Water Newton lock

I arrived at the lock just as this beautifully kept narrowboat was passing through. Pots of bright summer annuals and a piece of traditional bargeware adorned the roof, while inside there were neat shelves of rustic china. I also rather liked the lady's pink hair, which co-ordinated perfectly with her cardigan! It was a gorgeous morning for a walk along the river, with clouds of banded demoiselles drifting around and the constant chittering of the swallows, swooping over the water.

Otherwise it was mostly a fairly quiet day of report writing. It was Lizzy's birthday and Chris took her pancakes in bed. They then went blackberrying and came back with a fine haul. She wanted to try her hand at jam making, so Pete extracted the maslin pan from the garage, and I found the sugar thermometer, jam funnel, some jars and a recipe. With the odd bit of advice, she and Chris made a good quantity of some very delicious jam - a very productive way to mark her 25th birthday!