Monday 15^th June would you believe it?

Well who would have thought that only one year and one day after setting out on our journey our Throttle Cable would snap, and just the day we were going to join the RCR (River and Canal Rescue) it’s like the AA for boaters, well we were only in Hopwas so we called on Eddie who works at Debbie’s Day Boats in Fazeley ( right close to where we moored in the winter) so we knew that he fixed boats and so he came out to us on Monday and fixed a new cable in minutes, and not unreasonably priced, so that sorted we joined the RCR maybe it was a reminder to join Eh !!

We left Hopwas on Tuesday Morning another gloriously sunny day, we have never seen quite so many boats travelling, we must have passed about 40 boats going the other way, that was before we got to Fradley, we stopped to get water before we got in to Fradley and had a bit of lunch, as I was starving I had walked alongside the Boat for an hour this morning, it’s great with my new phone radio walking the dog and singing to my heart’s content, but not anyone else’s content, “you know how bad it sounds when someone has ear phones in and they think they sound great when they are singing ?” well strangely enough I actually do sound great !!!

I am trying a new way of writing as I am rushing and forgetting when I write two weeks after the event so this is my new way of doing it, I check my emails, then check out what everyone is up to on facebook and then write about the day, so it only takes an hour after tea, whilst Richard does the dishes “well I do all of the cooking!!”

Wednesday 17^th “Long Hot Summer”  MY

A**E  I think someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that the meteorological office have predicted it, so today we set off from Armitage, which is erm in England somewhere, and sailed for a couple of hours to Rugeley which I know is in Staffordshire, and it started raining, we were going to stop here and get some shopping anyway, as there is a Morrison’s just over the canal bridge, so we stopped had lunch and went shopping, got a couple of magazines to read and settled in with a cosy fire and it rained and rained and it was blowing a Gale !! So let’s see what you can come up with tomorrow Ma Nature!!

Thursday 18^th June We left Rugeley this

morning about 10ish as Richard had popped back in to the town (just over the bridge) to check out the guitars in the guitar shop, but after waiting more than a quarter of an hour for it to open which was half an hour past opening time he came back and we set off, “Credit Crunch obviously not bothering this chap or he would have been open on time and maybe made a sale!! We were cruising down to Shugborough just to pass time really until we cruise back to Burton to leave the boat. We moored at Armitage which is where we moored last time we came by this way, Friday shuttled off down to Tixall Wide, which is canal that is like “really wide”! it was built this way as the owner of the big mansion house opposite did not want a pokey little canal passing his house, so it was made to look like a lake again, I will put up pictures when I get more power, we spent Saturday here too, just enjoying the countryside, cleaning and polishing the boat and waiting for that long hot summer they speak of!! no sunshine on Sunday either when we left Tixall to navigate back to Burton for Tuesday, infact it was raining, but we did get me a Dinghy to mess about on the water on, well it’s for getting to the other side, sometimes there are wild blackberries in abundance but they are always on the other side, sometimes there is wood to be had, always out of reach, so now I have the dinghy, I have a rope to attach so that Richard can keep tight hold, as there are bound to be tipping in the water incidents, so it is a precautionary measure, we bought it at a place on an industrial estate back in Rugeley, we were also going to have a Sunday lunch, but the bloke in the shop couldn’t recommend a decent place to eat with a proper home cooked lunch, so we popped in to Morrison’s and got some beef and veg and I had created the most beautiful Sunday Roast which was ready when we arrived in Fradley, stayed in Fradley for the night and set off for Barton Turns on Monday morning, we were going in to the Marina to get the laundry dried for our trip away home to King’s Lynn to see our beautiful grandchildren and all, Joey and Jayne popped over to Barton Turns for the evening so we went to the Thai Restraunt which is on the lovely Waterfront sight, it is much nicer than we thought it was last year, as the marina has now become a little cosier with all of the trees and plants becoming more established. Today Tuesday we came back to the marina in Burton where we will leave the boat for the week whilst we go away home. So until next time

