Boat

Did I ever mention that I had a boat? S bought it for me about 7 years ago, while I was investigating the viability of buying a small narrow boat. The result of my investigations had been that the upkeep of a boat (maintenance, bottom scraping etc), mooring fees, fuel, emptying the sludge tank, insurances, licences, mariner training recommended etc, meant that only rich people could comfortably afford to own a boat.
Then there was the speed of the thing. Travelling at under 5 miles an hour (or was it kilometers) would mean that you would never get very far on a weekend before having to turn round and chug back. It would be like Groundhog Day, always reliving the same 15 miles of river ad infinitum. Yes I know that a few years ago you took 8 months off Christine, to travel the length and breadth of England, and yes the shots of your boat cruising down the Thames past Tower Bridge and the Housed of Parliament were impressive, but for me, it was not to be.
Whilst I had been round to the French family’s house for crepes I mentioned that I had a boat, which I had never used.
C looked sceptical, so I explained that it was still in its box and that I had never used it.
C and her youngest started hunting for batteries and I was despatched to get the boat and my car. They knew of a pond nearby where the boat could be sailed.
So it was that I unexpectedly found myself pulling into a small car park behind the nautical centre.
The boat was de-boxed and batteried up and for the next 30 minutes the two younger girls splished about in the muddy water manoeuvring the boat with the remote control.

look at that baby go!

The two big ducks were not impressed and stayed standing motionless on the bank of the pond.
After the boat had been tired of, we then played table tennis on a concrete table tennis table. C had brought along 3 bats and 3 balls knowing that the table existed. Unfortunately there was a large, deep puddle at my end of the table, so I had to play maintaining a motionless leys, straddle position.
This reminded me that I always wanted my own table tennis table, so I have mentally added it to my professional sized babby-foot table on my list of sporting items to acquire.