Look what was on the inside of our window. .......    a little newt. !    how on earth did he get there?   Anyway, we were at Berkhamstead, and there is a little waterway beside the canal, so I popped him in there.  He was so sweet.

 

Had a wander down to Winkwell, but we are so fed up with the railway.  That night Mick couldn't sleep and he counted 100 per hour !!!!!!  crazy.  So that was it, and we turned around and at the moment we are down the Wendover Arm.......Fabulous, quiet and rural.  Just had a 6 mile walk to look at the restoration of the rest of this canal.   Its all being done by volunteers, and they are all over the age of 55'ish ?    What a fantastic job they do.  If this ever gets opened to its full extent, it will be a smashing waterway to cruise.

 

So, slow trundle back towards Gayton for the end of the month, and then back down the Nene.

 Welford Wharf

 

 Yardely Gobion on the GU 

 

 I watched a young fox saunter across the bridge, back to his den, I guess, It was about 7.30am

 High-Rise living for Arachnids

 

 

 I found some Fresh hops in a hedge, and someone told me that they smell lovely when they have dried. So up in the Galley they have gone.

 The Chilterns

 

Really enjoying this mini-cruise down to Berkhamstead and we are very lucky with the weather,  However, the nights are cooler now, and when the boats have their fires lit, it smells very autumn-y.

 

Just seen some argy-bargy at Cowroast lock.

 A NB went past at turbo speed.  Various heads popped out of boats asking nicely if he would slow down.  He gave them the finger.  BUT he did it to one bloke, which was a mistake. This large chappy unfolded himself from his boat and shouted " hey A***ho, are you going to slow down, or not ?".  Anyway about 30 mins later we decided to take Finlay for a walk, and up at the lock, was The Boat, Numpty Boater, Large Haystack type boater, and the Fuzz. !!!!!   We turned to walk away, but not before the policeman asked us what happened. Anyway, as it turned out Haystack Boater had offered to teach the fast and un-friendly boater how to swim.  Heee heeee.   The Fast boater had whined to us that he wasn't going fast.  So we told him that he had been going soooooo fast, that our mooring pins came out along with everyone elses and we were all adrift.   what an A*****le.    I expect we will see him somewhere further down the cut. Will give him a wide berth, so to speak.  

 

Having said good bye to our summer travelling chums, we are now having a wander along the Leicester arm of the GU to Welford( where we will take delivery of our Airhead Composting Toilet !!!), and then we will turn back and head down the GU main line to Berkhamstead.  This will fill in the next few weeks before heading off home down the Nene at the end of sept.   I always feel a bit sad, turning off at Gayton, but once on the Nene, I cheer up, and start thinking about sweeping all the large and lively spiders off and out of the lodge.  Takes ages .

Nothing strange or funny has been happening , hence no blogging.   however here are a few pictures of this beautiful waterway.

 A photo for our mate Roger, who never reads blogs, but our friend Jackeie will tell him about this wee boat.  

 washing put up in  the hedge. !!!!   first time this cruise.

We are now down the Ashby Canal( oooh, its such a lovely waterway).

Great mooring at Stoke Golding , pub = beer= £3.15 grhhhh. It is, alledgedly, the  birthplace of the Tudor Dynasty. Anyway, we visited the lovely little church, with 13 and 14^th century features. But we had to do a Key hunt first. Well we found the blacksmiths cottage ok, and we looked under the flowerpots, around them, behind them. We looked along the walls, along a fence. And then a woman appeared at the door, and pointed to the side of the door, and said “ looking for this?”.  When in doubt, go back to the beginning and read the instructions. !!!!!!

 

  DOH !!!!!

 

 View from the galley window

 

 

 Sorry Tally, this grub is for Finlay.

 

 Where are my sunglasses. !!!!!

 

 "Just Married ???"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, we are trundlin' along the Coventry Canal, and its lovely.  After cleaning down the old boat, Mick said he wold treat me to lunch.  So back to bridge 63, passing some rather salubrious homes, up a small hill and over the railway we came to..................................The Pretty Pigs.   £4.19 carvery !!!!!!

Hey, it was good. all cooked fresh and even for a Monday, very busy.

In future Finlay is to be addressed as The Flying Fin. ! 

Finlay has a habit of standing with his front paws on the gunwale,( and he needs his nails clipping, he has been slipping about a bit over the last few weeks), and we knew at some point in time that the following was going to happen.  So along we go passed Alvecote Marina, and we hit something heavy and large in the water.  Finlay is catapulted, at a great rate, into the canal. !!!!!!

I scream, thinking that he will go under and into the prop, but he is a real strong old chap, he kept swimming until I grabbed his collar, and then HE scrambled and clawed up the side of Trundle, with only a small heave from me on his collar.   Needless to say, he has had plenty of tlc, and seems none the worse for his escapade.   However, I heard him using my mobile last night, to book himself into a hotel for 6 months next year. !!!!! He has been attacked and bitten, stung in the eyes by nettles, and now this.   heyho.

A BIG selection of sheds for  Juan Batties aka John Bates in Spain.

 Into the Ashby Canal - rural and quiet, lovely

 ..... and they still keep following us.  DRAT !!!!  only joking, King Jim