To the Morrisons mooring

Thinking that our eye test appointments were starting at 9.30 tomorrow, we decided to go to the Morrisons mooring, half way between Branston and Shobnall, today. This meant a reasonably early start, since we had to wind Sanity Again first. Accordingly, we set off at 7.45, just after I got back from a quick trip to the shops for, guess what, bread and a paper.

Sheila did her usual skilled job of the winding, though the winding hole below Bagnall is frankly only just long enough for 70'. It looks a lot longer, but the bend in the towpath opposite means that this is deceptive. Sheila motored the stern round, but actually I wonder if next time I'm doing it, I might not try just resting the stem on the fender at the back of the hole and hauling the stern round with a line.

Anyway, it was just on eight as we set off back for a straightforward run. Most of the locks were more or less with us, and we started to see some traffic going both ways. The weather was clear and cold, very pleasant as long as you were well wrapped up.

On this point, I should mention that we've been keeping the stove in all day for the last couple of days, so the boat is only chilly first thing in the morning. I suspect most boaters are in the same position, though some Kiwis turned Aussies living somewhere up the Llangollen are apparently making a virtue out of shivering in their multiple layers of clothing without even the Webasto on.

/hmm

It's all right, Tom and Jan, you are allowed to light the fire even though we're still on summer time you know…

;)

We got to the Morrisons mooring just after eleven, to find one boat at each end, so we've tucked ourselves in as neatly as we can, hopefully leaving room for one more here.

After lunch, we had handy texts from Vision Express reminding us that our appointments start at ten, not nine thirty, so we could have stopped at Branston. Oh well, it'll mean a lazier start in the morning, that's all, when we'll boat the twenty minutes to Shobnall and then walk into town. I hope to be able to blog at the usual time tomorrow, assuming my eyes have returned to normal after the effect of the dreaded atropine drops have worn off.

I don't know, I never touched anything bar booze and fags all the time I was an undergrad and postgrad, but since I've retired I seem to spend my whole life scarfing down one substance or another, all now provided free by a caring state.

Gosh I'm glad I don't live in the USA...