Final day and home again!

A good day today. Set off this morning at around 9.30 from Norton Junction and headed through Braunston Tunnel towards the locks. Paired up with NB Ryebank a shared ownership boat to transcend the locks. The couple on the boat were both deputy heads so much 'school talk' was the order of the flight!

One thing I noticed was the posters advertising the notorious Mr. Finch which were plastered to every lock gate.

Although Mr. Finch has a colourful and interesting history, he is a scourge on the canals and apparently has been released from prison and is now working the Braunston area of the canals yet again. For those not in the know or who don't have time to read the webiste on him, Finch, (an ex-millitary man,) breaks into narrowboats to steal booze, AA batteries, food and anything else that he can generally use to help him survive in the wild! He is a serious problem and his release from prison is always dreaded by the boating fraternity.

Another delightful stop at Clifton Cruisers on the way back. I never knew that pumping out the toilet and getting diesel could be such a pleasurable experience. Clifton Cruisers certainly make it such with nothing being too much trouble and the service being efficient, friendly and calm.

The final length of cut back to the marina saw every mooring space full and hire boats even forced to more at rediculous angles on bridge 'oles - a good job we weren't needing an urgent mooring space on-line!

Just as I was turning into the marina a Kingfisher appeared on a branch and sat there as I travelled past not even 3 feet away from us! It was th emost remarkable view of a KIngfisher I have ever seen and I hastilly grabbed my camera. Unfortunately I think he knew that the light was just too dark and the exposure too long to get any shots other than a blur. This one was the only shot in which a Kingfisher could actually be recognised!

This elusive bird remains to be un-photographed successfully still despite obliging fully with the photographer today - I just wish he would have sat there for that amount of time when the daylight was better!

Having moored in the marina I commented to my father that the week was lovely but in all the moorings we had - nowhere did we moor for the night with views anything like equivalent to those in front of my boat in this marina. It really was lovely to come back into and the facilities of the local Chinese shop just 4 minutes down the road added to the whole home-coming experience!!

Tomorrow, I plan to shop and prepare for the barbecue and open day on Saturday - reality returns too quickly!!