There and back again.

Thursday 12th March.

Bridge 68, Debdale to Foxton. 1.9 miles.

Before leaving our overnight mooring with Mo and Vanessa on NB Balmaha, we got together to say our goodbye’s, because Mo and Vanessa would be stopping at Debdale Wharf for diesel, we would carry on to Foxton where we would stay for the day. Mo and Vanessa came past us later in the day on their way up to the Foxton flight of locks. We decided to have lunch and then take a walk up around the Foxton locks, because the weather was so lovely. I bought an enamel teapot and coffee pot from the shop below the locks. I want to use them in the back cabin. It was a real spring day, warm with sunshine, no wind and sunny spells. Not only was the weather nice, the Daffodils are in bud, ready to bust into flower, Violets are in bloom, with their delicate, scented purple flowers, and the Primroses are in full flower. It does not get much better than this.

Friday 13th March.

Foxton to Market Harborough and back again. 11.8 miles.

We were both awake early listening to the bird song from the hedgerow. Through the port holes on the pigeon box I could see that the sun was shining, announcing another fine day. Marmite soon realised we were both awake, so she jumped on to Keith’s chest, sat herself down and meowed into his face, to make sure he knew that she wanted him up, so she could be fed. Having got up, I raked the back stove fire, before getting ready to take Paddy for his morning stroll. After breakfast we readied Hadar for the off, I then walked up to open the swing footbridge for Hadar to pass through. We only encountered one other boat moving on our way into Market Harborough and they were coming out from the town. The journey is a pretty one with panoramic views across the valley, which can be seen easily at this time of the year, with no foliage on the trees and bushes. Keith spotted a lonely mooring hook, still attached to some piling. Someone had clearly left it behind, so we added it to our growing collection. In all it took us 2 hours to get to Market Harborough, where we winded in the basin before emptying the toilet cassette at the sanitary station. Having moored up on the 48 hour moorings, it was time for another coffee out of the new coffee pot I bought yesterday. It is wonderful because I can fill it up with coffee and keep it warming on the back stove whilst we are on the move. We donned our rucksacks and walked down into the town, where people were milling around in fancy dress for Red Nose Day. In Specsavers they were doing a sponsored walk on a treadmill. In Sainsbury’s a lady was sat in an inflatable car filled with custard, to raise money for Red Nose Day. We did not hang around, as we wanted to have lunch and then move off no sooner we got back to the boat with the food shop. So with full rucksacks we walked back up to Union Wharf, and settled in back on Hadar. I put all of the shopping away and then made us some lunch. We then set off back to Foxton. The weather towards the end of the day turned quite chilly and overcast, so when we stopped at 3.35pm at Foxton, we did not stay outside for very long. We will stay here for the weekend, and then on Monday we will be heading up the Foxton Flight.