Sports Day in London

Al went and got some croissants and a paper and we had breakfast out in the cratch. It was another hot day. We then set off for the West End and went to the Sports Cafe in Haymarket.We wanted to see the British Grand Prix on the big screens they have, and we weren't disappointed. Afterwards we walked to Piccadilly and along to Hyde Park Corner where we went to our favorite restaurant The Hard Rock Cafe. We know all the tricks here on how to beat the queues and were taken downstairs where they have air conditioning (not a lot of people know that). Al also had her favorite cocktail!

Afterwards we walked along Park Lane and back along the Edgeware Road to Derwent6. We just had enough time to quickly get ready and get to the pub for the football. A lot of the Spanish had gone to Piccadilly to watch the game, so the pub was a bit quieter than when we watched the Germany game but it was still a good atmosphere. We got back to Derwent6 at around 10.30pm and went straight to bed!

The Heasgoods together again

After a late start we had a walk to the shops and emptied the bins on the way. At midday we got a call from Alex saying their cab would be arriving shortly, so we walked to Paddington station to meet them. It was lovely to see Richard, Lisa, Alex and Olivia Thorogood again and as soon as we got back to Derwent6 the drinks were out. We then got the chairs out and had a nice salad lunch with strawberries to follow. The heat was now at about 33 degrees and we were lucky enough to have this nice breeze blowing through the basin but we decided to have a walk in Kensington and Hyde parks. We went to the Princess Diana memorial (with our ice Lolly's) which is a small stream where you can paddle. The park was packed!

We sat in the shade for a bit before walking back to Derwent6, but the heat did wear you out.

When we got back it was more drinks and a catch up before they had to go. We then got out the wine and sat out in the cratch with Pete and Irene from n.b Pinks, who are moored next to us and celebrating their new, on the way, grandchild.

We got to bed at midnight!!!!

Phew! Hot in London

It's another lovely day and we decided to not go very far today. The weather made us feel a bit lethargic and it was so nice here in the basin with a strong breeze running past us. So it was boat cleaning day with the polish out and the brasses cleaned. Even the houdini's got a clean. The temperatures rose to 30 degrees and Derwent6 still seemed to stay quite cool. There appears to be a Dragon boat show going on here on the 15th and all the boats in the basin will have to move out for a few hours.

Quiet in London

Up early today as Del had to go down to Kent to attend a funeral of a very close friend's dad, Bernard.
These are the times that remind us of keeping close to our friends.
Al stayed in London and was using the time to do some shopping. She went into Oxford street and came back along the Edgeware road. It is great being back in London with so much going on and so much to do. Funny enough it has been quite quiet here in Paddington Basin with not a lot of movement and a few spaces available, maybe it will get busy again at the weekend. Al was invited round to join Pip, Karen & Ian on n.b Windsong and n.b Serenity for drinks and nibbles which went on till late in the warm evening... Del got back at 10.00pm and joined the party, before we all crashed out to bed.

An Early Bird

An early bird catches the worm... We were up at 5.30am as we were going into London. The vibe was that is was really busy in the basin so we were hoping to catch someone coming out. We crept past all the house boats on the way and after a couple of hours we got to Bulls Bridge. We then turned up onto the Regents Canal and knew we were headed into London with the planes so close landing at Heathrow. We still can't believe that you can get into the Capital this way and not see any traffic, it's just fantastic. After another three hours we got to Little Venice with only a little bit of weed to contend with. There were no moorings at Little Venice so we had our fingers crossed as we went into the basin. Hey Ho it was worth leaving early as we had the choice of five berths, and managed to maneuver Derwent6 onto one of the pontoons. We then settled in and walked up to the BW office to let them know of our arrival. We then found the nearest pub for the football. It was full of Spanish contingency and we had fun with them all as Spain won 1 - 0.

It was only a short walk back to Derwent6 for chips and salsa out in the cratch in the lit up basin.

An easy run down to Cowley

We were up early again and Del did some of the brasses while Al cleaned inside. Where it has been so dry, it also gets so dusty, and it gets everywhere, but we're not complaining.

We pulled the pins at around 11.00am and made our way through Springwell lock and onto Coppermill where we topped up with water. We waited for a boat to pass and then carried on through Harefield with them and on to Denham. After going through Uxbridge we finally got to Cowley where we moored for the night. We couldn't get a TV signal so we walked up to the pub and watched the footy there with a couple of beers. We planned to have an early start in the morning so we went straight to bed when we got back to Derwent6.

