Gold plated cardboard

After reading Ian and Irene's blog entry of 29 October, we thought we’d better get a spare glass door insert for our fire and, as it happened, we were in Braunston for a long weekend so walked up to Midland Chandlers.    I really must try and keep my mouth shut in shops these days!  Okay, so nearly £50 for a bit of glass measuring about 7 inches square - cool.   It wasn’t that which was so expensive, it was the cardboard protecting it at about 2 foot square as, hopefully, the glass will sit in there for ever being protected as we’ll never have to use it.  £50 for peace of mind - okay, can live with that (ha ha).

So, first frost Monday night - Fritz (our weather boy) recorded a night time low of -1.8 degrees.   Lots of rain this last week too and the towpath in Braunston was like a quagmire.    We came down the locks and I stayed off the boat then to find a mooring spot and, to be honest, think it is rather disgusting that the towpath is left like it is.   For some reason (unknown to me) Braunston appears to be “one of those canal places you must visit” so is very popular with visitors who then must spend money in the village shops and pubs - so you would think they could do something with the towpath.    I expect it to be left to nature in the countryside - and, in fact, want it to be, but really you would think that these canalside villages/towns would go everything they can to attract boaters to stay a night or two.   Eventually I found a mooring not quite as knee deep in mud as others so we were lucky.   I wonder how many other boaters went through the village and onwards taking their money somewhere else.    I better shut up about this subject, else I will be on a bigger soapbox than I am already!!

Good general store in Braunston with post office and brilliant butcher.   Also a chippie although don’t know if any good as it appears to only be open for short times.    Two pubs on the High Street; big Marston’s pub/eatery by canal (although it is on offsite so you have to walk up the hill to village, along the road and down the hill !!) and the Admiral Nelson by Lock 3 ---- which reminds me.   We would have eaten there but no way prepared to get muddied up to the armpits trying to get there.

We left Braunston yesterday and are now moored just before Calcutt Top Lock.    Now that half-term has gone and winter stoppages started, the amount of boats we will see is vastly reduced - just us hardened continuous cruisers enjoying the winter solitude!  


Since last blog we have done … 10 miles and 6 locks  
Total since Setting Off ….. 2048 miles and  1656 locks


sorry no pictures - internet connection off and on, off and on