Bartimaeus

We've been waiting a long time for some rain to fill the canals, but that doesn't mean we want to be caught in it.  The three consecutive days when I cycled in to Henley-on-Thames all had a small chance of a light shower, but they passed us by.

The weather forecast for yesterday was slightly more threatening for the afternoon.  We set off in the morning in bright warm sunshine, driving as far as Wootton Wawen where we stopped hoping to buy milk.

As we walked towards the convenience store marked on my map, we saw signs to a farm shop, so we went to explore that.  There was an interesting selection of things for sale, including dairy items in the fridge.  I picked up a flagon with the right colour label and carried on looking for other items.

The extremely friendly shop-keeper warned me that I hadn't picked up milk.  When I looked, I was holding 2 litres of double cream.  I hurriedly swapped it for milk.  This was the first week under new management and the cream order had been a mix-up.

We had a long chat with the shop-keeper and her daughter (who was helping out on her day off).  I was happy to share my opinions on what her priorities for the shop should be, though I did point out that although I always had opinions, I may not have any expertise.  We left with milk(!), bread, beer, chutney, free bread-sticks and smiles.

Back on the towpath we met a man walking his dog.  We fell in to conversation with him too.  His boat was moored nearby - we exchanged views on water levels, obtaining health care and the effectiveness of Canal and River Trust (CRT).

We set off again as far as Odd Lock.  This wasn't the name on the board at the side, but seems to be how it is described on the CRT maps.  What is odd about it is that it is several miles from any other locks - on the southern section of the Stratford Canal this is odd indeed.

The weather seemed to be changing, but as we approached a boat emerged leaving the gate open for us (in fact re-opening it when they noticed us approaching).  We decided to work the lock but then moor up immediately beyond the lock bollards.

We'd just got inside when the rain started.  It wasn't heavy at first, but before long had turned in to the sort of rain you really don't want to be out in.  There were a few other boats (mostly hire boats) moving - some of their crews will have been working locks in the downpour.

When the rain stopped, we went for a short walk to have a look at the Edstone Aqueduct, half a mile further on.  This is the longest aqueduct in England, but not the longest we've been on this year.  In fact we've also been on a longer aqueduct that has only one end in England.

This one has the clear merit when walking of a towpath built at the level of the bottom of the canal.  With the trough on one side and a railing on the other it is a lot less airy than the others.  There were some puddles on the towpath from the recent rain though.

We walked across the aqueduct and down the steps on the other side to have a look from below.  It is an impressive structure, but does not have the style of its Welsh and Anglo-Welsh counterparts.

We got back to the boat just as the next shower was starting, and stayed in or close to the boat all afternoon to avoid the frequent downpours.

This morning the forecast was similar.  We drove on in sunshine again.  I used the engine to charge the battery, and we ran a load of washing as we went along.  We reached a mooring at Wilmcote just as the batteries were fully charged and the washing finished.

Once Clare had hung the washing up we went for a walk around the village.  We'd been in to the small shop here before, and just as before found it hard to resist the savoury pastries which we ate on a bench under a tree.

We had a look in the churchyard, before returning to the boat by a slightly different route.  We put the washing out on deck when the sun came out, but I had to dash out to get it when the rain started again.  A good job too, as this turned out to be another very heavy downpour, this time with thunder and hailstones.

The afternoon was again punctuated with showers.  Tomorrow's forecast is for a much better day for working locks.