Lots of Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

Is this the start of the long hot summer we have been Promised? Sorry that this entry is late again it’s just that, with things to do and places to go, and I had been so good with my last two entries being early, well you know how it is, you know how time flies when having fun !! I left you last entry as we were leaving Zouch which is where I wrote about my tales of losing the washing that’s where we got to after Barrow on Soar, which I find really hard to believe as it seems miles away, but it has been 17 days since I last wrote, I was sure I had told you about this journey, anyway let me begin Zouch is on the Borders of Leicester and Nottingham, it is Loughborough navigation that takes us on to the river Trent, so we travelled through Trent Lock and landed at Sawley Marina which is in Derbyshire, “ come on keep up” I know it’s hard for me too, with my geographical skills being stretched to the very limits, I don’t know if I’m coming or going, any way Sawley is a massive Marina with loads of narrowboats and cruisers, and it was like another one of those holiday resorts, we stayed a couple of nights to use the launderette to dry the sheets as you know I manage everything else but you can’t really dry bed linen, on a clothes horse,from Sawley we caught a bus in to Long Eaton, that was the nearest town, did some shopping and got to the opticians, as I was due an eye test, which I promptly got as a walk in, that’s the term they use for someone without an appointment, well they fitted me in and I had two pairs of new glasses in an hour, now how is that for service, my congratulations to specsavers for their wonderful service. We left Sawley on the Saturday and travelled to Shardlow, the weather was perfect, we had only been there two minutes when we got chatting to Dave and Carol from nb:Nancy Alice, that was at about 5.30pm so four bottles of wine later at about midnight they left, its amazing how you get chatting like this, but it’s lovely and we look forward to seeing them again someday. Joey,Jayne and Kimberley came over on the Sunday 31^st May, I feel I have to put the date to

remind myself really of where we have been since I last wrote.

Monday was another gorgeous sunny day and we travelled on to Weston on Trent, just one of those tiny places where we moor up for a quiet night, that is just in the middle of nowhere, with just the odd boat and the countryside for company. Willington the next night, it was a beautiful little village but the moorings were right, next to the railway line, and what a racket, they were non stop right through the night, great rattling goods trains, never again, however some people have regular moorings there and it doesn’t seem to bother them. On Wednesday we were travelling to Burton, and I had been invited for a lift to Wales as my brother was going to a wedding there, so I called my friend in Aberystwth and said I would have a visit and it just so happened that she was going to a 50^th party, she promptly got

me an invite and that was the weekend sorted, well I did go to the fancy dress shop to get an outfit as it was a 70’s themed party. Went on Saturday came back on Sunday Richard stayed with the boat and the dog, he loves the peace and tranquillity when I go away !! we had to stay in Burton until Tuesday as the fancy dress shop wasn’t open until then, to take my outfit back, so we set off after lunch and only went as far as Branston, the gravel pits there have been turned in to the prettiest waterpark, where Rio suddenly became a water creature, he has never chosen to go in the water (he has fallen in at times) but he was going in up to his neck and dipping for stones, it’s weird really as Giggsy used to do it. We were travelling on to Tamworth after that as we had been invited to a secret 30^th wedding anniversary party of a

boating friend of Joey, he is one of my most avid followers on this site, any way I couldn’t write before and say why we were heading this way incase Colin found out, Heather knew about the party, so that’s my excuse for not writing for so long, any way it was a lovely do, organized by Colin and Heathers daughter Mel and her hubby, he had done a lot of the cooking and the food was lovely, so to Colin and Heather Congratulations and here is to the next 30 years. Today Sunday they came for a visit to the boat as they had not seen it up until, now, however we couldn’t take them on a trip because as we pulled in to Hopwas yesterday, the 13^th of June one

day after our own year anniversary of owning the boat and the guarantee running out, the gear cable or something went, fortunately, we were just coming in to moor up, so that was lucky, any way today, we are waiting for a chap to come and fix it, but would you believe it, the very next day after the year was up, but we have had no problems so far and I think for a new boat that is wonderful, you would expect teething problems, but it’s been plain sailing all the way and we have thoroughly enjoyed our first year of this wonderful life, and lets hope the rest of the summer really is a whole lot better than the weather we had last year.

