Meandering on, except the meanders have gone.

Strange really, weekends no longer have any relevance to us yet Sunday breakfast is still sacrosanct, it has to be a fry up, and Sunday dinner is nearly always a roast, this week it is topside of beef, old habits die hard.
We left Rugby after breakfast and at the site of the Brownsover Arm, lost during the 1820's when the old line from Hawkesbury Junction to Braunston was straightened,

there are the biggest reedmace ever.
As we journeyed northwards the journey was punctuated by further reminders of the dramatic event that shortened the North Oxford by about fourteen miles. Every so often we passed one of the elegant bridges inscribed "Horseley Iron Works".

These carry the towpath over the old loops that were removed from the main line in the shortening, many of them remained in use as local wharves but most now are mere stubs.

Can't resist Newbold tunnel with its coloured lights, although the majority of them seem to no longer shine, just duff bulbs or a money saving effort?

I'm afraid these don't show up too well but it is a group of shaggy ink caps on the towpath just south of Stretton Stop.
As we approached the swing bridge at Rose Boats there was a panic on a boat on the waterpoint just beyond the bridge, hose was disconnected and thrown onto the boat, much rushing to untie and eventually they got moving just ahead of us, obviously they felt the need to be ahead of us, except that they then proceeded at little more than tick over all the way to Ansty where they pulled over and waved us past! I cannot abide speeders on the cut but these had me banging my head, the trip took nearly half an hour longer than normal.
Not to worry, just north of bridge 11 we found a short length of armco just opposite a field that was in the process of being ploughed and sown so here we sit

with the smell of raw earth fighting with the aroma of roasting beef, the Yorkshire puddings have just gone in the oven, the malt whisky is poured, all is well with our world.

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