Waiting

I've ordered a cover for the back deck in an attempt to minimise the water which gets into the bilge. Since I ordered it we have had nonstop rain so I have quite a full bilge :-(. Hope it will soon be ready. In the meantime, I am mainly cleaning and tidying and waiting for some decent weather so that I can take off on this year's adventures. I have sneaked a nice weekend away in Kent - visiting both Canterbury and Whitstable for the first time ever.

All shipshape and raring to go

The boatyard called to say that Olivia was ready last Friday so off I went to fetch her. With her new blacking and smart new engine vents she just needs a few touch up jobs to her overcoat and she won't be recognisable. Also repaired were the rusting side hatch doors and the Paloma - which had blown a seam. I got a fire going and she soon warmed up and for the first time the fire actually stayed in all night. Not only that but when I topped up the stove the fire stayed in for the rest of the day with no further interference from me. On Saturday I went for an eight mile walk with Ramblers before returning to move Olivia to a new spot. The lovely mild weather gave a taste of spring and heralded the cruising season. It won't be long now.

What a difference a week makes

Last Monday Olivia was due in to the boatyard to have her bottom blacked and a few other jobs to prepare her for the new season. I went over on the Friday (10th February) to find her well and truly iced in. Luckily, the boat due in before me had not made it and the yard were working on a local job from further down their list. They assured me I hadn't lost my spot and I went home happy. This week the canal has completely thawed and not only that but it was quite a mild day for cruising. The boat was nice and warm when I arrived as I have found the best firelighter in the world - and his name is Rick :-). Although only a mile and a half I really enjoyed my first cruise.

For my last birthday, my family bought me a new camera so I am also hoping that I will be able to put more pictures on the blog in a hope of making it more interesting.

Ta ta for now....

"Home" again?

On Friday I arrived back at Napton and just did a little cruise up to a lovely spot before you hit Braunston. On a fine day (which this was) it is a wonderful quiet, rural mooring. I was car hopping this weekend so walked back to get the car and parked it up in Braunston. Saturday was a fine day and I made for Braunston where there was a bit of a queue at the locks. In this month's Towpath Talk there was an appeal from someone who wanted to know the whereabouts of the ex-Challenger, Blackbird. Well I know where it is as I went through the locks with the lovely couple on board. He had just bought a horn like this and was having great fun testing it out. I was impressed and as I need a good source of warning, I later popped back into Braunston to get one! Only met one boat in the tunnel and I seemed to get through very quickly. Did another car fetching exercise.

I awoke to rain on Sunday but it didn't last long and I was able to mosey on up to Buckby Top Lock. A boat came up while I was using the facilities there, so I went into the lock and dutifully waited for a boat to share with me. I waited and waited but it seemed that the weather had put boaters off. After an hour (advised wait by BW) I went down alone meeting a pair coming up at the next lock which I also went through alone. However, when I got to the third lock there was a boat waiting there, as the towpath telegraph had reached them that another lone boat was  on its way. We shared through the rest of the flight. I took a break and fetched the car and then started on the final leg down through Weedon. Lots of familiar boats around and it really did feel like "home". Hello Penny, hello Malcolm, hello Danny, hello all my ex-neighbours up at the church. I moored up by Rick as he is going to do a little more cosmetic work on Olivia and I did the last walk/car trip. Over the weekend I walked about 8 miles Friday, 4 on Saturday and 7 on Sunday.

Another festival (no not Reading)

Since the last blog post I have been looking after my grandson in blocks of two or three days. Nothing seems to get done when he is around but we do try to have a good time together. Poor blighter has had his BMX stolen. It was a good bike so we know we won't see it again. Time to start saving those £2 coins for another one.

I did manage to get back to Olivia and move her slowly from Cropredy to the start of Claydon locks, then through the locks to Fenny Compton, from Fenny to Marston Doles (through the two locks) and finally through Napton locks and onto the moorings there. I cycled from Marston back to Fenny using the bike for only the second time this season (so you know there were repercussions which lasted about a week!!).

Last weekend I was at the Rhythm Festival at Old Warden near Biggleswade. Kate & Paris joined me on the Friday and Lynn on the Sunday. Mike from the Malt Shovel was also there all weekend. It's a small festy with some good names performing. It had three stages + comedy + cinema + funfair and kid friendly activities, etc. I didn't need to camp (as only a half hour drive to & from) but the camp site was roomy and the whole fest was on a very beautiful site. I particularly enjoyed Hazel O'Connor doing Breaking Glass - I missed out on it first time round (as it was the '80s, my missing decade) - she has a great voice; Mud Morganfield (in a rather loud red suit); Missing Andy; Tracie Hunter; Curved Air (that took me back); Oysterband; Blockheads. I was a little disappointed by Jack Bruce; Buzzcocks; Toots and the Maytals (who I'd really been looking forward to but found was very "samey"). On Sunday a small plane took off from the airfield next door and treated us to a really fabulous aerobatic display - looping; going straight up and stopping; tumbling and making a loveheart with a vapour trail. Couldn't decide whether the pilot was talented or mad - so I reckon s/he must be a bit of both. We had lots af rain and on the first two nights it got quite cold. I feel a bit festivaled out at the moment but a couple of nights sleep will win me round. I'll soon be back on board to move the boat a bit nearer to her home ground. I'm not in any hurry as I expect when I get her "home" I won't do too much more cruising this season.

