Whew!

We are at Teddington, moored up after a really good trip from just below the Hanwell Locks down through the Brentford Lock yesterday morning. 

The reflection on the water across the canal from where we moored below the Hanwell flight on Saturday night

Dinner on Saturday night - salmon a la Jack and Sarah - cooked with sweet thai chilli sauce and coriander, accompanied by minted potatoes and salad

Barry and Pauline, still awake after lots of locks and much bowhauling the boat to get past the bind weed

Barry and Pauline doing the last locks yesterday morning before we got to the Brentford Gauging Lock

We didn't catch any weed on the prop or rudder between Hanwell and the Thames Lock, but I did go into neutral a lot to avoid collecting the bindweed. It was across the cut, in the locks, clinging to the canalsides and lock walls and ladders. 

When we got to Brentford Gauging Lock Pauline led me down almost to the Thames Lock - she knows the way as she and Barry walk it a lot. It's very convoluted and goes beside the cut and away behind the buildings. There are a lot of house boats in this stretch and it doesn't seem to me that they get much sun. That may not be the case, as yesterday morning was pretty overcast with misty rain as we were going through there.

The houseboats don't look particularly attractive to me and the surroundings aren't salubrious either. But clearly people like to live by or on the water. This one has no windows on the shore side.

The coots have taken advantage of the pieces of wood outside this place to build their nest

 

This one has a spa pool on top

And this one has a large deck garden. Barry is on the bow keeping an eye out for weed and obstructions for me

Just before noon we came out of the Thames Lock, courtesy of the Thames lock-keeper who had spent a lot of time chatting with Pauline and me before leading us over to Morrison’s for a few essential supplies … The lock keeper told us that the weed is seasonal - I certainly hope so as I wouldn't want to come back when it is in situ again!

It was wonderful to have Barry and Pauline with us as they are familiar with the Thames from the cyclists’ and walkers’ point of view. Additionally, their presence and calm prevented David and me having mutual and simultaneous tantrums at exactly the wrong times throughout the day! Said tantrums would, of course, have been generated by anxiety and stress, but would have been no less debilitating for all that.

Leaving the Thames Lock and watching out for debris - of which there was shedloads!

After this a right turn and out on to the Thames - do I look scared?

 

A clear view of where we've come from

And we are on the Thames

Once we came through the lock at Teddington and moored up, we went back to pay our licence fee and night’s mooring, then made and ate lunch and waited for friends of B&P’s to come and join us. Also Pauline’s son, daughter in law and toddler came to visit. 
 

He is very cute and very friendly

We all went over to the pub and watched NZ beat England at cricket – 3 wickets and a few balls to spare, but it did get close! Two centuries scored though so that was good work. The pub served a decent chardonnay too - bonus!

Back to the boat for a big platter of nibbles with 8 of us around the table. A bit of a squeeze but good fun.

So last night, for the first time in several days it was just David and me on board for the night. Felt strange and very quiet. 

Barry and Pauline took lots of photos yesterday and Barry is coming back tonight after he has done his weekly childcare for Hemi, their wee grandson who lives not far away from where the boat is moored. We will download those tonight and they will form another post.