Homemade lemonade and Nutella in the rain.

The rain stopped at breakfast so we went for a walk into Polesworth as we had some stuff to post off. By the time we got back there had been plenty of movements and despite the clouds being low and dark we got under way.

At Glascote top lock I saw these Sumach berries and picked some. I had read about using them to make lemonade so picked a few of the heads. Last night I put a couple of heads in a jug of about a litre and a half and submerged them with a weight. This morning I strained the the water and added a couple of teaspoons of sugar (or honey) and it is a lovely refreshing, very cheap lemonade. The tiny berries can be picked off and dried and used in jams etc as they will added extra sweetness. In Lebanon and Turkey the red hairs are rubbed off and can be used as a flavouring in cooking. I think that in future I will break up the heads into little bits so that it is easier to pass the flavour to the water.

Grendon Church after the harvest. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book but the tower of the church is from 1845.

I had been thinking about buying a double skinned chimney for the boat to try to stop the tar leaking over the paint work. I had passed the Little Chimney Boat a couple of times in the past and knew he was on the Coventry mostly so I had my eyes open for him. And lo and behold we passed him soon after Polesworth. We pulled in and I gave him a knock. Our chimney is a strange size and Kim agreed, saying he had never seen one on a boat before. The outcome was that as we are having a paint job winter after next we are going to change to a 6" collar with the flue properly installed. Kim did himself out of a job but with luck it will pay in spades in a years time. I think I did myself out of a birthday present too!

We stopped at the services below Atherstone locks and the boat just leaving them told us that we may as well stop as there was a queue of five boats waiting to go up. When we got there there were only two ahead of us and we were soon on our way. What delay there was was passed in good chat. Helen brought the boat into the lock and you can see with your eyes that she never touched the sides.

It seems that we were picking up the boats that had stopped for shopping mid flight and there were boats now to change over each time. However the clouds darkened and the fine drizzle started and we were umming and ahing about whether to continue or not.

The mist was beginning to turn to drops of moisture so Helen made the executive decision to stop for the day. We moored up just past this bridge.

The hawthorn has loads of berries on it this year and the birds always seem to leave them til last. I have been looking for elderberries, and there are a few but the birds have decimated them largely. Last year I did make some jelly out of haws and it was quite nice with lamb and other meats so I may have another go and can pass it on to others to try for themselves. I think I will need some small jars though.

By the time we were moored up and the fire lit the moisture had turned to dollops and we were glad that we made the decision to stop. After lunch whilst Helen was reading yet another book I had a go at converting the hazelnuts that I had picked into homemade Nutella. We do not have a food processor, just a stick blender, and no groundnut oil, but I must say whilst not likely to take over from the commercial thing it is very passable to spread on bread or eat by the spoonful.

I'm not sure whether the weather will be much better tomorrow so we will have to see what we do.