Ken’s knee decided to take a rest day so Peter and I walked without it…without the rest of Ken which is attached to the knee. A 1.3 km walk to the bus stop, a 20 minute bus ride careening down a very narrow road, slam on the brakes so hard that my trekking poles went flying when we met the bus going the other way, and a walk to the river and an ice cream truck…
It ended up being a very hot day ( at least for me) at 27°C and there wasn’t a lot of shade today except for the beginning. Plus it was marked as a 13 km day but once you tack on the detour and walk to bus, it was almost 20 km.
Ken: I didn’t have a beer. Terry: there is literally an empty beer bottle beside your bed. Ken is distracted by an old Pontiac Fiero. Thinks it’s a 1988 and looks like it hasn’t run in 20 years. Too bad. Terry: No. Which one did Peter choose?The biggest one. Ken had a smiley face. Terry had oatmeal. Yay. Okay. And a jelly doughnut. At home we have a gull who knocks on the A&W door looking for fries. Rose of Sharon The start of the diversion, which I only found out about when Peter and I stopped at the ice cream truck before setting out. A notice was posted on a near by garbage bin that a bridge was out. We would have walked a long way for nothing. Too scary to go in here because… Very difficult to read but it says “Orcs be in the Shire”. Made it through with no orcs to be seen. Darn! Yay. Back to the Thames. So close to the towns and we’re still walking through sheep poop. Hard to see but a family had their kids swimming just beyond this sign. The ice cream truck also sold duck food. It’s the only way I make new friends here. 🦆 Milk man just dropped these off at the village store. Banana milkshake time. Funny fish they find in this river. Yellow Lily pads just coming into bloom. I wonder if he was visiting the poo bin. Good timing to have the dog wander into the photo. The village shop set out water and toys for any interested pups. I’m assuming they operate the “poo bin” as well. Ken says this is a very handsome sheep. Deer park? Maybe we’ll see some? White deer. Tons of them. Culham Court. Current owner is Swiss-Brit billionaire who bought it for more than $70 Million! They take great pains to block you from taking photos. Time for chips and a pint at the Flower Pot Hotel. 5 km to go. I love the pink speckled on this white rose. Random post box. Slow down. Peacocks crossing. And here they are. Well, more Guinea fowl than peacocks but still…the sign didn’t lie. The gulls have a little black spot behind their eyes. I would live here except I would have to clean it and I am lazy. Followed this fencing for a long time.The Henley regatta is apparently “THE” regatta. Established in 1839 and is part of the British social season of which I am not a part. Because I didn’t buy one of those hats I saw in Wallingford. If I had a hat I am sure I would have been invited. Setting up for a big “Rewind” festival this weekend. Music of the 1980s.We fished this huge balloon out of the Thames. But no garbage nearby so I shoved it under the festival fence thinking someone would pick it up. I didn’t want it blowing back into the river. Bad enough there are shiny pink sparkles still floating. A one legged magpie. For sale. Hmmmm. Well, la-de-da and pooh-pooh to you. I didn’t want to join anyway. I don’t have a hat. Ken was waiting for us, soaking his feet with the minnows in the Thames , but I didn’t get a picture. This was only the second church I’ve been in, both of them St Mary’s. I finally found a candle to light for my dear friend Mary Ann.
Half a block down the street is a Shell station station, which includes a cash machine, a Subway, a bakery, general store and, yay, our favourite outdoor laundromat. So we headed off and threw our laundry in for a 40 minute spin. Ken hung out there but when I showed up 30 minutes later the machine had stopped… The whole thing had gone dead. Unfortunately our clothes were sopping wet as there was still water in drum. Customer service? Ten to five Monday through Friday. Hoping a few things will dry by morning. And we’ll have to find a Laundromat in the morning. Oh well. Ken will have to borrow a pair of Peter’s socks.
