Glad we’ve got a boat…..

Weather was much better yesterday so we left our mooring near Old Linslade, and Cassie’s pile of sticks -

– we got our shopping done in Leighton Buzzard and came back to the boat laden with essentials, cider and chocolate being the most important.  Cruised for a bit longer to get out in the country

The weather was beautiful by lunchtime 

The Chalk Lion of Whipsnade, cut in 1933 as an advert for the zoo

We moored up just before Bridge 118, in the middle of nowhere just as the weather started to deteriorate again.  We had some visitors as soon as we arrived, demanding to be fed.

The weather forecast was not good for today, so we have stayed put – we did however decide, in between heavy showers, to take Cassie for a walk up as far as Slapton Lock and do a bit of geo-caching.   Of course, the heavens opened just as we stepped off the boat.  “It’ll stop in a minute” says I, “the showers are only lasting for a few minutes at a time!”   Did it stop?  Did it hell!!  We got drenched!  And to cap it all, just beyond the bridge, there was a fishing match going on, practically the whole way to the lock.  We had to wait several times while the fishermen moved their huge poles out of our way(!)  Now, Rog is also a fisherman, so we understand, but it wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t take up the whole width of the towpath – and the amount of expensive equipment they have got now,  just for a club match, is awe-inspiring!!  There must have been tens of thousands of quids-worth of gear!                                                         

A very soggy Cassie

And, talking of fishing, Rog set up his tackle (!) about 3 o’clock and I was just getting down to some blogging when he yelled for me to pass him his landing net – he’d got  a big carp (we think) on his line.  I stayed to watch him land it, camera at the ready, and over an hour later, I was still waiting!  He just couldn’t tire it out enough to get it in his net, as he had very light elastic on the pole.  Eventually it dived into some bushes on the opposite bank and broke the line.  What a disappointment!  Rog thinks it’s probably the biggest carp he’s ever had on.  What a pity he couldn’t land it.

Moving on to Marsworth tomorrow, then down the Aylesbury Arm to await Emma, Ben and the girls coming back from their holiday in France.