Back Home Today

Up early as lots to do today. We had breakfast, loaded the car and locked up the boat with tracker activated and we were away from the marina by 9.30.
First appointment with Patricia (the wedding flower lady) in Penkridge. Next appointment with Amerton Cakes (you guessed!). Thankfully by 1.00pm the stops on the way home got more interesting; Midland Chandlers and Kuranda. I am planning solar panels soon so thought I had better study the kit!
Stopped in Sheffield to order the new cushions for on top of the new log chest.
Back home by 5.00pm to long grass and the usual chores.


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A Monday Cruise! Yes Monday!

Cruised down from the marina to Rugeley to wind and return to Shugborough Hall.
On our way we spotted the crew of narrowboat Beeston Castle who we had met last in the summer of 2008 as we were both cruising the 4 counties (clockwise). They are still enjoying their time share of their boat and are out for a short chill-out week in the local area. It was good to catch up!
Returning via Colwich Lock where we had to queue as usual!! Rather surprising that we had to queue in March - who knows how bad this 'slow-filler' is going to be in July!
The weather today was again excellent.

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Location:Shugborough Hall, Kingdom

A Diamond for Elaine

Yes - Elaine always wanted a diamond! Today I painted one on the back hatch! I guess my joke was wasted on her! I could only have got away with it; as she already has a ring!

This blog update is a bit of an experiment using my iPhone.

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Location:Stafford,United Kingdom

Log chest and table installed!

Elaine & I travelled down to the boat in good time; arriving circa 11.00am. The previous evening I had collected the new log box and table from the joiners shop made to my design and sizes. It was quite a relief when the log box actually fit snugly into the bow deck. We then spent the remainder of the afternoon fitting the table leg base and pole into the steel deck. Although the steel was 5mm thick it was cut through quite quickly with my steel hole cutter. I'm thinking - money well spent on the hole cutter!
Anyway by 4.30pm all was installed and the front deck was looking quite a good place to hangout on the boat. I am typing this update from the new facility! The seat is a little hard; as I still need to make a template to take to the upholsterers to have a loose seat cushion made.

New Log Chest/Seat and Table Installed.

It seems to have been a long winter!

Well - it's mid March and we are planning to spend our first long weekend on the boat. Previously we have stayed at the boat in all weathers. It seems to have been a long winter and although we have visited the boat several times we have failed to stay longer than a few hours. We have either; got much older and less tolerant of the cold; or, wiser, choosing to maximise our weekends during the winter period doing more pressing chores at home.

This was the image from the Marina Webcam during the majority of the winter period!

This year is a big year for Elaine and I; we are getting married in May at the Moat House at Acton Trussell so there has been lots to sort out. We will therefore be making up for lost time on the boat; spending more time this summer on the boat and we intend to honeymoon up the Shroppie, Llangollen and Montgomery before taking up short-term moorings at Tattenhall Marina during the summer. This will allow us to explore some further reaches from our base at Great Haywood and return later in the year.

Improvements on the boat this year will, all being well, include the addition of solar panels to our battery system (for less reliance on shore power and engine running) and the provision of better seating/storage and a table in the bow (a quiet place to update the blog with good broadband signal while the 'galley girl' slaves in the kitchen!). I will keep the blog updated with improvements as they materialise.

Final Weeks Cruise of 2010 - Part 6

Saturday 25th September 2010 - Fradley Junction to Great Haywood

Up early and ready to set away at 7.30am. A clear blue sky with sunshine but a biting cold wind! Negotiated Fradley Junction without incident although we guessed it would 'heat-up' later as there were boats moored overnight on all the white bollards at the top and bottom of the swan lock leaving no space for waiting boats.
Bacon sandwiches en route after Woodend Lock and then we stopped briefly at Rugeley to visit Morrisons. We then continued up to Great Haywood to watch the Grand Prix Qualifiers.
The only three locations near Shugbrough Hall where I know I can obtain a satellite reception were unfortunately all taken so we moved up to the marina to watch the Grand Prix.
The end of an excellent week. Looking forward to going back to work - Not!

Sunday 26th September 2010 - Set away back home.

