My Favorite Summer Vacation: A Narrow Boat Cruising Adventure in England

Now that Spring is here, you are probably starting to think about what to do this summer.

So if you are looking for a great adventure, I thought I would share one of the most wonderful summer vacations I have ever had.

If you read my blog, you probably already know how much I love England.  (If not, you can find out from my earlier blog "Why I Love England.") 

So what better way to enjoy England than to hire a narrow boat and cruise slowly up one of her beautiful canals?

So that's what we did.

Not sure where I got the idea from.  Probably from watching too many Morse mysteries or reading magazines about England ("In Britain"), but somehow we decided that was how we were going to spend our 25th Wedding Anniversary.

I gathered our "crew" - Hubby, our daughter, my older sister, and my cousin, Jane and her soon-to-be husband, Lars, who joined us from Sweden.

Our ages ran the gamut from 24-70.

I did my homework and decided the best route for us was the Oxford canal (not too many locks) and the best company the Anglo-Welsh Company.

Meet the Damselfly. 

Our home for the next four days. And we were driving it ourselves.  There were guided tours available and we saw many of those along the way, but, hey, we can do this ourselves!

We all met up in Oxford not knowing what to expect.

Wouldn't you know.  Our boat was the farthest one away.  Geez, why did I bring so much luggage?


After a brief training on what to do, we were off.

Everyone wanted to drive - in theory - but as you can see, it is driven from outside and when it started to rain, Hubby took over.  And it rained for the whole first day!  Lars tried to keep Hubby's spirits up with...well...spirits!

Keeping dry.

Our first challenge was getting through the first lock.



We were cautioned to be sure to NOT leave the "windlass" behind, which was the "key" to opening the locks.  Naturally when we got to the first lock Hubby didn't know what to do.  Uh, gee, here is this handy notebook in the boat with the DIRECTIONS!  What is it with men and directions as in not following them?

That sorted, we opened our first lock.

After more of that, we tied up to do a little sightseeing. 

the ruins of a manor house and church at Hampton Gay.
(Librarian Rosy had already done her research for activities along our route).

Over the stile, over the bridge - watch out for cow pies!

Now on to the next lock.

A bit of traffic.  We were traveling a bit off season. One can imagine what it must be like in the heart of summer.

Though Hubby did an admirable job driving the boat, we were not without mishaps.  Note the hull.  We were not responsible for all for all of those nicks and scuffs, but thank goodness the sides of the boat were reinforced with steel. 

Hubby complained that in order to steer the boat, he had to rev the engine to gain some speed and then swing it around.  The wind was also a factor.  Sure.

I can remember sitting happily inside with a lovely glass of wine looking out the front of the boat and suddenly a tree was looming and boom!  No worries.  Lars jumped out and pushed us off the shore.  Thank goodness for the handy, dandy poles provided for just such a purpose.

The first night we tied up at The Boat Inn in Thrupp.

We were having difficulty finding a space until a friendly local woman came along.  She grabbed hold of the line of one of the parked boats and moved it, making room for us.  She said that since the owners were in the pub having a few, they would never notice their boat had been moved!

So Day 1. 

We traveled about eight miles. Hey, it's not easy when you can only cruise at about 2-3 miles per hour.  Hubby cranked it up to 4 one time as we passed another boat parked on the side of the canal.  The owner of that boat came out and shook his fist at us.  We were probably rocking his boat as he was preparing his tea!


Day 2 was our 25th Wedding Anniversary.

This friendly swan seemed to be saying, "This way to the next pub!"

And here we are!


At the end of Day 2 we had to turn the boat around.  Yikes.

There are only certain places where you can turn the boat around.  Those spots are called "winding holes (pronounced "win - ding")." 

Here at Lower Heyford, our farthest point, Hubby once again didn't read the directions and after many attempts, a friendly local turned our boat around for us.

Half the fun was tying up and spending the evenings hanging out together.

Or just relaxing.

Or making new friends.

I was able to get my Inspector Morse fix as we headed back toward Oxford having lunch at the Trout Inn, one of Morse's and Lewis' haunts. 

Our last day, after traversing the Thames, we tied up just outside of Oxford as we had to return the boat early in the morning.

As we readied the boat for its return, we noticed we still had a lot of wine and spirits, er, "supplies" left. 


What to do?

What do you think we did?

Zzzzzzzzzz.

On the fourth day, we said our good-byes.

Taking our happy memories with us
(can someone tell me what is going on with the hair on that redhead?)

We were a motley crew aging 24-70, but nary a cross word was spoken and a good time was had by all.

