Well Ann and Ruth arrived safe and sound. Bringing Devon cream tea complete with homemade strawberry jam.  Also home grown runner beans.  Visitors like that are always welcome!  We spent a lovely couple of days not going very far!  Saturday found us meandering around Warwick.  Then Sunday we made our way back towards Royal Leamington Spa.  Just 2 locks and a couple of miles.  Monday we had more visitors, but just for the day.  Sheree with Leanne, Thomas and Isobel.  It was lovely to see them all.  The children were good as gold.  Loved feeding the ducks, though unfortunately the baby ducklings didn’t arrive until after they had gone. 

Yesterday was a busy day for us.  Started out by dropping Ruth and Ann back with the car.  We did cheer as they left but I am sure they knew we were joking.  The rest of our day was then taken up with the 21 locks of the Hatton Flight.  Quite a day.  No boat to pair with, although we did do a swop for a couple of locks with me at the tiller.  Near the top there was a lock keeper and I was really glad of his help with the last couple. 

Today is wet, so Paul has lit the fire and we are having a lazy day being lovely and snug.

Well yet again a whole week has gone by really quickly and our plans have changed.  We found the Saltisford Arm, an old disused part of canal which has been taken on by a charity and reopened.  We came here last Saturday to do some laundry and have decided to stay here a week!  The mooring is in Warwick, within walking distance of the town centre, with Sainsbury just down the road.  Have taken the opportunity of electric hook up and quiet waters to do some work on the boat.  Paul has been busy making a top box for storage on the roof and I have polished one side of the boat.  Tonight Ruth and Ann arrive to stay for a few nights and Ruth can park her car here whilst we cruise off for the weekend.  Forecast isn’t good but we have our fingers crossed.  Especially as Sheree & Leanne along with Thomas & Isobel will also be visiting one of the days.  So we really will be a boatful!  It will be very good to see familiar faces, although every day we are making new friends, however these are just in passing, although it often is a small world and no doubt we shall ‘bump’ into some again on our travels.

Well I must be off to Sainsbury to stock up.  Talk to you all again soon x

Well again it has been nearly a week and once again the time has gone really quickly.  We have descended through 2 flights of locks of about 10 locks each.  Thankfully each time we have been paired with another boat which always helps to make life easier in the double locks.  Doubly thankful on the second set as almost every lock was set against us so we had to fill them before we could enter.  We have been descending to an aqueduct over the River Avon.  For the time we are avoiding cruising the rivers in case of further flooding, however it was good to look over the side and see the Avon which somehow seems to provide a link with the south west even though we are going the other way.  We stopped overnight to visit Leamington Spa.  A very pretty town, not unlike Bath.  With lots of flowers everywhere.  In the park and also in hanging baskets and window boxes all through the town.  Have just moved a couple of miles today which has brought us to Warwick.  Think we are about half a mile to the town, so will be exploring there next.  We have visited the castle before but a good few years ago so can’t remember much, if anything.  We will then be building ourselves up for Hatton.  Climbing back up the distance we have come down.  That is a flight of 20 lock, all of which will have to be done in one day as they are too close together to moor overnight in between!  Will need 3 shredded wheat that morning!

Meanwhile Paul has been busy and has painted one side of the hull, that black bit above the water line!  So we look quite smart on one side.  Waiting now for the towpath to change over so he can paint the other side!  Also he has decided to make a wooden box for the roof.  So yesterday saw us toiling back along the towpath carrying 4 decking planks of nearly 4M long.  We must have looked frail as 2 lads on bikes stopped and carried them for us.  I was only too grateful as I was finding it very hard going and we had to keep stopping!!  It’s a pity that good deeds aren’t newsworthy.

Well I expect my next update will be after the Hatton Locks.

So until then bye to you all x

Well we made it safely to Braunston on Friday.  So yesterday we got the bus into Daventry so we could stock up!  We are now moving off again, this time towards Leamington Spa.  Still on the Grand Union, but an area that is new to us.  Some pictures too taken by Sharron last week.

Just a quick note as I am off now to be in the sun.

TTFN

Written on Saturday 4^th August

Well this time more than a week since my last post, and we are away from Falcon at staying Mablethorpe over on the east coast.  Friends Tony and Sharron picked us up on Thursday and we are off to a 60^th birthday bbq of a mutual friend this afternoon. 

Meanwhile we had been making our way back to Yelvertoft where we started out from in May.  Been off on our bikes a couple of times.  Cycled into Milton Keynes and Fenny Stratford.  Had help up through the Buckby flight from Barry and son Matthew who were a great help with the lock gates.  Despite recent rain the water was very low in one of the pounds (area of water between locks) and we were actually aground for a while and had to let through a lock full of water to get ourselves moving again.  It was Barry who filmed us leaving Yelvertoft at the beginning of our adventure.

So now Falcon is moored back at Yelvertoft, but this time not in the marina but out on the canal where she will be until we are back on board on Monday.  Then we will be making our way back towards Braunston once again!

Written today Tuesday 7^th August

Had a lovely weekend in Mablethorpe.  Lovely to see friends and walk along the sea front.  Laughed lots all through the weekend.  We are now safely back on board Falcon and were hoping Sharron and Tony would stay with us for a few days, but Tony couldn’t find his sea legs.  So we said to make sure he packs them next time!  We will be moving on tomorrow when it will be back to Braunston and beyond.

So bye for now.