Grembles and BW World

Today started off badly.

I was woken at dark o'clock by a cat doing a merengue on my head.

"Blue" wanted petting, then he wanted to go a'hunting.

After having ushered him out of the cratch door into the thinning blackness, I went back to bed and tried to get to sleep.

Then the Grembles came. 

Grembles are a cross between Gremblins and brain rumbles.

They are the thoughts of doom that race across your head in the early hours, when you are trying to get to sleep.

Is the boat now leaning at a slight angle, what is that dripping noise, did I remember to lock the back doors ??

If they're not about the boat, they're work thoughts - did I do this, did I do that, I wonder what will happen about those and so on. 

The brain races bravely on, while all you want to do is to shut it down and return to the warm, cosy world of SLEEP.

On a different note, we've ARRIVED.....

We are back in British Waterways world.

A few things have changed of course.

There seems a lot more moored boats along the canal, although that could be because, we have got used to not seeing that many.

One of the characteristics of the Fens, Middle Level and Nene is that there is no towpath and therefore, its quite hard to just moor anywhere.

Mooring has to be planned and there are little communities every few miles, which entertain tying up alongside. It gives you the feeling of little boaty journeys between civilisations.

Canals are more like a linear village with non-stop boats and people.

Just being moored and being passed by lots of boaters is a an experience that we've not seen for a while. On the Grand Union, it can be a bit like picnic'cing on the side of the M1. 

Cruising underneath the M1 Motorway between Northampton and Gayton Junction (the Rothersthorpe flight of locks).

Back to Black and White Locks at Rothersthorpe (is the licence cheaper ?)

Gayton Junction and the entrance to the "proper" Grand Union. Now, we just have to decide where to go next.

We have a few weeks before our drydocking slot, so we will just need to bimble around without going too far.

After drydocking, we have no idea where we are going.

That's the beauty of continuous cruising really !!