I have often thought of doing this trip again and sharing it with others.

But I can't help but worry that it just wouldn't be the same. 

Sometimes you just can't recreate magic.

So I think - next stop!  Barging in France!

What are your favorite summer vacation memories?

See you Friday for

"Why Oprah Still Matters"

and

The Week in Reviews

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.

Photos courtesy of Rosemary DeHoog and Chuck Brewer

Famous Movie Trailers: Can You Identify the Films? - A Quiz - and The Week in Reviews

[I review movies "Frozen," "The Patience Stone" and "Baggage Claim" and recommend a great book for fashionistas]

But first

Famous Movie Trailers:

Can You Identify the Films?

Quizzes are all the rage.

I have discovered from taking Zimbio quizzes that if I were a Disney Princess I would be Cinderella and a Buzzfeed quiz told me I definitely was not a hipster.  And I have taken quizzes to determine who my celebrity roommate should be and what "Game of Thrones" character I am.  Those quizzes are highly addictive.

So I decided to capitalize on this quiz-mania and devise my own quiz.


So let's see if you know your movie taglines and can attain the title of

"Movie Know-it-All."

First of all, what's a movie tagline?

A tagline is a memorable phrase or sentence that sums up the tone or premise of a film.  Movie marketing folks probably wrack their brains to come up with just the right slogan, one that will cement the film in our brains so we have to see the film, e.g. "In space no one can hear you scream," . 

If you are going to be any good at this, you have to have recognized the above tagline as being from the film Alien (1979).

OK, let's get started. 

I will give you the list, you come up with the answers and then check your answers at the end.  No peeking!  Then check your score to see how you measure up.

Ready?  Let's go.

1.  One dream.  Four Jamaicans.  Twenty below zero.

2.  A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere.

3.  One man's struggle to take it easy.

4.  There are 3.7 trillion fish in the ocean.  They are looking for one.

5.  The classic story about a boy and his mother
(you have to choose the correct version)

6.  The Bitch is back.

7.  Earth.  It was fun while it lasted.

8.  We are not alone.

9.  This is the week-end they didn't play golf.

10.  Cocktails first.  Questions later.

11.  Her life was in his hands.  Her toe was in the mail.

12.  You'll laugh.  You'll cry.  You'll hurl.

13.  Does for rock and roll what "The Sound of Music" did for hills.

14.  No actual Europeans were harmed in the making of this film.

15. Don't get mad.  Get everything.

16.  This is Benjamin.  He's a little worried about this future.

17.  And you thought Earth Girls were easy.

18.  Things are about to get a little hairy.

19.  Family isn't a word.  It's a sentence.

20.  Check in.  Unpack.  Relax.  Take a shower.

21.  You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.

22. They're young, they're in love and they kill.

23.  3% body fat.  1% brain activity.

24.  The biggest mother of them all.

25.  All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.






Here are the answers:

1. Cool Runnings (1993); 2. Fargo (1996); 3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986); 4. Finding Nemo (2003); 5. Psycho II (1983); 6. Alien 3 (1992);
7. Armageddon (1998); 8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977); 
9. Deliverance (1972); 10. Swingers (1996); 11. The Big Lebowski (1998);
12. Wayne's World (1992); 13. This is Spinal Tap (1984); 14. Eurotrip (2004); 15. First Wives Club (1996); 16. The Graduate (1967); 17. Bad Girls from Mars (1990); 18. American Werewolf in Paris (1997); 19. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001); 20. Psycho (1960); 21. The Social Network (2010); 22. Bonnie and Clyde (1967); 23. Zoolander (2001); 24. Mommie Dearest (1981); 25.  The Shining (1980)

Here is your score:

20-25  Movie Know-it-All
You are a person who fancies yourself an expert on movies and you at least know your movie trailers (or are good at figuring things like this out).  But be careful.  People hate know-it-alls.

15-19  Movie Know-it-All Wannabee
You so want people to see you as a movie expert.  Keep at it.  You are almost there.

10-14   Movie Amateur
OK, 50% plus isn't bad.  Watch more movies.

5-9  You don't know that much about movies.   

0-4.  Why did you even bother to take this quiz?

How did you do?

What is your favorite movie trailer?

Now let's get on with

The Week in Reviews

***In Theatres Now***

Frozen

Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Queen Elsa has turned her kingdom to ice and her sister, Princess Anna must find her and save her from herself in this 2013 Academy Award winner for "Best Animated Feature Film."

All of the Disney staples are here:  plucky heroine, funny animal sidekicks and music plus a hilarious talking snowman.  Olaf, the snowman was the best part.