So for now

Lots of love

Chrissie & Richard & Rio x x x

Hello Again

Well barely a week has gone by and I am writing again,not that I'm bored but as the weather was so bad this morning, blowing a gale raining like crazy we decided that we would have a day, taking it very easy laying in, a while, reading our books, It  was my turn to do breakfast, we always have cereal and coffee in bed, at around 7.30 unless we wake earlier,then it's earlier of course !! We decided to lay in a while as it was so blustery.but last time I wrote we left you at Birstall by the pub, that was last Thursday,and I will say again "time flies I can barely keep up",

Friday Morning we went to the little village in Birstall another quaint clean and tidy village, so that we could do some shopping for the weekend, we are variying our shops, sometimes it's a little Co-oP, this time it was a little Somerfield, so after having always shopped in Tesco,there are other shops not always as well stocked but they do the job and you can try some new own brands, "always interesting",We also brought one of those rugs that you put by the door that traps the mud from muddy paws and shoes, and it's very good, we did have one before, but I lost it in the canal whilst shaking it, however that was 14.99 our latest one was 3.99 much longer and works just as well, I always love a bargain "Dont You" speaking of losing thing's in the canal  "no don't" you wouldn't believe what I've lost so far!! after our shopping was done we had some lunch and travelled to Mount Sorrel which is in Leicestershire another of those places that you would never know existed, we went to the Swan Inn for Dinner tonight as a fellow boater had recommended it, I hate that when you go for a posh dinner and it's never worth the money, well I didn't think so, we read in the town on a poster that there was Dragon Boat Racing at Barrow -on-Soar,so the next day we travelled there, it wasn't far but I couldn't believe it, when we got there a gorgeous little towny type village with holiday caravan sites the lot, it was like the seaside with out the sea it was lovley, and the weather was wonderful, the dragon boat racing and fayre was on the Sunday so Joey and Jayne came over we spent the day eating really, cream cakes on arrival, lunch at the pub and a three course meal cooked by my own fair hands for evening meal, I am a goddess in the kitchen and sometimes I even surprise my self. Monday Joe and Jayne went home and we spent the day here again, as it was Bank Holiday Monday there was a little fete on so I bought some plants to replenish my tubs at the front of Digitalis, but as it was raining on and off today and windy I will put them in when I can.

Tuesday left Barrow on Soar heading  Loughborough way, I put the washing machine on early so that I could get it dried as there was a nice breeze and it was sunny, well after standing up the clothes horse a couple of times, as it had blown over in my cratch ( the bit up front) but I just stood it back up and kept my eye on it, until I forgot about it and Richard saw it fly from the cratch and in to the river and straight to the bottom, no way of retrieving it, "Goodbye, Towels Socks Pants, Jeans t.shirts and anything else that was on there" I will now list what I have lost since starting out and wonder what else is lying at the bottom of the canals and rivers that everyone else loses "OR IS IST JUST ME" Mobile Phone-1, Rugs-3, Cardigans-2  ( 1 clothes horseBath Towels-2 Hand towels-1 T.shirts 2-Boxers-3 (shorts not dogs) 2 pairs of socks + my best boot socks, )  Several citronella candles, 2 solar lights and 1 dinghy oar, we don't have a dinghy yet but someone was giving the oars away and I thought it would be a good Idea to have them, any way I am going to try and be a little more careful in future. oh yeah and Joey lost his Swiss Army knife (or was it me that lost it ) not sure any way must be more carful !!

Until next time

Lots of Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

Debdale Wharf

We arrived at Debdale on Wednesday to get the Engine Serviced, It’s almost a year old now, and it’s gone so quickly, time does fly when you are having fun. On Thursday I stayed in whilst Richard got a lift in to Market Harborough to do a bit of shopping, He got a lift with our friends David and Vivienne from NB “April Fool” we met them when we were staying in MH they had a winter mooring there and are staying there next year too, but they were at Debdale as they are having a new boat built, I had invited them for dinner on Thursday evening so that we could use up everything that was perishable, as we were going to King’s Lynn on Friday, it sounds as if it wasn’t up to much as we were using everything up, but we had a delightful three course meal, Pate with salad for starters, Chicken and Roast Pork (main) and one of my wonderful “though I say it myself” homemade rice puddings, and plenty of wine and chat, a wonderful night was had by all.

