Gunthorpe

The end of our pontoon - Muttley became quite exhausted tidying up all the wack wacks

Glorious weather, I left G nattering to Laurie and Angie on the cruiser Hedley behind plus Nigel and Anne on NB Shangrila before heading off with the dogs for a walk down the river bank

Needless to say, by the time I came back; this is what happened......don't you just love boating

There were one or two headaches about this morning - we set off with Shangrila through Stoke Lock around 10 ish - Hedley returning, in the opposite direction, to the Marina at Newark. Stoke Lock spoilt my fun by not talking to me on the radio.

Newark To Gunthorpe

There is no denying that Newark is stunning

This pic shows G and Baxter playing musical chairs - needless to say, Baxter's reactions are quicker!

A lovely run down to Gunthorpe in beautiful weather

More Cormorants on sticks

We just managed to slide through Hazelford before they closed it to do some repairs to the sliders

They sent in a massive great crane

I took the opportunity to do a bit of barracking before walking the dogs and the rubbish

Down the lane we encountered this pussy cat (no - it's not Daisy).  Muttley thought it would be great fun to take chase - he quickly re-evaluated his position!!!

The weir here is spectacular

Yet again the mooring leaves us throwing the dogs up onto the bank (I must ask Indigo Dream how they managed with the big hounds).

First guy we've seen river sailing

Little Egret

and a glorious sunset

Time for bed

Things that go bump in the night - we only moored under a conker tree!

Despite an excellent evening at Cromwell with Les the lockie and fantastic offers for lifts to shops and station we decided to head out into Newark in the morning; winter is a coming and the tatties are being harvested

A new couple with their first brood (how do you know that, but you do?)

Even this big boy looked exhausted after his summer duties

Safely moored up in the lovely Newark - once again having to throw dogs up off  of the boat onto high moorings as the only low ones (48 hours) are still permanently occupied (mostly) by the same boats as when we went down, I really should go and have a word but it's so tiresome.

Madam is happy, but we are anxious in case she falls in off of the roof level moorings.
I thought we were being invaded in the early hours this morning - lets face it, when you are in a town and your roof is level with the towpath.........we've only gone and moored under a Horse Chestnut tree and the conkers are starting to drop on us. Nowhere else to go, so probably not a lot of sleep tonight either!

Daisy goes for another swim

A beautiful, albeit windy, evening on the Dunham pontoon - we kept Daisy in for fear she would be blown into the deep and rather fast running water and, to be honest, fears for her safety on the rivers are running me a bit ragged at the moment.

Up early this morning to catch some water with the tide (did you notice how nonchalant that sounded?) and the warning sign

that Bear Necessities didn't head/ missed/confused left and right that left them stuck on a sand bank overnight with two dogs (or so we are led to believe, but stories quickly become apocryphal). The tide floated them off again this morning and they passed us at 7.30 am looking perfectly calm and unscathed by their ordeal.

Much as I normally hate mornings, I have to admit it was a beautiful start to the day

and we left in glorious sunshine

with Herons in all directions

No escaping the power supplies, but the spaces are wide open enough to absorb them without offence

Cormorant on a stick

A loading point for the 600 ton gravel barges - but we haven't seen any. My eyesight is definitely deteriorating!!!

This is the run into Cromwell Lock

They don't look that serious but this is the end of a summer without any rain, Les Heath has shown us some photographs he took in 2007

where this picture would not have been possible, the entrance to the Lock was at the top of the wall in front and the weir didn't exist.

Mammy!

Which takes us off of the tidal bit. We moored up above the lock on the floating pontoon, we had been there less than two hours and Daisy fell in - again. It would seem that she was enjoying the evening sunshine, rolling on her back as she is inclined to do when sunbathing and Plop.......