Well what a night!

We did get a small soaking yesterday afternoon prior to mooring up at Zouch,  so to avoid this happening again David was sure that we should be leaving early today as the forecast was showers after lunch again.
Good plan and I agreed.  However this was all decided before the night before.  
We decided that to preserve the boat batteries it was agreed that the TV should only come on after 9:55pm in time to get that all important exit poll prediction. 

Like a lot of other people, we were stunned, and stayed stunned for some considerable time.  

At about 11:45pm the best part of the whole thing when a rumour on Twitter that Ed Balls was going to lose his seat.  I gave a loud scream and here and now I do apologise to the neighbouring boats. 

So not too early a start after all, what with Himself coming to bed at 4am and then getting up again at 6:30am.... (I might just add he is napping as I write this right now next to me).

So this morning dawned bright sunny and warm, not a breath of air moving the trees.
The first problem was trying to open Zouch Lock bottom gate, it got to about 45 degrees then stopped dead.  So I tried to close it again and give it another whoosh, exactly the same.  

Zouch Lock filling with a heck of a force

WaL approaching said lock.

David climbed out, gave me a comprehensive explanation of what I was doing wrong.....  all together then, heave, the gate reached the same place and stopped.  On about the sixth attempt it shifted, he skipped back onboard and exited the lock then the gate was shut again, however I did call CART however to notify them there may be a problem under the waterline.

Here is the evidence of what lovely weather for boating it was.

I would like to know what birds these are for all close together?

I hate these after his mate ate all my pet ducks.

David hates these as they eat all his cows grass. Where's my gun?

We reached the junction of the  river Trent, the Erewash canal and the Trent and Mersey canal, after filling up with water, we moored here. 
We walked around the corner to glimpse at the Erewash canal 
The Steamboat, there was tempting when I saw a sign for homemade soup, ordered two and it was delicious broccoli and stilton.

Back to the boat QUICK for the 1 o'clock News to see Mr Balls's speech, it just gets better, I danced a jig.

Dinner this evening was salmon, courgette salad with lemon and chilli with sweet potato wedges

Catch up

So as way of a bit of a précis, after Amanda went home, we jogged along along for an hour through the one deeper lock at Barrow-upon-Soar, under the same bridge that appears on the banner photo of this blog, Lesley (Mrs Yarwood)  took that photo two years ago and what a stunner it was too.  Have a look at mine, not a patch on hers.

Lesley took hers from the riverbank on the right.  Nice day though.

A beautiful day, hard to go home.

This is a flood lock on the river, only shut in tmes of flooding, I think.

We mored up in Pillings Lock Marina, and a most accommodating marina they are too.

Packed up, drove home and had the week to help prepare for English Wedding Party of youngest daughter Verity.

The wedding took place in the Grooms family home, everything was splendid, especially the weather.

NZ Wedding.  A fantastic day for us to remember.

The happy couple on their Honeymoon, actually there were 11 of us on the Honeymoon... its the modern way.

I have to say great fun was had by all last weekend at ours and now here we are back aboard and heading for Nottingham, in general.

So we arrived at the marina later in the day yesterday afternoon, that handsome godson of mine arrived for a cup of, he is at college nearby.  Always a pleasure to see him.  He is Amanda's youngest and doing finals of A Levels just now.
We ate at the marina restaurant, Haddock in batter with wedges.

No plate but the modern idea of eating off of paper! It didn't tear and was delicious.

Later I tried valiantly to unpack but due to the changeable nature of British springtime weather, i.e. BBC forecast for Tuesday coming is 22 degrees and two days later 13 degrees so I have brought back with me more clothes than we have ever had aboard and I am having trouble keeping cupboard doors shut....  

This morning we set off at the crack of 10:30am.

I thought this was part of CART's tools to combat non licence payers, but its part of the local Sea Cadets toys

Nine cygnets this morning.

Nicest property of the day.

We left the marina this morning and although cloudy it was dry and warmish.   We whizzed along and soon were into Loughborough,    (To my new reader in New Zealand this is pronounced Luff-bra)   we were not stopping in the town today but  did want to top up with water, but two boats moored up on the water point, not at all annoying.

