Thursday 14 May 2015

The morning after...

There is a certain joy of travelling in a convoy, this was confirmed to us this morning when Geoff arrived with his blowtorch that he keeps onboard, (Reader we only have a tool box collection of three screwdrivers, thats all), 
and Joe was on hand too for brute strength all to mend the tiller.

Glorious day. Geoff heating, Joe creating a pull on the tiller, David holding it firm.


Fletcher and Floyd watching

Getting as much heat as possible onto the bent section

This looks odd but all part of the brute strength brief.

After a grand effort to which we both were most grateful, but it hadn't worked.  Plan B was to call into a boatyard.  The phoning began, the first one called in our new Nicholson Guide is now a Tearoom!  David said we had found their website and she said they have been meaning to get that changed.  Two more calls and one near Newark said they could help.
So away we went, at 9:55am when we had a loose booking with yesterdays duty lock keeper for 10am for our three boats to enter the lock, this is because of the considerable works going on here and a temporary bridge going over, this is removed for boats but not that quickly.  However a boat had gone past us ten minutes earlier and I had assumed that the single boat would have waited for us to join at the appointed time but no, we waited 15 mins or so for the huge lock to refill and finally exited Holme lock at 10:40am.
The weather was lovely and I ticked off a first sighting of two birds in my book, a Lapwing and a Sand Martin.


Yarwood on the right, Seyella central and Clarence on the left

Lovely countryside, see Lesley with her feet up?  Almost unknown.


Clarence on the left, Yarwood centrally and Seyella as Tail end Charlie

Reader we would have breasted up but no other boats around.

We landed and after fannying around with ropes and fenders, we sat in the sun drinking tea supplied by Mags again......
There was a roar that all would recognise and this flew over doing back flips and Looping the Loop.  
Made my day complete.

A Spitfire, impressive or what?

Supper was Hake wedges and french beans with chocolate trifle.















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