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/ sat.htmlIt wouldn't be true to suggest we awoke with the dawn; but it was a relatively early start by furry gathering standards. Although overcast, the weather was dry, and a full day on the water beckoned. Unfortunately, most things on the barge don't work until the diesel engine has been started and warmed up. This includes the water pump and hot water for washing. Thankfully the stove works on propane, and hot sweet tea could be enjoyed before the thudding of the engine roused the sleepiest of us. Colifox was soon producing rounds of bacon and egg rolls that were very much appreciated, and fuelled those at the tiller; Kyyanno and Utlah again. By 10:30 we were on our way.
As the countryside drifted by we were treated to ducks (and
ducklings), swans, geese (and goslings), and moor hens (and
whatever baby moor hens are called). Also there were plenty
of sheep, cows, and horses. I'm less certain about life
in the canal. There were anglers along the towpath, but we
did see a fair few dead bloated fish floating side up in our
travels.
A mystery bridge
looked like it was an aqueduct at first, but wasn't
substantial enough as we drifted closer. It turns out just to
be an access road to Mobbs Wood farm.
Our next stop was
Rugby.
for another shopping expedition,
this time to the conveniently located canal-side Tescos.
After Rugby we had three
Hillmorton
locks to negotiate, gaining a
respectable elevation in each one. Things were a little
more organised this time, having sorted out who would
be operating the locks before people piled off the boat.
Another round of Sandroo's pancakes was in order, this time with a deliciously rich chocolate sauce concocted by Emejn from Maya Gold, double cream and sugar.
The appearance of a badger at the stern of the boat
began the fuzzification of over half the crew.
By the time everyone had finished getting changed
we had:
Emejn in his otter suit,
Colifox as Sylvester the Cat,
Kelpsydra in her lynx partial,
Kyanno,
Badger in his badger prosthetic and body paint,
Simon in his Lycra cat suit,
and me in my husky suit (tentatively named Kibble)
This was my first time out in public in fursuit, and I enjoyed it immensely. I was surprised how well we were received, especially as most of the people we met were fairly old. The slow moving narrow boat gave people plenty of time to get used to the sight of us before we got close. It also gave them plenty of time to find their cameras, take photos, and then prepare their questions for those at the tiller. Thus instead of spotters we had explainers, and we were grateful for them. Fursuiting came to an end with general exhaustion, thirst, a lack of boats coming the other way, and signs of oncoming rain. Being in suit, I unfortunately got no pictures.
I sat down to a game of Carcassonne with Emejn, Colifox, and Tungro while taking on replacement fluids. It soon became clear that this apparently simple game that consisted of laying tiles and men was quite complex, and tactics and strategy could be considered on many levels.
We reach our goal of the moorings at Napton fairly late with a plan to eat at The Bridge. This is a pub I pass often on my way from Milton Keynes to Leamington and back. A few went ahead to book a table, but found that the kitchen was closed. The pub did offer a menu for a Chinese takeaway that would deliver to the pub car park. Meanwhile, Klepsydra's card game "Gother than thou" looked interesting, certainly many of the cards had humourous names and effects. We were part way through playing a first game, with open hands to see how it worked, when the food arrived.
There was a little concern at first that the box of food wasn't actually our order; for a start it contained a cheap bottle of perry we hadn't asked for. It also had what appeared to be a headless glove puppet of oriental woman in a kimono, and two key rings with flashing lights. It took a while to figure that the glove puppet was actually supposed to fit over the bottle. What exactly sets off the flashy key rings remains a bit of a puzzle. Using a mobile phone nearby set them off, and sometimes a sharp rap on the table did too. The food was reasonable and appreciated, and it seems our custom was too, given the freebies.
Once again the dark night, quiet, and full bellies lead to an early night for most of us. Thankfully, Utlah was not visited by the ducks (or any other waterfowl) that night.