Just a Welsh Mist

Narrowboat in the Rain

The weather here in the UK has not been ideal this trip. We have been able to count the sunshine in hours, and it is not that many. Mostly it has been damp and rainy. The Welsh folk just seem to accept this as normal so we have adapted and are going with the flow. We all brought rain gear and the boat comes equipped with full rain gear and umbrellas.

Wet Aqueduct Crossing

One day while piloting the boat through a gentle rain we passed another boater going the opposite direction and made a comment about the rain. He answered “This is not rain, this is just a little Welsh Mist.”. We discovered that this is a local term to refer to any rain, even a downpour is “just a Welsh Mist!”.

Today started out quite nice (which means no rain) and we made it until lunch without breaking out the rain gear, but as we crossed into England from Wales, the clouds opened and we got to experience a real “Welsh Mist” and it rained hard and steady all afternoon.

The Crew Dressed for the "Mist"

Now in a narrowboat you have no choice of inside or out for the bridge; you drive standing at the back of the boat steering with a tiller. No windscreen, roof or side curtains. You need your raingear. People on the canal just accept it and keep going, so we did the same. Our raingear worked fine, but we discovered that Tilley hats are not waterproof, and Bill and John’s “waterproof leather” Australian hats were an exaggeration; everyone’s head got wet.

I managed most of the afternoon, but I have to admit, when a crew member came out dressed in dry raingear and offered to take over, I decided that I had had enough of the Welsh Mist. Time for a beer!

Acting Childish

Time for Dinner

My 'little' sister Margaret and her husband Bill are our travel companions on this trip.  Although I now get to take advantage of the 'seniors' discount occasionally, and I do still sometimes refer to her as my 'little' sister, she is not that much younger than me, however this is a story of her acting a bit 'childish'.

After a huge English breakfast at the B & B, we were all feeling rather full, and although we skipped lunch, even by dinner time we were not really hungry. Stopping for an early supper at a nice looking pub, we decided to order off the lunch menu rather than waiting thirty minutes to get the evening menu. Margaret commented that she did not want a big meal, and wondered if she could order off the 'Child's Menu'. After all it should be the portion size, that is reduced as well as the price, and she was informed that of course, regardless of age she could order from the 'Child's' menu.

Some nice English Beer

Margaret and I both ordered the same thing, a delicious sounding steak burger. When our meals arrived fifteen minutes later, she was presented with a 'Child' sized burger and I got a regular one. However comparing them we could not see any difference. Both came on a full sized plate. Both were served with a pile of crispy 'English' fries, and a mound of slaw. They both looked the same size, and were served on a full size bun.

I then noticed the burger toppings, we both had melted cheese, but I had a mound of three kinds of shredded lettuce and a big red slice of tomato, where she had nothing.

Ah, now I understand . . .the English know their children . . . They know that children do don't want to eat their vegetables . . . so the 'Child's' burger did not include any.

And she still didn't finish it all, so we did not allow her to have dessert . . .