Oh it's all gone terribly wrong

Finally the day arrived for departure.  I'd been so looking forward to us being on WaL.

David packed the car up, made the rolls, we always have egg mayonnaise rolls or sandwiches on car journeys, always a treat, the sun shone and the traffic was light on the dreaded M25.

Arriving at Great Haywood we managed to unload into two trolley loads, David drove the car away and in not too long a time was back on his bike and then we were off.  

Off but the boat still looked like a bomb had exploded, it carried on looking so for a few days.

We moored up after Tixel lock on a nice sunny stretch in full sun.

Supper was pretty much the rest of the lunchtime picnic with added cheese and chocolate.

The next morning not too early for me that is, (Coming to the end of a good book Bel Canto by Ann Patchet) we set off with me making sense or trying to of the saloon with bags everywhere.

Penkridge was the destination, some five locks away.  Only a couple of boats had passed us, the canal seemed quiet.  Its after the school holidays, lots of closures on locks and flights so we thought GREAT just us.

Unpacking was going well as was sitting on the stern with coffee enjoying very much being away from it all.

We passed two boats moored outside the Staffordshire Club, looking as if they were ready to depart.  I wouldn't exactly say the helm had a scowl on his face as we passed them but ......

I came to a cluster of fishermen, (I was walking now), one chortled as I walked passed with my windlass 

"You've got off a bit early for the lock"

"Oh I am just stretching my legs"
"But it's half a mile away.....!"  He was shocked.

  Around the last bend I saw the back end of a boat pulling out, I turned to David to signal to slow down as there was a wait to be had.  The boat turned out to be two hire boats, one with three very jolly chaps on who have a week together each September and have done so for twelve years and the other was four Scandinavians, their first lock (Deptford Lock and it's a really deep one) and their first day.  One lady said with a sense of urgency in her voice "We don't know what we are doing!" 

But they were doing alright, I hope I imparted a touch of confidence to them and to assure them that if they asked for help or advice it would be freely given.

As I stood there with the jolly men and the Scandies the two boats arrived behind us and following up was a cruiser, or yoghurt pot as they can be called. 

Five boats waiting.  

I can't remember when that last happened to us.

Well the Scandies made good progress and apart from two locks up at Park Gate Lock when we were four in a row and as a boat exited the lock towards us the gates suddenly closed in front of us all and the crew of the boat above had presumed that no one was there when there were  four waiting.  

Someone told her politely that if you can't see you should walk down and go look.

Well we moored up easily in Penkridge after a good old fashioned soaking from an un-forecasted shower.  

I had my own shower, settled down to blog.

That's when I tried to upload all my photos.  That's when the emails I've had recently about google photos came to mind..... that's when my computer didn't recognise my camera.

That's when I had a notification talking about my Windows is now unsupported, I mean who reads all this....? 

The trouble is I have a child's brain with IT that I don't understand the instructions, I don't understand the terminology and I don't understand what the help is saying so for the next few days until I started to use my phone can you bear no photos?

I do hope you can.

Supper was delightful at The Littleton Arms.