So here we are off on our travels again.

When we left Bangkok it was 40c , our arrival at Heathrow was rather cool, just 3c. We have managed to catch up with lots of people before we hopped aboard Bluemoon.
We have spent a week getting ready for our departure from the canal side at Trinity Marina. We had hoped that it would be much warmer by now. The weather has improved considerably, a few degrees higher would be good though.

We started our journey this afternoon. We have travelled 16 miles in 4 hours. Our overnight stop is at a place called Nettle Hill, near Antsy.

The location is not perfect, we are next to the main train line to London , trains every 2 minutes ! It's too late to move , tomorrow is another day. On the upside the view is nice.

All good things come to an end..... Until next time !

Les and I have really enjoyed our adventure on Blue Moon. Today we drained out the tanks and closed the doors on her for the last time in a good while. We felt a little sad to leave. Now it's time to return home to Thailand. We look forward to continuing exploring the canals in the spring.

In the meantime I plan to write a blog called " So you think I live in paradise ! It will give an insight into life in the far east where the sun does not always shine ! We enjoy our life in Thailand very much but it can be quite eventful !

Ye old trip to Jerusalem, the oldest public house in England

The pub is reputed to be the oldest in England. It dates back to the 12th century. The walls inside are made of sandstone the outside is attached to the castle. There is said to be a secret tunnel where a mistress from the castle met her lover in the old pub.

A old galleon model is now displayed in a glass case out of touch of anyone who may decide to clean it. The last 3 people who have cleaned it have died within in a year in an unexpected way.

Nottingham Castle and surrounding area

The canal in Nottingham is a little sad with very little character. It has not been developed like it could have been in a large city.

The city is well served by a tram system.

Robin Hood is seen everywhere from statues to little cafes named after him

The castle is well preserved and has pretty gardens.

Nottingham City

The city of Nottingham has some lovely buildings that now house designer boutiques the architecture is amazing.

Toooooo cold, we are fair weather sailors !

Far too cold and wet and windy to take to the water. So jumped ship again and took a train to Nottingham. It's been great visiting all the cities that we have not been to in a very long time. We stayed in Jury Inn very close to the station and overlooking the canal. Had a good time discovering the caves below the city. Amazing we did not know that they existed. They date back to the 12th century. They are carved out of the sandstone that lies below the city.

A visit from some very good friends

After a very nice night away in Leicester our friends of 39 years Pat and Derek came up to visit us. They stayed in the premier inn at the marina for 3 nights. We had a great time with them lots of laughs. The the weather was good a very warm day allowing us to go out on the canal and up to The village of Shenton. It rained very briefly during which time we took shelter under a large tree. Pat and Derek enjoyed steering and managed it well. Especially Pat.

The next day started off with drizzle that turned into rain. A decision was made to catch the train to Coventry for some sightseeing. We walked around the car museum and took lunch in IKEA. Followed by a look at the old houses in Spon street.