Home-home south abouts

We arrived at our home mooring easily, travelling in the most stunning late summer kind of weather. Just amazing.  In the morning light, we could see the hill over Crick tunnel more clearly than usual. This time we could also see the end!

We moored up south-abouts this time, the way we moored when we first came to Welton Hythe, but we haven't been facing this way here for years. What a revelation just to have the sun coming in the other way. And, to E's great delight, the lounge/kitchen side hatch opens to the canal rather than to the bank. It is a delight again to open it whilst cooking and to lean out sipping a cool white whilst the dinner simmers. Ahhhhh.

Gorgeous day

What a day to set out. Gorgeous. We return home-home in a bit to do our usual Sunday catch up and prayers. Two weeks from now, we expect to keep to the plan, with a simple night away, either at Buckby top or Watford bottom.

Until then, a cruise awaits. Engine on, we say.

Off again with a shiny hull

We got to Welford on Monday, which feels like ages ago. We stayed put on Tuesday, simply enjoying being out of our own marina. By Wednesday, all the plans came together. All packing for three days went into Reg for a wait, we handed Bella over to Les, then P&E went off to work, Maxwell going with E.

In the day, Bella was moved into the dry dock, the water drained, and she sat on the floor. The worked queued for her was - pressure wash all the muck since her last blacking, change the sacrificial anodes (another tale), repair any hull rust, and service the engine.

At the end of the day, we checked into the Wharf Inn, a supremely handy B&B with real food and real ale, positioned at the very same wharf area as Les' sheds and workshop. And they allow dogs. It was such a treat of location and accommodation for the three of us!  We had a side dining room to ourselves, there were staff who treated us wonderfully and who treated Maxwell like royalty, and truly delicious real food.

This morning, after a good brekkie, we discovered by 10am that Bella was completed and floating again. P brought her out of the sheds, backed her into the mooring at the head of the Welford Arm, and we were ready to go. One more happy coincidence was that Mark, on Callisto our coal boat, was just coming up  to the head of the Arm. We took on coal and headed out.

Today was a fine warm day and the journey was lovely. Slow, because of so very many day trippers moored for lunch, but it made us appreciate the cruise and the scenery all the more. We stopped in Crick, put up the stubby TV aerial and settled in for Strictly Come Dancing. 

What a good week!

Ah. We'd quite forgotten the blessings of living on a boat

This morning, whilst taking P to get Simon for work, we drove Reg over a bridge we travelled under to get to our present mooring. We said that we'd been under this bridge just a few days ago. Days? When was it? Yesterday. Just yesterday. We had quite forgotten how travelling in Bella quite alters our sense of time and extends our sense of space.

Last night, when we finished oh-ing and ah-ing and reminding ourselves why we live on a boat, we made a plan. Today's experience over the bridge sealed it. P works weekends once every four weeks and has two rest days after. This is the plan. Every four weeks, on the Monday or Tuesday rest day, we take Bella to either Crick, Braunston, or Weedon/Gayton. All 6-7 locks and a few hours cruise away, all within P's patch, all easily drivable to E's studio, all easily drivable to the station.  We stay there until the next weekend and then travel back. Two weekends with an itty bit of cruising each month.  The plan. 

Watch this blog.  Wish us commitment. We've both been so focused on work that Bella's simply been a home. But she's a boat.  For goodness sakes. A boat. We'll get busy again.

Out. Believe it or not. It's lovely!

We need Bella's hull blacked. Otherwise know as covered with waterproof paint to protect the hull. Bella is too long to be blacked at Weltonfields, so we're now moored up at Welford, waiting to go into sheds on Wednesday.  As the rain pelts the roof now, it is fabulous to report that we had delightful sunshine and blue skies for the travelling.

It was great to float under the A5 instead of whiz on it to get to a train. Then - under both the mainline rail and then the branch line. We certainly prefer the view up to the rails than the one where we wistfully look down from carriage windows. A giggle through the woods to the lorries parked at Watford services told us we were in our favourite transport today.

The very dark photo is from inside Crick tunnel. For the first time ever, we couldn't see the light at the end! A traditional engine had come out just before we went in, and the fumes simply filled the space. The beam from our light was amazing to see, working through the haze to the tunnel roof. Just about 200 metres from the north end, we finally saw the light.

A good day! Most of the time P and M were on deck and E at the desk. Working whilst the trees glide by is amazing.