Day 10 - King's Lynn to Market Harborough

This morning, Sunday 5th October, we have woken up to the most beautiful day with clear skies and ice formed on the roof of the cars.  We had breakfast and leave King's Lynn towards Market Harborough for our last night on land before we take possession of our narrow boat for our trip down the canals. We are hoping to find a laundromat to do some washing.  

So we take a roundabout and first exit...  and land up in this sweet little town of Peterborough. At last we find a launderette and pull in to put on a load, first purchasing some washing powder at Sharifi's Food Store shop next door.  

Sitting on a window-seat in the launderette soaking up the autumn sun (you can see my back in the picture), while the washing gets done.   Paul is wandering around outside enjoying the ambiance.  England is so civilized.  People walk around with their dogs and families..  no threat of being mugged murdered like we have in SA.

Drivers are courteous and abide by the law, what a pleasure.  Why can't we live in a country where everyone is civil, courteous and law-abiding? ...Yes... including the President of the country!

Once the washing is finished, we are heading to Market Harborough. After the most beautiful drive through the English countryside, we arrive in the most beautiful little town.  The high street is filled with one trendy shop after another.

Lots of kitchen and cooking shops.  Unfortunately due to it being Sunday afternoon, none of the shops are open. But we plan to go back in the morning after breakfast as we need to buy provisions for our boat trip before we collect our boat and go for our lesson on how to sail the bloody thing!

After walking around the town, checking out the shops, having a yummy hot chocolate from Costa's, we take a slow drive towards the Foxton Locks, which is an amazing place, where the narrow boats have to travel either up or down 7 locks to get further along the river, depending in which direction they are traveling.

We walk around and see how it is all done.  It is quite an attraction and there are lots of people milling about. 

Two nice pubs line the little Bay Area where some boats are moored for the night.  

We have a quick drink at one of the pubs (so. Paul can once again sample the local ale) and reserve a table for supper, which is a delicious looking carvery. The chef says he will especially make me a vegetarian gravy so I can have veggies and a Yorkshire pudding with gravy.  The puddings look enormous, about the size if a large soup plate!!!

Not sure if it sounds delicious but Paul seems excited for me!  I am hoping that the walking we are doing will help me to not bring back a Yorkshire pudding looking bum!

Tomorrow morning we are going back into town to get some provisions and I saw a shop that sells children's raincoats, which is one thing I wanted to take back home.  Seems a shortage of then in SA and what better place to purchase some. 

We also need to buy a Bodum and some coffee as both Paul and I forgot to pack the Bodum we planned to bring, so we can make some nice coffee on the boat.  We plan to do our breakfasts on the boat and then find somewhere for early dinner.  We have been mostly eating only twice a day, having a nice breakfast and then either a late lunch or early dinner.

Did I mention before that I had to go and buy a new iPad? Thanks to my friends' suggestion that I use the guy at The China Mall in JHB to fix my screen of my iPad mini.  Never worked since then.  So we raided the Apple shop in Norwich and I am now typing in my new baby.  So I am once again mobile!

We are now in our hotel room and trying to sort through our luggage to select some clothes to take on the boat as we won't have space for all our luggage and plan to leave some in the car, in the secure parking lot at the boat office.

Paul definitely packed more clothes than me!  But then I suppose my priority was to have space to do some shopping in the UK and bring home gifts!

So we are off to dinner and I plan to sample the lager and blackcurrant, which will hopefully nod me off to sleep and help my aching back from walking and lugging suitcases, Goodnight to my darling family,  missing you all so much.

Hugs and snuggles for my two little darlings, Emi and Chloe.  Love to Lauren and Taryn as well xxx Love Mom and Paul