After several weeks in Braunston.. fighting for a signal.. dealing with a listing boat.. hoping the only spot for miles that has a signal (occasionally) is still there when we get back from a water run.. I’m glad to be on the move again.
It’s been a mild few weeks here, and having the Boathouse almost on the doorstep has been fun! 😀 And we extended the car to two weeks so that it can also cover off Anna’s weekend away.. So we stretched the diesel, water and pump out needs so that we could move the boat whilst Anna was away with the car (and therefore didn’t need to relay the car and the boat whilst could have caused a lot more walking needs).
Anna was off.. so we were clear to move the boat. First off.. water tank. The water point it next to Midland Chandlers.. so its 2 bags of coal (their last 2 that were ripped.. so its a discount please!) and two bags of heat logs. Once the water tanks full, we can start the washing machine up.
A rather unhappy stop at Braunston Marina.. where they enforce a 60/40 split on the diesel sales – even in the middle of winter where people are not moving as much and staying put (seems a bit unfair to enforce it – especially when I have a legal right to declare my usage (not my fault that it causes them paperwork to do).. but needs must and we need the diesel).. and at £1.26 a litre.. it was a costly fill up! But even so.. when you reverse it and work out the cost of each part.. it works out to £0.89/l for domestic use.. and a whopping £1.50/l for propulsion (it would be cheaper to get it from a petrol station at that rate.. and only fill the tank to 40% and the rest from the roadside!)
Right.. now that’s the expensive bits done! Time to get some locks done.. 6 of them for today.. and then Braunston Tunnel..a simple little 1.8km tunnel that I would prefer to get out of the way before it gets dark! Even then.. its rather disconcerting when you are in a tunnel.. and the light at the end.. whilst getting bigger.. is also getting dimmer!
Needless to say, we got to the planned mooring at Norton Junction in daylight(ish), moored up and are enjoying a rather level boat for a change – the only reason for is that the seat has been moved out to get to the washing machine – and helped with a few bags of coal is balancing us out.. Whilst not having a good nights sleep – possibly due to the lack of a listing boat rolling us into the wall when on the bed.. I would like to leave the boat level for a bit longer until Anna returns – as for the 3 of us, its not that much in the way with the seat out.. but where were all back aboard it will need to go back so we get all the seats back again..
The big decision that still needs to be made now that Christmas is out the way and were almost into 2019.. left and north up through the Watford Flight and past Crick and Yelvertoft and onto Leicester, Nottingham, Stoke and then Wales.. right and south back to London.. or back to Braunston and then down to Oxford.. we’ll see…