As the weather was set fair we decided to take a day trip. 

Our expected crew of son and two grandchildren could not come but Alex decided to come along. We were glad of his enthusiasm as the temoeratures soared.

We let go at 1030h and stopped at the Castle Quay water point for a top up and a quick wipe down. Willow mast makes a mess. Getting inot the basin was interesting this morning. A boat's crew had already lifted the bridge but the boat master decided he did not want to exercise his priority and waved us forward. He backed toward a Naotin hire craft that was against the wall between the water point and the lock. I managed to avoid the congestion and neatly took up staion at teh water point and moored leaving the others to sort themselves out. 

After watering we drigfted over to the bridge landing to wait for the Best Mate. She joined us shortly bit not before another confised boater had entered the basin. We assured him we would let him go first . There was plenty of llock usage, up and down, and the wait was monimal. Plenty of gongoozlers too!

We moored just short of Samuelson Brisge to get provisions from Morrisons and having done that we sat down for a sald lunch.

After lunch we set off to The Pig Place. This is at Nell Bridge and we enjoyed a wonderful event free cruise in glorious sunshine. 

On the way we passed several moored boats whose crews were enjoying the sunshine under umbrellas and on the towpath. There is little room on an Oxford Canal towpath these days. The Best MAte asked me to look for a spot where we could stop for a cup of tea. There were no real opportunities. There were so many boats out today and most were sensibly mooried against the midday sun. We continued as "mad dogs" do!". At Kings Sutton Lock (Also apparently known as Tarvers Lock according to the signage) a single handed lady was deep insode when we arrived. It looked for all appearances that the lock was empty. I had forgotten how deep it is. The brave little lady opened the bottiom gate and proveeded to descend the ladder to her boats roof before dropping to her trad stern. She was so diminuative that she had a folding stepup and a box to stand on so that she could see over the roof of the boat!

We coversed with a Kings Ground boat  as we passed and I met with the lady of the crew again int he afternoon for a chat. Although KG are Oxford Canal based this couple had moved away to be nearer their home in Suffolk and this was a bit of a homecoming for them and the boat. 

The Pig PLace was popular and all the moorings were taken and one boat was breasted up. We turned at Nell Bridge winding hole and moored up just past the pold lift bridge narrows for thew promised cuppa. The single handed lady was taken by the Pig Place but could not see a way to get there. We told her she would need to go onto the main road from the lock and come back down the drive. We decided we did not want the walk in the heat.

 

After tea we decided to return the way we had come. 

I needed some excersise and decided to walk from Tarvers Lock to Twyford Bridge. It was along this section that I nmet the KG Crew again. Our conversation included discussion of the KG logo on the boat and whether the new CRT T & C's would mean they need express consent to leave it there! They said they had not had any advicer or ntice obout hte consultation on the new terms. It was nice to discover that they were NABO members.

I had to walk quite quickly to get ahead of SOnflower top re-board at Twyford bridge but I managed it and here is proof!

Alex is gently bringing her along side the bridge narrows so that I can hop back on. 

We stopped aftger Grants lock to cookl a steak dinner and two enjoy a bottle of Beaujolais. A delightful summer treat.

After dinner all that was reqwuired was to cruise gently back. We stopped at Banksoide Park narrows to recover a football for a group of lads and left them happily practising their moves ahead of the next day's England game.

Back at the hime mooring I met James, a cafe boat trader who was paniocking as sunset arrived. I suggested that he overnoght on the vacant berth inform=nt of Sonflowere and had a nice chat with him. He had come up the Thames from the K & A and a cruise from Bathhampton.He too had stopped at The Pig Place. He had boght a couple of pork chops and some pig's ears for his two whippets!Expensive tast these dogs! He is vegetarian!

So the end to a beautiful day.

The Best Mate was sunburnt!

Water!

Today was a lovely day and so I re-connected the water system and we went on our famous water run. We have done it so many times but it is never boring. This was the first time we have done it since I had my second knee replacement. There are a few things that I found different. Firstly, it was a bit more awkward than it used to be to step down into the engine bay to check the oil, water and greaser before we set off. But I managed it.

We met lots of boaters. Some we knew and jested about us actually being on the move! Others we had seen "somewhere before" but of course neither us or they could remember exactly when or where! Some were locals about local business. Even one delivering a spinning wheel to Tooley's boatyard. No idea what for!

