Summer Cruising.

Hi friends.

Thought this photograph of the horses was lovely. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours comes to mind.

We woke up to another beautiful morning. I was awake at 6am to the sound of a Moorhen and her baby near the boat. They have a nest opposite the boat and I watch them from the galley window, when I am cooking. Moorhen babies are so alien when they are little. But then grow into pretty birds. P got a walk through the woods this morning. It was glorious listening to the wind in the trees and the chitter chatter of the birds. It almost made me want to stay there and just listen. But we were making a move today and so at 9.15am, we left the mooring and made our way to the top lock, where we thought we would wait to see if a boat wanted to share the locks with us. But after three quarters of an hour and no show, we made the decision to go. On our way down the flight we did meet other boats coming up, which was a little help, but some of the gates and the paddle gear are hard, especially as I have a bad shoulder. But I am not one to complain, so I just got on with the job in hand. We stopped at the bottom of the Stoke Bruerne locks for some gas from Jules on Towcester, we got to have a brief chat before moving over to the sanitary station to fill up with water, get rid of rubbish and empty the toilet cassettes. Whilst the water tank was filling, I made us some lunch. Just as I walked out of the engine room door with lunch, the water tank was full and we were on our way again. We saw Robin and Laura on Miss Matty in passing as well, just as we came into Cosgrove. Robin was waving a Silver Plate at us. It was the same Silver plate we had won at the Little Venice Cavalcade last year, for being the best Sunday dressed boat people. This year Robin and Laura won it. Congratulations to them both. Now that we are moored up at Cosgorve we are having a coffee, with the doors and windows open to a strong cooling breeze.