Strange Animal Day

We left this morning at around 8.45am and set off down the locks at Kings Langley.After passing under the M25 we came across this strange sight...No! you're not seeing things it is a Camel grazing in a field.. Low and behold all was made clear, the circus was in town at Hunton Bridge, that's a relief! We then went through Cassiobury Park, one of our favorite parts of the Grand Union.Can you spot this fella hiding in the chain link fencing? We did stop and give him a Apple!

And this crayfish tried to get on Derwent6 at the next lock... We soon got to Watford and managed to get the last mooring close to being under the bridge. You don't want to be under the bridge due to the pigeon droppings. We had a short walk to the Havester pub at Croxley Green where we picked up a early bird as much as you can eat salad bar with free refills on drink for £4.95 each.. bargain! Al did mange to cover herself with mustard, still she is hot stuff!!
With very full tummies we both had the itch to move again so we pulled the pins as the weather was just right for cruising. We got to Batchworth and just the other side of the lock is a working miniature canal system. Due to the good weather we have been having it didn't have any water in it (a bit like the real thing)
We then stopped at Tesco's where you can bring your trolley right up to the side of Derwent6, great for stocking up with beers.
We then decided to call it a day and moored up just the other side of Betchworth, and as we were mooring up we had a heron letting us know we were on his patch.

Two Good Deeds for the Day

Decided not to move again today, so Del walked up for a paper while Al did breakfast. We then cleaned Derwent6 as it was covered in dust, inside and out. We then did some jobs like oil the woodwork and lubricating the hinges. We had a boat moor up in front of us last night and on trying to set off this morning, their engine would not start. The next thing we saw was another boat breasting up alongside them to tow them back to the marina. Del thought he would have a quick look for them and soon sussed out that it was a jammed starter solenoid. With a quick tap on top of the starter away she went...

We were watching the tennis and before we knew it the couple on the boat were back again, this time they had lost their cat Rollo. He had jumped off in all the kerfuffle with the engine not starting.

After a hour and a lot of calling, we found Rollo over the lakes behind us...Two good deeds for the day!

In the evening we went for a walk over to the station and back along the Grand Union, getting rid of our rubbish on the way.

We then had a nice Salad out in the cratch before Al watched her Desperate Housewives.

Good telly, so staying put.

It was a lovely morning again so we decided to stay put and take a walk into Kings Langley to pick up a paper. Well we did that and then stopped at a coffee shop and sat outside with a croissantThen Al booked in at 10.30am to have her eyelashes tinted at a beauticians. Expensive morning really!!!

When we got back to Derwent6 we chilled out with the papers and more drinks before watching the football in the afternoon and evening. We were glad we stopped here to see the Argentina/Germany game (what a thriller it was).

A Cool Cruise to Kings Langley

We left early this morning as it looked like rain. It did make it a bit cooler as of late and as we planned to do about seventeen locks today it could only be a good thing.

We waited for about half a hour to see if we could do them with another boat but no-one showed, so we were all on our own. We had to fill every lock we came to because BW were asking you to drain every lock when you were coming up, but there seemed plenty of water in all of the pounds. It was a slow process till we got to the swing bridge and then we passed another boat, so had some locks full for us. We never got any rain and the sun was trying to come out as we went through Hemel Hempstead and on to Aspley. Al popped into Sainsburys and picked up some long life milk, while Del filled Derwent6 with water. Another boat passed us and called out 'hello, we read your blog!'. Thanks guys, and sorry we didn't catch the name of your boat. We then were passed by n.b Little Pumpkin and they helped us through our last five locks and they also read our blog. We should be seeing more of them on our trip!

We moored up at Kings Langley and managed to get a TV signal just in time for the Holland/Brazil game. Why can't we play like Holland? We also watched Andy Murray!

Posh Frock Day

Leaving Del looking after Derwent6, this morning Al made her way down to Kent to see her Mum & Dad. After a lovely lunch and a chat she then popped to see Hannah as she had her Prom that night. It was lovely seeing all the girls in their posh frocks, and the boys looked very smart as well! Al was met by Del when the train arrived back in Berkhamsted, and after picking up some Fish & Chips, we sat on the lock till dusk.