Before going any further with today’s post I must first thank blog readers for their comments, emails and phone calls congratulating me on passing the “Life in the UK” test. Whilst your thanks are appreciated I must stress the test wasn’t nearly as difficult as I’d anticipated. Having crammed my memory full of dates, names an events I’d identified as critical in the development of what is now the UK I was somewhat surprised to find few of these questions in the test.
We are disappointed to have yesterday missed Angie & Dave (nb Lady Esther) who noticed Waiouru on passing and called in to say hello. Unfortunately we were in Madras Hounslow for the day. They very kindly left us a pair of mooring pin warmers for those winter nights when your pins start to shiver and work themselves out of the ground.
These pin covers have been very cleverly made from recycled Sainsbury’s plastic shopping bags. What a smart idea! Hopefully we will catch up with Dave and Angie at some future date and can discover the method of making the covers.
We are on a lovely mooring with interesting views on either side. Out the starboard side hatch is the golf course.
The brick arch bridge bisects the golf course and runs towards our mooring. Out the port side hatch is this view.
It looks slightly boring until you realise the brickwork is the abutment remains of that high arched bridge in the earlier photo. So we are moored directly underneath the bridge… which is no longer there! The bridge was part of the now abandoned Rugby and Stamford Railway.
Jan has been watching the local fauna above the bridge abutment. One morning she could see squirrels out looking for nuts on the grass ridge.
I actually thought they were rabbits. But next time I looked out the window I could see the nuts…… so perhaps she was right! 
It’s been a very relaxing day. First it was my usual Sunday morning phone call to dear old mum back in Perth, Western Australia. Next I did some painting (badly) whilst Jan baked a loaf of bread for lunch. The smell of freshly baked bread got to me and I had to eat at 11.30am. The taste of a tomato sandwich using fresh warm bread is mouth watering! We then used the rental car to do some shopping from Tesco before returning to Waiouru where I cleaned and polished the paintwork in the cockpit and cratch. Jan got all twitchy and wanted to do some laundry but eventually she calmed down and the urge faded.
For two consecutive days it has been warm and sunny. That’s a ‘first’ for 2013. The solar panels have kept up with the demand on the battery bank from the fridge, freezer, and various small appliances requiring recharging. One of which was the hair clippers which Jan subsequently used to shear me. It’s the third consecutive haircut she has given me so the clippers have now paid for themself. Apparently there were a couple of “oops” moments during the operation but I can’t see around the back so it doesn’t worry me. Anyway, the difference between a good and bad haircut is……. two weeks! 
Tomorrow we’re off to the Crick Boat Show and the forecast isn’t nearly as good. Our luck!
2 comments :
The viaduct and remains of the bridge abutment are of the old Great Central Railway which was built under the guidance of Sir Edmund Watkin. It was originally meant to run from Sheffield to the south east coast for a proposed channel tunnel. The Lords Taveners however would not allow the railway company to tunnel beneath Lords Cricket ground so the GCR finished diverted into Marylebone and there in lay the seeds of its downfall. The GCR was built to the Continental loading gauge.
It became an obvious "hit" for Beaching. If it had been kept open it would have been an obvious route for HS2.
Regards Ray T
Thanks Ray, most interesting!
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