Plodding back to Paddington.

We aimed to be off by 0900 but by the time we had refilled with water, after starting a long delayed wash, it was 0950 when we entered the first lock of the day to start the climb up the Regents Canal.

Amy contemplating life and all it's mysteries as she waits for a lock to fill.

We met a few people coming down but it wasn't until Sturt's Lock that we had a buddy to help us. It was a very small 'London house boat' that was moving location. They didn't seem to be very talkative, maybe too early for them, and us.

This scene was just under a most un-presupposing railway arch. It was a lovely little haven set well away from normal eyes and looked very cosy indeed.

Islington seems to be been gentrified at the moment and this set of apartments looks very good alongside the the lock, willows and old chimney at City Road Lock.

 Down City Road Basin they are building these two tall and narrow blocks that make me think of Hong Kong. They are selling them as with a canal scape view.

There are only the moored boats, two abreast to mar the green view of the entrance to the Islington Tunnel. You wouldn't know you were in the middle of London from this photograph.

Next we came to the three Camden Locks. As the sun wasn't out it wasn't quite as busy as when we came down but there were still plenty of drinkers between the locks and tourists eating and gongoozling.

After Camden is the sharp turn at Cumberland Basin where it is not a good place to meet the trip boats thundering round the corner. We were lucky today and had a quiet run past the zoo. We actually saw some sort of dingo type dogs and warthogs. This is the view of the aviary as you pass the zoo gardens.

We were soon entering the Paddington Basin and as we turned the corner we could see no spaces. However as we progressed slowly down the arm we saw the behind a pair of double moored boats was a space on the pontoon under the hospital. It was the same place as we tied up a couple of weeks ago. Helen and Amy set too making cakes and biscuits to take to her boyfriend and I put all the river gear away, the anchor and chain, life ring long ropes etc. These mainly go under the dinette out of the way. The just fit and they also help to alter the trim a little and get the bow up. I also decided to dig out all the logs I had put in the bow locker from under the solar panels so that we didn't lose them when on the Thames. Late on there was a group of dignitaries around the new fountain. It turns out that they are unveiling a statue to Sir Simon Milton who had been the Leader of Westminster Council 2000 to 2008 and then became Boris Johnson's Chief of  Staff and Deputy Mayor of Policy and Planning until he died in 2011. It seems that it was he who drove the development of Paddington Basin and it has been the largest in central London. It is a bronze statue of him sitting on a bench near the fountain. In life he was a small person but the statue by Bruce Kemp makes him look like Obi Wan Kanobi. 

After the ceremony the new bridge was raised and if looks quite spectacular. The bridge deck splits like a fan. It was designed by Knight Architects.

To bloke arrived in the basin later with a very noisy boat, and they were very noisy too. Mainly because they were drunk I suspect. They passed and made a pigs ear of turning round and then approached us. The bounced of the side and passed, and then reversed for another go, and passed. They then tried forwards again sliding right down the side but continued on to the boat moored behind us. They were having none of it and saw them off telling them they couldn't moor alongside as it was against regulations. I full well knew that they knew it was no allowable. When they had eventually disappeared a young bloke came to the other boat and as nicely as possible told them that the rule has changed here. He also asked them how they would like it if they had been turned away. The fact was they never asked if it was okay, they were drunk and been rude and were hardly capable of steering their boat. I think we would be quite within our rights not to have somebody like that alongside you. If they want cooperation from folk they should act accordingly.

We walked Amy to the Tube later as she is staying her last night with her boyfriend. After something to eat we wandered off into Paddington and found the Victoria Pub that was very nice as it had a theatre and library bar upstairs. Down stairs was very busy though.