21st September
Hazelford Lock
Today was a work day for me, a couple of panto meetings to fill the day. However the day started off with conversations with Chris who hosts the blog. His servers were having some problems, we’d been wondering if the blog had now got far too big and thoughts had turned to splitting the last ten years of posts onto a separate blog to reduce the blog’s size. Conversations were had, maybe he should try turning things off? So for the time being you may not be able to comment, or you may have to sign in to comment, we’ll see what the next few days brings.
Tilly asked to be let out early, just as we’d been getting ready for breakfast. We were going to be here all day, but I did want to see her so I limited her shore leave to a couple of hours. She returned within the time limit, jumping onto the stern, Mick opened the back door and in she came. Hang on! What’s that in your mouth Tilly? I£&(*s a M&”&***Se my F*&%£DY. I hadn’t really wanted to know as she had broken the first rule of ‘NO friends home’ She was picked up and escorted straight to the bow doors and out onto the well deck, the doors closed firmly behind her. Mick hadn’t spotted that she had company! She soon didn’t anymore!!
My first meeting of the day was with Gemma the Production Manager for panto. The last few weeks she’s been busy, I’ve been moving to the boat and been occupied with other things, so we both felt quite a bit detached from the show. We chatted through where we’d got to, should we try to source 4m long cardboard tubes locally so they can stay in long lengths? After a pause to take a phone call we decided that we were still in quite a good place, just the order for the print to be placed, I need to do a little bit more to the artwork and then it will be ready.
After lunch we had a catch up chat with Helen and Min the props makers. Conversations about confectionizers, snowballs, skis, buckets all sorts were followed by lantern discussions. All good and on course.
Time for a walk, I crossed the river and headed down stream to Fiskerton, passing numerous fishermen, through several clapper gates and arriving at The Bromley pub which seemed to be popular for a Monday late afternoon. I carried on past the big houses hiding behind their flood walls and on to where a footpath heads away from the river along a flood bank, it was quite nettley!
The path then crossed over a steam, into a field which was close to where cattle live, their hoofpath surrounded by wooden fencing and a rather interesting gate. Then I was at Fiskerton Mill which sits on the River Greet. It began as a corn mill run by Osbert the ‘milner’ in 1248. In 1579 it was listed as two mills, by 1792 it was listed as a cotton mill. In 1829 there were five bobbinet machines in use and by 1832 it was a lace thread mill. 1837 it was converted back into a corn mill which burnt down in 1851, the mill was rebuilt in 1872 with several sets of stones, it continued to work into the 1920’s when it started to produce animal feed which stayed in production until 1980s.
Today it seems to be split into a few homes. At the front there was a box of eating apples left for people to help themselves. I still had a bag for such finds from last year in my bumbag so I helped myself, I think I picked an apple of each variety. Thank you.
Back through the village and to the pub. Here the old wharf building is for sale. A modern conversion of quite a large building the ground floor high above where flood waters come. It comes with the moorings on the river, all yours for £1.5 million. It’s a little odd that there are no interior photos in the brochure, but then a lady was just finishing varnishing the balcony doors, maybe more photos will follow.
Back at the boat I spent some time sending messages to friends before chopping up some of yesterdays roast pork and making us Paprika Peppery Pork. Very nice, it’s a favourite that I haven’t made in an age.
During the day we’ve constantly been getting emails from the blog saying that it was unresponsive, then a while later that it was back online. This evening on a few occasions when we’ve been informed it was back online we had a go at putting up a post about our technical difficulties. This took about 2 hours to actually achieve a post, that is seriously slow. Chris has spent a lot of time trying to sort things today, but unfortunately he’s not had any luck, it sounds like it’s something out of his hands.
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 grounded cat, 1 friend, 1 upset stomach, 2 panto meetings, 1st contact in 5 days, 1 little list of jobs, 4.58 miles walked, 1 impossible blog, 312 emails, 1 very sad message to send, 1st Mrs Tilly stamp of approval of the year!
