The present spell of hot weather has made me go all nostalgic, writes Ian Waters.
I have started to remember simpler times and in particular the summer of 1976. That year my wife and I and a couple of friends cruised the Grand Union Canal from Uxbridge to Gas Street Basin and back in a hire boat.
It was pretty much like today except we were much fitter in those days! The same scenery with dried yellow grass everywhere and we went aground it seemed all the time. It was almost as hot as this Summer.
But one thing was different. We cruised the whole route without a single lock closure. There was no closing of lock flights due to a lack of water and while I am sure that some maintenance was going on it did not impede our progress.
Contrast that with today ...