There we were all ready to set off to the sani-station for a water top up, & to get rid of rubbish…
We’ll go about 1pm eh? Yeh fine, hope no-one takes our spot. (As previously stated it’s choca round here).
First Obstacle:
Delayed by an hour, eventually someone pulled it in (hire boat).
By this time, to coin a phrase, we were “in 2 minds about it.” Which to me, is a silly way of making a statement with ref to reaching a conclusion about anything because:
The phrase “In 2 minds about it” could also refer to:
- Being in one’s own mind & someone else’s at the same time, similar to a “mind meld” aboard the Star Ship Enterprise with Mr Spock.
- Or actually having 2 minds of one’s own to deal with while they argue amongst themselves.
- Or one has actually climbed into one’s own mind to have a look around. Could actually do a spring clean & a bit of paperwork at the same time.
- Or one has requested guidance from an entity you may believe in / worship.
Which means, with several options to choose from the first decision that has to be made is which version of “being in 2 minds” one prefers to be in, so one can make the second decision that started off being the first one…
Then there’s the phrase “2 heads are better than one” very similar in principle, except we’ve now got 2 separate brains each considering their own version of being in 2 minds about it…
And with 2 brains processing all of the above it can go 2 ways, the odds of an agreement being reached decreases, & the odds of a difference of opinion occurring suddenly increases…
With ref to the latter of the 2; both brains must reach a compromise in order to get a result. We both agreed & decided to go for it, a minute after we set off a couple of narrowboats moored up where we were…
I got some great photos of other obstacles that presented themselves along the way – but the card wasn’t in the camera – go on, tell me off for never looking at the screen. If it gave a warning noise I’d sit up & listen… So there’s no photos at all, & you’ll have to take my word for this scintillating experience…
After we’d set off we encountered a (moving) hire boat out of control & had to use the bow thruster in order to avoid collision, they managed to swerve the right way at the last possible second…
Then we arrive at the destination to find there’s a boat already at the sani-station, fair enough, but we had nowhere else to go except a private mooring. Turns out we knew the lady who’s mooring it is – she used to be next door to us at the marina. And the guy on the mooring next door totally understood & helped us in…
Amazing isn’t it how boaters on the towpath side who’ve been there for 2 weeks rather than 2 days can frown & moan in judgement…? Fortunately neither of the residents of the 2 boats with attitude problems actually said anything directly to us, if they had, they’d have got more than “the look,” it would’ve been a gob full…
So while we’re sat there waiting, a boat towing another boat moors up in the winding hole which is where we were headed next. Now they did get a telling off, & ironically had to move along to the private mooring behind where we were sat. Again another miss by a whisker…
Eventually, after a fair bit of shuffling around with boats moored either side & those passing through, (even a narrowboat would’ve struggled), we managed to get ourselves installed at the sani-station…
Meantime the winding hole was now clear, till a 70 footer tried to get in there. The guy was no novice, but ended up with the rudder well & truly STUCK on the other side, & the boat across the canal…
So basically, we couldn’t get anywhere till he’d finished, the guys behind us couldn’t get anywhere till we’d buggered off, & the word mayhem doesn’t cover it. Eventually the 70 foot guy came in at a different angle, & after a sum total of half an hour of fiddling about it worked. Which meant the rest of us could move on & get on with our lives…
Fortunately when we got back here, one of the boats had buggered off, so we’ve (almost) got the same spot. The only potential problem being the rather LARGE pile of cowpat size dog poo situated on the towpath about half way down the boat. In fact it can clearly be seen from the kitchen whilst cooking & washing up. I said to Dave, just pretend it’s some new kind of foliage…
IN SUMMARY THEN: Even when 2 minds think alike it isn’t always the best or brightest decision anyway. But if one manages despite the odds, it’s done now so sod it…
PS: Last night at the pub we were dancing in the street – literally, eee takes me back to the days when Wigan Casino was my mecca. Age limit: Over 18, I started going there age 16… Rebel Rebel…
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