Friday we Left the Boat at Debdale while we had a weekend in Lynn, Saturday we spent a lovely afternoon with all of our grandchildren at Sandringham having a lovely walk in the woods in the sunshine, with Harvey, Ellie and Lily, and Simon and Sarah. The rest of the weekend the weather was gloomy, but we had a good time catching up with Linda who always puts us up, and Sally, we came back on Monday we left the sunshine and drove back in torrential rain, we left Debdale on Tuesday and started making our way up the Leicester Grand Union Canal, the rain was on and off so we didn’t go too far, we went through Saddington Tunnel which is not that long, only 800mts and as I am now so good at them, I found time to carry the torch with me and look for the bats that are supposed to inhabit it, in great numbers, “Well I didn’t see any” “maybe they really are vampires and only come out at night” no it’s bats that only come out at night, well that will be why I didn’t see any, they were all asleep in coffins !! we stopped at a quiet place so that we could go in to the village of Wistow to see the model village the next day, well we set off early on Wednesday morning to see the little model village but there was nowhere to moor and then we got to the locks so there was no going back, so I must put that on my to do the next time we pass this way list!!. After seven big locks in between the showers we got to Kilby Bridge and had, had enough so we settled in lit the fire and cosied on down for the night.

This morning another early start we were  up at half six had breakfast, took the boat across the canal to the water point to water up and set off about eight, another load of double locks and no one around to share the work so they absolutely did me in, we needed to get right through Leicester because the books recommend that you don’t spend the night in the centre “ don’t know why” but we didn’t so we had another fifteen big locks to do today, so I am really done in, we usually meet other boats either at the locks or along the way, and we never saw one until we got to the last lock at Birstall, so we are not keen on this canal, as it’s so quiet, but we have passed some really interesting sights, lovely old mills, the big old Dye Works, (which they say used to blacken the water with the dye’s that used to just run in to the canal) but now they have cleaned up their act and the water is lovely and clear, we also passed Leicester City Football Ground the pictures will be up when I have power again, I did put a load of pictures up today between showers, as whilst going through Leicester I did have full 3G+ power so there are pictures, but not all, we have come to rest tonight at Birstall which is a little village the other side of Leicester, which side that is I’m not sure, but we are moored near a pub called the Mulberry Tree so we are just off for a pint, so until next time.

Lots of Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

Hello again

where did I end our last tales, ah yes in Warwick we spent the bank holiday Monday at Saltisford that is the Arm that I may have forgotten to mention that comes off the Oxford canal, its only short but the Saltisford Canal Trust re-opened it and it’s just like a little marina really with a few long term narrow boats and places for us to moor for a very reasonable fee with the added bonus of being able to hook up to the electricity, its right close to Warwick race course and there was a meeting on Monday, didn’t want to go in as the weather was pretty gloomy so I just went and took some pictures of the last race, it’s where we have been all weekend but I may have forgotten to mention it in our last entry. We were going to leave on Tuesday but as the weather was very windy we decided to stay where we were, which turned out nice as in the afternoon the sun was shining and on the picnic benches by the boat we saw our friends from Fazeley Mill Marina, David and Karen from nb “Half Dozen” they were in Warwick doing a little work, and we were as surprised as them to see each other, so we made a pot of coffee and joined them for a catch up, oh and earlier that day a car had fallen through the trees down in to the canal from the estate above, luckily it was on the other side of the canal and didn’t do any harm to anyone but the poor embarrassed owner, who parked without the putting the handbrake on.(check out the picture) will load the rest when I get more power.

We set off on Wednesday with 48 miles, 36 locks( all the big double variety) and 4740yds of tunnels albeit split between the Braunston,Crick and Husbands Bosworth Tunnels, to cover to get back to Foxton Locks, Richard stays on the boat whilst I drive through the tunnels he used to get off and walk over the top, but when I had to do my first long one he said he would stay inside the boat, as I worry about seeing a ghost in the tunnel and dying of fright, “however it wouldn’t be my problem then would it” , we did it over the 4 days just getting to Foxton at about 3pm on Sunday,I had booked lunch for 3.15pm so we were cutting it fine in fact so fine that Joey and Jayne were already there. Another lovely afternoon was had by all.

