While waiting for David

Yesterday morning, Sarah opened the lift bridge for me and then hopped on to the stern of the boat as I exited the marina.

I managed the exit quite well - no to-ing and fro-ing, just a gentle turn using forward and gentle reverse to keep the bow moving to port. Looked and felt very competent.

That look was not to last - within 40 metres of the marina entrance, I had to switch off the engine and to the weedhatch thing TWICE!!!

I am very pleased I had Sarah with me as she had to pole the boat away from the offside trees - we were blown there by the wind, and that part of the canal was exceptionally weedy.

The first lot from around the prop and the rudder - and there were 5 more stops and a total of 6 buckets of weed.

This was a common sight for Sarah. Good thing I was wearing old shorts that came down below my knees and an old top!

Sarah at Lock 14

Two NZ women

Yesterday's statistics:

• cheese scones baked by 7.30am
• water tank refilled by 7.35am
• breakfast prepared and eaten by 7.55am
• Actual Time of Departure: 8am
• Distance travelled : 2.3 miles
• Effective speed overall: 1 mile per bloody hour
• Locks: 1
• Number of stops for weedhatch clearing: 6
• when possible I stopped in bridgeholes so Sarah could hold the boat and then empty the bucket of weed into the hedge - away from the cut, so there would be no re-contamination
• other times I stopped mid canal. 
• most of them were only weed, but one had a large piece of hawthorn mixed in - the tile grouter scraper was employed then to save my fingers, and another had a long slender branchlet (a cross between a branch and a twig)
• very very few bits of reed though
• Actual Time of Arrival: 10.15am
• Other boats on the move coming towards us: 2
• 1 near the very narrow reeded stretch
• 1 coming in lock 13 as we moored up below it.

Brian's method of flicking the weed off the rudder and prop did most definitely not work for me.

I moored at the locklanding below Lock 13 (Red House Lock). David was not far away as he was in Morrison's opposite the station a few minutes ago, buying chocolate for me when he called to ask what kind of chocolate - anything that isn't Cadbury's sez I.

I know, I know - mooring on the locklanding is verboten. However there were no moorings above the lock and the CRT guys moored on the locklanding above said I should moor here and tell anyone who complained that they said I should do so.

One of the guys, Wayne, (having given me the name of one of the others) came down to the boat with the address and postcode for me to give to David; so I gave him scones and a wodge of butter for the guys.

Sarah and I discovered there are probably only 3 or 4 degrees of separation between us:

• her mum used to teach in Masterton so probably knew David's dad
• her dad came from New Plymouth and so my dad probably knew his family - Dad knew (or knew of) everyone ...

She and Rigs come over to NZ for a few months each year, so we will catch up at home in Waikanae over the summer.

And away she goes, back to Aylesbury Canal Society's marina, where she and Rigs were going to rake weed out of the marina basin.

David arrived close on 3pm, and we cruised up to above Lock 11 and then moored. The pound was low so we were a couple of feet away from the bank and armco. Not to worry, as we weren't planning on getting in and out of the boat much. We had moved on from the earliest part of the mooring as there was a wasps' nest - I saw a number of wasps entering and leaving as I stepped off the boat. And then I moved rapidly in the direction of away.

He showed me a photo of his sleeping companion from the night before:

Apparently Kai rearranged the pillows so she was comfortable and ready for David to share the bed. He tells me that when he woke in the morning, Kai had maneouvred him over so he had 25% of the bed and she had the rest available to her.

A very peaceful mooring and as we finished putting up the pram cover the rain came down in giant drops.

Sarah had talked about the dinner they had the night before so I decided to mimic it - chicken breast sliced up and marinated in lemon juice, salt and pepper then panfried with chopped bacon, salad with all sorts of vegetables in it, plus avocado and asparagus. Yum.

Early night, early start, but we didn't get far today. We had intended to get to Bulborne Junction, but instead we have stopped below the staircase pair on the Aylesbury Arm. For some reason, I am a bit weary!

