“There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”  That’s what Ratty said to Mole in Kenneth Grahame’s wonderful novel, The Wind in the Willows, and we’ve been putting this to the test over the last week with two fabulous boat trips!  Chichester Harbour is a favourite place of ours and we spend a lot of time there over the summer months with Roy painting on the beach and me and Molly walking along the coast path but something we’ve never done is a boat ride so we took ourselves off to Itchenor last week.

It was a dazzlingly bright autumn day and it was so lovely to be out on the water.  But did you know that you’re not immune from junk mail even if you live on a boat?  Here are some chaps delivering flyers!

Despite the warmth, there was a gentle reminder that it was really autumn.

Then, to celebrate our wedding anniversary, we took another boat ride at Henley on Thames – home of the famous regatta.

There are some pretty amazing houses along the Thames.  Here’s one I’ve got my eye on!

And we were lucky enough to see actor, David Walliams, doing his swim of the River Thames. 

I think Ratty was right – there really is something very special about boats!

Now, it’s back to work.  My edits for The Runaway Actress are about to land and I’ve just made a tentative start on a brand new novel – The Aphrodite Touch.  More about that soon…