There were non boaters too. The two lively boys with her mother beside herself and the lock. As I came into the lock one told me "You're going to disappear".
"What, miss the pier!"
"No DISAPPEAR"
"Piff! paff! pooF! I'm still here!"
As I went down with the boat I told them that it was only 6 feet down so they would still see my head above the parapet. They laughed.  Back at the mooring where we passed a nice few minutes with a father and daughter who had just moved to the area. She was "doing the canal" at school. She watched me as I lengthened a chain to make mooring easier. With two prosthetic knees now I cannot kneel to reach below the pile cap level to thread a rope through the loop on my mooring chain. I have now added another length of chain.

2miles, 2 locks, 2 lift bridges, 2 hours

Hawkesbury To Newbold-on-Avon

Another "free day". After the opticians appointment that was! We drove (not easy as the A423 was closed at Marton and we had to divert via A45 and M6) up to Hawkesbury Junction. There we met our friend Stephen (who gave me a lift to leave the car at Hawkesbury on the way up to Fazeley) as he prepared to skipper nb The Hargreaves with a very valuable cargo on a charitable trip.  We  made SONFLOWER ready and set The Best Mate off at the Tiller with a scotch egg, apple and tortilla chips.

I returned to the car ate my scotch egg and drove to Ansty. We knew that the M6 was blocked as we had come past the queues on the opposite lane but Sheila the satnav wanted to take me that way. I refused and we wound our way through some estate roads of Coventry to the A46 and the Ansty interchange where we got onto the Ansty Main Road. I parked down a side turning opposite a layby that was marked "Bus Stop" which I thought would be handy for the return journey by bus. I walked down to the canal to wait.

Here is SONFLOWER arriving for our rendezvous.

I boarded her and took the tiller. I had told The Best Mate that Ansty was about half hour away from Hawkesbury. In fact it is about 1 hour and 25 minutes so she needed promptly relieving.

We then cruised to Newbold-on-Avon. Not without incident. At the second Ansty bridge a boat was coming toward me and did not give way even though we were part through the bridge hole. In fact we did not touch! I commented to him as we passed that he knew the local canal better than I did. I would never have attempted to get two boats through a bridge hole. We cruised ahead of a working boat for a long way. We were met by a hire boat as we were passing a moored boat just before the M6 bridge. Here the helmsman pulled over so far that he came to a stop on mud. The boat was still there when the working boat passed a few minutes later. He might still be there! We were fortunate to have the swing bridge at Stretton Stop opened for us. We met another working boat at a bridge on a bend and this time I hooted to say I was going through and the boat gave way amicably.

The best mate made bacon rolls for an afternoon snack and looked at Traveline on the phone while the bacon was grilling. She reported that if we get to Newbold before 5.00pm there is a bus at 5.08 that will get us back to Ansty. That would eliminate the need to rise early and get up early to get a bus at about 7.45 to get back to the car to get back to Banbury to meet our son for Wednesday lunch. The plan sounded good and time was almost on our side. Our rendezvous was at 1345 and trusty Nick said it would take 3 hour and 10 minutes to Newbold. We should arrive at the Tunnel south portal at 1650.

When we got there we noted a mooring but the towpath was very muddy. We went a little further but decided that the further we went the further we would have to walk. So I backed back to the mooring and we tied on to rings. Unfortunately the sloping sides of the canal here, lined with slabs of rock do not let the boat come right into the side so it was a small leap for man but a huge leap for the Best Mate to get off.

I remembered my walking stick was left on the back deck so took the spare from the cabin and disembarked. We walked to the bus stop, ostensibly 9 minutes away, and waited for the bus to arrive at 5.08. We were there, the bus came about 5 minutes later. We had a connection to make at somewhere we had never heard of: The Caludon Centre (Stop Wh) in Walsgrave. It turned out to be the University Hospital Bus Station. The connecting bus was thankfully late as well and we had about a five minute wait. The 74 bus took us to Ansty but did not stop at the expected bus stop but sailed past to The Rose and Castle so I had to walk (limp) back down the road to our car.

I drove home and The Best Mate said she was past it and went to bed.

I made myself a Spanish omelette.

                                                                 11.1/4 miles 0 locks 4.1/2 hours

Varnish for all

A quick trip to B & Q today to find a few items of import. Firstly two brackets to secure the rail for the shower curtain to the roof lining. We looked at curtain rails, expanding rails, net curtain rails, hooks, eyes, shower curtain sets, shower hose and shower head support rails and then at the very back of the shop against the rear wall we found wardrobe hanging rail supports. To make sure I got the right size I walked all the way back to the car in the car park to retrieve the shower head support rail that I had retrieved from the recycling bin this morning. Do they know how far it is from the back of the shop to the car park? Miles! But on my return with the rail, the Best Mate checked the size, gave me the nod and asked me to make up my mind between brass, chromed steel, enamel painted brass, enamelled steel, nickel plated, stainless steel, end fitting or eye fitting. We have bought brass end fittings; they were two for cheaper than anything else and they will do the job and look nice.

