Weekend Guinea Pigs

Having visited Market Harborough the weekend before last we thought that it would make a great spot to take visitors,
so
we invited a likely pair of visitors
and arranged a berth in Union Basin for the Saturday night. 
Early Saturday morning we moved Yarwood up through the two Foxton swing bridges and unto a water point and whilst I baked a cake -indeed I did and it is only 8am at this point- Joe filled the water tank, emptied the usual and dumped the rubbish and we then slipped back through the first  swing bridge and moored up to await the guinea pigs visitors.    This would be the first time to have had overnight visitors, bar nephew Jack who we just tuck away in a cupboard somewhere and get on with our usual routines.
They duly arrived, carrying pillows, beer and wine, limited clothing, thank goodness, but no folding chairs as per instructions - forgotten in the excitement of getting out to see us I suppose....

We had a tour of the Foxton lock flight and the inclined plane before setting off with our Val and Alan adorning the tug deck, slouched in chairs with a bottle of beer and a glass of red for good measure.

 Val enjoying the cruise from her 'deck' chair - I had borrowed Alan to help with the road swing bridge which had been temperamental on my earlier transit (stones washed down the hill had jammed the mechanism)

 Alan and Val our willing guinea pigs for the weekend

 

Moored in Union Basin Market Harborough - lunch in the sun on the quay before a girly shopping trip and then a quick visit to Tesco's for some food for Sunday.

In the evening we took ourselves back into town for a curry and a VERY pleasant curry it was too.

A replete group 

L-R Alan, Val, Me and Joe.

 

 

A cracking curry restaurant

 

Everyone managed to sleep, some with a bit more comfort than others, but it did anyway and following a cooked breakfast in the morning we pulled pins and headed back towards Foxton for a BBQ.  A change of plan occurred when the heavens opened and the BBQ became an inside picnic instead but we coped.

And as a result of this experiment we have invited more visitors to join us to enjoy  the rustic charms of a cramped weekend spent in a ditch!