Decisions decisions, meeting people in Braunston and NP gets a lick of paint..

Yesterday and today, Willoughby to Nethercote, Oxford Canal, 3.5 miles 0 locks

It seems ages ago that we were at Willoughby, but it was only the day before yesterday.. so yesterday then, it was on to Braunston, and here Meg standing in her favourite place looking out across the fields towards Braunston church..

But I got a surprise… there were very few boats indeed moored.  In fact just two boats on the Oxford Canal’s visitor moorings, so after putting on water at the services at the junction we moved No Problem over to the other side of the canal, moored and wandered up to Wharf House Chandlers at Braunston bottom lock to purchase some paint… yes paint time!  Well it has been a year since No Problem was painted back on the Kennet and Avon Canal.. doesn’t time fly.

On our walk along the towpath who should we meet but..

It’s John with NB Tui usually seen travelling with Les of NB Valerie.  John got caught on the other side of locks under repair, and is now rapidly catching up with his mate Les who I believe is around the Newbold area.  We stopped and chatted a while before returning back to No Problem..

Braunston Marina is very full as usual…

And the hedgerow has completely changed alongside the towpath.  I thought I was in a different place.  All the trees have gone, and the hedges neatly laid.. looks a real treat it does…

Nearly back to No Problem when Maggie and son Thomas popped their heads out of the side hatch to say hello..

Maggie is a regular reader of the blog, and has been out for a while on their newly acquired narrowboat, now on their way back to Crick after a short cruise.  Lovely to have met you and Thomas Maggie!

Braunston is always a most interesting place with lots of boats and lots going on.  I have never failed to be there when I haven’t been stopped by people I have met before on the cut.. tis always a hive of activity..

Decisions …. decisions!

Onward to the Oxford Canal south then.. We will be back through Braunston a bit later to continue on our journey to the Nene, but for now we are going to cruise on the Southern Oxford because daughter Jenny is bringing the family up in a weeks time or so for a long weekend.  The locks on the Oxford Canal are better for my young granddaughters than the large double locks of the Grand Union.. they will enjoy working through some of the narrow locks I think..

Sad this is… Well some might not think so, but I do..

Here the burnt out old working boat where a family has lived for as long as I can remember.. each time I passed the young lads got bigger and bigger as they peered out of the cabin to watch the boats go by.  I don’t know if they ever had a licence for that boat or not, but I guess just about everybody on the cut remembers this family..

We moored close to Nethercote just before the rain and hailstones started coming down, and today I started on the paintwork, sanding down the blue from the gunnel down.  I was quite pleased really that there were not too many areas where paint had been scrapped off.. but there were a few, and after a good rub down I put on some red oxide. 

You can see what I did after lunch.. yep good old sticky black stuff below the blue as far down as I dare without touching the water..

I don’t know when I will be able to put on the top coat of blue now, the forecast is not good for the next few days, so I will have to be patient.