This is a popular trip for us, this one taken at short notice in order to provide a floating restaurant so that Gemma can entertain, with Pat as Chef and your writer (Michael) as Maitre d'. Travelling today gave Gemma a chance to ride along and operate the locks. Extremely good exercise for stomach muscles she tells me. She can then go to work tomorrow just down the (Edgware) road and Chef will arrive tommorrow to do the business.
A cold early morning start. In fact temperature around zero degrees with a bitter wind. The boat was cold so priority one was to get the stove sorted out. It takes several hours to get everything warmed up. On the way down through the three locks leading to the long pound to Paddington, there was some evidence of tree cutting with lots of wood up for grabs if you have the equipment to hand to parcel it up into convenient stove sized portions. Chef had given us a shopping list, but moorings by Tesco at Bulls Bridge were full. We stopped at Uxbridge Road (dirty bird fowl ridden rather broken down advertised moorings with no rings or bollards) for a quick lunch, then on. The new marina, part of the residential development north of Willowbridge, is now full of water, but not connected. The development itself does not appeal, but a true appraisal must wait until it is finished and landscaped. Moorings at Sainsbury's Alperton were free and this is a major store, so useful. The presence of the supermarket is not obvious from the canal, but it is infact a lot more convenient than Tesco. On then to LV. Moorings OK under the footbridge. Not a lot of boats on the move, Indus was making for Bulls Bridge and a cluster visiting the supermarket at Kensal Green passed us after we had moored up. Looking for a good Indian tonight!
Seems like all of the narrowboaters have been enduring really cold weather in early March. I hope that the second half of the month will bring some signs of spring, with some warmer weather and spring flowers.
Best wishes,
Mark
Posted by: Mark | March 13, 2006 at 02:49