Two boats moored on the water point.

A shower copped us, then the sun came out then another shower but luckily a mooring at Zouch so on it we popped at only lunchtime.  The reason for stopping after only two hours is that we have TV reception and its election day and David will be wanting to sit up late and see what the hell is going to happen to the UK by morning!


Lunch was jumbo prawns with black rice, ginger, red pepper salad, served with a rather nice white burgundy. Yummy or what?

Some things never change....

The day dawned bright and sunny.  It was very busy in Watermead Park, one hundred and one people were out walking their dogs, some were even out walking without dogs.  
Its great to see a great amenity being so well used.  
We fiddled about doing jobs, not that I can name any job I did,  but I'm sure I must have done something useful.

Later we set off from the mooring next to the lock here and had help from the small group of watchers gathered there, always nice to get help opening and shutting the gates.

We carried on through some very pretty water meadows, farmland and some scaggy sections but on the whole it was beautiful countryside and the sun shone brilliantly.

A section of the river Soar

Really hoped he was slip and fall in for the camera but no....

Some very lovely countryside.

We wanted water and stopped at a pub on the canal side where I had spotted a water point 18 months ago, it wasn't in our Nicholson's Guide.  A kindly cruiser owner moved his craft along to let us in and we started what was to become an hours wait while the tap trickled on.  G&T's were served with kettle chips while we waited however I don't think we will be bothering again here for water.

Sileby Mill looking very attractive today.

These two were having fun, but were tricky to pass in the wind with another boat coming when hogging the central lane! 

We rocked up eventually at Barrow-on-Soar, taking one half of a visitor mooring that has a corner a third a way along which effectively meant only we could moor here as we are 70', right behind us was a weir, these generally give me the Heebie Jeebies at night, but Amanda assured me she copied one of my 'Very hard to untie' knots so I was happy.

Barrow-Upon-Soar for the evening.

She tires at last, minutes earlier he was off too

Supper was red pepper and mushroom pilaff with a good merlot.  I washed up while David and Amanda went off together to play Musical cars.

Early next morning Amanda departed.  She has something called "Work" to go to, not sure what that is.....

Some things never change, her tyre was flat again, yes same one.

Polishing, stupendous lunch and a foul up.

Saturday morning and “David the insomniac" was up dressed and out washing the last unwashed and unpolished side boat.  

This left Amanda and I awake, drinking tea and snugged up in bed together talking about the vital things that Ladies have to talk about frequently.

These were actually taken earlier this week when David did the really knee achingly tricky pointy end.

Much later David reappeared having finished his jobs came in for coffee and a rest.  This was sort of a sign for me to go and do my bit.  Polish application.  

I was ready in hours.  I rubbed it on all over and Amanda buffed.  Result? 

Gleaming boat ready for our annual membership to the Shiny Boat Club.  We even did the chrome portholes too.

Moving off about midday we heading towards  Leicester city centre for lunch.

Passed these charming tearooms in this lovely old lock side cottage, I am loving the ancient slate roof.

Just along the way was this amazing piece of history.  Its a Packhorse bridge, it dates from the 1400’s and probably replaced an earlier bridge over this marshy land.  There are eight arches in total and three “Refuges” that is a little space where people could let the horses past.

Beautiful stonework 

Amanda standing in one of the "Refuges", David was in the distance disappearing off on the canal in WaL.

Very narrow, just for horses.

All these centuries and still stands strong.

There were about five locks to take us to the city centre, the river Soar flows in and out of the canal, you know when you are on a section of the river as the water is much clearer, but still not there was not much of a flow.

I think this was called St Mary's Mill.  Lovely old buildings mixed with small amount of modern art.

Last lock before the centre.  On the river again here, pretty clean water.

We moored up on the straight in Leicester.  Ours was the only boat but we moored anyway.  I changed out of my oil smeared fleece and trainers, rouge was dabbed and away we sauntered to our favourite restaurant Kayal   HERE  we found this place 18 months ago and have been every time we come to Leicester.  The food is terrific and was again today.  I had prawns with an onion, garlic, ginger, tomato and mango sauce with lemon rice. Utterly divine.

