Gosh cat's eyes and I dont mean on the road!

Tuesday 14th December

Now you may think we have gone completely nuts but you see we have purchased a doorbell! What on earth for, I hear you ask? Well, we did have a crew alert bell on the panel at the stern, for years it worked a treat, but just lately, if we managed to get any sort of ring out of it at all, it sounded more like a high-pitched strangled squeak. I fell foul of not being able to alert Ian to a problem when he was below and the only way to get his attention was to leave my post at the helm, go and open the engine room door and shout at the top of my voice. It got results as he legged it to the back but it was nerve racking at the time, especially as FS was still moving on her own. Got back to grab the tiller just in time when to my horror found we were heading for an overhanging tree! So this wireless doorbell was found on Amazon, had it sent to our daughter who passed it over at Shackerstone last Sunday, oh and it plays 24 different tunes! Spoilt for choice now.

 

The receiver in the galley

 Slight issue with where Ian mounted the call button. Above the existing buttons it does stick out somewhat and can easily be rung if accidental leaned on! Could get annoying if in the middle of something important. 

Twenty minutes, that's all it took to reach the Lime Kiln pub. I'm pretty sure in the past we had stopped on the pub moorings and we did try this time, but no rings were found, only two wooden bollards right at the far end. No good for FS's length and looking over to the garden gate, it appeared locked so we deduced that these moorings were no longer in use. The towpath side it was then,

 

Thankfully the path was decent, no mud to speak of, a far cry from the rest of the Ashby towpath!

Within the hour of mooring friends Lynda and Tony arrived. After coffee, it was off to the pub. The meal, highly recommended especially the variety of homemade pies. Ian and Tony had the Beef, Stout Stilton & Mushroom , (No, not four different pies, all those fillings in the one!) Lynda and I had the curry, equally delicious. I was also giving a present. Just happened to mention to Lynda during a phone conversation that we had forgotten to put our Christmas tree on board. It was still in the garage complete with decorations, as was our Christmas jumpers and woolly pudding hats with flashing lights! Gutted now that we will be the only ones not in festive attire when at our son's in Milton Keynes. Anyway Lynda bought me a Poinsettia which now has pride of place where the tree would have gone.

Once they left for home we pulled pins to head to another mooring. Yep... for yet the third time we didn't stay where we had planned to. This time I was the one who wanted to move. The A5 runs right alongside the Lime Kiln and with the wind blowing toward FS, the noise was horrendous. Within half a mile we found a piled edge, that would do for tonight.

Yet more mud!

 

5 pm and watching the Repair Shop when suddenly a cat stared at us through the window, gosh it gave me a fright especially as it was dark outside and a pair of bright amber eyes were the first thing I noticed. To reach the window it must have walked along the gunwale, I expect the muddy paw prints will be visible in the morning.

And this Kestrel was hunting not long after mooring. Apologies for the poor quality.