Final Week Cruise of 2010 - Part 5

Moored outside the Clock Warehouse

Wednesday 22^nd September 2010 – Shardlow to Branston Water Park

Before we set away we thought we would have a walk around the village as we have been here several times before but never wandered further than the canal side pubs. A nice place – nothing further to report.

By 10.30am we returned to the boat (avoiding an over aggressive pair of swans) and quickly backed out of our mooring to take the opportunity of joining narrowboat Better Than Ever (a canaltime boat) in the first lock.

We travelled up through all the wide locks with this boat and stopped outside Mercia Marina for lunch and a wander into the marina where a white chocolate Magnum took toll on my waistline! After lunch decided to push on through to Barton Water Park. Arrived just before dark and passed Linda and Ian who were moored and still making a very gentle pace towards the Trent. We wished them well and look forward to seeing them again next year.

When you are moored below the wide locks on the Trent and Mersey while the lock is emptied you can suffer a savage surge. Therefore when you are only loosely tied by your middle rope the boat can quickly get out of shape in the canal. Yes – you guessed. The boat did get out of shape; once; and we have suffered damage to one of the zips on the cratch cover on the starboard side when the zip was jammed between the boat shell and an unforgiving concrete lock structure! The zip lost. We will have to sort this out tomorrow in better light together with clearing the weed hatch as we have picked up some kind of debris in the last 4 miles before mooring.

Thursday 23^rd September 2010 – Branston Water Park to Alrewas

During breakfast we were passed by a very fast moving canaltime boat – aptly named “naughty Natalie”! They had a bow wave and a rooster tale that many a powerboat racer would be proud of. Surprisingly the skipper managed to travel along the whole line of moored craft without being reprimanded by a single moored boater.

After removing a couple of miles of nylon rope from around the propeller and a large spider from the weed hatch we set away at 9.30am.

It was again a lovely sunny day although within 30 seconds of Elaine stepping off the boat to open Barton Turns Lock it turned into a monsoon! She was completely soaked. With sodden clothing and straggly hair with her mascara running down her face see looked a real treat! However her sense of humour did not wane. Before we reached the next lock, (Wychnor Lock), she had been showered and changed and the weather had changed back into a lovely sunny day as quick as it had changed into a monsoon.

At Alrewas we moored up for the day. Visited Coates’s Butchers for a Pork Pie for lunch. (We had hoped to get some of their pork and black pudding speciality sausages but none had been made this week).

In the afternoon Elaine set about repairing the zip to the cratch-cover and made a first class job with limited equipment. The stitching is very neat. I painted a white square on the rear hatch in readiness for a red diamond pattern (part of the original intended livery that the boat builder didn’t get done two and half years ago!). I also painted the small ‘dams’ that I have fitted to the rear gutters to prevent rainwater over shooting the side outlets and soaking the rear seat cushions. Apart from encountering heavy rain halfway through he job it was a success – well hopefully; it’s still drying and it’s still raining – so will see the result in the morning.We are again moored below that oak tree with occasional falling acorns to keep us on our toes!

Friday 24th September 2010 - Alrewas to Fradley Junction

Woke to the sound of rain on the boat roof. After breakfast I checked the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast to find it was scheduled to clear up by lunchtime. A plan to set off late was hatched. Elaine baked some rock buns to accompany our 11 o'clock coffee break while I inspected yesterdays paint job and removed the masking tape. It was quite a smell sensation; Cellulose Paint on the rear deck with the wafted smell of fresh baking from the galley! The paintwork turned out well considering the weather we had endured during the last 12 hours and better still the rock buns were delicious!

Not a little dragonfly! (In the wildlife park next to Fradley Junction).

Once we set away the weather was dry; but colder than it had been so far this week. At Fradley it was surprisingly quiet; with mooring space! We found it hard to resist the empty moorings opposite the British Waterways Shop; so after topping up the water tank we moored up for the day. We had only travelled 6 lock/miles but we had all morning tomorrow to get to our intended Saturday mooring at Shugborough Hall to watch the Grand Prix Qualifiers. Ran the engine for an hour to top up the batteries as we hadn't travelled far enough to reach 100% charge. Had a wonder around the junction before an early night ready for an early start in the morning.

Mooring just south of Fradley Junction