Rain and the part it played on The Grand Union.

So I know its been a while but the evenings, when I usually blog have been filled with partying, snacks and card games.

Did I say that Louise and John are card players, ( pretty sharp ones too) I can't quite remember how the subject came up but within a night or two suppers were early and cleared away double quick and Louise was at the table shuffling like an employee at Casino Royale.  

If ever there is something which makes a not very good card player (me) nervous it's a shuffler like Louise.

So blogging has taken a back seat.  Rain and wind took the front seat  on this little Sojourn.  I can't say that it rained everyday, it just felt like it.

If Pauline from NB Waterlily is reading this, Pauline I took your advice and brought the slip-on waterproof trainers, the ones that look like they are made of fabric and guess what?  

My feet stayed dry!  The next day and for the next downpour I put on my waterproof walking boots, these were only £25 on Amazon back in 2012 and guess what? They are no longer waterproof at all.   

The next day I put on my wellies for that day's downpour and my feet were sweaty but not from the rain.

Moral of the story is don't go boating in the rain.

When I say that actually it was us who were under time pressure this trip.  Mostly I hate deadlines and rile against them but on this occasion we are going home to look after beloved grandson Luca and to take my mum to have a cataract done.  I digress.

The next morning the day was sunny and fair.  Such a bonus to be in sunshine when its getting on for June and I'm still in three layers of thermals, fleeces and long woolly socks and that's to go to bed in.

So this was the day David applied the factor 50 sun cream, a gorgeous day and very pretty scenery.  I'll ask John what county we were in.

Still sunny...

Stay away from these suckers.

Open views with pretty trees away away.

I've included this shot of David as he closed this gate, can you see that he has his protective sun hat, shorts and his thickest winter fleece.

Jolly chaps, note the gloves!

1868, makes that carved stone 153 years old.

The trip continued with fairly longish days, longish days for us that is interspersed with showers, some avoided and some not, but to get to the Wendover Arm in time to get back in time we did have to do the hours.  This was helped by the first week meeting hardly any boats at all, a few hire boats out from Braunston and Leighton Buzzard but really hardly any.

   

We didn't see a soul here at Soulbury Locks

Fabulous views where the hedges gave way.

The first of several sunken and burnt out boats, each one possibly a home to someone, but I can't help thinking about the pollution into the waterways, the waterways we all love.

NB Ploddin' Along about to enter the aqueduct south of Cosgrove 

Fenny Stratford.  When we arrived here there was a boat already in the lock, so I didn't notice immediately that that white structure behind the boats here was actually a bridge that goes over the canal here.  The white cottages opposite the pub have no other road access!

There's a few of these about, a mystifying occurrence for novices, a bridge over the canal that you have to open first otherwise the boats can't get in the lock..  The foot bridge allows the people from the white cottages to get to the road.  It took a bit of heaving to close it again.

Nice mooring for this widebeam I felt... 

This little wee church was just over the wall at Church Lock.  I had to stand on the lock gate to get this shot of it, then I saw it was now a private home, with a conservatory built on the other side so I'd like to apologise for the intrusion, but it is so pretty.

I have done a bit of a precis here as you might have guessed     with photos illustrating the things we saw.  Some boaters may well see that some of the photos are out of order, but that's pandemics for you.  I blame everything on that.

The next day to this we approached The Marsworth Flight.  As we arrived there were three volunteer Lockkies on here.  Two worked the gates and two more walked on up the locks to prepare the next ones.

One lovely chap actually went to the same school as David, he hated that school as much as David did!

It was drizzling when we arrived and continued to ending all chance of photographs.

The day ended up in a complete cloud burst as we turned onto the Wendover Arm.  I had been warm up till then but during that 1.5 miles of the Arm I froze, pretty sure the others did too.  We four were wet through, cold tired and emotional. Hot showers all round.  The boat was full of dripping wet clothing, I mean, what could be nicer?

I can't remember what we had for supper but it was hot.