Back in Abingdon

We are back amongst the noisy geese in Abingdon. We arrived yesterday around lunchtime and there was very little space and a lot of git gaps. We managed to moor along the meadows eventually when two young men in a cruiser grabbed our ropes and dragged us sideways to the bank. After they and another small boat left, a narrowboat moored behind us.  There is loads of room all along the meadows and the park now as the weekend boaters have left.

We were advised to moor by the park as the meadows can be full of undesirables but the park moorings are very high which means lifting the dogs on and off the boat and clambering onto the bank whilst hanging on to two dog leads. At the meadows the moorings are lower, ideal for narrow boats so the dogs can step off. There are three tents on the meadows that could belong to homeless people or maybe they are holiday makers. The geese could be considered undesirables though as they are rowdy, noisy and leave a terrific mess everywhere.

We need stay until tomorrow morning as Steve has a telephone interview with DSS this afternoon. I need to persuade him not to put a brave face on how he is feeling and to explain how he is affected by his stroke. He is not entitled to any benefits but he really doesn't need to have to apply for jobs for the next 15 months and jump through all the benefit hoops for money he won't get anyway.

Git gaps are where people leave huge gaps between their boat and the next one because they want some privacy, there are many places along the river bank where you can moor in isolation. Visitor moorings are few and far between and people are expected to moor close together.