Jan 23rd

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;} Last night we noticed that the boat was beginning to list again and Clive went out to investigate.  The mooring ropes were absolutely taut, which is what was causing the tilt, so he slackened them off a bit.  The reason they were so taut is that the water level had risen due to all the rain!   As predicted it was still raining when we woke up this morning therefore we decided to stick to our plan and not go anywhere until things had dried up a little.  So we had an extremely leisurely morning.  Clive read his book and I did things on the computer, such as have a chat with my sister Thelma and my daughter Vicki, who wasn�t feeling very well today and hadn�t gone to work � hope she�s feeling much better by now.   Whilst I was sitting at the dinette working on the laptop I caught a movement outside the window and saw this chubby little chap sitting on a branch watching me!    Cute isn�t he, if a little rotund!  A little while later I heard the buzzards again and sure enough when I looked out of the window at the other side of the canal there they were, three of them, zooming around the trees.  I did take a few pictures but they are not brilliant, they were just that bit too far away and of course they were moving quite quickly.   We had a spot of lunch and then decided to mosey on down the cut a ways.  Not too far, as we didn�t want to go up the Stoke flight today, we�re saving that for tomorrow � its going to be sunny so they say.   We just wanted to get a bit nearer so that we could get a head start on the locks.  Mind you it was perishing - ther was a really cold wind blowing straight into our faces - brrrrrrr!  If it hadn't been for the wind it would have been very pleasant, we had lovely views over the fields and hedgerows.  Another boat had passed us before we set off and we caught up with it eventually and followed them all the way down to the visitor moorings at the foot of the Stoke flight.  We are moored up next door but one to them now.   I met the couple from the boat as we were mooring up, they are called Peter and Pat and they have invited us to go up the flight with them tomorrow morning, so we have a date for around 11.00am.  It is due to be very cold again tonight and Pat is a bit nervous about crossing icy locks � I feel a bit the same, so we decided 11 would be reasonable, by which time the sun should have got rid of any icy residues.  It will be a big help going up with another boat, it halves the work and therefore doesn�t take quite as long.  It will be even quicker if we meet somebody coming the other way, then all the locks will be set in our favour.  Keep your fingers crossed.   Just as we had finished tying the boat up a couple of hungry visitors arrived looking for bread.  Luckily we had some stale bread, saved specially for this purpose, so Clive went off to give them their tea.  I don�t think I have ever seen a readheaded swan before!                                                                                                                                                                                                     So we are in for a bit of hard work again tomorrow � its been a while since we have done a whole flight of locks, there are seven in all!  It will do me good to get some exercise again, get rid of all the Christmas flab!