Last Week

Well Here I am a week after leaving the boat and the end of the season.

The last week was good, odd in some ways, I think a mix of sadness it was nearly over, tiredness after 26 weeks of hard work and lot of fun from the relied we made it!  We had a good group of passengers and the lovely crew boys helping us out.  We travelled from Little Venice to Windsor, a lovely little diversion up the Regents canal to Camden then down the Grand Union, Bulls Bridge then down the Hanwell flight, which Steered down, it was fab.  Lots of help needed but learned a lot and felt great to be taking the boat down the flight with the other boys off locking!Then onto Brentford, onto the TIddal Thames from there, off and onto Runnymead, Bourne End and onto Henley before heading back to Windsor for the final boating day.

The weather was stunning all week, beautifully sunny all day with some incredible sunrises, sunsets and starry nights.  It was chilly chillsome, the hats and glvoes came out in force and a hot water bottle for a chilly cabin!  The stove went on which was super cosy, but sadly crew cabin was a little icicle!

The week before I had a wee fall, tripping over a lock gate on the Hanwell Flight, flying over it and landing on my shoulder.  It hurt!  However I obviously decided that this wasn't enough bruising so in the final week, whilst moored   in Runnymead I decided that I would hurl myself off the back and wedge yself in between the boat and the side.  Ok, it wasn't a conscious decision, I feel in a hole and fell, jesus lord above me did it hurt, I can't even describe it.  I was found lying on the grass bank, crying shit, ouch, shit, ouch, ouch shit ouch!  I had to be carried back to the boat and put to bed with an ice pack!  I did a real number on my leg, a very impressive bruise and graze, which I feel i did deserve to have something to show for the pain!  It hasn't stopped hurting yet!

Starting to pack was horrible and kept putting it off.   The last guests of the season left on the Saturday morning and we got cleaning, in the afternoon I did some more packing and in the evening we had an end of Season meal out!  It was great to have kat back, lovely to see her and have my original roomy back for a night!

Leaving on the Sunday was awful.  I felt teary the whole time I was getting my stuff together and saying goodbye, that was tough.  I felt a bit sick driving out of the car park, away from the boat and cried most of the way, with some calls of "what the fudge am I gonna do now!