Monday we went in to Market Harborough on the bus as I needed a haircut, I had already had my hair cut at the a salon in the town so I went in the hope of booking an appointment, however my girl who gave me a wonderful cut last time was on holiday, but the girl on reception said she could do it now, “you know ladies how your hair always looks great on the day you go to the hairdressers” well mine did and I explained to the girl that this is how I like it, sort of graduating down from longer layers on top to shorter as she goes down, well she wasn’t standing on her head but she totally cut it wrong, well the first side anyway, so I said to her that’s not really how I wanted it and she said shall I leave the other side “I ask you whatever  next, was I really going to have half a hair cut?” so she finished, with me saying it was fine and even leaving a tip “as you do” some  hairdressers just can’t cut it !!! Pardon the pun, but maybe she was just the receptionist, I used to think I could cut hair and would often use my little sister as a model, “she did love me doing it, didn’t you Jane ?”.

Tuesday Simon Sarah and baby Lily came for the day, it was wonderful, the sun was shining and although it was a little windy, it didn’t spoil the day, we had a lovely little cruise up the canal and back, then we had some lunch, Lily was a little angel all day, she is our youngest passenger to date, only just over 3 months, we had a really lovely day and can’t wait for them to come again. Today we came down the Foxton  Flight this morning(ten locks) and  travelled the small distance to Debdale Wharf where we are staying while they give us an engine service, so until the next time

Lots of Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

I think I might have Swine Flu,

 Because I came out in rashers yesterday!!  so I called Swine flu Help Line, but all I got was Crackling on the line !! (Only joking) (thanking Beccy Cross for the last bit of that joke) but all of the jokes are out there about the latest world crisis, who makes these jokes up? No sooner something happens and there is a joke about it!!

We left you last blog heading for Leamington Spa which meant travelling through the Braunston Tunnel again which is absolutely as long as could be and I was doing it for the first time on my own, as you know the last time we came through this tunnel we had Chris from nb Almyne (you can read about his travels)      www.almyne.me.uk   as he was in the area, but this time I did need to do it on my own, because the Crick tunnel and the Husbands Bosworth Tunnels that I have done twice now, going and coming back, they are only one way traffic or single file, but this Braunston one is two way traffic and wasn’t it just, all the way through  “well I met five boats going through the 2042yds “ the first one I met must have been on a kink in the tunnel as his lights were blinding me, although we did manage to pass each other with just a brush together, he shouted to me your light are blinding me, and I said to him well your lights are blinding me, but I just think it was the spot we were both at in the tunnel, as the other four boats  I passed we sailed by each other fine and their lights were not bothering me nor were mine  bothering them, (infact they were congratulating me on my fine driving and singing (honest they really were) so I have done it now on my own and passing boats, first time for everything in this game !! we sailed back on to the Oxford Canal and spent a quiet night out in the wilds, Monday 27 April it rained all day we woke up early as usual but decided to have breakfast in bed and just read and I stayed there for most of the morning as it was not worth getting up, not much to do when it’s raining, well I could update this site or do something else, but Hey we do as we please now.

Tuesday the sun was shining so we headed down this beautiful stretch and stopped at a little village called itchington, another of those gorgeous little villages that you would never know existed unless you were travelling like we are on the canals, we got here in the afternoon so we walked in to the village with some beautiful old buildings that I do have photo’s, but as with alot of my latest pictures you will have to wait and see, due to  the remoteness that we find ourselves in we don’t get enough power, so I owe you loads of pictures. We carried on along our course and hit the Stockton Locks, fortunately we met up with another boat at the water point, who were also navigating our way so we shared these double locks, and it makes the task of these big old locks a whole lot easier there were eight of them in all so after these we moored for lunch and then had another three or four locks to do so we stayed with our fellow boaters to do these. Spent the night just outside Leamington Spa and the next day we walked in to Leamington and did some shopping, Leamington is an old Spa Town that is really interesting with some great shops, the towpath where we stayed for the night was the busiest we have seen with runners walkers, jogger and cyclists, so until the darkness came it was like piccalilli circus!!

