Hot

"The temperatures rising, it isn't surprising, she certainly can can-can". Or, "It's too darn hot, it's too darn hot, it's too-oo da-arn HOT!" (Identification of composers and lyricists is left as an exercise for the reader.)

I'm tempted to leave it at that for today, but will struggle on a bit longer, stopping occasionally to dry the drips of sweat from the keyboard. It's now 32ºC (90ºF) in the cabin and there's no wind outside. Occasionally, a few drops of warm rain fall down. It feels like I'm in a remake of the old Tales from the Raj BBC series in which Joss Ackland was frequently seen at the typewriter with big sweat stains in his armpits.

We made it to Tixall before it got this ridiculous and managed to get to the Farm Shop for Scotch Eggs and some bread, it being too hot to think of baking. There are a number of working boats about – we followed Towcester and Bideford all the way to the foot of Haywood. Apparently they are all on their way from the Braunston Historic Boat Show to a similar event in Wolverhampton.

Braidbars seen: Bessie Surtees tied in the shade at Wolseley Bridge and Shield Maiden going the other way at the same location.

That's enough, I'm off to trim my beard and have a very cool shower.