Monday 12 November 2012

Another enjoyable mooring

Longport to Etruria : 2 miles and a bit
Total to date : 118 miles, 80 locks, 20 lift bridges, 7 tunnels, 6 aqueducts

We were up reasonably early this morning and went off for a walk around the lake.  It was a stunning morning and we really enjoyed the walk.  We chatted to fishermen and peered into the lake looking for fish.  We did see a couple of pike. 

As we arrived back at the boat, Geoff (nb Penny Royal) asked if we'd like to join he and Angela for coffee.  Seems he was curious about how a couple from the other side of the world end up on a narrowboat in England for a year.  We had a great chat with them about all sorts of things from fitting out their boat to dogs and houses and the woes of the economy.

They then came back with us to nb Parisien Star to check out the double glazing efforts.  I noticed as we were looking closely at the windows that one of them had moisture built up in one corner.  We do sometimes have a bit of a mist on the glass but this is the first time we've seen it reach the timberwork.  After Geoff and Angela went home we removed the 2 saloon perspex panels to dry the glass and allow the timberwork to dry out.  We're thinking we'll need to do this every week or two.  It's still better than drying the windows several times a day.

We had decided we'd move on today and look for a suitable mooring for access to B & Q in Etruria.  Now that Mick has his tiles he's keen to collect the rest of the stuff he'll need for his project.  And... after sitting chatting aboard nb Penny Royal in front of their little stove we can't wait to have ours too.

It was only a short trip to Etruria and not a single lock. We had looked carefully at our canal guide after reading the advice we'd been given a few days ago both in blog comments and by email.  We followed our usual protocol of stopping at the first mooring near the place we want to be and I walked ahead to see if there was anything better around the corner.  All the other moorings in sight were taken so we stayed where we were on the gentle curve before the Toby Carvery.

It was 1.30pm by the time we were sorted and we decided we'd go the carvery for Sunday lunch.  Bad decision.  There were so many people it wasn't funny and the waiting time was about half an hour.  I thought Mick was going to have a panic attack at having to stand by that bar with people pushing and shoving in every direction.  We changed our minds and had lunch back on the boat.  We'll have dinner there tomorrow instead - I'm sure it'll be much quieter on a Monday night.

After our late lunch we went looking for B & Q.  There's heaps of shops nearby here!  We checked out some of them and then I went to Morrisons and Mick went to B & Q.  We met back at the boat, both happy with our expedition.

Another fabulous day.

A few from today :
1. Our view this morning
2. The lake on the other side of the boat
3. Local art
4.That tree in the sunshine with nb Penny Royal and nb Parisien Star moored behind
5. On our way past Mick's favourite building


 



In the drink to date : Elly - phone charger (retrieved - it floated!), Mick - sunglasses, Mick - hearth brush, Mick - mooring hook (retrieved with sea searcher), Mick - reading glasses

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