Incommunicado in Leighton Buzzard

Day 1 (Sunday August 2nd), Cowroast to Leighton Buzzard

After all my good intentions, I failerd to post last night, or Saturday night for that matter. On Saturday, at Cowroast, there was an excellent signal, but I discovered I'd left the USB lead at home, and furthermore, couldn't find the charger for the netbook. Number two son being in Venice, I phoned number onhe son, asked him to go round with his cat feeding key and root around in the study. He found the UBS lead easily enough, where I'd left it, plugged into the front of the computer, but he couldn't find the charger at home either. So I'm afraid, as this opportunity had to be grabbed, I sent him upstairs to steal number two son's charger. Sorry Sebastian. Hopefull when he gets back, with more time at his disposal, he will be able to find mine. Having got the bits, he took them round to the house of Alison and David, who spent the day with us yesterday (but I mustn't forget to mention first that we have a lovely evening at Cowroast with the Owls on Saturday before we left).

Yesterday (i.e. Sunday; day 1) was a lovely sunny day, and we polished off eighteen locks, and ate a nice lunch brought along by our guests, who drove up to Tring station, with the intention (fulfilled as far as I know) of getting the train back to there from Leighton. I now have a very red nose again. Oh well. We stopped for an afternoon drink at Grove lock, and arrived at Leighton, by the Tescos, at about six. And then discovered from the locals that there was no Vodafone signal whatsoever owing to some mishap befalling the aeriel.

We spent the night in a not very salubrious spot by an overflowing litter bin and benck frequented by people who drink Special Brew for breakfast, but I was only disturbed in the night by a ferocious cat fight. Jim on the other hand was disturbed by the cats, some Liverpool fans, and the ducks, both quacking and pecking. We come all this way to get away from the bloody seagulls, only to be kept awake by nocturnal ducks instead. When we got up they were all sound asleep.

We dashed round Tescos (I'm afraid I like big Tescos. I know that makes me a bad person, but I still get excited by all the housewares) and left Leighton Buzzard at nine. We hope to get to Stoke Bruerne by tonight but are now in a dilemma. At the first lock, an elderly couple waited for us, to the extent of stopping and refilling the lock when they saw us coming. We are now honour bound to wait for them - or are we? They are very, very slow...