10th July '13

We left Willow Tree today and have travelled about 5 miles and are moored at Cowley Lock next to the Malt Shovel. It was so nice on Saturday that we are meeting Darren and Michelle here again tonight, just for a drink this time as Michelle has to work late.

Moored at Willow Tree, because of the short jetty's, we had to come in and out of the stern and even after a week, Paddy still found it confusing - he's much happier now that we're using the front again. He had a trim yesterday as he'd been suffering with the heat, he's getting used to it now and I was able to use the trimmer over almost all of him rather than just his back, so much easier.

One of the bits I didn't like - the very heavy gates that were padlocked from 5pm through to the morning and the padlock took some opening!

Malcolm is never camera shy - here he's practising for a new role as the Tin Man I think!

A more usual Malcolm mode, and Susan who is my oldest friend (in that we've known each other for 50 years, not that she's ancient). We met them in Greenford last night and ate at the Bombay Chinese restaurant. They hadn't eaten there and we had no idea what to expect, but I have to say it served the largest portion of crispy duck and pancakes we'd ever seen in all of our lives! Otherwise it was sort of Chinese with Indian overtones. Apart from us, everyone eating there was of Indian extraction, so it was obviously filling a need. We'd certainly go there again.

This was the Nestle factory and I was expecting wonderful wafts of chocolate scents as we went past, but there was nothing - it could have been a car factory for all the excitement I got from it. What a let-down.

This is for John's sister - still lots to look for but we're getting there.

Just to show that canals still have a place in our industry - this is a wharf where aggregate is unloaded. It is carried along the canal from the other side of Uxbridge in 90 tonne barges, saving road miles. I love to see the canals being used for what they were intended. I noticed in Tesco yesterday a sign saying that they were using canals where possible to reduce their carbon footprint - good for them I say.

Now I need to go and prepare everything for a BBQ so that John can wield his spatula and announce that he cooked tea tonight!