Retirement with No Problem

Easter Weekend moored Barby, Oxford Canal

I have felt very sorry for all those out and about with their narrowboats this weekend.  The weather has been atrocious, and those cruising along are dressed more like they are hiking up a mountain in the Himalayas.

Saturday I jumped on a bus and replenished the freezer from the good butcher in Rugby and filled once again the vegetable box and fruit containers from the market.  I phoned the coal boat last week and asked them to call on their way through on Saturday, and late in the day Iain and Alli with NB Gosty Hill pulled alongside..

We bought some coal to go with our depleting stock of logs.. not much wood around here, in fact none at all.  We have done well this year finding wood to burn though, so I am not complaining about buying a few bags of coal.  In fact so far this year we have used just 10 bags of coal, and now have four more on the roof from Iain.

Easter Day was bitterly cold, and there was a good inch of snow on the ground by the time I had woken up.  It disappeared quite quickly though, but I wasn’t keen on going out there walking in the icy wind.  I guess I saw today more boats passing than I have seen in the whole of the winter so far.  Near on 50 narrowboats passed yesterday, most coming from the Braunston direction, and with the wind high there was fun and games alongside No Problem..

Boats getting blown across the canal, others trying to get past not wanting to wait, it was total mayhem for a while.  Soon though they sorted themselves out, and there was a queue of 9 narrowboats following each other closely making their way towards Hillmorton..

Look how they are all dressed up against the bitterly cold wind.  Anyway the girls got their walk in the afternoon.  They both managed to make me feel so guilty that I had to give in to them!  I dressed up warmly, but didn’t go too far!

Today the longest walk of the year so far, a planned 10 plus mile hike to Barby, Ashby St Ledger and Braunston, returning over the top of Braunston fields to Barby hill again rather than via the towpath.. here the most delightful village of Ashby St Ledger..

Some fantastic thatched cottages further up the lane, and on the left by the tree covered in ivy is the old school house, now a private residence.  It is thought that Guy Fawkes planned the gunpowder plot from the manor in the village too!

On to Braunston tomorrow I think, taking a ride on No Problem this time..