Inside the M25

Morning dawns beside the railway

We slept surprisingly well considering the proximity of the railway line and the constant stream of planes overhead. It had rained overnight but was just cool and damp as we let go the ropes and set off.

 We waved to the queen and shouted our thanks for last night's tea.

 Two narrowboats selling coal

 David Penk

We met this canoist as we approached Bell Weir lock. He is raising money for Help the Heroes by paddling 700 miles in 5 weeks. He is on the final stretch and is due back in Guildford tomorrow. We left him behind and sailed on before stopping for lunch in Laleham. David caught us up and so Angela offered him a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich which he gleefully accepted. He has had an amazing journey, sleeping in a hammock most nights and eating off a campfire. He has covered most of the canals and rivers we have been on including the tidal Trent. A tremendous effort.

 A formation of swans

 Now that's a houseboat!

 "Get off my land"

 Someones little runabout

 Gulls and ducks fighting for bread

Once moored for the night, we were surrounded by waterfowl including many gulls. There were lots of squabbles over bread with the gulls grabbing bread from the beaks of ducks.

 I'm the most handsome swan of all

 A cute big baby gull

 Tonight's mooring in Shepperton

We are moored opposite a weir at the junction between the River Thames and the River Wey, outside a pub. It's a lovely spot with large expanses of water in all directions.

 A distant shot of a green parrot

It is well known that there are lots of green parrots around West London, and we have seen quite a few today. Trying to photograph them is really hard because they appear suddenly, skreech and then rush off flying in a zig zag pattern.

Sunset

We contacted Limehouse Lock tonight and discussed the trip through central London we hope to make on Thursday. We are booked in to arrive at Limehouse at about 09:30, which means we have to leave Teddington lock at 06:00 to catch the tide and arrive while there is still enough water to get over the bar at the entrance to Limehouse. Tomorrow we are heading for Kingston, and intend to moor there for a while, before we finish up moored at Teddington.