In Need Of A Holiday!

(Boat Flamingo - posted by Cath)

We seem to have had life working at odds with us recently. I won't go into the details of the problems of getting my late mother's solicitor to release her will to me; or the fact that the executors' bank account that my brother and I set up together has been lost by the bank - and that all proof of my brother's passport and bank statement has now been shredded; or the fact that the estate agent can't get into my mother's house with the keys that we supplied (that we checked before we handed over). Or, indeed, that the Tesco delivery that we set up for last night, so that we had food to bring to the boat for our trip was cancelled because the van broke down, and couldn't be rescheduled until well after we had to be on our way.

However, we really, really needed to go boating. Life has been difficult for a while, not seriously difficult, but hard work. So we had band practice last night (if you're around, come and see New Moon Morris dancing and playing music in Stoke Bruerne at the Family Festival in June), we got up early, packed bags, packed some food, and set off to the boat.

Max has gone all puppy-like - hard to photograph well, though!

Max, who was my mother's dog, has been transformed over the last 10 weeks. He's lost weight, his coat shines, and he's built up a lot of fitness. He still needs to lose a lot of weight, but suddenly he's behaving like a puppy. He won't be five until August, but when he came to us people thought he was twice that age. Today he's been gamboling up and down the towpath, racing with Odin and clearly enjoying life.  Without a doubt my mother loved him, but what she needed, and what Max needs are not necessarily the same thing.

We got to the boat, loaded the huge amounts of stuff we need on the boat - huge amounts of dog food, melodeons, a bit of food for us, and left High House Wharf at about 2:30.  We took turns at steering, and doing sorting out of things inside the boat - stowing food, dog food, clothes - dusting after the weeks since we've been there.

Four hours later we moored in the long pound at Stoke Bruerne, and I rang Trevor, who I needed to see about the schedule for the Family Festival.  He turned up quickly at the boat, we had a helpful and productive chat, and then we headed for the pub.

Arrived at Stoke Bruerne on first day (The brasswork needs polishing!)

I'm on holiday, for the first time in a while, and goodness knows, I need it after the year that we've had so far. It's a bit of a weird holiday, with a tight schedule. Alan has to have the stitches out of his shoulder surgery on Tuesday so we have to be in Berkhamsted for that - as well as me needing to dance with New Moon Morris at the Rising Sun pub that evening - we will also be picking up our son David for the journey to Rickmansworth - since he is musician, and occasional dancer with New Moon. On Wednesday both Alan and I have physio appointments in Hemel Hempstead - Alan for his shoulder, me for the borked knee that I managed in Braunston at the historic boat festival last year. I also have a bank appointment to set up a new account to allow me to administer my mother's estate.  After that it's a potter down to Rickmansworth.   Hopefully we can meet with some of our boating friends there for a 'slow and steady' session of folk music.

Weedon to Stoke Bruerne (Long Pound)
Miles: 10.1, Locks:2
Total Trip Miles: 10.1, Locks:2