Day 52 – Thurs 7th Sept – On the move again.
I apologise if the format of this blog is a bit all over the place! My internet went weird, again and in a bid not to lose my mind and time, i’m not faffing with it anymore! You might need to imagine punctuation, spacing and ignore any errors ((Just a standard blog then Peachy!)) What an absolutely idyllic cruise. Thedecision to get everything ready last night was a good one as at 7.30am..ish…we head out as the hazy sunrise promises another searing hot day! Now, just incase any other boaters are reading this. I know that strictly speaking theproper etiquette is to not cruise from 8am but it’s going to be 28-29 degreeslater and it really isn’t nice to cruise in that weather and all we needed todo this morning was to take the cratch cover off, start the engine and off we went.I bet no-one even noticed we had gone. Our engine is quiet as boat engines go. ((Morelike people were glad to see you go. Oh here comes another bloody narrowboarvlogger!))Anyway, what a beautiful, beautiful time toleave and it was a sublime cruise. Our first stop was Derwent Mouth Lock and Idiscover what awaits the early morning boater at the time of year… the whole ofthe lock was covered in spiders. Now, let’s just get this straight if you’regoing to live on a boat they are going to be living on it with you, that isjust a fact. I am working on spider proofing the boat but I couldn’t believethe amount which were on the locks. I opened the first paddle and then bravely andvery, very carefully walked across the gate trying to avoid them all.Job done I managed to empty the lock andChris cruised in. There was a photographer taking picture the boat and locksand I’m not surprised ((Oh think your boat is special now it’s been paineddo you?)) well actually I do but this had more to do with the amazingsunlight. Simply stunning. I’m sure it must be the golden hour for pics. We aresoon through this lock where people where foraging.I’m currently sitting on the stern ((Thereis a surprise, your favourite pastime!)) writing this. It’s 13.11 and aperfect temperature as we are moored under a canopy of trees. The internet is abit dodgy and I don’t think it’s strong enough to edit my vlog so I thought Iwould attempt to finish the blogs. There is a very slight breeze, in thedistance I can hear the motorbikes at Donington Park, there are dragonfliesdarting about and boats cruising past every so often. It really is a moment toenjoy. ((There is also some muppet shouting in the distance but you blockthem out Peachy. They haven’t reached your level of zen. Actually they havejust shut up – the power of Brackets! What would you do without me))What with one thing and another life has beenstressful over the last few years and once you’ve hit a level of stress, evenwhen those problems are hopefully resolved and you can move on. I believe ittakes a good bit of time to lower those levels back to what they were. I’veoften felt like my stress levels were so high the slightest thing would push itright back up and that’s when you realise you’ve not really recovered fully. Iwould say the last week or so the past stress has finally left me and what arelief it is. Although to be fair, although this life can be physically toughand challenging in other ways, if you cannot de-stress living this life thenit’s a trip to doctors and a prescription for anything they will give you. Justbeing near water and canals has a healing effect.Right, back in time to the next lock… justhad to share that moment 
Derwent mouth lock was also the first lockand we are officially off the River Trent/Sawley cut and on the Trent andMersey canal. It feels good to be back on here and I’m looking forward totackling these locks again. Next we arrive at Shardlow Lock and I sadly missout as the pubs aren’t open. These gates seem so easy to open, maybe my musclesare finally lock ready after their workout on the Erewash canal. ((or maybethey have just had a year of being use and have been greased recently… justsaying))Aston Lock soon comes along and it’s at thispoint you really feel like you’re in the countryside ((well you can seeacross fields from here Peachy so you know the clue is in the view and allthat)) I struggled with the locks before but although the ground paddlesare a little stiff I smash though them, well not actually smash them becausethat would criminal damage – I mean I find them easier. Same when we come toWeston Lock, last year I wasn’t feeling well and nearly had a disaster as Istayed with the boat on the landing lock and chris did the lock but thestrength of the by-wash and from emptying the lock meant I couldn’t hold theboat. ((I tell you, Peachy has the muscles of a mozi!))Weston Lock is very deep and the gates arereally heavy so as luck would have it another boater is on route to the lock sothey come and help and between us we manage to close the gates and fill thelock. I get chatting to a couple of women off the boat and as you do you talkabout the boating life and what’s you’re doing etc and I say the words whichmake you want to run away and hide once they are said ((Oh god you didn’ttell them about that time you went to prison did you? Or when you killed thosepeople???!)) Haha Brackets! That