Back home!

Left the Atherstone locks this morning and pushed on through with a very good road ahead until we met a smart boat with a fuel blockage moored on a bend! We pulled over to see if we could help and ended up towing them to Springwood Haven. Some 2 miles of interesting bends! Stopped briefly at Valley Cruisers to pick up a few chandlery items we wanted before pushing on again towards Sutton's Stop where we met John on NB Briar Rose. John also moors in Brinklow Marina and is a good friend of mine. On again towards Stretton Stop and an exciting and most unexpected meeting at All Oaks Wood with Mike and Liz from NB Snecklifter along with Derek and Dot from NB Gypsy Rover. I have communicated with Derek and Dot via email for some time now andour paths have never crossed. It was great tofinally meet them, all be-it too briefly - hopefully our paths will cross again some time when we can meet for more of a chat over a cup or glass of something!

The final few twists of the canal took us back home to Brinklow Marina after completing a total of 404 miles and 266 locks in the past 4 weeks!

I ordered a Chinese from the local takeaway, turned the key in the car ignition to fetch it and...nothing, just a click! Fortunately one of my very kind neighbours took me to his house to collect a set of jump leads and a spare battery, collected my chinese on the way back and jump started the car for me. Hopefully it will start tomorrow for me to take my father the hour and a half or so to Stoke on Trent to collect his car left with friends before returning back home again!

I declare that the summer holiday 2007 is officially ended!