Routine stocktaking/Foxton locks.

An overcast, cold start to my 66th year, much the same as the previous few days. When will summer 2016 start? Global warming. What global warming?

We're getting food supplies for the next stage of our adventures and plan to seek the assistance of a taxi getting them from Sainsbury's to the boat.

I'm still glowing in appreciation of the Arsenal FA cup triumph, not just because of the win but the emphatic way it was achieved. Almost the perfect performance. The boat electrics fixed, Margaret and Bob popping over for my birthday, all the children (5) and grandchildren(5) face timing me, lots of heartwarming stuff, what more could I wish for?

We plan to leave Market Harborough this afternoon and moor before tackling Foxton locks (10) in the morning, weather permitting

UPDATE:     Change of plan due to gusty winds and heavy showers - a non cruising day. With the bulk shopping at Waitrose and a taxi ride back to the boat completed prior to the wind and rain we took the decision to request an extra night here, partly in the hope of better weather ahead and partly because we have been very impressed with the town and the wharf. If you are going to get held up by the weather, this is the ideal place to do it.

Route 66 non cruising

A windy, rainy night and a non cruising day for my 66th birthday. I awoke to an unexpected birthday present and a sloppy card from Lynne. We are both well on the way to recovering from our previous exhaustion and life seems worth living again. Keith and Jen said their goodbyes last night and presented me with a birthday card, which was very sweet of them. They have cruised off for the remainder of this year's travels early this morning, but on a different route from our plans. We learned a lot from them and they helped us ease through the Grand Union locks without problems, which was a big bonus. It was the long and relentless cruising days and unpredictable meal times which diminished the enjoyment overall for me, but cruise speeds always  gave ample time for sightseeing, another bonus.

The "good" Arsenal team turned up at Wembley yesterday and thrashed Aston Villa 4....0, playing excellent football, the best I have ever seen from them. An early birthday present?

M.H. 2 and cup final

A fairly bright, but cloudy start to FA cup final day, Arsenal v Aston Villa. If the  " proper " Arsenal turn up ( they don't always ) they should win, but that remains to be seen. It will be exciting anyway. My dad, bless him, was an Aston Villa fan as my mum came from Birmingham originally, but she was still a lovely person.

Last night's meal went better than expected, given the prior history, but we did get an insider view of Keith's and Jen's "go to it" attitude to boating. Dormouse is their third or fourth boat, previous ones being a sailing yacht, a French barge and another narrowboat which unfortunately went up in flames . Having travelled most of Europe in record time the last couple of weeks must have seemed very slow to them, but hey-ho, we learnt a lot.

I have yet to recover from the hectic schedule and the subsequent health issues, but the next couple of days relaxing in Market Harborough should help address both.

Our friend Sue has been admitted to a hospice near Leicester and Lynne kindly showed me a photo of her in her room there (the wonder of social media) which I can add to my brain's album of mum in an oxygen tent ( remember those?) and dad on his hospital bed connected to various machines On a brighter note my brain album also contains pictures of Chloe very, very close to death in an incubator and Joel having undergone a liver re-plumbing operation as babies, and look at them now. The art is getting the brain's gallery balanced.

We moved Tardis Two into the wharf and onto an electric point for the cup final and Sunday/Monday, ready for stocking up with foodstuff and other essentials. The batteries will be fully charged and all we will then need for the remainder of our summer ( ? ) travels will be diesel from Foxton.

Market Harborough

 A choir of pidgeon's woke us this morning, spoiling what had been a very peaceful night. The weather is overcast, as is the long-range weather forecast for the next few weeks. The summer seems to have scarpered before even arriving?

Lynne and I are both physically and mentally exhausted after several very long cruising days, each involving  up to 9 hours and 15 very heavy double locks. Enough is enough. Keith and Jen, despite extolling the virtues of "2 hour cruising stints" ,stops for lunch and mid to late afternoon overnight mooring, reality involved none of them. Lynne has addressed these issues with them almost daily, extolling the virtues of keeping to my diabetic injection and eating regime, plus the limitations my chemotherapy and radiology treatments put on my physical performance and safety, but apparently to no avail. Quite why, we have yet to work out as they are both very intelligent individuals, albeit a little eccentric. We have been an excellent partnership and our routes will differ once we leave Market Harborough so we do not need to address the issues again immediately, but it gives food for thought before embarking on any future arrangements for sharing double locks, of which the Grand Union has many.

Market Harborough suffered heavy constant rain for the morning so I took the opportunity of catching up on sleep and rest.

