Feb 22nd

Normal 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Vicki, Gareth and Indeia arrived safely around lunchtime on Saturday � starving!  Fortunately I had a plateful of sandwiches ready and the kettle already boiled for cuppa soups and coffee!                                                                When we had finished lunch we all piled into the car and headed into Market Harborough to do some shopping.  Indy was absolutely delighted to find a kiddies Carousel in the middle of the town so we popped her into one of the teacups and watched her going round and round, refusing totally to smile for the camera � all four of us were trying to photograph her with our phones!  We all managed to get a picture but she was looking very serious!  We got all the bits and bobs that we needed from the shops and then it was off back to the boat.   Once we had got everything unloaded from the car and stowed on board and Indy had her lifejacket on we set off � you guessed it � back to Foxton!  It was a lovely day, the sun was shining in a clear blue sky and it was a very pleasant cruise.  One bit of excitement on the way was seeing a kingfisher and this one was a right poser, he just sat there on his twig inviting me to take his picture!  We think it is the same one that we saw whilst cruising down to Foxton the other day with Carol and Ivan.  Well it was in the same area so it is very likely.   Indy is just a little bit too young yet at three and a half to really enjoy cruising on the boat, she stood up on the back with daddy and grandad for a little while, she even helped grandad to steer the boat, but then asked if she could go inside and watch Nemo!  So, she spent most of the cruise down to Foxton inside, with the curtains on watching a DVD!  So did daddy!!!   It only takes a couple of hours to cruise from Market Harborough and once we had moored up we all went to the pub for a drink � Indy had Ribena!  We are almost like locals now and there were several of the regulars chuckling to see us back there yet again.  Then it was back to the boat for dinner � homemade chicken curry, which I had prepared earlier, in true Blue Peter fashion and frozen.  I know my kids miss my cooking since they were abandoned in September so when they come to visit I do try to prepare their favourites.   It was soon time for Indy to go to bed and it didn�t take long for her to drop off to sleep after daddy read her a story, then we all settled down and watched a dvd.  Then it was off to bed for the rest of us � its quite cosy in here with five of us!!   Indy came and woke us up the next morning, but fortunately not too early!  It was actually Gareth�s birthday, but he was too tired to get up and open his cards and presents so Vicki, Clive and I decided to take Indy for a walk up the lock flight to give him a bit of a lie in.  It was a pleasant day, not too cold but it was a bit windy.  It was a bit steep in places and Indy wanted a piggy back - Auntie Vicki obliged!  We visited the canalside museum and bumped into our friend John who is a volunteer there.  They were having a second hand book sale � oh dear!  We had to have a browse and ended up coming away with two books for Clive, one for Indy, plus a windmill and some postcards!   Then we continued our walk up to the top lock � there was a boat on the way up the flight so Indy got to watch the locks working � she obviously doesn�t understand the engineering yet, but she has got the gist of what they do!  When we got to the top we decided to pop into the caf� and have a cuppa and a snack.  Indy had asked me earlier where daddy�s birthday cake was � I hadn�t got him one! (dreadful mother aren�t I!) so when we got down to the shop at the bottom of the lock flight I nipped in and bought him one, just to appease Indy!    By the time we got back to the boat Gareth was up and had stowed all the bedding away and put the boat back in order, so we all sat down and watched him open his cards, I produced the birthday �cake� and we all sang Happy Birthday � bless!                              As Clive�s birthday was the next day he decided to have it early, so he could share it with Indy too, so he opened his cards and presents as well.   Once that was all over and done with we got togged up again and set off back to Market Harborough � the cruise back was uneventful apart from the fact that we appeared to be following a pirate ship!  You get all sorts of things going on on the canal, we assumed this was somebody's birthday, or stag do or something, but there was a guy on the back dressed as a pirate, with a parrot on  his shoulder, waving a Jolly Roger!  We managed to avoid walking the plank or being robbed of our dubloons and arrived back at about 5 ish.  Indy watched Aladdin on the cruise back this time!  All too soon it was time to say goodbye � hopefully they will be back again, wherever we are, at the beginning of April to celebrate my birthday!   So we were on our own again!  As soon as we have waved them goodbye we set off again, but didn�t go too far, just a short way out of Market Harborough, into the countryside.  In fact we moored up right opposite the field where we had seen the fox on Thursday.   More later��������..