5th June 2012

It’s now time to catch up on the Blog, it’s nice being in the fens, but haven’t they heard of technology, after all it is rumoured that the locals have webbed feet, so they must have heard of the world wide WEB.

On the 29^th May we had a day in and around Stoke Ferry, a place we have been through many times by car but didn’t think we would ever get here by boat.

 Our friend Jeff on Van Diemen

Wednesday the 30^th May 2012, it was time for us to head back up the Wissey and make our way further down the Great Ouse. We made better time today as we were travelling with the flow of the river and once again passing some beautiful scenery. Today I did get some photos of the wide section just before the sugar beet factory which was lake like as we journeyed through it toward the factory. Sally also managed to get a photo of a small butterfly that hitched a ride with us, sat on the cushion next to her.

We pulled over again at Hilgay and I topped up the water while Sally went to the shop for bread and milk. Whilst mooring up and as Sally stepped off the boat, she once again stumbled and fell, this time however it was on to gritty tar mac, grazing her hands, chin and top lip (I don’t know what to do with her, she must lay off the Cider). She does cause me to worry, but after a little loving and a bit of cream she was much better.

Underway again we soon reached the moorings at the top of the Wissey and pulled over for the night, and our treat of The Apprentice. Both Socks and Gypsy enjoyed the freedom of the open countryside and went off exploring to see how many mice they could find.

Thursday the 31^st May 2012, with the promise of rain we set off today heading for Brandon Creak and once we had made our right turn onto the Ouse, the river banks spread offering a wide river to follow. This section has high flood banks so there was not that much to see, apart from the roof tops of odd houses that lined the banks and the bridges that carried both road and rail. Our friend Jeff who was from Tasmania, set off first planning to stop for water at an EA mooring along the way, and we caught up with him at a bridge carrying the A10 and from there he followed us up river to Brandon Creak.

On reaching the junction we pulled over to moor up for the night, this done and inside the boat the rain started to fall (good planning) (NOT).

1^st June 2012, yet again I got Sally as she was half asleep with (pinch punch first of the month) so that’s 5, 1 to me.

Once again hoping to beat the rain we set off for Littleport and Ely, where we planned to stop over for the Jubilee weekend, and of course do some shopping (I need more books). What to say about today, I have to say it’s difficult as the Ouse has no scenery to speak of, being wide with high banks. Of course we passed the mouth of the River Lark and Littleport with its two bridges but not much else until we were approaching Ely and got our first glimpse of The Ship of the Fens (Ely Cathedral) standing majestically on a hill surrounded by flat low lying fens. As we looked at it, you could smell the history that its gothic appearance had, and built over one thousand years ago by men with little more than hand tools.

All we needed now was to find a suitable place to moor up, bearing in mind both Gypsy and Socks. As we passed under the rail bridge we spotted the service point, but had to wait our turn as there were three other boats in front of us. How lucky are we, one of the boats let us go in front, and once done took his mooring by the side of the park with its fresh mown grass (ideal). Once again as we moored up the heavens opened up and the rain fell down.

This is where we stayed as a base for the four days we spent in Ely. Four more books to my collection, of Simon Scarrow and the Romans entry into Britannia in AD43, and one of them signed by the author, one already read and one more started. I have become quite a book worm, and Sally has started her felt craft work.