Saturday, May 17th 2025

Thursday,  May 15th

The problem with doing nothing is that it is so hard to motivate oneself to do something! I can testify to this since late yesterday morning when I failed to see the edge of the pavement and turned my foot over, resulting in a painful bruise and inability to weight bear! This in addition to the stiff back and slightly swollen knees that have been bothering me as I cooked for 22, the crew of a film shoot one of our daughter’s was involved with last week.  I also turned 64 recently and I can’t help think all these aches and pains are a sign of what’s to come.  Yet inside I still feel  I’m a youngster, although my body is a reminding me I’m not!!

My foot injury occurred about a 20 minute walk from the boat and as it didn’t feel too bad I continued with my mission to walk around the Market Drayton indoor and outdoor markets,  to pop into all the charity shops to spy a bargain and then to enjoy my free sweet birthday treat from one of the coffee shop chains. All the while, the swelling gradually worsened, until I hobbled back to the boat like a tortoise! We still had to move the boat through five locks which R couldn’t easily manage alone as between two of the pounds you need to set the further lock so that the boat can go straight into it to prevent any boat damage due to shallow rocks on both sides of the canal. The spillovers as you approach the lock gates at this particular flight of locks are notorious for pushing boats off course, so all in all,  some slightly tricky manoeuvring involved.  I managed to stand on my stool (without it I am too short to see over the end of our boat!),  weight bearing on my left leg, so that my right foot had no stress and I could just reach the throttle to alter the boat speed.  Somehow we got through all five locks unscathed although I felt sorry for R who had to race ahead to get the lock gates open so that I didn’t have to wait around too long in the pounds. When the boat is hovering rather than moving it can be tricky to keep a straight course!

Once the locks were behind us all we had to do was cruise.  I managed to sit on our stern bench, with my leg up,  holding onto the tiller and steering by looking along the towpath side of the boat. Fortunately no boats were coming in the opposite direction and once R had made us a cup of tea he took over,  which I think was far the safest option! By the time we moored up I really couldn’t weight bear at all so a walking stick and a broom handle sufficed as impromptu crutches. I prepared supper on one leg and finally sat on the sofa with my foot raised for the remainder of the evening.  It certainly helped as today the swelling is down and as long as I walk on my big toe, I can get around the boat! What it reminds me is how important it is we stay physically fit – if that goes awry it is much harder to maintain this lifestyle.

As I write R, who is having to work doubly hard, doing just about everything,  is steering the boat whilst I laze about on our bed writing this blog.  I’ve never experienced the boat moving from a prone position and it is really rather relaxing.  It’s a beautiful sunny day and out of the porthole windows I can just see trees, burgeoning with blossom and a clear blue sky.  Even the hum of the engine sounds comforting as we meander along at 3mph.

Such a contrast to last week when we left the boat to assist our daughter’s film venture.  She was producing a short film where we go on holiday,  so I knew the kitchen.  The challenge being, I’m out of practice for catering for large crowds.  Her remit was daily bacon butties, a home baked treat at 11am and 4pm, a hot two course meal in the day and something easily digestible for supper since they wouldn’t be ‘wrapping’ until at least 8pm, with a sweet treat to finish! In addition a snack table available 24/7 with plenty of fruit and crudités.  My extensive shopping list was so long Tesco’s told me I’d teach my limit of 200 items! I had no idea they even had a limit.  Suffice to say,  it was great fun.  The cast were lovely and very appreciative of home cooked meals.  Amazingly, there wasn’t one gluten free among them,  but 7 veggies,  3 nut allergies,  an allergy to milk and eggs and one to spicy food. Kept me on my toes making sure I gave the right food to the right people and a challenge to avoid cross contamination in a domestic kitchen.  Everyone survived,  a huge relief! Apparently good food makes for a happy crew,  as does amazing weather by the seaside.  There were plenty of dips in the sea – people joke our stretch of water is especially warm due to the close proximity of a nuclear power station – I hope that’s not really the case.  For the month of May though,  the weather was exceptional.

We are returning from whence we came, namely the outskirts of Northampton,  so that R can get a train home for a medical appointment and I can pick up my alternative crew,  one of my most long standing friends,  who I’ve known since birth.  We will turn back,  along this same stretch of canal, as the game plan is eventually to go to Wales and with the Bridgwater and Macclesfield canals currently closed,  our options in this part of the network are relatively few.

