Tuesday, October 10, 2023

The Captain and His Mate(s)


Dave, Olga and I are all home now, back in London safe and sound. Olga is sleeping like a log, once again fully relaxed after a couple of days of tension and uncertainty. She is never fully at ease in new surroundings.

Not to say we didn't have fun on our weekend getaway! In fact yesterday, after breakfast but before leaving our hotel, we had another adventure. Dave used to go boating with his family in Michigan and he's always talked (jokingly, I hope) about getting a boat. After I realized the hotel has boats for the use of guests, we arranged to rent one.

We took "St. Trinian's" (see yesterday's post) out on the water for an hourlong cruise up and down the Thames. Dave piloted and made "Gilligan's Island" jokes, but we survived without running aground or making banana cream pies or having to fashion a telephone out of coconuts.


I made a four-minute condensed version of our cruise so you could experience it too! (Jazzy soundtrack courtesy of my copyright-free Apple iMovie jingles.) Some of the things you'll see include Bray Studios, a riverfront movie production studio; the Bray Marina; the pedestrian footbridge where I crossed the Thames on my bike ride the day before; Olga watching some swans; the big bridge carrying the M4 highway, which runs all the way to Wales, over the river; and a guy feeding waterbirds. And of course the three of us.

Olga didn't like the boat at all, at least not at first. She shook like a leaf, which is why I'm holding her on my lap. She eventually calmed down. I don't think she'd ever been on a small boat before.

After our aquatic outing, we went back to the hotel, gathered our stuff and caught an Uber to the train station. Unfortunately, about five minutes into our train journey back to London, I realized I didn't have my reading glasses! Where were they?! I racked my brain. I was afraid I'd left them in the Uber, or at a coffee shop at the train station, but the more I thought about it the more convinced I was they were back at the hotel, on a table in the lounge. Sure enough, when I called the hotel, they were found on that very table. The hotel staff are mailing them back to me. Whew! I love those glasses and I would hate to lose them. (Besides, they're prescription!)

I know I mentioned slow service when we had dinner that first night, but I must say, every other aspect of our stay at Oakley Court was wonderful and I would definitely go back. And I'm not just saying that because they're holding my glasses hostage.


Meanwhile, in our garden, our second miniature sunflower is blooming, and something knocked down two of our big sunflowers during our absence. Their stems were broken and their heads dragging on the ground. Squirrels, I'm guessing, trying to get at the seeds. I tied them back up again, although it really doesn't matter because the flowers have already faded.

It's good to be home!

28 comments:

  1. I enjoyed the video. So beautiful. Olga looks like she settled down well. Poor thing,

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  2. What a lovely boat trip. Olga seemed to quite enjoy herself eventually!
    There is something about seeing the world from a boat. Reminds me to do that here soon.
    Holidays are great but nothing beats home! Squirrel damage notwithstanding.

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  3. The boat ride was like the icing on the cake of your break away from the mean streets of West Hampstead. Was the boat powered by electricity and why was Dave not wearing a peaked skipper's hat?

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  4. That was a lovely river cruise and the music was just right.

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  5. That is an excellent picture of the three of you!

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  6. I warned you about the squirrels, they got every sunflower I grew so I finally gave up on trying to grow them.
    Cheers

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  7. Glad you didn't end up stranded on some desert isle. Looks and sounds like a very nice getaway, though I'm sure Olga is thrilled to be back at home.

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  8. I love that photo of the three of you! And what a glorious day! That boat ride is just my speed. Happy sigh.

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  9. Two men in a boat! And the dog, Montmorency played by Olga, clinging for dear life to Steve. Another fine mess my humans have got us into!

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  10. You should print out and frame that top photo as a memento of your fun getaway! I love the video of the boat ride! I would suggest you look into living on a houseboat (for Dave!), but then you wouldn't have a lovely garden to keep. It was a big weekend for Olga.

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  11. That was fun! What a pleasant getaway and glad you are home safe and sound.

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  12. Funny that it was Michigan boy who piloted the boat for Florida boy! I never think of Michigan as having a lot of water but I guess it must. That looked like a very sweet outing and I'm glad you did it. That is definitely a holiday sort of thing to do. Looks like perfect weather for a nice little cruise.
    Don't those sculls look so lovely, gliding along?

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  13. That video was great. I loved the part where you were petting Olga on the head. It reminded me of Murphy. The Thames upriver (?) looks different than I pictured it in my mind. Glad you had a good getaway.

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  14. What a terrific getaway. You guys had so much fun. I would have liked to have been on that boat with you two -- great sights and oh, being on the water is such fun. (Except maybe for Olga.) I'm glad you could take the boat out -- that would be a highlight. I love that Dave brought a bit of his Michigan background to England. Certainly with all our water -- inland and the BIG lakes, he probably had plenty of opportunity to hone his piloting skills!

    That photo of the three of you opening this post? It's fabulous -- definitely a keeper. I'd be framing that one. And so glad the time and place were "worth it" -- sometimes one can be disappointed by such places and I'm sure the dinner will fade in your minds over time as you remember the rest of it! Hope your glasses arrive soon.

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  15. What a great trip you three had there. Loved watching that video of the trip down the Thames on such a beautiful day.
    Hope your glasses arrive soon.

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  16. Well that little video was great fun! I loved seeing all the boats of different shapes and sizes. The rowers were fun to see too. Olga does look like she might even be enjoying herself in the last few minutes.

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  17. It's nice to finally get to see what Dave looks like ... he looked right at home at the helm of that boat!
    What a lovely little cruise down the river ... thanks for taking us along!!!

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  18. It's great to get away but there really is no place like home. I don't blame Olga; I'm not a fan of the water or small boats. (plus, I get seasick)

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  19. Nice video once I'd turned the sound off. You can't go wrong with a boat. Were you allowed to drive?

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  20. And a peek at Dave, finally! He's almost as handsome as you, Steve. Nice to see you two, after many years of wondering what your sweetie looks like.

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  21. I enjoyed the video and seeing Olga as well.

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  22. Great video and I love the photo at the top of the post! Oh, Olga, you are the sweetest :) Clearly she was comforted by that pat and being able to be close to you, Steve. Hope your glasses arrive safely and soon.

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  23. The first picture is so joyful. I hope you put it on the wall! You are waiting for your glasses. My Iris is waiting for Leo and Lovey. They were missed on the way out the door and she has never slept without Lovey in all her 5 years.

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  24. The photo is adorable, candid and full of joy

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  25. Wonderful video and Dave was an excellent skipper. But those pink shorts are sooooooo gay! 🤣

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  26. I'm glad you had a good time. The video is great. Franklin & Penelope would tremble, too. Princess would be wild with excitement and would try to find a way to jump overboard. Then we'd all end up on Gilligan's Island with the transistor radio that magically works for years.

    Love,
    Janie

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  27. very nice little cruise. I've always wanted to live on a houseboat, that's what those big boats moore are right? and sculling. I don't get sculling. you can't see where you're going or if you're going to ram into something going backwards or rather looking backwards.

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  28. I missed this post yesterday. There's always a first and something to look back on. It's always good to be home.

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