Learning the ropes (in France) Pt 1: Tie both ends.

The Fonneseranne Staircase is a monster. Seven ovaline stone chambers linked by gated steps up the side of a hill near to Beziers on the Canal du Midi. While we were burning down London in 1666, a little known frenchman was connecting the Atlantic to the Meditterranean by an amazing canal.

We had come from the hire base at Le Somail via the 54 km pound and this staircase of locks was our first experience of french locks. We arrived in the late afternoon, discovered that the locks are a one way system: down in the morning and up in the afternoon with a break for lunch. We moored up and walked down the locks. We were amazed by their size in comparison to the narrow locks we were used to around the Birmingham Canal Navigation or even compared to the barge lock at Teddington, the largest lock we had ever encountered. What was scary was the fall of each lock: about the depth of Somerton Deep at each lock.

In the morning we were gestured into the locks by Messieurs Eclusers along with another craft and we decended. The water fell. the gates opened and one after another we glided down in a smooth operation. The lock keepers did all the work and we went down on the water. Easy peezey.

After visiting Agde and the Mediterranean we returned to queue at the foot of the stairs. This time the lock keepers beckoned all the plastic cruisers into the lock past us. I thought we had been forgotten and then our tres joli bateau anglais (a nerrowboat) was brought in at the rear. The lockkeepers shouted and cajoled a dutch teenage beauty who was draped across the front of her cruiser to get inside. She reluctantly complied and then saw why. The water entered the lock and we started to bob up with such force that she would have been swept off the bow of the boat. We too realised that we were placed at the back of the lock because the inrush from the gate paddles would have swamped our fore well deck with disasterous results.

When about half full the gates opened and we bobbed forward into the next lock chamber against the flow. It was as near to white water rafting as I have been in a narrowboat.

But that wasn't the worst of it. In each lock I had to throw up to the lockside a line fore and aft. This was about a twelve foot throw. We were short of crew as we were travelling with Piglet, my four year old son, who could hold but not throw, and Poohbear, my special needs ten year old who can't throw or catch. My Best Mate was on lockside to catch at the bow end and a dutch lass helped out by catching the rope that I threw from the stern. That was except in the third lock of seven when, to my horror, she missed my throw and I saw the rope's end disappear into the water followed by all the rest of the line as the other end flipped off the 'T' post!

I reported to the lock keeper that there was about 15 meters of rope in his lock. He did not go to look for it imediately. We had four more locks to ascend.

We got out at the top and were glad of the reprieve and the long pound back to the hire base where we replenished our stock of mooring line. The next one was polypropelene. It floats! [to be continued

Seams on plan

Here is one of the welded seams of SONFLOWER filled with the appropriate stuff.

As promised the painter has filled and is now starting to prime, commencing with unfilled parts. There is still a rosy glow around the dock as the heaters keep the metal nice and warm and the dock stays cosy. Just the right conditions for painting.

I have been warned that I will not be allowed in to take pictures while the undercoats and top coat are being applied because I might produce dust. I will comply.

Matt the mechanic suggested cleaning a bit if window so I can take pictures through the glass. Maybe.

Mooring Prices RIsing

Recession or not it appears that mooring prics continue to rise.

The auction has just closed for a mooring on our site. The highest bid received was £2151 against a guide price of £1650. A similar mooring in Cropredy closed at £2050.

There are no facilities at these moorings. Water is half a mile away. All we have are rings to tie to, and they are in the wrong place for the length of our boat!

It is all about supply and demand even in a recession. Those who can afford it will always outbid those who can't.

Good News from the top

Matt, the boss, reports that his ankle is now in plaster, he should be back at work next week and walking in four weeks. On the mend then!

Not today

The Owatrol
was still tacky today and so Martin would not risk getting dust stuck to it by putting filler into the undercut and cavities and sanding it back.

He primed the swan-hatch doors, the covers and deck fittings but that was the only painting done today.

SONFLOWER stands gleaming still naked.

I am impressed that the boatyard are not cutting any corners. The infrared heaters remain aglow, warming the dock as the painter waits until the conditions are right.

Missed You!

Here is a pic of nb Silhouette of narrowboat fame.

No-one was aboard when I called to extend a hand of welcome to our wonderful town. I do hope that they pop their heads into Tooley's yard where they will see an unidentifiable naked SONFLOWER. Later today she may be hiding her modesty under a coat of primer .

All in the accent!

I went to the boatyard today and saw SONFLOWER gleaming under the glowing red heaters having been coated with OWATROL. I blogged that the boat would be coated from stem to stern in this paint pre-treatment but called it "oletrol'! It must be Martin's accent (or my poor hearing) that promoted the mistake.

Here it is on the shelf.


It comes highly recommended by other boat painters, who used to work for Tooley's but branched out on their own as Oxon Boat Painters. I met one of them in the yard this morning and the other partner used to be my neighbour on Tramway Moorings. They say they use it all the time. It must be good.

And after all that progress

YES, Matt the Boss at Tooley's might have broken his ankle by falling down these steps keeping him away from the yard for ten days but he is still able to email me an INVOICE!

After the progress comes paying for it!

More to report

Here are some pictures of the new weed hatch and cover/baffle plate with quick release which replaces the shorter weed-hatch with eight bolt flange. All looking good.


Also today I saw Martin Pocock, the Tooley's painter, here degreasing the new cruiser stern back balustrade, before making good progress to do the whole boat ready for an application of oletrol sealer/preparation. This should be applied tomorrow to have two days drying time over the weekend.






The filler and primer should follow early next week.

It is all looking very good.

Update

I tried to visit SONFLOWER today but got to Tooley's just after they closed at 4pm. I peered through the glass. She is almost totally prepared now. Metal shining through all over the place.

She also has the balustrading complete on the cruiser stern deck and four shining new magnesium anodes fitted to the 12 foot extended area of the hull.

A new screen

I have just come across this screen on blogger. I have no idea where it came from. Some strange things are happening to the web tonight. I cannot cope with all this change.

I wanted to get to my comfortable dashboard where I can choose what I want to do.

While here though I am posting this as a test.

first edit I am back in my comfort zone, editing via the dashboard screens.

Boating Equipment

Just been sent the link to this Boating Equipment site. Some of the stuff seems rather specialist for our market but the racers on Granny Buttons recent post might be pleased to have the face protection for their high speed antics.

The prices all seem to be in hundreds of dollars where one can find them buried under several layers of links.

A bit of a tough day.

The Best Mate was unwell this morning. After a restless night she felt very queezy. We left her in bed this morning while we went to church. I had the priviledge of taking the children's group that she had prepared to teach. Five adorable lively youngsters aged between 5 and 8. All with differing needs and attention span.

We had fun together learning from Jesus' parables of the mustard seed and the yeast. An hour with them reminded me how tired I get these days and how much energy they have.

