Tuesday, 20 January 2015

Swan at 10 o’clock

 

IMG_5709After spending far too long in Braunston it was time to leave ,so after stocking up with supplies from the village shop and butchers we pulled pins on Friday morning at 09.00.

IMG_5712Passing the battle scarred tree at Braunston junction.

IMG_5714What a bleeding mess at the services next to Midland chandlers in Braunston. There is no way of getting to the water tap without getting wet feet. Add to that the rubbish pile is now worse than the picture in my post on the 14th January. And as for the Elsan , well we won’t even go there ( Although i had to ). There is apparently a sum of money now available from CaRT to be spent on service points ,so hopefully some will be spent here.

IMG_5744On route to Hillmorton and most of the fields are full of these humps. They come from a type of ploughing used in the middle ages and is known as Ridge and furrow.

IMG_5739Winter has to be one of the best times to cruise. On a day like this although it is cold we have the canal virtually all to ourselves. We only passed one other boat on our trip to Hillmorton

IMG_5749That was flipping close . This swan came within a few feet of us as we cruised past Onley (Prison) moorings.

IMG_5760After a night at Hillmorton we woke to find the canal frozen and a light sprinkling of snow on top of the ice.

IMG_5766On Saturday we had a walk down the locks and looked around the boatyard at the bottom lock. They always seem to be busy which is a good thing.

IMG_5767It was very good to meet and have a natter with fellow bloggers Keith and Ann off Nb Oakfield as they were filling with water at the bottom of Hillmorton. We met them briefly back in April at the top of Foxton locks and have followed their blog for a long time.

IMG_5782The loss of our dog Molly not only affected myself and Carolyn but it has had an enormous affect on our other dog Hamish. They have been together for over 8 years and have never been apart in all that time. He seems to be constantly waiting for her to come back and is just not himself. We are giving him all the attention we can and hopefully he will eventually get over the loss of Molly.

                                                                                              Happier Days

8 comments:

  1. Your picture of a swan flying is absolutely fabulous.
    Nice chatting to you, only sorry we looked like a couple of 'Michelin men' with two coats on and thermals etc!
    nb oakfield

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    1. Thanks for a lovely afternoon..Around to ours next time !!

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  2. So sorry to read of the loss of your lovely Molly. Poor Hamish looks so sad - as you say, he will need lots of extra love and cuddles while he is grieving to.

    Jenny and Robin from Romany Rambler

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    1. Hi Jenny and Robin , thanks for the comment , I'm sure Hamish will pick up . Looking at your blog , We could sure do with some of that wood from the tree that was cut down as the temp at night is minus 5 deg Centigrade and not much warmer in the day . Gary and Carolyn

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  3. Gary, Thanks for explaining the humps in the fields between Braunston and Hillmorton, been trying to figure them out since I first saw them two years ago. Sorry on the loss of Molly and we hope Hamish perks up! Aloha, Amos and Charlene

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    1. Hi Amos and Charlene , Good to hear from you. There seems to be more humps in that area than anywhere else we have travelled and I surprised they were never flattened when more modern farming techniques came in . Hamish is still down ,but hopefully he should soon start to get over the loss of Molly

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  4. So sorry to hear about Molly. Sure Hamish is missing her as much as you both are. At the moment we are heading towards Rugby from Hawkesbury so we may well catch up. We are away for the weekend though so depends how quickly you move on. Take care. Jill and Paul xx

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    1. HiJill and Paul . I'm sure we will get over the loss of Molly eventually . We are going to turn and start heading South towards the South Oxford. I don't think we will move that fast , so hopefully are paths should cross ...

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