The Return to Our Winter Moorings

On Monday last the two little ships left the moorings at Leamington and moved the short distance up to Warwick.

However Kate Boats’ yard is still busy and there was no room as yet for both boats. So ‘Futurest’ drawing the short straw, has been left tied up for a while on the towpath opposite while we have managed to secure an equally temporary mooring alongside Kate Boats for ‘Roots and Wings’.

Here, even though her stern, because of a shortage of depth beneath her, is a good ten feet out into the canal (a mooring very reminiscent of our recent experiences on the Kennet and Avon Canal) we have been able to connect her to 240 volts shore power, providing her with all the decadence that such a move gives; hot water all the time whether the engine has been run or not is one pleasure that Janis and I have been looking forward to and dreaming about for ages now.

On Wednesday we began another pleasant occupation that’s available to continuous summer cruisers after they have tied up for the winter months; that is catching up with all the visiting that most people do naturally all through the year.

On Wednesday Janis and I spent the day with my brother David in Stratford-upon-Avon. The bus stop is situated opportunely just outside the yard gate which makes it so much more convenient for me to use with my bus pass. We didn’t manage to see much of him this time last year since we were away in Australia and New Zealand for most of the time so this visit was well overdue.

Then yesterday we had to attend a sad occasion; the Thanksgiving Service to my son-in-law Steve at Flackwell Heath Methodist Church.

We hired a car for the day and shot down the M40 and arrived well within time for the service. So we were able to meet my two sons Rupert and Alex briefly before the service began.

Steve had so many friends as a result of the numerous interests in his life and the church was soon bulging at the seams with many of them attending the funeral and though most were in conventional dress a large number were dressed in science fiction costumes from Doctor Who and Judge Dredd through Planet of the Apes and onto Star Wars which was a particular favourite of Steve’s. We were even privileged to have a special detachment of Storm Troopers attending, resplendent in their full shiny white plastic armour.

The service itself was as usual quite sad as everybody was reminded of sad thoughts of loss of a husband, father, son, brother or simply good friend. The reading of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd…. “ was read so beautifully and with such great control under the circumstances by my daughter E-J, the bereaving widow whilst the tribute of Steve’s youngest daughter Harlie was very courageous and heart-warming.

Later, after the service, was the wake in the church hall and as always at funerals, this was the happy part of the day. It was the time for reminiscence and the meeting of old friends that haven’t possibly had contact for many years.

It was lovely.

And now this morning (the day after) Janis and myself are in Wetherspoon’s at Leamington Spa, making use their Wi-Fi reading the many more tributes to Steve on Facebook.