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Cribblog 2017

March 30/31 Movin' on from winter moorings.

My winter mooring permit ends on April fool's day, so have to move on even though winter jobs haven't ended. [As if they ever would.] At least the weather seems to have got the point with some beautiful warm and bright days. Worked until about 1700 on Thursday and decided that I should start off, I'm travelling East and ultimately will drop off the end of the Kennet and Avon canal, I'm still not sure which direction to head on the Thames though, still too many variables involved in summer arrangements.

Lock 70, my home for the past 5 months.

Freight train, [freight train, runnin' so fast] a constant, and close, companion over those months.

Thoroughly approve of the new gate paddle indicator. One even I can see.

Just cleared Lock 71, feels like we are miles away already, in fact its only one.

Fail miserably in tw's technique of always taking a pic of his means of propulsion at journey's beginning and end. R says I have so many pictures of the 'back end of a boat' that it is laughable. She is right of course, just imagine how many more there would be if I could remember to take them.

Actually, I moored just short of the railway bridge, a perfect location for tw but a quieter night than I have had in five months. But that, my coughing in the night set off a carcophany of alarm calls from the local wildlife so they didn't do quite so well.

Approaching Cobbler's Lock, Lock 72.

Cobbler's, forgot to take my morning pic.

Hungerford church Swing Bridge 85.

Desperate for supplies and facilities, ran out of water a few weeks ago and have been floating almost vertically for too long. Also I have topped up the gear box and engine with what was left of last year's engine oil supply. No worry, there are two petrol stations in Hungerford and not a great walk away from the canal either. The nearest is also a Co-Op so perhaps I can get the makings of lunch also, wander round and as usual, bemused by what's on offer though non of it recognisable as food for man nor beast. In the end had to ask, 'Do you have oil?' 'Cooking oil?' 'No, engine oil' 'Oh, it's over there on that tiny shelf.' Yes, but only in tiny little litre bottles. So onto the Shell station where a substantial 5 litre bottle was aquired. 'That's heavy' says my server, also suffering from this coughing lurgy that I have. 'Just as well', I replied, thinking about it's cheeky price. Walking back to Cribbit though I thought, 'This is heavy'

Moored for supplies in Hungerford Town centre.

Hungerford Town trip boat moorings.

Filled the water tank, it took over an hour, and now we float at a reasonble angle. Moored close to Hungerford station, did a bit more work on the fireplace and then set off to walk [at 1715] back the 2.5 miles back to Froxfield to recover the car. The next pics repeat the down journey.