Having dropped Jan off at her BCF committee meeting close to the canal in Banbury on Saturday, I walked slowly along the cut towards the lock. I was feeling not too good, having a sore throat and a higher than normal temperature. I thought I'd find somewhere to linger with a hot chocolate ... but first came the lock.
Not only was one set of paddles open, but both sets. A notice explained that CRT was allowing excess water to drain through the lock to alleviate flooding higher up.
Having taken this photo I started to walk further down the canal, and saw a boat coming up. I always relish the chance to help a boat through a lock, if required, so turned back to the lock. Looking back I thought I could make out a familiar boat name on the bow flashes, and I could also see that it was stopping at the services just below the lock.
Yes, it was No Problem guarded by Meg and Penny.
After Sue topped up a water container Vic took the boat up the lock. I thought we might have had difficulty with all the water gushing over the top gate, but the bottom gates opened quite easily.
With the boat in Sue raises the top gate paddles again.
We followed CRT's instructions and left the lock as we found it. Vic chucked me a windlass and I opened the liftbridge. How the chimney didn't catch I don't know! The wind was pretty strong and unhelpful.
I left Sue and Vic tying up by Tooley's Boatyard while I went into the Museum Café for that hot chocolate.
A little lock therapy was very good for me! It was good to meet you both at last, Sue and Vic, and I'm sorry I wasn't more sociable. I didn't want to give you what I had (and still have).
1 comment:
It was great to see you Halfie. I was so surprised! Just so sorry you were feeling poorly.
Not so poorly to help with the locks very much appreciated. It has been simply ages since I have done a lock I nearly got it wrong, but you put me right.
I agree with what you said that working through a lock is almost done without thinking, we just go through the motions! Leaving paddles up is just not in our thinking!
The chimney is difficult to get through that lift bridge, it's all about angles from the direction I came from, but I was confident enough that I could just about miss sweeping it off the top but in doing that I landed right beside the moored boat then pinned to it by the wind!
Narrowboats.. Gosh you never know what they are going to do half the time!
I am glad that Meg didn't pinch your sandwiches.. She is murder with people carrying bags, she just has to investigate them all..
Looking forward to meeting you again when the weather is better and you are too!
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