Day 2 – Thursday 30^th August. Well, we have spent today sorting out the boat, packing away clothes, topping up the water tank and, most important, buying in supplies. We went into Barrow upon Soar to visit our favourite butcher. The sad thing is that he is going to retire next year and unless he can let out the business, we are going to lose one of the best butcher shops in the area. One of the problems he faces is that his cold room is accessed through the flat that he lives in. Also, the electrics are not clearly shop or flat – which doesn’t matter too much if it’s your home and livelihood but if he wants to let it out as a business and a separate flat then the wiring and location of facilities will need to be sorted. Another problem is that business has been tailing off with people not buying as much meat as before and the weather this year not favouring barbecues. Anyway, we have until next year to enjoy his meat, after that we will have to see what happens. Perhaps yet another village will lose its local butcher shop.

After the butcher, off to the supermarket for the bulk buy items, then to the chemist to stock up on pills and potions.

Quite a bit of rain today and still chilly. Let’s hope it’s going to warm up for the weekend.

Day 1 and we set off in rain for the three hour journey from Bradwell to Quorn. But halfway there the skies cleared and we arrived in bright sunshine. Here you can see Brigid getting everything onto the boat.

It has ended up a clear but chilly evening.

The only problem is that I can’t connect up to the internet so I will have to wait until the morning to see if I can upload the first day’s news.

PS - as you can see I am on-line today but spent an hour or two trying to get the computer to link up to the marina system - at times I really love computer technology!

Retirement starts here!

Well, at last I have retired from working at the Retreat House in Pleshey. Nearly ten years of meeting and greeting both Christians and non-Christians and making sure that the house was ready to receive them.

So, what now?

Well, for the next month we shall be poodling about with Polgara just going where the wind and tide take us. Mind you, not many tides on the canals but I think you know what I mean.

If we get an internet connection we will let you know our progress - if not, you will have to wait until we come visiting so that we can bore you all with photos of locks and weirs and ducks and swans ... etc.

Watch this space.