Braunston for the weekend

Saturday 19 May

We wanted to get to Braunston about mid morning, and it always takes longer than you think to get there from Hillmorton. So we made a very early start, and were boating by 7. By half seven we'd cleared the flight (all three locks) - there were a lot of boats about quite soon after we'd set off, and the nearer we got to Braunston, the busier it got.

We tied on the first visitor moorings you come to from the North, just through Bridge 89. There's a path up the fields from there to the village - a steep pull, but then all accesses to the village from the towpath are steep in Braunston.

Our stuff for the Crick Show had arrived at the Post Office already, comprising the mooring permit, a mooring chart, and our wrist bands, all sent there from Braidbar by Maria. One of the things that makes our lifestyle possible is the continuing existence of the Poste Restante service to POs, and the current discussion about reducing the number of rural ones is a worry to us.

Braunston has a good butcher, not as good as Alrewas, but much better than average. We popped in and bought some sausages, bread and chicken fillets. When we got back to the boat, the one behind, a shortish boat called Errol, had gone, making it look as if we had moored very inconveniently, so we pulled back to make the best of the available space. Later in the day, and for the next day, boats kept coming and going, so in the end we gave up and let people think what they liked about our mooring. Otherwise, we'd have been hauling the boat about every hour or two.

After lunch it was internet time again. I did the blog, and played around further with the modem, getting a report of a very fast speed from the McAfee site, better than 2 Mbps, which seems incredible. Other sites gave readings around 700 kbps, which seems more likely. Considering Braunston is a well known black spot for mobile communication, this is very encouraging.

I was feeling lazy about cooking, so we went to the Old Plough for dinner. Of the various pubs in Braunston, this is our favourite. We got there before 6, which is when they start serving food in the evening, and it was as well we did so, as most of the tables were booked.

We had a good meal, and were back at the boat by 8.

Sunday 20 May

After the exertions of yesterday, we had a lie in, and a generally leisurely start. I've had a strange, painless, wobbly swelling appear on the tip of my right elbow, which is, apparently, a case of olecranon bursitis according to the BBC doctor's website. It probably started with a knock, and then all the polishing and stuff has exacerbated it. Anyway, Sheila decreed that it must be rested, so she did the lion's share of the housework on the boat, while I ambled up the hill to get a paper.

I was allowed to help with the cleaning a bit, and the day was enlivened by large amounts of passing traffic, it being a fine weekend at Braunston. For those not familiar with the midlands canals of England, Braunston is a key hub, and always an exciting place to be. There's a website about it here.

After lunch we went for an amble along the towpath, to see if we knew anyone moored here, but didn't spot anyone to speak to. We popped into Wharf House Chandlery, and bought some green toilet chemical, and two new type paint brushes, shaped foam rather than hair - they were quite cheap, so worth trying out for odd touching in jobs.

Back at the boat we drank a cup of tea on the bow, the weather having really warmed up, and thought we spotted a hobby falcon circling above us. Even with the glasses it was hard to be sure, it was very high, and looked very dark against a bright sky. It was too small, and the wrong wing shape for a buzzard, but too large, and not hovering enough to be a kestrel.

The evening was enlivened by more roof dancing ducks. At one point I went out and growled at the duck, who was prancing about on the roof, and at the drake who was circling in the water off the bow. Just as I really got into my stride, woofing away, I looked up to see someone walking along the towpath towards me. Probably thought I was bonkers, but the name of the boat does give people fair warning of this.

The duck had the last laugh, returning for more roof work at 4.15 the next morning.