The Party Boat

A couple of weekends ago Sue and I, but especially me, had a fantastic weekend afloat. We had most of our immediate family to stay and party on Tempranillo. Somehow I was persuaded, as a diversion, to take Lucas to see the Watford locks again. We took Lucas there one previous weekend and he had been so helpful by winding the lock gates, as best he could, that the Lock Keeper had awarded him a certificate. How pleased was he?

The diversion was planned, unbeknown to me, so that Tempranillo could be decorated whilst Lucas and I walked the full flight of locks looking for a boat. Only one boat was in the locks and that too was a very new boat on its way to moor at Crick marina. New neighbours!

So after not very long as we returned to our boat Lucas said, "Don't look Popsie...hold my hand and look down. I will guide you."
So he lead me along the towpath back to our boat where I had to close my eyes.
"Surprise" There she was, all covered in birthday balloons. Lovely!

We had a lovely trip back. Lots of comments from passing boaters.

Later that evening Emma and Neil turned up too so Tempranillo was pretty full. Mark, Harriet, Lucas, Sophie and Joshua, and Sue and I all enjoyed a few pizzas in celebration of my birthday....Fantastic!

The balloons were a brilliant idea at the time, but later that evening the wind and rain got quite heavy and made so much noise battering the poor balloons. So just after going to bed, Sue and I had to get back up and climb outside, face the elements and burst most of the balloons so we could get to sleep.

The pubs at Foxton Locks

The previous weekend Sue and I had taken a trip to the other end of the bit of canal our marina is attached to. We turned right out of Crick marina and got to Foxton Locks. I mentioned these in a previous blog and how, as there is a water shortage, we were not allowed to pass through them. Foxton Locks are well kept and quite a popular spot for visitors. Probably helped by there being two adjacent pubs. We tried both. We had a pre-lunch drink in one and lunch in the other. There is also a museum showing how the Inclined Plane used to be. A system built for quickly bypassing the flight of locks. 

Opened in July 1900, the Foxton Inclined Plane Boat Lift was commissioned to replace the 10 aging locks which took impatient boaters a total of 45 minutes to navigate. Ascending the new lift took only 12 minutes from start to finish. The plane was the brainchild of Gordon Cale Thomas. It raised and lowered boats on a steep slope in two large water-filled tanks. I will perhaps show this in more detail at a later date but on this visit we came across a lot of ironmongery outside one of the pubs.

Harleys.

We got chatting to the Hell's Angel who was obviously left outside to guard this amazing collection of bikes. One in particular caught our eye...

These belonged to the Oxford Chapter on a day out.

We enjoyed our lunch and then took a couple of days to get back. The weather was perfect for the time of year.

We also met Father Christmas at Foxton. As we passed a moored boat we heard a small blonde girl ask the captain, who sported a long white beard, "Are you Father Christmas?"

"Yes" he said. "I am on holiday"

She then proceeded to tell him all she wanted for Christmas! It was quite a list.