We have seen the CRT guys again today as they brought up the digger and the two engines. They have a great sense of humour and were very helpful. No scones available to hand over today though, as David and I had them for morning tea/lunch - toasted, buttered and with a slice of tomato on top ...

Tiredy-pops

Today I have done at least 17,000 steps - there will be more because at times I was holding my phone to check the route I needed to take and the phone doesn't record steps while the phone is in a hand.

So now I am tired! In part that is the distance I walked (into Aylesbury to the station this morning, in and around the underground station at Marylebone and Oxford Circus and Victoria, and along to Rupert's rooms in Pimlico. Then pretty much the same again on the way back to the boat.). In part though the tiredness arose from not sleeping well last night, and it's also been very hot in London today. And we all know about my relationship with the heat ...

Saw this guy in a building on Wilton Road ...

Successful session with Rupert. He is a gem. My back, neck, ankles and feet feel much better.

He is also keen on narrowboats and often joins friends on their traditional boat at festivals. One day, I will make sure to attend one so I can see him in a different guise!

I had lunch at Rosa's Cafe (Thai) on Wilton Road after my appointment. Spring rolls followed my mussamam chicken curry - yummy but forgot photo (I was reading). No dinner required.

Me and Ronnie.

When I got back to the boat, I had to change out of jeans and boots (latter required for comfortable walking) as it was so hot. And I had to open the boat right up and close curtains on the sunny side and then stand outside where there was a bit of a breeze for a bit. So I didn't look like I was loitering, I hung some washing out at the same time 😅

I took some feijoa jelly over to Sarah, an NZer living on her boat here with her English husband. She has volunteered to help me up to and past the weedy/reedy stuff in the morning - before David gets back. Yay!! I need to get going as Liz told me today they are leaving London on Thursday, so we had best get a move on if we want to get down to Berko - and I do!!

I've filled with water, taken the rubbish over to the bins, washed the recycling bucket, done another load of washing, done a very small tidy up seeing as Sarah will see the boat tomorrow, washed the dishes, had a cup of tea and a cup of chamomile and two mandarins. Now I am going to bed.

Note to self: remember to send David a pin of where I am as he approaches Aylesbury tomorrow ...

Aylesbury Canal Society rocks!

No one in this direction ...

and no one in this direction. Very peaceful place to be. after lock 9.

Yesterday afternoon we made our way down to the Aylesbury Canal Society marina. It was not easy!

Firstly, David lost his windlass out of his beltloop when crossing the boat from one side of the bottom of the lock to the other - knocked it out on the tiller, so clearly the windlass was just resting in his beltloop at its elbow, not firmly implanted down to its holey bits. But did I remonstrate? No. Did I help drag the area with the magnet? Yes. Did we find the windlass? No. Do I care? No. David did say that he would bike back up and drag for it later, but I think G&Ts deservedly won out - read on ...

We had clearly done most of the easy part the day before when we moored up after lock 9, because from lock 13 the canal was reedy and only a boat width to the first bridge in the 2 mile pound. That was a pain but no big deal.

At least two boat widths available here and a permanent mooring on the offside.

And just one boat width here - a bit slow but it was OK

But then the weedy stuff started. It was not diabolical like the GU down near the junction with the Paddington Arm was when we were down there with Barry and Pauline a few years ago, where the amount of weed stalled the motor and Barry had to tow the boat with a rope for half a mile while we cleared tubs full of the stuff out of the weed hatch - there was no point in starting the engine again, as the prop got jammed within 15 seconds. Read about it here

On the Aylesbury Arm, as I said, it wasn't that bad. And that was a good thing too, as the reeds between the boat and towpath meant that rope-hauling the boat would not have been possible.

And at first it was rather minor, but there was enough shaking of the tiller meant that I cleared the weedhatch a couple of times.

Amazing how such a small amount can disrupt steering. This was the haul from 2 clearings.

