Almost there

Today was a wonderful day as far as the weather was concerned and as far as progress was too.

We started on our own and then found company in the form of NB Ricola. They were going to Little Venice as well, had thirty years experience of boating, a boat that could travel like a washless speedboat and knew this stretch of the Grand Union like the back of their hand.

We stopped for lunch just through Widewater lock but befoer mooring I backed to where there was a working boat trading diesel coal etc. He sold me two bags of taybrite and thres in a bag of sticks for £20. Good value. He informed me that he is installing a pump and tank to do pump-outs which will be ready on our way back. 'Where there is muck there is brass'

We stayed withour partner after lunch and when he had cleared Cowley lock we let him disappear intothe distance.

We cheered as we turned onto the Paddington arm and marvelled at the BW boat that is there for the purpose of cleaning the waterways. It had a coot's nest on the bit that should scoop up the rubbish. It was very obvious that it hadn't been used for aq good length of time. The canal was full of plastic bags varying in size from tesco carriers to blue circle cement bags, It was only a matter of time before one or two fouled the prop.

We arrived at Willowtree nature reserve to see NB Ricola already moored and a perfect space for us betweeen her and our frinds NB Trinity. After a welcome and chat we disappeared to cook Beefy Botham Burgers.Tesco (c300yds from the mooring)
provided the large baps.

Three hours or so to go tommorrow. The sky is beautifully clear tonight. I hope it still is in the morning.

Arch-i-tecture

The canals never cease to amaze me. Here under a humble railway bridge over the canal is vaulting that would not be out of place in a Cathederal Crypt. The structural engineers have had a heyday with the steel members but the concrete beams are beautiful.

The vaulting in brickwork of some of the 200 year old bridges is also amazing. Some of these skills are being lost for ever in the modern cut and paste world of prefabricated edifaces. There is always something new that's old to wonder at!

A ten bob note!

This is the sign on the swing bridge at Winkwell. This bridge has been updated with automatic barriers and electric opening and closing gadgetry. Why did they not update the sign!


I think I could afford 50p if I was in a rush!

All alone

The only company we had today was a couple of boats, also heading for the Cavalcade but behind us. When we stopped for lunch and shopping at Sainsbury's they went by leaving us to tackle the locks even without them coming up behind and closing the bottom gate for us. A hard day but we achieved our target and more. We are at Lady Capel Lock No 74 leaving us 16 locks for tommorrow. An easy day after the 22 locks of today.

The weather was kind. Only a light shower today and plenty of sunshine. No real problems except sharing a lock with a workboat and the workman opening the paddles without us having crew on deck (taking his coat off) and putting the boat on the cill. Our crew returned to alert us and we easily floated her off averting a potentially doisasterous incident averted by quick action by all concerned.

We have thought about going on but after a real Italian dinner of spag bol, ice cream and chianti we don't feel like going anywhere except to bed!

Shiny Boats

Here is a picture of NB The Sharp End and SONFLOWER together in Dudsworth top lock yesterday. Both have very new paintwork



And here is a picture of the end of yesterday as we approached Berhamsted on the GUC



We stopped shortly after to dry out for the third time in the day.

Pictures- Dash to London April 2009

O what a morning. . !

I was singing "O what a morning, glorious and bright, with the dawning of day in Jerusalem...." yesterday morning and awoke a couple, who we were later to share locks with, as I passed in Fabulous sunshine. This morning we were accompanied by NB Knot Normal with their wonderful crew of Mark and Margaret or (M 'n' M or Mork and Mindy). They have been doing bespoke joinery on narrowboats now for 13 years and are heading for the cavalcade as well. But they stopped to visit friends in Dunstable Boat Club. Not before we had navigated seven locks in the most unsummery conditions possible with heavy rain and hail! We had one set of water sodden drying by the fire after the locking and over 'a full English' brunch break.

