Tuesday 19th October
It’s been a funny old day. We managed to make it to Great Haywood, some 11 miles and 7 locks from Penkridge in 5 hours, which was a 3 hour improvement on the opposite journey, when everyone at Tixall had the same idea about getting through Penkridge Lock before they shut it for repairs and there were huge delays at all the locks.
Things started well as we left ahead of our usual shedule (before 9am) and we stopped before the first lock to get a paper. At Penkridge Lock (the 2nd lock) we discovered that the elsan disposal had been fixed so after we went down the lock we moored up and I went back and emptied the loo. By this time one of the showers they forecast was upon us.
The 4th lock turned out to be one like the one in Stoke, which has a jet of water spraying the side of the boat as it empties. You may recall the bedroom got flooded then! This time the water poured in the dinette window, soaking the seat, the table, various notepads and things I keep on a shelf under the dinette, a pack of computer paper, and unfortunately, the contents of my handbag, including my phone which is now defunct! Aaaargh! We had to spend some time clearing all that up. Fortunately the computer and printer were ok.
There was a significant gap between the 5th and 6th locks so I had time to get us a couple of mugs of soup but just as I brought them out it started raining really hard so, as Ken can’t steer the boat and hold an umbrella and a cup of soup at the same time, I had to take them in until it stopped. By the time it did stop the soup needed microwaving but again, just as I brought it out it started raining! Eventually we managed to have the soup and I only just finished mine in time to do the next lock.
It then came over really black and the showers turned to more organised rain which continued until after we moored up. After a while it brightened up and we thought we’d treat ourselves to a pint. It was pretty chilly so we didn’t take George just in case he wasn’t allowed in the Clifford Arms. As it turned out we could have taken him in but as we had always previously sat outside we hadn’t bothered to find out whether they allowed dogs. He didn’t mind because he went to the pub yesterday.
Skulking round the corner in the pub were Mick and Cathy who had left Penkridge at the same time as us but not had a flood to clear up or a cassette to empty so had arrived earlier. We had a couple of Adnams Broadsides would you believe?
Tomorrow we are going to Rugeley.
