Clifton Hampden

Marge is on the road again! She's taken a 45 minute drive down to the river Thames to Clifton Hampden near Abingdon.

Tomorrow is John's 65th birthday, and, Marge seemed the right person to spend it with, along with Angela of course. The campsite we are staying on is right beside the river, next door to the Barley Mow public house, said to be one of Britain's oldest pubs at around 650 years old. This quaint medieval inn, was mentioned in Jerome K. Jeromes book, Three men in a Boat. From Marge, we can see the elegant arches of the 19th century bridge that spans the river.

Late this afternoon, with Marge settled, we set off for a walk along the Thames path. The charcoal clouds were now less threatening, moved along by a keen wind, which rushed through the arches of the bridge and rippled the reeds. Activity on the river was un-seasonally quiet, with boats swaying on their moorings, awaiting the return of their owners.

Our walk took us to Clifton Lock where we sat for a while, impressed by the crew of a large hire boat, who managed to enter the lock without the usual ricochet of the lock wall. Almost perfect, just one small piece of advice from John for them, 'always put the stern rope around the bollard first, it acts as a brake and avoids the front of the boat swinging across the lock'.

Early evening, time for a cheeky glass of wine, whilst watching the weeping willows dance in the breeze. A raft of ducks raced across the grass to nowhere, whilst the pure white doves unperturbed by their frantic activity pecked the ground amongst them.

Nearby a family of Swans huddled comfortably together and shafts of sunlight shattered through the clouds, and the long, awaited sunlight bathed the lush grass around us. Beautiful, tranquil and unbelievable that we should once again be able to enjoy time in Marge.

And to end the day, a glorious sunset, the sky alight behind the lush green trees on the far riverbank.