Oil, jam and onions

Sunday - we had a short cruise into Braunston following a first-day crew on a hire boat, they looked very nervous and were going so slow I had to take FL out of gear to stay a couple of lengths behind. The helmsmen (there were two of them) were wildly swinging the tiller with anxious looks behind. Sue went to the front of FL to offer a little advice along the lines of smaller inputs with the tiller and a few more revs would help. They pulled over and let us pass when we got alongside I said "you will get used to it by the time you reach Braunston" and "hope they enjoy their holiday".  "We are not yet" was the flustered reply, they will.

The canal was very busy along the 2 mile route, lots of boats leaving Braunston so we knew moorings should be available, we moored opposite the Boathouse along from a boat from our winter mooring days in Aston marina, 'Winton's Folly', and we bumped into Carol and Barry on the towpath for a quick catch up. Sunday lunch was taken in the Old Plough with D&G and two of their friends who had driven up from Cambridge.

There are two chandlers in Braunston, Wharf House who stock Vetus engine filters (I bought a carry bag full) and Midland chandlers where we got bog blue.

Monday - I changed the oil and filters on the engine while Sue used the laundry facilities to get the bedding washed and dried.  It has been drizzling on and off for most of the morning and early afternoon. About 14:00 we winded FL and set of for the open countryside a mile out of the village to moor for the night. We moored behind the jam boat and went aboard for a cup of tea and came away with jars of blackberry and apple jam, orange marmalade, apple-lemon and ginger jam plus a jar of pickled onions.