Harbingers

 Well we might not be on the Dock of the Bay, but we have been sitting in the morning (and afternoon) sun.  On the canal bank actually.  

Butterflies (brimstones and a peacock) have shown up, dozens of rooks are cawing in their rookeries (or crockeries as our daughter Claire used to call them when she was little) and sitting on their nests, no less than seven buzzards circled together above us near Flecknoe (vying for mates maybe), and the towpath has celandines, coltsfoot, daffodils and violets.

 So I think we can safely say that spring has started springing.  At our marina they have a super show of daffs between the two basins.

Our solar panels have resumed earning their keep too. I reckon they gave given us perhaps 50 amp hours yesterday.

This is all very encouraging of course, although a not especially close post winter study of Herbie 's exterior reveals a lot of jobs to do.  Hey ho, I'll do it a little bit at a time and maybe it won't hurt too much. I promise to start on it real soon.

Interestingly, although there are quite a few boats about, it's still relatively quiet. In the middle of Braunston yesterday there were at least half a dozen free mooring spaces.  In a few weeks time that'll seem like a distant dream.

As if all that wasn't cheerful enough, how about this lorry which came to empty the waste tank at the marina.

Now that is clever.