Monday 13th May, I had walked over to the post office to post a parcel and arrived back around 9-30. At 10-00 o clock I turned the key to start the engine and nothing happened, the starter battery was flat. By the time I had walked over to the Chandelry,bought a new battery and fitted it then topped up the Deisel and Gas it was 11-30. We were on our way heading up the Trent to Shardlow. There are six wide locks at the start of the Trent and Mersey on the second third and fourth we locked through with another boat on the rest we were on our own. Having not moved since last July I had forgotten how heavy these double locks are. The weather had been kind not raining until we were mooring just before Willington. Marlene and I both ached from steering and locking. Tuesday morning we left our mooring at 9-30 it was sunny but the forecast was for more showers. From Willington there are no locks until Burton on Trent. By the time we approached Branston(one of our favourite moorings)it was looking a bit dark, however we pushed on toward Barton Turns. Of coarse the heavens opened before we got there. Should not have pushed our luck. We moored for the night below Barton lock. Couldn't get the tele to work so we watched a Couple of DVDs. We decided to get an early start on Wednesday morning, so at 7-15 we entered Barton lock,the plan was to have breakfast at Alrewas. Things were going well when I suddenly started to loose power. Stopping along side the A38 I looked in the weed hatch to see if we had something fouling the propellor, I could only find a few bits of string. We set of again and it was ok, I can only think that what ever was on the propellor had freed it's self while I was mooring. As we approached Wychnor lock it started to rain heavy,we put on our waterproofs and carried on to Alrewas and breakfast. We set off again at 10-00 and found ourselves in a queue the lock leaving Alrewas. We were third behind two hire boats. This remaind the same to the junction at Fradley where we turned left down the Coventry Canal. We are now moored at bridge 89 and the sun is shining between the showers. I have not managed to get signal for the tele again, I am beginning to think my satellite dish may be on the blink.