Bank Holiday Monday...

...and, as tradition would have it, wet! Again, we think about those poor folk at the Boat Show, organisers, stall-holders, boat builders, boat owners and visitors alike. What a let down.

It was raining when we got up, and it was raining when we were ready to move on. It wasn't too hard, though, and waxed hats and kagoules proved perfectly adequate. So we moved on.

At Lock 61, we caught up with a working boat carry diesel, wood and other solid fuels for sale on the cut. The man and woman team spend the entire year travelling the 74 miles between Nash Mill and Hillmorton Locks, back and forth, selling their wares. They stopped off for a number of customers on the way down with us. I was amazed that, of the small cabin part of the boat, the engine took up more than half, leaving the rest for the couple and their dog to live in. This is where they cook, eat, wash, sleep and house their toilet. Little wonder the man was rather dour! My photo is not of that particular boat, but chosen to illustrate the size of the cabin I'm talking about. Less than half of what you see!

We descended nine locks with them before they stopped to serve a number of customers, and to get some shopping, and we went down another two before mooring above Kings Langley Lock 69a.

At our last lock for the day, I met a man who'd only just taken ownership of a 50' boat, never having been boating before. He was alone. He admitted to knowing nothing about locks, and I had to give him a quick lesson covering all of the basics, after seeing him start to fill the lock by opening the top gate paddles first, causing his boat to buck about violently in the chamber. I think life's going to be hard for him for the next few weeks.

We may have a problem with our alternator. It seemed to be charging intermittently at too high a voltage. We'll have to keep our eyes on it.