We then got a new partner at Marsworth Locks NB Sharp End who were with us with their friend Colin and his dog Mac. Here we took most of the soaking. After lunch, from Bulbourne we cruised the top level in light rain but it had dried up when we came up behind her again. She was waiting for her partner who caught a bus from Berkhamsted and 'normal service was resumed, apart from having to wait at Dudswell Lock No 1 (Top lock) while a BW contractor finished rolling the new tarmac path. They have covered the boaters foot holds with tarmac. When I pointed it out they told us not to worry, they will be cut out tomorrow when the tar is set. I hop so.

We should be in Berkhamsted before six o'clock. We need to be so that we can get to Waitrose. Either that or its tinned mackerel on toast, without toast for lunch tomorrow

Another Hot One

When we woke up I lit a fire and started to doze off again to be awoken by the smoke alarm. Some of the sealer from the chimney was smoking!

After opening a few windows we decided to start off and were on the move while there was still ice on the roof and a blue sky over our heads. While we queued for water we made scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast. Then we used the facilities at Cosgrove lock and then shared the lock with another boat that passed as we were coiling up the hose.

The rest of eh day was cruising in sunshine and stillness. Milton Keynes is really attractive from the canal. We enjoyed the ride except for having to give way to a wide beam boat who didn't even say thank you, a hire boat who hadn't heard that one cannot steer in reverse at a bridge hole, and hitting an ex-swing bridge narrows to make sure there was a scrape in the blacking.

At one lock we met up with RYA trainers who were the ideal coaches for a weekender lady crew of a Wyvern Cruiser in a lock with us. We shared locks with them through Soulbury Three Locks and got to know them a bit. They are heading for Brentford and the Thames and said they might meet us again tomorrow. They moored near us last night and we woke them up as we passed at 6.30am this morning.

Today we went further than our target mainly because of the lack of piling rails to moor to in this area. We have covered 26 miles and 9 locks today which Nick's planner says should have taken us 10 hours and 4 minutes. We are a bit slower than that because of the hen party, the lady at Fenny Stratford lock who is polling her engine less shell to Birmingham with her daughter aboard, lunch at the Three Locks and the water stop that is about right.

Where we are

Any one can follow SONFLOWER's progress on Water Explorer

I update whenever I get a connection to the web through my dongle.

There was a scratch on SONFLOWER when we got up this morning. Whether it was a vandal or a hawthorn bush was debated by our crew and a BW lengthsman at Whilton Locks. He admired the boat and noticed the blemish!

It was pouring with rain this morning, scorching sun this afternoon and a wonderful glow about the evening as we ate our Chicken Italien washed down with Chianti.

The change in the weather was dramatic. We have a strong breeze of the starboard bow which chills a bit but the sun has made a dramatic comeback and illuminates the green and pleasant country around us wonderfully.

We are now away from the waterfall of noise that is the M1 and are moored in very peaceful surroundings where gentile ladies ride on horseback over the canal bridge to get exercise. We got ours on Buckby and Blisworth flights.

Altogether a really successful and enjoyable afternoon that increased the happiness rating from 5.4 to 9.5.

We lit a fire this evening to dry the shoes.

Ahead in time

We are now through Braunston Tunnel and moored at Norton Junction. Today, we exceded our target and have really enjoyed it.

We started by watering at Marston Doles and then benefitted from the generosity of NB Alnwick who left a paddle open for us to fill the locks all the way down Napton Flight.

We lunched in Braunston and had a walk round the town and did a little shopping. The Braunston Butcher is fantastic. Pricey but well worth a look.

We did have a little problem! As we waited for the locks at Braunston bottom lock I turned off the engine and it would not restart. I thought it was a jammed starter motor and was about to hit it with a hammer when I noticed that we were outside Union Canal Cruisers where stood a man in overhauls. I asked if he was a mechanic and he said 'not today, but he is!' The man in question came over to our boat with a wit as sharp as a razor, told us jokes and bantered for about 15 minutes as he diagnosed a wiring fault rather than a jammed motor, cured the spill rail diesel leak that he noticed, adjusted the loose fan belt and told me how to modify it so that it can take the extra load of generating charge for my four batteries and then only charged me £15!

I have his details and his assurance that he has a good supply of spares for my 40 year old engine.

