Market Harborough to Gallows Hill.

Market Harborough to Gallows Hill, 5 miles travelled in 2 hours.

What am I like, I was in bed at 9pm last night, yes that's right 9pm.

Because we had no TV we put "The First Wives Club" (1996) on, starring Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton. After just half an hour Keith was snoring, so I was left to watch it all by myself. The plus side to this was I got to tuck in to Tuc biscuits all by myself. I could happily have eaten the whole packet, but I was very good and only had a few. The DVD finished at 9pm and with Keith still sleepy, I suggested we just as well go to bed.

There I was having a lovely dream about recycling and Foxes, when I was woken up at 5.30am by a screaming sound, which was unmistakable, it was a Fox screaming blue murder somewhere close to the boat. The screaming barking went on for a couple of minutes, it sounded like this Fox was very distraught over something, I then heard another Fox barking in the distance and the Fox near the boat got quieter and quieter. I then wondered if it had fallen in the canal, but never saw anything when I took Paddy for his walk, so I am now thinking it was a Vixen calling to a male, after all it is the breeding season, so there could be the patter of tiny feet soon. It was very close and I do know that Foxes use the gardens on the offside of the canal, so maybe it was coming from there. With both Keith and I very much awake, I got up and made us both a cup of tea, before we settled back down to see if we could both drop off, it was then at 6.20am a Tawnay Owl began hooting near the boat. Something was telling me we were not meant to go back to sleep. There was nothing for it, but to get up and make us some toasted bread muffins, because I was hungry. People were walking past the boat early as well with heavy footsteps, anyone would think they had hobnailed boots on.

With no chance of any further sleep, we were up and I was off the boat walking Paddy down the towpath with the sun coming up.  We had been touched by Jack frost over night, so there was a lovely white film over everything and not a breath of wind. When I got back to the boat, Keith was already to take the toilet cassette to the sanitary station, so whilst he did that I got the hosepipe out and began to fill the water tank. The taps on the towpath at Market Harborough are very slow, but on a morning like this morning, it was just wonderful to stand and listen to the birds. As the tank was filling a man on a bike came hurtling towards me and I thought he was just going to run over my hosepipe like so many cyclists do, but no he slowed down, got off of his bike and carried over my hosepipe saying "Good Morning" as he did so, so I thanked him and said "Good Morning " back. If only they were all like him. I say treat people as you wish to be treated yourself and he clearly likes to be treated right.

9.25am we were ready for the off with the sun shining and smoke bellowing from the chimney on the back cabin. We said "cheerio" to Jenny and Jim on NB Jolly Roger, who were off out themselves and we were on our way. We had a very pleasant cruise in the sunshine and got to see some of the wildlife.

(Waiting for Breakfast)

(Can you see me)

We carried on past the moorings where we were wanted to moor, and onto the next winding hole which was the other side of Gallow’s Hill Bridge passing the glue factory, which was cooking up bones if the smell was anything to go by, we winded and returned to the Gallow's Hill moorings so that if the weather should turn extremely cold and the canal freezes, we are pointing in the right direction to get back to Harborough.

All moored up Phil one of the British Waterway's maintenance checkers came past on his bike, so we had a chat to him and let him know about a tree down we had seen the other day, which has not be dealt with yet. Phil went on his way and I got on with preparing some lunch on the back cabin stove. The TV aerial is up and we have a fantastic signal, so we can watch TV later and for the next few days, because will stay here until Wednesday morning, when we need to go back to Market Harborough, so Keith can go back to the dentist in the afternoon. I have put my bird feeders out and the Blue Tits are already tucking into the nuts.