We cooked bacon and eggs, mushrooms and potato wedges for lunch. Very typical boy food. We filled up with bread and butter and hot cross buns.

I took a siesta after taking Tigger to Respite house and hearing that Chelsea had scraped a 1-0 win against ManCity. During my nap, the Best Mate surfaced to prepare tea of salad and cheese tacos and salsa.

We enjoyed Piglet's choice of Sister Act on the big screen and then there was nothing left to do but go to bed.

But I am sleepless. . . .

Another job done, but. . . .

The swan neck bearing has been replaced and is looking very new against the rusty deck.




Also finished is the preperation of the hatches and covers. They have been shot blasted and primed and look very nice.



Unfortunately there have been some set backs. Matt, the boss, has broken his ankle, descending some steps in the yard. He is confined to looking at a computer screen at home and won't get the full plaster on for a week or so because of the swelling and bruising around the break. So, there is no-one 'cracking the whip'. I hope he gets better soon and wish him well.

Martin, the painter, got hit in the eye by a splinter of steel from the roof yesterday and needs to rest it and keep it covered for a few days. I wish him well too. The word is that he was wearing glasses but not goggles at the time.

The boat builder/fitter is busy fitting the rails around the back deck. He has also given his opinion on the cost of a new weed hatch. I look forward to the typed up copy. It is a "must do" job so there is little option but to have it done now while SONFLOWER is out of the water.

Progressing

Here is a picture of one of the Tooley's men who are busy busy busy taking SONFLOWER back to bare metal in places. There is dust everywhere and bright steel is showing in places. There is also a considerable amount of filler showing as well.

Clearly visible are the welds where the boat was extended about ten years ago. About twelve foot section was inserted to extend the craft to a little under 57 feet. One result of this extension was that the inserted steel has become a sacrificial anode to the original structure. It is this section that requires complete corrosion protection (new anodes) and rust treatment to arrest the pitting.

Now the waiting.....

No pictures...the camera gave a message 'that operation cannot be completed' and gave up.

The surveyor did a thorough job. SONFLOWER was duly hit with a chipping hammer outside and inside and declared sound enough to be insurable.

There are some advisory points like rust treatment, four additional anodes to be fitted, engine maintenance, bilge pump reinstatement.

However....the ballast in the boat is aparently unecessary and the counter is about four inches lower in the water than it really should be. This means that the weed hatch standpipe was designed to give four inches more freeboard than it has. This means that there is a potential risk of sinking if the back end of the boat gets full of water and the weed hatch joint seal leaks. The surveyor recommends that an extra four inches are put on the weed hatch or ballast is removed. The latter would mean taking up a lot of the floor as the 'ballast' in her is made up of great big precast concrete kerb stones. These have also kept bilge water back and made the bilge damp. A recipe for corrosion. And there has been some.


The good news is that the surveyor was confident that the boat will last my lifetime.

The painting isn't a waste of money then!

The waiting is for the report.

Big Day Tomorrow

It is out of the water SURVEY day tomorrow. This is the day we find out whether the boat is in good enough shape for the insurance company to take on the risk of her not floating 'til the next inspection is due in four years time.

It is also the day I have the priviledge of handing over a bunch of readies to the Marine Surveyor in return for the report to submit to the Insurance Company.

Of course, he could find some problem that would indicate that the boat won't continue to float for the foreseeable future.

Then I'll have to hand over even more readies to the boatyard to fix it!

Twittering

Yes, I have registered and started posting my tweets on Twitter.

I am very disappointed that Barack Obama (the second on a google search for Twitter) hasn't tweeted since before his inauguration.

Maybe I'll enjoy this new fad. Too early to judge.

In Dock

Here is a picture of SONFLOWER high and dry in Tooley's yard. They have removed all the windows now and every removable fitting. Beneath most of them was the inevitable rust from 25 years of life on the water. Going back to bare metal is what a good paint job is about when there is rust in the steel and that is what has been promised. So far, so good.

In the last post I said there is always something more to do. I have added a couple if things to Tooley's list. One thing they added to mine was what to do with the cruiser stern? The previous owner had dogs and had a fence around the back. Tooley's found this to be rust ridden and did not want to put it back or repaint it.

We have children and grandchildren and do not want to worry about them slipping off the rear deck! We have agreed to to replace the mesh with steel bars. I will keep you up to date with what it turns out like.

There were another couple of boring things to do like replace the swan-neck bearing and re-dress the lower rudder post bearing cup because it was worn.

The anodes are good though!

To sign write, or not?

Today SONFLOWER entered Tooley's dry dock and is now resting on the bottom.

We don't have a photo but hope to take some snaps as the work progresses. There always seems to be something else to do.

We admired the paintwork nb Emerald Dream which was the boat getting the full works before ours. She looked beautiful. The sign writing on her particularly made me think that we should be having SONFLOWER sign-written rather than the vinyls I had intended to replace. I asked Tooley's to get me a quote. It would be silly spoiling a proverbial ship for the ha'pence worth of tar.

We were shown the windows new windows that arrived today.

Exciting isn't it?

Ingredients for a great weekend

First, there is a boat: and what a boat. We were a little worried about the accommodation but there was no need for that. This is everything one could want to cross the atlantic and cruise the carribean. I thought it would be a bit better appointed than SONFLOWER but never expected a huge saloon and three double bedrooms!
Then the refreshments:here gin and tonic (of course)and the wine and nibbles that preceded a fish and chip supper on Friday night. We were provided with everything we could have wanted for a wonderful weekend. Breakfast al fresco on deck in the sunshine and tapas for lunch on Saturday. Wonderful filled baguettes in the Landers bar at the marina on Sunday after a bracing walk on the beach.

Of course wonderful company, plenty of laughter and entertainment. We enjoyed both with the boys enjoying a couple of dvd's to boot while we caught up with the news of the last year and where our grown up children were at the moment.

Then places to go and sights to see. Of course we crossed the water and visited the Spinnaker Tower to get panoramic views of the dockyard and harbour. Marina spotting was a must. There were some who did more on the water than take the ferry, but the wind was so slight there was little chance of a meaningful excursion this weekend under sail.
We went round the dockyard to see Warrior and the energetic ones among us circled HMS Victory. The rest of us just enjoyed a beautiful day.

We thank our friends for their hospitality and showing us a different type of boating. We loved their boat. I still think I want to stick to the flat water though, the lumpy stuff and standing at a tilt all the time doesn't really appeal. Great fun in the marina though!

 

We're going boating!

We are off to visit our good friends who live in Portsmouth.

They have had a bit of a fire in their home. A lodger's cigarette lighter mal-functioned causing a conflagration in his bedroom and smoke damage to the remainder of the house. They cannot put us up in the house. We suggested a weekend in the local Hilton Hotel but they suggested that we go on their 43 foot sailing cruiser.

