Planes and gliders

Yesterday we moved on from Norton Junction thinking that it wouldn't be a good place to be painting - mistake!!! We thought it would be better just through the Crick Tunnel, but it wasn't - not at the time we arrived, as there wasn't enough shade. And the area was smelly, not sure with what...

We walked down to have lunch at The Moorings Bistro - OK, but not special and we wouldn't go back, I don't think, although the chipotle mayo on the burgers was nice. Note to self, must find out what's in it and recreate it.

After lunch we walked to the Coop and did a bit of shopping - not a big Coop and not a huge range of stuff, so we called in at the little PO shop (reminded me a lot of the PO shop at Balmaclellan in Scotland, close to where the grandsons live) on our way back and found some of the things we couldn't find at the Coop. Including stick-on plastic hooks seeing as how Mick has removed the brass hooks from around the boat where he has replaced panels ...

As the mooring was smelly, we decided to move on out of Crick looking for a place to moor in the shade. We had declared (well, I think it was me actually) that we wanted to be moored up by 4pm. And we were but the day was not without incident. Earlier, when we came up the Watford Flight, David managed to fall over while pulling on the rope which suddenly freed itself from the duck hatch roof that it had got caught on, and he landed on his back narrowly missing hitting his head on the outdoor table between Lock 1 and 2. Noting was hurt apart from his pride, but he did declare he would leave me to get the boat around to move to the towpath in future. Silently, I said 'And so you should!'

Then when we came away from Crick, I was feeling very tired for some reason so the next couple of hours seemed very very very long and arduous. The lock-keepers at Watford had told David they had had to fill the locks that morning with a lot of water as one of the side pounds had leaked and was just mud. So the level on the pound between Watford and Foxton is down about 4 inches - that won't be the only reason, but it is certainly lower than it was when we came through a couple of weeks ago.

That meant that two attempts to moor up yesterday arvo were thwarted by getting grounded close to the armco, dammit. Eventually though, close to Bridge 25, we found a lovely spot - quiet, peaceful, shady. We were moored up, by 2 minutes to 4. About 5 minutes after that, the pram-cover was up and the chairs and table were out on the shady towpath - courtesy of the lovely David.

And the pram cover was able to be put up because on Wednesday, the lovely Mick and Julia had delivered the missing pieces that I had ordered from Kinver Canopies - those pieces that I managed to drop in the cut at Foxton last season when taking the pram cover framing down single-handedly because I was too impatient to wait for David to come and help ...

Remembering how it all went together was only partially assisted on Wednesday by the instructions I had recorded in the calendar programme - it sort of reminded me of giving my dad instructions on how to use email, and then taking over writing the instructions because he left bits out ... This time it was me that left important bits out

Anyway, we managed it with much hilarity and re-jigging of pieces and turning tubes that had their holes facing the wrong way to take the little sticky outy knobs that hold the framing together. Clever Mick said we could loosen the grub screws and turn them - who knew!? Well, now we know!

So, back to yesterday - I was too tired to be painting last night, even when it did cool down. In fact I had to come inside about 5pm and have a snooze... This morning when I woke it was beautifully misty and in half an hour it had dissipated that looked like we were in for a scorcher.

Ahead of us at 6.30am

Across the cut and up to the large house

To our stern

Less than half an hour later ...

Lovely, eh?

Then the clouds came over and we thought it would be great for painting at the venue of the Xmas party. I got one half done before the clouds cleared and the grey roof got too hot. David had walked on to find a better spot (better means more shady). He found it by Bridge 43, we have moved and I am now waiting for the shade to do its cooling job so I can paint the second half.

But in the last 3/4 hour we have gone from being charmed by the sight to being hacked off by the sound of single engine planes towing gliders overhead. The first 10 were charming, the next 20 were grudgingly accepted and the latest 20 or so are just like wasps at a picnic: ubiquitous and buzzy ...

Two photos of the same two aircraft - multiply it by about 3000 - and don't tell me I exaggerate because I know I do ...

Not to worry, soon the painting will be done, I can open the chardonnay and we can spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing. And I can always put in my earplugs!

Well, what a bloody idiot I am! Off I went to paint the second half of the roof, and started by shaking the paint tin to save on stirring. Shake, shake, shake - all was well for about a minute, then bugger! Paint everywhere! Oh FFS! I hadn't put the lid on properly when I finished this morning. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! And where was I shaking the tin? only on the back deck of the boat, so paint on the engine cover, paint on my sandal, paint on the newspaper (thankfully) that was on the bench-seat/locker lid. Double AAARRRGGGHHH!!! and lots of swearing, use of blue paper roll, white spirits, bad language, more bad language,  white spirits and blue paper roll. So of course, my hands were covered and immediately sticky, I put the paint tin on the towpath and it was immediately covered in mown grass ... Nothing for it but to get on with the painting and at least get that done.

Clean up was (mostly) accomplished after the painting was done and I retreated to the shower after much use of white spirits on hands. I notice now though that I still have paint up my arms ...

And while the drama was unfolding, and the paint was eventually going on the roof where it belonged, the little planes and gliders stopped their previously ceaseless buzzing. So peace (of a sort) was restored and I could read with tranquillity.

I am currently reading 'A Gentleman in Moscow' by Amor Towles - it is wonderful. I am going to have to buy 'Rules of Civility'and read that next.

I think dinner tonight is going to be rice with a made up pork dish: pork fillet baked with sage (from the pots at the top of Watford Locks) and garlic, then cut up into a sauce made with sauteed onions, red pepper and mushrooms with more garlic, a cube of each chicken and beef stock and a bit of water. David cooked the pork, and he has cooked the rice, I did the sauce for the pork and have sliced it up and left it to macerate (a bit like strawberries with a bit of sugar or liqueur). We will see later what it all tastes like ...

I thought you might like these two photos of the view back through the bottom Braunston Lock the other morning. A lovely sunny day.

The arty shot ...