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I learnt a valuable lesson today which will become clear as the day unfolds! We set off promptly at 9am so as to arrive at Hinckley in good time to walk to the laundrette before meeting BBT and his wife, PJ. They were en route home after spending a week on their narrowboat, a bit further up the country. Expecting their arrival anytime from early afternoon I made a plan and ‘the best laid plans of mice and men’ as the saying goes…!

My first surprise was how busy this relatively short stretch of canal is. Perhaps its popular with boaters because there are no locks to contend with. To be honest that can make the journey feel a little flat, but at least you can time your travel a bit more accurately. Knowing we would be two hours before arrival I got on the helm sans tea or crumpet whilst R was busy in the galley preparing me breakfast that I could eat whilst meandering along. Before we even left the mooring a boat was coming towards us. Then as we rounded the first bend there was another boat in the near distance heading our way and a boat on the side that looked as though they were about to set off, holding their ropes in readiness. Enquiring of them what they were doing they said they had had to pull over as they had felt something around the propellor which turned out to be a pair of jogging pants and a plastic bag! It had been quite a fiddle to untangle those! I did then see a child’s tricycle in the canal – a reminder that some people do unashamedly use it as a dumping ground. Fortunately it is quite a wide canal in many places so you can take avoidance action if you think you see an obstacle but more often than not you just have to hope for the best. Another boat approaching me started gesticulating which is always a concern when you can’t make out their angst. In this instance he was just warning me that I was heading for some low overhanging trees. I tried to explain, in the 20 seconds you have for conversation when passing a boat, that I had felt it more prudent to avoid him than the branches of a tree. With branches you just duck, briefly shut your eyes and hope they don’t catch hold of anything on the roof. So three boats heading our way by 0930 was a bit of a surprise especially as I had to balance eating my breakfast with one hand whilst steering with the other, although the trick with using my hips to change direction did come in handy.

On the very outskirts of Hinckley there is a watertap and I had suggested to R that when we get there we run the bath with the piping hot water, get ourselves washed and then put on a totally fresh set of clothing. The only disadvantage to this plan would have been if the water tap was busy because after the bath was when we wanted to fill up. Another boater had told me the trick of running the water into the tank as you have a shower so as to not run the risk of running short. It’s a great feeling being clean and knowing the tank is full as well – water anxiety is an issue. Hence why every 1L plastic bottle of sparkling water has been repurposed when empty to be filled with tap water, an emergency back up!

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Stripping the bed of linen, I prepared two substantial bags of washing. We then moved the boat further into town, where there was a wharf that we could wait at for our friends to arrive later but first we set off on the mile and a bit journey to the laundrette. According to Google it was open until 4pm so arriving there about 1pm still gave us plenty of time to get the wash clean and dry. I am sure you can imagine the ‘blue air’ as we eventually arrived and found not only was it shut, but it only did ‘service’ washes, starting at £25 for a large load. I rang the mobile number on the shop door and a friendly man cheerily told me he was not open today due to an unforeseen emergency. How I wished at that point I had done what I usually do, which is ring ahead! It would have saved a pointless trek of nearly 3 miles with two cumbersome bags. Enquiring if he knew of any other local laundrettes, it transpired there was another one 2 miles away but we discovered that closed at 2pm on Saturdays. There was nothing we could do, so we retraced our steps. Passing Lidl I popped in for a few provisions, notably scones and cream for afternoon tea. Arriving back at the boat I hand washed 2 jumpers, a tee shirt, a lightweight pair of trousers and some smalls. Not a tremendous amount of washing but even so it took 3 loads of spinning in the washing machine on the boat, each spin lasting about 20 minutes and necessitating the engine running. There was no way I could wash the bedlinen so for the first time in our trip I made use of the spare set I had brought with us. Usually I wash and dry the one set, putting it back on the bed to prevent it becoming damp whilst stored. I was relieved that the spare set was dry as I had stored it in an airtight vacuum bag for the entire trip.

