We set off in the morning, having reversed over to just outside the wharf deisel point for two nights. We managed to get five loads of laundry done, borrowing the leccy and water. Marvelous!
We set out just in time to move out of Oxfordshire Narrowboat's way, as they prepared to turn around 4 boats for new hire. Alongside Rugby Boat Sales at Stowe Hill Wharf, Oxfordshire Narrowboats (from whom we bought our Bella) now has one of its hire centres.
We moved east, found the winding hole and Pete did a TEXTBOOK turn. Just awesome!! Along the way, we noticed the range of fowl in a local garden - chickens, Mallard ducks and Canada geese. Lovely. We passed Stowe Hill again to wave goodbye to mates and set out northwest toward Weedeon, then Whilton.
Just as we set out, it began to mizzle and by the time we were working the Whilton, then Buckby flight, we were drenched!!! We moored up below Buckby top lock this time in the meandering pound by the fields, just as the rain stopped (!) then happily watched the sheep opposite.
As we watched out the hatch, we noticed a brilliant boat, Beatrice, glide by us. She was driven with a steering wheel, handled by an elegant woman in a wheel chair. Beatrice had been modified so that Ms Beatrice could roll on, lock her chair in to place, drive Beatrice, then lower her chair into below decks. Elizabeth gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up as she passed and Ms Beatrice grinned. What a brilliant sight! Boats are not out of reach for anyone.
The night closed in with one of our wonderful views and one of the reasons Elizabeth likes being on the cut - the peaceful reflections in the water.
We set out just after 
breakfast and a lazy morning, went down the 6 more locks of Buckby then Whilton flight. One of the locks had a feature we so enjoy. Often, but not always, the dates of work or repair of the locks are etched into the wood, iron or stone used. Here is a corner of a Buckby flight lock where we could see 1881 on the wall side and 1992 on the gate. 100 years between, but still travelable.
On the open canal past the locks, we passed a sinking narrowboat, then moored up literally above the Church in Weedon, Northamptonshire. It's a strange feeling looking down on a Church spire from the canal! We arrived in Stowe Hill and moored opposite and just east of our friend's brokerage. There was some rain, but mostly it was an easier drier day. By the time we moored, the sun shone! Ah.
We can hardly believe that we are out on the cut for the first time in 2010. Where did 1/4 of the year go and how did it disappear so quickly??? Today is the 25th of March, our 15th Wedding Anniversary, and we decided that the best place to be was out on the canal, so here we are, back in Braunston. We've moored outside the Boat House again, not just because it is just a step up to the pub, but also, because by the time we floated into Braunston this afternoon, there were no moorings left! We had a bit of a false start earlier, Bella deciding that forward gear was her direction of choice, no matter what Pete did with the throttle. We pulled back in to our mooring and Pete took the deck plates off and had a look. A few minutes later, he put the gear cable back where it should be and within 6 minutes, we were untied and out on the northern Oxford canal. Ahhhh... Then, of course it rained. Having had a beautiful warm, sunny and dry morning, within a few minutes on the cut, the mizzle started and then mixed with drizzle all the way to Bronny. Such is our boating life!
It's nearly the middle of March and you may have guessed that we're still moored in Blue Haven. We have been so busy for work and it has been so cold that we've taken the choice to stay put for a while. Though we love travelling, it is lovely to have the choice to move or not. These ducks are working on their ice skating.
There has been ice again and again, and the water is so cold that when we returned from a few working days away, it took some time for dear Bella to come up to temperature again. But all is well now. We're making plans for an April setting out on the cut, after Bella goes into sheds. She's going to have a significant repaint on some bits and repair on others and will get new roof vents. We'll show her off in all her shiny status when done.
We know it was a short month, but we didn't anticipate missing it entirely! We were moored up in Blue Haven the whole time, variously iced in and not and doing some work and domestic things. The winter has really stretched out into spring and we realised we had the choice - we did not have to travel while freezing! So we stayed tucked up. And we put up this wonderful oil lamp in the dining room. SO cosy.
