It's good to be back!

A lazy, boring, waiting morning today because the tide won't be ready for us to leave until between 4 and 4:30 this afternoon.  We can't leave for Thames Lock before 2:30 because of the low tide on the River Brent and we need to also to ensure that the river is not too high either so that we can get under the road bridge! High tide at Teddington (our destination) is about 6pm.

First we needed to get rid of the rubbish and top up the water tank and this is where we saw Mr and Mrs Swan with just one cygnet, most unusual I thought.  I mentioned this to a chap who was also watching the family and he suggested that eggs would/could have been compromised during the cold snap we had a week or so ago.

We were most surprised when we got to the gauging lock (which was manned today) to see the same film crew and narrowboat that we saw when going up the Grand Union on 7th May to Uxbridge. They are apparently making a film for ITV about Zombies. 

 As we travel along the river Brent I spy this statue in the trees I think it may be in Syon Park but can't find anything about it ... anyone out there who knows?

 Now moored at Thames Lock ... it's 3:45 and there's a narrowboat waiting too.  The lock keeper should be here soon as we've been advised to leave the lock between 4:15 and 4:30.

 There are long term/permanent mooring all along the Brent 

 The blue wall in the photo above is the 'other end' of this street in Brentford which we saw a couple of weeks ago 

The building in the big picture above is being renovated and I presume repurposed ... there are two large balconies on the side, there are men working inside the building and also landscaping to the side ... I wonder what its end purpose will be in Brentford's regeneration.

There was no sign of the lock keeper by 4 o'clock so George rang CRT to inform them; they said that he would get a call back.  A couple of minutes before 4:30 he arrived; just as George got a call back from CRT to explain that the lockie had got on the wrong bus; George told him that all was now ok.

The lock keeper immediately opened the gates for the narrowboat to enter, we weren't sure if the lock was wide enough for both boats ... it obviously wasn't and the gates closed.

It only took a few minutes for the narrowboat to descend into the lock cut and for the gates to open for us.

The lock keeper apologised profusely for keeping us waiting ... he'd had a puncture on his bike and decided to catch the bus instead; got on the wrong bus and ... was late.

Not to worry, the tide is fine and we're away!

Approaching that stainless steel sculpture at the end of the lock cut that boaters need to look out for when coming down on the tide. 

Today we're going up and turn right ... looking back into the lock cut

Coming in to land at Heathrow just a few miles away

Syon House seat of the Dukes of Northumberland since 1594, the current incumbent of Syon and also Alnwick Castle  is Lord Ralph Percy

Isleworth Riverside

Approaching Richmond Lock and footbridge

First Canada Goslings

Under the arches of Twickenham Road and Richmond Railway bridges

It's another very warm day and people are sitting out in the late afternoon sunshine on Richmond waterside

Richmond Bridge

Richmond Ferry and passengers

Chalets on Eel Pie Island

I need to do a lot more research to find out what this art deco style building at Twickenham is or was.  It lies riverside on the west side of Eel Pie Island.  It does appear to me to perhaps once have been a factory and now apartments .... I will not let it beat me!

Looking back at Eel Pie Island ... the art deco style building is just out of shot on the left

This is another building at Twickenham that has always fascinated me.  The sign says its Radnor House (school) but again I can't find any history ... must do better than this! 

Trip boat out in the sunshine ...

as we approach Teddington Lock ...

and the traffic lights indicate that the lock on the left is closed so the one on the right will be for us ... the lock keeper here is expecting us ...

then the lights change and they're both on red ...

so we pull over onto the lock landing to wait and watch a trip boat exit the lock to our right and can see that 'our' lock is being emptied ...

the gates are opened and in a few minutes we're exiting

Plenty of mooring space here for the night ... 

it's now 10 to 6

A brood of Egyptian goslings as the Thames approaches high tide.

It is so good to be back on the Thames!