Nov 11th - Dec 29th

Rather more than a month since our last post, but Christmas preparations and activities have taken up time, and the days have just slipped by.....We feel well settled in our winter mooring spot now. After all our travels about the canal network over the summer, our movements are currently limited to a half-mile trip to the Saltisford Canal Centre every ten days or so to fill up with water. After each trip Benny is amazed to find that  we're in the same place when the doors open again - very boring!

In November we were treated to a delicious Sunday lunch at Robert's pub, the Crowd of Favours  (www.crowdoffavours.co.uk) along with David, Lizzie and James

Landlord Rob with some customers...[don't ask]

James and Lizzie

So far the winter has been relatively mild in comparison with last year, but we still need to light the stove every day, and have been grateful for donations of wood when friends/family have felled a tree or taken down a fence. Roger spends a lot of time out on the towpath chopping logs!

Roger's daily chore

 No joy with getting a TV signal through the aerial - if there's a programme we really want to see we have to download it to Roger's phone to watch later, which involves a trip to some public building with Wi-Fi such as a pub, library or swimming pool, or the house of some long-suffering friend.  Sue and Dave kindly invited us to watch the Strictly Come Dancing Final live, which was a highlight of our autumn viewing schedule!

We have had lots of visitors, family as well as friends, including David (with and without Lizzie and James),

Roger with Jenny and Richard, Joseph and Samuel

Jenny and Richard with Joseph and Samuel,

Roger, Robert, Moira

 Robert and Moira (Roger's brother and step-mum) Peter and Di

Note Di's look of amazement - Pete is drying up!

Jill, Caroline, Alison and Jane ( ex midwife colleagues of Jean),

Davinder

Davinder and Liz Tebby with daughter Ruth.  Liz has just published two books "Distant and Dangerous Days in Burma and China",and a short book of historic photos from Burma.

Ruth, Liz holding her book

 Details on her website (www.elizabethtebbygermaine.com) which also shows examples of some lovely paintings (she takes commissions for pet/house/garden portraits)

The boat is currently looking fairly festive, inside at least - the tiny tree we bought last year has survived outside in its pot and come in to be decorated again, and we even have fairy lights powered by AA batteries!

It's Christmas!!

 The sloe gin and crab-apple vodka which we started off in October are going down a treat ( the rose-hip wine is still fermenting gently in a corner). We spent Christmas in York with David and Robert plus extended family,

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
No, it's David in his Christmas onesie

then returned to Warwick to rescue Benny from a cold boat and give him his present of a 'catnip bomb'!

Benny's catnip-filled bomb

Then on Boxing Day we enjoyed another family party in Cropredy to celebrate Joseph's 7th birthday.

Joseph whupping Granddad at table football

Now we are looking forward to 2014, and wish all our friends a very Happy New Year!