Along the way

We atarted today with a wonderful dawn. Sunrise was spectacular. Red sky in the morning shepherd's warning! But not today. It was glorious.

My crew arrived on time at 0900h and we slipped the mooring, saying goodbye to NB SKYY who is set to go south, and headed north. As we passed the Grimsbury Arm I phoned Steve Haywood of NB Justice to see if he wanted to join us as he is headed for the Canalway Cavalcade, but got his answerphone. I left a message.

We had a lovely time. A chat with Chris and Vic on NB Auriga in Cropredy. Vic was runbbing down his boat with baby oil to try to emulate SONFLOWER's shine. He hasn't got a hope without a repaint!

At Cropredy lock we met with a mother and daughter who were towpath walking. They expected to get to Claydon today. They helped my crew, pictured above at several locks on the way before we lost them taking a well earned coffee break. They walk the towpaths every Thursday and hope to cover the whole of the Oxford Canal from Oxford to Coventry in stages in this manner. They had a great day for it today.

At Claydon flight we met a couple who often come to sit on the bench by the locks here. They can no longer boat as the wife has Parkinson's desease but they obviously love the canals. They had a boat in Fenny Compton marina for a long time and miss it terribly. I hope that I never have to leave SONFLOWER.

We continued past our planned destination, The Wharf and moored near Stoneton Bridge in an idylic setting with lambs gamboling around. We hope that the sunrise tommorrow brings as much joy as today's.

A bright idea

nb SKYY has a marvelous idea for weather proofing a dongle. So simple I wonder why I didn't think of it. They use a clear plastic water bottle but I like my salt container. Refuse, reuse or recycle! I have had mine taped up in plastic bag, taped onto the end of my pole for a long time now.




Sadly, canals are usually down at valley bottom level and reception has to be sought by elevating the dongle. With the inherent dangers of the short sharp shower in this pleasant land of ours, this is an ideal solution.

Thank you nb SKYY!

Change of Plan II

Having considered all the pros and cons, I have decided to go to London via the 'pretty route' of the Grand Union rather than the 'motorway dash' down the Thames. The river locks are only manned 9 to 5 with an hour for lunch. Although boaters are allowed to use the locks outside these hours they are very heavy and power is not allowed because we might do quite a lot of damage if we opened all the paddles at once!

My other concern was the tidal passage. Altough re-assured by the lock-keeper at Teddington that if we arrived there at high tide (about 8am on Tuesday) we would be in Brentford lock 45 minutes later, there is a possibility that we would not be there in time and then we would have to go against the next tide 13 hours later to get through Brentford lock before it closes. I don't think my little 45 year old BMC would like that.

The Best Mate is happier because we think canals are safer than the river. They are not so deep and don't have a current to tow you down and drag you under if you fall in. They don't have big weirs to jump out and grab your boat either. Also, once started, the weather has to stay dry to ensure that the river levels remain steady. Otherwise I will be racing the flood behind me!

The GU means working a longer day but, then, what else have we to do?

I just hope that my crew agrees or I might start off with a mutiny on my hands.

We leave at 9am on Thursday, heading north (to go south!)

Change of Plan

SONFLOWER is back at Tooley's Boatyard having window trims and a few other snags sorted out. Our little cruise down to Oxford and back was a good test and we had to return in some very wet conditions. However, this weekend was dry.

We met narrowboat Bones on the way back to Oxford.

We have just visited friends in Trowbridge and attended their son's baptism. We used to take care of him one day a week when he was little and it was good to see how he has grown up in the intervening years. We were reminded that he had already been 'baptised' when he fell into our pond! I loved the family celebration as we joined them for lunch. Thanks for a wonderful day.

This week is a busy one as we have to prepare SONFLOWER for a dash down the Thames. This is the quickest route to Little Venice even though the tides are not too favourable next Wednesday when we will need to make a passage to Brentford from Teddington lock. We have had offers by two friends to crew the boat. One will be joining me from Oxford so I need to leave this Thursday morning to get there by Saturday lunchtime.

