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!

Love is

.......not being so idiotic as to buy her a £50 bouquet of roses for Valentines Day so that a florist can buy champagne for his!

MOOR ABOUT MOORINGS

I was at an AWCC Regional Meeting last evening and was surprised by the contrast in opinion that the South East Mooring Consultation has distilled. Many are very much in favour of shorter times at popular mooring places but there are also very strong opinions that think the present system and arrangements are adequate if CRT use their powers of enforcement adequately. There is a contrast between the occasional visitors from the river clubs and those who are based in the canals in marinas too. The marina dwellers fear not being able to pop their bows out to go to a popular pub for lunch and back more than eight times a month!

Get YOUR opinion in! You have until the 1st of March.

I look forward to reading the responses in March.

Mooring Fees (Stealth) Increases: The Decision

I have received the Decision Letter from Canal and River trust.

I have not been successful in getting the "Reserve" lowered. The main bit of the decision by Richard Mercer, Head of Utilities is this:

The final point is the use of the Reserve Price at mooring auctions. I have found that the Reserve Price has increased over the last three years and currently stands at 90% of the target price. This percentage is applied nationally and not just at Spice Ball Park Mooring. The Trust uses its discretion as to the level of the Reserve Price and this is entirely appropriate as the Reserve should be set at a level which makes the auction economically viable. At Spice Ball Park Moorings there have been 23 auctions in the last three years. Ten of these auctions have resulted in the mooring being let at the reserve price, on three occasions the mooring price achieved has been above reserve and in 10 cases there were no bids. I think this is a reflection of the general economic situation and clearly auctions function best when there is a strong demand. A review of the auction system is to be undertaken and your complaint has crystallised the need for this review.

I have discussed your complaint with the National Moorings Manager, Jenny Whitehall. The concerns you have raised are real and legitimate. The Trust will take your points on board as part of the proposed review. Your input has been very useful.

So Canal and River trust now know that there is a national problem. I complained specifically about Spice Ball Park Moorings.

Where do we go from here?

Snowy Pictures

Because everybody loves snow

(Stealth) Mooring Fee Increases

I seem to have another person who thinks that the Canal and River Trust are way off beam on "Reserve Price" setting.

Peter Underwood of Norbury News waxes lyrical on the subject here.

Meals Out

We went out for a couple of meals this week.

I am amazed by some of the reviews I read about Restaurants and pubs. The Review sites often ask for the upload of a photograph. On Tuesday my meal was so good that I thought after I had eaten it that I should have taken a photo and shared it with you.

However all I can tell you is that the pie dish and plate are completely empty. It was that good.

When the pudding came I already had my phone in my hand so here is a handy shot of the cheesecake. I can tell you that the plate was emptied in this case as well!





Today, after working on the boat for the morning, I was in need of a pint of ale and The Best Mate was in need of a log fire. We went to The Plough in Warmington which provided both. The game pie, with mash (ordered as a special) was lovely and The Best Mate said that her pâté and baguette really hit the spot. A lovely place to chat and the muzack was quiet enough for one to have a real conversation but loud enough to listen to Queen playing "Don't Stop me Now". We have already decided that we will go back again.

Winterisation

We started to winterize the boat this morning. The weather forecast is beginning to come true and it looks like we will have snow this weekend followed by cold weather for a week or two.

We will not be on the boat. So I need to take some precautions.

I have: 1) checked the engine antifreeze
2) Morco water heater: drained element and the hot water system to tap level leaving the taps open. The heater element is wrapped in a towel to keep it cosy.
3) Domestic Water Pump: switched off the and opened the cold water taps
4) drained the shower head and opened the mixer valve
5) stripped the bedding and put it safe in lockers. Pillows in plastic bags.
6) removed the chimney and put a lid on the flue pipe.
7) cleaned out the fire and blacked the stove.


Have I forgotten anything?

Towpath Talk

Not a very exciting day today. But we caught up with some of the news.

We went for a walk. Life on the towpath is recovering from the festive season and there were quite a few of the moorers out and about today. NBWilly Nilly went by with guest crew on a water run while the weather is fine. The crew of NB Athco were relaxing on a bench in the park and the skipper of NB Nene Pilot was walking his dog and surfing the net at the same time. It was good to chat with folks, not just to wish them a "Happy New Year" but to keep up with the towpath telegraph. Not the published free paper but the genuine news of real boaters with real lives and a love for the waterways.

It was good to be out in the fresh air on a dry day. The Best Mate could tell it had been raining a lot recently: there was only half a carrier bag full of litter to pick up in the park!

Weather forecast

Weather Forecasts fascinate me.

Living in the middle of the country we often find that the country is divided into different types of weather and that the dividing line goes right through where we are.

Here we see a weather front depicted right overhead.

Yesterday I caught the weather man chalking the line in the sky.

Last of the Year

A break in the rainy weather this morning.

We were moored in town for the Festive Season. Needing fresh water we had too much flowing past us, in the bilge and falling from the skies so SONFLOWER lay lonely beside the quay. The bilge was pumped out.

At 1000h the lift bridge was raised and I went through to the water point. Another local moorer had descended the lock to the facilities below and left the bottom lock gates open. He probably thought they were on their own in the Sunday sunshine. I couldn't be bothered to close them and fill the lock, only to have to do it all again when I returned from turning, so I backed through the lift bridge and all the way back to home mooring. I arrived at 12 noon. Regular readers will note that this is the average time for a "Water Run" whichever way you do it.

