Monthly Archives: August 2023

Limping Along. 8th August

Broughton Road Bridge to Rugby Wharf to Bridge 67 that was

Before we set off Mick wanted to fit the switch he’d bought in Scarborough to the Nebolink. Because our slow speed isn’t enough to alert the nebolink that we are moving for it to automatically record our journey we needed to make use of the white wire. Mick’s solution was to add a switch that we could turn on when we are about to push off and switch off when we stop for the day. Last night Dave (Scouts) had suggested we use a voltage sensitive relay. This would notice when the battery voltage goes up as the alternator starts to charge the batteries, this would alert the nebolink and therefore record our journey automatically. There then followed a Telephone Engineers discussion on multimeters. Here Dave is a photo of Mick’s multimeter that he has on board Oleanna.

Mick flicked the switch and within a couple of minutes I received an email from Nebo saying that Oleanna was on the move! Hooray that bit worked. Time to get moving.

We pootled up to the Tesco moorings, blimey it was busy up there. NB Momentous had passed us this morning when the sun was trying to make an appearance, we now passed them, a quick hello and, ‘We’ll be back’ was exchanged before we pulled in right at the end of the moorings. A stock up at Tescos required.

As we walked back up the hill with our full bags it started to drizzle. Boring! We decided to have lunch and hope that things would improve before we set off again. SOoo many boats came past squeezing their way between boats moored on the towpath and off side. People keep saying where has everyone gone, the canals are so quiet this year. Well that’s because everyone is here in Rugby!

Eventually we pushed out and made our way along the embankment to the arm towards Rugby Wharf. Mick didn’t spot the winding hole just beyond the arm with it’s spanning bridge and turned Oleanna’s bow in to turn. He’d expected the stern to be able to swing round with the amount of water behind us, but no, we ended up bow in the greenery under the bridge and stern stuck several feet away from the offside diagonally across the cut with a boat approaching.

The boat hook was required to push the stern off, then Mick tried again and this time succeeded in getting our bow down into the arm. Once we’d tucked ourselves out of the way we waved the oncoming boat to come past.

Now we were on our way, facing the correct direction. Luckily there wasn’t too much traffic so we could slow down and say a proper hello to Jenny and Pete, we’ve been boats that pass in the day this week, waving, but now we’ve finally met. Good to have a chat, see you somewhere sometime.

**Passing or being passed by Momentous for the third time today**

Drizzly. Our plan had been to get quite a few miles ticked off back towards Braunston, but cruising whilst getting wet was wearing thin. We passed our station mooring, got close to the golf course and decided to stop for the day.

As I dropped down the cratch covers I also switched the switch on the Nebolink to off. We’d been able to see that we were moving on our phones but would it now send us a report. It took a few minutes and then the report arrived. Brilliant the £2 switch had done the trick, our route shown on the map had a couple of small lengths that weren’t shown of our journey, but so far all good.

**It seems to work, just needs a bot of double sided tape to tidy it up a bit**

Tilly was let out and had an explore returning after a while and sat on the Houdini shelf in the window. Mick pointed out to me that she was holding her right paw up, he also mentioned that he thought she’d been limping as she got off the boat. I was allowed to gently stroke her paw and leg. Tilly’s weepy eye all teary for maximum sympathy was noted. Nothing was obvious and she didn’t wince.

I stopped what I was doing and sat on the sofa to encourage her to rest her limping leg. This worked for a while, Tilly sat on my knee, knee rest. Then she decided that she’d rather be out and Mick opened the back door. Was this a good idea, certainly to stop her shouting at a closed door it was! She hadn’t ventured far when it was time for Dingding, but she did need some encouragement to come in.

For medicinal purposes I requested that the firebox be lit. It would help heal my poorly arm. Tom obliged and then She came and joined me finishing off her first sock for her. I didn’t help as my arm was too sore. Have I mentioned that I’ve got a poorly arm?

0 locks, 2.4 miles, 1 wind, 3 times past, 1st hello, 1 poorly leg, 1 fridge restocked, 1 damp day, 1 poorly arm, 1 limping cat, 1 puppetgate, 0 trees climbed, 0 holes dug, 1 limp leg, 1 teary eye, 1 stove lit, 1 limp improving!

https://goo.gl/maps/WQR8HA5tFtTTm9PD7

Pantone Tastic. 7th August

Broughton Road Bridge

Those mushrooms in the fridge needed eating up, so I had to make some mushrooms on toast ala Pip this morning, sorry Mick!

