Company for Lunch

We had been on the 2 day moorings for just under the designated period and therefore decided to move to the 7 day moorings below the second lock.  But not before topping up the water tank.  The moorings above the top lock are fine, although the canal is slightly narrow and we were on a blind bend.  This means there was always the potential of being hit by passing boats.

Jan worked us through the two locks and we almost moored against the piling.  I write ‘almost’ because the water level in the pound was low and we ran aground before reaching the edge.  I went for a short walk noticing the thatchers working on a local roof.

I seem to recall reading that the bulk of the thatching material is now imported as the UK sources are exhausted.  If I remember correctly it comes from Turkey?

Around 11am we had an email from Halfie & Jan (nb Jubilee) inviting us to join them for Sunday lunch at The Navigation.  We had already planned to have lunch there and so rapidly accepted the invitation.

It was a very pleasant afternoon in the company of Halfie and Jan.

The meal was also very good.  This must have been one of our few boater meetings where the subject of toilets never arose!  

On the walk back to Waiouru we noticed quite a crowd of ethnically Indian people milling around the top lock.  Many of them were clothed in traditional Indian garments.  I was puzzled for a couple of seconds and then realized they must have been patronizing the “Spice of Bruerne”.

Jan had put on a load of washing whilst we had been on the water point and I had fitted the rotary clothesline on the stern when we moored.  By the time we returned to Waiouru after lunch most of the laundry was dry.

Jan baked a loaf of bread for dinner.  Somehow she managed to insert small pieces of cheese inside the loaf prior to baking it.  I thought it was very tasty, but Jan suggested I had gulped it down so fast I wouldn’t have tasted anything!