Later than usual but we're away....

We arrived at the boat the other day Reader, oh the joy of it, a hot sunny day, David in shorts and a tee shirt and myself in a skirt without tights, this event usually only occurs way later in the year.  I guess that's global warming for you.

We got to the boat and if you can believe it, WaL started first time, a nice surprise.

We hadn't intended to leave the marina but we did, we hadn't intended either to go much further than the delightful mooring down the canal, but we did and certainly I hadn't intended to do the Foxton Flight, but to sit in the glorious sunshine and watch some appalling helming coming out of the locks into the basin where one female driver came out of the lock at speed, failed to achieve the handbrake turn necessary and ploughed into the hatch shutter of a moored boat on the other side of the basin.
I held my hand over my mouth as it happened in horror.  Thankfully the shutter remained in tack and in place, she then reversed at more speed and rammed WaL amid ships.  

The lockkie came down to tell us that instead of a two hour wait we now had a five minute wait and we were to proceed up the flight to half way and wait for the five boats to descend.

Result.

Lots of visitors here, willing hands to help get us on our way.

Then a short hours cruise to of course the glorious Laughton Hills.  I heard a rustling in the reeds but the occasional sighted Water Vole was hiding.  A Red Kite was playing on the wind right above WaL though, I was only slightly disappointed as I had said to David I wanted to watch the buzzards, neither of which we get to see at home.

Right opposite the marina entrance, right next to a No Mooring sign, so that's okay then. 

The first ever departure in shorts.

Half way up the ten locks at Foxton, we have had to wait here several times before mostly getting bashed by the passing boats, but not today.

It's a bit of a tight fit for us.

Arriving at the lovely beautiful Laughton Hills, there's that Red Kite.

He/she flew so languidly overhead but still so hard to get a photo, it went up and down the canal coming back the minute I'd put my camera down.

Supper was a cracker, our daughter is a big fan of Yotam Ottolenghi, she has his "Simple" book and as a treat for Mothers Day appeared as if by magic and cooked up a feast, she then repeated the treat on Easter Sunday (David cooked a small turkey) and she did the rest, so we brought the leftovers up. 

Fantastic

Yep I could eat like this all the time.