So much has happened this weekend I don’t know where to start.

Saturday morning we headed to Vogue carpets in Newcastle. (www.voguecarpetsstaffordshire.co.uk) Mike, the owner of the shop is always very helpful and we have known him for over 15 years. We were not in there too long and we came away having chosen the flooring for the entire boat. I am trying to get everything planned with the colour scheme so we do not waste anytime once the boat is back. Mike will be measuring up next weekend when the boat is back and hopefully the colour samples I have chosen will match. Fingers crossed as Roy hates this kind of shopping.

I seem to have a colour scheme planned all from the colour of a kettle! Don’t ask.!! You have to start with a colour somewhere and the kettle was it.

During the morning Nigel still kept in touch with his progress. He left Rickmansworth at 07.20 and headed to Watford. He sent us a photo of Foxglove paired up for 3 locks. The weather was 100% better for him than it was on Friday. He finished the day at Berkhamstead .

Progress for the day was 13 miles and 29 locks!!
Nigel ended his texts with……I’m pooped!
I think after 29 locks I would have been more than pooped. WELL DONE NIGEL!!

Roy and I visited Midland chandlery for the biggest purchase we will make, well one of the most important………The Toilet.  Didn’t get to look at them last weekend with Roy having Man Flu. I promised pictures so here they are, and Roy says I am the one who does embarrassing things. Not after this photo Roy!!

We continued the day onto the boat festival at Stourbridge. It was a fabulous day, bit muddy though on the tow paths. We met a very famous man of the waterways called Joe Hollingshead. He was born on brought up on the waterways. Also learnt that the decorative ropes at the back of the boat are called ” Donkeys Willies”. See you learn something every day!

One of the main reasons to go to the boat festival was to see Evelyn Booth from Lockside Antiques www.lockside-antiques.co.uk as we wanted this oil lamp that we had seen on her website for the boatmans cabin. I could have spent hours with her. She was very knowledgeable and another funny saying I heard about some of the collectables was that they are rare as rocking horse shit. This made me laugh really bad. I have never heard that saying before.

We came away with our Oil lamp and a beautiful copper kettle with trivet and I also bought a horse shoe trivet ( cause it was cute). We have bought these for the boatmans cabin as we would like to keep it traditional although the rest of the boat won’t be. Roy has said I can decorate the front of the boat and he will do the back, probably because Roy is older than me (10 years) and seems to know far more about antiques than me!! P.S. He was 50 a few weeks ago, the only antique I know 🙂 Just kidding Roy, just kidding.

Anyway, back to the boat move. Nigel has passed Cowroast Marina, Tring summit and heading his way to Milton Keynes. He cruised along Tring cutting which was one of his favourite places. The pictures looked very tranquil and peaceful. Roy also noticed from the pictures that Nigel sent that there is a stow away on the boat. Who? you may ask. Not who but what? There was an ornament left on the top of our boat in the form of Tigger out of Winnie the Pooh. The first thing I did when we got the keys to our boat was take him off. I am sure it increased the value of the boat just by removing it! I was pretty much sure I put him in a bin bag (sorry about that), anyway, Roy noticed on one of the pictures that Nigel sent that Tigger was standing inside the cratch cover. I have no idea how he got back on the boat. I thought he was joking when he said. Unless I had seen the picture I don’t think I would have believed him. I suggested to Nigel to dispose of it somewhere along the trip where as Roy wants to keep it because he thinks it is quite funny. I told Nigel I would leave that decision with him. Anyway, Nigel text me back:
Hmmmm, might be bad luck, tigger stays.
I will be watiching out for Tigger now on the photos. He is like one of those funny garden gnomes that goes missing and then turns up unexpectedly. Weird!!

“At soulbury 3 locks.
Today I have done 27 locks and 18 miles, which when you add together give 45 ‘lock miles’ you divide the figure by 3 (miles an hour) which aquates to 15 hours traveling, I’ve done 12, so a very good day! ”
NIGEL’S LOG 21/10/2012