The day started in bright sunlight. In fact it started at 0300 when I mistook the the lights of Didcot Power Station for the dawn! What a joy not to have the Didcot towers brooding over me as if to scoff at my paltry environmental gesture as it belches more nasty stuff into the atmosphere; Greenpeace claim it to be the second most polluting after Drax in Yorkshire.
However by the time I reached Abingdon the clouds had appeared and the rest of the day was overcast. In nearly 3 weeks I have only had one proper 'sunny day'. But a welcome cup of tea from Chris and Margaret (my hosts on day 13) brightened the outlook and convinced me that I should press on even though they had been at Abingdon for 5 days waiting for the current to slacken.
The sign below at Abingdon Lock gave further encouragement.
Though this vessel was a reminder of what could happen to retired Civil Servants who fancy a life on the water!
I was unsure whether I would make the long and lonely stretch to Sandford Lock (the deepest above Teddington), given the warning signs from the batteries. But somehow the energy was there for the final push against the stream and the following mike to my scheduled mooring with a family friend (Max Goodey). Also a delight to hear 'Manisty Ahoy!' from a lone cyclist on the bank who turned out to be Julian Le Vay, a colleague from the seemingly distant past at Whitehall.
One of the delights on the journey has been the friendly support from the lock-keepers; I could not have coped without them. Their jobs are apparently under threat, so I have written an ode in support! The Thames is a challenging and potentially dangerous river and it would be folly for the Environment Agency to take them away.
I must have my say
To the suits in EA
'LOCKEEPERS MUST STAY
Its just not OK
To save on pay
And then betray
The safest way
And prevent delay
On a busy day
If you please
We pay the fees
Which you never freeze
So on your knees!!'
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