As we are suckers for the wet stuff under us their was no contest. The sharp end is going to be a bit sharper and the beam is a bit wider ( a luxurious eight feet or so). The only drawback as far as I can see is that it is winter and the water goes up and down all the time!

So SONFLOWER's crew are going to be sailors for the weekend. I am not sure we will get a trip round the marina or Portsmouth harbour but I will try to get some photos.

Progress Report

I went to look at progress this lunchtime and had a chat with John the carpenter and Matt the boss at Tooley's Historic Boatyard. The sink unit refurbishment is almost finished. The carcass has been rebuilt and the drainer now drains toward the sink! It sports a fine new full depth shelf that is high enough to allow a lot of storage underneath and low enough to allow a few of the bottley type of things to be stored on it. I checked it with an aerosol of "Raid", a very important product to keep handy.

The fire work is progressing. The picture above shows the new flue prepared for welding and the fire door in a gleaming re-furbished state. All looking good.


Of course, with good news comes the bad news. Tooley's are behind programme because of the snow and cold. The cold is not good for painting and the yard was shut for a few days because the staff could not get there. In the old days, the Tooley family used to sleep on the premises. (In fact the last Mr Tooley was found dead one morning in the dry dock!) Matt promises the boat will be ready for Easter! The other 'bad\ news was that he wants some money in advance to order the windows. I am glad to get ahead with it.

Fortunately he doesn't want it in used fivers!

No Harm Done

I visited the boat this afternoon to check her out after the cold period. Those kind people at Tooley's have put an electric heater on board to keep her above freezing while the fire is in pieces.

No visible damage. It was thawing nicely this afternoon so any leaks should have been evident.

Another cold snap is just around the corner.

I spotted fieldfares and redwings this morning. They come from Scandinavia to escape the cold weather. I bet they don't think it was worth the journey this year!

More Snow

More of the pretty snow. Pretty cold that is brrrrr!!

Pictures of Banbury and SONFLOWER

Started already.

I handed the keys to Tooley's man and have perused, queried and received answers to their estimate. They said thay would start work on Friday so I went to the boat today to light the fire to keep the frost at bay.

I trudged through virgin snow six inches thick to get to the boat and brushed the layered snow from the cratch cover to discover that they had started the work! And the first thing they have started is the flue pipe! Without a flue I couldn't light the stove and without the stove the boat is entirely without heat unless I light the cooker!

Tooley's staff obviously had difficulties with travel in the snow today as there were locks on all the gates. The heaters were on in the dock! My boat is not.

I had expected that his would be done when the boat was in the dock and am dreading 'frost damage' when the thaw comes. At least I had drained the Morco water heater this time before we left.

It does make a change for someone to be ahead of schedule rather than behind!

Another Tragedy

The sad news of the death of a 63 year old at Willington on the T & M yesterday, reported in This Derbyshire Today brought back to mind those we have lost on this section of the system.

Maybe, with this hindsight, those funny things that BW employees wear (and we laugh at as being superfluous) are not a bad idea.

Lots to Do

Those of you that are familiar with the area will recognise that SONFLOWER is moored at Castle Quay, Banbury in the pictures below. The reason is because she is nice and handy for Tooley's Boatyard.

We have commissioned them to do a long list of jobs. The main one is a repaint. The last full paint that Sonlower had was while we were navigating the Warwickshire ring in 2004. We went from spill wier to spill weir to sand her and bridge to bridge to paint her. We used Dulux Weathershield, miles of masking tape and a kilogram of builders sand which we got from a site in Tamworth in exchange for a look through the boat by the site agent.

So it hasn't worn badly. But now we want it done 'properly'! In Masons boat enamel so that she gleams in the sunshine like a posh boat! We will be keeping the colour scheme the same.

We have been fighting leaky windows all the time we have had her. Last summer we removed a couple and re-sealed them to no real avail. To paint 'properly' all the windows will be removed. So we are having new windows as well!

Inside, we are having some work done. The boat has no calorifier to make use of the waste heat from the engine. This seems a very logical thing to have so we are having one fitted. We should save on gas and save the planet. To fit the calorifier means losing a cupboard in the bathroom and repositioning a bilge pump. To do that means refitting the back steps so that they can be removed to give access.

We had a problem with freezing and water leaks inside the boat. One of the problems was the waste pipe from the sink joint to the skin fitting. What we discovered was that the whole sink unit is loose fitted and has come apart at the joints making it come away from the wall and breaking the connection. We are having the unit rebuilt.

Other bits on the list are necessary to meet the boat safety scheme requirements. We are replacing the stove flue, which has three loose joints in it, with a purpose made doglegged all welded flue. This will prevent the possibility of leakage within the saloon.

The rest of the work is routine engine maintenance and leak control.

Once she comes out of the water we may have more to do! I will try you keep you posted.

Brrrr!

I have been silent for too long.

It is not because things have not been happening but that too much has been happening.



It is the winter now! I thought that you would like to see some photos of SONFLOWER in the snow. The pretty nature of snow disguises the fact that it is cold.

The cold freezes the canal and eventually everything sitting in it! I have suffered a bit of frost damage. Fortunately, there is an antidote.

Here it is!

Christmas is coming. . . .

Ok, I know the date. But the schools have broken up and so we went to Cardiff this weekend. Our grandson has grown and we went with him to Tredegar House to see Father Christmas. The house is all decked out like in Edwardian times and themed as Beauty and the Beast. They offer mulled wine and mince pies to the adults and a visit to FC for the children. They give pretty good presents too. Piglet got a kite.

Christmas started for us this weekend because our eldest son's doctering duties in the paedeatric ward over Christmas make it impossible for him and his family to join us over the true festive season. No turkey yet but we felt very Christamssy as presents were opened and we shared a lunch together.

Then back to Banbury and a Carol Service this morning. Not being one to hide a light under a bushel or bury my talents I dusted off the grade I piano certificate I was awarded by the Royal Schools of Music in 1959 and tinkled the ivories for hearty congregational singing. I don't think there is a service I enjoy more than the readings and carols that tell the wonderful story of Jesus' birth. Then more mulled wine and mince pies.

I don't even like mulled wine!

The festivities will coninue. We have plenty of shopping to do to keep in tune with the celebration of Christmas in the 21st century which seems to be centred on the shopping mall rather than the cathederal nave. We have a tree to buy and decorate, turkey to procure and to prepare meat and the other trappings for Boxing Day. I have also to collect my in-laws from London and fix the Christmas lights again!

Much to do and much to remember.

Most of all. It is about that story of the baby in a manger.

I should be fishing. . . .

It is a beautiful crisp bit dry and sunny winters day. The song thrush has been singing all night. the dawn chorus was exciting ansd the canal, although still discoloured is reflecting the blue sky without a ripple.

I should be fishing.

