Casulties of Ellen.

 We knew it was coming, all the weather channels told us so. Last night then, about 4am, clattering coming from the cabin top, wind whistling through the open port hole windows and the sound of tree branches swaying. Suddenly it all went quiet. We lay listening for the next gust, maybe a falling branch or two, but nothing. 

Woke late, around 7am (late for us) to blue skies and calm conditions. So where and when would storm Ellen hit?

Today we wanted to shop. Unfortunately the Ashby Canal is a bit sparse on shopping opportunities and knowing a Lidl was near to Trinity Marina, that was the destination for today.

Approaching Lime Kilns where we should have taken on water! Not many taps on the Ashby either!

Something on fire? No steam from one of the factories.

 

On route and those few gusts last night caused a few casualties.  Branches down as well as offside shrubs. If storm Ellen does hit in this area we could have closure notices of fallen trees on C&RT website.

 

The mooring we needed for to Lidl was around a long left hand sweeping bend and I missed it completely. Thinking it was nearer to  bridge 17, by the time I realised my mistake the cladding had run out I had quite a way to go back. With one boat already on the end mooring I struggled to reverse FS past it. She just wouldn't go where I wanted and several times I happened to dig the stern into the silt by going to near to the offside. Ian was sent to the bow to 'fend off' if we got to close to that moored boat. Took a while but got there eventually and lucky for me that no boats came while I was performing the manoeuvre. 

I was almost to the far end before I realised and the reverse had to happen.

 

I took the top photo from a towpath hazard. Those few gusts in the wee hours of the morning certainly took its toll. 

 

But look on the bright side, no bikes came past but Jo public managed by doing a spot of hedge climbing.

Be warned.... so much for Lidl being within easy walking distance! Turned out to be a little over a mile! Thought we would never get there and then having done a two-week shop, had to carry it all back! My shopping trolley may be the laughingstock of the family but no way could we have carried all the booze back without it. The small amount of groceries went in the rucksack.😏

On the way back Ian got stung by a bee. A sudden pain felt, his hand went down to behind his knee and in his palm was the bee. Crawled up his leg and into the shorts no doubt. Anyway  I should be sorry for Ian but all I could think about was poor bee 😀

We did move again in the end. Internet again was rubbish where we were, strange as one would have thought the nearer to a town centre, the better the signal. It's a much nicer mooring where we moved to, although slight concern at how close the tree is to FS's stern! Oh, and a continues hum from the factory behind the hedge is a little off putting. I do hope it doesn't carry on all night!

And seen on the second move,

Wind turbine on a cruiser? Seems a little OTT to me!

Pigeon-fancier?