Hurrah !!!!!!!!!!

When we went down towards the arm 10 days ago we passed this boat and it was intact, in fact it had wood on the roof and clothes hanging up at the window. It is so sad to see decent boats ending up like this of course we don't know what happened, was it arson or more scary a boat fire. I only hope we don't come across any more of these in the future.

Yes we have finally broken free from the ice and the Paddington Arm and I wont be sorry to see the back of it. That section of canal is so filthy the tow path is full of cans and bottles and I think everyone must throw their rubbish (in the black sacks) straight into the canal. Where we were moored near Southall we had been there a couple of days when one evening a work boat went down, Paul lent out of the window to say hello and the guy on the helm said "you don't want to moor there mate the place is full of druggies and Alcoholics" as we hadn't had a problem we were grateful for his comments and planned to move the next day but then the ice came and we couldn't have moved if we wanted too. While Paul was looking for wood he came across a hidey hole that was littered with used needles and crack pipes, and while I was walking the dogs there was a "den" by the tow path, carpet laid out for sitting on and about 20 empty vodka bottles laying around. This place must be a nightmare in the summer when the evenings are light. It is amazing that about a mile from Southall is Willowtree park which looks nice but then again is it?

We had planned to stop at Cowley for a few days but the moorings were all taken so we went through the lock and decided to water up etc and then head up to Uxbridge which is where we are now. Had a long chat with a young lady who was on a tug pushing a barge she was telling us she does a lot of dredging work in fact I remember seeing her in the summer at Lower Heyford.

It is so nice to be back on a safe mooring perhaps tonight I will have a decent night sleep. The sand barge will be passing around 7.30am so an early night is called for. Paul rang Jason about our solar panel it is due next week, so the 2 day delivery date has turned into 2 weeks never mind, Paul can play with it while I go to Kent for Toms 4th birthday.