Friday 6 March 2015

Lovely boating weather

Shame the Nene is still running too fast for navigation - and there's more work to be done on the boat.

We went up on Monday, to see if we could catch a glimpse of the boat painter who lives in the marina. It wasn't until we were leaving that we discovered he has had a knee joint replaced and is out of action for a few months.

We had a long walk though, in glorious sunshine.









Our walk took us past the boats at the Willy Watt Marina on the Nene at Ringstead.

















through the muddy section leading to Woodford Mill Tearoom (closed on Mondays) at Ringstead, and as far as the next straight reach approaching Woodford.










As we approached the river crossing, we spotted three red kites, hunting above the banks of the river. It's difficult to take a photo of birds in flight as my camera wants a static object on which to focus. I finally managed to get a shot of one of the Kites, by sheer luck.







 Stretches of the river, especially approaching Peterborough, are winter quarters for large numbers of geese.

This group was foraging for food as the Kites circled overhead.









On the return journey to the marina, we passed our nearest neighbours, the fishing lake beside Blackthorn Lake.









MWNN clearing mud from his shows


MWNN reckons the walk was a long one. I don't think it was. I think we're both out-of-condition. 

We were both very muddy and, despite the sunshine, we stayed wrapped in layers to protect us from the strong, bitterly-cold, wind.






Blackthorn Lake Marina

The  video below shows the area in which our boat is moored. It features both Willy Watt and Blackthorn Lake Marinas as well as the Woodford Mill Tearoom (a short 15-20 min walk from the boat.) Since the video was made, the tearoom has become a very popular eating venue. It is already fully booked for Mother's Day lunch and is extending its seating area with a new extension.













And, to finish, some pictures of the glorious tulips MWNN bought me for our St David's Day anniversary.