No conscience then cheesecake.

We left home at 8am to drive back to WaL.  This is one of the times when being married to an insomniac is a bonus.  I came downstairs having had a shower and washed my hair to find the car loaded, the fridges emptied and washed out and my breakfast ready.  Now Reader before you have a sharp intake of breath be assured that I had done the packing of bags.

So porridge eaten, handbag picked up, off we went.  A nice easy drive this time as opposed to the 4.5 hr queue all the way home two weeks ago.  

David gets seriously irritated by a 10 minute queue so you can imagine what a great trip that was…..

So we arrived at Hilperton Marina at lunchtime to find that all was tickerty boo and the boat started first time too.  David went off to hide the car, I started on the mammoth unpack, this side of boating always reminds me of moving house.  

All vital equipment to be loaded.

With the sun shining nice and warmly on our shoulders, hang the unpacking and sit in the sun while it lasts I said to myself.  

On studying the grey clouds that were all on one side we both reckon we had about an hour till the heavens opened, which was handy as we only wanted to go that far to land here at Semington at the bottom of a small run of locks, but the clouds melted away and there was more warm sun to be had.

Funny incident, David was off car hopping and a trip to Waitrose to get the stuff we had forgotten the day before when the list got left at home, I was sat in the cratch in the sun reading the paper with a drink Oh such a good way to pass the afternoon.  Then I heard a rustling sound and low voices, I peeped under the cratch cover to see a group of people 6 or 7 standing by the boat, one of whom was resting his two hands on the roof rails and peering right into my kitchen with bended knee and his face inches from the window.  Well I was soon laughing and asked if he wanted me to open the window, then all the party were embarrassedly calling to him that I was watching him.  (They were all Australians on a hire boat and walking to the pub)… Not an inch of self conscience to be had, he walked along to me put his hands on his hips and was extremely complimentary about our boat.  So much so that I was lost for words!!!!!

(After supper when David was already in his Jim jams watching Corrie with me…. Poor Tina)  there was a very loud knock on the side of the boat, small amount of consternation then finally we decided to see who it was, there standing there was the afore mentioned Australian man again, this time bearing a gift, they had just opened a pot of cream, hardly had any out of it and would we like it as they are off the boat the next morning?   I thought a nice offer and accepted it wishing them a good trip back.

It was pretty busy here, well busier than we had seen previously but it was almost the end of schools half term so we thought these boats were trundling back towards their bases.  But one arrived where we were at about 7:30pm, like all good hirers doing nice long days.

The next morning a boat had disappeared leaving this one that had arrived late, it was facing the same way as us and David popped along to speak to them about sharing the locks.  RESULT!! Yes please they would like to and were ready to set off too.  Turns out they had been to Bath in the other direction and come back eastwards only having done one lock all week so they were just going to pop up these seven locks for the fun of it and down again in the afternoon.  Two teenagers wanting to help, these are my sort of hirers.

Thats what we did.  

David kindly got out a bike for me to ride ahead and get the next lock ready, he says its easier to ride than walk…. so thoughtful.  

I left the young daughter of the family to do the swing bridges that she enjoyed and the wife drove the boat like a pro.  She did that joint entering and leaving locks alongside David and she didn’t bump or nudge us once.  Only her second holiday afloat and she hardly drove on her first.  Put me to shame.  Quite a jolly run.  So nice to have a bit of company doing locks for a change.

Great driving from a Rookie lady, wearing her pyjamas!!!!!

Semington, some of the Trail Boats still awaiting collection.

Pretties in bloom now.

Sweet gesture on a bench.

All of a sudden there was a boat who’s crew recognised me, it was Patsy and Tony from NB Pedal, two weeks back we had done the Caen Flight downwards together, many things were decided in seconds, firstly yes they would like to do the upwards flight together again, yes they would join us for drinks tonight and yes we would all meet at Sells Green later on.

Actually we all caught up together at the top of this run of locks as we followed a wide beam and a single handed chappie with a pair of boats fastened together so   I ditched my boat with  the adequate crew and stopped with Patsy to help with the last of the swing bridges and the last lock.

L to R Tony Patsy and Darling.

 All moored up together nice and neatly with no irritating gaps.

Supper was bacon and mushroom pasta with a special treat David picked up for me as a treat in Waitrose, New York Cheesecake with raspberries oh and cream!!

He brought me these too in Waitrose.