It Would Seem That Summer Has Arrived !

After 3 glorious days, for the UK at least, reasonably warm with a slight cooling breeze, we have had another wet and grey day.  But I still took some pictures -

Looking out the window

and out of the side hatch

who would have thought a stinging nettle could look interesting?

buttercup

water droplets

For the past few sunny and dry days, we slowly made our way back down the Ashby canal.

see it was :)

We stopped for the night at Sutton Cheyney Wharf and seeing as it was still reasonably early, decided to walk the 15minutes to the Bosworth Battlefield Centre.  Fairly interesting considering all the hoopla about King Richard III but it turns out that after they built the centre where they thought the battle had taken place and then did further research, the assumption is the battle actually took place about 2.5 kms away.  But in reality the landscape has changed over the last 527 years and it is just another spot on the gps map :)  But still of significant historical importance as King Richard III was the last king to die in battle.  I guess all the kings and queens since then have sensibly decided to let others do the dying for them :P

As luck would have it the working narrowboat Callisto came around the corner and being in need of some coal, who would have expected that in May >:( , Andrew was able to hail him over and we stocked up on not only coal but also refilled the diesel.

I was hoping to finally spy a badger and as we had a lovely meadow next to the moorings AND it was a full moon, I kept popping out to have a look, binoculars in hand.  But still no luck, not even an owl hooting or anything.  Very disappointing but I will keep looking.

We did see these odd looking ducks, must be a recessive gene as we only saw female ducks with the top knot. Unfortunately I did not have the camera ready for the older females but saw this little one and it's mum did not have a little tuft, so as I say remembering my science, a recessive gene.  Plus they were all only in the small area around Stoke Golding.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that this is where Henry Tudor was crowned after defeating King Richard III, becoming King Henry VII.

a 'crowned' queen

Not sure I would use this for a boat name but after checking on the internet it is also a raw egg drink cure for hangovers !  but not my initial thought :)

different boat pets - they did have an aviary on the canal side

Lovely bridge near the start of the Ashby canal

Forest bluebells

landscape

Another stockup of groceries the following day from Sainsburys in Nuneaton will see us well fed for the next 5 days or so.  We could however run out of biscuits and I still have not sorted what I might need for baking.  It's not like I don't have the time, just the inclination :)

C&RT Hartshill maintenance building - Andrew wants to buy it!

Obstruction - been there for a while as it has been photographed fairly often since March 2013

I slept really well again last night even though we are right by a railway track. I suspect it had a lot to do with the walk into Atherstone for a visit to Aldi (Andrew was after a special which was a few weeks old, so no luck there but I did get a large terracotta pot and compost for re-potting the rose that Gina gave us) followed by the 11 lock flight (passing nb Uccello near the bottom lock) and then the walk around the nature reserve because I had spied yet more bluebells in the woods.  As you will see I have been trying to get some pictures of the bluebell carpets in the woods that we have passed but it has not been that successful while still on the move on a boat, even if we are going only 4 mph!

These bluebells were lovely going all the way up a hill from the side of the canal.

More bluebell carpets

again but closer

The remains of Alvecote Priory

Alvecote Priory

I just love the gnarled and twisted branches of the oak trees

More bluebells

I cheated a bit with these, the wind was blowing so much that I ended up picking them off the tree and photographing them in the boat.  Still was a bit difficult as the boat was rocking in the wind too but at least we were rocking together and in the same direction

A bit of close-up of chestnut flowers