Monday 4th August 2008
We’re off. A quick stop at Debdale for diesel (80p, eat your hearts out !!) and we hit the Foxton flight at just the wrong moment, seven boats about to start down. Two hours later we’re climbing the hill and off across the summit. Had enough before we reached Crick so pulled over at Bridge 20 for the night. Maisy showed herself at 10pm and it was down to me to attach the harness and walk her on the roof. She’s fascinated by the sounds and smells of the countryside at night and could have stayed out for hours but as I’m the King and she’s the Little Princess she gets 45 minutes max.
Tuesday 5th
Off early to miss the rain but it found us before we reached Crick. Crick’s tunnel was very dry in comparison.
I could hear two other engines in the tunnel but only saw one headlight. Bang, scrape went the second boat as he passed us. His excuse was the main fuse was blown and he had no electrics. Well don’t do tunnels, do boatyards instead, I said.
V says there’s no fun in doing lock flights in the rain so we stopped until the clouds parted enough to see us down the Watford flight in the dry. Round the corner, out of sight of Watford Gap services we threw ropes around the dandelions and scattered wet clothes around the boat.
It’s not as if we ignore her or don’t include her in the decision making onboard but the Little Princess has her own particular way of making us notice her.
Today we caught her sitting on the gas cooker. Maybe she’s not happy with us because she seemed to be saying “I’m either going to slash my paws or I’m going to burn myself on the kettle”.
We’ve taken to hiding the knives and the matches.
LP wouldn’t take her reins tonight so she went to bed without her walk. Got her own back by keeping me awake purring in my earhole.
Wed 6th
We sailed the remaining mile or so of the Leicester Line to hang a left at Norton Junction and missed a boat coming from the right. They smiled so we knew we were alright.
Met Ron and Pam on nb.Thyme 2 at the entrance to Buckby locks and Ron kept me amused with his stories as we wiggled our way down the flight between the hoards coming the other way.
Some people put up “No Mooring” signs, others make it clear you are not wanted by their garden furniture.
Did the chandlery tour, as you do, at Whilton but you can never find the essential bits so I settled for pump impellers instead.
Surprised to hear Mike and Jo (off Sarah-Kate) were in the area so welcomed them in for a cuppa.
Spent a noisy night between the M1 and the railway, half a mile from the locks but LP seems to tune-out the road noise and still manages to hear creeping things in the bushes. She helped BW by eating tow path grass and I warned V not to walk about in the night without something on her feet just in case we were treated to a dose of fur balls.
Thurs 7th
Thought we had the wet weather beaten but it got us just as we started filling the water tank at Weedon. And didn’t it rain. Took shelter under a chestnut tree but as soon at the wind blew the tree dumped its load on our heads. By which time we were joined by an older couple on their travels from Hemel to Wales. He told me how he’d travelled up the Thames from Limehouse holding a newspaper over his engine’s air vent to stop the waves changing his air-cooled engine into a water-cooled system. Never again he said, always take the Paddington Arm and come out at Brentford.
Spent the rest of the day lashing up a support for a rotary washing line on the stern. While I was there I added another lash-up to hold a newly acquired aerial pole.
Maisy’s night time dash along the roof and the tow path came to an end when she wanted to climb the trees. Buried deep in prickly hedges the trees wouldn’t have lent themselves to me climbing up after her so her jaunt was curtailed at that point. She spotted a mooring ring in the grass and the fur on her back went up. Couldn’t convince her it wasn’t a coiled snake so that probably gave her nightmares.
Friday 8th
No 1 daughter arrived at the boat and the LP went back in her cage for the journey back home. The lint roller was red hot by the time we’d finished clearing up.
We hadn’t intended staying at Weedon, it was just a convenient stop near a road, so as soon as LP had left we up-anchored and crawled on down the GU sandwiched in a line of hire boats heading back to base.
We didn’t make Bugbrooke, the engine kept going to sleep, so we pulled over into a layby (we wish) and tied spring lines to keep the boat still on what must be one of the busiest stretches of canal south of the Trent & Mersey.
Taking in our surroundings I spotted a rather funny looking fir tree on the hill in the distance. It had a perfectly smooth round brown trunk, two stage foliage and in its upper branches there’s what looks like the business end of a mobile ‘phone mast. Some enterprising person has found a solution to ‘phone mast objections on the grounds of unsightliness. Marks for disguise? Five out of ten, could do better.
Not overly concerned about appearances I too fiddled about with aerials and practised mounting a couple of thirty foot aerial poles at bow and stern.
Now all I need is a dry spell, a quiet mooring away from power lines and a couple of hours free to mess about with the old spark transmitter. Haven’t had so much fun since I sailed on the Pass of Balmaha, that old bright orange P&O chemical tanker, long since disappeared to the scrap yard.
It wasn’t as bad a day as yesterday weather-wise and we managed a BBQ on deck before the sun went down. The first wisps of smoke were curling into the air when Ron and Pam turned the corner on their way back to base. We exchanged greetings and promised to look out for them on this stretch in a couple of month’s time when we head back to the canals from the Fens
Sat 9th
What a day with the rain and wind. I wasted most of it trying to scan 35mm slides onto the computer. Not terribly successful and still looking for ideas.
Sunday 10th August 2008
Looks like a nice day, no it isn’t, back to wind and rain with short sunny spells. Piccadilly Circus outside with boats hammering both ways, some wanting to come inside judging by the angle of attack.
The sooner we’re off down the Northampton Arm the better. That is tomorrow’s plan, weather permitting and possibly eased enormously by windlass wielding Mike and Jo. We shall see, but I’m already singing Fens, Fens, here we come, open spaces, barbeques, and endless days of sun.
Fens, fens, fens.... Hurry up then!!!
No boats, no queues, no flowing rivers, no hassle, no bbqs (bit wet atm) No Problem is waiting for a party!!