Daisy suffers a dog attack - neither came off well

The dog, apparently (I wasn't there), had the audacity to follow her into the cratch and grab her back end - the dog came off very badly and Daisy was quite shocked, sore and bruised. By the time I came back 5 days later she was (I'm told) very much better, but still being very subdued and clingy (mostly to my shoulder). By yesterday she was well enough to demand out and we found the perfect safe hunting mooring for her.

She shot off of the boat and immediately resumed her usual habits and arrogant stance................

The good, the bad and the ugly

Well here we are with the blog all totally out of synch and our summer cruising plans all gone up the Swannee (and certainly not a lot further up the Trent) but, hey ho, that's boating for you.
I should have really labelled this blog the ugly, the bad, the good and the bad, but it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, so here is the precis -
As we approached Lougborough, the left hand side of my face swelled up in a great big hard lump and we fannied about for the usual number of hours and days trying to get into the medical system and get the anti-biotics that it would be obvious to the simplest of souls that I needed - the down side of boating. Somewhere along the way (under the general questioning) I found myself needing appointments at two of Leicester's hospitals. This was unfortunate as Leicester was behind us and we were heading to Nottingham. So more lurking near train stations. So that's the ugly and the bad.
The good is that we then encountered  our good friends Sue and Richard off of Indigo Dream with Greygal down for a days cruising, so we cruised off with them in their direction for the day and overnight. Lovely.

At this point you are probably wondering why there are not loads of pictures (of Greyhounds in particular), well after dropping my new camera down the loo, 'we' managed to drop the insurance replacement on the towpath whilst the lens was out - unrepairable. Then, as himself has previously mentioned, 'we' drowned the computer in wine.

So hospital visits over, two grandchildren (one week each) it was time to 'pop' back to the East Coast for the weekend before continuing on our belated travels towards Lincoln. Only mum turned poorly and I stayed for a week, but the day after I came back she was taken poorly again, so it looks like I'll be going back on Friday.
We reached Gunthorpe but, as I don't know how long I'll be gone for, we've abandoned the tidal trip and will be heading back towards Nottingham and the safety of the canals before autumn arrives. Never mind there is (hopefully) always another year.

National Watersports Centre Holme Pierrepont

Being moored right next door to the National Watersports Centre has been a real joy, all we have seen for the last couple of days are loads of people, young and not so young, smiling and enjoying themselves.

Individually

and as a group

oops Coxswain nearly a goner!

Nor so young!

and colour coordinated

Sawley Cut to Nottingham

We are again on our travels, Jill has been signed off by the hospital, we are now heading north to Nottingham, Lincoln and hopefully as far as Boston, before turning south again to be in Birmingham for a friends wedding on the 16th October. We have a goal...oooh... that could be dangerous!

The River Trent is very benign at the moment, hardly any flow, but looking glorious.

It has always been a psychological problem of mine that Narras and rivers don't mix but when you transit water ways like this all the worries leave and slowly one relaxes and drinks in the beauty and tranquility. But....one can never become too complacent.

Puppies enjoying the river too

Laid back or what?

 

Some more photos of the trip

Bones if your reading this, are you still looking for a waterside residence?

What about this?

Or this, room for Narra, Motorhome, and car, Perfection.

Scope for improvement.

But with a view like this, Wow.

Approaching Beeston Lock

View over lock wall at Beeston

Entering the Nottingham Canal.

Is this Graffiti or Street Art?

This is Art

Mmmm

The World is a small place!

Jill    Graham    David

Having literally tied off my stern rope, I turned round and was almost blown away to see an old friend of mine from the RAF. Graham Bearham and I served on 3 Squadrons together, 33Sqn, 230 Sqn and 216 Sqn. We met briefly last year at the Puma reunion in London, although Graham was carted off to hospital by ambulance five minutes after I arrived, was it something I did? The last time we saw each other was 21 years before that. Graham was travelling with his brother David, helping him to return his Narra to Newark, the meeting was even more of a chance, as originally David was going to take Graham down to London.

We were still there, but the Lappy did expire.

Lesson learn't, do not give a glass of red wine to a five year old........laptop, she expired the next morning without any warning whatsoever. New Lappy has arrived and is now almost ready for ........catch-up to follow.