Norbury Junction

A busy morning giving Oleanna a clean and spruce up as we had visitors coming to meet her. Mick hoovered throughout whilst I finished baking a Bakewell Tart and removed as much of Tilly’s fur from curtains and upholstery as possible. The summer duvet was packed away again under the bed, now surplus to requirements. It may have to resurface at the weekend though if ‘The Beast II’ comes our way.

With as much fur and dust removed as possible we both made use of the copious amounts of hot water and gave ourselves a spruce up too. We were ready for them. Just a shame they had had to turn round back towards home!

We first met Alison and Laura a couple of summers ago on the Chesterfield Canal (link to Lillian’s blog). We ended up spending weeks with them and cruising the tidal Trent and Ouse together. Last year we called in to see them at Great Haywood Marina where they had moored for the winter. It had been good to meet them, (link to Lillian’s blog) but ended up with me visiting A&E in Stafford with a broken ankle! Last year they cruised the Kennet and Avon, bought a house in Shropshire, sold NB Large Marge and moved back onto land at the end of the year. Since then they have had a list of things go wrong with their house, the latest being the Rayburn stopping working. Today we’d arranged to meet them for lunch  at The Junction Inn, but they’d had to turn round to let a Rayburn engineer into their house. Still determined to meet Oleanna they turned round again and came to meet us, sadly a bit late for lunch.

It was the first time they’d been on a boat since selling NB Large Marge. I think they were suitably impressed with Oleanna, Alison at one point suggesting a house swap.

Tilly had been kept in so that she could say hello, But they’d come without my tasty friend! No point in staying in if Jaffa wasn’t with them. They had a full guided tour, when the conversation could be steered back to the matter in hand! Plenty to talk about and catch up on. After about three hours we all managed to breath again as we walked them to their car, to make sure that they both left, I think Alison would have tried to stow away if we’d let her.

It was lovely to see them again and hopefully we’ll meet up when we’re further south near Worcester later this year.

We waved them goodbye and carefully made our way back to Oleanna. This visit we’d survived without injury.Just hope their Rayburn was mended when they got home.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 attempt at a pub lunch, 2 visits from an engineer, 2 pilots, 1 bakewell tart, 0 Jaffa, 1 chuntering cat, 2 Margees, 0 Marge, 2 home owners with a pump out!