Surviving Falmouth International Shanty Festival.

Hectic and totally exhausting, but we wouldn't have missed it. Lots of old friends caught up with, but even more missed due to the requirements of programming. However; the opportunity to sing, and spend time, with our Polish friends is worth some sacrifice.

We arrived back on our floating home and flopped (early) into bed; for 12 glorious hours of sleep!!!

This morning (Tuesday) we departed the environs of Kings Cross Station, for the quieter rurality of Northeast London; on the River Lea. In our quest to explore as much as we (practicably) can of the U.K. waterways, we're heading towards Hertford (up the River Lea) and Bishops Stortford (up the River Stort). This should occupy us for about a week, whilst we gird our loins - and "screw our courage to the sticking place" (the Scottish play, Act 1, Scene 7) in the prospect of venturing our craft out into the Pool of London. Many are the horror stories of narrowboats having close-encounters with the heedless tour-boats!!! However; the prospect of taking our cockleshell under Tower Bridge

and several other famous bridges; is worth a bit of risk.

A polemic rant: about the achievements of Trades Unions; during one of my sets in Falmouth; was so well received that I'm (seriously) considering starting my own political party (and standing as a candidate in the next General Election) ... the NOTA party. That will be the 'None of the Above' party! Who's with me???

I'm now going to lie down in a cool, darkened room!

'Little Venice'!!! Not much like (actual) Venice.

Egyptian Goose (ornithologically a 'duck), with one baby just being cute.

But first ... I forgot to mention (at least) two lots of birds ...  there was the Egyptian Goose (coincidentally, the name of our mate Tony's boat); and then there were so many swallows skimming low over the Thames - in a frenzy of catching Mayflies ('Ephemera, to you) - that I quite forgot that they weren't 'aquatic birds'!





Little Venice is VERY close to the centre of London, with so many images that I find it impossible to categorize and label them all. Here they are .....

Early tomorrow morning, we're off to Falmouth, (after collecting some Polish guys from Heathrow Airport) for the Falmouth Shanty Festival. When we get back, on Tuesday, I'll tell you more about what we did in London. 'Til then ... 

In the 'Big Smoke'.

A bit of a cold/virus thing happening over the past few days, so updating the (b)Log of the good ship Moonstone has not had much precedence. However; I wanted to apprise you of the variety of aquatic bird-life we've been seeing; both on the river Thames, and here around the canals of London.

For starters: once we emerged from the Kennet and Avon Canal, the number of swans increased exponentially. As they all belong to the monarch, Liz is rich in big white birds ... as well as lots of other things! We've probably seen a hundred times (not exaggerating!) as many swans as this, over the past week. 




Here is a sampling of other birds espied ...

Canada geese and goslings ... too many to count!

Urban comorant ... right here in Little Venice.

The ubiquitous Mallard. 

Mandarin duck and drake. He's the colourful one!

Muscovy ducks.

Tufted ducks ... sweet!

Aylesbury duck ... originally farmed.

Coot and chick ... 

... and a moorhen ... both great swimmers without webbed feet!

Meanwhile ... here's (60' x 11') boat named Valhalla. We thought we were intruding on the shooting of a new episode of STAR WARS!

Now we're off - with my daughter and her husband (Jane and Max) to see the West End stage production of the commitments. I'll be back as soon as possible. Tom.

Down the Thames to Teddington.

Day 8 (Tuesday - 2nd. June)

We departed the Kennet and Avon Canal, from Reading (pronounced: "redding") at noon on Sunday (31st. May), on an unpromising weather forecast; but with hope high in our hearts. Graham Metcalfe's 70th. birthday celebration - on the previous evening - had provided some great choruses and harmonies, whilst a fair amount of ale was supped ... but not a hangover-inducing amount!

Locking down onto the River Thames

It's been more than a year since last we were on the river, and the sheer size of it - in comparison to any of the canals - is, at first, somewhat daunting. However; we soon became accustomed to - but respectful of - the changed conditions. With the increased depth of water and 'going with the flow', our sat-nav (not left with our car, in Warwick) informed us that we were achieving 5.2 mph. (!!!) The locks on the river are operated by professional lock-keepers and, despite being wider and longer than even the fairly large locks on the K&A, each operation (the average distance apart being around 2-3 miles) takes only 5 or 10 minutes. Our final lock on the Thames will be at Teddington; when we shall emerge onto the 'tidal Thames' for about four miles; before we turn into the Brentford Tidal Lock, and onto the Grand Union Canal.

Once we started heading downstream we became aware - even more so than when we were on the river last year - that we were in the territory of our overlords. For more than 30 miles we never caught sight of a residence with a 'market valuation' of less than (we would estimate) five million pounds ($8,000,000); with most appearing to be valued at anywhere between twice and ten times that amount. Strangely: it is not difficult to avoid feeling envious, but very easy to feel faintly nauseated. In such an unequal society, it might be easy to think: "So this is how the other half live!" until one realizes that this is how our rulers and 'the other one percent' live. Interestingly: in several hundred of these estates and mansions (throughout Sunday and Monday); we never, actually, caught sight of a living soul ... apart for a couple of gardeners!!!

There is; however; no denying the beauty and pleasantness of many of these places, so here are a selection of the less ostentatious ones ... 

Here are a couple which, admittedly, are owned by the people of the United Kingdom ... 

Hampton Court

 ... and Queen Elizabeth the Second's little pied-à-terre ... 

Windsor Castle.

We truly believe we are NOT envious. We actually believe that we are amongst the very richest people we know ... though not for financial reasons ... we're just very lucky, happy and content. We are, likewise, aware that; in almost every way; we exist somewhere within the top ten percent of the planet's population. Knowing that, we do try to positively affect the lives of others.

Enough of such socialist claptrap! Next time we'll show you the multifariousness of aquatic wildlife, and boat construction we've seen on the river.