Olivia's Troubles

Apparently the water pump is b******d. Getting it sorted next week. Hopefully that will sort us out good and proper.

At the moment I am moored at Stoke Bruerne once again awaiting an engineer. Same problem as earlier which is overheating. Hopefully this time we will get to the source of the problem. Luke has pressed on through Blisworth tunnel and I went along as passenger which I enjoyed so much more than being the steerer. He dropped me at Gayton where I went to speak to Steve at Grand Junction boatyard. He promised to look at Olivia this morning. While at Gayton I ran into Rick who made me a cup of tea and when I got ready for the four mile walk back another boater, Kathy, offered me a lift. This was much appreciated as by then it was getting on for 8pm so I wouldn't have got home until about 9.30. Looks like I'll be in the local area for a week or so now.

Now at Marsworth

I don't know where time goes. We have been cruising five or six hours a day and have moored at King's Langley, Berkhampsted and now Marsworth. We have had brilliant weather, in fact it has been rather too hot at times. We haven't had much spare time but this morning we had a mooch around Berko which had a little fete at the church. I bought 3 books for £1, a home made cake and I won a bottle of wine in the tombola :-).

Batchworth

I'm not only enjoying the beautiful sunshine but it is also good to be travelling with Luke. Both our boats are giving us slight concerns. Mine is getting through pints of water a day in the cooling system but I can't find the source of the problem. Luke's is picking up lots of detritus on the prop. It's great having someone to share locks with (and he is handy at putting meals together too ;-)).

What a busy week! Catching up with family and friends. First I made my way back down the Lea only needing to pop down the weedhatch twice. Luke was waiting for some boat jobs to be finished so I kicked around with him for a couple of days. Had a great chat with Mandy who plays in a band with her twenty something son and also acts in a group with puppets. I would like to try to catch her performance when it returns to London at the end of the month. Luke and I cruised down to Victoria Park where we found a mooring in a perfect spot by the main entrance to the park from the canal. I went in search of fuses (for Luke) and walked about six miles to Liverpool Street and back via the Mile End Road. On Sunday Luke opened his record shop and had a good day's trading. Tom,Gemma and Hollie came over and Hollie enjoyed the playground in the park. Lots of Luke's friends turned up and they had a little music session with guitar and ukes. On Monday Rose, Nick and Mike joined us for the cruise through London to Little Venice. It was perfect weather for cruising. London is a little bit full at the moment. Perhaps someone should think about an affordable marina somewhere. A lot of people I spoke to would love a more permanent arrangement. They are working all week and then have to spend the weekend finding the next place to stay.

Heading South again

On Sunday I met up with Luke at a car boot (I only bought a couple of DVDs). After we had a late breakfast he went back to finish some boat jobs and I hopped on a train to Hertford to have a look around. It seems quite a sweet little town with lots of green space for leisure around the river. I had a look at the castle but the museum is closed on a Sunday. As it was such a nice day I walked back to Ware and visited the museum there. It is quite tiny so I didn't learn much more about the town. I discovered that there was a grotto but alas it was closed. Anyway I walked all the way back to Olivia, a distance of about 9 miles! Since then I've been working my way back towards London. I was invited to share a trip on the Thames (to Gravesend) with Heather, who I met a few weeks ago. Unfortunately it is this weekend and I can't fit it in with my deadlines and commitments.