Foxton ~ a race, a festival, a museum ...

Last week on Tuesday night, I entered a road running race for the first time in over 8 years.

The calm before the huge thunder storm that dogged our first mile but was pleasantly cooling...

Ok, I always knew I would be at the back, after virtually no mileage under my belt this year, but I was in position 288 out of 302 serious competitors with a time of 47 minutes, 55 seconds.  Need to put more time into my preparation for next year and slice some minutes off that time !!

Next morning, we moored ready, below the flight, ready to come up to our reserved mooring for the festival

View down the flight from the museum

Across

Up.  The lock keepers, as is their role, helped  us up the flight and we moored for yet another successful wonderfully attended festival.  Thank you to everyone who came to see us!

A visit to the newly revamped Foxton museum ~ The Boilerhouse

More exhibits

Interactive exibits for children (and some adults...)

Model of the inclined plane

Virtual film of the inclined plain and it's operation

Moored boats....wait... they look familiar!!

Panning out ~ some nice footage of our pair when we were up here for Easter.

Our plans now are to spend another weekend at the top of the flight, then swiftly race to Braunston for chandlery bits and pieces and then down towards Cosgrove for the Annual Cosgrove Canal and Craft Festival

Norton Junction to Foxton ~ 24 miles and 17 locks

The countdown to the Foxton Locks Festival begins and it's getting exciting!

We left Norton Junction last Monday after receiving the second part of our coal delivery and turned right to head for Foxton on the Leicester section of the Grand Union Canal.

We had had a beautiful weekend which was rolling over onto Monday, with not a cloud in the sky.

2 hour wait at the bottom of Watford flight, but sold a model boat by accident to another boater, whilst we waited, when they found out we had a gift shop!

Continuing on towards the tunnel at Husbands Bosworth the next day after overnighting at Crick

Arriving at Foxton later that day, we cycled into Market Harborough the next morning and on the way back, we spotted this grass snake...

He wasn't bothered by us, kept his head out of the water and leisurely swam alongside the towpath, before disappearing into the shade on the offside

We spent the weekend with the shop open and with the help of the lock keepers, we came down the flight of 10 locks, for a couple of days on the Market Harborough arm.

A miserable day ~ I walked on ahead and opened the swing bridge to take us out of Foxton village

Lovely magnolias and hydrangeas at this house

Still raining as we travelled through Market Harborough outskirts

Lovely gardens bordering this canal

The basin ~ we breasted up and winded ready to moor further back up the arm where the visitor moorings are

Large teapot ~ ready for the festival!

Last night we enjoyed a meal in the Sugar Loaf with our good friend Ben (a fellow boater) and today plan a walk into town....

Stoke Bruerne to Norton Junction ~ 16 miles and 7 locks

So I finally managed to get the butty door panels done!  Only taken a year and a half to get round to it!  

I think I am happy with the outcome, always self critical, but I don't think that is a bad thing.

We ended last weekend by leaving Stoke Bruerne for a gentle plod up to Foxton for the Foxton Festival in June

Approaching Blisworth and the old mill

Busy with boats after a quiet night moored in the village

Gayton Junction and a quick waterpoint stop

Leaving Rugby Boats after fuelling up

Buckby flight of 7 locks ~ not too testing this time as most locks were in our favour

Moored at Norton Junction ~ a tapping on the side of the boats and a family turn up begging for food!

We had ordered a tonne of smokeless coal and coal doubles to be delivered on the Friday.  The smokeless arrived after a long wait, and the rest will be here on Monday.  Time to get on with some painting....

I begin by planning the layouts then paint in the leaves

Leaves and roses bases done up to stage 1, time for  a coffee break!

I finished up to this point (7pm) and decided that I would call it a day.  We had heard that our friends would visit after their day trip.  So we spent a lovely evening with Kathy and Matti, who we hadn't seen for over a year. 

Today, we enjoyed a Sunday dinner in the New Inn at the junction (as it is my birthday today, so would be rude not to!) and then I got on with the task of finishing yesterday's project.

Side view

My present from my lovely husband Richard ~ a cut out vinyl record picture of Dark Side of the Moon, made by our friend Dave (Croc) of The Vinyl Cut.  Brilliantly arty, don't you think?  Thanks Croc I love it x

So hopefully the remaining coal order will come tomorrow....