Hair cut, crown and retail salt.

It is now sounding repetitive, but yes it was another cold night last night, with the temperature getting down to -2.7c, so more ice on the canal and the slush along the towpath was frozen solid, making for dodgy conditions under foot when I took Paddy out for his morning stroll.

With the temperature expecting to drop to at least -8c tonight, the towpath is going to be a nightmare.

Last winter it was like walking on glass, so I am going to be taking great care.

Because Keith had to have a crown fitted at 12.30pm, we had a late cooked breakfast, which will sustain him for the rest of the day, as he is not supposed to eat for 24 hours. After a lovely cooked breakfast, which as always was cooked by Keith, we walked down into the town to Wilkinsons, to pick up our cushions order.

I wanted a couple of Union Jack Cushions for the saloon and as Wilkinsons was the cheapest U could find at £5 each they were my choice. I have seen then for between the £5 I spent and up to £20 each, which to me is a hell of a lot of money for a cushion, but I suppose with the Olympics and the Jubilee happening this year, everyone is trying to cash in. We popped into the indoor market, and low and behold on the material stall I found an apron pattern I have been looking for for ages. It is a pattern for a 1930/40's wrap around apron, very similar to what my Gran used to wear. I want to make one for the Village at War weekend at Stoke Bruerne.

I need to lengthen it, but the pattern is pretty accurate, so yayyy I am a happy bunny. I now need to find the right material.

11.45am I headed off for my hair appointment at 12 noon, whilst Keith headed off to the dentist for his crown fitting. Inflation has hit in hairdressing as well it seems, because a dry trim last year at the same hairdressers was £12.75, this year it is now £15. I would not mind but I do not have a shampoo, I have a dry trim of half an inch off my long hair. It takes no more than 10 minutes to comb it through and snip the ends off. Mind you I did get a coffee as well, so maybe I was also paying for the coffee. I will be going to Super Cuts more often I think as they charge £13.95. My other option is to shave all my hair off, this I can do myself and so will cost me nothing.

Having finished at the hairdressers, I went on the hunt for some salt, to sprinkle along the towpath alongside our boat, so that I could get into the hold and on to the bow without falling arse over tit so to speak, because I wanted to fill the water tank. I went into three different shops and they did not have any salt on the shelves, in the end I called into the paper shop opposite Union Wharf and bought two bags of salt for 69 pence each, which I thought was great. I got back to the boat, cleared the snow from alongside the boat, which was slushy, this will freeze later, so the salt will be coming out. I gathered the hosepipe, then checked that the tap was working, thankfully it was not frozen, so I got on with filling the water tank. Keith then came out and helped me get some coal out of the hold for the next couple of days. Jobs all done, it was then time for a coffee and a sit down.

So another day done, I am now getting itchy feet and have the need to move, but until the ice goes we are stuck, because we need to wind in the basin, which is impossible when it is iced over. Not only that we are sat on the bottom, so we need to get out into the channel to move, but are iced in. Hey ho that's life, we will just have to sit it out like every other boater.

Chat soon xxx