Sunday 2nd August: Reasonably early start today with first task to use services at Batchworth Lock. Arrived and moored outside services observing a chap with the grid up in front of the service block emptying his cassette into it and then rinsing it out under the drinking water taps!!!! I checked elsan point working ok (provided you have a key to open the door?) and started emptying while Bridie struggled with tap connector which blew off and gave her a drenching and a car which had arrived and was reversing into gap by the service building. The woman driver removed the wedge from the door that I had it propped open with and went in locking me out and my cassette in! Not a great start to the day it could only get better! Once we had completed the services and Bridie had walked to the rubbish disposal point about a quarter of a mile away we followed another boat into the lock and proceeded on our way sharing Lot Mead,
Common Moor and Cassio Bridge locks with the same boat
as we went. We moored up in the pound before Iron Bridge Lock with some difficulty as it was shallow, mooring not far in front of nb Odin - later found they have a v hull and so sit against the towpath even in shallow water. Had lunch and went with the dogs into the park where we found a scene like Blackpool beach with half of Watford enjoying a sunny afternoon in the park. We diverted past the miniature railway
into the nature reserve which whilst not empty at least was not heaving like the park itself.
Monday 3rd August: Overnight a boat passed going 'up hill' about 12:30 am and by 5:30 we were listing badly so I took a walk back to Cassio Bridge to find he had left gate and paddles open and the bottom gates were leaking excessively. Closed up and returned to PO but couldn't sleep and then a boat moved past us before 7am. Gave up, got up and while Bridie took the dogs for a walk I de-moored and tried reversing off. Only when Bridie got back and helped to push bows off did she come free and we moved up the canal a few boat lengths to re-moor before having breakfast. Deprived of sleep we decided to have a lazy day around the boat. Took the dogs a walk up through the woods and over the golf course and had a short excursion back into the park to see another engine on the railway today
on the other side of the canal but otherwise we just chilled out.
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