Blow, blow thou winter wind

Well, two days without a blog. I suppose that's not unusual for me but there has been a good reason for that. On Wednesday there wasn't enough time after we moored to write the blog, get supper and join the church Zoom meeting. And, today, we fought against the wind most of the day and collapsed for the afternoon just recovering. 

Wednesday morning and we were only a mile away from one of the largest shopping centres in Milton Keynes. So, we set off to go and sort out my phone since it has started playing up. The screen has taken on a mind of its own and keeps jumping around all over the place. We found the EE shop OK and were told that it was screen damage that was causing the problem. We then spent a good half hour trying to commit to spending as little money as possible on a new phone. That didn't work out as hoped but we still came away with a shiny new toy to play with. We also picked up a Bluetooth speaker for the computer to boost the volume. Yet another new toy. Who's a lucky boy? 

Back to the boat walking through the middle of Campbell Park. If you're in Milton Keynes, do visit the park, it's well worth it. Plenty to interest any family and a good day out. Anyway, we then set off up the canal. Usually, the captain takes the bow rope, unties it and then gives the boat a good push away from the bank. This time, the wind was so strong that by the time she had untied the rope the boat was already moving on its own accord and off we went. Normally we chug slowly past moored boats but today it was half ahead all engines, sorry, engine, I've only got one, as we tried not to drift into any of the moored boats on the other side of the canal. I must say that the weather has cleared a lot of boats off of the canal. Once again we had a fairly clear run up to the services at Giffard Park, near Great Linford. The usual, top up with water, empty the loo, get rid of the rubbish and a quick shop at Tesco for milk and nibbles. Off again heading straight into the wind. We skirted the top of Great Linford and then through the middle of New Bradwell. We had intended to go through the lock at Cosgrove but decided to stop where there were sheltered moorings available. And, as I said earlier, a quick supper, secure the boat for the night and then join the church Lent course. 

Thursday and the wind is making its presence felt. We fortified ourselves with bacon, eggs, toast, tea and coffee and then set off. The aim for the day had been to get up and through Stoke Bruerne for a quick trip on Friday back to the marina. 

We got through Cosgrove lock OK but had to fight against the wind to, once again, clear all the boats moored right where we didn't want to go. We only managed five miles and decided to stop at the bottom of the Stoke Bruerne flight. 

I must confess that it is quite challenging to battle against the wind but it is also quite exhilarating at the same time. When you're crabbing sideways along the canal and you're not 100% certain that you're not going to crash into the bank or the next bridge, then when you do clear both, whoopee! 

Anyway, safely moored up, fish dish in the oven, Prime video on the computer (with the new sound box in action), curtains pulled and fire alight. Forecast for tomorrow is much improved. 

You don't often get waves on the canal

Safe and warm inside Polgara