For One Night Only!

We did it.  For one night only! On stage at the big tent in a field somewhere in Northamptonshire! The Mary Poppins Stripogram Agency! We didn’t take our clothes off, of course, although one of the Mary’s did flash a bit of red garter and stocking tops and the men twizzled their brushes in a suggestive manner. We mostly didn’t forget our words, by the third chorus of Superboatingon the Nenebut strongstreamis atrocious we were mostly bobbing up and down in unison  and the singing was sometimes in tune (except in my case where I was at least consistent in my tunelessness).

The rotters made us go on stage first which as every aficionado of The Eurovision Song Contest knows is never the best slot. But we donned our hats and picked up our umbrellas and sweeping brushes and went on stage and strutted our stuff like the true amateurs that we are.  The five acts from the other boating clubs that followed were all lively and entertaining ending with a community singsong of Take Me Home so it was a good evening.  And the bar was well stocked and cheap!

For a change it was a bank holiday of unbroken sunshine which made messing about in boats in a picturesque location very pleasant.  I cheered on our team in the competitions and sometimes cheered on other teams if I felt they needed a bit of help. I even participated in the occasional event.  On Saturday night The Hollies played in the marquee.  Judging by their age and musical ability they may even have been the original Hollies.  I didn’t bother going to the marquee I listened from my boat across the river.  That was near enough.

On Monday we returned.  The wind was very strong, stronger than I would have usually travelled in, but heavy rain was forecast for the rest of the week so I decided to move.  If the weather and the river followed the pattern of last summer I could have been stranded upriver for weeks.  The wind-assisted turn to go downstream was easy and then the wind stayed mainly behind us and the locks were sheltered so there weren’t any problems. The turn against the wind onto my mooring was a bit tricky.  Actually it was fine for me standing at the helm and missing the landing completely but it was tricky for the cabin boy who held the rope and took an almighty leap towards the bank hoping he would hit firm ground and not wet water. But he is young and fit and he made it to dry land.