But. . . . we have been struck by the fluey cold that is going around and I am locked in by a casualty. Tigger took to his bed yeaterday and has only just emerged to watch a video, clutching a tissue. He is off his food as well which is a very sure sign that all is not well. So, with the Best Mate at a meeting all day, I have been locked in as nursey Percy trying to get fluid and paracetamol in at appropriate times.

I hope the weather holds out. Tomorrow the school panto has been cancelled because staff are dropping like flies from similar afflictions and my services as Widow Twanky will not be required until the restart in January.

Hence: tomorrow is free! I wonder what it will hold for me? Maybe I will get a plastic maggot wet. Who knows?

Digging In.

The winter is well upon us. Not the cold and frosty kind though. We have had heavy rain and the canal is once more at a high level This time the water hasn't spilled onto the towpath in Banbury. Our friends moored in Cropredy had to get the wellies out though to get to and fro their boat. The Spice Ball Park flood alleviation scheme is already full and the Cherwell is rushing mercilessly over the weirs trapping great 2 foot diameter tree trunks in a death roll. We expectmore rain on saturated ground this week.

The GF club are in the middle of their own flood protection measures. They are building a wall around the garden. It is at ground level now. It may be too little too late. We will have to see later in the week! It would be sad to have a flooded clubhouse for the second time in six months. Especially at the expense of the best herb garden in Banbury. many varieties of mint, thyme, fennel and borage have been cleared to make way for the wall. Such a shame.

Waving the flag

What a day yesterday. There was only one event in my diary and that was to see the Queen during her visit to Banbury.Here is a picture of my flag, courtesy of the Town Mayor,

. . . . and here is the Queen's Standard flying above the Town Hall.

I also have a picture of The Queen during her walkabout but I am not too sure of the etiquette and whether I should show you that one.

The visit got a bit of negative press because a fool used the occasion to try to spoil it.

Most people, however, were pleased that Her Majesty (sorry for the previous faux-pas, see comment below) and HRH Prince Philip made time in a very busy day to meet and greet the people of the town. The Prince had been to Prodrive, the maker of very expensive big boys toys, in the morning while The Queen opened a new Cheshire home and after a reception by The Town Mayor and celebrating a 400 year old charter they left for Oxford's JR hospital and lunch at Magdelene College. Quite a good day;s work for an octogenarian couple.

We enjoyed her visit and it cheered us up on an otherwise featureless grey day.

Thank you M'am.

"Pay now or pay more"

"Pay now or pay more
As part of BW’s licence evasion crackdown, a date has been set for the introduction of the Late Payment Charge, which was announced earlier in 2008. People whose 12 month boat licence is more than one month out-of-date from 1 April 2009 will have to pay an extra £150 for their renewal."

This is a quote from the British Waterways Boaters Update newletter. That seems good value to me. If I don't pay my licence for six months, say, I could save £350. I get charged £150 and save £200.

Have I missed something? The Best Mate says I will need to pay the license fee back dated to teh renewal date as well. I do hope that is true, because I want to see the license dodgers charged with the fees from the last renewal date for their craft, whether they have "just bought it" or not! They should insist it is licensed at the time of purchase.

Water, water everywhere. . .

Last week we had more heavy rain and in the middle of it the Best Mate suggested that we needed to check the bilge in the boat. I went to get some stuff from it on Friday. Just stepping onto the boat felt funny. A glance at the bow revealed a lowered waterline with weed exposed to the air. Further investigation found that the shower tray was almost full of water. I pumped it out and then tried the taps to see if they were leaking. No water. A quick feel under the back steps and my fears were confirmed. The contents of the water tank, about 1,700 litres, had emptied into the bilges. The bilge pump had removed some of it but a large amount of flaky rust had blocked the pump entry and there was still several inches left.

Two hours work with a Wickes wet/dry vacuum was needed to remove the water. I then went for a two hour cruise to the water point and back to refill the tank. Crew of the nb Nightingale, from Napton, opened the lift bridge for me and the Best Mate met me at the Water Point to crew down the lock, to Tramway and back for lunch in General Foods Club on the way back to the mooring. 2miles, 2 locks and 2 lift bridges and 1,700 litres of fresh water.

I switched the water pump off before I locked up the boat.

Change all round

Pooh wants to be known as Tigger from now on. He is grown up and I must agree with him. He is sort of bouncie at the moment.

We have just visited Devon for a few days. We atayed in a verty nice hotel, The Thorveton Arms, a few miles north of Exeter. This gave us a base to visit friends and family dotted around Exeter and as far south as Ivybridge. I just love Devon in Autumn colouring, but this week we had a surprise from the weather. The north wind doth blow and we shall have . . . hail and heavy rain! This gave rise to local flash flooding. I saw how quickly the River Exe rose and overflowed its banks and felt very sorry for those around Ottery who experienced the worst flooding of this round.

Activities such as bird watching and moorland walking were curtailed for lack of warm enough clothing to keep out the north winds.

We did have a fleeting visit to the Grand Western Canal just to remind us of where we really should have been and retreated to South wales for this weekend.

Detergent query answered!

There has been recent debate about the use of biodegradable detergents and the "grey water" that comes from the sink and bathroom waste form our boats into the canal.

I have asked the question "what is all the fuss about?" well British waterways have backed up their new license condition by a very reasoned piece of work to explain the rationale behind it. I am now seeking out Tia to get some bathroom products to add to the washing up liquid that I already have. It seems a good idea to be green. We have no dishwasher (apart from me) or washing machine on the boat but, as they say, every little helps.

Where are you all?

The Moorings Consultation report has been published by BW and can be read here. Letting of moorings by auction is to stay but will be changed to an open auction system similar to eBay. BW could have saved themselves considerable expense and web development costs by becoming an eBay mooring shop!

BW are giving further consideration to letting moorings by length rather than by the berth which is what I have seen as the greatest unfairness in the present system.

One great surprise is the paltry response. From 32,000 licenced boats on the system only 13 current boat owners and 9 prospective moorers bothered to put in a comment. Are the other 31,978 all sipping gin and tonic in a marina?

There's many a slip. . . .

Here is my new laptop perched on an armchair while I went to fetch a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, returning to the chair I splibbed a little of the coffee on the keyboard. Remembering that The Best Mate's laptop died from red wine poisoning of the mother board in a similar incident, I rushed for the tissues turned the machine over and drained out all I could before then carefully drying between every key with a piece of kitchen roll folded around a credit card.

Fortunately all is well but it could have been very costly.

I do not envy Granny Buttons the task of finding a new lap top following his laptop screen failure. Our laptops become a part of us these days and it took me ages to decide on which one to get to replace my Sony Vaio with a 10" screen. I have gone wide screen and kept with the Vaio to take advantage of the carbon fibre body construction which will take the knocks it might get falling off the table when doing some heavy handed lock entry! It survives a drip or two of coffee as well!

Plastic doesn't last!