Inevitably sunshine and slight warmth arrived early afternoon so I took the opportunity of looking round the town, although Lynne flatly refused to join me ( we are not on speaking terms at the moment as I have requested to return home earlier than scheduled due to exhaustion and associated risks to my health and wellbeing.   

 Market Harborough is very impressive and offers lots of car parking in the town centre ( some free ) together with every large supermarket brand and impressive indoor and outdoor markets selling everything from fresh fish to clothes, all accommodated in a traditional "unspoilt" shopping town without any sign of traffic congestion. Given a choice I would have liked to spend more time here, but not in the present circumstances. With a brilliant sense of irony Keith and Jen have invited us out to eat with them at a pub somewhere in town with a provisional time of 1900 agreed. We'll see. As both our boats are already moored timing should not prove a problem this time, surely? Conversations over dinner could prove "interesting". We aim to go our separate ways tomorrow so Lynne and I may get back on an even keel, so to speak.

Despite the brilliant new canals/ rivers visited and the "fully working boat", this trip has been one from hell for me, sadly.

Grand Union Leicester section

The odd light shower overnight but a bright, sunny morning with lots of ominous cloud formations. The GUC has so far proved a revelation, very pretty and reasonably well maintained, although you'll need your breakfast Weetabix to operate the lock gates, with the exception of one that was clearly damaged.

The Canada geese families are out in force, immaculately behaved as usual. The above photo's are probably a crèche, whereby some parents give others a break for an hour or two, made easy by the chick's good training and disciplined nature.

Swans are also well trained, but sadly not ducks who's survival rates are not good.

Today we are heading for Market Harborough, another first for us, as is the 881 yard Saddington Tunnel, which was high and wide enough for passing boats. We saw nothing of the alleged resident bat colony therein,despite Lynne peering onto the "ceiling" by torchlight.

The GU stretch to Market Harborough is a hidden gem, what more can I say? It has swing bridges (2), buttercup fields (lots) and scenery to die for with ample mooring places and spaces. 

We moored just outside Union Wharf with the promise of 2 spaces inside tomorrow afternoon, with or without electric, once the hire fleet has cruised into the sunset for a week or two. The Wharf is new and much better designed than Loughborough. Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Tesco fight for your trade close by, as do several pubs.

Sunrise over Aldi

Having moored at a "middle of nowhere location" next to a stream and weir. A helpful boater later pointed out there is an Aldi next to the canal round the next corner !  This morning we have blue sky and sunrise over Aldi. We are again cruising with "Dormouse" and arranged a 0900 departure. Sadie Yoko Ono was on top form last night, waking us at midnight and 0400 for no other reason than she can. We're starting to worry about our boat electrics again ( or is it paranoia?)as it seems they are not performing to their full potential again. We're monitoring closely, or perhaps, too closely?

Our early morning foraging at Aldi awoke the dormouse and an earlier start than planned occurred at 0830. In the blink of an eye we had traversed the Fosse shopping centre and Everard's brewery (Tiger Beer),the 15th century packhorse bridge, Aylestone, South Wigston, Kilby bridge and Newton Harcourt. Having exhausted ourselves on the day's 16 locks, mostly very tough and one broken,lots with anti-vandal locks and no gate paddles, we sought mooring for further than we wished, ending up in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the vicinity of Wistow Hall and Wistow rural centre. 

The locked locks were a topic of conversation for the evening, given the affluence of their location compared with Leicester and Loughborough. Upper crust vandals perhaps?

Soar to Grand Union

A bright and sunny morning, but initially breezy. We intend heading for the Grand Union canal once the breeze drops sufficiently to allow us out of the Marina and my blood sugar rises a little, both of which occurred by 09.45.

The Soarr and the Grand Union somehow merge somewhere in Leicester. We paired up with another couple and their boat" Dormouse "for tackling the double locks, which makes progress easier and faster. Leicester presents a mixture of historic warehouses and factories,mixed with new flats and student accommodation, but overall everything from the canal appears tatty and neglected. Even the Space Centre , normally pristine, is currently covered in plastic sheeting, which kind of says it all.

Keith and Jennifer,from Dormouse, joined us for drinks this evening and a pleasant time was had by all. The weather has almost been summerish today, warm and sunny.

Derek confirmed he is in conversation with LOROS, a wonderful hospice near Leicester, for Sue to get the care and attention she needs and deserves for her last days, so our visit last weekend was well worthwhile. Bless her.