Emails back and forth to the printers. Update from me to Production Manager and Director. A new coach drawing done. Sideways trees checked over a few more times.

Mick still in Scarborough was being kept busy too. A chap had come to measure up for wooden double glazed windows to replace the single glazing. Numerous questions were phoned through to me. If we had one type of stop on the highest window in the house we’d loose the squiggly bit, we like our squiggly bits so a key option was okayed. A cottage style was rejected, but brass furniture approved, all whilst I was drawing up the coach.

On his way to the station Mick popped into Clockhandyman and purchased a switch to add to our Nebolink set up. Then he caught three trains back to Rugby.

A Google for copy shops came up with The Printing Works, time to get my updated plans scanned and copied. The usual walk across the park towards the station was closed due to an emergency closure on the bridge across the Avon, just a short detour required to get back on track. The very helpful chap took his time, concerned about the grey background on the scans. I checked them over, not a problem you could see all the information required, they wouldn’t be for display.

As he scanned and printed we chatted about what I did, he got a sneaky peek at a photo of my model. He very kindly let me borrow a Pantone swatch book so that I could identify the shades of blue I’d used on my portals. This is so the printers can add in a coloured border that will wrap around our scenery instead of it being white. I promised to email a photo when the show was up and running so he could see how it all came out.

New sets of plans were popped in the post as I walked back to the boat. Then it was time to make the new bits for the model. A simpler coach, two bits of handrail and a dustbin. MIck was back shortly before I’d finished. Over the next few days I’ll have to dig my paint box back out from under the dinette to paint them, but hopefully the majority of everything is now done. Time to get back to boating life.

0 locks, 0 miles, 3 trains, 4 window phone calls, maybe it should have been me that went to Scarborough, 15 scans, 12 copies, 2 envelopes posted, 2 hand rails, 1 dustbin, 1 coach, 2 plates of pork fried rice, 1 switch.

Frequent Lodger. 6th August

Broughton Road Bridge

Thankfully the weather was better today, still a touch chilly, but the sun was showing it’s face. Boats that had been stationary yesterday were on the move , including NB Momentous, I happened to glance up from what I was doing as they passed to wave hello.

Blueberry pancakes for breakfast were very tasty, followed by the Geraghty zoom. Subjects included Shap, Huel, Portsea and when is an island an almost island! Then it was time to get on with work.

Today the drawing board came out. My technical drawings needed updating with the cuts and alterations that had been discussed. As I worked away Tilly came and went exploring the world behind the sideways trees and Mick worked away washing bedlinen and making beds in Scarborough.

Tanya our most frequent lodger arrived mid afternoon soon followed by Georgia, two actors from the new Ayckbourn cast that starts rehearsals this week.

Once I’d finished updating one set of plans I started working out how to split the print of the portals, a quote from a new company to me had come in a quarter cheaper, if I could squeeze extra leaves in around the edges it would save us some money.

Tilly persuaded me that the stove needed lighting again, she enjoyed having prime position in front of it for several hours whilst I worked away. After dinner I reimagined Cinderella’s coach, if I could get the build cost for this down from £1800 it would be good. Several sketches were done, all of them must be cheaper!

0 locks, 0 miles, 10 sheets adjusted, 2 beds made, 2 new lodgers, 1 stove relit, 1 hire boat boating into the night, 11pm finish.

Welcome To Autumn. 5th August

Broughton Road Bridge

Glad we’d not planned on moving today, the rain wasn’t torrential it just hung around in the air keeping everything very wet. Mick kindly lit the stove, emptied the ash pan and filled the coal skuttle, today was definitely a day for a fire.

Thankfully Tilly wasn’t too keen on being outdoors, the stove was far more appealing. So the two of us got to stay cosy inside, unlike Mick who had to walk to the station to catch a train to Scarborough to do the next turn around between lodgers.

I had a long chat with Jo the props maker for panto. Going through the props list I’d finished off this morning. Jo does all the buying and making of props and with quite a good lead up time she is hoping to import a LOT of fake bananas, maybe 300! We talked beasts, plants, buckets, chairs, all sorts, taking 2.5 hours!