Waiting for the delayed arrival of our guests we moved the boat to a mooring in the sun, outside a pub. We hadn’t been there long when we were asked to move as it was a private mooring. Even offering to buy a drink didn’t allow us to stay so we moved to the opposite side of the canal which was opposite a Marina, and wondered if we would be asked to move on from there! However BBT and PJ shortly arrived and were happy to cruise further along the canal with us. BBT decided to take the car to a bridge further up the canal and then walk back along the towpath to rejoin us. To expediate this he was delighted to hop on a passing bus (it being free to bearded gentlemen of his stature) travelling in the right direction towards us. However the bus unexpectedly turned up a road into a village so he found himself further away! Jumping off and crossing the road he encountered another bus that took him back towards the canal (all very surprising when you consider there are only about three buses a day running in this area!) so he felt blessed to be able to rejoin us in time for his cream tea! It was probably after about half an hour that we spied his car parked adjacent to the canal, at an excellent mooring for the boat. A beautiful view, a wide towpath and benches to sit. We got out our picnic table and chairs and enjoyed the last of the summer sun before BBT and PJ set off home in the early evening. BBT was particularly chuffed to have done a personal first of travelling on the same day on two different canal networks in two different narrowboats!

After they left and I busied myself cooking supper R spoke to the couple in the next door boat, warming themselves by a firepit. For ten years they have been travelling the canal network, usually April to October. They had done a couple of winters but found them particularly challenging on a boat with no stove. One of their stories involved having to go through three locks, all needing the ice to be broken, in order to reach a water tap, which they then found was also iced up! So they are now fair weather travellers! Am not sure what I would have done if that had happened to us. Although we did have ice forming at times on the inside of our windows, I never imagined the scenario of iced up water points. Probably just as well my imagination did not stretch that far!

An episode of ‘Endeavour’ and I was ready for bed although R stayed up watching some comedy followed by a programme on Australia so I was sound asleep by the time he retired.

Today was a great example of how one can change plans at the very last minute and wonder why one had not considered the plan earlier!

When we arrived at Braunston on Wednesday we worked out that however far we now travel, we must turn around on Tuesday to get back to Braunston by Bank Holiday Monday. Looking at the canalmap we had decided we could get to Fazeley Junction, near Birmingham but that this would involve 30 or more locks, a rather daunting prospect with just the two of us. The majority of locks are at a place called Atherstone so an alternative would be to turn the boat before we reached the first of the locks. That didn’t seem much of a journey although we can elongate it by taking the Coventry arm into the centre of the city. Then this morning, looking again at the map I realised we could take a right turn off the Coventry canal onto the Ashby canal, and travel for up to 16 hours without one lock in sight! Far more relaxing with plenty of turning spaces for us to cut the journey short if we don’t feel like covering such a long distance. I think I am a little nervous, after the Marston Doles stoppage, of a lock breaking, us getting stuck and not being able to return the boat in time. This new option seems far more relaxing and hopefully will enable us to also have time to go into Coventry.

Before the ultimate decision we joined the Coventry Canal at a place called Hawkesbury Junction. We had to pass through a ‘stop lock’ which only had a height difference of 6″! It was originally created as a toll barrier at the point where the two canals joined. Moored up at the Junction to make use of the Elsan, we spied a pub. Although it looked closed from our direction it was infact doing a roaring trade in the back garden and we took advantage of a cooked lunch.

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My one concern, knowing nothing about the Ashby canal, was to do with its depth and weed proliferation. Images of the Aylesbury Arm came to mind and I really didn’t want to chug along for hours not knowing how much debris would be wrapped around the propellor. However as we were about to join the Ashby canal a boat turned out of it and I was able to get the rundown of what it is like. I was reassured that they had really enjoyed the experience so now I feel a lot happier. We have moored near a small village. We didn’t find a church or a shop (although looking at Google there is a Spar shop somewhere nearby!) but there is a school and then row after row after row of houses. Very manicured gardens and neat houses, many looking identical. It was easy for R and I to be judgemental – where was the life in this village, the community aspect. It all felt a bit pedestrian with everyone behind closed doors, minding their own business. And then we came across the village pub, not a building of beauty, but buzzing with lots of people sitting at tables of six in the outside area, enjoying a Friday night drink. Here, I realised, was the community and it was so good to see some life happening. Lots of chatter and laughter with a feeling that this was where the locals came to hang out.

