Stanstead Abbotts (Lee Navigation) – Sunday 10th August

What a wash out Bertha has been – or at least where we are.  We were all ready for the deluge but all had was a few inches of rain and a couple of thunderstorms.  Richard asked me this morning if I had slept well and I replied that the storm had kept me awake all night.  Very surprised, he replied “what storm” – “exactly” I said!

We had a lazy morning with me planning our major expedition to the USA next year.  I want to get it done as early as possible so that we can get god rates – also the Pound is doing well against the Dollar at present.

A lovely boat we passed yesterday

Muffin had a shower as he was beginning to go grey from all the dust on the towpaths then to top the lot we had a thunderstorm and if there is one thing he hates its thunder!  We don’t know if he was shaking from being cold or fear!

A nice photo of Muffin

After the rain had stopped we took Muffin for a walk up the towpath.  He was beginning to get grubby on his legs and undercarriage from the wet towpath and I was just saying to him that he would have to have another shower when we got back when he fell in the river!  Well it wasn’t quite like that!  He likes to walk right along the edge of the coping stone on the edge of the towpath and somehow managed to trip himself up by looking behind him!  Still it saved another shower!

A late duck brood

I have been very surprised by the amount of late duck, coot and moorhen families there are around.  I’m sure I have never seen so many before in August.  By late August or early September they should be almost fully grown and look very similar to adult and according to The London Wetlands Centre the latest that mallard ducklings would normally hatch is August, but that tends to happen when a clutch fails and the adults tried for a second brood. 

Lee Navigation lock hooks

All the locks on the Lee Navigation have a large hook at the bottom end – some have two.  I can’t find anything about them but we reckon that a barge entering the lock to go up would have thrown a large rope over the hook to steady it – the rope would then have slipped off as the boat got higher and safer.  

Two not very good photos of a rainbow!