Famous Faces

Opposite to where we are moored is a restaurant over looking the water. On the 8th a very noisy party was going on and looking to see what it was all about, saw to my surprise John Sargent having conversation with Nick Leslau who was one of the secret millionaires on BBC2 ( Nick appeared on the BBC program High Street Dreams on Friday). We recognised quite a few faces but couldn't for the life of us put a name to them. The next day Tim, the mooring officer, came over and on mentioning about the famous faces at the restaurant told us that it was on a boat moored still in Little Venice that Richard Branson had his recording studio and that Tubular Bells ( Mike Oldfield) was the first recording ever made on that boat. Apparently on the walls of the bathroom is the signatures of many of the artist and one of the conditions of sale was that the walls were never to be altered in any way.

Tower Bridge

I cant believe that in another 11 days we will be travelling under this bridge on our way to Teddington. We will be pushed along by the incoming tide and should easily make 6 knots. The predicted time it should take is about 3 and a half hours.

Thames

Just two of the craft we may meet when we go out on the river. The police launch sped past, I just hope we don't meet him on our journey.

The trip boats go a lot slower but create more wash. I think we will be in for a lot of rocking and rolling.

Trip to HMS Belfast

Kate Winslet eat your heart out!!!

This is what I call fenders!!!!

Limehouse

We had planned to leave our boats in a marina along the Paddington branch of the Grand Union. Our aim was to go out of Brentford onto the tidal Thames and up to Teddington. While we were at Little Venice we took a trip to Limehouse to see what it was like. our information from BW had told us that all boats over 45ft in length needed a VHF radio to leave from here. We met the lock keeper who informed us that we could go out of Limehouse after all so long as at least one boat had a radio. That changed our plans and we booked our passage to go out on 20th July on the 6am tide.

Kew Gardens

We arrived in Little Venice on Friday 2nd July. Row upon row of boats greeted us and I honestly thought that we wouldn't find a mooring. Well luck was with us and one space appeared. talk about fitting into a tight space. We shoe horned our self in and Dennis and Margaret breasted up alongside. We will now stay for the 14 days permitted and leave the boats while we go to Antwerp for the tall ship race. Before we leave on Sunday 11th we are going to make the most of being in central London and do the touristy things. First stop was Kew Gardens.

Tree top walk.

Wembley stadium. View from the

tree tops.

Fountain at Kew.

wild life at Kew Gardens

This huge beatle posed for us outside the steps to the tree top walk.

Female peacock

Little Venice itself

Left is toward Regents Canal and Right is the entrance to Paddington Basin

Looking toward Regents Canal

Little Venice outer moorings

It looked impossible. Row upon row of boats. Would we ever find a mooring?

Tufted ducks

I have seen several tufted ducks on our travels but I have never seen them with chicks. Cute arn't they!

Male

Approaching Little Venice

Ian got quite excited when he saw this life boat. It came from Conaco North West Hutton North Sea oil platform.
Apparantly he did his survival training on one just like this one.

Not sure what this is doing on the canal. Makes for interesting conversation though.

Blanket Weed

As we approached the aqueduct we were met with a carpet of blanket weed. Thankfully no boat came towards us so we could stay in the centre and avoided getting the stuff round our prop.

Aquaduct over the North Circular

Comorants

As a fisher person I hate these birds. We had found a tackle shop in Yiewsley near West Drayton. I bought a pint of maggots and next door was a hair dressers so I called in on the off chance to see if I could have a trim. My luck was in. Within 10 minutes I was in the chair having a short back and sides and I only had to pay £10. We set of again and turned into the Paddington Arm and found a lovely mooring about 200 yds in. So once again I settled down to do a spot of fishing when these pair turned up!! Not a single bite was had and after 2 hours gave up as a bad job.

Galleon ??? on the canal???

Cant believe the variety of craft on this stretch of the canal. We had already met 2 gravel barges, unladen, and these big barges seem to be around every corner.

Corn Crake & family

Never having seen a corn crake untill a few days ago, I now see them all along the Grand Union. We had moored on permit holders mooring at Cowley Lock. There were hardly any moorings as we approached the lock and I saw a large space with enough room to moor both our boats. We never usually take any ones mooring but we were getting desperate. We had a quick discussion with Dennis and Margaret and agreed that if the rightful owner of the moorings came back, we would move on. Well I almost wished they had returned because it was the noisiest place we had ever stayed at. There was a bus station on the other side of the fence, and at 4 am a duck called for her young continuously. Then the dawn chorus started, not a problem normally because we are usually asleep, and to top it all at 4.30 am a BW butty came past creating our boat to rock and roll ( all for the wrong reasons) and sounding like a clapped out lawn mower. Defiantly one to strike of our lists of places to stay!

Damsel fly

weed cutter

Unbelievable!!!!!

The Dutch Barge came slowly past us and we wondered if it would fit in the lock. Then following close behind was what I presume to be a weed cutter. On viewing the video I realised it looked for all the world like it was pushing the barge into the lock.