I did have to venture out for a pint of milk. The nearest shop looked like it would be Tescos so I set off along the muddy towpath, hopping over puddles here there and everywhere.

The people of Rugby don’t seem to be wanting to buy ice at the moment that’s for sure. I spent a bit of time by the lemonade bottles measuring them up to use as bases for lanterns. Then I found a route back to Oleanna through the housing estate to avoid getting muddy again.

Apparently it wasn’t raining in Yorkshire when Mick came through Standedge Tunnel on the train, but the River Ouse was up a touch and there had been some localised flooding in Scarborough, thankfully not near the house.

The afternoon was spent doing emails and sketches of props, whilst numerous hire boats cruised past each and everyone of them getting really quite soggy.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 trains for Mick, 1 very very full, 150 minutes props chat, 300 bananas, 4 sketches, 1 cosy boat, 1 long snoozy cat.

Hire Boat Rush Hour. 4th August

Bridge 100 to Broughton Road Bridge

More and more boats came past including the little green tug we’d encountered yesterday, maybe they’d been for water at Braunston last night. Eventually we found a gap in the traffic and pulled out continuing our journey towards Braunston.

**Not a bad view from bed this morning**

Below I busied myself cleaning Tilly’s pooh box and trying to encourage her back into the bedroom. If I was stood in the well deck she’d brave crossing the bedroom to peek out of the front window, but otherwise the bedroom was still a place to be very very wary of. There’s a monster in there I tell you!!!

The bangers spire came into view followed by Braunston Turn. Over the junction we could make out that there was a boat moored at Midland Chandlers, but when the water point came into view and that was free we made ready to moor up. Whilst I dealt with the water and rubbish Mick headed into the chandlers to see what they had in the way of switches. Sadly nothing that we could use. The Nebolink can wait a few more days until we find a switch more suitable.

Onwards now north. I brought the new panto script out the back and as we pootled along the North Oxford Canal I read it through. A pencil should I need to make notes for set things and a blue highlighter pen to underline props as I went. Only one set thing I noted, I need to rehang a door to open the other way. Lots of blue for props and quite a few new chuckles.

This pound is always busy. Today boats seemed to come in threes towards us, just where were they all coming from? We’re normally on a canal or river away from the crowds at this time of year, so it maybe feels that bit more busy to us. We pootled onwards past the nice moorings north of Braunston, these all seemed to be busy.

Barby Straight we only encountered a couple of boats, but the last one must have been really deep draughted as we ended up being on the bottom at quite a tilt. Inside I could hear drawers opening, items falling, Tilly balls all rolling to the port side. The MONSTER’s back!!!! Just when I thought she was getting over the printer!

Lots of work seems to have taken place near Hillmorton. New sheds with boats under cover being worked on. A little boat was out on the hard with the chalk marks of hull thickness, hopefully the results good for a prospective new owner.

We pulled into a space above the locks for lunch. During the morning reading the script I’d grown to like panto again, during lunch the emails started again and my top lip started to curl up. A quick response to one of them, the others could wait till we’d moored up for the day.

Time to drop down the three Hillmorton Locks. Time to find a gap in the passing boats! Maybe we shouldn’t have stopped for lunch, all of a sudden we were surrounded with boats wanting to descend the majority hire boats heading back to base. We trod water alongside a moored boat, the boat ahead got caught out by the flow coming from the weir. He decided to stay put on the off side and let us have the next available chamber on the towpath side.

So many crew at each lock. Some knew what they were doing, others didn’t and I winced at some of the practices. One boat insisted on lifting paddles halfway to empty the lock and then they were going to close the gates despite a boat heading uphill towards them.

Now we were meeting the next set of hirers coming out from the Rugby bases. It was noisy and chaotic to say the least. One boat had young crew sat in the well deck urging Grandad to open the gate ‘It must be ready now!’ as Dad chatted to me at the stern, narrowboating a favorite pass time for his family, costs him a fortune, grandad’s first time, want a boat of their own but wouldn’t know what to do if it broke down, couldn’t afford it anyway. I suggested they should look into a share boat, it works out cheaper than hiring every holiday. Eventually he moved the morse control and headed off to the next lock, his daughter having almost exploded in the welldeck at her Dad not getting a move on!

