Monday 27^th April 2020

After a broken night’s sleep, I was up before 5am. Yet more photos were put into the albums, it feels as though they will never finish. As soon as it was light enough, the poles were given a final coat of black paint and the wrap around fender was finished.

Once Brenda was up we had breakfast. We had been seeing the rabbit daily hopping across the clearing whether we were outside or not and, while eating breakfast at the dinette, he passed slowly within 5 feet of the window. 

I went back to bed shortly after breakfast while Brenda cleaned another mat and sat outside in the sunshine reading. We have certainly taken over Syke’s Hollow in the time we have been here. It’s just as well we are the only boat here. There are four picnic benches in the clearing itself with another one each side. At one point we were using all four, one for the poles, one for the mats, one for the rope work and the fourth to sit at.

A bloody great Carp slowly swam passed the boat, just below the surface with his body making a wide wake. In the afternoon we walked to Minshull Lock and came across him again, following him down the canal.

The wrap around fender was fitted to the portside, it looks very smart and we are well pleased that we can make our own although it would have been better made of 10mm rope. The set we had fitted were bought from a canal side trader at Fradley Junction 3 months after the boat was launched and cost £55 each. To make this set has cost £28.20 (without charging for labour).

Brenda made a steak pie with mushy peas for dinner. The steak coming from her stock of tins and the result of shopping as little as possible due to the Corona Virus. While the pie was very nice and we enjoyed dinner on our knee, we are missing fresh veg and salads.