Modern day animation is just amazing, especially when compared to the old Mickey Mouse cartoon that is shown before the film.  However, the big eyes of the heroines made me think I was in a Keane painting (remember those?), and I wish they had not been drawn with such teeny-tiny waists. They looked like Barbie dolls. Not a good message to send little girls. But in true Disney fashion, there is always a good moral:  love can melt even the most frozen heart. 
(If you want to see this on the big screen, better get there soon if you can.  It was just released on DVD on the 18th. Not available at Netflix until April 15th so check your local public library).

And answer me this:  I can't tell you how many previews I saw of this thing.  Where was the scene with the reindeer and the snowman fighting for the carrot on the ice?  Didn't happen.  So as I always say, beware of previews!

Rosy the Reviewer says...See it with a little girl (though this is not for the very young).  This is the kind of Disney movie little girl's love.

***DVDS***
You Might Have Missed

And Some You Should Be Glad You Did

(I see the bad ones so you don't have to)

The Patience Stone (2013)

In an unnamed war torn town, a woman cares for her comatose husband who has taken a bullet in the neck.

In Persian mythology, a patience stone (syngué sabour) is a magical black rock that can absorb one's burdensome, often painful secrets and over the course of the film, the woman uses her husband as a "patience stone" and unburdens herself.

Afghan writer and director Atiq Rahimi directed the film based on his 2008 novel “The Patience Stone,” which has been translated into 33 languages.

I think this film was lost in translation.  I saw the ending coming a mile away, and it is slow, slow, slow.  However, actress Golshifteh Farahani is beautiful and amazing, though her character can be a bit maddening at times.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Grim, grim, grim

(subtitles)



Baggage Claim (2013)

Worried about being an "old maid," Flight attendant Montana Moore is on a mission to find a husband in 30 days.

Cute idea turned into a farce with a lot of overacting.  This set the women's movement back at least 50 years.

Paula Patton, though she has been around while, is probably best known for her pending divorce from husband Robin Thicke (Beetlejuice suit, twerking, you remember).

Rosy the Reviewer says...remember my slogan (see above), I see the bad ones so you don't have to?  Well, you don't have to.

***Book of the Week***

Empress of Fashion: a Life of Diana Vreeland

by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart (2013)

No one effected the 20th century American fashion scene more than Diana Vreeland. 

As Editor-in-Chief at Vogue magazine, she was a tastemaker, where her gift was spotting trends such as the bikini, sleeveless dresses, skinny pants, thong sandals and animal prints.  She also first coined the word "pizazz."  She launched iconic careers such as Lauren Bacall's and Richard Avedon's and the 1941 musical "Lady in the Dark" was based on her. as well as the fashion editor in the film "Funny Face."

She was known for her observations and spoke in proclamations such as "Pink is the navy blue of India!"

“Allure is a word very few people use nowadays, but it’s something that exists. Allure holds you, doesn’t it? Whether it’s a gaze or a glance in the street or a face in the crowd or someone sitting opposite you at lunch… you are held."

She typically dressed all in black and her New York apartment was painted all red.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you know and love fashion, you need to know all about Diana Vreeland, or you don't know and love fashion at all (that's my quote).

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for

"My Best Summer Vacation"

Thanks for reading!

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Check your local library for DVDs and books mentioned.

Note:  Next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). 

Find the page for the movie, click on "Explore More" on the right side panel and then scroll down to "External Reviews."  Look for "Rosy the Reviewer" on the list. Or if you are using a mobile device, look for "Critics Reviews." Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under "Rosy the Reviewer."

      

My Guilty Pleasures: The Confessions of a Retired Baby Boomer Librarian

I am a smart, educated woman who knows her Proust from her Pinter.  I can talk literature, poetry, current affairs, music and foreign films with the best of them.  I'm a librarian, for god's sake.  I'm edicated.
 
But I also have my guilty pleasures.

I think I feel less guilty when I remember one of the smartest guys in my college telling me that his favorite movie was "The Love Bug." 

This was a time in the early 70's when no one would admit to anything but seeing the most sophisticated of foreign films - I mean we were COLLEGE students, for god's sake.  After registering my surprise and disgust at his choice, that HE, a philosophy major for god's sake chose a Disney film, and a silly one at that, as his favorite film, his response was, "Hey, I work hard, I use my brain 24/7 so when I want to relax I don't want to have to think.  I want to laugh, enjoy myself."

