Retirement with No Problem

Sells Green to Devizes, Kennet & Avon Canal, 3.5 miles 29 locks

Ah a grand night out at The Three Magpies at Sells Green on Saturday.  You know there is nothing better when you just decided to go out on the spur of the moment and end up having a wonderful evening.

Of course it was Bank Holiday Saturday, and the pub also owns the small caravan park adjacent to it, so it was full, but they had some entertainment on… a couple of guys who could really make their guitars talk with music from the 60’s and 70’s including some brilliant Shadows stuff.. not only that but someone from the park decided to join in with his spoons.. wow could he play them too!..

Oh I forgot I had this pic from a week or so ago at Dundas…

Oh my!  Look at Meg’s face!.. and with three other dogs inside this is one daring cat on the gunnel.. it eventually decided not to venture in, but to go and explore the other gunnel by walking around the bows.. a canalside view for it, until it made a daring turn… I was sure it was going to fall in, but it made it and wandered off.. back to it’s own boat no doubt!

And so to Caen Hill.. a late start, not just because of a heavy ‘night before’, but it would be more likely that boats would be on the way down from the top by just gone lunch time.. well the theory was right, but there were no boats in the flight when started from the bottom!

Wendie and Dan with Kiera and Niamh made slight work of the locks.. I did a couple, but it was quite blustery on Sunday and Vic preferred to pop ahead to make ready locks further up the flight.. The K9’s were loyal to me on the boat though…

Patiently waiting for NP to rise up!.

Bank Holiday Sunday should have been manic on the flight surely.. but we only met two boats coming down in the whole time.. There were plenty of walkers about though, and so many questions for Wendie and Danny to answer.. “How long does it take?”.. “What are you opening with that key?” even “Can you do the locks at night without lights?”…. Gawds sake!  Last lock then…

Is this the effect of the heavy ‘night before’?!!.. Give ‘er a cuppa tea and she will be OK!

Off they all went this morning to beat the inevitable traffic jams that would build later in the day to get home in record time with no hold ups..

It’s very quiet here at Devizes, not many boats in at all, although bloggers Barry and Sandra of Northern Pride pulled in later this evening.. we willjoin them later as we try some of the 6X beer that is brewed opposite where they are moored… the local pub is very close by.. I wonder if tomorrow is going to be yet another of those heavy ‘night before’ feelings!