Trebourne

	Our first family canal holiday

	3rd - 7th September 2001
Other summer antics	As we missed our traditional Easter holiday on the canal this year, we decided that we'd have a family holiday with just the 3 of us on the canals in September. Being just 3 months old, Rohan must be at a near perfect age for this holiday. He wasn't going to be running around anywhere or falling in when our backs were turned!	Steering down the Oxford Canal
Canal holiday
Cornwall holiday
July 2001
June 2001




	One of the pretty locks near Cropredy	Although we booked late in the season, we were lucky enough to find a small (45 foot) narrowboat for a short break with a pickup at Clifton Cruisers based in Clifton upon Dunsmore near Rugby. From this start point, Giles opted for us to take a route south down the Oxford Canal. This route meant we would have some locks, but only single-gated ones, making them easier for our 2 person crew than the heavy Grand Union locks, or the flat route with no locks towards the Ashby canal that were our other options.
	Rohan found the movement of the boat on the water very calming. He loved to be watching the water, rushes and trees moving. So we had to be inventive in ways to keep him quiet and happy while were occupied with steering or locking. One way was to tie his car seat onto the roof of the narrowboat. On the sunny days this was great; you should be able to spot Rohan in most of the pictures overseeing our work! As it got cooler in the evenings, the woolly jumper & hat came out.	Rohan enjoying his seat on the roof
	Keeping an eye out for the engineer	As tends to happen on our canal holidays, we had to call the boatyard out to fix the engine! As I discovered in one of the locks, the engine had a tendency to stick in full forward or full reverse. Mobile phones make this almost a none event, and we simply had instructions to wait at this bridge - no. 107 - for the engineer to meet us.
	Very often when we stopped in the evenings, we would have a chance to feed the ducks. Being well practised at duck feeding, Rohan didn't need much encouragement to join in! One morning, a swan came to make sure we were leaving his territory and chased the boat off.	Feeding the ducks & escaping a swan!
	Rohan liked to join in with whatever we were doing, here he is giving a hand to us steering and locking. Checking Daddy's technique	Taking a break on a lockgate
	After all the exertion, Rohan sometimes let sleep get the better of him and with his pram on the back of the boat and his windmill picking up the breeze, he would let the motion of the boat put him to sleep.	Sleeping on the job ...