Retirement with No Problem

27th and 28th Nov – Moored Cosgrove, Grand Union Canal
29th Nov – Cosgrove to Milton Keynes, Grand Union Canal, 4 miles 1 lock

There are many ways to walk to Stony Statford. I didn’t bother to take my purse on Saturday as Ann and I walked Molly one route to the vets which she would be visiting on Monday morning. Lucy joined us on the hike, and all four of us felt slightly out of place on reaching the town we thought was a village. Walking past NatWest bank with muddy towpath boots and walking stick, and collie dog upside, I felt as if people were wondering if we had just jumped out of some TV screen showing ‘One Man and His Dog’! “Down the alley by Natwest, that’s where it is” The vets.

I checked the watch, goodness an hour and a quarter since I had glanced at it. I told Vic when I left it would probably be a 40 minute walk. So down the alley we ventured and suddenly in front of my eyes was the town’s market place! Darn it, left the purse at home, could have done with some bin liners, well everyone buys bin liners when they see a market surely.

The return trip was much better, a different route. Back along the towpath of the Old Statford Cut at the point where it meets the A5. On Friday I said that restoration looked possible. A day later I see it isn’t. There is no way we will ever travel on a waterway to Buckingham. Not only is there the dual carriageway of the A5 blocking its route, but also a huge housing estate beyond the road. There is just nowhere to divert to.

Still Lucy was pleased, there was great fun to be had running along the towpath across the ‘canal’ and up the other side, running along the other bank, disturbing rabbits running in the long overgrown vegetation of the canal bed. It was a much more pleasant walk too, and it seemed quicker. Well the sign is there for the canal to Buckingham, but oh it is going to take some serious money to turn left with a narrowboat to visit that wonderful town.

Reaching NP just as Vic was pulling the pins to move the boat nearer the lock to wait for Mr Tesco to arrive roadside, I looked at the watch, 55 minutes. That’s better, well it’s not that good, but better. So for the 10.10am appointment for Molly to be chipped, wormed, flead, and generally poked about we would need to leave at 9.15am on Monday.

I did weaken on Sunday. You know what it’s like, Sunday, that lazy day when your tum twinges and your brain makes your senses smell roast beef and yorkshire pud from the pub that you know is only just over there! We sat down, it looked good, but that was all. And that is all I am going to say… albeit that I was very disappointed.

It rained all afternoon, and I had a message from Oliver who posts a bit on Canalworld Forums. I popped over to look at Oliver’s website, not having done so before. It was so interesting and informative, and so easy to read too that I spent over two hours crawling all over it. Oliver has written about life as a boat hirer, life as a shareboat owner, life planning a new narrowboat, and life during the build of THAT dream. There is so much good advice about the actual planning of a new boat, who to chose to build a boat and why, contracts between builders and customers, and now so close to the dream of owning Per Angusta

We got to Stony Statford in 50 minutes today, and it wasn’t long before both the dogs were returning back, enjoying that same waterfree canal towpath walk again. After lunch, pulled the pins to move up through to Milton Keynes. Managed the classic photo as Vic carefully steered No Problem over the Iron Trunk Aqueduct, passing the coal boat pair ‘Ascot and Beverley’ on the embankment, as we didn’t need to top up with diesel just yet.

A beautiful afternoons cruise, nice and sunny with the promise of more sun this week. Need to keep the fire stoked though as to pay for the sun, Mr Frost will visit for sure in the evenings!

Through Wolverton then, and about time they did something about those buildings, what a mess they are in, over the new aqueduct and out into the country to settle for the evening. Lots on the tele tonight I wanted to see, but just about going to get this blog posted before tomorrow I think!