So as another smarty pants whose mind works overtime, I took that as a free pass to indulge MY guilty pleasures (I would say pleasures, but I am sort of guilty about them).

Lifetime Movies
I have already confessed to this guilty pleasure in my blog "Lifetime Movies," so I won't bore you again on that one, but, c'mon, who wouldn't want to watch a movie called "Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?"

Gossip Magazines and really juicy celebrity bios
When I fly, nothing relaxes me more than reading about Bruce Jenner's possible sex change or whether Jennifer Anniston will get married or not in the gossip rags. I would never dream of gossiping about my friends but hearing about the travails of the rich and famous?  Well, I find it relaxing.  And I feel I am doing a public service when I hand them off to the flight attendants and see how happy they are.  As for the celebrity biographies, I have to review them for "Library Journal."  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

A Latte and a scone after going to the gym
I know.  What's the point of going to the gym if I am going to negate it by eating a scone?  At least it's a "skinny" latte and it could be worse.  I could be going to McDonald's after the gym like some people I won't name...(but whose name starts with H and ends in ubby.)

Jackets
It all started when I was 12 and the rich girls had these cute little matching skirts and jackets that I couldn't afford.  So now I have 75 jackets.  So there, you rich girls!

Earrings
Do I really need 100's of them?  No.  But they never turn on you like your tight jeans.  When I weighed considerably more than I do now, I couldn't fit into skinny jeans but my earrings always fit.  That's comforting.  When I'm feeling fat, I buy earrings.

Scarves
See "Earrings" above.  I feel very Parisian when I am sporting a perfectly tied scarf.  And they hide a multitude of sins!

Late Night Talk Shows
Not sure where I got this from, but it could hark back to my childhood. 
My Dad was against late night talk shows. I think he thought they were too risqué (for all of my Dad's stellar qualities, he was a bit of a prude). So I think that was forbidden fruit for me.  Remember Tom Snyder and Joe Pyne?  Ah, those were the days.

When I was in college and living in married housing alone while my young husband was in Vietnam, Johnny Carson helped me feel less lonely. I would go back to my house late, after play practice, and sit up, listening to Johnny while I did my homework.  What I loved about his show was you never knew when something really impromptu and funny would happen, such as when Johnny asked Frank Sinatra what records HE plays when he wants to get someone in a romantic mood and then Don Rickles comes in to surprise and insult him.  Enjoy!

)


Reality TV
It all started with "An American Family" that played on PBS in the early 70's.  That was classic cinema verite.  The camera followed around the Loud family of Santa Barbara and captured one of the sons coming out to his parents and the wife asking her husband for a divorce.

That was followed by my all-time favorite documentary, the Up Series where director Michael Apted followed the lives of 14 British children from the age of 7 to present, with the presumption that social class predicts one's future.  Does it?

Those two series are the epitome of excellent reality TV.  I was hooked.

However, I can't really explain "Ru Paul's Drag Race" or "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" or "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" or "The Bachelor" or "Celebrity Rehab" or "Wife Swap" or..."Cheaters" or "Southern Charm" or..."Real World"...

Dining Out/Happy Hour
Here's how I feel about going out for dinner and/or drinks. It's the best way to get away from the distractions of the home and have real conversations.  You can really talk when you are around a table, no distractions and some drinks don't hurt.

Sleeping in
I have never been a morning person.  Hubby gets up at 6am even on the weekends.  Ugh.  I am amazed I was able to get to work on time all of those ears before I retired.  Now most days I don't have to be anywhere early so I can indulge myself and get up when I please.  Of course, it doesn't help that I am also a night owl.  Ever since I was a little girl, I didn't want to go to bed.  I think I thought I was going to miss something.  Now I think it's just inertia.


Dressing up my dogs
It all started with my first blog where I thought it would be fun to illustrate classic books using my dogs as models.  And it all went downhill from there.  I am now hopelessly addicted.

        "Harvey"                               Red boots, a Beatles tee and a fascinator. 

What more could a girl want?

                Arrrr!

       

Romeo, Romeo,

wherefore art thou, Romeo?

Fiddle-dee-dee

While I was working it was possible to rein some of these things in. 

Now that I am retired, I worry I will spend my time watching Lifetime movies or late night talk shows, celebrity gossip magazine in hand, eating a scone wearing a new jacket and a big pair of earrings, scarf nattily tied, with a dog dressed up like Honey Boo Boo sitting next to me.

Or not.

Life is short and sometimes pleasures few.  Enjoy yourself without guilt!

What are your guilty pleasures? 

Dare you confess?

See you Friday for the

"The Week in Reviews"

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.