Friday 1 April 2016

As we settled down for the night last night I thought I might have troubling sleeping here as you could hear the road, the planes and an annoying little wotsit riding a motorbike round and round the car park opposite!  8 hours later I woke up to Mrs Coot having a go at her hubby!

Beautiful morning again.  We set off at about 9.30am heading for Limehouse.  It was nice to see that some parts of the river have been cleared of rubbish, although sad to see that others were still being used as the local rubbish dump!

We were lucky with the locks.  We only had five to go through and all were set in our favour.  I'm glad to see CRT have also replaced some of the key locks on the electric locks as last year it took ages to get some of them to turn.

As we came round the last corner on the Limehouse Cut we wondered whether there would be any space on the wall or whether we would have to moor along side someone else as we had to in July last year - Only one little sailing boat so plenty of room for us!

Setting off from Brimsdown - blue sky and calm waters.

Oh dear one of the lock gates won't open at Stonebridge so we'll have to push over to the otherside - just as well we are only a narrowboat!

How lovely to see that the CRT have renamed the lock here.  Last year we put a bounty bar in Alfie's bounty box but Steve didn't want to part with any of his chocolate today.  Alfie was the Lock keeper here from the early 80's and remained living in the house after he retired.  We spoke to his daughter last July and he was just about to celebrate his 86th birthday.  I hope he is still living here. 

Funny place to keep your drum kit!

Goodbye North Circ - much nicer chugging underneath than driving over the top!

Drying off!

Rob is this your old boat?

Nice to see the Egyptian Geese at Stonebridge Lock.

Here comes that sinking feeling...

My mum and me!

We met this couple last year when they had just left Napton on their way to London - we saw them in Ealing in October - and here they are in Tottenham.

And back past the Millennium Park

Glad to see it has been tidied up at Old Ford Lock - this is where Steve and a passerby dragged a mattress out of the river last year!

Looks like the CRT have upset some local river gypsies.

Two mills at Three Mills!

Arriving in Limehouse - and the wall all to ourselves, nearly.

Tide is out on the Thames.

And so is the seal!

Enjoying the wall.