Friday we headed on to Warwick where we wanted to spend the weekend as it was bank holiday, Joey and Jayne came over and stayed, so on Sunday today we visited Warwick Castle which is absolutely worth the money we paid for the pleasure, £22.oo each with the Dungeon visit that we wanted to see, We also saw an eagle flying demo “brilliant” and what with the weather being superb then the whole day was perfect.

So until next time

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

Hello again

Two weeks in to my Fit Flop test and I'm not sure as they are doing much, I still wear the same dress size and my bum hasn't shrunk any, but there maybe a slight lessening of the cellulite on my bottom, but thats it so far, unless its just that Richard nor I are noticing the changes as he is with me all the time and so he doesn't notice and I am looking for the changes every day so maybe I am not seeing them, and maybe I have lost a little weight but not noticed as I have no scales here on the boat, you will have to wait to see me when you see me !! but I shall carry on with my testing of the said Fit Flops and then when I do see you all you may notice a slight difference or even a major one, " I think I may have to cut out some of the chocolate I consume in a week to see some real progress", I have gotten rid of all the chocolate on the boat ( I ate it) but if you eat it quick in one sitting it burns off quicker!! watch this space and wait and see.

We have travelled off the Leicester Grand Union and are now going back down (up ) I am never quite sure which way we are going, but we are heading towards Warwick, which we do know, as it is where I went to the hospital whilst we were down in Stratford last June and I broke my toe, which all of our avid readers will have read about, at the moment we have only just got back on to the Oxford Canal we spent last night back at Braunston, we saw a few boats that we have met along the way over the time we have been on the canals, this morning at Braunston we met the Australians who live on nb "Matilda Blue" they have finally got all of the problems they had with their Fernwood Boat sorted out, poor things nothing but trouble, but they are off and getting the boat lifted over to France to do Belgium and France waterways. We also saw nb "Alnwick" again always nice to see folk that you have met before and catch up with travels.

We are heading for Leamington Spa tomorrow weather permitting, hopefully we can travel a good few hours as I need to put the washing machine on and need travel hours for the batteries, or invertor, or whatever it is that makes us go recharge, its usually ok tho and we always have plenty of power.The weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday is for heavy rain and severe weather warnings, the Barometer which we got from an antique sale in Market Harborough only ever says "change" so I dont think we have it set right, I thought you just tap them and they automatically point to the weather we are having or going to have, but apparently you have to set it on the right pressure or something, but I will have to ask someone that knows? maybe some of you out there know how I should set the thing? please let us know if you do, we would love to hear from you with the correct pressure setting.

Thats it for now, until the next time

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

ps pictures are not being put on at the moment as out in the couyntry side they take to long as I am only on 2G (whatever that means)

Happy Easter to you:

Late again I know, but it’s the thought that counts! We spent another week in Market Harborough which is lovely, in fact I don’t know if I told you but it’s so nice we have booked a mooring spot for the winter months when we can’t travel. Not much happening at the beginning of the week just mooching round the shops and spring cleaning the boat as we were expecting Richard’s sister Marion and her Husband Neal for a weekend trip, but on Tuesday we got a call from our friend Sally who was in Stratford with friends,  she had fallen and broken her ankle and needed an operation to have pins and plates put in, which meant she wouldn’t be able to get her car back so on Thursday Richard took the train down to Stratford to pick her up and take her back to King’s Lynn, which then meant he had to get a lift back to the boat with our visitors so I had to finish getting the spring cleaning done on my own, so get well soon Sally, although I know you won’t be reading this as you find it far too boring !!

