Spring Cruise 2015 begins

So Reader here we are again, happy as can be, ready for the off on our adventures for 2015.

We arrived at Debdale loaded with the paraphernalia for the spring.  David fetched and carried and I was inside unpacking.  We had supper at The Bell at Gumley with our friends Mike and Gerry off of NB Tubbs, the pub is in new-ish hands and the food was excellent and good value.

The next day we had friends arriving, Amanda and David, who visit us so often and have been given the title "The Boat Sharers"
The first thing to be done was to fill up with water...fairly easy exercise you would think, hose in tank off you go, visitors arrived, loaded their luggage, popped their car along the canal, got our warm layers on and went to look at the water level after 50mins or so, only on level 3 out of 10!!! Some twerp had kinked the hose, so unkinked and away it gushed and was filled in ten minutes flat.

It was later in the afternoon and we passed through Saddington tunnel without incidence and along aways.

Amanda and I walked several miles doing locks and catching up on news of husbands, children and boaty stuff.  
The day was clear blue skies, unbroken sunshine and the odd white fluffy cloud wafted past.  
Then I heard a plaintive cry, Amanda and I spotted from the tow path a tiny lamb in the canal below a steeper section of bank, it was under a prickly branch and would never have been able to have made it out of the water on its own.  We both pointed and Captain David stuck the nose of WaL into the reeds whilst Shepherd David leapt into action with his shepherds crook, otherwise known as a boat hook.  He took a flying jump off the boat, got one wet foot and quick as a flash hoiked out the lambkin and sent it on its way back to its mother who looked like she could care less!  But it was saved, it would not have lasted much longer in that cold water.  What a pair of Heroes eh?
 The captain took about two months to switch the camera on and only managed this shot..... Look carefully behind the tree to see the Action Hero Lamb Saver.

Can see him clearly in the water, lamb has fled already!

Not much further on and we moored up for the night.  Not a bad spot I'd say.

Pretty special I'd say.

Supper was mushroom and stilton risotto with herby salad and black forest trifle.