Rain, rain, rain......

That sems to be the theme of today!

Set off this morning at around 9.30 from outside the Waterman's Arms on the Thames in a steady drizzle. After about half an hour it had turned to a torrential downpour. For the rest of the day, the weather alternated between the two until I finally gave up at 4.30pm and moored just below Northbrook Lock on the South Oxford. I had hoped to get to Lower Heyford but was well and truely beaten! Just as well as, since mooring the rain has intensified to an absolute relentless deluge and this has persisted and is still going strong now. I'm a tad worried about the other end of this...

It's where the Churwell joins and runs with the Oxford and its what got me trapped in Banbury last year. It now looks increasingly like I might get trapped the southern end if I'm not careful - how ironic that would be!!

Almost every lock was against me on the way up from Oxford although I did manage to get help with most of the lift bridges including the one on the sharp bend at Thrupp where a foreign gentleman busy taking pictures of me was press-ganged into service for me. Luckilly he found it very amusing and his wife took over the photographing as he posed in various positions whilst trying to keep the swing bridge open for me!

A brief stop at the floating farm shop for some essentials. Bread, a jar of pickled gerkins, a tub of tomatoes and a bottle of lemonade to make up my San Gria that one of my children bought for me should the sun ever re-appear!

What a charming place that is and what a lovely person Jane is. I coulod have stayed for hous taking in the atmosphere of a bygone and more trust worthy age but rain once again urged me to push on. It's lovely that places like this still exist in this beaurocratic mad world and where an honesty box can still work - long may it last and I would urge all boaters to pay a visit on their way through to support this worthy and useful trade. As Jane herself cheerily called as I pulled away, "it's only for passing boaters like you who keep us going." A much better report on the shop can be found here.

It looks like I'm going to have fun passing through Cropredy! I'm going to hit it just a few days before their famous Cropredy Convention. Apparently, traffic is already 3 abreast in places and I was told that locks are interesting due to the number of people who stagger out to help you lock through. Apparently you need one hand for the windlass, one for the boat and another to prop up the willing helpers who are a little worse for wear!!

I want to get as near to Banbury as possible tomorrow - ideally in it but this may be pushing it a little even for me!! I guess it depends on the weather.