Sept 1st

Well, at last we are on the boat after much trial & tribulation getting all our stuff out of our house ready for the tenants and the rest to storage. It's amazing what junk you acquire after 16 years in one place! We finally shut down and said goodbye to the old place on Sunday afternoon after having had to make an impromptu trip to the boat on Saturday to take the first instalment of our worldly possessions! At first glance, it was never going to fit! Every surface and floor space was taken up with bags and boxes and the thought was "We're going to need a bigger boat!" However and amazingly, it all fitted in and we had a good night on Sunday. Today dawned bright and blue and after a quick breakfast, we finished some final unpacking and settled for a cuppa as our friends Shirley & Barry arrived to see us off. It was great to see them and I expect a few photo's from Barry, hopefully in the next few days to see the great departure.. We have travelled a few miles Northward of Whilton Marina and as I type, we are settled for the night just outside Norton Junction. We expect a visit tomorrow from a nice guy with a cratch board ( for those non-nautical - a wooden frame for a front cover) along with the canopy people so we'll be here until tomorrow late afternoon. After that, we'll wander gently northward until the cratch & canopy are ready (next week) There's a nice pub just along the towpath called the New Inn and that's where we'll be heading tonight for a celebratory drink and a bite to eat. More later..