Chores

I bet there are a fair few who have this romantic image of boating as being all relaxing and effortless. Well it is in the main but every now and again you have to do your chores. What is doubly frustrating is when you have a house and a boat so its chores x 2

This was the case this last weekend. Rachel was working so it was cinderfella here who drew the short straw with a house clean and food shop on Saturday and a boat loading, boat cleaning (with the genny out) and strimming of the mooring on Sunday. So by the time I drove back to Derby to pick Rachel up I was knackered.

Monday was a partial day of rest but included a trip the Cannock for present buying for no 2 sons 21st. Cannock is another market town not unlike Rugeley or Litchfield. All three seem to suffer from the recession more than most with lots of shops shut and further evidenced by only a few open on the Bank Holiday. Indeed the nice chap in Jessops said unless you wanted cards or mobile phones Cannock had little to offer. We fed ourselves well in the local Weatherspoons for under twenty quid shopped and left, and I doubt we will rush back. Only Stone and Stafford seem to be holding their own in this area.

Lots of boats moving, certainly on Sunday there were queues for the locks  - up to three boats at Keepers. Lots of smiling faces, no doubt because the weather forecast was wrong and there was no rain and some sun.

Met up with Bruce and Sheila for a chat and a coffee on Monday as I saw them pass us. It was nice to catch up for a longer chat that you can have on a passing boat.