Retirement with No Problem

Ferry Meadows to Wansford Rail Station, 5 miles 2 locks

We said goodbye to our friends Mo and Ness this morning as NB Balmaha left it’s mooring next to us at Ferry Meadows..

Mo had spent quite some time fixing my camera system on No Problem during the last few days, and when he left it was working.. now it is not!!.. The switch at the back that turns on the power to the monitor broke in my hand as I turned it on when we left ourselves later.. Unbelievable!!  I have a cunning plan to fix that though, so don’t worry Mo!

It was very misty this morning first thing as you can see in the pic of Balmaha above, but by the time I had given No Problem a bit of a wash and shine, and done some bookwork which had been put to one side during the last weeks travels, the sun broke through the mist.  We will see Mo and Ness again as we plan to cruise the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal in November.. they are heading that way too.

So pins pulled and No Problem heads out across the lake to the exit by Bluebell Bridge..

Just the two locks today, Alwalton Lock first, and once the guillotine is down there is no need to open the paddles of the top gates as the water is piling over the top of them and filling the lock quite quickly.. time for Vic to reflect on life..

The girls are enjoying a bit of TLC while waiting for the lock to fill.  Sometimes we have moored here just the other side of where Vic is sitting, it is very handy for a bus into Peterborough at the end of the road in the village, and it’s close to the East Of England Showground too.  Not only that, but there is a super shop in the village that doubles trebles up as a post office as well as a tea room and grocery store.  Fresh bread too, and buns and the like…

Just a bit more to go to enable the gates to open, then onward to Water Newton.  There is never any doubt on the arrival to this lock.. the old mill now beautifully turned into housing with the lock on the right..

Look carefully, you can see the water piling over the top gates in the lock.  This is quite normal on Nene locks, in fact the river is a little lower than normal summer flow at the moment.. It’s amazing after all the floods of a couple of weeks ago when this river was shut to navigation!

Not only the lower side of this lock is pretty, but looking back after leaving the lock, what a delightful sight..

Onward then to Wansford Bridge and station, our destination this evening.  It was nice to see that the Environment Agency moorings next to the station are now fully open and usable.  When we passed on the way downstream to the fens they were fenced off, not quite ready for visitors to moor.

We prefer the meadow just upstream of the railway bridge, here Lucy and Meg can enjoy being outside without me having to keep watching for people and traffic etc.

There are tons of excellent blackberries on the bushes here.. a bumper crop.  In fact I have not see so many blackberries on one bush as there are here.  I really did think that the crop had finished, for the last few days all I have seen are shriveled up bits of fruit, but tomorrow is going to be major pick blackberries day!

I still have a load of apples from a week ago when I managed to pick some real beauties (Permission given).  The only problem I have is that I don’t have that many jam jars to put all the blackberry and apple jam in that I intend to make now.  I have homemade piccalilli on the go as well as chutneys and onions too at the moment.

Jam jars to buy are so expensive, and anyway getting them to No Problem would be a logistical nightmare.. so I thought where else can I get some.. teehee, of course, Mr Tesco, and Mr Asda!..

Yep, jam pot jackpot!.. Curry Sauce though…  Well I suppose we COULD eat curry all this week..

Lids will be done with bicarb, that should take the curry smell away, or milton.  Whatever it takes at 4p a pot I simply can’t resist!  Just a matter of how many now!