Flowers, butterflies and samosas

Saturday 13^th July; Pigeon’s Lock to Chisnell lift bridge

After a few days’ dodgy signal, and another day spent packing and travelling home, I have got rather behind with the blog.

After yesterday evening’s excitement the night was quiet.  It’s a good spot here.  We started off by walking up to Kidlington village shop for the paper.  I hate to think what the property prices are around here, so close to Oxford and with such pretty cottages.  Shame about the riff-raff strolling about .....

On the way back we took a turn round the quarry for the benefit of Meg, but also to see what flowers and butterflies were about.

ladies' bedstraw

not fennel!

a pyramidal orchid?

No butterflies would sit still long enough to be snapped, but we saw ringlet, meadow brown and marbled white.  Back at the lock, the edges have not been close-mown and there is a lovely stand of yarrow.

yarrow

When we unpacked our bag, the aroma of the samosas we bought in the shop was so enticing we ate them at once – and they were delicious.  It was getting on for 11 by the time we were on our way.  Meg said she was exhausted and retired inside for a nap.  It’s too hot for her anyway sitting out in the sun.

The canal was quiet till we got to the first lock, when we started to meet a few boats.  Dashwood lock was just as leaky as last year, when I reported it to CRT.  Later on we met a CRT employee and I passed this on – he looked resigned, but when I said I thought something was caught in the top gate he brightened up and said he was on to it. 

leaky Dashwood lock

Heyford was quiet.  The golfing frog is nearly hidden by purple loosestrife, but the murderous hare/rabbit was clearly visible.

There are some very attractive houses and cottages built of local stone along the South Oxford.  The ones on the far side of Mill Lane lift bridge, for example

I think the tree is a medlar

and the lovely barn a bit further on.  It’s a shame about what looks like poultry sheds next to it though!

We found a lovely spot to stop for lunch, some way before Allen’s Bridge.   Allen’s bridge is constructed with attractive bricks, and is very pretty with small ferns growing in gaps in the mortar.  I hope they don’t get ‘weeded out’ – they are not going to get much bigger than they are now.

Along the way to Somerton, we spotted a couple of very handsome ducks, or maybe geese – but we decided in the end they were Muscovy ducks.

Somerton Deep lock was its usual stubborn self.  The sun wasn’t shining strongly enough to get a decent shadow picture against the lock sides, but at least I can still manage that heavy old bottom gate on my own.  The gate paddles at the top weren’t exactly easy either.  I whiled away the time it took to fill the lock by watching a little family of moorhens on the spillway above the lock.

We went through Chisnell lift bridge, which was open as it usually is, and moored a couple of hundred yards on, where we have stopped before.  The lack of wind meant that the motorway could be heard, but otherwise it is a peaceful and lovely place.  There was plenty of space to moor, but no-one joined us.

5 locks, 1 (electric) lift bridge, 8½ miles