Crew - Graham and Brenda

Almost a month since we last moved, the stoppage at Napton has finished now.
What a beautiful day! A hard frost was evident when we started out this morning but we were sun red by the time we got home again. Lambs bounced all over the fields. We stopped at Napton wharf and unloaded all of the brick pavers from the engine bay into the car. There was quite a lot of traffic through Napton locks, luckily most was going North and so we had most of the flight set ready for us. Great when you are two handed.

The summit prompted the need for luncheon. Beer and mustard bread, hard boiled eggs, cheese, apples and tomatoes. How good did that taste in the fresh air and sunshine. As we moored up at Fenny, Ivor Batchelor arrived aboard Mountbatten and so we did a very convenient refuel, and had a good chat of course.

Crew - Graham, Brenda and Ken.

The works at Claydon locks were extended due to a visit to the site by a bunch of Yobs. The picture on the left gives some idea of the state they left the middle lock in. They damaged the lock gates and the little lockside building and then dumped the digger in the cut.
I wonder if their parents knew (or cared) what they were doing?

Ken decided to join us for the home run, his first trip and I think he enjoyed it. The weather was sunny with a breeze in places. Some of the new gates on the Claydon flight were very difficult to move, I hope they free up with time and use. Ken appears to be a natural steerer. We did a pumpout at Cropredy wharf. Nothing in the offside section with the central section 3/4 full. Fetched the car from Fenny using the Fleeing Fly and then we left Jannock back on her home mooring.

Crew - Simon, Brenda and Cara.

(Cara) A beautiful day! Some dodgy driving on my part but otherwise a smooth journey. We have just made friends with some greedy ducks and a very cute little boat named Sarni.
(Brenda) Got attacked by those bl**dy Banbury geese again, at least they didn't board and bite my ankles this time.

(Simon) First time on board since Jan 1st. THE DENT'S MAGICALLY DISAPPEARED! (possibly with the help of a few £££££s) We spent 3 hours flipping the boat through 180 degrees. We got moaned at by the old blokes at the funny farm for driving on the wrong side of the cut and made friends with some New Zealanders plus I adopted a new granny! Wow - thank goodness Mothers day has been and gone.
Question of the day .... How many competent adults does it take to adjust a clock for British summertime? - Three, but only if they have two attempts each.

Crew - Graham, Brenda Simon and Matt. (+ guests)

We departed Cropredy for the short run south to Banbury. We moored in Castle Quay for our "Open Days" Several of our neighbours have still not been on or visited Jannock and so we have arranged to be in Banbury over the Easter Weekend for people to visit us. The 'in-flight' movie today was Hot Shots!
(Lesley) It's Rosie's birthday - we were invited to Jannock and we've eaten cake, lots of cake, and marshmallow chickens (ducks). We went through Banbury lock, turned at the windy hole, returned to the quay and finished the evening at the Thai Orchid. It's been a lovely day and lovely to meet you Brenda & Graham! Thanks

The second 18th birthday celebrated with good food and good company aboard Jannock. Guests came bearing gifts of home made cake, so Richard, Maureen, Judith, David, Joshua, Luke, Carly and Alain were force fed cake, tea and alcoholic libations too. Matt and Rosie shared a 17th/18th birthday cake, but managed not to sing! We met all the newly hired boats going North as we took a 'demonstration cruise' through town lock and down to the winding hole. Lesley, an experienced hand, melded into the crew. We then banqueted on Thai food and went to bed bloated. Happy Easter.
Odd sight of the day, A man walking his barn owl (Whooooo!)   Also- Carly's look of astonishment at how easy lifting a 3 ton liftbridge was - single handed.

Crew - Graham, Brenda, Simon and Matt.

After a reasonable lay-in, it was up intime for NO BREAKFAST. None of the crew could manage more than a cup of tea after last nights wonderful meal. The shops opened at 10:30 and were visited by all and then at 12:00, we set off for Cropredy, brunch in hand. We were back in our mooring by 14:30.
Todays in-flight movie was Hot Shots part Deux. I think the boys like having DVD facilities aboard. AND the way to stop THOSE GEESE near Banbury being so aggressive is to fill their vicious little beaks with bread! (and we didn't even tell them it was mouldy, so ha-ha to them ........)

Crew - Graham, Brian, Ian and Peter.

(Graham) We left our Cropredy mooring at 10:15 and proceeded to the wharf to fill the water tank. We then headed North under overcast skies and accompanied by a cold wind. Once we were through the Claydon locks, we stopped for lunch and a spot of fishing. It rained. We continued on to Fenny Compton at 17:00 and winded outside the Wharf Inn. We then sampled this re-vamped hostelry before returning to Jannock for an evening meal prepared by 'Mac the wok' and two games of Soddit. (Each game took a lifetime and Ian fell asleep)

(Ian) Having loaded everything onto the boat, Ian was disappointed to see Brian commencing his alcohol consumption at 10:15. He then continued all day until midnight.  .   Ian remained true to his teatotal lifestyle and only sampled tea and juice all day.      The resulting headache and stomach problems on Sunday baffled to total crew! (did they?)

(Brian) The only baffling thing about the previous statement is the bullsh*t coming from the pen of Ian. The fishing contests continue to draw vast crowds of on-lookers. The only problem seems to be the lack of fish on the end of the lines. One day we will show the disbelievers that there are fish in the Oxford canal.

Crew - Graham, Brian, Ian and Peter.

We departed Fenny after the papers had been collected, the shop opened at 10:00. The time between 07:00 (get up) and the off was spent breakfasting and fishing. We then tagged onto the rear end of a procession of Ownerships boats heading South. We stopped below the Claydon locks for lunch and yet more fishing. The fish were not biting, just showing off. A large carp spent quite a while exhibiting himself between our fishists and their floats, he just knew he was safe! We arrived back at Cropredy at 14:30 and were on the road, heading home, by 15:00.

Crew - Graham, Brenda and Matt.

Having reversed from the mooring to Manor Cut, avoiding southbound boats who didn't know how to react to a reversing narrowboat, we winded and then filled the water tank at Cropredy wharf. This was followed by an un-eventful trip to Napton with sunny weather interspaced with light showers. The crew are revolting, no-one wants to be here. Brenda almost suffered from 'skylark overload'

Crew - Graham, Brenda and Matt.

Up at 08:00 having been serenaded by nature's music of the morning ..... what a lovely day. Breakfast was taken accompanied by swans that belched and poo'd whilst we watched the moorhens beat up the ducks. Such is life.
A pleasant cruise to Braunston, the sort of morning when one knows why holidays abroad are not necessary, I even had to put on sun block.

We went to see the art at Braunston roundhouse but being a bank holiday ...... it was closed. Matthew de-bunked for lunch and having teamed up with a good partner, we travelled up through the locks with the northbound boats coming down setting them all for us. Easy peasy. We moored up to the smell of a roasting bird (must go and make bread sauce) at Spinneys bridge (Welton wharf) at the Southern end of Braunston (cough cough) tunnel.

Link to Grand Union Canal page for the next part

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