Retirement with No Problem

Norton Junction to Brockhall (Br 21), Grand Union Canal, 3 miles, 7 locks

I dropped the canopy today, well the weather was good, the wind had dropped and the sun was shining.  It had rained for most of the night though, but this morning it was dry.  I was looking forward to going down the locks.. Vic was back on lock duty, which left me to navigate No Problem through the locks.  I enjoy doing that, I can do lots of things you see, like washing, preparing lunch, tidying boat etc.  None of that was done when Vic was on the tiller and I was doing the locks!!  It’s a womans job steering the boat, but it isn’t often you will see it that way round on the waterways.  I don’t know what the percentage is, but normally the ladies are ‘doing locks’ while the men take their narrowboats through the locks.. I wonder why sometimes.. maybe the guys think they steer a narrowboat better! .  Maybe the ladies think they can lock through better! .

Whatever… here today some extra work to be done to get this set of gates open.. water pouring over both top and bottom gates on the flight.. pure muscle power needed here…

I am often asked about Lucy.. a comment from Furbs “Why does the dog wear a cowboy scarf?”.. Well Lucy is a canal dog.. she lives on the canals, and I feel that wearing a scarf like that shows people that she belongs to a boat rather than just a dog running free.  She always runs along the towpath as we travel along, and even at locks she is independent, choosing which side of the canal she wants to be, and generally pleasing herself.  Hereshe is going from one side of the canal to the other of her own accord..

She is very sure footed, and thinks nothing of crossing lock gates with drops of 20 feet on occassions.  In the olden days Furbs, the men boaters used to wear much the same neckchief as Lucy wears, and their dogs wore them also.. so Lucy wears one.. she is a canal dog

Through this stretch of the Grand Union Canal there is the London to Midland Railway on the right, and the M1 on the left as the canal meanders, probably unnoticed, by either in the middle.  But the canal is more tranquil and beautiful.  Neither those in their fast cars nor those on the 100 mile an hour Virgin train would have noticed this delightful mile post showing that we have travelled 7 miles since I got that lovely Mothers Day pressie in Braunston..