I can see clearly now...

Monday 9 April

Although there was no great rush to start the day, we were well aware of how busy the cut had been yesterday, and that today was also a holiday. So we set off at 9 and made the short trip to the Morrison's mooring and did a good shop. Sheila then carried on boating while I put the stuff away.

I'd just about finished when the call came echoing through the boat "Bow, please" and I looked out to see that we were approaching the Shobnall visitor moorings. Despite our fears, there were a couple of spaces, one just being vacated, and in we popped.

It was just nice time for lunch - it is nice when things come together.

After lunch, I made the changes to yesterday's blog, and then wondered how to use a pleasant but not scorching afternoon. In the end, I cleared out the well deck in the bow, moving the two remaining coal bags into the bread tray on the roof, and shifting the coal box, the bucket and the folding crate that holds the ready use wood onto the towpath.

Then I washed, rinsed and dried the whole area, before putting the coal box and wood crate back. By placing the bucket on the gas locker lid in front of the cratch, there was now room to put our folding chairs in the well deck and drink a well deserved cup of tea.

Sheila, who had been working inside on the family accounts while all this was going on, promptly announced that the sun was behind the boat and the well deck therefore in the shade. Accordingly, she put the folding chairs and the table out on the grass section of the towpath, and we drank our tea out there.

Philosophical question: if a man speaks alone in the forest, and no woman is there to hear him, is he still wrong?

Note: in any argument with Sheila, I have the last words. These words are "yes, dear".

Tuesday 10 April

Today is opticians day. Our appointments were at 10.35, so a truly leisurely start was possible. This will be the reason why we woke at 6.30 and were up and about by 8.

The time was put to good use by catching up with emails and the like, before we set off to walk into Burton at 10. This got us to the centre by about twenty past, just time to buy a paper and go into Specsavers with ten minutes in hand. This was our first encounter with the Burton Specsavers, and we were pretty impressed both with the design of the shop and the efficiency of the staff. Last year we went to Boots, and weren't.

It took quite a while to deal with the two of us, especially as my diabetes means I now get the fancy digital pix taken of my retinas. These are then forwarded to the consultant in the local eye clinic. Fascinating to see on screen what the doctor or optician sees when s/he peers into your eye with the ophthalmoscope.

All was well, and we went off to do a bit more shopping, including a trip into Thornton's choccy shop, to take advantage of their post Easter sale. My vision was a bit blurry, having had the pupil dilating drops in my eyes, but not enough so's I couldn't give meaningful consent to Sheila's purchases.

We got back to the boat, tired, hungry but reasonably content in time for a late lunch.

After lunch, Sheila gave a master-class in reversing and turning (again) this time to get us into the Jannel service point. This is in the entrance to their marina, what's left of the old Bond End canal that used to join the Trent and Mersey to the River Trent, which was originally navigable to Burton. After taking on 148 litres of diesel, we came out and ran down to the Morrison's mooring again, where we're going to meet Elanor tonight, together with a load of wood she's bringing us from her weekend at Stuart's house, where they re-roofed his garden shed.

After today we're heading back to Alrewas area, so there may be a hiatus in blog posting because of the poor Orange connection there.