A day with Jacqui and a welcome break

Jacqui, a former student in the second school of my career, spent the day with us last Wednesday. She'd been a FB friend for some time, one amongst dozens of others from that school, and she's a reader of my books. She'd expressed a desire to come and see us on the boat for a couple of years or so, but we'd never been able to arrange it.

Finally come the day, the weather was perfect for the usual guest-trip up to Bridge 28, lunch, wind and return for tea. Except Jacqui couldn't stop for tea. Time had run away with us and she needed to get home. It had been her first experience of a narrowboat, and much enjoyed by all of us, though her time at the helm had been rather scary!

Trying to reverse Kantara into our berth failed because of a side wind that took us over to the service platform, whence Jacqui departed. A bow-spring was successful, however, and Grace drove the boat in forwards.

We came back to the house the next day. There was lots we wanted to do. The first thing was to visit the Luton house with Steve and plan the order of works.The kids set off for a week's holiday in Scotland on Saturday, a group of fifteen friends altogether. Grace and I set off to Luton to start work, and we put in five days in that week, preparing walls and ceilings, and putting up coving in the main bedroom.

We took a break from this on Wednesday to collect Jess's dulcimer from the guy who'd repaired it for her (broken when she fell down some stairs with it). From there, we went on to Anglesey Abbey, where we spend several hours. The house had never been open on the occasion of past visits, so we were glad to be able to take a leisurely tour around that as well as the grounds and the mill.

Then back to Luton!