Hedgerow Jottings: Bluebell Buggy

Secret Pool by the Water Park in Birstall

Dear Jotters
It was hard to tear ourselves away from Birstall and the most excellent company of our friends Keith and Jan. On Monday, we had an excursion with them to the tea rooms at Copt Oak, run by the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation. It was warm enough to sit outside and enjoy the splendid views over Charnwood Forest and then we had a hair-raising golf buggy ride, down the valley and through the bluebell woods, to Ulverscroft Manor. I made an unscheduled donation to the Trust's funds by leaving my best cardigan on a rail when I tried on a summer jacket in their charity shop. I hope they got a good price for it, it was almost new! If you're ever up that way, it's a great place to visit, especially when the bluebells are out.

We got the dreaded dentist appointment out of the way on Tuesday morning then tidied the cobwebs out of the cratch ready to receive Jan and Keith on board for an afternoon cruise. Jan has long wanted to come aboard and have a cruise with us but, even with the help of her robotic leg, we weren't sure she could get over the gunwales. Jan is a very determined lady and made it aboard with hardly a murmur and was soon installed in the bows in her racy pink wheelchair ready for the cruise. Those of you who are regular readers know that the Captain really hates windy weather and that it can make turning the boat a little tricky. Today we have two turns to make and a stiff breeze to contend with - not a great combination but, as always, the Captain is up for the challenge. With the first turn completed successfully, we glided along the river and I left our guests enjoying the view to remind Carl that Jan was in the bows in her chair. 'Don't put the bows in the bushes will you' and went back to make the tea. What can I say - the wind caught us as we turned and blew us straight into a dog rose that was just coming into flower. Jan got a really close up view, although Carl stopped short before they actually snagged her hair. The boat jammed across the river and there was nothing for it but to deploy the long pole with Carl and his muscles on the end of it, to rescue the situation. I think Jan enjoyed the drama, but it was a relief to finally swing free and and resume our leisurely cruise back the way we came. I'm happy to say that everyone survived the afternoon and we're all still friends - we were sorry to say goodbye to them on Wednesday, after one final farewell coffee which turned into brunch and then – oh! what the heck, let's set off tomorrow!

It was a terrible shock going through the locks on Thursday morning – we needed hats, gloves and a coat on - it felt like winter was here again. We meandered through the Water Park towards Thurmaston and sipped hot coffee while we surveyed the grey skies, hoping to see the sun peeking through. It was late morning before, finally, the sun came out and the rest of our journey through the meadows from Mountsorrel to Barrow-upon-Soar was idyllic. By the time we moored up by Bridge 34, jut outside Loughborough, the sun was beating down and the icy wind had mellowed. Carl took himself off to his 'shed' (stern deck) and varnished the back doors while I sat on the tow-path with my IPod on shuffle and my crochet hook flying along, trying to keep up with the rocking tunes. Three beautiful horses in the field opposite cantered along the bank, nuzzling and play fighting, rearing and bucking then playing tiggy to the trees and back. I sat out until the hawthorn blossom filled my knitting bag and got into my tea cup, we do love the blossom but it gets everywhere - the roof, the cratch covers, the floors and every mat in the place has a sprinkling of Mother Nature's confetti.

On Friday we planned to go to Loughborough, but heavy rain persisted till after lunch, so we thought we'd stay put on this lovely mooring till Saturday, which promised to be dry and warm. The Great Central Steam Train station is close by and, once it fined up, we followed the signs and the clouds of steam, to find the ticket office. We bought platform tickets and drank tea and ate Genoa cake in the beautifully preserved refreshment rooms until it was time for the 13.45 steam engine to depart - which it did, right on time There was a tremendous snort and whistle and that lovely 'pish de coo' sound that reminds me of watching 'Ivor the Engine' on our first colour tv (there's a prize of an afternoon cruise if you can guess the year without resorting to google). The dining cars looked very inviting with snowy white napkins and gleaming cutlery, it's a treat we've always promised ourselves, dinner on the Charnwood Forester - one day, soon, maybe. Wistful face emoji.

We were up and off on Saturday morning to get to Loughborough and moor in the basin for the 'Big Shop'. I needed new boat mats and kitchen scales and Carl needed Man Stuff from Wilko's. I waited outside the back door of Wilko's with Tricky and after about a trillion years, I rang Carl's phone to make sure he'd remembered where he left us. He was most indignant but did tear himself away from drooling over the nuts and bolts so I could do my shopping. Later, we met up with Terry and Liz, and toured the town sampling a few ciders/beers/gins (pick your poison) while we caught up with their news. Then it was "All Aboard' the Lady Aberlour for a cruise to Zouch in the last of the afternoon sun. It was a treat for me - I made the tea and pottered in the cabin while Carl and Liz worked the locks and Terry steered the boat – I was glad of the rest! The Plough in Normanton had space on there moorings and we whipped the boat round and headed back to stake a claim to this prized position. We edged gently in and tried to shoehorn our 57 foot boat into the 55 foot gap but in the end we had to give up and chug on to Zouch – what a shame, their beer garden looked so inviting. We found plenty of room to moor up by the Rose and Crown and so ended another very enjoyable day with good friends. Enjoy your retirement Terry and Liz and come back soon.

That's all from me for this week - have a great week everyone, let me know how you're doing if you get a minute.

Love and hugs

The Floating Chandlers

PS Do come along and join us for an Afternoon Cruise if you fancy it – bring your own secateurs.

PPS Now that I have new weighing scales, scones are back on the menu.