Eckie Thrup a Yorkie abroad II

Sat here in Thrupp the sun is shining and we are being entertained by the antics of various boaters coming through the lift bridge. It seems like no two skippers at the tiller handle it the same way. Then a 70 footer comes through going at a good pace. Bearing the name of a University College. 

There is mum and dad and two children in a canoe who decide at that point to abandon the canoe and make haste their retreat onto the towpath. Me and my boater mate are shouting instructions to the guy on the tiller. He manages to avoid pining the canoe between the bow and the concrete edge of the towpath. Once he is back on track - he turns round waves to us and shouts thanks. 

We went into Annie's cafe for a bun and a strong cup of coffee to revive our shattered nerves. On returning back to the canal we watch in chin dropping amazement as one of the most bizarre events takes place before our eyes. A boater who shall have to remain incognito decided that a bicycle needed a wash. So he ties a rope to it and flings it into the canal. By now, there is a small collection of people intently watching. 

With the bike now hanging in the water at the rear of the boat. He goes aboard and starts the engine puts a few revs on and proceeds to power wash the bike in the wake. He was raising and lowering the bike on the rope. After a while he drops the rope and turns off the engine. He then retrieves the bike gives it a few perfunctory pokes and a rub in various places. Then throws it back into the canal. By now the small collection of people have settled back to watch events unfold. One of the bystanders has been filming the event on his mobile phone. He says he is going to send it to you've been framed. My friend asks the boater what the next 'wash cycle' would be, but the joke seemed lost on the boater. We went back into Annie's cafe for a bun and a strong cup of coffee to revive our aching ribs.

I am loving it here at Thrupp.