The original plan was to go round the Grand Union route. That is slightly longer but not so scary (no tidal water). However, we have run out of time. I hope to leave the boat in Little Venice on Thursday, return to Banbury and rejoin her, with the full crew, by train on Friday evening. We have fish and chips booked so don't need to worry about victuals!

Easter Monday

Easter Monday

Today I tried to get onto the Three 3G network but failed.

I am writing a blog with the hope that I can post it tomorrow when I can find a signal.

We are now at Somerton on the South Oxford after a most pleasurable six hour cruise. For a Bank Holiday there was not much traffic about and no queues on this part of the canal. It is Idyllic. We have been asking ourselves why we so rarely head this way rather than the well trodden route north to Braunston. No answer except that there are limited options at the end- the Thames or The Thames.

This morning we heard a knock on the boat and Matt, the mechanic from Tooley's asked why we were still there. The engine won't start, I told him and he went to get tools and ten minutes later we were thrilling to the thump of our BMC 1500 diesel. He also put screws to hold the control column cover in place so that it didn't come off in ones hand when the engine stop button is pulled! “Anything else?” he asked. “Not at the moment” I replied and with thanks we were on our way via the water point and lock toward Oxford.

We are armed with the call out details of Tooley's (just in case) and we are members of Canal River Rescue.

It was wonderful to hear people comment on the marvellous paintwork as we passed. It quite made me feel like I had done it myself instead of just paying for it!

Al dressed up- nowhere to go

We are a very sad crew at the moment.

Tooley's mechanic worked on our boat until almost eight o'clock last night to clear faults that prevented us getting away.

We came out of the dock and the boat looks superb. However, the remainder of the day was not so good. "We couldn't have written a script for this" I quipped. But by the time the Tooley's man had finished all we caould do was get Kentucky fried chicken and go home to bed. We had no hot water and no energy left.

We saw our friends off back to Germany yesterday lunchtime after a full english special breakfast in Paw Paw. This wonderful resource is just a step from the canal at the bus station and provides a wonderful and reasonably priced breakfast until lunchtime and then a mix and match chinese menu thereafter. Full take away service available. But I digress.. . .

We returned to the boat this lunchtime after Easter Service at church, loaded with provisions for our mini cruise for the remainder of the holiday and invited Granny to come aboard as our newly modified stairs from stern deck would now be manageble by her hips and knees. Auntie janet steered her into the boat and she was thrilled to be aboard properly for the first time. So we expected to take her for a little ride but. . . . the engine would not start.

I have emailed the boatyard and will report on their response.

We look good on the outside. But wthout an engine a boat is dead.

The last straw

Here is Tooley's man with his head in the gas locker. He is welding a patch into the bottom with a drain attached that will vent to the outside of the boat.

When he struck up an arc, the engine bay filled with smoke showing me how serious a problem we had.

As he took breather from his work he quipped "That proves it. Mason's paint isn't heat proof!'

I think we knew that! It is a great pity this little job wasn't done at the start of the job. But at least we have a safe boat. That is the important thing.

Another Setback

The paint looks and feels like glass. The sign-writer is working well and doing wonderful work on the graphics. The carpenter is preparing the new steps and getting ready to put the windows back in and all was looking good until the mechanic put a gas bottle into the gas locker to find that the bottom was very thin.

The boat surveyor had hit it with a hammer but had not found that the gas locker was in fact venting into the engine bay! This is not a good idea on a boat. Besides being contrary to the Boat Safety Scheme it is plain dangerous. A leak from fittings on a gas bottle is a common occurrence and one needs to know that the gas, which is heavier than air, will find its way out of the boat and not accumulate in the bilges at the bottom of the engine bay waiting for a spark from the bilge pump or alternatator to cause a disaster.

The bottom needs to be repaired and vented to outside. The painter fears for his handywork and doesn't want a welding torch anywhere near his lovely gloss finish. The people who weld are working on the boat fittings, windows or have a foot in plaster.

Don't worry they chorus. We'll sort it out!

