Hatton flight lies between a busy road and a commuter rail line, but even so it can be very quiet in the middle of the night. So quiet in fact that you can start to hear unfamiliar noises on the boat. Having got out of bed to check all was OK at about 5 am, I felt a bit chilly so turned on the heating. Then there was definitely a funny noise, which was the pump running with no liquid in the reservoir.
To make a long story short I found the leak at the joint in the Hep2O piping I had used to drain the system. A little research revealed that rather than reassembling it like a copper joint, I needed to reassemble the connector, then push the end of the pipe into it. Who would have thought that push to fit piping was assembled by, erm... pushing it together. Around 5.30, an hour before first light, I heard a runner pounding past on the path. I thought it was an odd time to be running, but I was sure it was a strange time for plumbing. I always decide that next time I'll read the instructions before tackling a job, but I doubt I ever will.
Still, we were all sorted and refilled by about 6.15, and on the move on a beautiful foggy morning by 7 am. As soon as the sun was over the trees the mist began to burn off, but before it did the dew was highlighting the many cobwebs on the lock gear.
It's great how visiting a flight of locks done many times before but in different conditions can make the whole thing seem like new. Moored on the South Stratford after a good lunch at the Boot.
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