We are moored up along the Paddington arm of the Grand Union between Kensal Green and Alperton. I assumed that this thing alongside the boat was the towpath, but aparently it isn’t, it’s a cycle race track.

Yesterday evening we spent quite a while observing a swan’s nest opposite. The poor swan was trying desperately to stop the rising waters getting to her eggs. We watched her almost continually moving them with her beak. But the nest was getting waterlogged. By this morning the level had dropped and the nest was about a foot above the water. Hopefully the eggs will still hatch.

We started up the Hanwell flight at about 8:00. At the second lock we met two C&RT guys. One was demonstrating the use of the sideponds to the other, and they locked us through. They then walked up the rest of the flight cracking open a bottom paddle on each lock so that they would  all be empty for us.

I had called Willowtree marina earlier to see if they had a bilge pump, they did.  Unfortunately it wasn’t a drop in replacement for mine. But with a slight change to the wiring I have it in and working.

We have only seen two moving boats all day. A widebeam coming down the Hanwell flight and a gravel barge working on a large civil engineering project near Bulls Bridge junction.