The last lock down to the Rugby pound seemed quieter, a volunteer helped with the bottom gates and as we left she indicated to the following boat which of the paired locks they should aim for. All could be peaceful again. Time for the final scene of panto.

There was space on the armco closest to Rugby Station. We pulled in, then quite quickly moved along a boats length as we’d disturbed a wasps nest. Tilly was given two hours shore leave, preferring to use the stern and hatch avoiding the bow and the bedroom!

Panto emails kept me busy for much of the remainder of the day. A new print company wanting to charge £200 for a sample?! I’m sure their printing is very good, but we’re possibly looking at two companies doing different elements that all have to look the same, I want reassurance that I won’t end up with a right mishmash of colours. The carpenters were updated with my thoughts, new drawings needed.

A joint of pork came out of the fridge and an hour later went in the oven. A Friday night roast would help warm the boat up for the evening. As I started to collate a props list together Mick prepared the vegetables. A very tasty meal indeed and Act 1 props all listed. I even ended up with Tilly sat on my knee the bedroom starting to loose it’s scareyness.

3 locks, 10.3 miles, 0 journey on Nebolink, 1 left, 0 switch, 1 monster in THAT bag! 4 balls, 1 temperature gauge, 1 miss timed lunch break, 1 clean pooh box, 6 hire boats all at once, 1 spliff and a can of larger, 2 hours, 1 wasps nest, 5m not 3m, 1 long list of things to do, Act1 props done, 1 heel turned.

https://goo.gl/maps/bCigvZeCpD4YvCay5

Pruning Panto. 3rd August

Priors Hardwick Bridge 123 to Bridge 100 gap in the hedge

A zoom to try to sort out the budget for panto was on the schedule this morning along with a phone appointment for Mick with his doctor back in Scarborough. Some aspects of doctors appointments work better for boaters than they used to, the only thing is the first Mick heard of his face to face appointment was a reminder text yesterday, thankfully it was easy enough to change it to a phone call.

Only one thing for it with the panto set, the pruning shears had to come out. I’d made a list yesterday of items that could be pruned that wouldn’t affect things horribly, 3 sections of rostra instead of 5, 1 facia instead of 2, fabric instead of twinwall. John had also had chance to think about things and added to the list. Not sure if we’ve lost enough. I’ve some more work to do now, but that would have to wait until later.

Time to see if the new Nebolink would start as we moved off. Mick has done some more research into them. They are made up from tracking devices designed for cars, so we weren’t sure if our slow pace as we moved off from our mooring would automatically kick the Nebolink into action. For the last few months we’ve had two accounts tracking Oleanna, one of those accounts is now linked to the Nebolink, the other dormant, Mick has set up another account on the free starter service so that we can track our journeys whilst we iron out any problems we may have with the nebolink.

As we were about to untie a boat came past, at the bridge in front of us another boat. Some do-si-doing was required before the two boats sorted themselves out, only to find there was another boat following. In the end things sorted themselves out and we managed to find a gap in traffic to pull out.

There was the expected queue at the top of Marston Doles, not as long as it could have been, there was still enough room for us to pull in. One hire boat waiting to go down, another on the water point. Another boat waited to come up. The crews chatted away, the next uphill boat originated from north of York. Mick had managed to leap frog the boat at the water point so it was soon our turn.

The first few locks we met boats coming towards us, but when we reached the main Napton flight there were few uphill boats meaning more walking round locks to open and shut gates, everyone else apart from us and a boat behind must have stopped for lunch.

From a few locks from the bottom I could see that there were volunteers on duty at the bottom. Why do the volunteers here never venture past the bottom lock? Why were there three of them? We chatted as Oleanna came into the lock and then the paddles were lifted and we were on our way again.

The water point was busy, so were the moorings, we’d have lunch on the go and head for a mooring by Bridge 100 where we’ve had a Christmas or two.

How many boats coming towards us!?! Hopefully they’d not all be wanting to moor below the flight. A boat came out from the GU at Napton Junction, then more and more boats came towards us.