However after lock 14 it got substantially worse - and just as I thought I was clear on the home straight!

David had got off the boat after the lock to go down and cross the canal and enter the marina on foot and open the lift bridge. Ha!! The best laid plans and all that ... He has explored previously unseen parts of Aylesbury in his attempts to access the marina. The first bridge apparently gave no access as there is also a stream to cross, so he walked down to the next lock: no access; so back he came and over the bridge directly in front of the marina and made his way on the streets to the marina entrance - which was locked ... 😅😆😉😊.

In the meantime, I had stopped the engine and removed the ignition key (a safety precaution - even though I was alone on the boat 😉), lifted the cover, removed the brace, lifted out the weedhatch cover, and removed blanket weed from both the prop and the rudder, replaced weedhatch, replaced and tightened brace.

Multiply that event by 3; and I ended up with a whole overflowing bucket-load of weed. Fortunately there was no other boat around and I could do weedhatch duty while the boat was coasting slowly to a halt (or not if I was quick enough). I didn't bother putting the cover down as it saved one job ...

The last stuff (the little topknot of weed) David added to the rest of the bucket after we moored up - the remainder, i.e. 85.7% of it, I collected in the last 500 yards before the marina entrance.

So I arrived at the entrance to the marina while David was still touring the streets, occasionally phoning me to report on progress or lack thereof. I have to say, I truly didn't care as I was just a bit pre-occupied ...

For a couple of hours we were moored outside the marina as a boat was occupying the space that had been set aside for us - the boat owners had been welcomed in with the thought that it was us, but no. They were due to leave at 5pm, but weren't back till nearly 7pm, after I'd had a couple of G&Ts at the communal BBQ.

But I decided to bring the boat in - maybe I should boat all the time under the G&T influence, as I got the boat in through the lift bridge, into the mooring amazingly competently - or maybe that's just what it looked like through G&T-hazed eyes! And there was no wind, and David pulled the stern around (come to think of it, maybe he should be infused with G&T before boating as he didn't argue or debate, just did exactly as I asked him ...)

OK scratch the G&T assisiatnce for me at least, but I am seriously considering whether I should pour gin in a certain person's fruit, yoghurt and muesli each morning. Thoughts, people?

Anyway, the Aylesbury Canal Society is lovely - very welcoming people and very convivial. They offer a week's free mooring as part of their articles of constitution, in part to encourage boaters to come down the arm and keep it open. Their facilities are sparkling clean and very attractive. And in spite of the weedy approach, it is worth coming down here.

Today we have been out to explore Aylesbury, in part to find the bus station (for David) and the railway station (for me).

We didn't see the statue of Ronnie Barker that Mick tells me is in the market square,  but we did see David Bowie.

And from the other side

Quite an attractive clock tower in Market Square

On the way back, we saw these ducks keeping cool in the overflow.

Not many boats moored in the basin, and we only saw a few moored on the visitor moorings on the way in to town. Is it my imagination, or is the 2nd boat from the right very low in the water?

This dog had dropped her ball in the water of the stream and valiantly got in after it. She didn't look fazed, but I gather she was in for a hosing down when she got home. She didn't rescue the ball, but the guy did and he wasn't throwing it for her again today, for some reason.

I spoke this afternoon to Brian, the president of the Aylesbury Canal Society. He doesn't have to open his weedhatch to get weed off his rudder or prop - he is so practised that as soon as he feels it on there he bursts reverse and flicks it off. I am going to try that - my problem is that I wait for a bit. So no more waiting - clearly impatience is the key!

Tomorrow I am going in to London to visit Rupert the osteopath and David is taking the opportunity to have some father/son bonding and is catching a train up to Manchester to spend the night with Tim. He'll be back on Tuesday and we may then set out off back up the arm. I reckon we may just get to where we moored on our first night, and that will be fine. Perhaps we will see the red kites again!

