Grandparents Gadabout - Week 5

 Monday 21st June - Ely Riverside

A slow start to the day, Dave caught the train from Ely to Worcester to collect the car so that we have our own transport for a total of 3 weeks whilst we are over this way.  

I walked up to Laura’s and spent the afternoon helping out with the babies, going for a walk until Dave got back and then we returned to the boat.  

Unfortunately, where we were moored on The Riverside there is a very weak wifi signal, so it was radio and an early night! 

Tuesday 22nd June - Ely Riverside to Cawdle Fen to Queen Adelaide

We have moored the boat for 48 hours so we have to move it to a different mooring for the next 48 hours. We set off out of Ely to Cawdle Fen, it was cold and windy, and when we got there, I turned the boat and attempted to moor up.  It was really difficult, and eventually we decided against it and came back into Ely.

Here we are cruising back through Ely and out the other side to Queen Adelaide’s EA moorings.  This time we were successful and with the help of EA men cutting the grass we were able to moor beautifully.

After a lunch on the boat we walked from Queen Adelaide, over the footbridge and into Ely, a very pleasant walk, and spent the afternoon with Laura and Amy and the twins.  

At the end of the day we drove the car back to Queen Adelaide where we were able to park in a lay-by on the road, really handy, so I think we will use this mooring again!  Also the wifi signal is superb out there, so that is a real bonus! 

This was taken from the window at gone 8pm, a rowing crew with a training boat shooting past the boat, they certainly get up some speed!  

3.5 miles, 0 locks, 1 hr 42 mins.

Wednesday 23rd June - Queen Adelaide EA Moorings 

We spent the morning quietly on the boat and then drove the car into Ely to spend the afternoon with Amy and the babies.  We had a lovely time, the babies are changing so quickly! 

We left the boat for the day at these moorings and it was a warm sunny day, I was delighted to see that the solar panels had done a great job with keeping the batteries topped up and we have no need to fire up the engine to top up the batteries.  Absolutely chuffed about this!  

Thursday 24th June - Queen Adelaide to Jubilee Gardens, Ely

We woke to a calm and warm morning, ideal conditions to turn the boat and bring her back into Ely for the next 48 hours.  Dave stayed on the bank whilst I turned the boat and then he drove into Ely to park the car and find us a mooring spot.

He found us a mooring alongside Jubilee Gardens, this is the boat cruising into the riverside moorings, as it is a Thursday the moorings are still quite empty.  We spent the afternoon with Amy and the babies whilst Laura went to work.

1.75 miles, 0 locks, 0 hrs 48 mins.

Friday 25th June - Jubilee Gardens, Ely

Toby found a friend, another cockapoo, with almost the same colouring but with a much curlier coat. They seemed to accept each other and get on pretty well! 

In the afternoon we went for a walk with Amy and the babies, we saw several wildflower meadows and in one we spotted these bee orchids, stunning little plants which really do look like a bee! The Bee orchid gets its name from its main pollinator - a species of bee - which is thought to have driven the evolution of the flowers. To attract the bees that will pollinate the plant, it has flowers that mimic their appearance. Drawing them in with the promise of love, the bees attempt a mating. As they land on the velvet-textured lip of the flower, the pollen is transferred and the poor bee is left frustrated. Sadly, the right species of bee doesn't occur in the UK, so Bee Orchids are self-pollinated here.  The bee orchid is also the county flower of Bedfordshire! 

I was fascinated by this building in the distance, a crenallated tower.  I looked it up and discovered that this building was originally the Ely Union Workhouse. It was built in 1837-8 by W. J. Donthom. It was built as a result of the Poor Law Act (1834). It was designed to accommodate 300 inmates and cost £7,000. When the NHS was established in 1948 it became the Tower House Hospital. It closed as a hospital in 1993 and has since been converted into apartments.

Saturday 26th June - Ely

We have had our 48 hours in Ely, so we turned the boat around and headed back out to Queen Adelaide and moored up again on the EA moorings. 

We then drove out to Linton to meet up with Lizzie, Bea and Hollie.  We went to the local park where Bea played on the brand new skate park on her scooter, she was excellent at going up and down the ramps.  Lizzie and I had a go on this giant swing, such fun! 

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the Rugby Final between Harlequins and Exeter Chiefs, a great match and made even better by Harlequins becoming the champions!  We even had home made pulled pork baps for our interval meal, really spoilt!  

1.75 miles, 0 locks, 0 hrs 54 mins

Sunday 27th June - Queen Adelaide Moorings

Today Laura works all day, so we spent the whole day with Amy and the babies.  We had a walk into Ely and bought lunch from the Ely Bagel Bar, bringing it back to eat in the garden whilst the sun was out.  We stayed until Laura finished work then came back to the boat for the rest of the evening.