Festival update.

Hi Friends and Followers.
Yes I am back again like a bad penny to carry on with my update. So yesterday saw us arrive at Stratford for the river festival. We were the anchor boat, so needed to be in place for the others to moor up alongside us. It felt like quite an honour to be at the head of the boats and apparently this was done because they thought our boat looked beautiful and would make a good photograph opportunity for the public.

There were some truly beautiful boats of all lengths and shapes.

The weather for the festival was as it is for us at the moment. It was stunning and this bought the public out in their hundreds. I do not think I have ever seen such a packed boat festival.

There were a lot of stalls and charity stalls. Over the weekend I did not cook a meal, because there were plenty of food stalls. We had Thai food both days and it was scrummy. Of an evening we sat with new found friends and enjoyed a bar-b-que and a few drinks. We were made to feel so welcome at the Stratford River Festival.

Early on the Sunday morning. 5am to be precise, we were awake, so I peeped out of  the porthole to the sight of rubbish everywhere. We had said we would help clean the park up ready for the days festivities and this was due to begin at 6am. I walked Paddy, had breakfast and we made our way to the bandstand to collect rubbish clearing equipment.

We collected recycling bits in the clear bags and general rubbish in the black bags. Then a group from Rubbish Friends went through the bags to make sure the rubbish was sorted properly. I came away from the clean-up with two picnic blankets and a clipboard. It amazed me just what people left behind. They abandoned broken chairs, picnic blankets, cutlery, glasses, tent shelters, bottle openers and plastic picnic containers. Any of the items which could be reused, went to local charity shops. A good job was done by all who took part and as a thank you we all had a free sausage or bacon bap. Oh I forgot, I did find another item, it was a bag of weed, which I handed into the security team on site. The lady got very excited by the bag, although she said it was of low grade, but the security dogs would love it for training purposes. Glad I made the dogs happy at least. It turned out that men had been on site selling weed and had been arrested.

Sundays festivities got underway with a clean and tidy park.

Yet again the place was heaving with people. The live music, from the bandstand was really very good and we were right near it, so got to enjoy every group which performed. By the time the festival drew to a close, we were both a little tired, having spent the whole time chatting to the public and meeting friends who had come to see us and the festival. It was so lovely to see familiar faces and to meet new people.
We will most definitely do the river festival again in the near future.
Back to today. Another beautiful start to the day. It was another day for painting. First job of the day was to walk Paddy, before it got to warm. We then had breakfast and I got on with painting the last of the floorboards in the back cabin. I then painted the back wall of the railway room with Black gloss. Feeling in the mood to do more painting, I rubbed down the rust spots on the roof and painted them with Red oxide. Tomorrow they will get a top coat. Doing all my paint jobs before lunch, meant that the afternoon will be my own and I can sit inside out of the heat. Before lunch, I walked up to Sainsbury’s to get rid of the recycling, which I like to do at least once a week.
Lunch over with, which was yet another salad. I am going to settle down to an afternoon movie. ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ is on ITV3, so I will be putting my feet up and watching that.
More updating to come.
Pop back soon xx