Well hello again! It has been such a long time since I have sat on the boat in the evening and tapped away with some nonsense. Life certainly has seemed to get in the way of boating over the winter at least!!
Anyway we are here on 'Holderness' for a few days, and of course the glorious weather we have been having is set to change, but to be honest I don't care as it is so good to be away at last. If the worst comes to the worst it will be a real pleasure to sit in front of the stove just doing nothing. I wont bore you with what has been going on but it is all starting to come to and end now, although knowing me I will say yes to something else that will keep me way too busy.
Macy the cay knew something was going on and hid away but once the car was packed up we soon had her on the parcel shelf and she settled down to another trip away on the boat. We got away after popping in to the mother in law, just getting over COVID and we were on our way.
A couple of hours later we were at the marina and disgorging the contents of a small pantechnicon into the boat. It all seemed to fit. I did all the usual arrival jobs as well as checking the fuel. I do this now as I am sure we had some stolen when we were moored over winter at Saville Town Basin, Dewsbury. I don't know how they did it as the lock was there still, but hey ho, once bitten twice shy! I purchased another three bags of coal, just in case, with one eye on the forecast. We were soon on our way and heading out of the marina. Helen was frantically trying to remember what her tasks on departure were and eventually popped up on the bow to let go etc.
We had intended to do the a Ring, but as I have to pop back home on Sunday we had to be somewhere to facilitate that. There is a lock at Penkridge that is still closed for the winter maintenance and another at Minworth so we decided on an out and back to the marina and then another out and back after Sunday. Once we left the marina and turned left we were on our way. I would hate to live in a marina full time myself, but does give you a very liberated mood once you leave! I was amazed that the sun came out, as I wasn't expected it. It was quite warm, but boats in the other direction were dressed up to the nines, wind behind makes a bif difference. There were patches of yellow along the banks, and not from daffodils but from the gorse/broome/winn/furze. I have always liked this plant for the colour, the aroma of coconuts and later the snapping sound when the dried pods burst to project the seeds as far as possible. It is a member of the pea family by all accounts.
As well as the yellow of the gorse there is more of the white blossom in the hedgerows. It is not hawthorn or may so I am assuming that it is blackthorn or sloe. It is nice to see, and we should make a note of their locations so that we can return to pick the sloes. We haven't made any sloe gin or vodka for a couple of years now,
We didn't go very far, just as far as Handsacre. We have never moored here and we found a spot in the sun, just before the winding hole. The curtain of weeping willows just before our moorings have been well trimmed, but I wonder how long it will be before they grow back to be a curtain again.
Helen was dressed up to the nines, but was out on the back enjoying the sun. She wasn't asleep, I promise.
Just to get us into the holiday mood we walked up to the Olde Peculiar pub just a little up the road from Bridge 58, It turns out that it isn't open on Monday and Tuesday, so we just wandered back and had a pint at the Crown by the bridge. There was only pedigree and Hobgoblin on, but a pint of pedigree and a packet of peanuts was a great start to the holiday.
Once back on the boat I lit the fire and di some more of the chores, like make the bed, put stuff away etc and then settled down to bash the keyboard for this. It is lovely to be sitting her at the end of the day and still in daylight. It is good to back aboard. Our few visits to the boat since last year have been a real break for us, but to get underway and head out of the marina is a real treat. I think we will head up to Stone and then just head back. We shall see what is what with the weather though.
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