JUNE 2026

'IstJune was a Monday and British Gas were in early to fit a new smart meter in the flat finishing in time for me to get the 09.44 bus to the station and catch the 10.20 Nottingham train where I switched to the Uttoxeter train via Derby and landed in Tesco Utt. at 13.10 to get some provisions before boarding the 63 bus to Rugely and then the 828 to Colwich to board and total rest overnight. 

2ndJun Tuesday resting at Colwich. To the local pharmacy to leave in my testosterone prescription filled whenever. Gobsmacked to be told he would expect to have in before midday tomorrow.  I walked up to AngloWelsh for a bilge pump and went back to the boat to stay overnight in the knowledge that tomorrow I travel BACK to the flat to get ready for Lymington. 

3rdWed I collected my prescription at 11.52 and had a nightmare journey back to Peterborough where I eventually arrived at 18.15 for a bath and pack for the morrow's very complicated train journey which would start by catching a train from Peterborough at 10.23 and travelling via Huntington, Blackfriars, tubes during a tube strike, Waterloo to Brockenhurst and finally Lymington town to be picked up by sister in her electric Audi and driven to Compton House

Thu4 Fri5 Sat6 Sun7 are a blur but on Friday I took the Lymington to Yarmouth ferry at 9.40 and bussed it via Newport to Cowes and back arriving on Lymington quay at 1630 again being picked up by Catherine.  Sat6 was a crazy house party with over 100 guests and it rained all day.  Sun7 was frogmarched to Spoons and later to B's and eventually back to Compton House for total rest but with a fancy lunch at Lymington YC. Mon8  11.59 train and a backwards trip via Kings cross where I note I was checking milk out of Waitrose at 1542. 

Because I had lymph drainage treatment booked in Whittesley for Thursday 11th so I was able to make my philosophy class on Tue 9th 7pm to 9.30 with a grateful lift home with Nick.  On Wed I did a dry run to Whittesley to make sure it was all do-able ... which it was but don't mention the rain. I had  Spoons breakfast in the Crown while waiting soaked for a 33 to take me home where about 2oc I had a hot bath to thaw out 

Fri12 I was on the 9.28 train for Uttoxetor via Notts and Derby and 63 and 828 buses to boat Arriving on the boat at 1600, I decided to depart at once and got as far as Aston top before 8pm to overnight there and enjoy the silence 

Sat13 I set out at 6.15am with two miles to go to Star lock and then another mile to Stone bottom where I tied up at 8.30am for coffee and acclimatization and arrange for Pentargon to be taken in to the boatyard Thurs 18. Sat was spent 'resting' and getting to know local bus routes. Sunday is a day of enforced rest in the Potteries as the Sabbath is largely respected. I took a bus to "Hanley" which is a suburb of Stoke and in the reality is the city's bus station

Monday15 was spent travelling back to Peterborough. I had arranged for British Gas to call  s Tue16 1400 and this was achieved with a bouquet of tickets bussing to Stafford and routing by Burton on Trent and Derby through Notts and Grantham on the Norwich train. The flat was sorted and also the delivery of the TotalCool to the boatyard and I am ticketed to Stafford on Wed. to be ready for the boatyard. I arrived back in Stone midday and brought the boat up and into the boatyard before 3.30pm which all told was quite an achievement.  It was finished and out on Thursday by 3pm and a first class job was done for about £350.  So I thought I would climb a few locks before dark. 

THERE IS A WHOLE DAY MISSING HERE IT GOT ERASED AND LOST DURING EDIT
For the moment let's just say I spend much of Friday in A&E but was able to return to the boat  fixed about 4.30 and grabbed an open lock and by 6pm was parked up in company at Barlaston for the night and was away by 7 on Saturday morning to climb Trentham after emptying it and get tied up in a first class mooring at B106 by 8.30

Saturday then I was all parked up on Armco at 8.30am for breakfast and this will now be a stop-over to recover from the hospital ordeal ... and regroup due to a pending murderous heatwave starting Monday and getting worse day by day.  I managed to get a considerable amount of diamonds done in the very early mornings. I had some tree-cover for much of the day but the cabin temperature registered 28C on the evening Sunday.  Nothing to do only grin and bear it because I am going no further now til York is over. 

I had an aborted attempt at getting a train on Thu25th survived the heat wave and left the boat on Friday 26th being afraid the whole transport system might collapse for a 1330 train out of Stafford but actually travelled to Nuneaton on the 12.30 and got to NUN to find I could use any train or line that would get me home so I arrived back in the flat about 4pm to settle in

Fri 

Friday 19th was a bit of a disaster