On the Aylesbury Arm

Lovely canal this, but I am feeling a bit sore: no fault of the canal, mind you, but when I went down into the boat from the stern deck, I was stepping into the relative darkness and forgot there are 3 steps and only used two of them! I landed flat on my back, grabbing at the bench both sides as I fell. I must have landed on or wrenched my right shoulder, because it hurts!

We had intended mooring up between Lock 8 and 9, but git gaps left by gits who are not onboard meant there was no space available. So we moved on down into the next pound, the towpath bank of which is mostly overgrown with reeds. However there were a few gaps and we took the first one that presented itself. Pins are deployed - 6 of them, in 3 pairs, and we hope the bank is solid enough to hold if any boats go past. None so far, so so far, so good!

Seabrook Lock Cottage - next to the first lock of the day.

Last time we came down this way we moored opposite this boat. I remember photographing it then too. Today I emailed this photo to our friend Derek who is in hospital recovering well from a heart valve replacement.

And my other mess-up today was early on, while I was waiting for the middle Seabrook lock - I wasn't concentrating (texting with Liz on nb Dollytub ...) and the boat got pushed back and skewed across the wide pound. David was worried enough to stop the lock emptying so I didn't have the strong waterflow to contend with.

See, children, concentration on a serious task is important!

This is the old pumpstation next to the second Seabrook Lock, I think. I thought the mooring below this was ideal for sociable boaters - plenty of room for tables, chairs, BBQs. Shall be investigated for the return journey.

The passage today has been lovely - it is surprisingly peaceful given how close we are to London - a bit like the approaches to Birmingham really - often the canal is below the noise or away from housing/industry.

I wondered if this was an old pillbox as it appeared to have a horizontal slit (left hand side 4/5 of the way up). Tony Porter, are you up for a bit of investigation, please?  It is in a paddock next to the top Marsworth Bottom Lock (does that make sense? - there are 7 more locks past the Marsworth Junction.)

And next to the top of the bottom Marsworth Locks is this 1909 stucco cottage - they appear to be ubiquitous in this neck of the woods!

When we came down this way 4 years ago, this was a building site and I remember reading on narrowboat forums that the services would not survive and it was more high-priced housing and boaters would be pushed out. Well, how wrong was that? The services are in that building before the bridge, and the apartments front on to the canal - it all looks beautiful. If I was in the market for a house on the outskirts of London, I'd be buying here - always something going on and always people to wave at, say hello to, pass the time of day with.

Now don't they look like lovely places to live?

And around the corner at the junction, on the Aylesbury Arm, there are more - plus parking for the owners.

The first two locks are a staircase. I was on the phone to Mick when in the first one (and entering it too) so no photos of that. This is us exiting the second one.

And the view to the front - the next lock is in view.

At the 4th lock there is a lovely cottage with an extensive garden. This is their wildflower garden which I think it stunning! When we first moved in to Rata St, I sowed wildflower seeds - mine were mostly cornflowers and big purple things plus lots of cosmos - I love them too. There is something very satisfying about a wildflower garden, I think.

And the front garden is beautiful too. I gather from speaking to the man that he does the front and wildflower garden and his wife does the back garden. She was mowing the lawn by the lock as we were descending.

 And then I lost all concentration for boating: I saw four red kites swirling and swerving up high - the field next to the canal was being harvested and I think they were wheeling about on the look out for mice or rabbits ... They look amazing! The first time we saw these was in Rhayader when we went there with Jo Brownie. That must have been back in about 2004 or 2005, I think. They were endangered then, but seem to have had a resurgence, which is wonderful.

Not the best shots but at least I got them!

So graceful!

I think I had myself pretty much upside down to take this photo ...

OK then, now I am in the lock. The truck driver stopped on the bridge and walked back to check if his undercarriage was going to bottom out ... Not sure I'd be keen on large trucks using this bridge if I was the roading manager of the local council! And I certainly wouldn't have exited the lock while he was driving over the canal ...

