Bubbles, Bras and Trolleys

Blue Bank Lock

Morning All

What do people do on a sunny Sunday in May? There are lots of walkers, runners and cyclists on the towpath as you would expect. Some are loaded down with rucksacks, others have large cameras but most are out to enjoy the sun with their canine companions. We met a couple with their video camera set up on a lock arm, taking photos of bubbles, which she was blowing using a very large bubble wand. I wanted to ask questions, but they were Polish and it's hard enough communicating in your own language without starting a mime conversation about the size of someone's bubble wand. Any communication can go badly wrong when there's 57ft of narrowboat between you. 'Which gate do you want' leaves my lips but Carl can't hear and he thinks if he nods and says 'Yes' that I won't notice. I digress as usual, now who else have we spotted hanging around the Grand Union Canal.

Mum and brood

This morning, as we set off from Kilby Bridge, there was a lone fisherman sitting on his fishing box surrounded by lots of expensive kit. He had set up right in front of a sign that said 'No Fishing' but I wasn't about to point that out to him - no use spoiling a nice day. I wished him a good morning and picked my way carefully through the assorted poles, sweaters, lunch boxes and averted my eyes from the box of pink maggots - they look so gruesome just wriggling there, waiting to be drowned.

Canal and River Trust working boat

Further along we chugged by a family with several long ropes dipping in the water, dragging them in and then throwing them out again. This is the new national sport of 'Magnet Fishing' and the whole family were delighted with their pile of rusty bikes and old shopping trolleys. It seems totally pointless to me but we waved and smiled anyway and I hoped they wouldn't find anything sinister. I heard that someone dredged up an old hand grenade which stopped the traffic till they called in the bomb squad to make it safe.

Magnet Fishing - a prize haul

As we passed through the outskirts of Leicester, the gardens backing onto the canal look as if they've all had Charlie Dimmock in. Whole gardens slabbed or decked, water features and pergolas with lush green shrubbery and some really cute little garden cabins (they are much too posh to be called a shed!) A beautiful blue ceanothus caught my eye and I quickly dismiss thoughts of our weedy patch at home and hope that we aren't letting the side down in Pug City. Mums and Dads are sitting out on their patios, some still in there dressing gowns, enjoying the Sunday morning sunshine and we wave to the toddlers and chug along in our own patch of paradise, through the heavenly hawthorn towards our mooring which is a field between Gee's Lock and Blue Bank Lock. That's seven big locks for me today and eleven yesterday - it was good to get back to some proper boating after hanging around in Market Harborough for so long. It's too tempting to pop into one of their many coffee shops when you're wandering around, especially when we meet up with our friends Richard and Mel. They rescued us from the prospect of a very Wet Wednesday and scooped us up for a trip into Northampton and lunch at the Vintage Retreat. I think you can guess that the place is full of things from the last century, a bit like us really. I was tempted by a folding tea trolley, I know that sounds a bit odd, but I do have a bit of a thing for a nice trolley. I'm still trying to live down the time I set up the one in the village hall with a dozen cups and starting pouring tea for the thirsty crew who were decorating there. I hadn't closed the catch properly, so it waited till I had a tray full of filled mugs, then folded up and shot everything on the floor. Luckily, I was outside the hall so there wasn't much mess to clear up, but sadly, some of the mugs lost their ears. 

Market Harborough Basin

We finally left the Market Harborough Arm on Thursday and trundled back through the two swing bridges and turned right towards Leicester. We have travelled this route often and love the peace and tranquility of the Grand Union as it slips by Saddington and Smeeton Westerby without bothering them and on through the Saddington tunnel by Fleckney to Kibworth Top Lock. We're very happy to find that another boat has just left the lock in front of us and they waited for us at the next lock so we could travel together. It's always nice to share the broad locks and we were hoping to travel with them all the way to Kilby but after four locks they said they were mooring up for coffee. Carl and I always use the 'stopping for coffee' excuse to avoid travelling with 'undesirables'. This may sound a bit harsh but when you're trapped in a lock with the exhaust fumes of a poorly maintained boat, then you do look for a way to part company amicably. I was sorry to lose them (I tried not to think that they thought us 'undesirables') but then we found the next 6 locks were all set for us and we made good time through them in spite of having to shut both gates each time. No matter how careful Carl is when exiting the lock, the other gate always swings open. Even so, we were moored up by the Navigation Inn just in time before the heavens opened and it pelted with rain. It sort of made up for the previous day when we passed a very nice mooring spot but decided to carry on, as it was such a nice sunny afternoon. Within ten minutes, big black clouds rolled in and it hailed for a while, then rained torrentially until we were soaking wet and cold. When we finally got to another mooring and tied up, the rain stopped and the sun shone hotly on our steaming coats. We called it a day and spent the evening watching the skyscape of clouds rolling across Smeeton Hills.

Skyscape

Tomorrow we reach Birstall and the dreaded dentist appointment. I don't know how long we'll be there as Carl is talking about painting the roof if we get a dry spell. I'll write again next week and let you know how it's going. I hope you have a good week, wherever you are and whatever you're doing.

Love from
The Floating Chandlers

ps Hats off to the Moonwalkers who stepped out around the streets of London in their decorated bras to raise money for Breast Cancer Care. Our friends Jody, Jill and Carolyn finished at 4.32am and there's still time to donate on www.walkthewalk.org if you'd like to.

pps We had our first sighting of cygnets this afternoon – it made my day.

Saddington Tunnel

Saddington Tunnel

Milepost

Apple blossom

Cygnets are here

Bee stopped for a rest

M

Market Harborough reflections

 

Sunny morning

May morning - hawthorn is out

Swing bridge at Foxton