No winding here then!

Lie in today, didn't wake until 8am!

Not to worry though, short journey today to Penkridge - wind (turn) above the lock and down again ...

 ... we left our mooring below Gailey bottom lock at 10:15 ...

 ... the round house must be photographed by every boater passing through here!

 Ahh, but, the best laid plans as they say - this is the winding hole - with 6 hire boats abreast each having their water tanks filled prior to the Easter hirers arrival probably later today or tomorrow. 

So, no winding here then!

 We continue under Bridge 78 Gravelly Way which is rather tatty round the edges - this is the first bridge the hire boaters meet when leaving Gailey travelling north - and you can see the damage to the left-hand arch - there would almost certainly have been damage to boats too!

To enable us to turn now we must travel a further 2 miles to Hatherton Junction, wind, and then the 2 miles back again.

 It was 12:30 when we got back to Gailey and the situation was not much better ...

 ... and so we continued our cruise into Penkridge and see these two vans by the water point - the one behind is the Fabrication and Welding van is BW/May Gurney (contractors) ...

... they have fixed a permanent rail across the bottom gates - for elfin safety purposes I suppose!

3pm and we're now moored above Longford Lock just outside Penkridge.

We were so glad to arrive and moor-up; it's been so cold today on the back deck, but as I write this blog (16:43) the sun has broken up the clouds and the temperature reading on the top of Rock n Roll is a very decent 25.4 degrees!