Travelling again Part 17

With the boat already down at Glasson Basin, Phase Two of the weekend operation could begin. We had spent most of Thursday packing clothes and food into the motor-home and the car, so on Friday we could set off without delay in the two vehicles. A parking place for the motor-home was found, conveniently close to the boat and in a short while we were settled in. As it was Jubilee Weekend, all the boats were dressed with flags and bunting, as was the motor-home, and it all looked very pretty and patriotic. A large marquee had been erected where we could all gather in the evenings and on Saturday evening everyone congregated there for some fun and games. The weather was a bit grey, but inside the tent it was cozy and became progressively noisy as we played Bingo; took tickets in a raffle and danced on the rough grass. A fancy dress event had been planned but not many people took part. We were asked to be the judges as we were deemed to be impartial! There were a few whistles and cat-calls when we chose the Commodore’s wife as the best female entrant – the Commodore and his wife supposedly being exempt from this honour. How were we to know? We had no idea who anybody was!

Also at the evening’s entertainment, empty margarine boxes filled with craft items were handed to each lady. These had to be converted into a recognisable model by the next evening, so most of Sunday was taken up with getting our fingers stuck to each other and to the rest of the pieces in the box. The afternoon, though, saw us all gathered in the marquee, where someone had rigged up a fair sized television set to allow us to watch the Queen’s Pageant. The weather was miserable, as it was for the Queen too, so it was a good way to spend the afternoon. Sadly our model did not win any prizes, but when it came to playing games etc. again, Neels won a large box of chocolates in the raffle.

After Sunday’s foul weather we were not expecting anything wonderful on Monday so were delighted when we awoke to glorious sun and clear skies. The local pub had arranged a small fair with some unusual displays, so we walked up there to see what was going on. In the pub, was a display of owls – four owls and a handler, which we found really interesting. Three of the owls were little South African Scops owls, only about twenty centmetres tall, sitting very still on top of the cages, blinking at us. The fourth was a very beautiful Barn Owl, which has white and fawn feathers, some of them having markings almost like the ‘eyes’ on a peacock’s feathers. They were all quite tame and could be stroked without fear of getting one’s finger bitten.

Outside, on the Green, people were setting up stalls for the fair. We spoke to a man who represented a swan conservation group, and learnt a few new facts about swans. There are a large number of these beautiful birds in the marshy areas around Glasson and we even saw one pair who were raising eleven cygnets.

We didn’t try the archery, being a bit nervous of the arrows missing the target and shooting through the hedge beyond – possibly with disastrous results – nor did we buy anything at the little produce stall that was just getting underway. We were, however, fascinated by a large collection of ferrets, an animal we had heard of but never seen before. Each one was wearing a minute harness and was on a lead, but, my goodness, they are certainly quick-moving creatures! I mentioned that they looked like furry snakes with legs which someone standing next to us thought very funny. Each ferret had a separate handler and we soon discovered why when two of the little animals got too close to each other and started to fight. One grabbed the other by the side of its face and although the owners were pulling as hard as they could, would not let go. Eventually a man came across and gave the one doing the biting a sharp rap on the snout and the two animals fell apart. Not really my idea of a pet, I don’t think.

After lunch, a course was laid in the Basin and a Boat Handling competition took place. The buoys were laid out in a rough diamond shape with an extra buoy between the top and bottom point. The top, bottom and extra buoy were ring buoys and each one had a collection of small plastic ducks floating inside. Each boat had two people in it and the idea was to round the first buoy, collecting one duck as you passed, using a child’s fishing net. Then up to the extra buoy for another duck; reverse back through the two side points of the diamond; up to the furthest point for the third duck and back home to the start. It doesn’t sound very difficult, but the person steering the boat can’t always see the waterline but had to come really close to the buoys for the ‘catcher’ to be able to fish out a duck, then to move off without creating too much wash which could upend the buoy and release all the ducks. Then precious minutes would be lost as all the ducks would have to be returned to the buoy before moving on. There was much cheering and/or groaning as each boat competed. And then the narrow boat owners decided to have a go too! It is one thing to steer a small cabin cruiser around a fairly tight course but something else when you have to steer from the back of a sixty-foot long vessel. It was very impressive display.

