The cooker is due to come today, and whilst we’ve been waiting, we’ve planted the onions, watered the back garden and cut the front lawn.
The old cooker should be collected sometime today, and the double glazing guy is due this afternoon to replace the blown kitchen pane.
It’s another lovely day, but as is always the case when you are home all day and want to have the windows open, you hear a lot of noise you’d rather not………… like bungalow music from across the road which is definitely not to our taste.
Hubby has been across and chatted to the young lad cooking his breakfast in the kitchen, asking him to turn it down. He was very apologetic and did so immediately. We’re not asking anyone to turn it off, just set the volume for personal listening rather than bombarding the whole street.
Saying that, I was an equally inconsiderate teenager playing my records at high volume in my bedroom, so I’m not surprised that what goes around comes around.
It’s at times like this that we miss the boat.
Although most had TVs, radios, hi-fis and some even musical instruments, it was extremely rare their noise encroached on our hearing space.
One of the things about the marina was that high volumes were not permitted and we are aware of one family whose mooring contract was not renewed due to complaints from other boaters.
Once you could accept, twice was pushing it, but every time they arrived with their friends or family, we had loud music, riotous laughter and raised voices, on one occasion screaming kids too into the early hours. The marina boss had seven complaints the following morning.
Photos: an early trip up river and some lucky shots of Canada geese in 2015.
On a day like this, the water would be calm and inviting, so we would kit up with our life jackets, and putter up river, sometimes for an hour, sometimes a few days. We made it to Stratford Upon Avon several times, and arrival by water is definitely a lot calmer than fighting through heavy traffic and then having the problem of finding somewhere to park!
There are 18 locks on the way, but even that didn’t bother us and usually we took it in turns to operate them.
Photo: Colin Witter Lock, the last before Stratford Upon Avon, April 2017.
We were always lucky and could moor the boat either opposite the theatre or under shade near the park, then lock up and walk into town for breakfast, lunch, or just to send Mum and MOH a postcard.
This time last year we were just about to start exploring waters new on the canals, our first and only trip up to the Grand Union.
Photo: Moored at Stratford for the last time, April 2017.
Photo: Our first sighting of The Stratford Canal April 2017.
pensitivity101 
Don’t forget about Reginald with all the excitement of the day!
Reginald has almost caught Hubby up. All beans and tomatoes are duly watered and encouraged this morning.
GROW REGINALD GROW!