YEAR 2003 - RIVER OUSE
			Having spent the New Year down South and at Somerset, we arrived back at our boat at Donaster on 7th January to learn that all the glass fibre motor boats had been broken into but not any of the narrow boats - thank goodness. However, luck did not stay because when we were down in Surrey again we received a call on 16 January that our boat had had an attempted breakin. Fortunately we have double glazing and the perpetrators had only managed to break the outer glass and presumably given up, but not before they broke into all the glass fibre boats again, stealing what they could. Apparently these people also "did over" two other boat mooring centres nearby. Alan had to take the whole window frame out and send it back to the manufacturers so that they could install new glass into the frame which they did and returned it to us some ten days later. We started late this year, for various reasons, including Alan's cateract operation in January and not being discharged until mid March. All went well. We left Doncaster on 4th April and made our way up Selby Canal and out onto the River Ouse. In 3 days we reached Rippon at the end of a short length of canal. From there we were whisked off to Pot Hall Farm for a few days from where Penny and John Webb run Island Heritage. They breed rare breed sheep and convert the undyed wool into tailored clothing and knitwear. It was lambing season and we saw several new born lambs. Pot Hall is on top of the Yorkshire Dales and set amid wonderful countryside and views. Back on Jemima we had lots of rain but saw the sights including Fountains Abbey. Having reached the highest point north that we can on the waterways on the east side of the country, we had to back track. Back on the Ouse the river levels were high after the rain and when we stopped to look round Newby Hall we had to put on our wellies to moor up at the landing stage. York was next and we spent 5 days being tourists. It was the Mayday Bank Holiday and on Saturday night/Sunday morning at 2am two youths untied all our mooring ropes and cast us adrift. Fortunately I was sleeping very lightly and heard them on the boat. However we had to enlist the help of another couple walking by to pull us back in! The York Minster is vast and took 3 hours to view from the Undercroft to the outside top of the tower 270 steps up! The National Railway Museum was also a "must" and that was a 4 hour visit with loads of photos for the grandchildren.
				WE HAD AN ATTEMPED BREAK IN
					WE WERE CAST ADRIFT ON THE RIVER OUSE WHILST SLEEPING