We made an early start today with the intention of getting water and proceeding on to Fenny Compton. The water took 30 minutes fill and Banbury was deserted save for a few souls heading off to the station. After the Town Lock our next lock was Hardwick Lock where we met an opposite direction boat whose skipper told us that the next lock was closed all day for repairs. I should have said reminded us because I had read the stoppage notice but had forgotten all about it. Oh well, we are not in a hurry, so pootled on until we got in sight of the lock and moored up on some overgrown piling, deployed the windmill and thought about jobs to do. We were approached by a boater of the only boat ahead of us on the lock landing who had some information about the work.
It was to repair the top gate cill which had crumbled causing leakage and falling water levels in the pound above. He had been informed, however, that they were using quick setting cement and expected to be finished shortly. In the event it was only an hour's delay for us. At Cropedy we came up behind another boat just entering the lock ahead of us and from then on we were in a train of boats up as far as Claydon Top with intermittent interruptions by opposite direction stuff. All good fun. The weather had been alternately chilly and sultry all day, but as we reached Fenny we got the first rain shower and the thought that we might light the stove.
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