Yippppeeeeee we set off this morning at around 9,00am and the prop groaned into action after not being used for nearly six weeks. It's the longest Derwent6 has been static since it went in the water. It felt so good to be moving again and you felt like you were starting another adventure, who knows what is round the corner.
It wasn't long before we got to the bottom of the Watford Flight locks and we were surprised at how much work had been done here. There are now nice wooden boards at the bottom so you don't damage the sides anymore when tying up and the ponds had all been redone and were trimmed, together with new lock paddles. The gates were still leaking bad and you have to watch the bow still when going up, also the water tap wasn't working due to a burst pipe in the freeze.
We got to the top and saw our first lambs where the mother was still licking them and they were still trying to find their feet.
We then got to Crick tunnel which after all that snow was wet, wet, wet, and it was also very smoky with all the chimneys going. We had three boats in front of us as everyone had decided to move today. When we got out the tunnel we stopped for water and emptied the waste tank, having a cup of tea while we waited. We needed diesel and planned to get it at Crick Marina, but it was closed on Monday's. So with another cold snap on the way we thought it best to moor up for the night and get the diesel in the morning.
This gave us the rest of the day to relax a bit and chill out. It was nice to be looking at different scenery for a change. We also managed to get some washing done while moving, so Del might have some clean pants in the morning!
We just tried to load the pictures but the camera settings had moved to a high setting and on 2G here they won't load.... So we will put them on later....
We had just a fabulous lunch which is all homemade, and you can tell the difference. We then needed to walk it off, so we walked back across the fields which brought us back to the locks.
We had this Robin which we made friends with, as he seemed to follow us all the way back to Derwent6. 
When we got back we were knackered, so watched a film in the afternoon and telly in the evening. 
We are still iced in here with the ice at about two inches thick, so no movement around here. With the temperatures in the minus three's and four''s tonight we won't be moving tomorrow.
We fancied a walk so set off up towards the locks to see what was going on. Everything was open including the museum, but the thing that took our eye was the coffee for a pound. 
We sat up at the top lock with the sun on our faces out of the wind and nearly fell asleep. It is very peaceful here and it wasn't long before it was packed with people, both car parks were over half full. 
There has been some movement of boats today going up and down the locks and it was nice talking to some of the people enjoying the lovely day. We then walked back to Derwent6 and threw up the cratch cover and sat in the sunshine looking at a fantastic view. Del polished the towpath side of the boat because it had got so warm. Del took the rubbish back up to the top lock, while Al read her book. 
In the evening we watched a bit of telly. Two boats passed us late, one, a hire boat who came by so fast, don't know why, he wasn't going to get through the locks, the locky had gone home... Still we made him feel a bit sheepish... 
We just chugged along at three miles a hour watching the world go by, and were pleased that bridge 32 had been repaired. This had the big orange bollards under it for ages and it was always tight to get through. 
We soon got to the Welford arm and were surprised at the lack of boats here.
As we went round the corner and on towards the Husbands Bosworth tunnel, the towpath had been closed and a lot of work had been done dredging and repairing the towpath, it did need it badly. The tunnel was surprisingly dry..... 
When we got through the tunnel, the sun was still out with clearer skies and it started to get really cold. Al wrapped up with two hats, a scarf, four layers and a blanket over her legs on the stern. It was only the Tia Maria coffee's and the bacon butty's that kept us going. 
We love the countryside around here as the canal follows the contours of the hills and weaves it's way towards Foxton. We had been cruising for five and a half hours today and done 13 miles, a long cruise for us. We moored up with a nice view across landscape. Luckily the fire had been going all day and Derwent6 was like a sauna inside, we soon warmed up nicely. We passed three boats today and one passed us late in the evening, so still not much movement. We had an inkling that the weather might freeze again (minus four overnight) so we thought we would get somewhere where water was available, in case we can't move.
Al had loads of paperwork which she wanted to go through, and Del was happy waxing the roof. 
The sun was out in the morning, and yep, after Del had finished the brasses it rained at about 4 o'clock. We also went out and did some sticking as we seem to have loads where we are, and Del did manage to get a splinter in the process.
We made a few phone calls and watched telly in the evening... Relaxing day though....
We then set off for the countryside and soon passed Yelvertoft's new marina. 
We were amazed at the size of this place and how fast they had changed the landscape, you could still get through ok though.
We did have to laugh at this sign which said "Switch off engine and coast slowly past the dam" ...... We didn't turn off the engine, but did go very slowly past!!!!
We put on some music, played some music (The Derwent6 Song) and poured back the wine and had a really good night. 
We had a lovely day with them, and apart from popping out to collect a new chain for the chainsaw, and visit the bank, we just chilled out. The following day we caught the train back to Market Harborough, trying out the relatively new service direct from Kent into St Pancreas station. It only took an hour, and was a great service straight across London cutting out the underground. Back at Market Harborough we were met by Pat & Keith, and after picking up a few bits from Sainsburys went back to their house for dinner. In the evening we went to watch Keith practice with the band, trying to perfect their songs for a couple of gigs they have coming up.
This morning we were driven back to Derwent6 and started warming the boat up. In the afternoon our Tesco delivery arrived, so we are all stocked up. 
They played for about three hours and we didn't get in till about 2.00am in the morning, it had been a long and eventful day, but it was worth it...
We then watched a DVD and a bit of telly in the evening....
We had been having a draft coming through Derwent6 and couldn't work out where it was coming from. It turned out it was coming through the floor boards where the rads were fitted and with a bit of sponge it's now sorted. 
Dropping off our rubbish on the way, we got there for 1.00pm and had a good catch up as we hadn't seen them since Del's Birthday back in November. The food is now very good in the New Inn and we came out of there with very full tummy's... We then went back to Derwent6 for coffee's before they headed off at 4.00pm, before it got dark.
It snowed lightly all day, but never seemed to lay very much...good job really! In the evening we just watched Liverpool lose to Reading with another pint or two.....
They had these lovely paintings in the underpass and we spent a bit of time looking at them all. 
We knew it was market day but Daventry was still very quiet. We were gasping for a coffee and thought we would go to Weatherspoons with it's £1.29 hot chocolate and 99p coffee. We got a nice spot on the sofa by the fire and could not resist the prices for lunch. We had ham, egg and chips for £1.99, a January offer, and when it turned up it was a decent plate full... We then wandered round the town centre ending up in Tesco's to pick up some small bits we needed, before heading back to Derwent6. The walk takes exactly a hour and it was 4.00pm when we finally got back. All red rosy cheeked we sat by the fire to warm up with a nice cup of coffee and some chocolate. We certainly didn't lose any weight on our walk but we did get some good exercise!
It wasn't long before we found the first one and we then set out to do the second but it went a bit wrong because we ended up in the middle of a field. We must have entered the wrong co-ordinates! Still we were close to Derwent6 so it was back for a coffee and a chat... They left at around 5.30pm and we sat and watched a bit of telly all evening....Dancing on ice.....you can practice here at the moment! It's just been a lovely weekend!!!!!