Then to buy some varnish. Yacht varnish is always a good bet so we bought a pot of that and then I checked out the sample of pine that I had taken from the boat to the shop. The colour chart on display indicated that "natural" would be a good match. So this afternoon I applied varnish to the new pine and it looks OK.

Our shower room door

Now to come out with the fantastic innovation that makes our shower room really spacious and cosy at the same time. Our carpenter made us a new door. There it is! Yes, it is round.                  

 What a great idea! How clever is that?

We bought a brass hook and eye for the Best Mate's security too.

Just Turning Round

We had to turn the boat round yesterday.

Tooley's had finished the work except for giving us a bill and returning my key, so we took our daughter and grandaughter for a little ride. Down the lock, turning at Bankside winding hole and back. As always, a life jacket was provided for the precious cargo!

The trip was not uneventful! On the return, having passed through the lift bridge, I heaved to as a boat approached where the canal narrows. Stood stationary on the far right of the canal, I could only watch as the boat came quickly toward me on collision course with Tooley's trip boat nb Dancing Duck, hit the same, bounced from it onto my bow and wedged itself between her and SONFLOWER! I had to apply full revs in reverse to disengage us. Having unlocked, the boat then backed off a couple of boat lengths. The helmsman told The Best Mate, who was ashore having operated the lift bridge, that I could come through first! I went forard slowly and passed the boat, expecting some form of appology. The helmsman just stared forward so I said, "I hope that my boat is not damaged!" He replied, "I hope mine is ok too". No apology then! The owner obviously doesn't care what or who he hits.

We moored up thankful to be afloat.

Tooley's History

I have just listened to this audio file. It dates from about 2004 but gives a very interesting account of the position of Tooley's Yard, Banbury, Tom Rolt and the IWA in the scheme of things that make the canals what they are today.

Someone might be interested.

I think everybody should be!

Back to Routine

The leak" is fixed.

I haven't paid the bill yet but I have had a service done on the engine as well. There were a few things found on inspection:

a) The coupling bolts were loose! Nylock nuts needed replacement.

b) Gearbox oil filler cap unsecrewed! Re-tightened.

c) Air filter hanging off by the rocker box vent tube! New rubber sleeve fitted so that the air filter pan could grip the inlet manifold entry boss.

All in all worth having Tooley's man have a look. Potentially all the above could have caused serious difficulties. Its not too good if your drive fails! Nor if the gearbox oil disappears. Nor if oil continually flows from the rockerbox vent into the oily bund under the engine. It was a rocker box gasket leak that has led to another boat on our nooeings being towed to Tooley's after an engine seize. Oil is pumped up to the rocker box and is supposed to drain through the engine to the sump. A leak at this juncture causes a severe lack of oil!

So we are ready for winter. Antifresze checked, clean oil, no deisel leak, full tanks and clean filter.

"Dusty" came by this week too, so we are stocked up with coal.

Now all we need is the snow. No! Cancel that order, we can so without that!

Different Outlook

Remembering my post about Tree Worries, we now have a different outlook on the mooring. We see more sky, a stack of portable buildings but have no dangerous trees threatening to flatten us!

Thank you to whoever paid for the tree surgery.

Also for the log that floated across the canal and is now my chopping block.

Tree Worries

During our "water run" on Friday (See "Boring Routine" post below) we had to do a bit of manoevering around the remains of a willow bough that Canal & River Trust personnel were removing from the canal near our local turning point. The bough had dropped from a seemingly healthy willow in Spice Ball Park.

It made me think about these trees.

These are directly opposite our mooring. I spoke to the CaRT man with the chainsaw who advised me that they can do nothing about these until they fall because they are on private land. He thought the land might be owned by Hanson Trust. "Not just three men in an office somewhere", he said, "they will have agents working for agents."

Little hope of telling them my worries then!

2 locks, 2 lift bridge, 2 miles, 3.1/2 hours

Oxford Canal Beauty

,,,

We found this beautiful large moth in our bedroom this morning.

It is about two inches wingspan and the red underwing, which gives it its name, is only visible when it flies.

According to the ukmoths website that I consulted to identify it, it is very common in southern England and its caterpillars feed on alder and willow. It makes me wonder why this was a first for me!

We moor under willows and alders in southern England.