**This was before the high speed overtaking**

We were gradually catching up a little tug. They pulled over to the towpath and waved us past. Naturally we thought they had found a straight for us to overtake at, so we didn’t check our maps, we couldn’t see round a tree and bend. Oleanna sped up to pass as quickly as possible. As we rounded the bend past the tug we quickly realised we were now facing another bend and just as that dawned a boat came round it. More umph needed to avoid collision, thankfully the lady at the helm of the Kate Hire boat kept her cool and both boats passed without touching, the little tug clinging onto the bank for dear life. Hopefully next time they wave a boat past they will wait for a straight length of canal.

Considering the canal was so busy it was surprising that there were so many moorings available. When we reached Bridge 100 we headed for the gap in the hedge, a golden field stretched off across the shallow valley, this would do us for the night.

So how had our new Nebolink done today? Well Oleanna’s location had stayed static for quite some time, then she was shown to be moored in a lock. Then just shortly before we moored up I received an email from Nebo ‘Nebo has detected that Oleanna is moving. Thanks!’ After stopping an email report came through, our journey today had been 0.3 miles! Well we’d actually done 9.3.

In the nebolink there is a white wire which can be attached to a cable that only has power when the engine starts, this will kick start the box into recording a journey. The box being at the bow, this will be hard to achieve, so Mick’s intention is to fit a small switch to the white wire, this will then be turned on when we set off and turned off when we stop for the day. We’ll see if this works.

Dressing tables, bananas were looked at for panto. A new version of the script needed to be read too before I can make any more decisions. A paper copy is far easier to make notes in so I started to print it out. For some reason printing on both sides of the paper set the fear of whatever into Tilly. There’s a monster in the bedroom! She cowered in a corner. Oh blimey! She didn’t even sit on my lap this evening, I think my toes will be cold overnight too, I’d best knit quicker!

9 locks, 9.3 mile, 0.3 on nebo, 2 route plans not uploading, -£3500? 1 quote on the way, 2 busy, 2 many boats, 4.1, 2 sided printing, 1 scaredy cat, 1 disheartened designer, 1 sock progressing, 3 near misses, 1 Christmas mooring, 1 sunset.

https://goo.gl/maps/dSgEr5AUaZU56kVJ6

How Many Dumper Truck Loads Does It Take To…

Top Lock Claydon to Priors Hardwick Bridge 123

A sunny start to the morning, but by the time we were ready to push off the clouds had covered the blue skies, we wore our waterproof coats and started to make our way northwards across the summit pound. Pretty soon waterproof trousers were required. Then as the rain became heavier I was stood down from my navigational duties and allowed to retire below, let’s face it Mick would have to try really hard to get us lost.

Below decks I decided to get my yarn swift and winder out. Our dinette table with it’s rounded edges was hard to get a grip on, but I managed it in the end, three cakes of yarn all ready for knitting.

Outside it still rained. Mick slowed us to a stop, we must have been at Fenny Compton Tunnel. He held us back for a boat to come through, the narrowest part already done, the overgrown banks making the channel look narrower than it was.

Approaching the big wiggles the rain had stopped, I returned to the stern to watch the radio mast get closer. The moorings with a view over the valley only had a couple of boats moored there, is it now too close to the HS2 works for peoples liking?

The small gap after Bridge 128 and the new temporary bridge will one day be filled with a much bigger bridge taking HS2 across the canal.

Today we could see where the bridge will sit a hole dug ready for construction to start, then off into the distance the route the line will take very obvious with the amount of diggers and cranes in view.

The huge mound of earth that feels like it has sat there forever was in the process of being moved. A big digger gouged up jaws full of earth and deposited them into dumper trucks which then moved it to where the line will pass close to the canal. Here bulldozers moved the earth around, followed by two rollers, one flat the other with spikes on it. We wondered where all this earth had come from in the first place several years ago and how many dumper truck loads had it been then? How many dumper truck loads would it take to move it all into the right position? How many dumper truck loads will it take to reach Birmingham? I suspect next time we pass the big mound will be no more and an embankment will run past the canal instead.

Soon back to green fields with sheep grazing. Where should we stop for the day? The weather forecast had been for rain much of the day, but it had been drier than expected. A few moorings were occupied we carried on pulling in just before Priors Hardwick Bridge, we’d moored the other side of it on our way south a month ago.

