theBarnstorming: Rain

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August 18, 2007

Rain

We have returned from England and are presently attending to the duties of our lives. Since our mundane obligations bear none of the excitement of our days on the canals. Therefore, I shall return to the midpoint of our trip, notable for the sudden shift in weather.

The first week of our trip was uncommonly pleasant, weather-wise. The British folk we met along the canal kept commenting on the surprise of so many consecutive days of sunshine. Throughout much of England, this summer's rains have been the worst in many years. The southern part of the country, in particular, experienced severe flooding. So it was all the more surprising that the clouds stayed at bay for the first seven days of our trip. Our good luck was not to last. We were warned that the stormy weather was on the horizon, and sure enough, last Saturday morning, we woke to rain.

One must stand outside the longboat in order to pilot it. Roji was good enough to brave the elements and man the tiller.

On the evening of the first rains, we decided to head to the Toby Carvery for dinner.

The Toby Carvery, we found out, is the British equivalent to Applebee's or Friday's. The walls were littered with homespun antiques intermixed with a large number of offensive cartoons. It was great. We all ordered "the Carvery", which was basically an all-you-can-eat extravaganza of gluttony. We ate a lot and felt awful. I was certain that I would be sick and certainly had no intention of ordering dessert. Until I saw the challenge. Beneath the list of deserts was an icon and an accompanying explanation: desserts featuring this icon, it said, would be accompanied by an "endless pitcher of custard."

"Endless?" I said to myself. "Why that sounds lovely."

Robbi and I ordered the cherry pie. Sure enough, with the pie came our pitcher of custard.

Roji bet me two pounds that I could not finish the custard. I am never one to shy from a food-related dare, and so I did my best.

Drinking the custard was a bittersweet experience. Sweet because custard is sweet. Bitter, because I had just had my fill of beef, pork, turkey, yorkshire pudding, potatoes, broccoli, perfectly round balls of stuffing, and any number of sauces, gravies, and garnishes. And three plates of each. The bottom line: I could not finish that custard.

Robbi, however, sensed a golden opportunity to show me up.

Roji pointed out that the two-pound bet would not apply to Robbi, since I had already consumed some of the custard. Did this argument dissuade her?

It did not.

In fact, it was with some sadness that Robbi encountered the bottom of the pitcher.

"Would you like another then?" said the cheerful waitress, noticing the empty pitcher. The rest of us hustled Robbi out of the Toby Carvery before she could do herself further damage.

As we traveled further, we came upon a number of drawbridges too low for the boat to pass beneath. By use of the "windlass", the same crank we used to operate the locks, we could raise and lower the bridge.

As shown:

Now that the rains had come, the late afternoon sky was often dramatic, the foreground lit by breaks in the clouds, the background gloomy and dark.

Or the opposite:

One day we came to a new kind of lock opening mechanism. This is the kind of variation which becomes rather exciting when you're traveling at 4 miles per hour.

This was a very British looking little brick house.

As the rain fell, we passed several dogs in raincoats.

Reading in our canal guide, we learned that one of the small towns we passed through had ostriches that could be viewed. We had no choice but to investigate.