Monday 25 July 2016

First full day

We've started as we mean to go on. After a warm but not impossible night, we were drinking tea at half five. Sheila then set off just after six whilst I washed, dressed and ate breakfast. Then I took over and steered through Burton until we were approaching Horninglow. Sheila took over and I hopped off under Horninglow bridge to walk to Dallow Lane. Aqua Jeta was just working up, so I saw them out, turned the lock and waited for Sheila to arrive.

Up we went and on we went, your correspondent steering again so that Sheila could rest her foot. The main discomfort she has from it now is not the operation site but the other side, the outer edge which was presumably clamped during the op and is still quite bruised. In addition, she gets some swelling if she stands for too long.

For the next couple of weeks, I'll be steering for the long stretches as well as working the locks.

There was a lot of room at Branston when we got here, so we've tied on the VMs on the Burton side of the road bridge. The threatened housing development is coming to pass – all the land from the road here to the Parcelforce depot by the Morrisons mooring is fenced off and groundworks going on. There's some activity on the Branston side of the canal by the road too.

There's a fair bit of traffic on the cut, it now being peak holiday season. As usual, the hire boats are being pretty well behaved whilst some of the privateers charge past, staring intently into the distance. Even moored well with a spring on we're being bounced about quite a bit.

The rev counter was playing silly b's today, suddenly over registering from time to time, so I took the panel down this afternoon and found that the wire from the alternator had worked loose. I pinched up the female half of the spade connector and it seems to be behaving itself now.

Tomorrow, a half seven start as Tatenhill Lock is not far away. It takes between two and a half to three hours from here to Alrewas and we don't want to get there too early, before the holiday makers have finished yawning and got themselves organised to set off.

 

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