Sunny afternoon

I came up to the boat today as I have a boat test planned for tomorrow. I finished my set of night shifts this morning, and set out after having a shower and getting changed. I stopped on the way to buy some food, and arrived at the marina at around 1.15. The first thing I noticed was that the bank on the far side of the marina was a riot of wild flowers.

I unpacked, had a bit of lunch, and got the boat ready for a little cruise -- just because I prefer to be out of the marina rather than in it. It was about 2.15 when I pulled out of our berth and turned left out of the marina. The Navigation Inn next door is open again after its extensive refurbishment, and looks very smart. The back of the building has been transformed with a new extension and deck, and the garden and car park also look much better.

It was a really lovely sunny afternoon, and warm enough that I wished I'd worn shorts. I went down to Kingfisher marina and turned in the entrance, then returned to just before Bridge 62 -- a nice quiet spot I've used several times before (although not for a couple of years, it seems). Only a couple of boats have been past, but the birds are singing and dragonflies keep buzzing past the side hatch.

I've made a few calls to try to set up more boat tests, and have also spent some time reviewing the Crick Boat Show extravaganza that's going in the next issue of the magazine.

I won't be up late because I've been up for almost 24 hours already. Tomorrow it's about half an hour back to the marina, then I'll jump in the car to the boat test. I hope it's as sunny then as it is now.

2.5 miles, 0 locks.