Deep Joy! (Rain, rain and more rain)

(Boat Sickle - posted by Alan)

So after one transitory night at home,it was eventually back to the boat today, although we were certainly slow to get going.   We have never tried ordering a "dog friendly" taxi locally before, but, of course, it was easily arranged.  In fact it was our mounds of "stuff" that might have caused the taxi driver to do a runner, rather than the presence of a well behaved dog!

Highly typical of the whole day - not many photos taken!

This was certainly never going to be a pleasant day of boating like the previous two.  By the time we were on board it was raining steadily, and continued to do so relentlessly throughout the entire day  I threw on an old coat on arrival, intended to be temporary measure, but was not wearing sensible footwear, and somehow I never changed either, my unsuitable clothing just adding to the unpleasantness of the day.

Cath needed to be somewhere in the Hemel Hempstead area by the eveing, so she could be collected and taken to a Morris event at a nearby pub, (although the prospects of that event actually taking place continued to look slim!).  This meant not a lot of miles to do. but there are still a considerable number of locks in that short stretch, and many are marked as "leave empty", so if previous crews have done what they should, many will always need to be filled before they can be used, doubling the effort over arriving at an already full lock.  In practice I think every lock was against us, and with nobody spare to go ahead, each meant even longer to stand in the rain.  There become a point when you are so wet and cold you just have to carry on that way, and I reached that point long before Hemel.

"Sickle" passes one of its less attractive replacements!

Cath was fretting that she could not contact anybody about here evening event - surely they would cancel it, but we had to carry on any way.  We did stop long enough in Boxmoor that I could shop for various things we needed, but before I allowed myself the luxury of retreating inside with the stove, (and possibly giving up!), we were on our way again.

We made Apsley, and I have seldom been more relieved to stop, as we sat surrounded by soaked through coats, jeans and shoes.  The Morris event it seems was still on, and indeed the weather had improved from heavy rain to more of a drizzle by the time they danced, (although the musicians did need to be protected by people holding umbrellas over them - melodeans don't like rain!

Berkhamsted to Apsley
Miles: 5.3, Locks: 14
Total Miles: 28.2, Locks: 45