Good Friday started beautifully so I went down the shops as  I wasn’t expecting Richard and the visitors until about three ish, I went to the shops in a t-shirt no coat as the sun was shining and it was really warm, but as soon as I started to shop the sun went in and it started to drizzle and then it drizzled for most of the weekend on and off, so instead of setting straight off on Friday we stayed put and went for dinner at the Union pub which is just a step away from the boat at the Marina, nice dinner and a couple of pints so thanks for that Marion and Neal. Saturday we had a lovely cooked breakfast and took off up the canal to Foxton Locks, ten locks in a staircase and as it was bank holiday there was a three and a half hour wait at the bottom so we had a spot of lunch and a drink whilst we waited, the locks were a whole lot easier for me as I had loads of help from Neal “NOT” well he was a tiny bit helpful, no he was o.k. ish !! “only joking Neal” but it would have been so much nicer had the sun have been shining, We spent the night out in the gorgeous countryside and came back the next morning down the locks and back to the Marina, we only had a fifteen minute wait at the locks this time although we did set out early just in case we had another long wait. I can’t put the pictures up as the G power here is absolutely useless, but you can’t be in beautiful countryside and expect a good connection “can you” let me know if I am wrong. Richard and I spent Sunday at the Marina and then set off back up the canal heading for the locks again on Easter Monday we weren’t going to go through the locks as it was still bank holiday and there would have been the same long queues’ as we had encountered on Saturday so we moored some way back down the towpath, so we called Joe and Jayne and told them where we were and they came down to the Locks which as the sun was now shining was a whole different place, the locks are a real tourist attraction and there are restaurants and bars and it’s just a lovely place to walk and just spend a sunny afternoon, so we had Dinner sat outside of the canal side restaurant and stayed until about eight until the sun went down. Tuesday caught the bus in to Market Harborough as I needed the bank and some shoes “more shoes I here you cry” well actually they are my new multi Gym, Fit Flops, they are allegedly going to tone most of the muscles in my body, make me 3 dress sizes smaller and cure all of my ails “I’ll let you know how they do” it just seems all too easy to put on a pair of shoes and just walk, they will become every girls dream it any of the above work and If they do work I will justify the cost as a whole lot less than a Gym membership not that I ever had a gym membership “ I was always waiting for this easy option”( Wait and See)

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

Back again to King’s lynn

Hello again a happier entry this week after last week’s sad entry about our poor old giggsy, also I was a little mixed up with my dates we left to go to King’s Lynn on Thurs 27^th and had 10 days

there, as we were both able to go together this time as we didn’t have Giggsy, we hired a car from Crick which we had heard about whilst we were there a couple of weeks ago and that they were very cheap so that’s what we wanted, so our new friends David and Vivienne on nb April Fool who we have met here at the marina at Market Harborough took Richard to pick the car up and then he came back with it to load us up and off we went, staying with Linda as usual, we got to see Simon and Sarah’s baby Lily Mia who has grown in leaps and bounds, and Hayley and Jamie’s Harvey and Ellie, Jamie cooked another of his wonderful Sunday Lunches. we got out to see one of Richard’s favourite blues bands “Gin House” who were playing at the pub in Dersingham.

We came back on Saturday always lovely to get back home again there is no better bed than your own, we arrived back so while I unpacked and got the washing done Richard did the shopping, not been back long when we got talking to a lovely couple on one of the holiday boats who had arrived back at the marina to drop off the boat, so I invited them around for a cup of coffee and a look at our boat,  then we shared a bottle of red, reminded us of the wonderful times ahead and why we love boating so much and why we are living this lovely relaxing life that we lead, because we are always meeting really nice people, so when we drink our next bottle of red, we will think of Alan and Wendy and thank them for leaving it for us this morning before they left to go back to the real world in Oxford and when we pass by your way, on the Oxford canal we will give you a shout. On Sunday Joe and Jayne came over for lunch I cooked this time a lovely mustard and honey chicken with salad, and loads of profiteroles for dessert, always lovely to see them, Joe and Jayne I mean not profiteroles. We kept the car an Extra day so that we could drive to Tamworth on Monday cos we had papers to sign, so that done we came back to crick to drop off the hire car at the most gorgeous farm house come garage and workshop with beautiful gardens and stables, with the most delightful dapple grey ponies hanging out of them just waiting to be kissed, well they couldn’t get away could they, “ don’t know if I mentioned it but I love the smell of horses and kissing them on their velvety noses” Mentalist Stuart would say (that’s my son) but you just can’t beat it, that’s it for now, until after Easter when we have a couple of visitors coming to stay and have a little trip out with us for the hols, so see you soon Marion and Neal.