Watching paint dry

I have just come back from a family visit to Kent. We have seen two of our granchildren and their parents. I have been measured for a suit for my son's wedding; the Best Mate has looked in all the usual places for a wedding outfit and we have dined with another daughter and son-in-law. Apart from the soon to be married son's fiancee we have seen all the Kent branches of the family. Pooh made a visit to his own Nanny and Granddad and we stopped off at the Best Mate's parents on the way home. A very successful couple of days.

We are now exhausted and back in Banbury where the boat's top coat should be drying off nicely ready for the signwriter in the morning. Hopefuly we will be able to get onto the boat and get a few things sorted because we are seriously in need of preparing the boat to leave on Saturday.

I am sure that we won't have any time to watch the paint dry.

Flag Query and Etiquette

NB Snowgoose was in town today. Unfortunately there was no-one on board when we passed but she was sporting the Queensland territorial flag on a mast on the roof and this flag on the tiller swan neck.

I am not often bamboozled by a flag. I can usually track it down somewhere. But this one has got me foxed. It might be based on the old Australian Colonial flag with blue stripes overlaid.

Can anyone, the skipper of NB Snowgoose perhaps, tell me what it represents.

A small point of etiquette for visiting narrowboaters. If one has ones national flag or ensign on a vessel it is customary (as a courtesy) to fly the national flag of the country you are visiting higher than the flag or ensign. The Union Flag should have been in the place of the Queensland flag.

Progress Report

No photos today because I did not go into the dock while Martin was lovingly applying paint to the roof of the boat but we had to have a peep on the way to lunch at the club. It is still looking good.

However, I had a call from Matt the boss this morning. He is back at work for as long as he can stand (pun) with crutches but he rang to tell me that they were not going to be able to pull back lost time in the preperation stage when he had his accident and Martin got steel in his eye. He needs to talk about the final stages of completion on Wednesday when the sign writer, Jezz, will be working.

There are a few unknowns. What will the internal trims be like when the new windows are fitted? There will be no time to remedy and dress up any gaps in the lining wood that is there. The windows might fit like a glove but there is no guarrantee that the work will not be without hitches.

Matt says that the probability is that we will be floated out of the dock on Saturday afternoon. We will need to be away straight away and heading up the cut to get to our rendezvous with friends in Cosgrove on Wednesday the next week. Nick's Canal Planner gives the distance as 26 hours, 19 minutes cruising. This is over 8 hours a day assuming we get to Cropredy on Saturday night. We usually cruise for far less and this doesn't take into account Bank Holiday Monday in Braunston!

We will need to return to Tooley's later in the year for a few touches and internal tidying, which is a pity.

Another One to look out for

I came across this post from Lancashire Today about another narrowboat stolen from a marina. This time from Chorley in Lancashire. It is a long way from me at the moment but who knows where it will be later in the season.

I expect it is having a quick gloss over at the moment to disguise it.

Most disturbing is the quote from the loss adjuster: 'Peter Clark, from C Claims Adjustors, who is dealing with the theft, said there had been a recent crimewave on the water, with increasing numbers of leisure boats going missing.

He said: “In the past year I would guess there have been around 70 to 80 similar thefts, whereas in previous years it would be around ten on average. "'

I am taking lots of photos of SONFLOWER to be able to describe her. This wasn't what I would call a 'posh' boat. Just an ordinary narrowboat that is a family's pride and joy.

I hope they find it soon and lock up the theives. practical Boat Owner gives the following details: "If you have any information concerning the present whereabouts of the Rebecca Kathleen or any other stolen vessel, contact the Police at Chorley, tel: 01772 415566 - crime ref: CA 09 00933 - or C Claims Adjusters, tel: 0208 502 6644; email: cclaimsuk@aol.com"

Glistening

SONFLOWER is glistening in the sunlight that streams into Tooley's dock as the first of the two top coats is completed.

The roof has had its first coat of Raddle and looks very nice in its new grey livery and the grey decks offset the green and yellow beautifully.

The yellow looks thick and lush and the painter wishes that we wanted more of it as he loves working with it. It is expected to be ready for the signwriter next Wednesday and on schedule to come out of the dock on Thursday, all being well.

