Visitors

Mike left just about 8.45 to drive across to Windsor to collect Alice and Jess who are visiting for a few days. It was wet drizzle and grey skies so not overly pleasant for driving. Fortunately in neither direction was the traffic as heavy as had been indicated with no particular hold ups.

The girls were ready and packed and brought out their suitcases as soon as the car was ready for them. It was little over ten minutes before Mike was back on the road again, re-tracing his steps back to the marina. However, they did make a brief stop at Warwick Services in order to pickup a paper.

After the girls had checked out the boat and location they were ready for lunch, despite having had a packet of crisps from the service station! Meanwhile the two loadfs of washing that Chrsitine managed to complete before Mike returned went into the marina's drier.

Unpacking and lunch revealed that a trip to the shops was needed - also Mike found that a bolt had come adrift in one of the cabin chairs and he needed to find a replacement quickly.

Alice remained reading on the boat whilst the other three drove into Stratford. A call at Screwfix drew a blank but the suggestion of a specialist supplier on one of the industrial estates. However, we called first at the main retail park and whilst Mike went into B&Q (where he found almost the right item, close enough for an immediate repair) whilst Christine and Jess went to Next and TKMax in search of some pyjamas (the one item, plus jumper that she had forgotten to pack) They did find a t-short but not the main item. Well, they did have pyjamas in Next but somewhat expensive and in pairs.

Tesco store is one this site so that was the next stop for the particular food items that one or other would have liked us to have in stock.

We did track down the specialist fixings supplier but they, alas, had nothing like what we needed. Back then to the boat - the chair was put back together and it seemed only a short time before there was cry for when is dinner going to be ready?

Obviously, there was just no tome for boating today! Actually, with the weather as it is we have decided to extend our stay in the marina, unless a sudden improvement tempts us out on Friday.