I have probably mentioned that the "no more nails" used to stick much of Sonflower's internal fittings in place has come to the end of its useful life. We have reglued the linings to the rear hatch and swan hatch and had the pine tongue and groove boards redone at the back of the boat. Bit by bit we will need to refit and re-secure the walls, lining, shelves etc. I am reminded of a text book that I had at college, "The new science of strong materials-why you don't fall through the floor" I wish the boat fitters had read it!

The next big job will be the galley because the glue around the back that grips the drainer support to the wall has failed and the shelf support in the under-the-sink cupboard has become dislodged. The shelves on another open storage unit are now freer than they should be and the bottom one is supported directly by the floor! But one failure that I didn't expect happened yesterday. The cutlery drawer has cracked where the carcass joins the drawer front. This has all the symptoms of ultraviolet degradation of the plastic but the drawer rarely sees the light of day. I have to put it down to fatique.

Now I have the job of searching for a drawer carcass that will fit in the gap left by this one, which happens to be 17.1/2" wide. It doesn't sound standard to me. But then there isn't much on a narrowboat that is!

On the move again, again

The weather is beautiful today and it was great to be back in the boat and moving. We only went to dump rubbish and get water but to be moving on a still canal on a beautiful day is a pleasure to be thankful for.

There are a lot of boats about. The shared ownership boats are frequent visitors and we have a few boats that appear to be hanging around waiting for the stoppages when they will be 'forced' to stay in town. There are a few hirers making a trip in the good autumn weather. I wonder if there is a way to determine the weather before booking or whether these hirers are just grabbing the deals at the end of a tough season for holidays in the UK.

I spoke to one hirer on a Kate boat. He was not a new hirer and had been this way before on another boat. He was really enjoying the time and loved the boat he was on. "The only thing missing is a stove! We have central heating, though". I must admit that the stove is an essential. to us however, it is also the central heating. In fact it is the only heating! I guess that the risk assessment for a stove on a hire boat would be just too much for the hire companies to contemplate. Diesel central heating is much safer, cleaner and more practical with little children around.

We also saw BW pushing a hopper back to Nell Bridge with their new workboat. It didn't appear to be named. "Little Boy Blue" would be nice or maybe "Blue Notes" or "Blue Peter". It was very smart and blue.

The "water run" took us four hours today because we had to stop for lunch at General Foods on the way.

It was good to be moving again.

Congratulations

I went to congratulate this boater on being the first one I have seen using the bollards installed at the side of Banbury lock. As you can see the boat is tied on and the centre rope is tightening as the boat rises in the lock.

The boater was single handed but told me he usually ties to the ladder but the ladder on this lock is in the wrong place!

By the way, he managed to untie the boat just before it tilted. A dangerous practice however, to my mind. A delay on getting the paddles open or some other distraction and disaster could strike.

This is an accident waiting to happen.

Wonderful Banbury Canal Day

Here is SONFLOWER all dressed up in blue and yellow bunting to celebrate 400 years of the Banbury Town Charter.

The weather was not kind but we had a wonderful day. There were thousands of people dodging the rain drops to join in the fun. A folk drummer on stilts, morris dancers, stalls galore making known charities on the waterways and in the town and selling all sorts of wares from jewellery to fresh ciabatta.

The sun came out just as the mayor went to congratulate the best dressed boat at 4.30pm. (not us but the nb Muffin Man who was next to us) However the damp did not dampen the fun that was to be had. Only the bunjy jumping seemed to be grounded by the weather.

I spoke to nb Tia and several other boaters who agreed that they had a wonderful day. Sovereign Wharf reported that they had a record number on the trip boats.

Preparing for winter

The Met Office says that the winter will be mild. Not as mild as last year but not a hard one. Nevertheless. We are sure to get rain at some point and fog and frost and all the other weather types that degrade the boat.

So now, while the sun shines it is time to put a bit of paint on the boat to cover up those rusty bits where the boat has seen the wear and tear of a good cruising year.

The boat is booked into Tooley's Yard for a full repaint next spring so I have decided to go for the cheap and least time consuming option of a quick coat of Hammerite Smooth Dark Green paint over the gunwales and patching in the rest of the superstructure.

The cost of this little lot about Thirty Quid, including a new wire brush, roller and tray!

Must turn the boat round now to paint the other side before the sun goes in.

Back Home

SONFLOWER returned to the home mooring today at about 4pm. Stuart and Marg had navigated 118 miles and 192 locks in ten days.

They say they had a lovely time and SONFLOWER's engine didn't miss a beat.

They kept a full log of the journey which may get transferred into electronics in the future.

Until next time?

Back on home ground

SONFLOWER is back on the South Oxford Canal having turned at Napton today and is waiting to ascend the Napton flight. With Hatton flight and Stockton locks behind her, the hard wide stuff is past and she is expected home early on Friday afternoon.

That's more like our normal cruising speed.

Progress has been good and the crew is better. A fall in the basin in Stratford meant a sore back slowed the crew down. They were glad of a locking partner down the Hatton flight and up the Stockton locks. Now the soreness is all but gone and they report that they are still very relaxed.

36.1/2 miles and 78 locks since Sunday morning.

It's Official!

You may remember my moan about the BW workboats that clutter up the Banbury town centre when no-one would mind them mooring below the lock where leisure boaters feel vulnerable. (A Popular Place)



Well as you can see, BW have now made the mooring adjacent to Tooley's yard their official place of abode. Now they can charge any boat that moors here a charge and stick on one of their red stickers!


The Banbury Mooring Restriction Zone was ostensibly instigated to ensure that visitors could moor in the town centre for a reasonable time (48hr). Obviously BW do not think that leisure boaters should have priority above their work boat.

By the way, there is no vehicular access to this particular mooring. The BW workmen have to approach the canal and park BELOW the lock adjacent to the Facilities building. So why can't they designate a mooring there for themselves?

They are There!

Stuart texts:

"One of Marg's lifelong ambitions fulfilled- we r moored up in Stratford Basin.....3m 15locks this morning all in brilliant sunshine"

We are looking forward to the photos.

Since Thursday Morning the boat has gone 24 miles, 5 flg and 54 locks.

Pressing on

Stuart texted me 11/09/2008 19:04
"been a gr8 day afta early rain. Made it up Hatton in 4 hours (on own!) in just unda 4 hours! Boat very smooth- we r v relaxed (and pleasantly tired!) aiming 4 Stratford Sat eve. frm us S/M"

I will keep you up to date.

Anyone the sees SONFLOWER disappearing into the distance, please give her a wave!

They won't be held up by gate replacements 10/11-09 at Lapworth flight as I feared.

Keeping up the pace

SONFLOWER is making fantastic progress and behaving well.

Last night she was at Radford Semele after "a fantastic day". They had sunshine and pleasant boating from Marston Doles: 13 miles and 31 locks.

