Something special

 Saturday 1^st June; Grimes Bridge to Brownsover

At last it was warm and sunny when we surfaced!  So, time to spend a couple of hours spring-cleaning.  By 9 we had removed the lockers and matting from the well deck and were sweeping out the coal dust and bits of stick that had accumulated over the winter, and generally cleaning round and removing mud splatter and dog fur.  Then we emptied out the lockers, generating a small heap of rubbish, mostly old paint tins, but at least the bits of stick and leaf could be chucked under the hedge.  We scrubbed the matting before putting everything back and admiring our handiwork.  The canal had been very quiet up till now, with just one or two boats passing.  Time for coffee, maybe?  Then suddenly there were two boats coming from each direction, and we realised the vegetation behind us was obscuring vision - meaning that we were slightly in the way.  So as soon as it was clear we moved off.

Just a quick snap before we left, as you can tell by the trailing bow rope which I'd already untied.  The weather continued as it had started, lovely sunny cruising weather.  At Stretton Stop (Rose Narrowboats) I stepped off to open the little swingbridge, but then two employees arrived and closed up for us.

This permanent mooring always looks an idyllic spot in the sunshine, even though the edge is shallow and there is a big gap between the boats and the edge.

Not far along the canal the elder trees were in full bloom – long stretches on both sides of the canal. There should be a bounteous harvest for the birds and wine-makers this autumn!

And then, the most amazing thing we have ever seen from the boat.  Dave said, ‘What’s that creature?’  We thought probably a deer, but why is it that odd shape?  Was it injured? The answer, though you can’t really tell from the photos, is that it was a doe suckling her fawn.  How special is that?

We only got a tiny glimpse of the fawn because of the grasses, but the mother ignored us completely; we were very quiet, hardly moving a muscle and Dave didn’t change the engine revs so she wasn't startled.  When the fawn had fed, she would leave it lying in a concealed spot in the grasses and go off to feed herself.  This is the reason we should never assume a fawn has been abandoned, and certainly not touch it or move it.  If you are worried, the recommendation is that you come back later on – it will almost certainly have gone, been moved by Mum.

Our decision last night not to continue to All Oaks had been the right one – it was rammed.  The sheer beauty of the wood, with the dark of the trunks and branches against the still-fresh green of the leaves, was stunning.  It will still be beautiful in high summer, but won’t have this amazing colour contrast.

We stopped for an early lunch beyond Brinklow marina, then cracked on, wanting to arrive at Brownsover mid-afternoon to ensure we had a good internet signal for tonight; a rather important football match …. Spurs (Dave’s team) are playing Liverpool in the European Cup Final.  Annoyingly it’s not on BBC or ITV so must be streamed.  We used to moor between the aqueducts and the road bridge, but mooring on this stretch was suspended last year.  The signs are clear, but some people just won’t be told.

Anyway, we got a suitable space. Just one boat between us and the road bridge, so a bit noisy, but we were glad to get in at all.  I nipped to Tesco and, once Dave was sure the internet connection was satisfactory, he went along to Halfords via the aqueduct steps.  I took Meg round to the park for a play, along with the armful of rubbish we generated this morning.  I took this photo from the path down from the road to the park.

Sadly there was no win for Spurs.  I think Lisa’s David (nb What a Lark) would have been delighted though …..

6½ miles, 1 mini swing bridge, Newbold tunnel.