THURSDAY. We are told that you cannot rely on our British weather. I agree wholeheartedly as I overslept this morning, owing to the fact that it was not raining. The batteries should arrive today, so we are remaining at Ledgard flood gates until then. Myra wandered off to the laundrette with our washing; she returned not only with the washing, but with some wonderful smelling (and tasting) pasties from the neighbouring bakery and on her journey she had passed a proper model shop with model railways therein. I could feel a walk coming on for early afternoon. We walked to the model shop and it was indeed a proper one. There was a customer sitting in a comfortable chair and before long there was a really good three way conversation with him, myself and the owner about railways under way. Myra sat on the floor in a corner and let the boys babble on for a bit. Then as I noticed an Ian Allan locospotters book, the owner and I were comparing notes and reminiscing as Myra was talking to the customer about the west coast of Scotland. We must have been chatting for half an hour; the owner said that he was not really running a shop, more a social club. His overheads were very small (as was the shop) and provided he could make ends meet, then what a nice way to live. (I did not buy anything) As we made our way back to Martlet, Myra and I agreed it was a lovely philosophy. By 3pm we had no phone call, so I backed out of the flood lock and onto the river, turned around and headed up to Battyeford lock to warm up the engine to allow us to have showers. The clean crew then tied up alongside a widebeam barge at Ledgard boats, to be told that no batteries had arrived today. They will telephone Elecsol in the morning and find out where the delivery problem lies. They said that we could stay there the night and we have done just that. It is now raining, but not much.
Weather, overcast, then very sunny and hot, rain showers in the evening.
The 2008 journey thus far: 172 Locks & 286 Miles & 19 Swing\Lift Bridges
Journeys using bus pass: 9