Cropredy Fringe 2011

When I went back on board all the remaining mooring spaces had filled up and boats were starting to breast up. One of the fine days I walked into Banbury ( about 6 miles) to get some exercise (especially needed due to the painful back that I had for two weeks). Although I thought I was already sorted, I found a dress to wear to Pat's wedding, which was the following weekend.

If anyone doubted that it is possible to live alternatively, I was on board for three days without turning the electricity on! Who needs it :-). But imagine trying to live in a house without electricity for that period of time. Had to leave Olivia for a few days while I went down to London for the wedding, which went very well. Paris looked a treat in a suit and all my children scrubbed up well. Even I looked pretty darn smart. It was very nice indeed to meet up with people that I hadn't seen for ages. I now have two step nieces!! Luke and I went to see Fairport at The Banbury Mill on the Monday before the festival. It's good to see them in such an intimate venue. Then I was back home for a day to look after Paris before returning to Cropredy on the Wednesday evening to see Eugene Hideway Bridges, who is always good value. He makes playing guitar look so relaxing.

Thursday though Saturday found the village and the pubs in full swing. Lynn couldn't make it over but I had company in the form of Maltsters: Andy and Mike. Here are the artists I watched over the festival: Luke May, Mama Rosin, Sam Kelly's Stationhouse, Dave Onions, Kangaroo Moon, Wishing Well, Cherry Lee Mewis, Spank the Monkey, Robin Auld, Ahab, Letherat, Mary Jane Band, Sambassadors of Groove and special mention must be made of Ned, The Kids' Bob Dylan and, in particular, his song "Stop Texting". Ned is ten years old, going on sixteen. Look out for him in a few years time.

Fitted a new LED light bulb to reduce the draw on the batteries. I was sceptical about it but am finding it good light. I can easily read and do close work under it and I'm now tempted to get a couple more.

All set for Cropredy

I know I haven't blogged for a while but I get frustrated with the slow speed of my laptop - must get more RAM! - so I've stopped using it onboard. Anyway last week, after having a fabulous time at my brother-in-law's 60th birthday party (wild west theme), I started out for Cropredy. I had somehow wrecked my back - I think through some light gardening activity :-) - so progress had to be a little slower than planned. I didn't have a very good trip up Buckby locks as a couple of the pounds were shallow meaning that I couldn't moor in to the side to prep the lock. Instead I tried to keep Olivia in the entry to the lock but of course her fender caught under the gate and she tipped at an alarming angle before the fender chain broke and freed her up.  My lock sharer was very kind and tried to be helpful but he was also single handed and with limited mobility - between us we were a right pair of crocks. I moored at the top of the locks for the night and next morning cruised through to Braunston. The locks here were much better behaved and the journey through the tunnel mostly uneventful. One of the boats coming through had about three tunnel lights, one of which was so bright that I was blinded for a while after we'd passed. Such candle power is just not necessary! I moored a mile beyond Braunston and decided to walk to Daventry and then get a bus over to fetch the car, which I'd left at Weedon. Despite the bad back, walking is something I can do without any painful twinges so I enjoyed it - walking about 8 miles altogether. The next day I cruised up to Napton where I met 2 single-handed female boaters, Mo and Toni. They were out together in Mo's boat to give it a run. They were funny and interesting and we ended up spending the evening together in The Folly pub, exchanging boating (and other) stories about our lives. They have moorings at Braunston and have invited me over when I am next in the area. I moored after 6 of the Napton locks (opposite the field of buffalo) and the space there is peaceful even though it is the choice for quite a few boats. Next day it was the rural cruise through to Fenny Compton and beyond to Claydon locks. It was rather busy with most boats coming along in convoys of two or three and, of course, meeting mostly at bridges. I did stop for lunch at The Wharf at Fenny and finally moored on the rings above Claydon locks. I walked down to Cropredy to suss out moorings and was surprised to find the Cropedy North 14 day moorings deserted (Why?). The towpath telegraph had been reporting "There's nowhere to moor at Cropredy" and "You'll be lucky" when I'd tell them where I was headed. Perhaps it is because I don't think a mile is very far to walk whereas, perhaps others think you need to be moored right in the village centre. Had lunch at The Brase and then thought I'd better clean up the boat a bit. Really pleased to see that the Geoff Amos bus now passes through Cropredy hourly. Very useful and saves a long walk down to the A361 so I hope the change is permanent.