Bye for now

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

Sorry I’m late again!! (Neal Mcgee) another avid reader hounding me !!

But I really do have a reason not an excuse, we lost poor Giggsy on the 19^th

March so we were a bit upset and I had to tell all of his family and friends that have known him all of his fifteen years, before I told all of our readers, I mean it wouldn’t have been very good if one of giggsy’s friends had tuned in to this site and found out he had died on here, well what can I say in his obituary he was a wonderful companion, whilst walking in the countryside, but apart from that he has been pretty crazy all of his life really, from the moment we took him on at 8 weeks old, he has tried to run away, on his first walk he took off and had us chasing round after him for hours and it carried on much the same, giggsy would run away come back some hours later as black as a free range pig that had been rolling in the smelliest thing he could find to roll in, whilst we were in Wales, it was dead fish, dolphins, crabs, jellyfish, or any other smelly thing the sea could wash up, then we moved to London, for a while, he still took to running away, only this was more dangerous, we would be out for hours thinking he would be killed on the road or railway, but no, not Giggsy, he was street wise by then, avoiding capture from the dog warden, I only thought of that today, I used to think every time after hours of searching right we will wait for the dog warden to call and say they have him, but he was never captured, but then they would not have stood a chance with his whiley ways,we then came to live in Norfolk, a new countryside for him to explore, the first time he ran off while we lived on a busy road, but he survived, we then moved to a village West Winch, which was safer but he still had the A10 to negotiate which he did on many occasions if he managed to dig his way out, or someone came to the house and left a gate open, after some years of taking to the countryside whenever the fancy took him, and don’t get me wrong he was well walked, and it wasn’t like he needed to get out, we moved back in to the town, by this time Giggsy was about 10 years old, he got out of the house once so I was called from work I also called Richard from work, and we started hunting the town for him, we spoke to many people who had all had sightings of him, so we looked and looked, Richard found him standing, as if waiting to be picked up, ( not sure if I said but whenever he ran away before as soon as he saw his pursuant he would disappear, ) but this time he just stood and Richard said it was as if he had become too old to cope with the roads and the traffic of the town and was glad to be apprehended, so that was the end of his running away, and from that day he would dive to the door as if to escape but then he would look and think, “ no I don’t think I will do that”. He was still singing his favourite song(Mellow Yellow by Donovan ) up until last year when I think he became a little deaf, he would howl along to the radio whenever it was played, he also sang along to other tunes that took his fancy, he had a jolly good innings and he had become old and frail and when he had a stroke and we took him to the vet, the vet suggested that he had had enough and it was best to let him go, so that’s what we did, he died in my arms and all of the stiffness that had slowed him down over the past year disappeared and he just melted away.

Aaahh that was sad re reading it, hope you were not to upset.

We left you last time, when we had come down the Foxton Locks, we sailed on down the Market Harborough Arm of the Leicester section of the Grand Union Canal, this part was not quite as pretty as what we had just come through, but we were a whole lot lower down now, so we were not having the views over the countryside that we had been seeing, but still lovley non the less, I had two swing bridges to manouver along the way, the first one was fine but the second was a road swing bridge and after struggling, for a while I could hold the traffic no longer so I let them through and got Richard to come and do it while I took the boat through, "cos I can drive you know", but I’m usually too busy with my binoculars and reference books to check out what wildlife I am actually seeing, further down the M H Arm we passed a Bone processing plant, that absolutely stunk, we had been warned about this stink, whilst we were in Sharm El Sheik, (Weird I know) but whilst Chatting to Colin & Catrina some people we met, he told us that he used to work there and that it is well known for its smell, and it was also in our Canal Map book, so it must be smelly to get a mention in a book.

We travelled to Market Harborough and it was such a lovely Marina and gorgeous little Market Town that we thought we would stay a few days, and then poor Giggsy died, so we stayed there, Joey and Jayne came over for lunch on Sunday lovely to see them again!! No really it was, we came back to King’s Lynn for a week on Monday so we left the boat tucked away in the marina.

That’s it for now

Love

Chrissie & Richard & Rio x x