That evening was our final get-together, which was held out in the open, the marquee having been taken down while the weather was good and the canvas dry. Awards were handed out and, to his surprise, Steve had won the Boat Handling competition along with three other club prizes. Congratulations Steve!

At ten o’clock that night, an enormous fire was lit on the top of the hill above Glasson to form one of the chain of beacons around Britain that were lit to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee. The flames shot up into the air at least ten metres or more and could be seen for miles around. We could also see the next beacon in the chain, further up the coast, while a few people who walked up to the beacon saw the one beyond that too. Once the fire had died down a bit we were treated to a spectacular fireworks display. I feel that although we may not be British, we certainly enjoyed celebrating the Jubilee with those that are.

After all the fun, it was back to the serious stuff and the boat had to go back up the locks to its normal mooring in the marina close to the house. This time, we did the passage with another boat of similar size and style, so there were two vessels in the lock together each time. I have a strong feeling that the skipper of the other boat, who was the experienced fellow who helped us on the downward trip, knew a thing or two when he told us to go in front.  Unknown to us, the front boat takes an enormous pounding from the water rushing into the lock as it fills up each time and we had to work hard to stop ourselves from crashing into either the side wall or the boat behind us. There were moments when I was quite sure my arms would be pulled from their sockets, but in the end, no disasters occurred and we all arrived at the top intact. What we did see though, was a territorial battle between two swans. As we moved into one of the locks, a swan came rushing in behind us, closely followed by a second one. There was a tremendous flapping and splashing and we didn’t think, at first, that it was anything more than a bit of fright at being closed into the lock with two boats with their rumbly engines. Soon though, we realised, that these two were engaged in a life and death battle. As the one tried to escape, the other attacked it again and again, grabbing it by the neck and pushing its head under the water and then trying to sit on top of it to drown it. The smaller and obviously weaker of the two was crying out in anguish and desperate to get away. We eventually managed to separate them using boathooks on the end of long poles, and to keep them apart until the lock was full and we could open the top gates. The swan which had been attacked immediately took off, half flying across the water until it was out of sight. At that, the other one lost interest and climbed out of the canal on to the bank, no doubt intending to waddle down the grass back to the canal level and so to return home. Luckily, no further incidents took place and we could finish our trip up the locks in peace. A memorable experience though. Then it was a gentle glide back to the marina.

It took us a day to get everything unpacked again and the mountain of washing through the machine and hung up, but the next day we were out again, this time to the Transport Museum at Leyland, just down the road, where all the big trucks used to be manufactured. They have a huge collection of transport vehicles, going right back to horse-drawn vans and buses, and everything shines and gleams as if it were brand new.

After a day out, a day in and while Steve and Neels wrestled with relocating the washing machine from the kitchen to the scullery, to make way for a dishwasher, Carol and I hung new curtains in the dining-room to replace others which came with the house when they bought it two years ago. As is generally the case with this type of job, it is never as simple as it appears to be and while the men struggled with problems of an electrical or plumbing nature, we discovered that the new curtains were about thirty centimetres too long and all eight drops had to be shortened, before we could even think of hanging them. As they are full-length curtains, we felt as if we were drowning in fabric at times, but by evening had got at least half of them up. Now we really have to finish them!

Not immediately though, as Sunday saw us out again for the day at a Vintage, Veteran and Classic Car Show. Carol had entered her 1980’s Mercedes Benz Sports coupe, while Steve had entered both his 30’s Rover and  an equally old Wolseley Police car. His friend, Peter, drove the police car. As Peter had his brother-in-law staying, he was also brought along and seemed happy to pose next to the car wearing an old-fashioned Bobby’s hat and waving a truncheon. They caused quite a stir, but no-one won any prizes. It was a lovely day out, that started off grey and threatening but cleared at about lunchtime to give us sunny skies.