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Not much more happened after our evening constitutional. A light supper of scrambled eggs as we had eaten well at lunchtime followed by an episode of ‘First dates hotel’ (recommended by a friend as light entertainment!) and ending with ‘Endeavour’.

Great to have R back on board and we had a lazy start to the morning before walking into Rugby to revisit old haunts. When I was 18 I was friends with one of the sons of the then Rugby School headmaster, so I used to visit on occasion and became familiar with the town. 40 years later, I remembered very little, so it was good to walk around and see the fine architecture, although I thought the shopping area was a little rundown, possiblydue to the current covid restrictions.

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Back to the boat and we set off on a short journey towards Brinklow where we had decided to moor for the night. On my ‘Pearsons canal companion’ it recommended that en route we moor up briefly and walk across the fields to the picturesque village of Easenhall. There were a few thatched cottages of interest and the village was well maintained. It gave us another opportunity to stretch our legs in the beautiful sunshine under a clear blue sky. We returned to the boat and continued on to Brinklow where we found a perfect mooring, with a large grassy verge as part of the Towpath. This was ideal for setting up our fire pit in readiness for cooking a bbq later. My step brother, Ro,  was due to arrive en route from Oxford to his home. We were blessed with a warm evening and a beautiful vista, an ideal introduction to canal life. It was so good to see him as the last time had been at my mother’s funeral in September. Deciding that he likes the look of the narrowboat life and if restrictions are eased, he will be able to come and join us for a few days later in the year. We managed to bbq sausages and lamb chops without burning them to a cinder and it was good to make dual use of the fire pit which we then sat around until about 9pm. Ro still had a 2-hour car journey ahead of him so when he left we took advantage of a relatively early night.

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I thought yesterday’s delay of the Napton locks would set me back on my journey north but actually we ended further ahead today than anticipated. The four remaining locks on the Napton flight were speeded up by the help of a delightful Yorkshire man who obviously wanted to get moving and realised if he assisted me, I would travel through the locks more quickly and thus, so would he! I was able to sort the potty, refill the water and rid the boat of rubbish at the bottom of the flight before the arrival of my friends G and S. S has travelled the canals extensively with her parents so was very at home on the boat. So much so that I was quite worried for her safety as she pranced lightly along the spine of the boat, avoiding the clutter of the PVs and ropes, to take a picture of a bridge or something else of interest!

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Meanwhile G steered the boat effortlessly which enabled me to relax and do nothing except offer refreshments and talk alot. S also took to the helm with the ease of someone who is used to narrowboating. I suppose it is a bit like riding a bike – a skill never forgotten. We had miles of undulating Oxfordshire countryside with not a lock in sight and many sheep grazing on the green pastures. There were a few other boats to contend with but on the whole it was a very relaxed atmosphere and the hours quickly passed by. I took to the helm as we approached Braunston and turned onto the northern half of the Oxford Canal. This was new territory for me and I felt excited about travelling further up the country away from my comfort blanket of the South. Our destination was the outskirts of Rugby although we ended up as near to the town centre as it is possible to go. There were three double locks at Hillmorton which meant they were single locks side by side. Interestingly when we asked the boat coming towards us which chamber they had used (so that we could use the full lock) they couldn’t remember! We made contact with R who was just arriving in Rugby. It is incredibly difficult (oops thought I had finished the day. More to come – will continue later as steering boat atm!) to marry the ‘Pearson Canal Map’ with Google maps or an old fashioned paper one. I give what I think are perfectly reasonable and understandable directions to the boat and everyone gets lost! R had the added stress of arriving by car and having to find longterm parking near to our mooring once we had decided where to head for. It didn’t help that where he parked there was an old arm of the canal that he started to walk along thinking it was the main canal. He did think one of the remaining bridges was rather low and that the canal was very weedy but sometimes it is like that! Eventually we married up, him on one side of the canal and us on the other. Unusually you could moor on either bank. However it was easiest for us to swop sides as our timing was perfect and no ropes had been secured.

