Oxford Canal:Northbrook

There were several opposition direction boats encountered most of which facilitated lock moves.  We moored up just after the lifting bridge intending to stay there for the night.  I walked up to the Bell for a pint.  Beautiful village wit local stone housed and attractive gardens.  The simple pub sign with just a yellow bell gave the location away with entrance through the back door.  Very attractive old style interior and a lovely garden.  A free house, there were a range of “guest beers” on tap and this would make a good stop for our return to eat out as a family.  Returning to the boat, Harrison pointed out that we were moored right next to an underground wasp nest, and whilst there was a lot of to and froing activity with a queue waiting to gain entrance to the burrow  and not bothering us, my sense told me that that could quickly change once “food” was apparent on the boat.  So we took the opportunity to move on to the water point which we found occupied.  The boater kindly agreed to move a little so that we could tie up and wait for our turn.   This waterpoint is well known as being very slow which is was.  We must have taken an hour to fill the tank.  Then we needed to find a mooring, and knowing that “my mooring” was just a little way further on we set off.   To my amazement, the neat patch of one boat length of moored grass, which I-had cut years ago,  was still there but to my chagrin it was occupied.  No alternative but to carry on which inevitably involved a lock.  Eventually we found a place at Northbrook Spinney which was fine.