St Michael's Church Irstead
St Michael's Church Irstead

After our new morning routine in Heronshaw we hosted a visit from the Jeckells canopy-maker and chatted to Jack and Dolly Edwards before setting off in The Paxton Princess to Horning Ferry and then up the Ant past Ludham Bridge and on to Irstead Staithe. US President Bush orders US troops and war-planes to Saudi Arabia and warships to the region and Turkey cuts off exports from Iraqi oil pipeline.

Di was up early again on and I had only just awoken when she brought me my morning tea. By now a normal routine of bath, shave and hair-wash before breakfast in the Heronshaw lounge where we put the electric fire on to take the chill out of the air. It was not that the weather had turned cold - merely that it was back to a seasonal average and we were still used to it being so hot in the days before! It started dull but continued with sunny intervals and stayed perfectly dry. I decided to relax for once, reading one of my library books; all about the history of Horning.

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This was interrupted when the man from Jeckels arrived quite early and I went over to the boat with him and discussed our requirements at great length. We went through all of the materials and designs and ended up with the idea of a separate top, back and sides joined together with toggles so as to provide flexibility in all types of weather. The colour and fabric was still a bit of a quandary and I took samples of all of the relevant colours and materials to dwell on the matter further. They can make a canopy in only a couple of weeks at the moment as it is very quiet for them in this season and with this recent weather. Then I had Jack Edwards drop by and, by the time I had finished chatting to him and his wife Dolly, Diana was getting quite agitated and wanting to leave and so we quickly cast off. Debbie had made the morning drinks which was a promising trend even if they were a bit cold!

We did not cruise far, stopping at Horning Ferry for lunch at the pub as in previous days. There we met the Gunn family from Little Paxton who are holidaying on a boat on the Broads that they have hired for three weeks. We chatted for quite a while and Debbie invited one of their daughters to come aboard the Paxton Princess to look round before we moved on. I cruised slowly down the Bure and then got Di to take over the helm as we turned up the river Ant. I had to take down all of the covers, masts and windscreens etc to get under Ludham Bridge, but we did so quite easily in the end and then moored just upstream for afternoon tea and snacks at the cafe there. Some shopping for provisions and a look in the chandlery before continuing on. I was at the helm again as the family watched "Carry On Camping" on the boat video which has proved quite a boon. US President Bush orders US troops and war-planes to Saudi Arabia and warships to the region and Turkey cuts off exports from Iraqi oil pipeline.

More steady progress up the Ant until I found space at Irstead Staithe and so we moored there to have our tea of sandwiches that Diana had prepared. After this we went to see Irstead church, which is a most beautiful and original one, before Di and Debbie went for a walk and I tried some fishing with Della. I could catch no fish and so I soon came in and started up my computer in the front cabin and caught up with these last few days diary. Irstead is otherwise a very disappointing place with almost nothing left of it apart from large houses. Daniel and Diana watched a late film all about childbirth surrogacy.