The day trip on a very warm day from Naburn to York City Centre where we moored at King’s Staithe
The day trip on a very warm day from Naburn to York City Centre where we moored at King’s Staithe

A further cruise to spend more time in York, with the same mooring, morning and lunch venues but then, in the afternoon, Daniel and Angela dropped off the girls at the library, Di insisted on shopping on her own and I walked up to York Minster, an uplifting experience that displays half of the medieval stained glass of England in its large windows. I also walked up and down the Shambles again and bought a York walking stick mount which I nailed to the Paxton Princess flagstaff upon my return.

Then the return cruise to Naburn for our evening activities. The papers are talking of the inevitability of war in Yugoslavia and, locally, of the latest Pit Bull Terrier incident and the removal of the Rowntree name from the Kit Kat chocolate bar and its replacement with Nestles; a controversial move against the people of York.

Today realised one of the ambition of our summer's voyage - namely time to spend at the effective head of the Yorkshire Ouse navigation - the city of York itself. We used our two fifty pence pieces to have showers in the Naburn Marina toilet block and even Diana recognised their amenity and value as she could regulate the temperature to her own fickle satisfaction. Daniel and I shared our fifty pence which lasted for both of us. Then, the crew being ready, we cruised off on the half hour's journey to York, whilst having breakfast in turn, until we arrived at Kings Staithe and moored around 10.00am, just in time to get the mooring we wanted. Daniel and Angela went off together and saw York Minster as Diana, the girls and I went to a supermarket and did some shopping for the essentials that we were going to need for today and Sunday tomorrow.

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Morning drinks and pastries at the Danish Cafe and then some shopping at book shops and a tour on an open-topped bus before a lunchtime rendezvous at the Pizza Hut. This afternoon, Daniel and Angela dropped off the girls at the library, Di insisted on shopping on her own and I walked up to York Minster. It is to go into this magnificent cathedral that displays half of the medieval stained glass of England in its large windows. It has now been restored after the recent fire, but they are always working on the stonework and trying to raise money for this to be done. The magnesium limestone of the Minster and the City Walls exudes a detergent when it rains which has the advantage of keeping the stonework clean, but also leads to its erosion and constant need for attention. I also walked up and down the Shambles again and bought a York walking stick mount which I nailed to the Paxton Princess flagstaff on my return. We had tea on the boat, with the table taken up to the bridge and set up there under the shade of the canopy, for it had been another very warm day and the saloon was too warm.

Then the cruise back to Naburn which charged up the ships batteries and warmed the water. We actually got some thundery showers as we were under way but they did not worry me under our nice canopy. I tried a little fishing with cheese as bait this evening with no success. Then, with Daniel fallen asleep on Angela's bunk aft, Della and I watched a spy comedy film which we both enjoyed. Diana stayed in her bunk re-reading Libby Purvis's "One Summer's Grace" which is a fascinatingly horrific account of four months in a small sailing yacht circumnavigating Britain with small children. To bed quite late as a result of all this. The papers are talking of the inevitability of war in Yugoslavia and, locally, of the latest Pit Bull Terrier incident and the removal of the Rowntree name from the Kit Kat chocolate bar and its replacement with Nestles; a controversial move against the people of York.