Thursday 21^st February 2019

We had a role reversal this morning. I stopped in bed, a very rare occurrence, and Brenda got up with the dog. I even got a cup of tea in bed.

After breakfast, the hull sides were blackened. It looks so much better, and painting on the tiller was started, to replicate the black, red and cream of the roof top tools, which we had always intended doing.

After hanging out more washing, we walked the mile or so into Atherstone, more to suss the place out before Martin and Shelley arrive for the weekend. The place has a really nice feel to it. It seems such a long time now, since we have been anywhere we have got a nice feel for. You didn’t spend too much time looking around but had a walk down the High Street and visited a few shops. We will leave exploration for another day.

Back on the boat we did a few things and then sat in the front cratch with the odd glass of Prosecco. All day, in our short sleeves, we have been pinching ourselves to remind us that it really is still February. Sitting in the cratch was lovely, without feeling cold. We had the rear and side doors open for the first time this year as well as the canal-side cratch rolled up. We thoroughly enjoyed the view, the main reason we have stayed another day.

We had seen our first butterfly of the year, a Small White we thought, and, from the cratch, we watched a pair of Cormorants flying over and were fascinated watching a Water Vole working its way along the overhanging grasses on the other side of the canal and then, later on, working its way back. It is always a privilege, I think, to see wildlife close up.

Weather: glorious, the warmest February day ever we believe.