Retirement with No Problem

Ely to Brandon Creek, River Great Ouse, 9.5 miles 0 locks

I had my eyes on her all the time except for one moment in time….. Next I knew a happy dog on the way back from the river less dressings and bandages.. Madam, otherwise known as the collie Meg, had managed to slip away without me noticing, probably due to the fact that I fancied blackberry and apply crumble for pudding last night but had no blackberries to hand!

I made an attempt at strapping it up best I could, but I didn’t have any of those super stretchy velcro style bandages they use in the canine world, and it didn’t take her too long to pull it all off again..

I was in the vet by 9 o’clock this morning having her leg restrapped.. the vet in Ely is right at the top of the hill too.. gosh, I am not used to these early morning pounding of pavements!

For those not reading the last few blogs, Meg has managed to pull a claw out of her foot leaving just the quick.. very painful indeed… not so with the strapping on…

Having settled her down aboard No Problem we spent an hour or so in Ely mainly to pick up some winter pansies from the Market… I have got them at this market for three years now, they have always been excellent, hope they are this year too…

I planted them out once we moored up this evening.. the petunias on the front roof are doing so well at the moment I am loathed to let them go, so we will grow these on to replace them later..

On the way back to No Problem we called in at the chandlers to get some fire bricks for our woodburner.. cracked ones needed replacing.. I’ll tell you what, they aren’t arf expensive.. two side bricks and a back brick cost just over £60.. it’s not much cheaper anywhere else either!

Still, we have to have them.. We needed the fire tonight too, it is cool over here in East Anglia.. and windy… still!!

It got to me today, the wind.  Jumper (hood up), coat, gloves.. Yeah I know, ‘hoody’.. But it finally got to me.. it has been windy since July, day after day after day.. Today it was blowing hard into our faces as we did perhaps the most boring bit of river between Ely and Denver, high flood banks and a dead straight wide river, nothing like the beauty upstream of St Ives.

The only break is at Littleport where there is a little interest in the village with a pub right on the river..

We passed by as per usual preferring to just get this bit over with, choosing to moor at the junction of the Great and Little Ouse at Brandon Creek. 

I couldn’t even see myself to go for a walk tonight, the wind was still gusty, so I wandered up one of the paths in search of blackberries.. I still fancied blackberry and apple crumble after not getting it last night.. but what a find, and a good one to cheer me..

A tree absolutely laden with glorious victoria plums!… You can see that I made a return visit! Guess what.. Jam making tomorrow!

So by the weekend we will say goodbye to the River Great Ouse for this year, I must admit I have had enough of it because of the constant high wind.. No doubt in a couple of weeks time I will reflect and remember all the good things about it!