Late start for once.

Now this was a first was us, moored up south of Penkridge on armco, but what we really noticed was how much the pound went down with the lock being operated, we were on a tiny ledge too and although we knew this when we moored up, we figured that as the evening wore on and the locks went to to bed for the night all would be well.  Luckily, the blood was running to our feet not heads, however the boat remained going up and down like, as my mother always says 
"A whore's drawers".
Oddly in the very early morning (David had gone to fetch the paper) as some early bird came down the lock towards the boat, it righted itself and I felt as if we were falling off a cliff the other way.  So much so I kept out of bed, that tells you how it 
un-nervered me. 
So later after breakfast, then coffee and finally paper reading we departed.

Penkridge Lock with the tunnel for the horses.

Reader picture this, sun shining, shorts on him, skirt on me,  I had started out with a thin fleece on but that was quickly whipped off and the canal although we met boats coming towards us at most locks, seemed very quiet.  Fab or what?
 We met a lady at one of the eight locks who said something like they are widening the motorway almost into the cut, I didn't really believe her.  Then I took this;

That is motorway traffic too.

It was a lovely run all the way to the middle of nowhere, the sort of place we like.

Someone must have got the maths wrong here as the bridge would take yer head off if you don't come up the steps on all fours.

Gailey Lock with its round tower like building.

Just think all all the boaters who put their foot here to do this short beamed lock at Gailey to heave




Now then sooooo much has been written in the boating press and sworn at in the boating pubs about passing boats racing past moored boats creating wash but Hells Bells and Buckets of Blood, we had four go past us in quick succession this evening at supper time, the wash was so great, greater than I have experienced before including on the Thames last year at Windsor when it felt like we were on the ocean,  I nearly lost my plate too!!!  

I grabbed my camera and took this photo of the offenders to name and shame them, and they were laughing....

There were for of them and one was called Hugo, if you see them drop your anchor!

Now on a separate matter, a request has flooded in for the recipe for White Chocolate and Ginger Crunch.  Now I first had this at Annie's Tearooms in Thrupp and I have to say her version was better than mine so go eat hers if you are there. 
But; 
1 pack of Tesco Oatie Crunch biscuits CRUSHED. Or digestives or whatever you have in the cupboard.
Half a pack of butter melted
Half a tin of condensed milk (Diet is available to save the day)
1 packet of Whitworth Crystallised Ginger pieces.
High quality pack of white cooking chocolate

Into melted butter stir in the condensed milk.
Into a bowl put the  crushed biscuits.
Into the bowl add the ginger pieces. Stir.
Add melted butter & condensed milk mix.
Whack into either a flat oven dish or as I used a 2lb loaf tin and pat it down as neatly and as flatly as you can. Bung in the fridge.
The next day melt the chocolate in a basin in a saucepan over a LOW HEAT.
Cover the turned out Crunch Cake and keep in the fridge.
Lastly take strenuous exercise for an extended period before and after a small slice.

Picture here I hope at the foot of the page