages beside the cut

We are now moored in Oxford, near Osney bridge, there was a heron under the bridge, we have seen a few but this is the first time I was able to get a picture, albeit not a very good one.

Heron

We had lunch at the Four Candles in Oxford and this evening went to The Punter for a drink. I bought some free range eggs and mushrooms from a farm shop yesterday and some gammon from The Pig Place, so it was gammon for tea.

After yesterday's laundry debacle I decided to dry the second load of washing inside overnight, the squirrel was lit so everything dried quickly.

We have been shopping to replace the items lost in the cut so now have clean underwear.

I have persuaded Captain Hot Stuff to give up his attempt to complete an eight day journey in five days so we arrived at nine this morning and will not be moving on until nine tomorrow morning.

We have registered to moor here for 24 hours and bought a week's license for the Thames though we only expect to be on it for a couple of days.

It isn't a holiday it's a fecking route march.

Yesterday we lost a many hours when two boats got stuck in a lock together, it took a long time for them to decide who was going to reverse out, and even longer for the reversing to be accomplished. Today we have had to try and make up the hours we lost.

Apart from that until today our biggest crisis afloat was breaking the salt cellar.
Today we outdid that.
The first half of the day was ok, we met up with DD2 and the dgd's, they came to collect dgs, we managed to moor in Thrupp and DD was able to park in a pub car park everything went well, DD even bought some beer with her for Captain Hot Stuff as his supply was running low.
First thing in the morning I had used the washing machine for the first time.
I hung the wet washing on the airer in the prow of the. All went well until the washing was almost dry and then it toppled into the canal and sank without a trace.
This is, of course, all my fault, I had suggested we close the cratch cover to protect the washing but my suggestion was pooh poohed as being ridiculous and pointless!
We will be mooring in Oxford tomorrow and purchasing some new underpants and tea towels!

Day Five

A very brief post today as the mifi doesn't want to play. 
We are at Lower Heyford and almost two hours over schedule as two boats got stuck in a lock together and we had to wait for one of them to reverse back out.

All around my hat

On Sunday and Monday it was gloriously sunny and 20degs, it was also windy, so much so that I lost my hat. It was blown into the canal and we couldn't retrieve it. Without my hat  I got a bit sunburnt. In Banbury today I bought a new hat. I may not need it was it has been overcast and 12degs.
Today I have been coated in Aloe Vera and wishing I had wooly hat.
We had an entertaining trip through the lock in Banbury, an inebriated gentleman wanted to jump across the boat whilst it was in the lock. I persuaded him that he could easily break a leg if he missed and landed on the boat. I suggested he try the jump when the lock was just full of water!!!

Day Four

We stopped in Banbury today and stocked up on essentials, bread and milk and crisps and chocolate for dgs who is working so hard helping me with the locks.

We have just eaten chilli for tea that dgs helped me make and now we are sat in front of the stove watching the flames.