Home Farm Bridge

Saturday. Newspaper day.

We had two options if we wanted to stay put.

1 Walk along the towpath towards the tunnel, go up at the last bridge and join the road leading into Crick. This would involve a lot of the way by road, better done by bike than on foot.

2 Walk along the towpath to Watford Locks and carry on to where the B5385 crosses the canal. Here join the road and hope that one of the accommodation roads into Watford Gap was accessible by foot.

We chose Option 2, a nice gentle romantic walk along the canal.

So we retraced our steps from yesterday, we’d already had several boats come past us this morning whilst having breakfast and we knew of one that would have been there ready and waiting this morning (the boat that came past at 11pm last night). As we got to the locks there were two at the top, one in the first pound down and boats heading up the flight.

The lead boat coming up was a single hander who was bow hauling into the next to last chamber of the staircase. Obviously no help required from the Lockies, you don’t have to have them help you if you don’t want. Then behind was a hire boat with two Lockies and plenty of eager crew. Behind them a hire boat that was going to wait for the bottom of the staircase lock too be emptied before moving out. Behind them a chap who looked like he’d have a heart attack before he’d even made it to the bottom of the staircase. He was running round, trying to be as quick as he could, dropping paddles as the lady at the helm calmly said she would wait in the lock for the next lock to be prepared. He then fretted about closing the gate to go and set the next lock, which was still occupied. He may have been fretting as there was another boat behind waiting to come up, but there was no point in any of his rushing as he would just have to follow in line behind the other boats. If they were going slowly his haste wouldn’t get him any quicker to the top! We left them to it and carried on down the towpath.

The noise from the M1 was constant now. Our nice romantic canal walk. I did wonder if Mick might treat us to an early lunch for two, but the Mango Lounge was still shut. Here we climbed up to the road. There was an accommodation road on this side of the M1 which would lead to the services, it did have a sign saying no unauthorised access. We chose to cross over the motorway, watching all the very fast travellers below in their four lanes speeding their way first northwards then south.

The other road leading into the services invited hotel guests in along with advertising for staff for a new drive through Costa. Coming in through the back door is odd. Our world so different to everybody else’s here. We have walked, they have zoomed. We want a newspaper and maybe use of the toilets, they need the toilets, a coffee and a quick break from the monotonous 70mph of the motorway. It felt like we were in one of those films where everything zooms and zips around you whilst you carry on in slow motion.

Mick had considered treating us to a breakfast whilst we were here, but that would have worked out to over £20 (to include toast and a drink) for the two of us! The standard certainly wouldn’t have been up to being compared to a Mick breakfast. So once we’d both used the toilets, had a little browse and bought our paper we left them all to it and returned to our slow paced life.

We decided on a slightly more scenic route back. Across the road was a footpath leading down through woods to a large field which sits below Watford village. We crossed this with no obvious sign of the path and joined the Jurassic Way which led to an underpass. We weren’t going to have to make a dash for it to cross the motorway! Across another field and we could see landmarks from the canal. The pumping station at the bottom of the locks, the white cottages at the top, but what we couldn’t make out was how to get out of the field. In the end we followed the fence until a style showed itself. Boats were now heading down the locks and we paused to open and close a gate for the lead boat before carrying on back to Oleanna.

The rushing boat was just pushing off after a break a short distance after the locks. The chap shouting as before. They seemed to have lost any forward drive and she didn’t understand what he was saying as he jumped back off, being reminded to take a rope with him. We left them to it as voices were raised. They passed us several hours later, problem solved.

The morning dew had now dried off, time to get some top coat over the undercoat and see how much the red has faded over the last 18 months.

Undercoat gently sanded, then I thoroughly mixed the contents of the blue and red pots of touch up paint. As soon as the pigment was mixing with the oils in the red tin I could see a big difference. Either Oleanna’s red had faded (to a brighter red than the original) or the RAL numbers somewhere had gone a touch adrift. Our tins of touch up paint had been ordered from Wharf House last year, I remember checking the numbers with those I’d requested for Oleanna and those in the big book all about her. They all matched.

I applied the paint working it out to an even thickness and then laying it off in one direction, vertical surfaces from bottom to top, horizontal surfaces in a constant direction ending my brush strokes on the previous wet paint. A few dabs where some paint had worked it’s way off an some of the mouldings, here the colour difference was obvious. Red, whether paint, upholstery or anything fades quicker than other colours. This is science and cannot be got around. It is because it reflects red light and absorbs blue, green and UV light. The shorter wavelengths of these colours have more energy and cause bleaching. However blue, white and silver reflect blue and UV, making them fade slower. So our paint has just faded and will continue to do so.

