Things that Go Bump in the Night

Monday 9th September 2019 at Sawley.
A rude awakening at 3:48 in the morning when there was a huge, dull thump against the side of MM. We got up to investigate and could just make out in the dark, the shape of a large man slumped against the side of the boat. After a while, he got to his feet with great difficulty, staggered a few yards and then fell over again. It was a good thing that MM was where she was or he would have been in the canal and judging from his actions, completely unable to get out again.
R put on some clothes to go and check if he was ill or just very drunk. Meanwile the man staggered a few more yards, away from the canal luckily, and lay down on the grass verge.
R went out and talked to him. He sounded Polish, said that he was fine but had "had a skinful" and did R have a light? As he seemed to be OK and was attempting to go away from the canal (when he could get to his feet), R left him to it. We tried, with mixed success, to get back to sleep.
The day proper dawned showery and overcast; we saw that our night visitor had gone on his way. As before, folk started to pass by from about 6:30 onwards on their way to work.We are moored opposite the Law Courts and people began to arrive long before the courts opened, standing around in the rain in earnest conversation, many carrying thick files full of papers.

All togged up in waterproofs, we set off at about 10:30.
On the way down to Beeston, we passed the massive site of Boots the Chemist's factory, which stretches for about a mile on the north side of the canal. The other big company for which Nottingham was always famous, is Raleigh bicycles, but very sadly the bikes are now made somewhere in the Far East (what isn't, these days?).

From Beeston we went back out on to the River Trent past the mouth of the Erewash (or "Weedywash") canal. We shan't go up there again in a hurry ("if ever" remarked M, rather sourly).

Not many photographs after this point due to the rain until we got to Sawley Lock. This is an automated lock that is normally manned but today it was on "self service".

We thought that we might have afternoon tea in the Sawley Marina Café but were disappointed to find that from September it only opens Thursday through till Sunday. Still, we did top up with diesel and water before we moored up on the opposite bank just in time for the sun to come out!

Today: 11 miles, 4 locks and 4.5 hours.
Trip: 394 miles, 149 locks and 190.1 hours.