My cold started today, got steadily worse and I ended the day tired, achy and shivery. Even so, I struggled through my morning routine, joined the family for lunch at Tooks in St Ives High Street and then watched he family swim at St Ivo pool and then navigated The Lady downstream to The Ferry Boat In at Holywell where eel fisherman, Ton Arnold, and his men were reed cutting and stacking but had no success with their eel nets. Watching the Open Golf from Lytham St Annes and then an early night hoping for better health tomorrow.
A poor night, unsettled by the need for several trips to tend Daniella and marked by the emergence of the opening symptoms of my own cold. I also had trouble in getting comfortable with the confines of my sleeping bag and a sore back. This morning I was quite affected and hardly wanted to get up and dressed, having an obvious high temperature and headache into the bargain. I struggled through my washing and shaving routine in time to have breakfast with the family and then I went back to our cabin and laid on Diana’s bed whilst they went shopping. Read a little and suffered a lot. I then bravely struggled along to the Harvest Bakery (‘Tooks’) in St Ives High Street and we had lunch and then I struggled along, equally bravely, with the family who went swimming at the St Ivo Centre pool, whilst I watched.
The hot and humid atmosphere of the pool hall made me worse and I could hardly wait for them to come out. Back to The Lady and, taking the bull by the horns, I decided to cast off and head through St Ives lock via L H Jones Marina for diesel and water fills. The St Ives lockkeeper remembered me and The Lady and was able to ask me about our moorings and the work to protect them, which is long finished of course. On downstream to Holywell, where we moored at the Ferry Boat Inn before the cold and windy weather turned to rain as well. Mr Tom Arnold and his merry men had been reed cutting and stacking and the ‘common’ by the river was also cut short for once, which makes the place look nicer. I saw them check a whole series of eel sets without success and I also had no luck with a bit of fishing before the cold breeze and my cold condition put me off. Sat and watched the UK Open from Lytham St Annes and the mystros battle unsuccessful against the elements and then switched off and wrote up my journal. Tired, achy and shivery, I then took the option of an early night with plenty of medicine and a hot water bottle for comfort.