There are stoppages ahead for gate renewal at Lapworth Bottom Lock 27 on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal but the rain this morning makes it improbable that they will get that far today. A partner boat is needed to ascend the 21 of Hatton Flight in quick time. And who wants to do a flight in the rain!

Holiday for one or another?

I have been busy, but not with blogging. We went to visit our granddaughter in Kent over the last weekend and the Best Mate has stayed down there to spend some time with her and the family. So we are now boys alone in Banbury. And we are boatless!

We have lent the boat to a couple who were once boaters, were intending to buy a share in a boat, but things didn't work out. They needed a break from a stressful job and so we have lent them SONFLOWER for a holiday. I showed Stuart the ropes on Monday morning and I hope that they are now heading north. They have targeted Stratford. However, the weather doesn't seem too good to be doing 118 miles and 183 locks in nine days. Who knows what they might achieve. That, however, seems like stress in itself to me! They have just sent me a text message to say they are relaxed, and at Marston Doles. (18 miles, 12 locks) That would take me two days!

On Monday we got a phone message from some friends who used to moor and work in Banbury but now moor and work in Birmingham. We had had a chat a couple of months ago and had heard that they were having their boat blacked at Tooley's late in September. We had offered them the boat while this was undertaken as Tooley's do not like people staying aboard! Now they had arrived and the boat is going into dock on Thursday! The other friends who could have lent them their boat are on holiday in Malta and return at the end of the week.

It isn't late September yet is it?

We had a lovely evening last night catching up and drinking a beer together and I told them that our boat, which they had passed on its mooring in the afternoon, was no longer there but was heading north!

Today, I arranged for them to stay in someone's spare room and I met them at lunch time. "Thanks, but no thanks",they said "We have booked into a local B & B, we need a holiday!"

Down the Hole

I don't really like being down the engine hole. It is not really my idea of fun. I love playing with engines but the position of this one is too far down! I am too old and stiff to bend to reach the bottom of the engine now. The engine is also fitted just underneath a bulkhead so that even taking the cap off the cooling water header is difficult. This also means that the water pump, drive pulley and alternator are very hard to get at.

But today, I had to change the oil and oil filter. I usually do this after a Summer cruise. It is probably well over the recommended interval. 250 hours cruising is equivalent to 7,500 miles motoring and BMC recommended an oil change every 3000 miles in 1962! As canal usage is generally at under 1500 revs/minute, I feel that an extension is not unreasonable. A modern diesel engine would be working most of it's life at about 2500rpm and accelerating and braking a lot more than a narrowboat. Another consideration is that one does not really want to be up to one's elbows in oil and grease in the middle of one's holiday!

Still, it's done now.

However, an engine full service at the local boatyard costs £130. This is becoming more and more appealing every time I do it!

Harvest thought

Piglet and I needed to move today. We took the boat down to the water point and breasted up to Oasis Too who was watering as well. This was one of the boats that had an unfortunate mishap last July when she was stranded across mud bar above a weir on the River Avon after the dramatic rise on water levels tore her from her mooring. Obviously and fortunately there was no permanent damage.

We went on south to turn at the winding hole above Nell Bridge Lock and have lunch there to return in the early evening. The weather was wonderful today and we enjoyed being out in it. Piglet steered the boat at the locks and I did the lock wheeling. There was surprisingly very little traffic on the canal. We enjoyed the birds: kestrel, buzzard and cormorant were spotted along the way. Anglers were checking out the grass snakes that often take to the canal in the hot weather, rather than their catches.

One striking thing was that it was this week of the year that we had the incident with a lift bridge that had been left down because the harvest was coming home. You can see from the photos that the harvest of both corn and rape is not started in the fields along the canal in this part of the county. The weather recently has obviously been too bad to harvest the crop. We need some fine weather, not just for boating but to get the wheat into the barns or, no doubt, we will see another sharp rise in the price of bread!

Flying Maggots

One thing that has not been too good this summer is the amount of fish that have been caught on the trip.

I fish from the boat. But I don't catch much! It is relaxing to get a rod out and watch a float for an hour or two. But it is also frustrating when there is no interest in my bait, usually bread, corn or a worm. Maggots are not allowed since a tub of "pinkies" escaped in the fridge and a in a separate incident a bait box of gentils was spilled into the bilges at the back of the boat. The former escape was dealt with by cleaning the fridge out and collecting the little critters, the second resulted in a bluebottle infestation that took some time (days) to clear with "Raid" and a vacuum cleaner.

Yesterday I was fishing and my frustration at not getting bites may have been showing. A local fisherman stopped and sympathised advising that "white maggots are good along here". A hire boat, loaded with mature crew passed and asked "Any success?". My negative answer brought an unexpected response. "Try these!" and the illustrated maggots flew through the air and landed on my roof. I did. No fish caught but an almost immediate bite resulting in the loss of one of these gelatenous plastic imitations.

I will report on any future developments.

Counting the Cost

Boating holidays are not cheap.

I have been told that it can cost over £1000 to hire a boat for four days now. That figure is unconfirmed and is hardly believable.

However, at the boat yard this morning there was a hire boat with seven on board, pumping out at a cost of £14.00 (including a litre of blue), which I do not think is bad value, but were complaining that this was only their third day aboard. On our recent cruise, with four aboard most of the time, we have pumped out 3 times. Prices varied: £15.00 plus blue £3.00 , £10.00 (self serve BW card) plus blue £3.00, £18.00 inclusive. Total £49.00.

Other costs include diesel. This morning I replenished the tanks to the tune of 253 litres @ £0.83/l, £209.99.

I also needed stern tube grease and engine oil to add £19 to the bill. We have used a cylinder of Calor Gas on heating and cooking and this is another £23.40

The above adds up to just over £303. If I add mooring fees (£1300 per annum) and license (£700 per annum) and divide by the four weeks we were out cruising find the total is £575/week. I have still spent less than if I had hired!

Of course, we have the boat as a pleasure resource for 365 days a year and there are many other costs like hull blacking and painting. More about those at another time!

Milton to Banbury, 10-20 August 2008

Not much of a blogger am I? Cannot even keep you up to date with the Summer Cruise.

BUT IT"S NOT MY FAULT!

The power supply to the laptop FAILED. Amid crackling noises and the smell of electronic components frying, the little green light waxed and waned and the battery power fell to zero, the machine hibernating for the last time!

Without a computer, the dongle was useless with or without signal. I attempted to get a new one in Rugeley but found that the quaint little market town has only one outlet that could possibly help with a computer power supply and it was closed as it was early closing day. We didn't divert into Coventry or another metropolis just for this.

So what have I been doing for the last ten days. Dodging showers, some heavy and some thundery as predicted by Mike MBE, the lock keeper (now lengthsman) at Atherstone locks. We have had various incidents with boats in bridge holes and have been passed at speed by some very expensive looking boats.

