Left hearts

Alvecote to Atherstone : 6 miles, 6 locks
To date : 1237 miles, 867 locks

I just noticed that yesterday was 1,000 blog posts.......

This morning as we prepared to pull pins we heard a chug chug engine heading towards us.  It was Australia and Kangaroo!   We've seen this pair a couple of times before on our travels.

I took a walk to check out the ruins of Alvecote Priory, telling Mick I'd walk the towpath and catch him up.  Lovely old stonework and a little further along the tiny path was what looked like a prison cell.  I wonder what that was.  It was a lovely crisp morning to walk and the towpath was excellent.  I got back onboard at a bridge hole on the approach to Polesworth.

We had toyed with continuing yesterday afternoon to moor overnight at Polesworth.  Seemed like everyone else had the same idea.  The moorings were packed.  It was at the narrowest beside the moored boats that we saw a boat heading towards us.  It was Ray and Diane on nb Ferndale!  Waving..... cameras...... grounded.....  It took us a bit of reversing to get free and continue on our way.

We were soon at the bottom of the Atherstone locks.  At the first one a boater coming down said there was a queue for the next lock as there was only one paddle working at the top of that lock and it was painfully slow.  She was right.  I timed a boat coming down.... 3 1/2 minutes for the lock to empty.  I timed a boat going up... 10 1/2 minutes for the lock to fill.  We waited and chatted and eventually got on our way again.

As I went to close one of the lock gates I noticed a little white crocheted heart tied to the handle.  A couple of locks later there was another one.  Blue this time.  Someone having a bit of fun sharing love around?  I love it when people do kind things for no other reason than to make someone happy, and in this case a complete stranger.

We decided to stop for the day halfway up the locks.  I had work to do and we had good access to town from there.  It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon.  We saw heaps of old boats pass us heading down the locks.  Mick asked someone in the end and they said they were on their way back from a gathering at Foxton.

I walked to the Co Op for a couple go things and noticed a vegetable I've never heard of. Anyone know what you do with it?