Sunset Over Canary Wharf

And the view over towards Greenwich

Seen in St. James Square

What a lovely way to commute!

Pelican, St James

Feeding Time

I wondered why the pelicans stayed at St James Park. The fish in the bucket are a clue..

Leisurely Return and a Strange Smell

We made our way back to base, with a strange smell making itself apparent in the last hour before we stopped. It was only after we stopped that I realised it was probably a combination of hot plastic and hydrogen sulphide due to one or more of the domestic battery bank handing in its notice. I'd noticed a day or so ago one of the cells had turned the paper label over it brown with heat and diagnosed a probable shorted cell. As I planned to replace the bank after this outing I did not act. Now the battery has collapsed and is venting flammable gases. Definitely time for a new set of batteries.

Moored at Blisworth Mill Wharf.

Total distance is 10 miles, 7¾ furlongs and 0 locks.

Back the Way We Came

We headed back towards base via Watford locks. Found a surprisingly quiet spot to moor between the motorway and the railway.

Moored at Brockhall Bridge No 19

Total distance is 17 miles, 4 furlongs and 14 locks.

Inclined Plane

We spent the day getting to Foxton, where rather than join the queue to go down the staircase, we moored at the top lock and strolled around the site. We took in a warming cup of coffee at the top lock coffee shop and visited the engine house museum, run by the Inclined Plan Trust.We then turned around and headed back the way we had come.

Foxton Top Lock

On the way I saw bats in the tunnel at Husband's Bosworth - or it may have been the same bat several times, flitting in and out of the beam of the tunnel light. Siobhan watched carefully on the way back but the bat(s) did not put in a repeat performance in the afternoon when we passed back through the tunnel.
 
Moored at Mill Bridge No 40.

Total distance is 16 miles, 1¾ furlongs and 0 locks.

Still Cold!

I'm really glad we have a heater at the steerer's feet as the temperature has not risen significantly. Batteries slightly better last night after a full day's charge while cruising but still not good. I need to replace them when we get back to base.

Our £80 Ikea sofa bed is also due for retirement after five years hard service: the cover has split.

Our second passage through Watford locks was overseen by the excellent lock keepers. Cathy was given 10 out of 10 for her handling of Syncopation on the tricky turn between locks 1 and 2.

Syncopation at Watford Lock No 2

Moored at Mill Bridge No 40.

Total distance is 13 miles, 7½ furlongs and 7 locks.

Late Start

Out on the cut again. We planned to set off yesterday but barely got out of Blisworth, so I've counted today's progress from Blisworth. The day was pretty cold (about 3 degrees) but in the sun it was bearable. I was disappointed to see the pub at the top of Buckby locks has closed. There always seemed to be a lot of people outside when we passed.

Yesterday evening, we found the domestic batteries have pretty much reached the end of their useful life, with the inverter cutting out as the voltage fell too low.

Moored near Welton Haven Marina.

Total distance 14 miles, 4 1/2 furlongs and 7 locks.

Hungerford Bridge

skateboard graveyard

As you cross the footbridge at Hungerford bridge you may notice the skateboard graveyard, where users of the nearby South Bank skate park inter their deceased boards.

Snow!

And I'd gone to the trouble of clearing the front path after the fist lot.

Out With The Old..

Au revoir Picasso. Or should I say adieu?

And back again

After an excellent morning in Cosgrove we set off back to Blisworth, arriving about 6PM. The weather was warm and sunny. I wore my new Coke hat and was mistaken by some gongoozlers in Stoke Bruerne for an employee of the Canal and River Trust. I suppose they thought that anybody wearing a hat would be some sort of official. I'm hoping it wasn't because they couldn't imagine anybody wearing it voluntarily.

Last night nearly saw me breaking the Brompton when I went over the handlebars on my way back from Tesco in Wolverton. I cycled the two miles to the store along the towpath, congratulating myself on arriving before they closed. ON the way back in the dark, I missed the single step at the beginning of the pedestrian foot bridge over the canal and hit it fast enough to send me over the handlebars. The inner tube was punctured but luckily the front wheel rim was undamaged. I had to walk the bike back to the boat, holding the ruptured shopping bag together.