David was asked if he wanted to join us on a trip to John Lewis (Lovely big department store) but declared he would rather have his wisdom teeth pulled.  So he returned to WaL to read the Sunday paper, in peace.

We had a great time and hardly brought anything……much.

Casting off again late afternoon we trundled on through swathes of floating detritus and rubbish, so disgusting in places I shall forward the photos to the council and MP’s on Monday.

At least someone sort of picks some of it up....

The inevitable happened and the prop became fouled, in every sense of the word.  David did his version of a boy band member stripping off and getting down and dirty on our behalf, us two were a bit helpless as we were on the tow path but the boat could not be pulled into the side due to the shallowness, it took him over half an hour to clear the rubbish, clothing, plastic bags and branches.

The water smelt dreadful.

That pile of plastic was much much bigger when David was finished.

The last lock of the day was also full of rubbish and David decided to pull the boat out by hand to avoid the prop becoming fouled again.

Man handled.

A chilly evening, the heating went on and we moored in the first place we could find in Watermead Park

just before it began to rain.  Its a lovely country park of over a hundred acres not far from the city centre.  

Don’t tell anyone but all in bed by 9:30pm, its all Rock and Roll here for sure.

Broccoli soup and a big bump!

 So with our first full day with Amanda, this meant only one thing, one hell of a long day.  
Not all bad as we are on a wee bit of a schedule to get to Pillings Marina where we are leaving the boat for a week, this is due to a daughter who married the man of her dreams in February in New Zealand, HERE we are returning home for the British version of the celebrations, and I can't wait.

So back to Amanda who has an insatiable appetite for doing locks, oh yes really she does.  
We set off northwards towards Leicester early, David pulled the pins at 7:45am with Amanda whilst I may possibly have still been in bed.  
But the first lock was an hour away and by that time I was actually dressed.  At the first lock,  Amanda I  prepped it, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, David hadn't yet started grumbling and all was well with the world, then BINGO!  Another boat came into view, we opened the gates again and waited for them to join us.

To non boaty new readers, these are all double sized locks on this canal and if you can work them with another boat life is much easier still.  

An elderly man was driving, (That is any man who is older than me), Amanda signalled to me that he was alone on the deck with a baby, well clearly I doubted my ears or at least her signalling skills, but no this was the case.  Shortly afterwards his wife appeared and as we chatted, she explained  that they normally look after their grandchild on a Friday and this was Trial Day boating with a two year old for the first time.....

I was hesitant on the wisdom of this but Hey Ho, I shall not judge.  The baby was strapped into a little chair on the cruiser back of the boat and away we went.  The grandma helping to close the lock gates while Amanda sped forward on a bike to prep the next lock and in some cases the one after that, all preceding speedily enough, or so we thought.

The baby was soon yelling and came out to play with grandma at the lock side....  my anxiety levels were rising, however all was going all right at the moment.  

Wal exiting the lock, grandma hanging on to the little pet.

Later grandad had lifted the baby now strapped back in her chair onto a locker cupboard so she could see a bit more and was happy again.
Whipping through these locks we were making grand progress.  
Then a bump, an "Oh no" and a scream from the baby who had slipped off the locker in the chair and flipped over and face planted on the deck.... 

Grandma had taken her inside and was comforting her while we carried on.  Much later with the dear baby asleep the grandma appeared on deck and declared that the little pet had a black eye and a large bump on her head.  The parents were to pick her up later, it might take a bit of explaining.

Later we found a stretch of straight armco to moor up on, so  after approx 9.5 hours we stopped and cracked open a bottle of sparkly as befits a day with 23 locks under our belt.  High achievement for us not but not a record breaking attempt for the Boat Sharers, I think they have done 38 in a day and maybe few more in addition as they did two flights Lapworth and the Hatton Flights plus a few extras. 

Another beautiful day

It warmed up so jackets were off and sunglasses on.

Supper was on the smaller side as we had stopped at Kirby Bridge for rubbish, water and homemade Broccoli and Stilton soup and a lot of galaxy chocolate which was delish, so for supper we had what we call a New Zealand breakfast, poached eggs on toast with avocados and tomatoes, with Lemon Tart raspberries and thick coconut yoghurt.