The Shroppie is certainly beautiful,  aided by glorious weather and a surprising amount of quintessentially arched low bridges.  The non towpath side of the canal is often lined with residential narrowboats that rarely move and as you have to slow as you pass them,  travel is even slower than usual.  The traffic on the canal is busier than we are used to with many hire boats alongside the continuous cruisers.

We went to the Calvacade in London, basically the narrowboat alternative to a landbased carnival, with food,  music and retail popups around Little Venice. Our friends decked their boat out in hundreds of lights,  adorned us with fairy wings and halos and we then joined the floodlit evening procession of boats.  It was a unique experience.  It never fails to amaze me how much effort people put into calvacades and carnivals and how many people come out to cheer them on.  I’ve tried it once,  I got a bit cold and I don’t think I need to do it again, although the hot water bottle and glass of port offered to me was most welcome at the end of the evening!

Saturday evening…..

It was great,  when we moored up on Wednesday we were next to friends we’d made a few weeks earlier.  We’d also spotted an all electric boat with St Pancras written on the side.  Suffice to say,  as they are members of the same cruising club as us,  we all ended up at The Anchor, a pub literally next to our boat,  so I was able to hobble in.  A really basic,  old fashioned establishment,  that has been in the same family for three generations.  No carpets,  no juke box,  no TV, no football.  It was great.  And the landlady made a cracking cup of tea just before we left for bed!

We found ourselves at Norbury Junction just as our gas cylinder ran out.  A manned pump out (obviously most expensive pump out to date because we normally do self serve) was a great bonus for R as I wasn’t really up to helping him, but I was a trifle dismayed at the combined cost of both items.  Delighted to see that diesel has gone down in price, not that we needed any.  Mooring up next to the water tap,  I had a cheeky shower on the boat (there were two taps no other boat was waiting) luxuriating in the knowledge I didn’t have to be abstemious for once with the water,  because R filled out tank as I showered. He used the CRT shower that happens to be a CRT perk at NJ. We’ve used it before and found that the male one is  far hotter than the female shower,  which oscillates between hot and cold.  R even suggested he stand guard and I use the male one but I declined.

As I can’t walk to the shops R went off to find dinner and came back with four delicious fishcakes, which seemed rather expensive at nearly £30. On further investigation I found R had also purchased beer,  cigars and a packet of biscuits! His shopping requirements are quite different to mine!

As I write now, I am sitting in Northampton hospital A&E department and think it could be a long night.  I left R at the pub next to the boat with his intention to get an Indian takeaway.  My foot is not a lot better and the prudent action is to get it looked at. Armed with snacks,  my phone,  my knitting and a Kindle, I’m all prepared for a long wait. It’s slightly unnerving not really knowing where I am or quite how I will get back to the boat, but taxi’s are a wonderful invention and at least my driver knew where to drop me. Apparently the Google destination for A&E was outdated so I was going to the old one until the driver cottoned on and took me to the new one.  A blessing as I really would have struggled to walk between the two.

And so I wait…..

0130 and back on the boat. Minor injuries are not triaged at Northampton A&E but no one told me this,  as I watched numerous people being called before me.  Eventually I returned to the reception,  thinking I’d been forgotten and with the system explained,  I had three people ahead of me and it’s 2030. Time to find a bathroom and then pick up a coffee and a wrap from the hospital cafe.  I couldn’t believe how good the wrap turned out to be and the freshly made cappuccino,  all for under a fiver! Time ticked on – I had hours to eat my wrap.  And have two half  hour conversations with friends,  watch a bit of TV , contemplate the universe, return to the reception for an update.  Action kicked in about 2330, when a delightful doctor called me through,  examined my foot,  walked me to the xray department and told me he’d be back,  apologising for a further delay whilst he stitched someone up! I can’t fault the care. It was a bit of a pain it took so long,  but I had nowhere else I needed to be. I knew R was happy at the pub and I was impressed by how calmly and efficiently the A&E department was run,  considering the constant stream of injured and sick people. Even though the NHS is broken in many places it is also amazing the care they give.