MIXED EMOTIONS

WEDNESDAY 13TH APRIL 2011

I had the colonoscopy last Friday and yesterday evening the doctor says all was fine and GO! but here is a prescription for another capsule you must take for a couple of months, but hey, good news indeed.

We have had a couple of shake down cruises to Haddersley Lock and back which is where the Selby Canal joins the River Aire. It is a delightful spot and the first cruise back at the end of March was with friend Sylvia and her Danish chum Anne-Marie, whose lap Duggie spent most of the time sitting on.

Last Sunday we joined Pete and Doreen of N.B. KEB with a friend and four really lovely young people. The first BBQ of the year and super weather and fortunately I could still steer SKYY in a straight line. Today the journey would be one way, Yippee!! the adventures of SKYY and her crew were about to start again, but real sadness as we were saying au revoir to some lovely people, many who had become real friends, but they have all been so kind to us over the last, almost, nine months.

On the way to being refueled and pumped out Steve and Nikki from the newly launched N.B. Wayward Spinner piped us on our way and after Dave did his business with the various hoses and settling our bill with Marge in the chandlery, with a promise that we would return, we prepared to set off. Pete and Doreen were providing us with an escort to Haddersley and just as we were casting off Sylvia and her little dog arrived; with a promise from Pete that he would bring Sylvia back to the Boat Centre, Sylvia jumped on board for one last cruise.

The weather wasn’t as warm as last Sunday and the wind was brisk, but it was dry, well it was until we exited the Haddersley flood lock and after final hugs on the pontoon there were a few tears, of course it was the wind making our eyes water. We set of in convoy with N.B. Sunset Song, along the wide expanse of the River Aire, retracing our route of last July. We shared the work at the two locks before we stopped for the night just before the Ferrybridge flood lock. We might have carried on as the lock was open at both ends, but the warning light was on red and as we were tying up at the secure visitor mooring two huge gravel barges surged through the lock and then the warning light switched to amber, now we know that red definitely means stop.

The owners of Sunset Song decided to push on the Castleford, but as Jacquie was still suffering from a bad cold we decided to call it a day, light the stove and have an early night. Tomorrow we would, for us, be churning new water as we headed for The City of Leeds.