Tuesday 24th June 2008
While I kept house V shot off to Market Harborough on the little bus from Foxton village and came back with stories of people she met on the way. The most interesting was a fella from Sussex who was using trains and buses to tour real ale pubs. He only had time for a quick one at Foxton locks before his next bus to Leicester and an appointment with another pub listed in his pocket guide.

Shopping stashed away we set off north and called in at Debdale Marina to top up with diesel while it was still 76p a litre. After the marina we pulled over for the night just out of earshot of the boat sheds. A splendid choice of mooring, glorious sunshine, no wind and ideal for the barbeque. We only had one complaint about the smoke, a passing marina resident, tongue in cheek I hope, likened us to those townies that spoil the countryside.

Wednesday
Stopping near the Saddington Feeder to clear the prop we saw the first of the towpath veg cutters.
The mower struggled with the long grass and its engine died every few seconds. I felt so sorry for him that I nearly joined in with my short handled shears.

Out of the sprawling reeds and through the tunnel we descended Kibworth’s flight of locks and were greeted by friendly horses keeping the grass short around the lock. Now there’s an idea.

Mindful of how busy Wistow was a few days ago we chose a quiet spot in the reeds below Crane’s lock. Hacking back the jungle so we could get ashore drew various comments from other boaters along the lines of “Don’t think much of your garden”.

And I don’t think we’ll stop here again, the TV froze every time a train went past, with 4 lines carrying passengers and freight that’s an average of every 7 minutes.

Thursday
Today we’ve set our sights on Kilby Bridge before it rains but first we have to get afloat.

Water levels have dropped 4” this morning and that takes some doing on a 2 mile pound. It took some pushing to get us off the mud and back into deep water again.

20 minutes later we came across an unusual sight. We met a work boat using its hydraulic arm and bucket to haul itself along. The cab on a push tug at the rear was empty and its engine silent so the gang were making their way along the canal in a rather unorthodox way. But in the process they were turning an otherwise clean waterway into a filthy black stew of mud, leaves and branches from the canal bed.

At the next lock (Newton Top) we arrived to find two boats stuck at the bottom. The lower gates wouldn’t close, something was stopping the gates closing on the cill and a gap the size of your fist was draining the water as fast as it poured in through the top paddles.

But a few hours wait for one boater becomes an opportunity for another and we were soon roped in to help solve the problem. Using our boat plank as a plug over the hole the waters quickly rose and lifted the two boats to freedom. Them out, we entered alongside Ragged Roy and reversed the process, collecting our plank as it popped out when the lock emptied.

We tried to report the problem by phone all the way to Kilby Bridge without success and it was only when I passed the news in person at the BW yard that I felt sure that something would be done.

Looking back at events we linked the workboat with the low water level and the lock problem and realised what may have happened. Using the front hydraulic grab to pull themselves into the lock they must have pulled muck against the cill which stopped the gates closing. Trying to fill the lock with a hole at one end had drained 4” off the pound above. If we had all attempted to pass through in this way then the canal above would have been un-navigable within hours, a disaster for hire boats and visitors doing the Leicester Ring at the start of the dry season.

What would have happened if we hadn’t got a local BW gang to call on to put things right? How far would the contractors have travelled without realising the devastation left behind them? How many locks would they have disabled before they realised what they were doing?
Why was word of mouth faster than the phone call? The answer to that is the person concerned was already too busy and not contactable because of poor phone signal.
Ooooh I feel a rant coming on.

Apart from the phone frustrations of that little episode we cruised happily enough with Ragged Roy and finished the day at Kilby Bridge.

Don’t know what it must have looked like to other boaters and the crowd sat outside the Navigation pub but we had to tow a boat backwards off the water point before we could fill our tank.
A new boater had overshot the winding point and was sitting at the taps wondering how to reverse back between moored boats on a windy day.

He’d already tried turning his boat but discovered the canal wasn’t as wide as it looked so when I offered to tow him back the way he came he accepted with some relief.

And just as predicted the day ended in rain.

Friday 27th June 2008
The fly season is coming to an end just as we’ve bought some of those fly killer sunflower stickers for the windows.
But it’s not all joy because the spider season has just started. Lying in bed, watching tele, standing in the shower, they drop on silver strands and run down your body. Fortunately they’re only tiddlers compared with the ones that live in the bow lockers but if I can keep those flies at bay then the spider season should be short.

Today we’ve a rush to get the washing done, dried and ironed, stuff shoved into drawers and cupboards and the boat cleaned up before the kids arrive and mess the place up again.

It will be lovely to see them again, catch up on news, share the bathroom sink with her make-up bags and find out what new gadgets he’s bought. Oh, and opening pressies if I’ve been a good boy.