Monday 30th November Day 26 lockdown

The rain has just started to pitter patter on the boat roof but I have just had a bath and hair wash and have no intention of venturing forth again today. To be honest I feel exhausted – the result of our first real exercise in a month!

We decided to leave Berko this morning and head down to Hemel Hempstead where R will easily be able to catch a train home for his follow up vv appointment, pop in to see his mum and pick up the post. We are allowed to move the boat in lockdown to ‘essential services’ and alternative ones are now necessary as the ones we were near in Berko became almost impossible to use. Firstly the wide boat (mentioned in a previous blog) still has not moved after a week, even though legally he should not moor on a water point. The double narrowboat is still opposite him so reversing back to our original space was going to be tricky. It was difficult enough just to get our boat near to the watertap without causing an obstruction. Then the Elsen (potty talk). I took a picture (be thankful I am not blogging it!) of the state it is in and plan to contact the Canal Trust as I think it is disgraceful that they do not make the functioning of the Elsens a top priority along the canal. I am sure they could be classified a health hazard and as it is they are few and far between, so when 30% of them don’t appear to work it’s a very sorry picture.

So 7 heavy old locks later and a swing bridge (great fun – you stop all the traffic!) both R and I can hardly speak. We did half each and walked between each one so it was quite a workout. As the locks were filling I also decided to do some Joe Wicks exercises just to help the time to pass. Seeing a lock fill is like watching a kettle never boil! We were so excited to moor opposite the Fishers Wharf cafe where we had on a previous walk had delicious coffee and cake. This time on the recommendation of a boater we had just passed R was going to go for the sausage and bacon butty – a well earned treat. Sadly since the first lockdown it is closed Mon to Wed so we’re going to have to be patient! Meanwhile I gave him leftover cauliflower cheese transformed into a soup – a poor substitute.

I can’t let today pass without a reference to my Scottish heritage and the sadness I feel at the absence of any Scottish dancing – St Andrew’s is a key date in my diary and not many years have passed without the fun of a reel or two with friends. I even gave instructions for an Eightsome reel in Shanghai at an ex-pats St Andrew’s dinner a few years ago and when the music finished quite a few bars too early the band told me that was all they were playing. I dont think they realised the Eightsome reel is a longer dance than most thus requiring more music! How amazing it will be when we can all enjoy dancing together again! Whoever would have thought holding a hand would turn into a health hazard.

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