Tilly was given four hours and vanished off into the sideways trees to be busy. Lunch was followed by a lot of budget wrangling for panto. New figures for the printing had come through this morning, some better but eaten up by things that hadn’t been included in the first quote. I’d passed this on with a couple of ideas to Gemma. I hate days like this, it’s days like this that make me want to pack my scalpel away.

Gemma sent an email regarding the overall budget with suggestions of things that would need to be cut to bring us into budget. A hope that some money can be found from other parts of the budget. I then spent the afternoon going through every element of the set trying to prune things that wouldn’t ruin the whole look, or different ways of building things. I collated a list ready for a meeting tomorrow. Fingers crossed that we can prune enough off and find a bit more money.

Mick busied himself installing our Nebolink. This is a little box that should automatically start and stop recording our journeys on Oleanna. Designed more for the cruiser market we’d had to think of where we could mount it for it to work. Being inside a metal tube was not going to be ideal, mounting it to an outside bulkhead also not ideal. Instead we opted for the underside of the cratch board, here it could be hooked up to the electrics via the light we have in there.

Getting the cable under the light fitting required a touch of carpentry. Wilkos in Banbury had provided us with a chisel and Mick started to notch out the wood. It being at an odd height and angle we swapped over. Gradually I worked away enough wood for the cable to pass under the fitting, now all that was needed was to connect the red and black wires, not a taxing job.

Tomorrow when we set off the Nebolink should automatically start to record our journey, we’ll see how it does. A phone will also be used to track our journey for comparison.

0 locks, 9.2 miles, 1 soggy cruise, 220 grams of yarn wound, 4 inches knitted, 46783753289745664534218878664534 dumper truck loads, £600 mis calculated, 1 chisel, 1 notch, 1 nebolink installed, 4 hours, £4500 still to save, I hate inflation!

https://goo.gl/maps/qxA9ijDYMJaMaxXj8

Squeeeezing Through Cropredy. 1st August

Sovereign Wharf to Top Lock Claydon

With breakfast out of the way Mick headed to meet our Sainsburys delivery. The chap had followed his sat nav and was in a residential cul-de-sac that I’d never heard of. A quick look at a map and phone call later he knew where to head and could be seen arriving through the hedge. Mick transported everything back to the boat on a trolley. As I stowed everything he topped up the water tank, time for us to head onwards.

Every lock out from Banbury we would meet a boat coming downhill today, no need to reset the levels and always someone around to help close the bottom gates.

**Looking that bit tidier than a month ago**

The house at Bourton Lock has had a touch of TLC in the last month. The shutters have a fresh coat of paint and the scrawled graffitti has vanished. I wonder if one day anyone will live there again.

As we passed crews they all exclaimed at how busy it was in Cropredy, boats breasted up and only a gnats hair to get through in places! There was certainly plenty of traffic, three boats awaiting their turn above Slat Mill Lock, our arrival perfectly timed.

Now the towpath was filled with boats, only a few spaces left. Rounding the bend by the cow field a boat coming towards us went aground on the silt, it’s alway deceptive that bend. As we got closer we realised who it was, Paul the boat mover again. He’d been trying to take a photo of us and found the bottom a bit too quickly. See you somewhere, sometime no doubt Paul.

Slow going, no let up on moored boats. It’s still about ten days before Cropredy Festival, hopefully everyone who wants a mooring has arrived. NB Watt Way was tucked in amongst the boats, we’d been on the Great Ouse with her last year. NB Derwent 6 with Del and Al were chatting away to a walker. By the services trading boats had taken root, add to this kids eager to go canoeing and an off side mooring it made for a touch of squeezing past. Busy busy!

The lock cottage by Cropredy Lock had a big banner pinned to it, Rock at the Lock and the lock gates had posters for various events this coming weekend, both shows from Mikron will be here, sadly we won’t be, we’re just that bit too far ahead of Mikrons tour this year. We did wonder where Tyseley would be moored, hope someone gives them an off side mooring.

Once past the marina the moored boats thinned out, but we still met plenty of downhill boats, most heading onwards to Banbury today. We looked back, all the moorings taken in Cropredy, the 24hr moorings (we speculated) would have the same boats on them for the next ten days.

