What’s Round The Bend?

Our 32nd voyage was at the end of January. We arrived at the top of a flight of locks just in time because when we woke up the next morning, the canal had frozen over and we couldn’t have gone any further even if we’d wanted to.

We had to get the boat up a flight of 5 locks on the Sunday before they were closed for winter maintenance at 8am on the Monday morning. ‘Canal time’ is supposed to be a slow pace of life, a window on tranquility, but I seem to have a talent for finding a way to be rushed wherever I go.

Another way of thinking about being rushed is filling every second of life with as much experience as can be squashed into it. I imagine there is a balance somewhere and I think I am gradually iterating towards it, under the graceful guidance of The Cut.

For those who haven’t had the opportunity to experience it, The Cut is literally the result of cutting into the ground to produce a channel to hold a flow of water. A kind of artificial river or canal. Narrowboats were designed to carry everything from coal to timber across the network of canals from Leeds to Liverpool, London to Manchester and Oxford to Daventry.

Moored on the Oxford canal near Daventry our boat patiently awaited our return after a week at home doing laundry (of the clothing and life variety) and a trip to visit family.