Flora and fauna

It has been wonderful watching spring burst forth throughout the countryside and the oak is definitely before the ash!  I think that is supposed to mean we are going to have a good summer.  I personally forecast the summer by the number of dandelions about.  There are loads so my forecast is also for a good one.  It has certainly been glorious for the past couple of days but the evenings and nights turn very cold so much so that we are still having fires!

The whole country seems to be yellow at the moment with fields after fields covered in oil-seed rape.  We have seen so many different birds: wrens, sparrows, tits of various types, blackbirds, red kite, crows, herons, ducks and lots of ducklings, skylarks and one beautiful thrush but we still haven't heard a cuckoo!!

Majestic Horse Chestnuts

Most of the trees are green now except for the poor ash and some sycamore trees.  The Horse Chestnut look majestic and willows are are weeping.

The yellow Leicestershire Countryside

As far as our waterway journey is concerned we found two beautiful 'arms'.  The Welford Arm and the Market Harborough Arm.  These both proved to be little gems with delightful basins at the end.  We plan to explore a bit of MH tomorrow morning having arrived here this afternoon in warm sunshine and we do need to do some shopping.  Shops are few and far between on this part of the network which runs through such remote and stunning scenery.

Saturday took us to the Foxton staircase of locks.  It is one of the wonders of the canal system and celebrates it 200th anniversary this year.  The area is also famous for the incline plane. a magnificent piece of engineering which was in use for just 11 years and dismantled and sold for £250.

Hunters Moon descending the Foxton Staircase

Remains of the Incline Plane at Foxton

We had visits from Simon's Godparents, Sue and Pete and their son, Matthew, his wife Gemma and 20 month old Joseph.  It was lovely to catch up with them all and to watch the experience of an inquisitive and lively little boy on a 57 foot narrowboat.

Gemma and a worried Joseph