I had thought that I’d maybe repaint the grab rail if the colour was very different, maybe just along the section that needed it. But with work commitments this will have to wait for a gap with good weather before the temperatures drop, or be put off for spring next year. At least there is now a top coat to protect what is underneath.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 noisy romantic walk, 5 going up, 3 waiting to come down, 0 early lunch, 1 newspaper, 15 lorries, 467 cars, 342 parked, 1 loo break, 3  fields, 6437 cowpats, 1 underpass, 1st top coat, 1 fading red, 1 non-fading blue, 6 hours into 9, 1 reflective collar working.

Home Farm Footbridge

A warm sunny day. Time to give some attention to the rust spots I’d treated and primed on the grabrail back in June! After masking off around each area I gave them all a sand, cleaned them off and applied some undercoat. Luckily there were no passing dogs so Tilly didn’t feel the need to jump onto the roof. Tell tale pawprints suggest that she normally makes this leap where the biggest area of touching up is needed.

Only about four boats came past us during the day. Even though we are a mile away from Watford Locks we could tell when they were being filled as Oleanna would list and the kitchen drawers slid open.

After lunch and with Tilly coming in for an afternoon snooze we took the opportunity to walk down to the locks to gongoozle. With a tuperware in hand we hoped that today we’d be lucky and be able to pick enough berries for pudding. But someone must keep the blackberries in hand along here, we only managed to pick eight today!

Scooby Doo was guarding the Lock Keepers hut as the chaps seemed to be out on the flight. Two men in blue were walking down with saws in hand to give one of the lock gates a bit of attention. The hazard tape we’d spotted yesterday was gone.

The last boat through had been going down hill as all the chambers on the flight were empty. We paused on our saunter to chat with the Lockies. They agreed that today it was very quiet, it must be nearing the end of the season. With the early closing of the flight at the moment they occasionally have queueing boats that end up having an overnight wait. I think the chap said that last Saturday they had been so busy all day, when they locked the flight up they still had four at the top and seven at the bottom waiting to go through the flight. Sunday morning they started by letting boats down, much to the consternation of those waiting to come up. But bringing boats down the flight helps to restore the levels between the locks.

We walked to the very bottom where a couple of boats were moored, but no sign of anyone coming up. There is a planning application notice pinned to a post here. C&RT are wanting to extend the lock ladders, put in new gates and replace the steel beams with green oak ones. As the locks are listed planning approval is needed. I wonder if these works are planned for this winter when they close the flight in November?

On our way back up we chatted with the owners of NB Hollie (moored at Overwater on the Shroppie), a jolly couple married 49 years who had also come to gongoozle with no luck. Then a lady appeared with a windlass in hand, we were going to see some action after all. She walked up to check in with the Lockies who were having a tea break at the top with Scooby Doo. They were given the go ahead to start their way up. We made use of the time they took to reach the staircase by walking around the side ponds, getting different views of the locks to normal, but still not finding any blackberries.

Working your way through locks there is always time to have a chat with those around you. I was a little surprised though that nobody was actually keeping an eye on the boat as it rose up in the chambers, all those on the lock side faced away from the boat. As soon as he could the chap at the helm would step off the back and have a wander around, don’t blame him it’s an interesting place. Watford Locks are not troublesome, we’ve never had a problem there, but this is when you become complacent about things and then something goes wrong. Maybe they had all thought that we , the gongoozlers, would alert them to anything going wrong. They would have been right, we would have as we were watching their boat.

Alongside the locks along with the well tended flower pots and herb garden we spotted a small headstone, “RIP Edward”. I’ve tried to hunt round on the internet for information but found none. We assume it is for a dog as it was so small, but if anyone knows different please let me know. On my hunt round I did find an interesting site with history on the locks and the lock keepers, it’s an interesting read.

As the boat reached the top chamber of the staircase we decided to head back to Oleanna, pausing to pick some tarragon from the herb garden to go with our chicken tonight. Still no berries on the way home, so only a few to add to cereal in the morning.

The boat caught us up just as we returned to Oleanna, slowing for a boat coming towards them. As I sanded back the undercoat from this morning and applied a second coat boats just kept coming. This was the 4pm rush hour to reach the locks before they closed. Just about all were private boats, most probably making an early start for the weekend having left one of the marinas nearby. In an hour there were at least eight went past, the Lockies would now be busy. A few stopped and moored up nearby as Tilly reached the highest heights of the nearest trees.

Maybe we should have had a barbecue this evening, as it had been such a lovely day, but as soon as the sun dipped below the hill and the M1 a chill breeze came through the boat. With the conkers ready in the trees for returning school children to collect, autumn is on the doorstep. Our roast chicken with the tarragon under the skin was very very tasty, we’ll be having plenty more as the nights draw in and the temperatures drop.

0 locks, 0 miles, 4 boats am, 1 boat in the locks, 4pm rush hour, 8 berries, 2 undercoats, 1 sanding, 4 backs, 0 eyes, 1 chicken, 1 fragrant breast, 16 roast potatoes, 12 roast carrots, 0.5 cabbage, 0 pudding, 11pm an early boat for the morning.