On a Mission

An evening text was received with an invitation last night “Oh yes please” but it was a way away.  This called for urgent measures of the husband kind, that is to say a dawn departure.  Easy for him, leaving at 6am, in the event the excitement was too much and we left at 5:30am.  I use the term we loosely, but I played a smaller role, smaller but vital!!  David had brought us down to Crick, I was about awake and I knew the tunnel was fast approaching, I nipped through the boat to put the kettle on and came back to the bedroom to get dressed when there was a terrible desperate cry for help….! QUICK COME HERE NOW was the gist of it, I leapfrogged the bed and got out on deck, David had entered the tunnel and his glasses had completely steamed up, I didn’t quite know what to do first, take his glasses and wipe them or grab the wheel and drive while he did the glasses, in all the fun it ended up with him without hold of the wheel or glasses and somehow we didn’t crash…

Good thing too.  Crisis averted I went quickly down below again, it was chilly and I hadn’t a stitch on!!  

Nice run to Watford Locks, we waited for one boat to come up, then in we went.  The wait had given David a further opportunity to wash off the roof of the boat again after Crick tunnel which is always dripping. 

Oh good grief he is washing the boat again! This is the man who never in his life has washed the car.

A lady walked up the the Lock keeper to book in and said Oh I will help you down while I walk back down….!  Aren’t Boaters nice people?

The nice ladies that had helped me all the way down

After Watford Locks it was time to think about breakfast.  The previous afternoon I had made these….

As a consequence we didn’t eat intended dinner

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So our supper was postponed till now!!

Steak sandwiches 

So very painlessly through there and then onto Braunston Tunnel, 

Two out, three in.

where two boats were in front of us and two exited as we went in.  As we reached the top lock about 40 mins later there were masses of boats around going in both directions making life soooooo easy for all.  

For my non boaty friends this means that you can leave gates open for others coming in and we didn’t have to fill a single lock as others were coming towards you.

Down into town here, and jumped onto the first available space and as the heavens opened, the tonneau cover was clipped on and the hatches were well and truly battened down.

Later we met up with Joe & Lesley otherwise known as Mr & Mrs Yarwood.  This evening, and the reason for the night time start this morning is that a kind invitation for them to supper had been extended to us by the new Mr & Mrs Caxton, George and Sue and a lovely evening it was too.  Caxton is a recent purchase for them and for those who don’t know, Joe and Lesley were the first owners.  The boat looked so lovely tonight and George and Sue are thrilled with her, easy to see why.
We finally said goodnight to our hosts and carefully, carefully tackled the very narrow staging back to dry land in the marina, as usual we didn't take our torches, even though with every visit to the chandlers here at Braunston I buy another one.  David swears he can see in the dark after a lifetime of getting cows in to milk in the dark, but......
Lovely evening George and Sue, thank you.