Stoke and Foxton

The fire stayed in overnight, but it was still pretty chilly this morning.  I'd slept very well, and was up early because we had an appointment for a boat test in Stoke on Trent, and the weather forecast suggested the morning would be nice and the afternoon much less so.  I was on the road at around 7.30, and arrived about 9.15.  The sky had been clear blue all the way, but the cloud was building.  Andy the photographer was already there doing the internal shots, and we set off on a short trip to get the externals done.  Fortunately there was still a bit of blue sky up ahead.

We were all done by shortly after 11am.  What I should have done was head straight back to the boat and start writing; what I actually did was give Lesley from Yarwood a call to see if she and Joe were free.  They were, so I drove cross country to Foxton and met them for lunch at the Black Horse.  On the way, I had to wait while a boat came through the swing bridge in Foxton village.  I haven't seen Lesley and Joe since March so we had quite a lot to catch up on.  After lunch we walked back to Yarwood for tea and cake.  The boat was moored in a lovely spot just outside the village, and quite a few boats went past.  It was really great to see Lesley and Joe again.

Lesley walked back with me to the car, just as a boat came through the bridge.  We got across before they started the swinging, and Lesley was able to impart some knowledge about what had to be done.

It's less than an hour back to Thrupp Wharf, and I got back just before 5, as it was getting dark.  I'd banked up the fire before I left, so the boat was warm and it didn't take much to get it going again.  I'm at work in London tomorrow morning, so I'm staying overnight here.