Some serious RT and then to Newbold

The plans came together today in satisfactory fashion. We set off just after eight, Sheila on the helm and yours truly doing the look out/pottering below bit. Amazingly, our favourite mooring at Brownsover was free, the one on the towpath by the bridge. We tried to leave space in front and behind, though the constraints of the bend and utilising the handy bits of blue polyprop poked through gaps in the old style, ex-railway line waling made it tricky. In the end, we got the bow on a good bit of rope and had to drive a pin for the stern.

I then spent the morning feeling guilty that we hadn't done a better job; maybe I should see a psychologist. 

Hang on, oh yeah, look in the mirror, right.

Nope, didn't help, right gormless character in there.

Don't worry, I'm not back on the Diamox, just a bit manic today. It's Sheila you should feel sorry for, she has to put up with this all the time. And as for my cooking...

Anyway, we did a trip to Tesco, left the stuff unpacked in the boat then went to Halfords. There we got a mains orbital polisher as recommended by two out of two Braidbar owners we asked (was this a Pointless exercise?) It was even on special offer, £15 off.

Back at the boat we had a coffee each whilst unpacking and stowing the booty.

Off again to Tesco for more goodies, wine, beer, muesli, all the essentials in fact. It was half eleven when we got back for the third time, so Sheila set off steering again whilst I stowed the final stuff. I came back on deck in nice time to take over before Newbold.

Loads of room here, too; this year really has been characterised by much less clogging of the visitor moorings. As we sat out on the bow this afternoon, a towpath patrol officer came by, logging the boats on the moorings. Since CRT took over they have been much more in evidence. Without needing any more formal enforcement processes, I suspect the "nudge" effect of knowing that CRT know where you are is quite powerful in encouraging folk to comply with the time limits.

Most of us don't like to be thought of as selfish abusers of the common facilities.