8 locks

Buckingham Canal Society

Every year (well, for the last two years at least) we go to the Buckingham Canal Society's annual festival at Cosgrove. I had even gone so far as to plan the trip, calculating our time of departure so that we could arrive in plenty of time for the evening fish and chip supper.

Astonishingly for plans I make involving getting the family out of the house all went well and we arrived at the mooring below Cosgrove lock at 3:30PM.

Moored below Cosgrove Lock.

7 Locks

Ocean Princess

This unusual narrowboat passed Syncopation today. One of the very few narrowboats designed with sea-going ability. There's a wheel inside, hence the rather spooky appearance of a narrowboat passing with nobody at the tiller.

Coke Hat

I've finally decided to retire my decrepit old fedora in favour of a more authentically c19th Bowler or Coke hat.

















I was going to like that worn by the Friends of President but I've checked and they tend to wear flat caps
.
I've been looking for one for some time. I'd order online but I don't know my hat size (metric or imperial) so it was a question of trying some on in a shop. That's what I did in my lunch hour today.























There was a choice of hats from England or China. Needless to say the hats from China were cheaper, and in my case the fit was a little better as well.

Home again

We set off at 9AM as we knew Buckby locks would not be open until 10AM. It was only after we had entered Braunston tunnel that I realised the tunnel light was not working so I yelled at the crew to get out on the well deck with all the torches they could muster. It was too late to reverse back to the entrance. We made it through without further incident and down the Buckby flight. The run from Buckby to Blisworth Mill always seems long but only took us three to four hours. We packed up the laundry and headed home for fish and chips.

Moored at Blisworth Mill
Total distance is 16 miles, 6½ furlongs and 7 locks

Still Raining

It was raining when we woke up so we decided to wait it out. At lunchtime we gave in and set off, topping up the water tank at Braunston junction. It was a day of discoveries. I found my old waterproofs are no longer watertight. Cathy was trying out the old boaters' technique of wearing a thick overcoat and this meant I could borrow her waterproofs for the Braunston flight of locks. We reached the top lock as the lock keeper arrived to padlock the gates of the top lock. Probably the wettest day I've spent on Syncopation.

Moored at

Braunston Top Lock No 6

Total distance is 1 mile, 5 furlongs and 6 locks

Hillmorton

We were joined by our friend Penny and her children Toby, Izzy and Roseanne for the day. We quickly reached the back of the queue for Hillmorton locks. Tenth in line, with only one half of the twinned narrow locks working. The Hillmorton flight consists of pairs of narrow locks in tandem to permit more traffic to pass. Over the winter BW have been repairing half the locks, so capacity on this busy stretch has been halved. After about an hour and a half we reached the head of the queue. Down the locks to the winding hole and then back up again, dropping our guests off by their car at the Old Royal Oak before returning to our mooring near Braunston. It started raining as we turned at the winding hole.

Penny saw me lugging the toilet cassettes along the towpath and said "Now there's a Daddy job!" Must ask Cathy if she's ever emptied a cassette.

Moored at Bridge No 89
Total distance is 13 miles, 7 furlongs and 6 locks.

Taking It Easy

We went up the Buckby flight in company with a couple from Belgium who keep a narrowboat at Blisworth Marina as a bolthole, then on to Braunston. We bought supplies at the store in Braunston and meat from the excellent Village Meats in Braunston. Tucked in for the night with a warm stove. Lovely!

Moored at Bridge No 89
Total distance is 6 miles, 2¼ furlongs and 12 locks

Thwarted by the drought

After a leisurely start we stopped off at Rugby Boat Sales in Weedon to top off the diesel tanks. I think it's only the second time I've topped up the heater tank in four years. Shows a) how frugal the heater is and b) how little we use the diesel heating. This time wasn't so eyewateringly expensive as I hadn't left it so long and the engine tank was not empty as it was last time. Also picked up a bag of coal for the stove.

We arrived at Wilton just before three in the afternoon, only to learn the Buckby locks were padlocked. The drought has brought restrictions to lock operating hours and I hadn't thought to check for stoppages. So we have an enforced wait until 10 tomorrow morning.

Moored at

Buckby Bottom Lock No 13

Total distance is 9 miles, 6½ furlongs and 0 locks