Friday 13th August 2021

It all began with a throwaway comment ten days back, when Jen drove us all to Hythe for fish and chips and John remarked that you could rent rowing boats on the Military Canal.

Jen said she would love to go on the canal, and John replied that he would be happy to take her.

Fast forward ten days and here we were, Jools and myself too, renting two boats for an hour of rowing japes.

Jools rowed because of my gammy shoulder, although I did offer many times to take over, but then we would probably ended up in the water like Jen had we tried to change positions.

So, when Jen and John changed positions a second time, for the row back with the wind at our backs, Jen did fall in.

And got very wet.

Jools and I knew nothing, Jools was sculling us back to the renting place in the centre of town, and Jen was sitting in the stern of their boat, shivering.

Before that, we had to get up and get ready. Jools went to yoga as just gone six, and I slept through her getting up and getting ready, only waking up when I heard the car engine start up and she accelerated up the drive.

So I got up, made coffee and chilled out for the 90 minutes until she returned home, where we then had breakfast before leaving to go and pick up Jen and John, and then driving us all along the Alkham Valley to the motorway, then along the Sene Valley up and over into Hythe.

We parked a half mile from the boat rental place, so walked beside the river, dodging cars and cyclists, crossing the second bridge and arriving at the shed. £35 rented two boats. Jen and John in one, and Jools rowing me in the other. I took photographs and made constructive comments.

Jen rowed JOhn until they swapped over, so for a while there were out of sight. After twenty five minutes we were nearly at the minature railway, so we turned round and met John and Jen. This meant the wind was at our backs, and getting back took 15 minutes. John and Jen took ages to arrvive, and when they did Jen was soaked, haing "fallen in the water", Eccles.

So, after helping them out, we walked to the high street so Jen could buy some dry clothes, John and I went to Costa to buy some soffees for us all. We sat at a table on the street while John told us the stroy of how a swarm of wasps nearly killed him. Twice.

He did survive, but didn't get to the pub that night.

We amble back to the car, and then to Brookland so we could take then to the Woolpack, a 14th century pub on the Marsh, which, on occasion, does good food.

It was packed of course, but we got the last table in the restaurant, and are told we had a 40 minute wait once we had ordered. But then we were not in a hurry.

I had double cheeseburger, which was OK. Jen had steak which she waid was very good, John's pie was dry and lacking seasonal vegetables and gravy, but he let it slide.

We left at three, and went nto Rye, which was just a few miles firther along and just into Sussex. There was a finfair where we normally parked, so had to find a place near the station, then walk into town.

Again, it was packed, but lots of places to look round in, including Grammar School Records, and then a cookware shop where I was taken by a fine looking fruit zester.

How much is that fruit zester, please?

THirty five pounds.

Its a very nice looking zester, but I don't zest enough for thirty five quid, thanks, but no thanks.

I leave the shop and we walk back to the car, then drive home through rush hour trraffic, dropping first John off then Jen, and finally going home, where Mulder and Scully were waiting, hungry.

But we were not.

Though we do have cheese and crackers for supper, at half time in the football, where Brentford beat Arsenal 2-0, and so the more things change, the more they stay the same.