Watching the boats go by.

We didn’t cruise today. We don’t seem to have had a day just doing nothing for a while. In fact since last Monday when we waited out that wet, windy weather. It’s been quite pleasant, just pottering about. I had a bit of paint repair to do, a couple of minor chips and two short scratches on the cabin side acquired on a lock landing on the river.

I made some choc-chip cookies (mostly gone now!), a shepherds pie for dinner (we’re a bit short on supplies) and finished off the last of Terry Pratchett’s Rincewind books, Unseen Academicals. The guy has a remarkable imagination…

I also had my last long run before the Great North Run in a week’s time. 10½ miles and I didn’t get lost once! If you’ve not already done so you can sponsor me to help MacMillan Cancer Support. Please. Check out the side-bar on the right for details.

We’re booked in to Crick Marina for the weekend, and I’ve a car organised to get us up there. It’s a bit of a heavy day; just over 200 miles (around 3½ hours) to South Shields, arriving around 06:00, then catch a bus into Newcastle Upon Tyne, do the race (it finishes in South Shields), then drive back again. It’s difficult to get out of the car when we get back… I sleep well afterwards.

A picture that Chas (Moore2Life) took the other day when they helped us with the locks out of Cropredy. This is Mags, me and Anne at Varney’s.

Last evening the canal along here was busy with moored boats, but the vast majority have cleared off now. It looks like it’ll be quieter tonight.

Not wanting to waste such a fine day Meg and I had a good walk this afternoon. We don’t do so many long ones these days, since we was diagnosed with arthritis we’ve had to cut back the exercise a bit.
But she was up for it today, so we had an hour’s walk away from the canal up towards Flecknoe and back.

This fabulous fungus was lurking under the hedge by the road.

Mags has just taken one of her signature ginger cakes out of the oven. Smells glorious.

Mooching about on t’interweb earlier I came across this Daily Mail article. Some great pics of Foxton Locks and the Inclined Plane, then and now.

Hi Adam, thanks for the comment. I’d never looked at it that way…

Locks 0, miles 0