We enjoyed Waitrose ‘best rhubarb and apple crumble’ cake with mugs of tea on the boat bow before G and S returned to their car, at least a dozen miles away!

R and I caught up on the week’s news. Luckily he had fed himself some ‘main course’ ready meal at lunchtime, so we finished up leftovers before joining our midweek church Zoom group.

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Well, what a day I have had! It started by my wanting to fill the boat with water but there was a boat between me and the water tap. My hose just wasn’t  quite long enough so I had to exit my mooring without bumping the boat ahead which was easier said than done. Took me about 20 minutes of going back and fore (there was also a boat close behind me) and each time I pushed off at the front to get the boat out at an angle I couldn’t get to the stern quick enough to steer! R told me afterwards that I should have pushed off from the middle of the boat, https://we.tl/t-oKfYZNwHoC?src=dnlwhich did make alot of sense! I then had to get in front of the boat blocking me from the water but that was easier said than done as I almost straddled the canal! Eventually all was good and I hopped onto the towpath to pull the boat into the side and started filling up. I was awaiting the arrival of two guests who were coming to enjoy a day’s boating and help me with the 8 locks ahead. A CRT man was standing by the lock near to the watertap and I thought how lovely that he was there to help with the lock gates. How wrong was I! He was there to stop the lock being used. The next lock down was discovered to have a faulty paddle (hence why the lady I helped yesterday had found it impossible to open the gate) and so the pound had to be drained before the CRT could work out how to do the repair. It could take any time from half a day to a week! Meanwhile 5 or 6 boats were also wanting to go down the lock flight and there were quite a few disgruntled boaters. The situation was not helped by ‘health and safety’ regulations that delayed the repair being carried out. My friends F and AP had arrived all eager to learn about operating the locks and were disappointed to hear the news that we might not be able to go anywhere. We could not even turn in the nearby turning circle and go for a cruise in the opposite direction because our boat was longer than 50ft. We were well and truly stuck. Making the best of a bad job F went off to the Napton village stores, a cornucopia of delight and came back armed with many delicious goodies for a picnic lunch. We were blessed with warm calm weather so it was no hardship sitting on the canalside. It just wasn’t what was supposed to happen. I think I should be grateful this is the first time in six months that our plans have been totally thwarted. AP was very interested to see the damaged paddle and the extent of the problem. It was fascinating seeing the pound drained and it amazed me how shallow the water usually is. Eventually we got the all clear. It was about 5.30pm and we had been waiting 6 hours to move! AP and F were keen to do some locks and a kind boater, who was also in a hurry to get going because he was a policeman, due on duty tomorrow, taught them what to do as I stayed aboard helming the boat. We managed to complete about half the flight of locks before AP felt he should go home. At least he had some time on the water rather than just sitting beside the boat eating a picnic. Rather a long way to travel just for that!

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What today taught me is that canal life is unpredictable and you can’t always achieve what you set out to do. Either you get frustrated and cross or you accept that what will be will be and you go with the flow. I was just relieved that the problem was sorted relatively quickly and am looking forward to completing the flight tomorrow.

Another sunny day. What a difference a bit of natural sunlight makes to both mood and energy. The boat was a bit chilly first thing so I indulged myself with an hour of central heating which also heated the water,  but sitting outside was then delightful in the midst of the countryside. I am recognising some landmarks from when we travelled along the canal in the opposite direction but I find that comforting, rather than boring and as I have mentioned before, the change in the season makes a huge difference.

As it’s Monday, mid morning is Baby Breathe on Zoom, which was enjoyable and an hour soon flashed by, chatting away. Not so many mum’s today, unsurprising as the weather was so good. I expect, as most of them also have a toddler, they were out at the park.

