07-26 Alperton on the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal

Sunday 26th July - 41st Wedding Anniversary: Started raining about 9am just before Bridie took the dogs for a constitutional and got worse as the morning progressed.  We had decided we did not want to stay where we were and wanted to move to Alperton where there are 7 day moorings right by a Sainsbury's supermarket.  So it was not a pleasant cruise out of London in pouring rain with temperature down at 12 degrees and sometimes fighting to keep the umbrella over the dogs (we just got wet!) and once objective achieved we moored up, battened down the hatches and lit the fire!  Last year we were in Yorkshire celebrating our 40th and it was sunny and very hot.   Bridie braved the weather for a shop in the Sainsbury's store. Whilst the surounding blocks of flats were rather garishly decorated the towpath was in a terrible state, litter bins overflowing right outside Sainsbury's,

graffiti on the CART signs

and drink cans everywhere. The appearance next morning of a gang to cut the hedges was welcome but hardly organised properley as they were just blowing the cuttings on top of the litter.