might happen in one of my books but notme. No! when one of them asked what I did, I said, ‘’I’m an author” Even afterwriting 13 books and now having a publisher those imposter syndrome feelingscome but they were so lovely saying they love reading and asked me my name andabout what I write so that was lovely. ((You better get better at promotingyourself Peachy, I mean your mum is the best marketing manager you could everhave. She never misses a chance to tell people and you need to do the same.))I know, I know. I’m trying.Soon after we find the perfect spot to mooras I’ve already mentioned. We find a stretch with no other boats on it and lowand behold before we have even finished tying the ropes another boat turns upwhich only turns out to be our neighbours from our old mooring in Kings Marinaat Newark! So lovely to see them. I think they left about May time to go fortheir cruise and they have covered some distance and had many adventures andare slowly making their way back to winter at the marina. Was great catching upand so lovely when you see people you know. They were fitting out their boat aswe were renovating ours so it’s nice to hear they’ve had a great time andmanaged to do a lot of the places they wanted to do. I’m going to go and plug my laptop in now asthe battery is about to give up the ghost and then clean the shower room. Beingunder these trees is bliss as we can at least get some jobs done as it’s muchcooler. We might even wash the roof which we have been threatening to do. Therest of the afternoon will be faffing and hopefully we will find a mooring spotwith a better signal tomorrow so I can get my vlog edited and uploaded forSunday.Until tomorrow. xxx
Derwent mouth lock was also the first lockand we are officially off the River Trent/Sawley cut and on the Trent andMersey canal. It feels good to be back on here and I’m looking forward totackling these locks again. Next we arrive at Shardlow Lock and I sadly missout as the pubs aren’t open. These gates seem so easy to open, maybe my musclesare finally lock ready after their workout on the Erewash canal. ((or maybethey have just had a year of being use and have been greased recently… justsaying))Aston Lock soon comes along and it’s at thispoint you really feel like you’re in the countryside ((well you can seeacross fields from here Peachy so you know the clue is in the view and allthat)) I struggled with the locks before but although the ground paddlesare a little stiff I smash though them, well not actually smash them becausethat would criminal damage – I mean I find them easier. Same when we come toWeston Lock, last year I wasn’t feeling well and nearly had a disaster as Istayed with the boat on the landing lock and chris did the lock but thestrength of the by-wash and from emptying the lock meant I couldn’t hold theboat. ((I tell you, Peachy has the muscles of a mozi!))Weston Lock is very deep and the gates arereally heavy so as luck would have it another boater is on route to the lock sothey come and help and between us we manage to close the gates and fill thelock. I get chatting to a couple of women off the boat and as you do you talkabout the boating life and what’s you’re doing etc and I say the words whichmake you want to run away and hide once they are said ((Oh god you didn’ttell them about that time you went to prison did you? Or when you killed thosepeople???!)) Haha Brackets! That might happen in one of my books but notme. No! when one of them asked what I did, I said, ‘’I’m an author” Even afterwriting 13 books and now having a publisher those imposter syndrome feelingscome but they were so lovely saying they love reading and asked me my name andabout what I write so that was lovely. ((You better get better at promotingyourself Peachy, I mean your mum is the best marketing manager you could everhave. She never misses a chance to tell people and you need to do the same.))I know, I know. I’m trying.Soon after we find the perfect spot to mooras I’ve already mentioned. We find a stretch with no other boats on it and lowand behold before we have even finished tying the ropes another boat turns upwhich only turns out to be our neighbours from our old mooring in Kings Marinaat Newark! So lovely to see them. I think they left about May time to go fortheir cruise and they have covered some distance and had many adventures andare slowly making their way back to winter at the marina. Was great catching upand so lovely when you see people you know. They were fitting out their boat aswe were renovating ours so it’s nice to hear they’ve had a great time andmanaged to do a lot of the places they wanted to do. I’m going to go and plug my laptop in now asthe battery is about to give up the ghost and then clean the shower room. Beingunder these trees is bliss as we can at least get some jobs done as it’s muchcooler. We might even wash the roof which we have been threatening to do. Therest of the afternoon will be faffing and hopefully we will find a mooring spotwith a better signal tomorrow so I can get my vlog edited and uploaded forSunday.Until tomorrow. xxxMiles/Distance:Roughly 10 miles (I think!)Locks: 3Tunnels: 0Swing Bridges: 0
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