Back home!

Well back home at last! This is what the Atherstone flight look slike at 7.00am on a cold October morning....

Khayamanzi has just slipped her moorings and my father is walkingon to set the lock. We completed the flight without passing a single boat! Early morning mist together with smoke from a wood stove makes amazing scenic pictures, such as these little ducks still half asleep...

This picture struck me! With all the talk of the rediculous bollards and the money wasted in installing them, I liked this. I felt it needed a caption - something like '...the light shineth on the glory of the bollards!'
Passing between the locks and my father took this lovely shot of Khayamanzi winding her way up the flight.

And so we reached the top lock.

4 BW lock keepers, all standing on the lock side swilling tea and enjoying jovial banter but only a single grunt offered in my direction and a complete blank towards my fathers cheery 'Good morning'. I guess when you have an MBA from Her Maj. one doesn't speak to passing peasant boaters any more!

Passing Les Willson Narrowboats on the way home and a local farmer was dredging out the canal bed with his JCB at the end of the 30+ line of moored boats you have to crawl past. I asked if he was extending the online moorings and he replied in the affirmative. "How far?" I enquired, "until the motorway bridge," he laughed pointing way ahead to the end of the field. I phoned BW. Just what is the status of the current policy regarding one less online mooring available for every 10 marina berths created? 3 departments later, I got through to an answer machine. I left a message but no-one bothered to reply so far. Am I the only boater who gets a tad fed up crawling for miles on end on tickover past lines of moored boats? I wonderd if the farmer even had permission for this? and if he does, why are BW on a single handed mission to end all last remaining enjoyment of cruising their waterways as a touring boat?

We turned into Brinklow at around 4.00pm to a glorious sunset.

Pumped out the loo, moored in and went straight off to explore Ikea in Coventry and Homebase in Newbold! I now have a sofa! Wel 2 boxes in the boot of my car to be precise but I hope tomorrow they will become a sofa. Watch this space....