We rounded the bend below Claydon Locks and pulled in for some lunch, blimey that had taken what felt like forever to get this far. Tilly’s excitement and near dash for the front door was thwarted, we needed to move some more today, the sideways trees would still be there next time.

Only one down hill boat on the Claydon flight NB Debdale just dropping down the bottom lock. Pounds were low between most locks the levels a good foot down. Instead of walking on ahead leaving Mick to close up behind, I stayed incase he grounded, but thankfully the levels weren’t that low.

Up the last lock onto the summit pound we pulled in at the far end of the visitor moorings, plenty of space here. Tilly was given a couple of hours to explore and she made the most of her time. Mick looked at details of how to install our Nebo link.

**Gluten free Toad in the Hole, click photo for recipe**

As today is Yorkshire Day our evening meal had to contain some Yorkshire Pudding, so I made up a Toad in the Hole. The sausages took quite a while to brown off, but the gluten free batter rose wonderfully. Happy Yorkshire Day.

12 locks, 7.2 miles, 2 many boats everywhere, 1 reader, 24hrs my foot! 2.5 hours, 1 summit reached, 1 skein of yarn not wound that’ll be rectified tomorrow, 1 big tray of Yorkshire Pud.

https://goo.gl/maps/ZEbD5RFKbqcNrQtB7

39 More Steps. 30th 31st July

Sovereign Wharf, Banbury

Waking in the back bedroom is a strange thing, the bed is quite bedoingee which we’re not used to and being aware of people moving around the house, but not sure where. We opted to get up for our morning cuppa and be sociable. Coco the woofer was happy to see us, they’d just come back from a walk in the park. Soon we were joined by Herbs two girls aged six and nine, we all chatted whilst they had their rice crispies and Olivia and Herb finished packing things up.

**I think we need someone to tame our garden**

The two girls said hello on the Geraghty zoom before being ushered to pack their bags and get ready to leave. Today they’d be going to Diagon Alley (The Shambles in York), their Dad Herb say’s he’s Harry Potter, but they don’t believe him. We waved goodbye and then set about sorting our breakfast.

I did another hour of pulling things up in the front garden, trimming bushes and hacking back ivy and rose bushes that had bolted for the sky. Mick tidied the dead bluebells making sure any seeds were scattered for next year, we like our bluebells.

**Capplemans the only chippy in Scarborough**

Bedding washing, ironing, cleaning, bed making, shower cleaning kept us busy right through the day until it was time for Mick to head off and pick up our order of fish and chips. Very crispy batter today, yummo! We made a mental list of jobs still to be done then blobbed in front of the TV before heading to bed early.

Sunday. Was that curtain pole like that before? Surely when we put the curtains back up after I’d decorated the back bedroom we’d have noticed the pole on a wonk? Maybe someone had tugged the curtains a touch too much and the screws holding the pole up had given up. Things happen. We’d rather know about them than not, then we can do something about it, if we’d not slept in that room then the next time the curtains were drawn they may have come down. Mick tried to fix them, but in the end we deemed it a longer job than we had time for so we removed the curtains for safety (there is a blackout blind), afterall a two year old would be sleeping in that room tonight!

**All clean and ready for Zoe and family**

Windows got a once over, the big shower a full clean, it still has an annoying leak! The postman delivered an important parcel. We packed away our things into the car. Oven, fridge cleaned, sandwiches made for the journey back.

One last thing to check, our Christmas tree that hadn’t been doing to well when we’d left it back in May. With all the rain and having been repotted with some of our home made compost it was green again and sprouting! Brilliant!!

A message was sent to Zoe our next lodger and we were off to join the queue of traffic trying to leave Scarborough. Would we make it back in time to drop the car back off before Enterprise closed? The back route over the Wolds was busy with farmers harvesting. Rain as we passed Goole, the M1 closed near London so tailbacks of traffic as people exited to avoid it. We played chicken and hoped that carrying on to the Crick turn off would work, thankfully it did.

The car was unpacked and returned well within the time frame, Mick picking up various bits and bobs on his walk back.

Tilly was very happy to see us, the pigeons and wagtails had kept her occupied, but we were far better than the birds. Look see they left me with only a few biscuits! There were the just in case biscuits left in her bowl, the magic food bowl licked clean.