Back on the mooring I was just in time for coffee on board Willy Nilly where I savoured the bacon, eggs, sausages, mushrooms, beans and toast that were being prepared for the crew. I was offered some but regretfully refused so as not to spoil my appetite for the paella that I was to cook for Sunday lunch. The smell was good and the conversation flowed. The boat's dog enjoyed a sausage and eyed up the baked beans.

I had to take my leave a little under an hour later to get away to cook for my own crew but stopped to chat to the boatman on Grace who was chopping oak logs. He told me that he had not bought any logs in the seven years he had been on the water. He only burns logs too! He was extremely accurate with the axe he was wielding which he put down to the fact that he had been chopping wood since he was seven! He was thankful to be on our relatively sheltered stretch of water during the rainy spell. His home mooring is at Welford on the Warwickshire Avon. He told me his story of survival during the 2007 rise in water levels of over 16 feet overnight! He managed to secure a single rope to the overhanging branch of a tree just before the rings came off the poles to which he was moored. Less fortunate boats were swept by dragging their mooring lines!

The paella was good and used up some more of the Christmas turkey!

Don't you hate it

when you just click in the wrong place and your whole blog roll disappears!

Sorry bloggers. It may take some time for things to be put right.

Happy Christmas to all of you!

Bright Period

That was what was forecast so when I woke I looked out, saw the sun and started the engine.

I made the best of it while it lasted:
0745 Let go
0800 Through Lift Bridge 164 thence through Banbury Lock 24
0830 Turning at Bankside (Tramway) Winding Hole
0900 On the Services Point for ash/rubbish disposal, water and pump out
1030 Prep the lock and work up (encourage "crew" to shower and dress)
1045 Through the lift bridge, coaching a young woman who was waiting on her way to work, to close it for me, Thank You. Saved her and me time!
1100 Turning at Grimsbury Arm (encourage "crew" to have breakfast)
1115 Tie up at Home Mooring
1130 Rain commences, and Bright Period over!

Result!

Colder and Bluer

A clearer sky and a colder canal. The ice broken by a passing craft yesterday is completely reformed this morning.

Forecast is -3C all day today.

This was how cold it was this morning!


Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Highlight today was seeing 25 waxwings in a tree near here. They flew off south. Cold weather has its compensations. Beautiful, truly beautiful birds.

Saturday Morning

Just the water run to do today.

I let go (note the new, correct, boating terminology used since reading "The Amateur Boatwoman" which was kindly lent to me by Mortimer Bones) at 7.50am and was at the Lift Bridge at 8am. Piglet popped up to work the bridge on his way to the Station to catch his train to Oxford, where he rehearses with the Kent Youth Orchestra. I settled onto the water point.

Tigger's alarm sounds at 8am and I was happily surprised to find that he had silenced it AND got up. I shepherded him into the shower while we filled with water. He duly dressed and settled at the table for his breakfast as I worked down the lock. I tied up below the lock and let him off as it was time for him to leave for football training.

I let go again and winded at Tramway, passing nb Annie who was busy unloading a ton of kiln dried oak logs that had just been delivered to the parking layby near Samuelson (Tramway) Bridge.

Back to the lock I worked up and thence through the lift bridge

(A little close to the bridge here as the flow is toward the lock and hence the bridge!)to return to the mooring, tying up at 1050. nb Willy Nilly was also preparing for the cold, sawing logs as I passed.

Another water run completed.

The felled trees on the opposite
bank do look inviting!

(Stealth) Mooring Fee Increase

Those of you with a long memory will know that in September I posted to let you know that I wrote to Canal and River Trust about this issue.

Today I got a reply.

The reply was written yesterday, 59 working days after the date of my letter.

Apart from confirming the facts the reply did not address my concerns at all.

I have asked, for the second time, for the complaint to be elevated to "the second level".

How do you think I will get on?

"Red sky in the morning: shepherds warning"?

I waited patiently for the sun to appear. I expected a large red disc to slowly ascend into the sky, yellowing as it progressed in a long lazy arc.

I anticipated a gorgeous bright but crispy cold day.

Actually the sun never shone. The clouds were already gathering on the eastern horizon and the sun has been masked from sight.

Cold it is though.

We had the first ice of the winter on the Canal this morning.

If it clears during the day I may go down to town for water. A long freeze would be a little inconvenient!

The warning this time is for a cold snap I think rather than a storm or rain. But who knows.

Volunteering

These A3 size posters have been appearing all over the place attached to all sorts of street furniture, trees etc. This one was attached to the park boundary fence near to Marsh Footbridge No 163.

However, it very quickly became just another piece of litter. This time plasticized and non biodegradable! Hardly keeping the canal special!

Don't worry! I got my screwdriver and hammer out, removed the old tacks and re-affixed the poster.

Does that mean I have now become one of Canal and River Trust's team of volunteers?

Out of Touch

To be quite honest I have been too busy to blog.

The Best Mate has not been well and has had to take to her bed. That has meant that a lot of the things that would be easier with two have been handled with my two hands. Just keeping the cupboards full, the crew fed, the fire alight and making sure that the crew are in the right place at the right time takes a lot of effort.

We have done everything we have needed to do. Firstly, once navigation re-opened and water levels were sensible again,