0. This happened a few times – from the first hour we were on the boat to nearly the last, but I record it today – walking towards the back of the boat while it’s moving: feeling like I’m floating, hanging in one spot in space.
1. John does his physical daily exercises while I do my mental ones.
1b. We bob down Fleet Dyke to check out the mooring possibilities. More excitingly, we see two men gathering reeds for thatching. Back on the Bure, a little red hut with black dead trees behind it. Two mills with white sails perfectly composed up the Thurne towards Ludham. A man cutting the lawn at Tall Mill. The dalek mill beyond.
1c. 6mph! #needforspeed
1d. The wind catches the water but only on one side – the rest is smooth. The divide looks like clasped weft weaving.
1e. A perfect bit of mooring – except for when I tumble over a molehill and go over my ankle. So ‘a perfect bit of mooring while hopping’ would be a better way to describe it.
2. The lunch is mostly flavoured with sugar and vinegar but that’s not entirely a complaint.
2b. A nose sticks out of a doghouse. I stand back rather than immediately approach and she comes to me. She accepts a tickle then flops in the cool shade. Later, we have our ice creams, she sits with us and accepts our dog-starved attention.
3. It’s so warm that we crank back the canopy. John takes over driving and demands I serenade him while he “works”. I sing to him the silly song I’ve had in my head since we passed Upton Dyke – a parody of ‘Uptown Girl’ about the difficulty of navigating such a narrow river passage.
3b. I start dancing – the smooth wooden floor makes it fun – then realise I should put some music on. The Shee – traditional Scottish & English folk music – is a perfect accompaniment as we cruise down the sunny river.
4. Back to St Benet’s for a second night. We read in the sunshine then John plays the guitar just for me. An upside down swan seems to defy gravity and a white duck has a perfect Donald Duck curl to its tail.
4b. There aren’t as many birds around tonight but the stars are bright and there’s some mysterious rustling on the grasses in the bank. On the other side, a bird or bug lets out a constant rattle.
4c. I doubt the sunset will be as pretty as the previous night because the sky is featureless as the sun dips – but then red stained clouds slowly appear.
4d. I somehow win a round of Ricochet Robots with a 17 move gambit (even though there is a 7 mover available).
4e. I finish my next book. It absorbs me without scaring me. So a good book.
Leave a Reply