The film 'Far from the Madding Crowd was very good. We saw it at the little cinema at Barton Marina. There were plenty there too. I read Thomas Hardy in the dim and dark past but remember getting very frustrated that they always seemed to do the wrong thing even if it was the obvious thing to do. Mind you I had forgotten the ending of this book so I was surprised in the end.
When I got back to the boat Helen had got the latest Towpath Talk and I read that Midland Chandlers were doing 20% of batteries. I have been puzzling out where to go for them and with the reduction is worked out as cheap as I had found anywhere. We therefore decided to change our plans and turn left outside the marina and headed for Willington. Rain was threatened so we were trying to get there before then.
The At Dallow Lane lock there are these cut out figures on the lock fence as well as the mural under the bridge. On the way back again there was a large rat foraging near where the ducks are in the above photo and it didn't move as we pulled into the lock either.
As we had been up and down this stretch I thought I would see what I could photograph as I went passed. There were a few boats moving, largely hire boats that were trying to avoid the rain forcast later.
I think this is a grey lag goose and they are a good size so I wonder more don'y disappear into the pot!
This moorhen was struggling against the displacement of the boat current as we pass. It have realised that the Coot is much bigger than the Moorhen than I had thought.
On the other side of Burton on Trent we passed this field with dandelions in flower and in seed that made a good show.
The herons in this part of the world seem much more used to boats as they don't seem to flap off as you pass but brazzen it out, maybe hoping to pick off something in the wake.
We pulled into the Midland Chandler mooring ahead of schedule and before it started raining. Helen went for some milk and I went for some batteries. I beat Helen back to the boat with the batteries but the milk was a tad cheaper! We had a bit to eat before setting off back the way we had come. By now it was spitting with rain, but not enough to get me wet. We had decided to get back as far as Shobnall Fields and just as we came through Dallow Lane Lock again it started to rain a little heavier so we definitely pulled in and we will keep our fingers crossed that the Trent at Alrewas doesn't raise up and prevent our passage tomorrow.
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