Thursday 11th March

Having been warned strong winds were coming I suppose we shouldn’t have been surprised that we had rather a disturbed night’s sleep. Moored in down town Northampton the first disturbance was a man running down the towpath shortly after midnight shouting a very rude word repeatedly. Then the wind got up and throughout the night there were various clangings and rattlings. I honestly thought we’d have no chimney left by morning! R was up at 0730, having slept little, checking outside the boat. Surprisingly all the noise had come from a loose chimney sleeve liner on our roof. Everything else was thankfully intact.

Windy days are very unsettling. We certainly didn’t want to move the boat and any idea we might have had for going through lock 17 on to the River Nene, just for the fun of it, was scotched by the red alert sign that forbade us to do so. I am surprised by the narrowboats that are moored on the river as I wouldn’t have thought that a good place to be over the winter months.

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We decided to explore the town centre and visit some notable architecture. 78 Dernegate was designed by Charles Rennie Macintosh. We were looking for some grand house. Infact only the front door was indicative of his style but we imagine the inside of the house is usually open to the public.

Next we visited the large market square, empty of stalls bar two large fruit and veg traders and a butcher’s van. We had read that St Peter’s Church was the oldest Norman Church in the country and there was another imposing church called All Saints, that Charles II had donated a tun of oak to, after the great fire of Northampton in the 17th century. Northampton boasts some fine architecture but today it looked rather sad, devoid of open shops and people. It is known for its shoe industry and a very large Carlsburg brewery.

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With only a couple of weeks left of our trip R has decided we need to use up some excess coal so he lit the stove earlier than usual and we had a very warm boat. However he retired to the other end of the boat for a rest and I got so engrossed in a telephone call with a friend that I forgot all about tending to the stove and it went out! I was not very popular when R emerged sometime later, fixing me with a hard stare, reminiscent of Paddington Bear’s great aunt Lucy! I’ve gotten used to a few of those over the recent months!

Returning to the boat we passed a Lidl and Aldi side by side not far from the canal which R decided would please me but actually when we top up on groceries tomorrow I’m going to Morrisons for three reasons. One, they do an amazing pumpernickel roll in their inhouse bakery. Two, a friend has recommended an excellent well priced red wine and three, they do a box of wonky veg for £3 which appeals to me. I think we are far too concerned with how things look and thus waste good food just because it looks imperfect. Busy day tomorrow because first thing, before food shopping, we need to do the laundry and the nearest one is a 30 minute walk from the boat. We’ll have to wait around whilst it’s washed and dried and return it to the boat before going back for our groceries as we can’t carry everything at once. So many things are like a military manoeuvre and you have to think ahead. With the nearest water tap and Elsan being inside the marina which is on the river, access denied us at present, we have no choice but to return back along the 17 locks to avail ourselves of facilities.

At the recommendation of my brother we started watching Endeavour, all about young Inspector Morse. There seem to be enough whodunnits to keep us going for the foreseeable future. For light relief we have been encouraged to watch a few more episodes of Schitts Creek which seems to amuse family and friends.