Oh to be back on the water. . . .

We have just spent a lovely hour or so over a pint and a glass of wine with good friends who have returned from a winter break in Malta.

What did they miss most? Not the wintery weather or the damp weather, not the credit crunch or the less imaginative food or even the beer but...they couldn't wait to get back on their boat.

It will be the same for us.

Don't get us wrong. We love the flat. The view over the canal is great: the space for the boys to stretch a bit and clutter some more is excellent but we do miss the boat and can't wait ot get back on it.

Obviously, one cannot live on a boat while the windows are out and the vents are sealed and there is dust or paint fumes everywhere.

But we do miss the boat.......

A lovely evening

The Best Mate stopped sewing and I stopped blogging long enough to enjoy a game of Yahtzee and a glass of this most delicious wine.

It is Black Cherry Wine from the Cwm Deri estate in West Wales. Anyone who thinks that fruit wines are second best to the grape or that the British can't make wine should have a go at this. It is full bodied., totally wrapped in fruit and spicy flavours with a rich bouquet that is good with any food or, as we enjoyed it this evening, on its own.

I won at Yahtzee as well!

Arm or Armless?

As Easter approaches we need to plan our next cruise.

The next major event in our boating calendar is the Canalway Cavalcade at Little Venice. Well, with a new professional paint job one can show off a bit, can't one? We will need to get there.

We hope to start the journey on Easter Saturday. I do not really like travelling on Bank Holidays when the world and his wife take the yoghourt pots out for a picnic trip but needs must.

We could be passing through Braunston then as well which is not good planning! It may not be the best thing for our new paintwork!

Then we need to decide where to stop. We have to get the boys back to college/school. The holidays just are not long enough these days. We may need to take a break. We have left the boat at Cosgrove in the past but that is quite a way from London. Granny Buttons thought Bulls Bridge mught be suitable but that is too far from Banbury as we won't be out of the boatyard until Good Friday.

We have never done the arms. We got to Marsworth Junction, looked toward Aylesbury and thought '16 locks there....16 locks back' and went on past; we got to Cowley Peachey Junction, looked toward Slough and thought 'flat and straight...' and went on.

So this may be an opportunity to reach out an arm!

I have just come across this walking site, foxyislandwalks,that has a photo log of the Aylesbury Arm. It looks very nice.
I've nicked this picture from their site.

More progress

We were just passing.

SONFLOWER is progressing well. The second green undercoat is now being applied and the grey undercoat on the roof is evident too. She really looks OK.

Of course there is nothing that can be done about the aging of the steel and the ripples in the roof sheets are more evident in grey than they were in green.

The Best Mate commented that Piglet will have the job of keeping the grey clean. He will enjoy going along the top with the mop and bucket!

Completion is ever getting nearer and I will need to think about those little jobs that need doing before we start our cruising. Like repairing the top box and clearing out the accumulated rubbish.

The Big Green Machine

YES

SONFLOWER is back to her normal colour. Having been embarassingly naked and metallic then in her prime and with her underclothes showing she is now getting her petticoats on with a green undercoat. That is except for the yellow bits. They are being unedercoated in 50% gloss. Martin explained this. He said the yellow does not cover easily and it is therefore necessary to build it up a bit at a time using the finished colour.

I can attest to the non-covering qualities. The back rail must have had three coats when I did it and always looked blotchy.

The finish will be started about next Wednesday she will be sanded back to give the base for the last glistening in the sun shiny Mason's enamel finish!

There are other details to see to. We are having 'Raddle' (by Craftmaster) on the roof and decks and sand on the gunwhales.

There always seems to be more to do than can be achieved in the next two weeks. We'll see.

Beautiful blogging

Blogging is not a waste of time. The Best mate often looks across to me and says something like.'blogging again?' But sometimes a little searching around the blogs finds some real gems.

