Spring!! Boing!!

What a very nice day this is being. It's not going to last – rain is forecast for tonight – but it's been wonderful whilst it was here. As a result, we've kept busy with the preparations for cruising. First though, since it seems to be important to him, I should let Mr Holt know that we didn't go and get a paper this morning. ;)

Instead, we had one delivered by Sainsbury's. I had to order about 150 quids worth of other stuff to get it, but it was worth it, of course. Before then, we'd been over to the service wharf and had a pump out and refilled with diesel. I'd originally planned just to have the pump out, but with all the stuff that's going on in North Africa and the Middle East these days, I thought getting the tank filled was a good idea, just in case there's a rash of panic buying over the weekend. We've been here before, and it can get quite tedious. It also means that we can just set off on Monday without heading back onto the wharf.

Before that, last night in fact, we went to the Clifford Arms for dinner. This was a great success. The restaurant was quiet, with only two other tables in use whilst we were there. The menu is much more extensive than it was, and the portions are ridiculously large.

My starter of Red Chilli and Ginger Chicken Goujons would have been a satisfactory main course with some chips, and was served with a couple of pieces of good crusty bread. Sheila's Creamy Mushrooms were just that; again a good sized portion, and that bread to use to mop up the last of the sauce.

Sheila's Lamb Shank was a sensible size, and served with a lot of chips, salad and peas. The meat was silky soft and slipped off the bone onto her fork. My Rib Eye Steak with Melted Stilton was enormous, exactly rare as ordered and a good solid mouthful. I too had a load of chips and peas and salad.

To be honest, it was far more than I wanted, especially after those goujons, and the chips did let the rest down. They'd been fried in oil before it was hot enough, so that they'd soaked it up and tasted, well, oily, which, when you're struggling to find room for them anyway, is not what you want.

Nonetheless, a good meal, just what you'd want after a day's boating, and at £35 for two, including drinks, excellent value. Highly commended.

This afternoon, we've cleaned the engine room, washing the floor and almost everything else really. The fine weather meant that we could have the doors open, and really get stuck into it. Sheila has also washed all the crochet, so that the porthole doilies are shining clean again.

Into Stafford tomorrow, then Elanor is coming for the afternoon and for dinner before going on to her London wrg weekend, leaving Sally with us.