Mexbrough Meadows
After breakfast we trundled up the cut a short distance and pulled in outside the Pastures Hotel. Here the bank is a touch lower and I’d hoped this would mean I’d get chance to wash the starboard cabin side, but the bank was on a slope, so this would be hard. Instead I finished off Oleanna’s roof, all nice and cream again. I suspect I’ll get complaints when Mick has the sun bouncing off it, but she’s at least a third clean now.
There was just time to sort out the space under the back steps before the Sainsbury’s van arrived, pulling into the car park. Mick went to meet him and brought back a couple of crates that wouldn’t fit on the trolley. It took a little time to stow everything and I was a little dismayed that the cartons of chopped tomatoes had been replaced by tins. The cartons pack away much better taking up much less space, at least the tins don’t cost any more.
Shopping done we winded, pootled back a short way, winded and came into moor where the trees and bank were slightly lower, giving our solar panels a little boost. Here Tilly was allowed out again to find friends and annoy the Magpies!
During the afternoon I worked my way around the windows. Taking each glazed panel out laying it on a towel on the sofa, clean the glass, then gutters and drain holes in the frame. It’s amazing how much crud gets into such a small space. Tilly made use of the new openings and used them to come in for a visit before heading back out again.
I had one of those phone calls (currently from a fictitious Leeds number), ‘I’m calling about the car accident you were in that wasn’t your fault’. I gave the usual answer that as I don’t have a car that would be difficult. Don’t know why I talk to a recorded voice, but it’s interesting to see how it reacts to your answer, they certainly don’t remove your number from their list!
Tidying up when all but the bedroom porthole had been cleaned out I picked up the towel I’d been using to protect the sofa to give it a shake out of the hatch. It felt a little bit heavier than expected and the reason soon showed itself as the slightly blue screen of my mobile drifted down through the water out of sight!
If we’d been on an average canal we think we’d have been able to retrieve it, if only for the sim card. But here on the South Yorkshire Navigations the canals are deep, able to take big wide deep draughted work boats. The big torch came out and pushing Oleanna away from the bank meant that we could see my phone. The water was too deep for the grabber, Mick suggested the sea magnet, but phones are not magnetic and all it did was help to dislodge my phone from where it was sitting and slide deeper under the boat.
Landing net was tried next, but no matter how far we pushed the boat out we still couldn’t see the phone. Bloomin heck it’s deep here. Our landing net handle must be at least five foot long and I could only just touch the bottom of the canal with a couple of inches left to hold onto it. No chance of retrieving my phone. We may be able to see it in the morning glinting in the settled water, but we won’t be able to reach it.
Sadly phones are not covered by our insurance and our excess is higher than the value of a new one. Comparing a new phone on contract to buying a phone and keeping a sim only contract worked out the same for the first year, but then I’d start saving again, so long as I don’t throw the phone into the canal this time! So tomorrow we’ll head into the retail park above Eastwood Lock and hopefully replace everything, otherwise it’ll be Sheffield before I can have a phone again.
0 locks, 0.46 miles, 2 winds, 6 boxes wine, 8 tins tomatoes, 0 cartons, 1 very big joint of pork, 1 fully cleaned roof, 6 cleaned out windows, 1 spotless galley blind, 5ft deep, 1 phone in five years, 0 photos, as they are all at the bottom of the canal! 1 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval.
Gaffer tape the boat hook to the landing net handle to extend it??
Steve, we thought about it. But it was getting dark, cold and with no sign of my phone we'd already mentally given up. If we could have still seen it it may have been worth the effort.
Lovely sunny morning you may be able to see it, but I hear you… once spent an hour magnet fishing for a bangle I'd lost that had been a Christmas present… unsuccessfully! :o)
Tell Mick to not be a cissy and strip down to his \”Y fronts\” before taking the plunge. If Mags can do it then Mick shouldn't have any problems 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion Tom! I did consider this but a number of things persuaded me it was a bad idea. Water too cold, water too deep and the phone probably wouldn't have worked again anyway. I kept warm and dry :-)Mick
Liam has been in a couple of times after our phones. Luckily we both have waterproof ones so they have worked again after they have been for a swim!