Just in case you were on tenterhooks last night, and wondering if we went for pudding, well the picture below gives it away. I might add that it was Toby’s idea to go half and half with custard – something he regretted soon after finishing!
We’re monitoring the hair loss from the radiotherapy, Toby thinks it’s getting bigger (great!). I do feel for those gents with bald spots, it gets quite chilly. At least the baldness is a reminder that it’s working.
We knew we couldn’t get out of the top lock until it was unlocked at 10am due to the water shortages in the top pound, we heard three boats go past us, and cast off just before 10am to a vlovkie and no queues at the first lock – perfect I thought, we’re on a roll.
We followed the bend and that’s where we ground to a halt with some 11 boats in front of us, all queuing politely of course! The bank was shallow so we couldn’t pull the boat in – I couldn’t even jump ashore. We had quite a bit of entertainment with some of the hire boats ending up diagonally across the canal coming out of the lock
Toby didn’t go without supplies, I handed over his smoothy and when it started raining, his coat using the boat hook.
Some two hours later, and we reached the front of the queue. I think we all would have made much quicker progress had folk gone and helped. Some of us did, but many didn’t. We made light of the locks and were soon at the summit (the summit special title just didn’t feel appropriate today, so it will probably appear on the way back).
With lock-free cruising ahead, we had lunch on the go to try and make up some time. It was quite windy and very bendy with a couple of hairpin bends which were quite tricky to manoeuvre and stay on the right side.
Fancy a stay at Hill Farm Glamping and their tipi with a hot bath? It will set you back £120 per night mid week off season.
We’re comfortably back in our ships routine. Conversations are peppered with toilet habits, battery levels, water savings and how we can save on washing up. It’s Toby’s shower night tonight, so all that water saving goes out out of the window while he drains the hot water tank!
From Piccadilly Circus before the locks to peaceful fields of grass after – but how I laughed when I saw the bath in its bucolic setting!
Where do all the people come from? Are they all “oldies”? If not why aren’t they at work? Don’t they realise you are on holiday and trying to go places? What an inconsiderate lot!