Easter holiday - Day one

I've posted 2 pictures today, the top one is a general view of my cruise this morning showing my flowers in all their glory. The secondpicture is a beautiful sunset photographed a couple of evenings ago.

An interesting day! Left my mooring this morning and stopped at Rose Narrowboats for services. Hats off to them, they were very busy trying to 'turn around' 8 hire boats but still made time to give me a very thorough pumpout which included at least 2 or 3 big rinses. Passed Bill at Sutton's Stop and had a quick chat before pushing on up the Ashby. I had hoped to get up to Battlefield this evening but a biting wind forced me to moor up earlier and I am now sitting in my old regular weekend spot- a peaceful place surrounded by fields of bursting oil seed rape. Held up a short while at the entrance to the Ashby at Marston Junction as Iain and Allison on working boat Gosty Hill had trouble getting through due to a large deposit of debris under the bridge.Much heaving and pushing with poles and we managed to get them through. A few bridges later and a group of small boys no older than 10 were throwing stones off a bridge. One large rock narrowly missed my boat and it was only when his mother called up, 'don't throw stone darling - there's a boat coming through' that my jaw fell open as I realised he was doing this right in front of his mother! It beggars belief! A slightly more forceful telling off I felt was in order but nothing surprises me anymore when I see examples of total inadequate parenting skills sweeping across this country.

Plans tomorrow are a full fried breakfast followed by a move up to Battlefield to start all the jobs. Jobs this week include rubbing down and re-staining ALL woodwork trimming such as side doors, rear doors, window sills, rear hatch surrounds and instrument panel, touching up all the little rust chips on the paintwork, re-packing the tiller bearing with grease........