Down into the canal metropolis, Braunston.

So ignore the cup of tea, kettle and water bottle but everything else in the photo was brought to the boat this am by David on his little bike.  I am so impressed by this and think far more men should do the food shopping.  He handed me the bike basket through the kitchen window and I could hardly lift it!

What a man eh?

After a lot of faffing this morning we set off.  David went shopping, (I think he was there before the staff),  our safety test was completed,  then phone calls home each of us had some Life Laundry to sort out and finally singing Happy Birthday for Beloved daughter Verity.  Then we departed.

Toll Cottage's garden, it must be a very photographed garden.

Our mooring last night in that gap.

Making a good turn.

LOOK!!!  A fisherman, sat in the shade and wind, but enjoying a joke.

A charming garden.

A lot of work goes into making it look so natural.

We motored along towards Braunston tunnel,  a pretty trip with the green shoots of spring peeping through and first blossoms, I have an idea its Hawthorn but I might be wrong.

On arrival at the tunnel entrance we hovered while this boat exited. 

This is the view inside the tunnel.

This is what its like when a boat approached, a blinding light in your face while you have to manoeuvre your boat against a brick wall, sadly we scratched the newly painted black.

We had an easy run down throughout the flight with a boat on which a couple have lived for five years, they decided to do so after a glass of wine in the garden on a sunny afternoon, with no previous boating experience!!  Five years on they are looking good on it too.

Then we saw this boat.

That is Sue's arm   HERE      you can just see waving at the first window,  we knew they had been on the North Oxford Canal last week and had hoped to see them before they go south on the Grand Union.

She was just about to walk Penny and Meg and stopped by, she refused a glass of wine saying there had been too much over indulging since arriving at Braunston....!

Here is one of her partner in crime's boat Maffi's   HERE  Sue did tell us that several other Bloggers known to her not me are all in town together, but ours is a quick overnighter so we'll see who we spot in the morning on leaving.

A quick trip to the chandlers here for us to replace the fender we burnt the other day and home to light that stove and get supper which was sausages, sweet potato wedges, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes followed by rhubarb & apple with thick greek yoghurt and roasted hazelnut topping.
I might need chocolate too as its so cold and snowed today.