Friday 20th April
After the exertions of yesterday we decided, as we had a fairly good mooring (it is quite nice here), we would have a day off. We have to stay at Rickmansworth for a couple of days next week while Barbara goes off for a hospital appointment and we are nearly there already so it worked out well having a day off.
It was lovely and sunny first thing so Ken decided to check the batteries as having the back of the boat open wouldn’t mean him getting a soaking! After he had done that he went off to the Spar shop for a paper and I took advantage of his absence to do a bit of cleaning. Of course he brought a load of mud in as soon as he got back, bless!
It started to cloud up mid morning and as soon as we stepped out of the boat to take George to the Three Horseshoes it started raining! We had gone a few yards when this rain turned to hail. Fortunately there is a lot of tree/hedge cover along the route to the pub and we were sheltered from the worst.
Yesterday we had passed through the swing bridge near the pub and had not had to operate it ourselves because there is work going on there and the workmen opened it for us. Today when we got to the swing bridge, which we had to traverse to get across the canal to the pub, we realised it was closed to pedestrians (and traffic actually) and there was a temporary scaffolding footbridge to use. Now, this footbridge has open treads, is very steep and quite high, (see photos) an obstacle indeed for an ageing bull terrier!
After a quick inspection it became apparent that we would have to carry George up the steps and down the other side! Ken grabbed his harness and I grabbed his back legs and we rushed up before he realised what was happening and when we got across to the other side we did the same. He stood at the bottom looking somewhat bemused afterwards.
The men who were working on the swing bridge were skulking in their van out of the rain and when we went past they said we could have actually come over the swing bridge if we had wanted to, great! They also said if they were still there when we wanted to go back we could use it. Unfortunately they buggered off early, left the swing bridge open, so boats could get past obviously and we had to go through the whole performance again!
While we were in the pub 3 rather ramshackle, middle aged people came in looking for someone they knew. A large gentleman in a t shirt, a very fetching pair of filthy, low slung, jogging bottoms and trainers. Another man, a picture of sartorial elegance in an anorak over a suit with the trousers tucked in his socks, a wooly hat and trainers. And a rather nondescript skinny woman. Not being able to see their friends they disappeared off in to the lounge. We didn’t give them another thought but we were to see (and feel) them again later.
So, having hauled our poor old dog over the bridge again we headed back to the boat and just as we arrived it started hailing again so we battened down the hatches. Some time later all Hell broke loose when 2 boats, which we had seen moored up on our way back from the pub, went past towards the next lock at breakneck speed, causing a bit of a disturbance. It was the 3 fashion icons from the pub on one boat and presumably the friends they had been looking for on the other. We had to check our mooring pins in case they had been pulled loose. Barbara said they were pissed as farts and they probably were as they had been in the pub for about 3 hours!
Then only a short while later these 2 boats came back, at more or less the same speed. I don’t know why they didn’t go down the lock. One had turned round and was towing the other backwards on a long tow rope with ‘jogging bottom’ man on the tiller actually trying to steer it!! As the towing boat passed us the towed one started heading straight in to the side of us and there was a huge bang as they hit us. I shouted, ‘What the Hell are you doing?’ out of the window but no reply or apology was to be heard.
A bit further on the towing boat seemed to jack knife across the canal and the front ended up in the undergrowth. Poles were needed to get them off the bank. Eventually they got underway again and disappeared round the corner. I hope they don’t come back for another go!
Meanwhile Barry and Barbara (and eventually Ken as well) were helping another chap moor up. He had actually been going to go in the lock (with these idiots), but his gear box had packed up. If it wasn’t for the unfortunateness (I mean misfortune of course!) of having a broken gear box I would say he had a lucky escape!
All this and thunder and lightening too, it’s all been happening here this afternoon.