While David was busy doing locks, I was busy waiting. And while I was waiting, I had multiple What'sApp conversations going.

One was with Lesley who is allowed out on weekend leave from hospital today and may not have to go back in now the community nurses are going to manage her dressing changes; and her wound (originally the size of the crater that forms Lake Taupo) has been healing in leaps and bounds since they upped her protein intake by about 1000% (icky jellies, I gather, but they are the business).

The other conversation was with Liz. among other discussions, I have sent her my bread recipe (typed in a What'sApp message). They are moored at Kensall Green - a bit different from where we are!

However, it looks like there is ample room on the towpath for a table and chairs with a G&T or two ...

Tomorrow we are going to moor in the Aylesbury Canal Society's marina. We plan on staying a few days if it's possible. I have phoned Rupert, my fabulous Pimlico osteopath whom I have been seeing on and off since 2003. Well, given the fall and the likely mess my neck is in as well as my back after these months of boating, a treatment seems a sensible option, esp as we are so close!

Mick and Julia have given us the name of the president of the Aylesbury Canal Society who they met back in the 80s when their cat (the president's and his wife's) had kittens - howzat for a memory! Julia and Mick saw and recognised them when we were all moored up and sitting outside for the midsummer kiwi xmas party in Edgbaston a few weeks ago.

Time for a blob, methinks, accompanied by a mojito. Dinner is going to be nasi goreng, so David will be on vegetable chopping duty. After all, I have already cooked the rice for it ...

Knife overboard

Wine before dinner on Tuesday ...

As we had blobbed the whole day on Tuesday, we determined that we really ought to move a bit further down the cut yesterday. I thought I would start by going out and picking some blackberries (for breakfast) that I had seen on Monday when I came back from an abortive walk to the now nonexistent Pollards hardware shop.

However, sometime during our blobbing day/night, access to the blackberries was cut off - a tree, or a good part of it, fell down and blocked the towpath between us and the lock, dammit! Fortunately there was a toppled branch sized gap between moored boats at that point, so there are benefits to git gaps every now and then! But not for the breakfast plan!!

The fallen tree looks more dramatic from the boat ...

But regardless, that yoghurt pot owner was lucky. I called CRT, but when we got to the lock and waterpoint, a liveaboard said he had already phoned the local foreman. There's a festival at Fenny this weekend, so no doubt it's already been cleared.

From Fenny Stratford we made a nostalgic trip down through Stoke Hammond and Soulbury - we boated that section on our first ever hire from Wyvern at Linslade, and my Aunt Daphne accompanied us. She lived in Soulbury village which is a mile away from the 3 locks. I remember that Kirsty (who, like Daphne, could take ages getting ready for anything) and Daphne met us at the top of the locks - Daphne's neighbour, Liz, had driven David, Tim and me to Wyvern and then gone back to collect them - in part, to be fair, because Liz couldn't fit 5 passengers in her car ...

The last time David and I came down this way, we walked into Soulbury (taking our lives in our hands given the mad, speeding, overtaking drivers) and had lunch at The Boot. Definitely worth risking your skin for! And we had also called in to meet Isobel who now lives in Daphne's old house and re-acquainted ourselves with Daphne's former neighbours, James and Simon, who purchased Daphne's house from her estate and made the two houses into one, so Isobel (Simon's mother) could have the downstairs of Daphne's place as her own. And they did a fabulous job on the modifications/renovations!

This time, we didn't stop, either at the Three Locks pub or for a venture into Soulbury. We just kept on going, calling in briefly at Leighton Buzzard to shop at Tescos - such a good idea having 2 hour moorings there right across the carpark from Tescos, Homebase and Aldi.  (Julia, I did go into Aldi looking for the chicken, chardonnay and ham hock pies but none were on the shelves, so no purchases made there then!)

