The sun was absolutely cracking the flags this morning, which wasn’t exactly what the forecast had suggested. Macc wanted to go out early and then didn’t settle back in his crate, so it wasn’t the most relaxed start to the day. As we set off a little after 9, a boat came along from behind, so we could share the Cape Locks. It was Victoria May, which we’ve seen several times since the bottom of the Tardebigge flight. It was the first time KV had shared one of these double locks (although we did share a really big lock on the Severn). After the two locks there’s a journey through the outskirts of Warwick. The old Kate Boats yard is now Warwickshire Narrowboats.
We stopped a little further on, just before the bridge where Tesco is. I went a did a shop of mostly fresh stuff, as much as I could carry, then Adrian went and got the other things on the list, and then I went again for a few remaining items. While the weather was mostly sunshine, there was one very heavy shower, but fortunately neither of us were out in it. After lunch, my friend from work, Judith, came to see us as she lives in Leamington Spa. It was lovely to catch up on all her news, as it’s a year since we saw her. We got under way again and crossed the aqueducts over the River Avon and then the railway.
We made a brief stop on the moorings outside Lidl so Adrian could go to Pets at Home to stock up on food and treats for Macc. Then we set off again, just as a shower came through. This time it lasted a while but wasn’t particularly heavy. Finally, something is being built on a plot next to the moorings in Leamington.
We were aiming for Radford Semele, and there was a suitable bit of piling with our name on it. By now the sun was back out again. Of course as I write this, half an hour later, it’s lashing it down again.
We’re trying to get Macc out of his separation anxiety, which mostly manifests itself when he’s aware of one of us getting off the boat. He needs to get used to the idea that we come back! Once moored, I needed to get some paper from the stern to clear up some bird’s mess on the cabin side, so explained to him what I was going to do. As I came back to the bow he looked really cute peering round the cratch cover — and even better he hadn’t whined at all!
4 miles, 2 locks. (41 miles, 92 locks)