There and back again

We set off Saturday morning and got as far as Garston Lock.

It is a turf sided lock and  there are pillboxes either side of the lock.

CHS went through the lock to the winding hole just past the lock. I waited with the lock gates open until he turned the boat around and returned to the lock. We took a lady called Mia and her two boys Matthew and Thomas onboard and took them back to Sheffield lock. They had helped at the turf sided lock and the boys were desperate for a ride on the boat.

 One of the many pillboxes along the canal.
We returned through Tyle Mill lock and swing bridge without mishap this time and moored up for the night just before the de-gated Ufton lock.

 We set of on Sunday morning and I walked again, it saves having to slow the boat to let me off to open the locks and bridges.

 This is Towney lock it is deep and slow to fill as the gates leak so much.

 This unusual boat is moored near Padworth lock.

Hire boats at Aldermaston Wharf, next is a swing bridge and lock, this is where I get back on the boat  as this is the last lock before home.

Cold outside, warm inside.

Shopping and meal plan

I'm knee deep in childcare duties this week.
I will eventually get round to posting pics and details of the rest of our weekend out.

I shopped today, a more expensive shop this time, £18.40 but the fridge, freezer and cupboards are well stocked.

This weeks meals will be, in no particular order:-

Chicken in mushroom sauce.
Chilli with rice and nachos.
Giant Yorkshires with sausages and onion gray.
Lamb chops ( because they were reduced).
Beef casserole with dumplings.
This weeks vegetables are spring greens, carrots and leeks.

Pigs cheek

Pigs cheek is best casseroled. I forgot about it until 9am this morning as we were about to move on, so I dropped it, still frozen, into my cast iron pan and put it on top of the squirrel stove. 
I didn't get chance to check it as I walked the towpath again today, another 12000 steps.
When we got to our home mooring I lifted the lid on the pan and the cheeks were cooked and very tender.
I served them sliced with roast potatoes, peas, carrots and gravy.
I don't eat pork so I made a lentil dish for myself, it cooked in the time it took to roast the potatoes.

Have boat will travel

CHS has a three day weekend, woohoo, so we set off on Thursday about 4ish, we had a pump out before we left the marina and I'd filled the water tank up in the morning.
We only travelled a short distance just through a nearby lock, we then moored up at Aldermaston Wharf and waited for the fish and chip van. It turned up this week. We had 2 pieces of cod and a portion of chips between us.
It wasn't cheap at £12.20 but very enjoyable.

We set off this morning at 10:15, we were moored just before a swing bridge that has time restrictions on it, it will not operate rush hour as it would cause too much disruption to the road traffic. Still it gave us an excuse for a lie in.

The bridges and locks along this stretch are quite close together so I walked along carrying my windlass and a BW key.

I walked to Tyle Mill lock opening locks and bridges as  went. Unfortunately although Tyle Mill lock was fine the swing bridge immediately after it wouldn't open. As always happens at times like the CHS starts to panic, he's convinced I'm using the wrong key or doing something else wrong and starts yelling and waving his arms about. He keeps trying to phone me but I'm phoning CRT to report the fault.
The engineer arrived quite promptly about half an hour after my call.
Once he got the bridge open we set off again this time with me aboard.
We found a nice mooring by Theale swing bridge and as the sun was dropping and the wind getting up we've stopped for the night. I'm cooking some chicken pieces for tea, then we will sit in front of a log fire and read until bedtime.

Shopping

£5.42 spent in the supermarket on bread, eggs and oranges and £13.72 in the butcher's and green grocer. I bought 12 sausages, pigs cheek, lambs liver, carrots and leeks.

Ducks and bags

 I made a couple of cloth bags from the bedroom curtains I don't think I posted a pic of them.

I'm not sure I you can see it but there s a duck eating the flowers on the front of a neighboring boat.