The wind was negligible so casting off from the side at midday was easy and with no locks for a couple of miles I could enjoy the meander.  I didn’t pass many other boats which was just as well since a couple of the bridges were on really tight corners and it was tricky pulling the boat around without getting entangled in the reeds or worse, stuck in the mud. A bit of reversing occasionally seemed to help free the propellor of debris and slightly altered the trajectory of the boat so I managed to steer myself out of any trouble. I do sometimes look with longing at the 45 – 50ft boats thinking how much easier they would be to manoeuvre but of course you then lose living space so it’s a toss up as to what is more important. I didn’t travel far today as I wanted to stop at the locks at Marston Doles, just before the Napton flight. Tomorrow help is arriving to tackle the 8 locks and as there’s a water tap before entering the first lock I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to top up the tank. On the map there was a mooring sign so I imagined a long stretch of boats all able to use chains to moor up, or better still a few mooring rings along the towpath.  As is my habit,  I thought it best to briefly moor alongside the water’s edge before deciding where to stop for the evening but the couple of boats already tied up were having to use pins as there was no metal edging. I turned the corner and ahead saw two boats with a space between that looked just long enough for me to slide in between them and they were moored with chains, a great bonus for someone who has yet to successfully bang pins securely into the towpath! I edged my way in without touching the moored boat immediately to my left, which I was pleased about and then was thankful to see the occupant of said boat coming out to help me tie up. I am continually grateful for the kindness of the boating community, offering help without being asked and not expecting anything in return. As it transpired there was only room for three moored boats on chains before bollards on the side indicated mooring only for filling up with water. Then the lock was around the next corner with no space for any further boats. I was so pleased to be able to moor where I did, an advantage of stopping the day’s travelling early. The later you stop for the night the more difficulty you have finding a space. With the canal getting busier travel times are often slower, with queues for locks and the negotiating of safely passing boats on narrow stretches of water, delaying one’s end time for the day.

A bite to eat and then I went for a walk through fields that would bring me back on the towpath, thus a circular route. Neatly marked on my map the footpaths were impossible to spot in reality and even using Google maps I found myself standing in the middle of a field unsure of which direction to walk! R is so good at working out direction from the sun but that doesn’t seem to help me! Eventually I spied a distant bridge and hoped the canal was underneath it, which it was! A beautifully maintained and tidy boat was moored in the sunshine and remarking on their lovely boat, the couple on board said they part owned it and they were the first ones to use it this year. They were in no hurry to move around the network, just wanting some peace and solace after an extremely exhausting year. The lady was a child counsellor of many years standing and had had the busiest of years with more children than ever needing support and not enough trained counsellors to meet the need. Added to the stress of her work last year she had had a full knee replacement.  Then her 5 year old grandson, giving her a playful rugby tackle, had broken her shoulder! This was followed by breaking her leg in the autumn whilst on the boat before the second lockdown. She had the presence of mind to look up the best hospital to go to dependent on what the covid situation was like and decided the  safest option was the local small one closest to her home town. Before they could reach their car this couple had to turn the boat around in a turning circle which necessitated travelling the flight of locks I am doing tomorrow, turning the boat at the first opportunity and then travelling the flight of locks in the opposite direction to then travel home in their car!! All this took a deal of time as the husband had to do all the locks on his own whilst his wife dosed herself on painkillers and eased the swelling with bags of frozen peas! Apparently they arrived at the hospital at 1930, just before the doors were shut for the night as they didn’t have a 24hr A&E and were taken in, x rayed, boot issued and leg break sorted all within 35 minutes! As if this were not enough a few weeks later she caught Covid so badly that she should have been hospitalised but just managed to stay at home, her symptoms made worse I think by asthma. As a shielded person she had been nowhere and thinks she caught it from opening quite a few parcels that arrived at the same time from the Post Office where a lot of the staff had gone off sick with Covid. She had many stories to tell, such as when she had her knee replacement one night she was only able to take paracetamol because the nurse signed her chart saying she had had a morphine shot, forgot to administer it and then left the shift for the day. Because it looked as though this lady had had her morphine the night staff could not give a ‘second’ dose! And then she said that when her stitches were being removed a nurse, wearing protective gloves, accidentally cut  through the glove and their finger, spraying blood over this lady’s wound! What are the chances of that happening! If anyone needed a couple of restorative weeks on the canal it was this lovely couple and it was amazing to hear their stories.