Pub visiting has been very limited and moorings have been mainly rural. We have heard song birds singing, cockerels crowing, cattle lowing and a bull bellowing, swans hissing and trains rattling past. In the main we have remained relaxed and enjoyed some very early starts and some very late finishes. Some days have been shortened by rain and some washed out completely. There have always been bright periods.

Coming back today was very much coming home. The familiar sweeping bends and narrow towpaths of the South Oxford, the familiar wooden lift bridges and the overhanging willows all looked much the same as always but the sky was far angrier than when we left. 117 miles, 6 flg and 64 locks. 3 moveable bridges this leg. The total cruise was 266 miles, and 156 locks and 10 moveable bridges

Now is the time to do all the things that need to be done after a cruise. We need to re-paint the gunwhales! Brushes with lock sides, piling, a boat called Sarah Jane (on a bend after a bridge hole when she didn't seem to want to turn at all) have left their marks. We need to locate and seal all the small leeks that rain and wind find out. Around windows and the swan hatch in particular. We need to replenish the diesel tank and re-stock with stern tube grease; an engine service wouldn't go amiss and an oil change is essential. A niggling diesel leak still needs attention.

Really, it's back to more of the same!

Froghall to Endon, 8/9th August 2008

We departed Froghall and headed northwest to return to the potteries. We loved the valley down which we were traveling. It seemed better this way. The banks are clad in Indian Balsam. It was described to me yesterday as a weed. How could any flower that has such subtle blends of pink and cream be considered a weed!

Once again, it seemed we had the valley to ourselves. The canal is so narrow in parts that two boats cannot pass, so really this is a good thing! When we reached the part where the river and canal coincide we met nb Bliss They are from Kent and have moved to LLangollen. We enjoyed a cuppa and chat with them.

We needed to press on after this and headed for Cheddleton. Here we had been recommended a restaurant called "Castos". When we stopped at The Boat Inn, near the steam railway station, we were told that they thought it was in the same village but no-one was sure exactly where! The pub grub was recommended and we persuaded the Maitre D to let us have a table. The restaurant looks large but a mirror wall only gives that impression. It was "fully booked". The meals were terrific. We all enjoyed ourselves and ordered a second bottle of wine and the cork!

The pub is so popular that the jollity didn't die down until after 2am! Next time we will moor some way from the pub and the car park!

Today it rained solidly until 2pm. We then moved on to Endon for an essential toilet pump out and an overnight mooring close to the Stoke-on-Trent Boat club.

We all hope that the rain passes over and lets us make some progress tomorrow. The next decision may be whether to head more directly for Birmingham than via Middlewich as originally planned.
[12.5 miles, 8locks]

Wednesday 6th August 2008, Hazelhurst to Froghall

We set off after adjusting the tension on the Generator Drive belt. The screaming stopped and the voltmeter reassuringly indicated that it was generating at 14v.

We then entered the Hazelhurstlocks. However, we were unable to exit the second lock because the pound was so low. We had to take water through the lock to make progress. From then on we were in relatively low water all the way.

At about ten o’clock the generator belt broke. I spent some time trying to get a replacement on but eventually gave up and fitted a belt that was slightly larger. The generator light extinguished we were under way again.

I lost count of the number of times we went aground or almost came to a halt under a bridge. However, the scenery is idyllic and we share a valley with a steam railway. It is in steam because it is Wednesday! The river Churnet joins the canal for a period (or vice versa) and there are no roads. The flowers around were amazingly beautiful.

Getting to Froghall was a disappointment. We are only allowed to stay 24hrs! I met a man taking photos of the large Bolton factory that is under demolition. He started work there and mourned the loss of 1200 manufacturing jobs. He could not understand how we could give up our heritage and lose all these skilled men to ‘redundancy’.

We are moored next to nb Electra, a Wilson shell bespokenly fitted out by Louis and Joshua. It boasts more electricity than I could ever dream of with an 11kW generator, electric cooking, tumble dryer and even a ventaxia in a porthole! The owners are really lovely and we shared a few tales with them.

I confess! We overstayed. As we needed to collect our other crew member from Uttoxeter on Friday, we had little option but to do so.I noted that the lucky people with shrunken boats that fit through the tunnel are allowed to stay 48 hours in Froghall Basin!

Monday 4th,/Tuesday 5th August 2008 : Milton to Hazelhurst via Leek

The first job this morning was to walk up the hill to Moorland Leisure and get a gas refill as one of our gas bottles is empty and the other is very low. Another 21.30GBP

Then we set off toward the head of navigation. I saw a kingfisher diving for fish a couple of times this morning and a heron flying overhead. The sun was shining until we started to go ascend Stockton Brook locks. Here the lock sides have been adorned with sculpture as part of the regeneration of the Canal Corridor.

We stopped for lunch aboard at Stoke Boat Club just after bridge 27. Just before the bridge there is a mini roundabout in the middle of the canal. Anyone know why?

At the water point at Park Lane Bridge I fell into conversation with boaters who had been up the Froghall branch and were visiting the facilities before going up the Leek branch. They convinced us to go up the Leek branch before the Froghall. So at the junction we turned right and then crossed the canal again by aqueduct. We had had enough cruising by now and moored for the night at Hazelhurst, overlooking the valley.

We found out way to the Holly Bush Inn for recommended bar meals. "Don't have the soup!", the boaters on the next mooring advised. We didn't and were very satisfied.

The only problem today was that the canal is shallow in places particularly under bridges. I checked the draught and the depth and think that at some points there is less than a foot of water below us which needs to be squeezed past. Our engine is having to work hard.

I am getting used to the squeaking of the generator drive belt now but will have to change it very soon.

I also had to check the diesel tank today just for peace of mind. We have five eighths of the usable capacity remaining so will have no problem getting back to the main Trent and Mersey to fill up. I do not want to put extra weight on the rear of the boat and increase the draught even more.

We left it until 10am, and a break in the rain, on Tuesday morning before heading for Leek. The run here, although in the wet, is stunning. The remoteness of this canal has a real beauty in its own. There are so many greens. Also, the way the canal hugs the valley side reminded me a little of the Mon and Brec which is, similarly, very slow.

At Leek we got 3 phone reception back so made some calls, checked mail and posted. We go back into the etherless countryside ion about an hour!

The only downside today was the distance of the town from the canal. Not fun in the rain. We got a bus back to the boundry of the Ladderedge Country Park.

Safety First?

Here is a lovely new life jacket that we have bought for the grandchildren to use when they are on the boat.


You will see that it has a thigh or crotch strap to fasten between the child’s legs. This is there, quite simply, to prevent the child slipping through the jacket when in the water if they lift their arms, which is quite likely if they cannot swim.

On Sunday we were followed through Etruria locks by grandparents with their grandchildren smartly attired in the same bright orange life jackets. I pointed out to them that these straps needed to be fastened. The smaller child didn’t want it done up and burst into tears.

