Slow Trip to Norbury Junction (aka The Day they made me Drive!)

8 October 2019

The weather is slowly improving. We even saw a little bit of sun today.

It was a day of not so many locks, but lots of beautiful countryside and stunning scenery.

Long John Silver thought it was time I learnt how to drive the ship. After crashing into a tree three years ago, I hoped to be permanently classified as chambermaid, kitchen-wench, rope-holder and lock-winder. A role I felt very comfortable in. The rest of the crew had other ideas!

I am happy to report that we didn’t end up in any trees or bushes or stuck on any impediments during my traineeship. But stage one of the sailing course is “steering only”. And mostly in a straight line. Apparently, I get to use the throttle tomorrow.

Canal folk are a creative lot. From figureheads to mooring sites, there is always something to see.

Some are obviously a little more permanent than others,

Who needs a plot of land to grow your own?

And some have not been used for a while.

Lunch was at Wheaton Aston, wherever the heck that is. It was a chance to network and rekindle family ties. Just not with each other.

Checking emails, updating apps, communicating

We passed through narrow cuttings, narrow canals and over narrow embankments for the entire day. Amazing engineering and hard, hard work for those involved.