Putting the Flags Out

Morning All

It's another holiday weekend and the weather is doing its best to spoil our fun. One of the pleasures of living on a boat full time is that we get to enjoy the best of the weather when it arrives and can hunker down in our warm cosy cabin when the chilly winds blow. On Tuesday, the sun shone and we were very happy to chug along in our tee shirts, especially as we could share the lovely weather with our friends Ian and Di. The rest of the week has involved quite a bit of hunkering down and even a bit of splashing through puddles, and for once, the rain was a very welcome sound. I'm very pleased to report that we spotted a Kingfisher on Thursday and how excited was I! That's the first kingfisher for a very long time and I hope it's a sign that the wildlife is beginning to recover from last years "Beast from the East'. The month of May is a real celebration of the English countryside, the hawthorn hedges are putting on their finery ready for the show and the cow parsley is washing a gentle creaminess across the grass verges. I've spotted a lilac in full bloom in an old fashioned garden by the canal and I defy anyone not to be uplifted by the song of the wren or the blackbird on sunny morning. My heart will always gladden at the sight of the new babies, the lambs and ducklings, the goslings and those little black bundles of ugliness that are moor hen chicks. I'm just waiting for the arrival of the cygnets, who are as reticent as the Royal sproglet about making an appearance.

Cow Parsley

The week started out with our usual Monday Morning Mindfulness exercise which consists of waking at 6am, saying the Retired Persons Mantra 'Blessed are the Retired for they shall get to go back to sleep on a Monday Morning' then turning over and nodding off again. I only stir when the ducks start pecking at the algae on the waterline or the first boat of the day chugs by and Carl has riddled the stove and got a blaze going. Once I'm huddled by the stove in my dressing gown with my first cup of coffee then I like to savour the warmth for a while. It's the best part of the day and sometimes I even stretch it out to a second cup of coffee and maybe some toast if I don't like the look of the weather. Eventually, Tricky will get up and glare at me to remind us that she needs to go out for towpath inspection and so my day begins...

Woody the Tree Stump

We arrived at Foxton on Monday afternoon and found a nice spot to moor at the top of the locks. As is usual when expecting guests, I had hoovered out the cratch and shook the mats, so I was feeling quite relaxed on Tuesday morning when Carl asked me what time our visitors were arriving. 'I expect they'll leave home about 9, and they're stopping at Sainsburys on the way so we've got plenty of time'. Ping, went the phone. Message from Di - 'Nearly there, I hope you are up' Oh my word, you should have seen me move! I was down the boat like a streak of greased lightening, hopping into my clothes and calling to Carl to put the kettle on. That will teach me to laze around in my jammies in the morning! Luckily for me, Ian and Di saw the funny side of it and we started the day with much merriment and a breakfast butty from the Top Lock cafe. As we sat on the bench, looking over the splendid view, the mist rolled away and the sun came out and it shone all day as we took the boat down the locks and onto the Market Harborough Arm, a perfect day for a cruise.

G & T time for the thirsty crew

That turned out to be the best day of the week, so I'm glad we made the best of it. We've tootled around Foxton all week, chugging to Debdale Wharf for fuel and back and then down into Market Harborough on Thursday for the 'Big Shop'. I had a long list of things I need - butter and cheese from Aldi, nuts from Lidl, salmon and Moo pies (Carl loves a Pieminister pie) from Waitrose, dog food from Sainsburys and coffee and a new dog bed from B&M. By the time I got to Sainsburys, the bank had blocked my debit card and I had to pay with real money until they untwisted their knickers and allowed me back into their cashless world. Carl won't have any truck with contactless so I think he might have had a bit of a smirk when I told him that my card had been declined. I'm sure the cashier in B&M thought I was a bag lady - her painted-on eyebrows twitched alarmingly when I asked if I could try my card again but using the PIN number this time, to see if that would fool it. Of course, it declined again - how mortifying! I scrabbled in my handbag for the 'emergency fund' which is tucked in the back of my phone and that's when I saw that the bank had been sending me text messages to ask me if I was the mad woman traipsing around every supermarket in Market Harborough, spending small amounts. I hope they get that glitch ironed out in the new cashless society that is apparently just around the corner.

Full complement of crew going down the flight

 We'll be mooching around this area for a little while, catching up with friends and family in Northampton if there's still a bus service running that way. Public transport is very precarious these days with cancellations and route changes making anything more than a short journey into the town centre very challenging. I think it will become part of the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme soon as it is so hard to read the complicated timetables and plan a route that might depend entirely on whether today is a school day or not. How on earth are you supposed to know which schools are on holiday when? Don't even think about ringing the 0870 number for help - it laughs in the face of 'free minutes' and runs up an eye watering bill while it tinkles merrily about 'Caring for our customers' and playing Greensleeves at a £1 a minute. I'm a pensioner, I'm allowed to rant!!

A grey morning 

 That's it from me for this week. I hope you all enjoy your Bank Holiday Monday, in spite of the chilly winds and do drop us a line if you've got a minute. I need some reassurance that there is life after 'Brexit'

Love as always

from

The Floating Chandlers


PS I have hung some flags in the cratch and I'm very pleased with the result. Boris the cratch spider is not happy with the new arrangements and has retired to the wood box to sulk.

Flags of Happiness

PPS Good luck to the my friends in the ukulele group who are playing at the May Fair next week. I'm doing my best to keep up with my practise but I am missing our weekly get together.

Carving on a mile post

Pretty planters at Foxton Locks

Peeping out of the side hatch

On our way to the pub