Friday 4th October 2019 back at Aston Marina.
A family of feathered friends showed up for breakfast and were not disappointed. We had bought some "duck food" at Fradley, but it turned out to be just grain, which may be much better for ducks and swans than bread - but it sinks - so the swans had to be quick to dive under water to eat the grain as it sank!
Bridgett and Peter joined us for coffee on MM after breakfast.
Peter's braces were much admired. At least he would never be without a tape measure while he was wearing them!
We set off about midday on what is now the last leg of this summer's cruise.
Sandon Lock is nearly always the first lock as we start our summer cruises and then the last lock as we come back to Aston at the end of the summer, so we have a special affection for it.
It was nice to see that Sandon's little lime kiln has been cleared of the vegetation that was choking it. Sadly, it is not normally open to the public. We were very lucky some years ago when we just happened to pass by on the one day that it was open and were given a fascinating insight by a local historian. We are not aware that it has ever been open since.
Bridge 88 is purely an accomodation bridge and occasionally has sheep coming and going across it. We were lucky today!
And Bridge 89 is the last bridge before Aston, so the very last on our trip. By now, we had both lapsed into a pensive silence, knowing that our cruise was almost at an end.
Finally, we turned into Aston Marina.
As Friday is "share boat turnaround day", there was a queue for the services but we hovered patiently before Sharon helped us to fill up with diesel and to empty the waste tank ready for the winter ahead.
A lovely sight to see our home mooring, A22, waiting for us with "Chestnut" and "Lola" on either side. While it is sad to see the end of our cruise, this always feels like coming home.
The weather was dry and offered a good opportunity to give MM a thorough clean. R said that the roof was particularly bad as we have often recently moored under trees and near other boaters with coal stoves that leave black smuts on the roof. That means scrubbing every inch of the roof with cream bathroom cleaner and then washing it off with the hose.
So, we shall leave MM looking good before we set off on Sunday to drive home.
Washing MM down, particularly with the hose, means getting quite wet, so we both changed before we rewarded ourselves with dinner at the "Pasta di Piazza", the excellent Italian restaurant in Stone.
This year's summer cruise has been a great adventure but also very relaxed and relaxing. The highlight was probably Lincoln, which we loved, but as with every year it is full of wonderful memories and many special moments. Another highlight was the many friends (and relations) that we visited and who visited us on MM. As ever, it was people that made it special.
Next year we may start a bit earlier, possibly in April, so please watch this space and we hope that you have enjoyed sharing our summer adventure.
Today: 5 miles, 1 lock and 2.8 hours.
Trip: 442 miles, 174 locks and 222.2 hours.
Since MM was launched on 10th October 2011: 4,032 miles, 2,637 locks and 2,844.4 hours.
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