Just not cricket.

We topped up with water and then went to tell our fellow moorers that we were heading up to the winding hole and then back down the St. John's Locks.

The winding hole was deep and not too much weed. It is very angular though and needs a sharp turn into it.

on the way round.

This was our erstwhile mooring and partner. I think I will have to email C&RT having already completed their London mooring questionnaire. I have lost count of the number of visitor moorings on many canals that are positioned under trees and with no good view of the sky. Being under a tree can be dangerous in high winds, you get sap dripping on the boats that mixes well with the birds do do too. But mainly it means that the many boats that have some form of solar panels aboard are unable to benefit from the free power. This then means that they have to run generators or engines causing noise and pollution etc. We were lucky as no birds seemed to like the oak tree we were under.

Near Hermitage Bridge are several house boats and in the wide opposite them were moored these two lighters belonging to the Canal. Just round the corner the Bantam 44 had come even further across the canal. We stopped and shortened up the stern mooring line as best we could so as it give more room to get by.

 As we arrived at the top lock it started to rain, but only lightly. Then as we got further down it chucked it down for a short time and so we had to don waterproofs. This is why Helen is fully kitted out and the sun is shinning causing a dappled light through the trees and bracken.

I snapped this before legging it down to open the other gate, and is still wasn't raining.

This is the bravest heron I have come across. It stood it's ground when a dog past and let me take it's photo too. Normally the daft things fly off ahead of you and then do it again each time you come up to the them. I think they must only stop when they get into another Heron's territory, or they realise how daft they have been and go back to the beginning. I thought at first they were being clever and staying ahead of the boat so as to be ready for when the bow wave disturbed their prey.

Helen's phone has stopped working. The charger is fine but nothing is happening. We walked into Woking in the pouring rain. Fortunately it wasn't windy so an umbrella was useful. We found the EE shop and discovered that she was due an upgrade so got a new phone but couldn't download photos and address book. Therefore if you know her please text her so that she will have your number again. It is quite a good shopping centre and so we had a look around to complete Helen's wedding outfit. I feel another trip coming on tomorrow. The girl in EE said she would help synchronise her phone with her tablet so we will go again to get that done I expect.

On the footbridge over the canal towards the shopping centre are two bronze sculptures of crickets. They are the Bedser identical twins. This one is Sir Alec Bedser who was a Surrey and England cricketer. He was ten minutes younger than his twin Eric born in 1918 in Reading. They started playing cricket together aged 7 for the schools and Woking Cricket Club. They were spotted by the Surrey cricket coach and both made their debut in the same match in June 1938 for Surrey. Sir Alex was a medium fast right arm bowler. It is said that when they were invited to go to Surrey they tossed a coin about who would be the bowler and who the bowlers as both were good with either. Alec won the bowling. Alec made his debut for England in 1946 against India and his last match was in 1955 against South Africa after 51 tests. He played 485 times for Surrey. His Test averages were, batting 12.75 and bowling 24.89. County averages were 14.51 and 20.41

The elder of the two was Eric. He never played for England and for Surrey 457 times. It is said that during one Surrey match his brother bowled half an over and then Eric bowled the second three balls without the batsmen noticing! Eric was a good all rounder with a good off spin. It seems peculiar that he was not selected for England as his averages were better than his brothers, batting 24 and bowling 24.95. However he did win the county championship seven times in a row despite having players out for England. He played for the county 23 years. He and his brother never married and lived together in the house they had built for their Dad. Eric died in 2006 and Alec in 2010. The statues are either end of the bridge as if Alec is bowling to his brother Eric at the other end.

There is a museum and a cinema very handy for the canal so I reckon we will be down that way again, especially if it continues to rain like it has today.