A falling in

This morning we went to church in Doncaster without leaving the boat. Virtually, of course. After that we turned left at Norton Junction and headed for Watford Locks.

On the way I spoke to a couple on the towpath who asked the way to the locks; I pointed them in the right direction (they had been going the wrong way). Not long after that we passed a boat mooring outside Watford Gap Services: a man was hammering in a pin close to the edge of the bank. His boat obscured what happened next, but I heard a shout and saw that the lock hunters were right there and pointing to the water. The worst I thought was that the mooring pin had fallen into the cut; as others were there I carried on.

At the locks the couple were watching proceedings. I asked them what had happened with the boat at the services and was surprised to learn that the boater had fallen in! He had just stepped in, according to the witnesses, and got wet up to the top of his thighs. Had there been more commotion I would have stopped - perhaps I should have done so anyway - but it had looked and sounded to me as though one of the walkers had been surprised by the hammering.

As usual, Jan steered and I worked the locks, being mostly left to it by the lockies.

Above the locks a number of birds of prey were circling.

Are these red kites?

Before Crick Tunnel I tried the TV reception again and actually got a signal. We pulled in and tied up ready for the F1 GP highlights later. At 6.30 I switched on, only to find that the signal had disappeared. Repositioning the aerial didn't help much, but I was eventually able to watch, with the pictures and sound breaking up badly most of the time. Grr.