Retirement with No Problem

Hillmorton to Barby, Oxford Canal, 4 miles 2 locks

It was great to get going again from Hillmorton after a stop there of some 11 days in total.  That is a long time for us in just one place, normally no more than a week would we stay..

A nice calm day as you see, and I enjoyed very much to short trip to Barby.  There was a lot to see and admire and a lot of things not to admire too.  I can’t understand how the hedgerows can be worked upon to such an extent as to look magnificent…

All beautifully laid along here as you can see, and the neatly trimmed towpath edge and recently mowed towpath.. then, round the corner, there is no change from the trip back in July last year, the bridges are still in a very sad state of repair with no work having been done in all that time. 

Oh and just looking at that pic above, you can see a definite tinge of green in the trees on the left, for sure the buds are arriving now and soon everything will be in flower and leaf… Hooray!!

British Waterways, not long ago, introduced a new mooring ‘Waiting List’.  Now if BW has a mooring available somewhere then it has to be put out to tender.. as a by the by, it seems to be working fairly well, with some mooring fees just a bit above the guide price and some just lower, but this moorer obviously has other ideas about mooring outside his house!..

Yes, I noticed the hearse in the garden too.. it was empty by the way!!

Our engine sounded a lot quieter today with the problem of the gearbox loss of oil sorted.. and I actually opened the throttle up a bit without the usual gritty grunty sound that we have experienced of late.. still prefer a more leisurely speed though!

Moore2Life joined us on the mooring near Barby Farm Bridge, and after some delicious homemade soup we all wandered over the footpaths with Lucy, Meg and Molly enjoying a good run as we strolled and chatted.

Then a big discussion aboard No Problem with Vic as to whether to make a run for the Nene before Easter or not.. Buckby Locks are opening tomorrow, a day or so ahead of the scheduled time.. we would be able to get through there tomorrow evening and onward to Gayton by Thursday evening and out on the Nene on Friday.. Ho Hum what to do?

If only it wasn’t GOOD Friday.. we decided too many marinas around Braunston and Buckby with too many narrowboats in them all trying to get out on the cut.  We will stay here or here abouts until after Easter when most will have put their boats back in the marinas after the Easter Break.  One less boat travelling out on the cut will help them enjoy their time!!

Mind you, the footpaths and bridleways around here look very inviting indeed.. ideal time to put in a few miles and lose those unwanted pounds around the midrift!