Dear members and patrons,
What a change there has been since we last sent you an update, but then, September for me has always been the month of the biggest and most dramatic changes.
We thankfully made it safely back to the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal before any closures due to either rain or drought. Our last day of travelling back was a long one, as we decided to cruise the full 29 miles from Worcester to Gloucester in one go. Nothing to a car driver, but an all-day adventure in a narrowboat.
Arriving back at Gloucester Dock really felt like coming home, as the lock keeper gave us a lovely welcome and seemed almost as pleased to see us as we were him. As we rose in the lock, the familiar sight of the old warehouses, now turned into apartments and bars, drew out a sigh of relief from us, and we soon spotted another returning boater sitting with a cool, golden glass of beer at a dockside bar. It was like a scene from Ice Cold in Alex, and as soon as the mooring ropes were secured, we joined him, sharing tales of each of our adventures.
By now, we know many of the boats which are permanently moored on this canal or cruise up and down for much of the year, so as we made our way back to Frampton over the next few days, we were looking out for familiar names and spotting the summer visitors. It suddenly dawned on us just how at home we have become in this area, as so many boaters smiled, waved and welcomed us back — people who we know only by their looks, their boat name, and maybe their nicknames, such as ‘the bonsai people’ or ‘the yoga lady’. Some are known simply by which dogs are on board!
There are only a few of these people that we could call ‘friends’, or have even spoken to apart from a quick hello across the water from a moving boat, but there was a moment of connection between some of us as they gave us a thumbs-up through the galley window. Living on the canals has been likened to living in a floating village, and that definitely applies to this canal.
The canal, the views and the surroundings were all as we had left them, but almost as soon as we returned, things began to change. The air cooled and the rain came down, bringing the parched earth back to life. Within days, the straw-coloured meadows and bare towpaths had turned green and plants were growing. Now, two weeks later, we are already at the stage of having wet, doggy paw prints throughout the boat when Archie comes back in from his first outing of the day with dew-soaked paws from the wet grass.
The sky is changing too. As the sun drops lower, we have started to see some amazing September sunsets. These are the best of the year, partly due to clean, dry autumn air and high cloud, but also, I think, because of the timing. With the sun setting earlier, we are often looking out of the windows while cooking or clearing up after dinner. Rich must be tired of me calling him to look at the beautiful sky every night, and as it changes so quickly, I have started taking photos to show him now, rather than call him away from whatever he is doing.
I was walking Archie one evening and just had to stand and stare at the view across the Severn — a view I have seen many times, but this night, the colours and the beauty simply took my breath away. Sometimes it is so good just to stand and stare.
The final welcome home came one evening from the lady who manages our allotment site. This always sets nerves tingling, as I expect her to bring bad news of the polytunnel blowing away or a complaint about our weeds, but instead it was a congratulation for winning the Best Allotment Cup for the second year running!
We had been a little tentative about going back to the allotment after a spell of absence of a couple of weeks, but were pleased to see it, too, beginning to green up after the rain. There were lots of lost crops due to the drought this year, and many gaps where things had either failed to thrive or had already gone to seed, and our little pond had dried up, but there was still lots to pick.
We never thought, when we were looking out for our first ripe tomato, that we would be exasperated at having to keep picking them. Rich’s favourite meal at the moment is anything without tomatoes!
We have lots of catching up to do over the next few weeks, not only on the plot, but we also have a few plans for the autumn that need working on, involving paintbrushes, cauldrons and wool, so please look out for the next update.
Best wishes to you all from Fran and Rich, and a soggy-footed Archie.