Sun and rain - and a flat starter battery

So we decided to go to the boat -even for a 24 hour period as we had to be in Chesterfield today for a family birthday.

A quick pack and an even quicker shop (which included a pint of mixed maggotts) and we were at Waterlily for 1pm ish yeaterday. As the owners of Elizabeth next mooring were planning some grinding work we decided that we would bite the bullet and go up through Fradley locks for an overnight in the sticks.

Apart from the fact the boat would not start - click,click, click suggested a poorly battery. we jumped it from the leasure batteries and got going..........

We had a good run up the locks for a bank holiday Saturday. We cruised on to a remote mooring between Kings Bromley and Armatige. It was a lovely evening and a few hours fishing and some nice food were a perfect end to the day.

We hit the sack very early for us - 10.30 pm as we wanted an early start. A duck sounding the alarm (no doubt a fox about) kept us awake early in the morning.

We got going about 8.30 (another jump start, so the battery is FUBARR'd) and took breakfast on the go. Both times on the trip as we approached Kings Bromley marina boats nipped out just on front of us. Not a issue to us but could be seen as bad manners to others.

Fradley was busier on our return. Junction lock is always a place for confusion and testing the boaters friendliness, as boaters from the T&M and Coventry come together at Junction or Middle lock.

Just as we were getting close to home we had to wait for a boat to come up Hunts lock. The boat was 'stuck' on the lower cill, I opened one of the top paddles to put some water under the boat and this worked - however the 'captain' gave franatic signals to drop the paddles (not needed as I was doing it anyway.) He then gave more frantic signals for me not to open the paddles when the boat was in the lock. I obliged and returned to my coffee on Waterlily.

As the top gate was opened he approached and offered his apologies, he had subsequesntly realised what I was doing lifting him off the cill - he had thought I was an enthusiatic 'canaltimer' - they do get some bad press, trying to rush him through the lock. No problem and it was nice to recieve both an apology and acknowleldgement I knew what I was doing.

We moored and did what we needed for a early pm departure.

I would have liked to have stayed out a little longer- say six years............

Nev