A cup of tea and cake, a chat with R and the night was yet young so I decided to take the rubbish bag to the CRT services at the end of the lock flight. I also wanted to see if The Folly pub was open as it would be a great place for an outdoor lunch tomorrow. Sadly I discovered it’s not reopening until 17th May. Looking at the map the locks looked reasonably close together so I wasn’t expecting the long pounds I encountered! I hadn’t really registered that the two Marston Doles locks are not part of the Napton flight so the distance between them was probably a couple of miles. However it was such a beautiful evening that I didn’t mind the walk, it was just I arrived back at the boat much later than I had anticipated and darkness was falling. The towpath was not particularly safe with many a narrowing and potential danger of inadvertently losing one’s footing down one of the gaps in the path so I knew I needed to arrive home before nightfall.

Such a beautiful day to be on the water. I didn’t start moving until midday because I attended Zoom church first. I walked along the towpath and helped a single handed boater with the lock gate during the coffee time, so was able to show everyone the view of endless fields with baby lambs and a lock in action. Walking on to the bridge I met an amazing older gentleman who was in the process of walking the route of the Seven Shires Way – a 234 mile walk around the county boundaries of Oxfordshire using public rights of way. He has walked it 3 or 4 times before and this time the purpose is to update the details of the walk as written in a book by Elaine Steve and to replace any missing waymarkers. An updated edition of the book is going to be published.  He also was very proud of his ‘centurion’ badge, proof that he has walked 100 miles in 24 hours. He was quite a character!

I set off on the eleven mile stretch of lock-less canal which twists and turns through the Oxfordshire countryside. Trees breaking forth into blossom, lambs frolicking in the fields, birds tweeting. It was all very lovely and relaxing apart from the fact I had to keep alert for any boats coming towards me. There is one incredibly narrow stretch. It used to be a tunnel, before the tunnel collapsed. So now although open to the elements it is still problematic if you meet a boat coming in the opposite direction.  This happened once. Up ahead I saw two boats and a moored boat.  I realised there was no way I could pass the moving boat if we met where the stationary boat was moored so I just had to wait and hold Wind Rose steady in a straight line. This proved quite easy until I realised the reason why was because I was stuck in the mud! The water level was very low. As the boat passed me he offered to tug me free but infact I was able thankfully to dislodge myself. The second boat ahead had pulled into the side so I could safely proceed. The wonderful smell of cooking sausages and bacon hit me as I drew close by and I  discovered the boaters had stopped to  bbq on the roof of their boat. Apart from this encounter I saw very few other boaters out and about and was able to moor up in an idyllic spot luckily with mooring rings. I have yet to need to hammer pins into the towpath. Am not sure if I will find that very easy.

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Watched a film with Bill Nighy who I really like and I think I realise why – now that R has grown his hair he bears a striking resemblance to him! Not sure the film was that good but it passed the evening. I put the heating on for an hour or so before going to bed and filled a hot water bottle. Both ensured that I didn’t feel nearly as chilled as the night before.

Had help doing the locks from Cropredy to Claydon – there were 8 in total. So many more boats in evidence and it’s fun arriving at a lock just as someone is leaving so that you can glide straight in! The weather was warm and gloriously hot in the sun. It made me want to spring clean the boat and tidy all the surfaces. It doesn’t take long to accumulate stuff. I walked into Claydon, a pretty village with a church and nothing else of note – no pubs or shops so a good thing I have everything I need on the boat. Having said that, my diet today has been rubbish. Crumpet as usual for breakfast, a hummus and pumpernickel roll for lunch and a salmon pate and cucumber toastie for supper, followed by 70% chocolate. Not good! Too much bread. Returning to the boat along a quiet country road the silence was suddenly broken by the roar of motorcycles. I also passed at least three separate groups of Duke of Edinburgh award students.

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I watched the funeral of Prince Philip and then Zoomed with my Friday friends a day late. All of us remarked how surprised we were to feel so sad thinking perhaps it is the Queen we are sorry for. I wonder if his death links us with the death of our parents, a similar generation and the realisation that we are now the oldies! A friend remarked on the amazing lives so many of our parents led and how much they achieved in comparison to us. Perhaps the war had something to do with that. They were incredibly resilient. I wonder if the pandemic will build resilience into our young people and they will change the world for the better. Only time will tell what legacy will be left. There’s no doubt at the moment mental health issues are becoming more and more prevalent in the young and perhaps we should be doing something to help. We have done so much to prevent covid overwhelming the NHS. Perhaps we will have to do the same with the mental health of our nation and work out some strategies for supporting those who are struggling before they tip over the edge.

