Catherin de Barnes, Grand Union Canal

We made it!!!  Left around 0845 and did Farmer's Bridge Locks with the help of Kathy and Smudge (only two against us).  Never done them so fast.  Then it was a right turn and the Digbeth Arm.

 Approaching the top lock at the Ashted Locks we came across Grant cleaning out the sluices.  Look at all the rubbish he has already removed.  Goodness knows what is lying in the bottom of the canal.

Well we ended up with some of it around the prop, as usual.

 At the Warwick Bar we came across a pair of these two locks gates.  Couldn't work out quite how they worked.

The weather was beautiful, didn't need a coat and the sun was shining.  There were catkins out and at one point the blackthorn was just bursting into bloom and the daffodils are not far behind.

After the Camp Hill Locks we were on the GU proper.  It was so shallow that we could just manage to get down the centre of the channel.  There was no way we could have got into to side.  Several times were were scraping along the bottom and David had to go down the weed hatch about 4 times.  Horrid.  This is why we usually go down the Stratford on Avon Canal to get to the GU.

The first fisherman we met was grumpy, but all the rest smiled and spoke and we even saw a Kingfisher.

We pulled up at Catherine de Barnes at 3.15 absolutely shattered.  25 locks and lots of walking and then I got treated to a lovely dinner at at Longfellows (David is doing a review of it in Canals and Rivers magazine).

Wednesday was Saima's Birthday and she got this card from us.  It was from the stockpile, unfortunately, didn't have time to make a fresh one.  I matted the photograph onto white card and cut the edges with deckle edged scissors, then matted it again onto lilac and silver card.

I stuck it down onto a light lilac card blank and added the lilac ribbon, tied in the centre with a knot using double sided tape.