Take this quotation

'A boat is not a destination, nor a conclusion, as a house or a piece of land might be, but a means to reach conclusions and destinations you could only dream of. Everything that hangs in the air above the boat is open-ended. She knows no horizons. For her, anyway, every prospect is an invitation and every casting off an absorption in where she might go. A boat is all beginnings...' Adam Nicholson's 'Seamanship'
p.10

My thanks to Nick Holt who blogged this on 24 April 2004

NO ENTRY! chequing in....

There is a sign on the door to the dock. DO NOT OPEN. That is because the undercoat is now going on to SONFLOWER. After all the preperation the paint is now being built up and the painter does not want any nasty dust to get into his very clean dock.

It is very obvious why we had trouble trying to DIY under the M42 bridge when we last painted the boat. It was little more than a gloss over really.

I came across another narrowboat painting post (a series really) which tells how to do it yourself. The time and effort to get a good job is terrific. I am glad I have put it into the hands of professionals.

There was a slight hiccup which took me to the boatyard this morning. I had not signed the last cheque that I gave Tooley's. It was quite a sizeable amount and this left them with a bit if a cash flow crisis as it was returned. I signed it this morning and took them some cash so that they can pay the painter while they wait for the second attempt to clear. I don't want him to stop work!

What's in a name?

I had acall from Matt at Tooley's this afternoon. I forgot to sign the cheque I gave them last Saturday and it bounced. Ooops! I will need to put it right in the morning.

While I was on the phone, I asked him about the paint that we are using. The quotation I got said that they would beusing Mason's undercoat and top coat. Martin the painter, was using Craftmaster primer and told me he would be using Craftmaster Undercoat, so I asked matt what were his intentions. I was told the sad news that Masons cannot supply undercoats any more. We therefore will have to use Craftmaster undercoats. Tooley's say that they really like these paints but still use Masons Boat Enamel over the top.

I looked at the Canal Junction web site where Phil Speight, reputed to know a few things about canal boat painting says: "be sure of the quality and quantity of the paints to be used. There are some other good paints on the market but obviously we recommend CRAFTMASTER products because we developed them, we use them all the time and we're sure of the results we get. Avoid cheap paint. Once the boat is primed you will need a MINIMUM of two coats of undercoat and two coats of gloss. Make sure that there are at least two undercoats and one (dry) gloss coat on any areas that may be sanded BEFORE sand is sprinkled onto wet gloss. It will then need at least one more coat over the top once its dry and been cleaned."

Thanks for the advice Phil.

Learning the ropes (in France) Pt 5- the finale

It was not all bad. We had a wonderful time. In fact we would love to go again.

The picture is of our hired narrowboat, Saint Nazaire with the crew. The fact was that we were under crewed. In the large locks one really has to tie on to something to stop the boat being tossed around and this means one needs a crew member fore and aft and another on the lock side. Some of the locks have such a large rise and fall that one cannot put crew ashore and there are long poles set into the side of the lock to pass a line around to control the position.

There is one lock that is on a river section of the canal with a lock cut that narrows considerably. It is traffic light controlled but to tell the control system of your presence one has to turn a switch that is dangling over the middle of the canal from an overhead line. When you don't know that it is there, discover it late and pass it it is a job to back up and position the boat so that one can reach the dangling switch which is swinging in the wind that is making it very difficult to back up the boat!

Mooring is fun. One can moor just about anywhere but bollards and rings are very rare. The canal is lined with Plane trees and most of the time one ties to one of these sturdy items of canal furniture or to one of the thousands of roots that dip into the water and form a bank of sorts.

The french hire boats do not seem to know the beauty of taking things slowly and wash making is very common. The french commercial barges also do not slow and keep to the centre of the canal making it quite daunting as they approach. We felt that our little narrowboat would be swept away by these towering beasts. They are big.

One thing we should say. We learnt a lot on our adventure on the Canal du Midi and the Canal de Robine. We went to Narbonne and Carcasonne as well as Beziers and stopped at many villages in between. We loved the countryside and the people. We went to Minerve and the vineyards and sampled Muscat so smooth that it slid down the throat. We visited a chateau right beside the canal and bought wine from the vat. We had steaks and mussels and cassoulet. We loved the Mediterranean sea and the bright blue skies.

And we got there before the Narrow Dog.