Whilst at the house there had been post to open. I got a certificate from Dementia Uk for my fundraising. I also got a parcel of yummy yarn from one of the dyers who’d donated yarn to my Sockathon. This was from her monthly yarn club based on literature, Mars. I’d also bought myself a skein of her brightest multicoloured yarn. The later will soon be being knitted up into a pair of socks for me, it’s about time I had some new socks.

The other exciting post had to be signed for and fortunately it had arrived swiftly. Mick had decided to upgrade our Nebo logging and has purchased a Nebolink. This will automatically record our journeys once installed. More about this when he gets round to wiring it in.

After two days of cleaning, bed changing etc we deserved a glass of wine this evening, we sat down and watched the 1935 Hitchcock version of The 39 Steps on Youtube. This is the version that the play we’d seen on Saturday was based on. So much of it was the same, only slight alterations and the direction made the stage play so funny compared to the serious side of 1935.

0 locks, 0 miles,1 car back in time, 1 full house, 1 spotless house, 1 family to another,2 of each, £868.13, 220 grams yarn, 2 empty bowls, 16 biscuits left, 1 big cuddle from Tilly, 1 last wash load.

I Am Not A German Spy! 29th July

Sovereign Wharf, Banbury

Our mooring here in Banbury meant that picking up a hire car from Enterprise was a lot easier than it would have been from Cropredy. Hiring a car from Friday instead of Saturday morning was also a lot cheaper for the weekend. So this morning we packed up things we’d need for a couple of nights away, filled up Tilly’s biscuit bowl and got the magic food bowl out. Tilly would be left in charge, Mick’s Christmas present of a webcam focused on her food so we could check it opened on time.

It was grey in Banbury when we left, as we worked our way up and across the country it brightened up. By the time we reached Scarborough it was positively sunny and only t-shirts were required. Back at the house we unloaded our things, working out which room we’d be sleeping in for the night as Olivia our lodger for the last few weeks had family staying.

The garden had had a field day. The wildflower bed was certainly past its best, some very droopy Oxeye Daisies and one stem with teasels stood out from the masses of grass. I spent an hour pulling out long grasses and Mick added our deposits into the compost bin. Then it was time to put on smarter clothes for us to head to the theatre for the evening.

Eat Me had a beer and burger deal on if you had a ticket for that days show. The beers didn’t include the gluten free one that they do but the person who served us said it wouldn’t be a problem. We ordered our burgers which we knew would be the best we’ve had for quite sometime. Our bill turned out to have a third off because of the deal, well worth it.

The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow was guaranteed to be very silly. Four actors play all the parts, at times costumes are abandoned on stage for an actor to run elsewhere to play another part. Wigs, references to Hitchcock films, physical comedy including a chase on the Flying Scotsman, an escape at height on the Forth Bridge, quick changes, certainly kept us on our toes. Olivia Onyehara (our lodger) played all the romantic ladies, Dave Hearn played Richard Hannay and then Niall Ransome and Lucy Keirl played everyone else, I have no idea how many parts. One character made Mick and myself turn to look at each other. In a big huus (said with a Scottish accent) Hannay is confronted by a black gloved man holding a smoking cigarette in a long holder, Professor Jordan. This man, a German Spy with the top of his little finger missing! Thankfully Mick didn’t need convincing that I wasn’t a German spy.

If you happen to be in Keswick in the next month get yourself a ticket.

**Dodgy perspective at** **The Trafalgar**

A drink with our friends Steve and Frank after the show kept us out late, on returning to the house Olivia and her partner Herb were still up. It was really nice to have chance to meet Olivia and congratulate her on her performance.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 car, 2 buckets, 2 pouches of food, 1 Tilly in charge, 1 hour weeding, 2 burgers, 2 beers, 2 hours 40 minutes of silliness, 2 mates, forgot to ask you Frank, how are your beans doing?

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna

Monthly Archives: August 2023

Limping Along. 8th August

Pantone Tastic. 7th August

Frequent Lodger. 6th August

Welcome To Autumn. 5th August

Hire Boat Rush Hour. 4th August

Pruning Panto. 3rd August

How Many Dumper Truck Loads Does It Take To…

Squeeeezing Through Cropredy. 1st August

39 More Steps. 30th 31st July

I Am Not A German Spy! 29th July