Warm days in Autumn

But for how long? Ann came back to me with our friends who took her home and back in a hire car from Enterprise. Then we set off to get diesel and gas in the marina and filled the water tank on the way to the tunnel. It was a warm sunny day when we joined a short queue for the Watford locks. Two boats on the way up and then we follow another going down. Despite the lack of rain Crick tunnel was still dripping wet as usual and we met several boats in that bent Braunston tunnel. Then we stopped at the top lock for the night. Remarkably one boat came up that evening in the dark despite requests to save water.

We joined a boat next day to go down all the way and found a volunteer lock keeper in attendance. He was controlling the queue of several boats going up. Luckily we found a space by Butchers Bridge and had lunch. Braunston for us is where we start and end our journeys and where we get things sorted for the boat. The engine has done 6,000 hours and I have booked Justin Green to check things in the engine 'ole. He recommended that the antifreeze should be changed for one thing and I asked if he could check out the fuel system. He is so busy that we are obliged to wait a week before he can start. Our Lec fridge is as old as the boat and now the door fails to seal properly. A new Shoreline is an inch taller so may not fit without some changes in the galley!

The Geof Amos bus has been taken over by Stage Coach and it now takes three busses to get to Banbury from here. Ann needed to get home again and is on the way but had to wait an hour in Daventry having just missed the connection. The next bus now goes to Southam and another to Banbury, then a train to Southampton. Let's hope the other connections work out better.