12 before breakfast?!

This brass plaque is one of my Christmas presents from H1 and Lawrie and appears today as I've a tendency to get all reflective just before New Year and seeing it has brought back some of my favourite memories from 2010.

Back in February I went on a narrowboat for the first time when H1 and Lawrie invited me to join them on their first trip out on the boat that they'd just bought a share in. Within about 5 mins, I'd completely fallen in love with the whole thing and luckily I was invited back again in August and October :-)

Whether it's pootling along at 4mph eating a fried egg butty and a cuppa tea, enjoying the best pint known to mankind with H1 and Lawrie, or falling asleep to the warmth of the log burner, I'm happy. Even more so when I've found a pub that does a good steak pie :-)

Part of my duties on board has been as Lock Monkey #2. This involves leaping off the boat, windlass in hand to open/close the locks. This plaque is, as it says, for the Audlem locks which are on the Shropshire Union canal (aka the "Shroppie") and are a flight of 15 locks. We did them in August, on my last day of the trip and H1 and I did 12 of them (12!!) before breakfast. It was hard work but there's something so rewarding in the physical effort it takes to move yourself and boat along its journey, especially when you're surrounded by beautiful countryside.

Right, that's far too much warm and fluffiness from me! I'm off....