Quick fix in the sun.

Well, after a week back in reality, we needed a boating fix. The sun was shining and John's mum felt up to a day out, so off to the boat it was to be.

We had a run from Kings Bromley up to beyond Rugeley. Plenty of boats moving which I suppose is to be expected on the first week of the summer holidays and the long awaited good spell of weather. How great to feel the sun on your back at last. Having passed through Plum Pudding we negotiated a fishing match, but the sun hadn't made these chaps happy. Only one of the line managed a smile and bit of a joke. It's quite amusing as I have been an angler most of my life and still do a fair bit whenever I can, but if it made me look that miserable whilst I was sat there I don't think I'd bother. Louise likes to play a game of getting them to say hello, and often greets the really miserable ones with a very cheery 'hello' and asks them if they have caught much, whilst I try and keep a straight face. Having winded, we moored up for lunch at the aqueduct over the River Trent which still had a good flow on it.

The return journey was just as pleasant and Louise even had a good spell on the tiller which was very welcomed. It was nice to sit in the front deck and watch the world pass by with a cold beer. All too soon we were arriving back at Kings Bromley, but passed this interesting steam powered narrowboat near to Handsacre - I bet it was hot stoking the fire today.

Oh well, back to work tomorrow for some of us - enjoy the weather if you are lucky enough to be out on the water.

Rain stops play... but every cloud has a silver lining.

The forecast was for heavy rain on Friday and unfortunately the forecast was correct. The run back to Kings Bromley is about 4 hours from Great Haywood, so we hoped that it would improve and stayed put for the morning. Boats around us were all moving in the deluge, the one immediately behind us decided that 5.45am was a good time to set off... thanks !!!

However, every cloud has a silver lining as they say, as at lunchtime, Lisa and David on 'What a Lark' pulled in next to us. Very kindly, they invited us round for coffee and we spent the afternoon having a lovely chat about all things boaty which brightened the afternoon up no end. The rain actually stopped towards the end of the afternoon, but by this time we decided that the evening was to be better spent with dinner in The Clifford Arms with Lisa and David and we would head back in the morning. 

Blue Moon and What a Lark at Great Haywood

We left this morning just after 7.30am and had a lovely run back through our last lock at Colwich and then on through Rugeley in SUNSHINE !!! The fields on the flood plain of the Trent were still full of water in places and the river itself was clearly high and flowing strongly. Despite the poor weather that we have experienced over the last two weeks, we have to count ourselves lucky as we haven't been affected as some others clearly have been where rivers are involved. 

Ironically, the weather had the last laugh as it started to rain as we left for home about 3.30pm and as I look out of the window at home now - you've guessed it - raining again. Surely things have to improve before our next trip in August... don't they ??