Mum and Dads 29th Anniversary (by sarah)
Last weekend saw mum and dads 29th annivsary, origonally we were all going to go away in a cottage together for a little holiday but that had to be canceled for a miride of reasons not least being that mums operation would clash with the end of the origonal plans!
David and Michele (my bro and his girly) came up and stayed in Stroud and Alaric was back from London. Mum had wanted desperatly to go on a boat trip of some sort - again part of the orginal plan had involved a narrow boat. So Barbara got us the boat times from Gloucester docks for us on friday (Mum and dad came up straight from the hospital from mums tests so we lost friday).
Saturday morning in my military style I made people get up and get ready and had I thought to phone David and Michelle we would have actually got out on time but I didn't and they over slept. Poor Alaric moaned and moaned becuase I'd made him get up at 9 o'clock! (a bone of contention about what is early and what is not!).
Anyway off we went and onto Queen Boaducea II for a forty-five minute cruise.
The driver was absolutly helious! I kept telling dad someone had cloned him yet agian - I think at the last count he has four clones (Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchette, Ale Holly from Red dwarf and now this boat driver!). Anyway he was full of interesting facts and little comic snippits and a dry wit in abundance.
The weather was actually really fantastic for October and it had that freash autum tinge to everything 🙂 I get to take lots of interesting pictures of old industrial archetecture including coragated iron anexes from the 1920's!
There were also tall ships (the old pirate/sailor type of ships) moored along the way and a few unfortunate fishermen who where cheerful even if we were ruining the days catch! Gloucester is actually a sea dock even though it is in land and we were taking a cruise up a canal built by returning solders from the Napoleonic Wars! The thing is massive with dry docks and swing bridges and log ponds galore!
There were other interesting boats too like boats that where used by the 'dad's' Navey during the war and really old experimental concrete barges!
(Can you tell I really really enjoyed this trip!)
I was really chuffed actually becuase I been collecting little snippets about the Second World War and was in need of a boat to carry my solder from Dunkirk so was exstatic to spot the little plaque saying that the boat had been to Dunkirk - they also mentioned it the commentary and me and dad went and pestered them for extra details after the trip 🙂
One of the best bits though was that Barbie waved at Dad - she blatently had the hots for him even though she was next to Ken and he was with his family - her little boat came right up along side ours and she waved repeatedly at him :). Jean absolutely adored the little boats and the water in general though this did cuase some issues with keeping her still on the trip!
David inadvertatly polluted the canal and almost dive bombed Barbies boat with his water bottle which fell out of his pocket into the water! He wasn't best pleased as the bottle hadn't even been opened yet.
We then had a quick trundle round the antiques market (well David and Michelle did we just went looking for them as they had our child with them!).
To round the day off we went back to the Mill where me and Alaric prepared a meal of Nachos for starter, falafles, pitta bread, salad and dips for main and Barbara special trifle for desert. We also had champagne in the flutes from the wedding which fortunatly hadn't gone into storage yet! Though one of them did get broken - by me at the end when I announced I was clearing them up before they got broken :/
David and Michelle rendured Mum and Dad speachless by presenting them with an oil lamp to match the one they have at home - complete with shade and glass chimney bit. Alaric was in high spirits and decided that my dads head needed cling filming to stop his communications with the aliens at Climperwell (don't ask).
The next day Sunday being the actual anniversary we went for a meal in Pizza Express after some fruitless hunting for a place that no longer existed :/ This was really nice too 🙂
The Family | sarah | 
Sat 27th Oct 2007 11:10 am
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By @ndy Macolleague, Mon 29th Oct 2007 @ 11:57 am
Wow! Looks like a really good trip. I love the photos. This one is my favourite: http://snell-pym.org.uk/photos2/2007-10-25%20Arty_Tall_Ships.html
Both your parents look really well, especially your Mom.
Take care.
@
By ella gale, Fri 2nd Nov 2007 @ 12:19 pm
Dude! I've had that exact same boat driver! I went on a boat trip along the Thames with my Dad for my birthday (cos it was so hot) and we got historical snippets, political commentary, dry wit and a whole plethora of facts. There can't be two boat guides/drivers like this surely?
By sarah, Sat 3rd Nov 2007 @ 10:46 am
Nope its the same one - he is the 'spare' driver they send out when they need someone to fill in he was saying about the other routes he did and that was one of them 🙂 (I pestered him for ages you see asking questions)