A couple of people sent me messages asking how my talk went over Zoom for the FS. It was difficult to answer because delivering a talk to a screen with no human interaction leaves you unable to assess the response to what you are saying. You crack a joke and have no idea if anyone laughed! It was good for me though to put a timeline to our narrowboat experience and to get clear in my head the purpose of our trip to date, God’s part in all that and where He may be leading us in the future. Quite exciting really!

I found myself vacuuming the boat and washing the galley floor about 8pm. The thought went through my head – what happened to all the Saturday night supper parties? They seem a lifetime ago! Watched a film called Hope Springs on Netflix starring Merryl Streep which is one of their new releases. Otherwise all very very quiet and dark. No street lights, no trains, no traffic. Just fields and locks and wildlife. At least two bumblebees buzzing around. The trees are looking much greener than on our journey down and I saw some beautiful tulips on a verge when I walked into the village at lunchtime.

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Friday prayers got me up and about early (for me – everything’s relative!) and then off to Morrison’s, which I discovered was less than a five minute walk from the boat. A heavy backpack and carrying two heavy shopping bags meant the walk back felt a lot longer! Turning on the boat engine for half an hour meant I could have a nice hot bath and hair wash before setting off for the Banbury laundrette, the one I had used on our previous visit, so it was nice to be recognised and have a chat. Found a takeaway coffee nearby and a bench to sit on conscious of my still damp hair and warnings ringing in my ears from long ago of the dangers of catching a chill from not drying your hair properly.  A bit of an issue on the boat with no hair dryer! I needed to finish my talk for the evening FS meeting so was grateful for the lack of other distractions. The joy I feel arriving back aboard with my dry clean laundry has not abated – I  realise it’s one of my week’s highlights.  How sad is that although it could be a reminder of how much pleasure we can get from ordinay everyday things. A bit like enjoying a cup of coffee in an outdoor cafe chatting with a friend.  Funny to think how much we took that simple pleasure for granted!

Youngest son P arrived to assist me with a few locks and it was so good to see him. We moved the boat to the water point and whilst it was filling I gave P my credit card suggesting he have a very quick browse in Debenhams, with its 70% off, closing down sale, as it was literally a half minute walk away. Meanwhile as the boat was filling I noticed a boat just about to exit the lock that I then wanted to go through, so I asked them not to shut the gates. The possibility arose in my mind that some other boat may come from behind and ‘steal the lock’ whilst I was still using the water tap. I didn’t really want the delay of a boat going through before me as I would need to then empty the lock etc. It was a toss up between filling the tank to the brim or cutting the fillup slightly short. My mind was made up as another boat came into sight! I quickly disconnected the hose, plonked it on the bow, grabbed my mid rope and started pulling Wind Rose towards the open lock so that the boat slightly behind could see I was there first. It was akin to the same feeling you get when you think someone is going to pinch your car parking space! Seeing I was alone (P  having not returned  from spending my money in D!) one of the crew from the boat behind me immediately came and offered to work the lock which was incredibly kind and made me feel rather bad for not wanting them to get there before me! As a quid pro quo I said that I would wait for their boat to come up in the lock before opening the swing bridge that we had to go through. P had not yet returned so there was no point in rushing and I couldn’t reach him on his phone! However within a few minutes he appeared looking very pleased with his purchases – all bargains! And my card hadn’t melted so that was good although he did say he had had to remember my PIN because he was 10p over the limit of just being able to tap the card on the machine! As he went to get the windlass to operate the swingbridge we saw someone already there and I realised a boat was coming through from the other direction.  A ‘Picadilly Circus’ moment as three boats had to dance around in a small pound careful not to bash each other!

