Settling in to the new berth

It was a wet bit of boating yesterday, much damper than the forecast had suggested. I was glad of my waterproofs, though the light jacket I'd started in proved unequal to the task and I had to change into a heavier top with my winter weight waterproof over it.

It was Sheila's turn to lock, which at least had the merit of keeping her warm – she chose to go for the waterproof top plus bare legs approach. We made steady progress with a moderate amount of traffic coming the other way. As planned, we lunched on the move and by half two were approaching Willington.

As expected, we found Jo and Wynne on Voyager by Bridge 25 and stopped for a brew and a natter.

Getting onto the new pontoon wasn't too bad and we were soon sorted for power and water, though our credit hadn't been transferred to the meter from our old one as we'd asked. I keep a five pound card as a standby for just this sort of situation.

Later on we popped into the office and claimed another ten pound card FOC to replace the credit we'd lost.

The Boardwalk has progressed mightily whilst we've been away; it's apparent that the external work will soon be largely done, though there must still be a lot to do inside.

The mobile signals seem much the same here as over on the other side, though the 3 connection is a little more cantankerous.

Today, I've been to the washlands in Burton with Elanor and Sally, where we had some excellent exercise in blowy weather. Sheila stayed behind to sort washing and stuff; as luck would have it, the Block 3 electrics are giving trouble at the moment and the showers and laundry aren't available. The sparks is due to visit tomorrow, when we hope all will be restored.

We've had a walk round the marina and admired the newly sown wild flower drift which is already putting on a good show. We'll have a quiet night tonight; tomorrow, an Ocado delivery in the morning and a trip to the Arboretum courtesy of Jo in the afternoon.