I'm glad we enjoyed Tuesday so much

....because yesterday got it's own back on us!
When I went to shower yesterday I had two choices:

1. Very low pressure with the water nearly boiling
2. Full power pressure and ice cold water

I bravely opted for the second but decided not to wash my hair!

Then the water pump wouldn't switch off so G emptied all of the cupboard out (front of boat) to switch back onto the old pump again. No change, so then he emptied out the wardrobe (centre of boat) to get to the calorifier. Meanwhile I'm trying to tiptoe about and avoid having to go passed him whilst I sort the fire, emptied the dogs, pre-prepped the supper and today's fast day lunch and supper. Eventually he fixed whatever it was and so we, belatedly set off for Watford Locks - leaving everything in bits in case it went wrong again. During the diagnostics we pretty much emptied the water tank.

Pulled up and ran out the hose only to find the water point wasn't working - yeah, I know we should have checked before we got the hose out but we have only had one night of sub-zero temperatures and we got complacent. Wound the hose back up and checked in with the lovely volunteer Lockie John (who, incidentally, asked me to pass on his Best Wishes to the crews on No Problem, Hadar and Free Spirit). By now we were joined by the lovely crews of NBs Guilt Free Indulgence and Paneke who had pulled in behind us. With no-one coming down we were all set to start up with everyone helping each other the way it should be (the only good bit of yesterday) and at least the sun was starting to come out.

My turn to lockwheel today and this flight is a joy to operate. As we pulled into the first of the staircase locks it started to rain - neither of us had hats or waterproofs - and it got heavier and heavier

 Not a very happy Baxter; he didn't have his waterproofs on either and he doesn't do 'wet'.

 So we watered at the top of the flight and, with the engine still running, I put some clothes in the tumble dryer. We had a natter to John in his office and then, when we were full, I got back on the boat only to find that the travel power hadn't been working; the batteries hadn't been charging and I'd been running the dryer! Red warning lights doing their thing. So we pulled over and G took the back end to bits. Now front, middle and centre of the boats were in bits so it was difficult to move and we were both very careful not to speak to each other.

Needless to say, eventually, my personal superhero had everything working again and we put the boat back together. I put the bird table up thinking the birds would cheer me up. The weather was so dismal that even the birds weren't hungry. This was the grey view from our side hatch.

 Look at the same view in the sunshine this morning

 and when I pulled up the blind I saw my first ever Nuthatch on the bird 'table', sooo pretty, plus Blue and Long Tail Tits and a Robin. As the song goes, 'it's a new dawn and a new day' !