A new coal boat and C.&R.T. cutbacks.

Having a few days to while away before the arrival of daughter and offspring we wandered of up the Ashby looking for a quiet spot, typically it was all quiet spots, few boats moving and hardly any moored.

An over abundance of ducks at Hinckley, they took it in shifts to scour the side of the boat of weed, rattling up and down all night and then looking hopeful that bread would be forthcoming in the morning, they were out of luck, disturbing my sleep is not going to gain my affection or generosity.

Just past Stoke Golding we found one of our favourite spots unoccupied and went in to moor, in the two years since we were last here it had shallowed up, we eventually had to use our wheel-barrow wheels as floating fenders to hold us out.
We made a cup of tea and were just getting ready to go for a walk when we heard a working boat approaching,

by the time I'd got my head out the side hatch and given him a hail he was past but  very kindly

he backed up, not a boat we were familiar with but he topped us up with diesel and we took another couple bags of coal and a sack of peat.

Chris, for such is the chaps name, told us it was his first trip out and he was trying to set up a regular round in the area. He was struggling a bit, a fully loaded boat up the Ashby? He couldn't get within a foot of us without grounding. We wish him luck with his endeavours.
We did eventually get off for our walk, across the fields, down the lane and we found ourselves at Sutton Cheney Wharf with its excellent cafe.

Normally a scene of water borne activity there was just one boat on the visitors moorings. The cafe was busy with those who had arrived by car, but of boaters? Not a sign.

Surprised to see this chap out and about at this time of year, especially on a day as cold as Saturday.
Sunday we just watched the drizzle.
Today, as we needed to turn, we went up to the winding hole by the old battlefield moorings, near the battlefield where the Battle of Bosworth didn't happen. Presumably Richard III put the wrong post code into his sat. nav. and ended up a mile or so down the road.
It seems they have found poor old Richard's skeleton under a car park in Leicester, he has an arrow in his back and a dint in his skull, that would do it. The skeleton shows evidence of scoliosis so perhaps he was a hunchback. Amazing what turns up when you dig a hole.

Near Dadlington we spotted an old friend, the punk duck, it's been around here for at least five years with its Mohican head dress and one single long feather sticking out from the left side of its head.
Now these are the sort of cut backs we can use on the waterways,

if they do a bit of dredging as well..............

Watch this space..............