We arose to a lovely autumn misty morning, after a very cold night under clear skies, and set off towards Calcutt. Just before we arrived at the locks I got a phone call from Roger at Braunston Boats asking whether or not we were bringing Jannock in for blacking. I explained where we were and that we had been told to be there by Friday afternoon, ready for the work to be done on Saturday and Sunday. I said that we should arrive there by lunchtime. He explained that they would have liked her there this morning and he'd see us when we get there. As we ascended the lowest lock at Calcutt, the boat ascending the next lock up indicated that another was descending the top lock and so left his lock with the top gates open and manoeuvred into Calcutt boats service area only too be followed in by the descending boat. After a few minutes waiting with little happening in front of us, I walked up to learn what had happened and then closed the top gates and turned the lock. Don't you just hate it when things like that happen when you have a target to meet? Up through the locks and we turned left at Wigrams and set off towards our appointment. We took turns steering whilst we packed all of our belongings ready for a quick unload as we passed the car which was parked by the road bridge in Braunston. Even though we had a deadline, we always slow to tickover for moored boats but this did not stop one miserable old g!t who was moored on the puddlebanks having a shout at Brenda as we crawled past. He annoyed her so much that she decided maybe the next compilation album, after Cut and Pastery, should be a collection of stories about meetings with miserable boaters entitled 'Grumpy Old Canals'. I volunteered the Calcutt lock episode as the first contribution. Once unloaded, Jannock was delivered to Roger for blacking and we walked back to the car pausing only to eat lunch in the sunny Stophouse garden, chat to the Anglo+Canadian couple aboard Festina Lente' who were interested to hear about Cutweb and also speak to Pat aboard Fair Fa only to learn that Sheila has just come out of hospital after an operation and was not aboard. We hope you are better soon Sheila. Only one more weekend of Blackberry logging available now, then I'll continue the blog posting by PC as and when I get chance. Graham www.jannock.org.uk
