Norton Junction

Friday 16 May 2014 – Norton Junction, Grand Union Canal

The chandlers open at 09:00 so I moved onto the fuelling/pump-out point just before and was finished just before 10:00.  I also replaced the fuel lock which had been broken at HighLine Yachting when I last refuelled.

As I got ready to go a boat was just going into the lock and we shared and completed the flight by 11:30 (7 locks and 1 mile).  There had been a steady run of boats in the opposite direction so an easy run.  I have moored at Norton Junction and will remain for the weekend doing maintenance and cleaning before nb ‘ICE BREAKER’ gets inspected and I get told I ain’t looking after her properly.  All the other owners seem to spend most of the time cleaning and polishing.

At the moment I have a couple of ducks wanting to be fed – the lady one has tried three times to leap into the boat through the side hatch so I’ve put the polycarbonate sheet in.

Whilton Marina

Thursday 15 May 2014 – Whilton Marina, Grand Union Canal

Last night I was on my way into Weedon to sample the take-aways when I passed Braidbar 131 ‘Dolce far Niente’ and knocked to say hullo and was immediately invited to stay for dinner by Stephen and Jane.  Honest I hadn’t gone with my begging bowl, however it was a lovely meal and we stayed chatting until 10pm.

This morning with the weather bright and sunny we were both ready to go, me North and Dolce South, and we moved just before the dreaded grass-cutter arrived.  After the first bridge the sun went behind clouds and it threatened rain but I had an uneventful trip to the bottom of the Whilton/Buckby flight.  Once moored out came the sun and it has been lovely and hot all afternoon.  I have finally managed to remove all the petals and leaves that had accumulated while I was moored at Milton Keynes, now I can get on with washing and polishing.

Tomorrow I will refuel and pump-out before heading up the locks so that there will be no problems at Crick

Weedon

Wednesday 14 May 2014 - Weedon, Grand Union Canal

After I had moored up last night and the rain had started again there were half a dozen boats who had been held up on the stoke Bruerne flight including some Wyvern boats.  The works were apparently pressure washing the gates to remove the winter’s growth.

I decided to start early to be through the tunnel before the hire boats and was heading to the mouth of the tunnel at about 07:30, to be stopped by a C&RT volunteer who was waiting for a wide-beam boat to come south and was due in the tunnel at 08:00.  The tunnel is wide enough for two narrow boats to pass but wide-beams have to have booked slots.  The wide boat was also late and did not enter the tunnel until 08:45, just before they would have been told to book another slot.  Waiting meant that the others also got ready and by the time that we were told we could go there were three of us at the entrance with another three still on their moorings.  Fortunately there was no-one after the wide-beam so it was a clear run for all six of us.

An uneventful run except that I stopped to allow three of the ones following to go ahead only to pass them about half a mile further on.  One had stopped for lunch and the others were travelling together but one of them had caught what looked like a cratch cover round the prop so was doing some emergency work.

I travelled on to Weedon where Braidbar 86 ‘Shield Maiden’ was moored and we exchanged pleasantries as I passed.  Just as I was putting away all the lights etc used when navigating tunnels I noticed the boat in front of me had come adrift, fortunately it was occupied so I helped them to get back to the bank and moor up again.

The sun has been out all day and I saw what appeared to be an upside-down rainbow in the clouds.

Stoke Bruerne

Tuesday 13 May 2014 – Stoke Bruerne, Grand Union Canal

A mixed day, woke to the drumming of rain on the roof, which stopped by 08:30 when the sun came out, so I decided to move off.  At the Cosgrove lock there was a single boat coming down with another two more waiting so I was through quickly.  The journey was pleasant in the sunshine but was decidedly chilly in the cloudy bits as well as there being some fairly heavy ‘showers’.  At the Taveners moorings I saw a boat called ‘Marmite’ but it was not the Braidbar one.

When I got to the Stoke Bruerne bottom lock (number 20) I took the opportunity to hose down the boat trying to remove the leaves and stuff from being under trees at Milton Keynes.  This was done in one of the downpours.  When I had filled the lock I saw a Wyvern hire boat approaching so waited for them in the next lock.  Just after we had gone through lock 18 some C&RT staff went into it and asked us to tell boats approaching that they were doing repairs and there would be up to 60 minutes delay.  There was a steady stream of boats going down.

Now that the sun is out and the sky looks blue I have moored up - just before the Blisworth Tunnel which will be tomorrow’s start.

Gosgrove

Monday 12 May 2014 - Cosgrove, Grand Union Canal

This is getting stupid – I do mean to blog each day but have had a few weeks being busy on other things.

Note to self “Must try harder 4/10”

Anyway on with the blog, at the end of April I was moored at Leighton Buzzard where I stayed for the weekend as I had to return to London on the 2^nd for the AGM and Marchers’ Lunch of the London Transport Old Comrades Association.  Thoroughly enjoyable.  I stayed at Leighton Buzzard as it was a Bank Holiday weekend.  Sunday service was in All Saints Parish Church which lived up to my expectations having read the write-up in the Nicholson guide, I was taken round by a member of their Fabric Committee to see the medieval graffiti.

On the 6^th I moved to the Soulbury Three locks in glorious weather, then on to Fenny Stratford and Milton Keynes (Peartree Bridge) in the rain.  Saturday 10^th saw another trip back to London, this time for the 256 (City of London) Field Hospital Past and Present Association Spring meeting.  By popular requests it was a canal trip aboard ‘The Prince Regent’ operated by ‘The Floating Boater’!  The cruise started from Paddington and went to Camden and back with a mixed buffet meal, it was enjoyed by all those who attended

Sunday I went to church in the village of Woughton on the Green, the church is suitably unspoilt with a plain interior.

Today I planned to do some laundry at the Netherfield laundrette but it has been converted into a Halal food shop, ah well at least I have the machine on the boat but drying is a bit of a nuisance.  I then moved on round Milton Keynes to end at Cosgrove.  The day started miserable and raining but from midday the sun has been out and its lovely and warm.