Phew! I'm on a rest day and can catch up with you properly. Actually, it's more of an Admin Day as Penny and I superstitiously left arrangements from Marlow onwards until now, in case I collapsed early on. I'm delighted to say that the opposite has been the case. I could happily get back into Clementine this morning, largely thanks to the kindness and friendliness shown to me all the way. Over my 68 years, I have consistently found that the good in people hugely outweighs the bad, and a project like this brings out the good time and again. So thank you once more!

Here, above, is the card which Penny gave me and Clementine before Days 1 and 2 which took me over familiar ground; my practice recces since March covered the 30 miles between Godstow and Cleeve locks. Highlights included beautiful Rose Island, once a pub and now the sort of house I used to fantasise about (practical P deflating my dreams with the sensible question: 'Who would do the cleaning?') Interesting experiences include my descent into Sandford lock, the deepest on the Thames. I also met the Oxford Uni women's VIII who were kind but didn't specially comment on my technique; and when I was picnicking on the bank near Wallingford, our friends Peter and Juliet Johnson suddenly turned up by chance in a hired launch which raised my slightly tired spirits greatly.

Day 3 saw me benefit greatly from other boaters' help in three locks on self-service, a system I couldn't do on my own because the wharves are too high for safely leaving Clemmy. Then I sped past some cheery swimmers doing a David Walliams (what a guy!) between Goring and Pangbourne. I kept wondering where Reading was but it finally put in a brief appearance at Caversham lock where, as well as the caramel bar which I mentioned in the last update, the keeper gave me a handful of pounds left by a boat which passed me earlier but hadn't wanted to throw the money in case they missed. From here I had the wonderful blessing of a following wind. Lying back and raising my oars so the blades were vertical, I allowed it to blow me most of the way to Sonning - arriving in the pic below, with treasures from passers-by and (for my grandchildren) from my picnic cove at lovely Mapledurham.

Day 4; and the wind was still benign all the way and I reached Marlow unexpectedly early, at 5.30pm. En route, a crew from RAF Benson handed a lovely hot sausage butty with ketchup and a chocolate biccy for afters, reaching down from their mighty cabin cruiser in midstream. The kind owners of Jan IV did the same with some money and I had another slightly perilous exchange at a lock. But as the gentleman there said: "At least these new notes will float".

In case you think that I am having an entirely jammy time, I went through Marsh lock at Henley with every inch of water occupied by boats much bigger than Clem, even busier than the scene at Boulter's lock in Edward John Gregory's famous Victorian painting, shown below. The lock keeper handled the very busy Sunday traffic brilliantly - very grateful thanks to him, and to the Environment Agency for finding such stars. Shortly afterwards, the wind was less helpful by blowing down one of Clemmy's two masts, briefly entangling me in my washing line of naval signalling flags. Luckily, nothing went overboard and I have started my rest day by glueing the mast's socket pad on, so everything should be back in good order when I leave Marlow tomorrow.

I have gone on long enough but could rhapsodise for many hours about the beauty and interest of the Thames which still comes freshly to the sailor although it has been so often and so well described. Let me just say that a lovely sound which accompanied me as I floated, very tired, into pretty little Sonning was - yes - the Wind in the Willows. It got me fantasising about a short story where people had Great Expectations of Life at the Top hindered by Pride and Prejudice, and so on. More when I can but MANY THANKS again.