We’ve been having electrical problems for the past few days. First the alternator bracket broke, and when that was fixed the alternator broke. We were reduced to just the solar panel for the fridge, lighting, computers, phones, and Paula’s CPAP. That meant being pretty frugal. Then the solar panel stopped working, so we did some desperate rewiring to charge the leisure batteries from the little alternator that charges the starter battery. That meant being even more frugal.

Today we made it to a boatyard where they can work on the problem. They can’t work on it till Monday, but in the mean time we have shore power. All the electricity you want, just coming out of sockets in the wall. 12v and 240v, we have all the voltages. We can charge all the things. From where I sit I can see a drill, a phone, a computer, a toothbrush, and an iPad all charging at the same time. Wait! I have to charge my Kindle… OK, and a Kindle. You have no idea happy this makes me.

The past two days or cruising have been the nicest on this trip. The sun has been shining a lot of the time, and we have been going though lovely green countryside.

That’s the view from the tiller of Wharram Percy, with all the essential narrowboat paraphernalia: pole for when you run aground, solar panel, gangplank, boathook, mushroom air vents, midlines, and herb garden.

Today the Grand Union Canal joined the Oxford Canal, a single waterway being part of both canals for a while. Just to make life interesting, we were going in the Brimingham -> London direction on the Grand Union, but the London -> Birmingham direction on the Oxford. I could try and explain it, but let’s just say the canal system is sufficiently advanced to be indistinguishable from magic.

We stopped for lunch and shopping at Braunston. Shopping meant Midland Chandlers for an extra toilet cassette, so that we can now have to find somewhere to empty the toilet every ten days instead of every week. That makes me happy, too.

After Braunston we headed north up the Oxford Canal towards Rugby, and stopped just short of there in a boatyard at Hillmorton. Now I’m going to have a shower, and if we run out of hot water we can turn on the immersion heater and make some more!