Watford Weekend

As I have an evening meeting in Watford, the boat provides a simple solution to the problem of getting home at night as well as an opportunity for both of us to "get away" for the weekend.. We can moor it at the bottom of Cassiobury Park and then it is a short bike ride away.  So typically, we leave home at 6 am, arriving at the marina an hour later, then after transferring food and other sundries to the boat, set off up the canal.  This time we had the two aging labradors with us.  They grew up on the boat really, but are now so old that they cannot manage the stairs and getting on and off in anything other than ideal circumstances becomes a real problem.     This time we got away at 7:40.   Pat was not feeling very well, and as the lockside is not a place for anyone under the weather, I made her stay below and ran the boat single handed.   No problem to this at all, except that this time there was not a single lock in our favour and mostly with top gates both open as well.  I don't have a problem with this and indeed would prefer that leaving exit gates open was the norm.  It is a much more efficient way of working.   So I leave them as I find them .    It was raining when we left, but by Springwell Lock the sun came out and at Stockers Lock I was in shirtsleeves.   There was a boat ahead in the lock - not the one leaving the gates open, because they had only come down to wind and go back up.  It was a pretty widebeam inspection launch named Lord Aragorn.   The offered help which was gracefully received with thanks.    Going on further at Common Moor Lock I thought I spied the tail end of a narrowboat along with the still open top gates.   At Cassio Lock I caught up with them, but there was Bristol & Argo in the lock going up and almost certainly the reason for the open gates lower down.   So that's alright then.    I was on my own again at Ironbridge Lock, surely the slowest filler on the Grand Union.    Springwell Lock now has a new top gate with a beautiful array of gate paddles and Ironbridge desperately needs this treatment.   There is always a huge crowd of Gongoozlers here which Pat hates.  I, on the other hand can have some fun and always a chat.  Winding above the Lock, we found a mooring close above the lock landing - the only place we could get the boat in close enought for the dogs.