Whitestone Br No.5 to Bridge No.13.

Hi Folks.

Whitestone Br No.5 to Bridge No.13, 3.15 miles in 2 hours 20 minutes.

It was a murky old morning when I stepped off of the boat with Paddy for his walk and it got murkier as we travelled this morning.

We had decided that we would not be travelling to far, but we wanted a nice country mooring for the weekend, which we hoped would be just past Bridge No.13 Goodacres Bridge. The Ashby Canal was once described to me as fields and bridges, fields and bridges and yet more fields and bridges and to a point that is very true, but if you look past the fields and bridges this is a beautiful piece of countryside.

There was nothing moving and no one we knew was moored up, that was until just before Mill Road Bridge No.8 we came across Ian and Alison on Gosty Hill moored up on what looked like a deep mooring. We pulled alongside for a quick chat which turned out to be much longer than a quickie, so long that Alison offered us a coffee, so we enjoyed a nice coffee whilst we nattered. We haven’t seen them for a couple of years and it was nice to have an opportunity to stop and chat to them. We must have spent at least an hour with them, before wishing them well for the future, as Gosty Hill is up for sale a comprehensive business opportunbity for someone will to put in the hard work that Ian and Alison have over the years.

We carried on to Bridge No.13 where the power lines criss cross across the canal, pylons dominating the countryside. Just after Bridge No.13 we hoped we could moor, we tentatively pulled into the bank, which was deep enough, so we moored up, I hung out the bird feeders, with a hope that we may get some feathered visitors over the next few days, I then turned my attention to tonight's dinner, which if cooked in time will be lasagna. With the mince and veg cooking in a tomato sauce in the back cabin stove, I got on with some lunch, whilst Keith got on with updating our boat log book and Hadar's blog. Lunch was hot sausage rolls, crisps and home made cake, so a very health option, but with it being so drab outside a warming and comforting alternative.

With us being moored up now till Monday, I have a few jobs I want to get done over the weekend, I want to tidy the plastic boxes in the hold which store all our bits and bobs, they need sorting out to give us some extra room, at the moment it is a bit of a tip. I also have some sewing work to do, so I may get that done as well. The brass needs cleaning inside and out, so I am not going to be bored. Keith also has a list of jobs to do. He wants to fit the new battery switch, to replace the broken one, and whilst we have the boatman’s cabin floor up, he will check the oil level in the gearbox and also check if the propshaft UV joints and the shaft bearing need greasing. He also needs to attach the new fender ropes that we bought whilst in Braunston to the spare fenders we have rescued from the canal, to make them available for use. This will be just the beginning as I am sure there are a few more things we can do once we remember what they are!

For now I am enjoying a coffee, whilst surfing the net. Chat soon xx