July holiday–day #0

Friday 12th July

We arrived at the boat, moored at Hindford at 7pm. We had a table booked for a meal at the Jack Mytton Inn so off we wandered once we had unpacked and settled in. Monday to Friday they do a small selection, two courses from a choice of three, for a tenner.We ate very well and the real ale selection suited us too. We chose to sit outside in the very pretty courtyard on a lovely warm evening.

We suspected another diner was a person of fame, if not necessarily fortune, after an odd conversation between some chaps and mine host. We saw five of them yet fifteen were booked to eat. The other ten must have come in through the back way as we had sight of the entrance. On leaving the pub we found two hire boats had tied up between Jannock and the pub. Everyone was out, presumably having snuck into the restaurant as there is no where else to go. Earlier, when we had been preparing to leave Jannock to go to the pub two chaps, in shorts and T shirts as befits the weather and place, had walked past the boat. They had cameras with quite long lenses attached. We spoke with them; they explained that one had seen a Sacred Ibis earlier in the day. I replied “ and I’m Cleopatra”. How rude! Sacred Ibis? Anyhow, off they trudged down the towpath to photograph their bird. Now . . . was that bird the “young lady and her minders” that mine host had been overheard talking about to the five young chaps? How exciting! Yes, I must get out more.

We ended the evening sat out on the back deck watching at least four bats skimming above the water for a light supper.

Brenda