At Tescos I did find (for £8) dinner for 2: chicken jalfrezi, chicken tikka marsala, pilau rice, 2 naan breads and 4 onion bhajis - couldn't make it for that, now could I?

And yesterday was the first time we have filled with water twice - once at Fenny and then again at Leighton Buzzard (2 loads of washing, 2 showers). We have instituted the rule of getting water wherever we see it, unless we have JUST filled - keeping it topped up is much faster that filling an empty tank and means we are less abstemious with it, and less desperate when it gets low. And it means we can shower more often, which is a bonus for visitors and passers-by ...

We had planned to get to the top of Grove Lock yesterday, but stopped not far out of LB - little did we know, because it wasn't visible from the cut, that we were across the canal from a sports ground and a go-kart track. Lovely to hear kids enjoying themselves and I am sure I was asleep before they stopped!

We ate dinner in the cratch at the table (thanks, John; thanks, Mick) and David was on clearing away the dishes. When he went to the stern to flick some leftover something into the cut, he let go of the knife - my fault apparently, as it was the one I'd been using, or I was the one who didn't finish what was on my plate, or somesuch weak excuse! So we are one table knife down. Best I count them before more visitors arrive, in case a replacement needs to be added to the shopping list. I did ask if he was going to get out the magnet but got a negative response (as opposed to a negative/positive response - did I get that right?)

My share of the dinner, plus yoghurt to manage the jalfreezi. (I don't think there were any leftovers, even though I didn't have 50% of anything ...) One of those knives is no longer on the boat :-(

This did make me laugh ...

We did big calculations this morning using canalplan.org.uk to make sure we have enough time to get to the places we have committed to see the people we wish to see. I suspect that website doesn't take account of slowing down for the myriad of moored boats (and there are heaps of them in some places); and I am also sure that it expects that we are all 30 and can boat and lock for hours at a time without rest ... But still and all, our destinations are all achievable, even if we boat for only 3 hours a day ...

This morning, we set off, and because it's a fasting day (Thai beef salad is on the menu, beef is marinating as we speak), we didn't get to our original proposed destination. Or it could just be because it is hot!

Out in the wilds of Buckinghamshire - but close to the borders of Hertforshire and Bedfordshire apparently

And the wilds behind us ...

David unfolding the bike so he can cycle between locks and have them ready when I get there.

It's not all closed in around the canal. I think those are the Chilterns in the distance.

There were a couple of these bridges before locks - a gap for the lock entrance and a gap for the towpath. Rather attractive, I thought.

Today I saw a number of lock cottages with their construction dates on them (1914, 1916, 1912, ...) Most of them were stucco and reminded me of Cherswud, the 1919 house we owned for 34 years.

This mother duck had three very new ducklings that I made the mistake of feeding (with rolled outs) as I was approaching the lock - they followed me in and had to be shooed out loudly, and David had to shut the gate rapidly to prevent them coming in again. Then, as I was about to leave the lock, I saw another duck with about 6 older ducklings in the lock with me. David assured me that they had hopped in over the top gate when the lock was full  - phew!! They then, having eaten rolled oats I sprinkled for them, hopped out at the high end and walked down the path to the canal below. Nuts!

Instead we have moored at the top of the Ivinghoe locks with permanent moorers across the cut on private spaces and farmland plus the Chilterns (I think) within view. We can vaguely hear the trains. Laundry is out, David is re-making the bed, and I am about to blob - that should come before blog, alphabetically speaking, but if I put them in that order, I think only the former would get done!

Do you remember Ann and Salvi who came to stay with us recently? They are now back in NZ and waiting to move back into the house (tenancy end date is approaching). Ann What'sApped me this morning and said that it is freezing and that Salvi is thrashing her at 5 Crowns. David is NOT going to get the chance to decrease the lead I have over him - I am resolute that I am only playing the game now when there are others involved ...

Even Salvi's hands look self-satisfied in this photo! By the way, that looks like a Mitsubishi fridge-freezer in the background! We've got one of those at home!