Once through the bridge there was a long narrow slow stretch of canal with boats moored either side and again we had traffic coming in the other direction. Quite exciting really after having had almost exclusive use of the canal for so long! I saw we were gaining speed on a boat up ahead travelling in the same direction. Another first as I don’t remember ever having to queue before or adjust my speed to keep a safe distance from the boat in front.  Eventually he sensed we were in a bit of a hurry and finding a wide stretch of canal stopped his boat and motioned for us to overtake which was very nice of him and I thanked him profusely. We were on a bit of a time schedule. The problem was that we were heading to Cropredy and needed to get there in good time to temporarily moor the boat, then walk along the towpath to see if we could find enough space to moor the boat with internet access. It was intermittent and the first good signal came after rising in another lock. So P stayed by the space so as not to lose it. Meanwhile I hurried back to the boat and navigated it along a stretch of canal chocca with moored boats so I could only go really slowly and then had to operate the lock, although P left his lookout point to come and assist. Eventually we moored up and I heaved a sigh of relief. There was about an hour before my FS talk began and I could relax knowing we had connection. If I am technically able I will download the talk, as it was recorded, or post a link. It chimes in with this blog as it’s the back story of how and why we are here and where we think we may be going!

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Very tempted by a duvet day on the boat but recounting the fire alarm story to R he said the smoke detector needed a new battery and it should be bought today so that put paid to not getting dressed and staying aboard all day! I did infact have to go and get a new battery fitted for the watch I now have that belonged to mum. It stopped working during lockdown as did the watch battery fitters but I noticed a mobile van and man in Banbury that would do the job so I guessed he would also sell me a 9v battery for the alarm. How right I was! Before leaving the boat I had noticed the rubbish bag was almost overflowing so armed with the CRT services key I stopped en route to deposit the rubbish and got into conversation with a man on a hireboat who asked if I thought it was ok for him to leave his boat whilst the water tank was filling. Remarking I  didn’t think it would take long to fill, he assured me it would be at least an hour –  the tank had actually run dry mid shower!!  I paid another visit to the zero waste shop and had great fun refilling and repurposing all my empty containers with freshly ground coffee, freshly ground Nutella etc and even bubble bath into an empty Neals yard blue glass bottle, so looks very posh even if the bubble bath inside isn’t quite so! Managed to get more bubblebath outside the bottle than in, so it was quite a sticky process, but the shop assistant was very helpful and remembered me from my last visit as she also lives on a narrowboat so we had a good chat.

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I actually ended up having a very productive day in that looking at my emails it transpired our speaker for tomorrow night’s Zoom Filling Station meeting is ill and so has had to pull out, very apologetically and very last minute! Having had a clear day, in which I was hoping to do some writing on the subject of ‘grace’, I ended up writing a talk for tomorrow’s FS meeting! Done in relative haste, I hope it will still manage to speak to those attending about this narrowboat adventure and the part I feel God is playing in it. In particular, the God given moments, or ‘instances’ where I feel he has been at work and the occasions when I have felt guided, led and strengthened by the Holy Spirit when faced with things beyond my remit or control. I think we all have those wherever we are living or whatever we are doing! Being on the boat without R, I find comfort from my belief that actually God is with me so I am not as alone as I think or fear!

It always surprises me how fast the time goes when writing and actually how time consuming it is. It was 7pm before I came up for air! It’s easy to lose sight of time when outside is so light. I found some veg and cooked a stir fry, adding some precooked instant noodles, so supper was done in a flash and eaten just as fast because not only was I hungry, I  hate eating cold food. I even made some egg custard as a treat and then settled to watch ‘Line of Duty’. I was rather disappointed that there was only one episode to catch up on. I was certain I had missed two. I even Googled to make sure it wasn’t just that I couldn’t find episode 5 on iplayer! It did mean I also had time to watch the first episode of the Great British Sewing Bee, which I love! Meanwhile the boat was getting chillier and chillier as I sat in my ‘snug’ wrapped in a blanket, knowing I was going to have to extricate myself and get into my proper bed. I resorted to the hotwater bottle, the same one that had leaked all over H a few nights earlier. I was so cold I took the risk and just hope I don’t wake up in a wet patch!