Learning the ropes (in France) Pt 4: Tipping is optional

All the guide books suggest that the lock keepers on the Canal du Midi do not expect to receive a tip. However, many of them have a little stall displaying Mon Mammon preserves and Vin de Table at highly inflated prices. Sometimes a purchase from these stalls might not speed your passage through this time but might do on the return. The lock keepers also have telephones. They might communicate with the next lock keeper if you are sypathetic to their wares, the next lock keeper might also expect you to be.

At one lock, the lock keeper displayed a large number of wood sculptures. Many were obviously fixtures but there were some smaller works of art that were definitely for sale. I must say that I am not a collector of sculpture and it didn't really interest me. This lock keeper also had a large yellow labrador dog. He was particularly fond of mooring ropes and would not let go of ours nor would he let us get to it to retrieve it, pulling the end with great strength and gusto, dropping it and then barking furiously before attaching himself to it again. This game went on for quite a time. Long enough for us to get a picture anyway.

I wondered whether he was trained to hold on to our rope until we had bought a sculpture or left a tip!

Learning the ropes (in France) Pt 3: Stopping for lunch

In France, everything stops for lunch.

As we were travelling just around Easter time when there were not too many tourists about we also found that in the villages lunch was a very lengthy meal. There were several days that we stopped when the sun was high and walked into a village to obtain the basics, milk and bread, to find that it was closed for lunch. And I mean everything! Church, shops, garage, houses and businesses.

But there are some things that one does not expect. We approached an automatic lock at a time just about lunch time. Being good English boaters trained on the ettiquette of the canals, we looked back to see a plastic hire boat approaching the lock about a third of a mile away. We waited for them. As they entered the lock the gates automatically closed behind them and the Best Mate pressed the "Ascend" button at the controller.

Nothing. As it was now 1302h, the lock had closed for lunch. The Best Mate was ten feet above us and we were trapped. We were in the lock, the Best mate on the lockside. All we could do was have our lunch. With no way of getting off we made sandwiches on board and attached some of them to the end of the mooring line in a plastic bag. The Best Mate pulled them up. We then tied on a plastic bottle of tea to refresh her spirits.

What can you do when you are in a lock? Well one thing is splice the rope that was cut when it got crossed on the bollard! So that is what I did.

Lesson three: stop early for lunch. [To be continued

Learning the ropes (in France) pt 2 Beware Automatic Locks

The French waterways have been modified by the electrification of the gates and automation of the locking process. However, this can have disadvantages if you are a relative novice boater or unaware of the hazards, as we were on our trip to the Canal du Midi.

Having turned in the round lock at Agde we were returning toward Beziers and were rising for the first time. We entered the first lock alongside a german crew on a plastic hire boat. The gates closed automatically behind us. We had experienced the automative system and I, Eeyore, was on the lock side. I looped the centre rope of the narrowboat around the centre bollard and pressed the 'Ascend' button. I admired the view as the paddles opened automatically, water entered the lock and the boat began to rise. The flow of the water into the lock pushed the boat forward as the rope around the bollard slackened as the boat came up. But only so far. As the roof of the boat came above the top of the lock side it started to tighten again and as the boat had moved forward the rope was crossed and locked onto the bollard. The boat began to tilt quickly and dramatically. The boys were on the boat and plates started to slide off the table onto the floor and items started to crash around them.

Fortunately I noticed in time and hit the RED EMERGENCY STOP button. The paddles closed and calm was restored with the boat at quite an angle but clear of the water. The German crew were not amused as they were stuck in the lock with us. Their skipper shouted at me to get a knife. I got the boys off the boat first and then took a kitchen knife to the taught mooring line. The boat jumped up and bounced back into the upright position.

Voies Navigables de France (VNF) the French navigation authority sent their engineer out to find out why the button had been pressed and reset the controls. I explained and apologised. No harm done!

I had learned a second lesson. Watch the ropes at all times!

It is this incident that makes me believe that the newly installed extra bollards on narrow locks will be "an accident waiting to happen". It happened to us. [To be continued

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.