Yesterday they still were not using these straps making the life jackets ineffective.

I sincerely hope that they do not learn “the hard way”. Their boat is called “Jolly”, I hope it stays that way.

Shaking hands with the Famous

Just to say that I met Jim Shead today.

I noticed a gentleman with a very costly looking camera and asked him what he was doing. "Just taking photos of boats and locks" he said. "Do you publish?" I asked. "Yes, in articles in Waterways World and Canal Boat." he replied. "Who are you?" I asked. And he told me.

We conversed for a little while and he showed me his Canon digital camera with everything that the professional photographer could want by the look of it. "It gives me so much more time to compose the photograph", he informed me telling me about auto-exposure and auto focus and almost twelve mega pixels and lots of other stuff that my mobile phone doesn't have!

I enjoyed meeting you Jim. Keep snapping.

3 August 2008, Continuous Cruising: Stone to Milton

Well that is how it felt!

We slipped our mooring just before Meaford Bottom Lock on the Trent and Mersey at 0630h after being kept awake by a local celebration barbeque and fireworks show that commenced at 0030h.

The morning was glorious and the wild life seemed to respond. Kingfishers were darting to and fro from bridge 100 to 102 and buzzards and hawks wheeled overhead at intervals. We stopped for breakfast at Trentham lock and almost regretted it as a hire boater discovered that he was unable to steer in reverse. He missed our boat but seemed to think that he had hit it! Here are a few pictures of Sonflower at Trenham Lock.


Onward toward Etruria Junction. There were queues at every lock and the locks seemed to fill slowly. Having an average ten foot rise may have had something to do with it! We turned into the Caldon Canal and stopped for water.

Then we moored and headed for a pub, hoping to get some lunch. Neither the Bird in Hand or the Shoulder of Mutton served food. Both pubs looked as though they needed to do more than add a coat of paint to get them into the 21st century bit a coat of paint would help. Probably the mist complementary I could be is "dives". We returned tothe boat with an ice cream bought from a 24/7 store and decided to move on, hoping for dinner later.

Ascending the staircase locks 1 and 2 was interesting but uneventful. It is very nerve wracking sitting below a 20 foot high gate with water behind it.
All went well and the Best Mate found a couple of local ladies to chat to in the lockside.

Then on to the Caldon Canal with its low headroom bridges and amazing views. The whole scene seemed to change at Bridge 6 when a panoramic vista across the valley opens up in front of one. The canal is under a restoration and improvement programme and much of the towpath is being improved. Here is a length before Ivy House Lift Bridge.

Having safely bridge we cruised on. Just before Milton I spotted a grass snake swimming in the cut. We started to think of an overnight mooring and just the spot presented itself at The Foxley Inn, advertising overnight mooring, restaurant, children welcome. Except that they do not do food, children are not welcome in the bar and the mooring is a little too shallow for us to moor alongside the bank. We moored anyway and asked where we could eat. We were directed to a new pub called The Horn and Trumpet. A ten minute walk but we enjoyed the meal. We returned to the Foxeley for Karaoke night and Feyernoord v Celtic on the TV! The Best Mate sang, the Lock Labourer watched to fill a void in his routine. I just had a couple of pints.

We now need to stay overnight because we have an empty gas bottle and near the pub is a caravan centre that can fill that need.

1st, 2nd August 2008 Hopwas to Stone

We continue to travel north up the Coventry Canal away from the big cities and into the beautiful countryside. Traveling as we are in sunshine most of the time, we can appreciate how green and pleasant our land is. At times we are passing woodland that gives some shade, at others the harvest is beginning to be brought in as tractor and trailer follow the combine through yellow fields.

We observe numerous different species of tree and so many different flowers. I cannot dentify most of the and don't really have the inclination to do the necessary research. There are some lovely pinkish spikey flowers that attract many many butterles. We have seen many different birds including one exotically coloured green and yellow small parrot that had evidently escaped its owners.

In Handsacre we crossed a previous cruising companion in nb Legend. We shared locks for about four days on our way back up the Grand Union from London and our children have kept in touch. They have just been on the Llangollen. Maybe our paths will cross again soon.

Once Armitage and Rugely are left behind the industrial landscape becomes beautifully rural.

We have also seen other friends. We stopped at "The Taft" between bridge 69 and 70 for tea and a slice of birthday cake. Thank you! Now, in Stone, we have moored behind nb Covenant Connection who we met last year during our cruise. We have also been leapfrogging a Canal Time boat with first time hirers who have had to wind in Stone to return to their hire base. We have passed a few very pleasant chats along the way. They have enjoyed the experience and hoped to see us again.

After passing Great Haywood Junction (post a letter; changover day for "Ownerships") and the slow section past Shugborough Hall,(preparing for a Concert and Fireworks extravaganza: we were offered tickets for 60 quid each) we re-entered the countryside and moored for the night just past bridge 80 at Weston upon Trent.

Today we carried on up the Trent and Mersey. Stone was a lovely place to stop in. We needed to get provisions and found the Farmers Market a wonderful place to browse and buy. We arrived in Stone just before twelve and so were in town for lunch. We chose La Favorita in the High street for a two course set lunch @ 8.50GBP per head. We couldn't eat it all. The most deliciously prepared fresh ingredients and herbs were used in the cooking. We had to ask for the pizza to be wrapped to take home! One customer, however, did bot appereciate the fresh herbs, He thought he could detect mint instead of basil although the chef assured him that he didn't even buy mint! I thought that the chef didn't need to take that sort of grief. The food was lovely. I told him so. The service was excellent too!


After lunch however, we had to return to the boat. I had to spend some time in the engine hole tightening the generator drive belt to maintain battery charge. Then we worked up the locks to moor a little way out of town. We hope that it is quieter.

Gone Fishing

There are various takes on this subject that are relevant to the current cruise.

As we left our mooring one morning we saw the German crew of an Anglo Welsh hire boat fishing around the back of their boat with a boat hook. I asked "Have you lost something important?" "The bar that hold down the weed hatch" came the reply. Yes that is rather important. I reversed and came alongside, disappeared to the cupboard that holds everything and re-appeared with the sea searcher magnet. "This will pull up a motor bike" I said. He pointed the boathook at the place where he had located the strongback, I dropped int eh magnet and- hey presto! another weed hatch sinking was averted.

The second bit of fishing came just after we had moored for a morning and the Best Mate had taken the opportunity to do a bit of washing. We left the boat for a few minutes and when we returned I noticed that Pooh's Real Madrid football shirt, recently acquired in Spain was not hanging to dry on the swan hatch doors where I had left it. My turn with the boat hook. A gust of wind had whipoped it into the canal hanger and all. Fortunately it was recovered intact and just needed re-washing.

Of course, I have been trying to catch some of the real fish with rod and line. Not so successful though. Only two good fish (roach) caught.