Messing about on the river

Well we've finally left the Oxford Canal and turned onto the Upper Thames, exchanging the shallow, narrow canal for the wide, deep waters of the river.
We exited the canal via the delightfully named Sheepwash Channel, a sort of back alley exit that ducks under a couple of rail bridges before reaching the river.
At the last lock we met someone who had come nearly as far as us - but on foot. 73-year-old John Mason had walked 80 miles of towpath all the way from Coventry, the latest in his annual long distance fund raising walks in aid of the Alzheimers Society. Read more about him here.
 A few miles up-river we happened upon our Thames-loving narrowboating friends, Ian and Allison (or the Nobbies as we like to call them) nestling in a shaded mooring spot by Swinford Bridge.
They were headed down river and us upstream but we breasted up alongside and spent an enjoyable evening in the local pub, the Talbot.

This morning we woke at the startlingly early time of five a.m. (!) and watched in sleepy delight as the sun slowly came up and early morning mists swirled around the surface of the river, fish rose for flies and birds sang. Worth waking up early for.
Now we've breakfasted, waved the Nobbies off and written this blog and it's still only eight a.m.