The memory can play tricks. Yesterday when we walked along the towpath to the Globe pub, which must be about a mile or so before arriving in LB itself I really recognised very little and could not place where we had moored up previously and yet I felt certain we were near to where R had had his canal dip and that we had used a laundrette in LB to clean his clothes. So I decided to walk in again as my daily exercise and find the town centre. I don’t usually forget shops easily! Sure enough, as I got directions to the town centre I recognised the electric bike shop on the corner and then the way the walkway, without cars widens, with shops on either side and there is plenty of room for market traders on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The market had been there the last time we came but this one was much reduced, probably due to Covid essential restrictions. The traders had put 2m markings on the road so orderly queues could form, but there were not many punters, even though the stalls looked tempting. A great array of fruit and veg; an upmarket baker; a takeaway of samosas and the like, which looked delicious. I spotted a Wilko and donning mask and sanitizer headed in to replenish some hardware that was useful on the boat. One of the things we have had a bit of a struggle with is lighting. The boat lights are quite dim but we have a very useful desk lamp which we keep moving to wherever we are settled. I managed to buy a second desk lamp (although we can only use it when hooked up to mains electricity) for a fiver, which didn’t break the bank! However the bulbs were a fiver on top – brings to mind cheap printers and expensive printer ink! Faced with a wide array of bulbs I resorted to asking an assistant for help – luckily she had purchased the same lamp and knew exactly the bulbs to head for.
So LB is a pleasant English market town looking rather sad at the moment but I am sure on a sunny Saturday with the market in full swing it paints a different picture.
The afternoon cheered me greatly as I sat outside on the bow of the boat playing Trickster Bridge with the 3 girlfriends I have played bridge with for over 20 years although we haven’t been able to play online for a while for various reasons. My bridge, it turns out, was really rusty, with a few basic errors that annoyed me greatly. It’s such a good game for keeping the brain active so I don’t want to let it slip as my brain needs all the help it can get! Codewords are my other passion for brain games and a surefire way to help me fall asleep. Probably a better option than my current nightly pattern of watching an episode of the detective ‘Vera’. I have even started dreaming about murder! You may wonder why on a cold winter’s day I chose to sit outside on the boat. It was because it had turned into the most beautiful afternoon with a good smattering of blue sky and a little sun. I wrapped myself in many rugs and thanked God for the beauty around me. There is something so peaceful in watching reflections on still water.
NarrowboatTLC 