22nd September
Hazelford Lock to Opposite Kiln Pontoon, Newark
This morning Chris called, where his server is located is apparently being hit by a Denial-of-Service Attack, commonly known as a DOS attack. So for the time being Chris can do very little. Apparently the part of the centre where his server is located people were now installing something that should help, but only time will tell. Have to say I’m a little bored of writing the blog in Word, so I hope it gets sorted soon.
Tilly wasn’t allowed out today, yesterday she’d had a bit of a dodgy tummy so she was on reduced rations. Hopefully a quiet day inside would help to sort her out. After breakfast we winded and headed on further downstream to Newark.
We’d started off in jumpers, but soon with not a cloud in the sky, these came off! We nearly brought out the sun cream. The last few days have been windy, but today not a jot of a breeze, just blue skies, what a wonderful day to cruise.
Mick radioed ahead to Town Lock, the Lockie was just letting someone down and then would refill the lock for us. No Heather Bleasdale on the mooring by the weir, no rubbish bins by the CRT yard, they have gone. Soon we were descending in the lock with the Lockie asking if Oleanna was a new boat, no just a new paint job.
Past the castle which seems to be having quite a bit of building work going on with scaffolding up at one end. Under Trent Bridge, ahh no space on the Kiln Pontoon. A couple of the boats we recognised from our trip a few years ago on the Great Ouse. Dutch Barge Karma was moored right on the end , followed by a cruiser so accessing the water point was going to be seriously hard. Our tank was down to about a quarter, so we needed a fill up especially as we’ve been on frugal rations for a few days and really wanted to have showers. Only one thing for it, head into King’s Marina and fill up there.
An angler had just cast their line across the entrance to the marina as we approached, I called out to them and they reeled it in. Our arrival on the service pontoon ended up being timed with lunchtime. Mick walked up to the office, then called the number left on the door, it went to a mobile and then to an answerphone. He left a message saying we hoped it was alright to fill up and if we needed to pay then that was fine as we’d be back to moor for a couple of days at the weekend. No one challenged us as we filled up the tank. We also took advantage of being at a good level to empty the yellow water, Mick decided not to use the elsan as that would be a touch too cheeky!
Back out of the marina we headed back upstream and pulled in a bit of a way behind The Newark Barge and tied Oleanna to the wall. From here we’d be able to see when a space appeared on the pontoon and being alongside the low wall we’d just about be able to get on and off the boat to head into town.
Gosh it was warm now, mid 20s. This is when Tilly prevents us from having front and back doors open to get a breeze through the boat. I do have a plan for the stern doors at some point so that we could have the rear hatch slid open, but my carpentry skills leave a bit to be desired.
A list of items to be bought was made then I headed into town to see what I could find locally. B&Q, M&S, B&M, do all shops have to operate under initials nowadays? I worked my way along the retail park on the east bank of the river. Very few yellow labels in M&S for a ‘Sad Git’s’ meal, I opted to see what Waitrose might have instead. Into town and to Boyes for some new egg poach pods as the old ones had gone very sticky over this winter.
No market today, I strode across the market place. Hang on! What!? WHAT??! On the front of Boyes there was an obvious gap no Boyes sign just their tag line partially visible. Initial panic subsided when I noticed a sign saying they’d moved, Phew! Round into a more modern building not far away. Well as with the Doncaster store the new shop is bigger and brighter than the old one. There are still all the reassuring items for sale.
Poach pods, something to be able to keep my CP ring around my neck when painting or working locks, a new retractable tape measure for knitting and a few more items. Next was Waitrose to see what sad gits items I’d find there. I’d timed my arrival too early really, the staff were just starting to pull items off the shelves, but I came away with a curry for this evening.
After sweeping the chimney the other day Mick had laid the fire ready to be lit, well tonight was not going to be the night as it was still very warm when we retired to bed.
1 lock, 9 miles, 1 very sunny day, 25C? 0 clouds, 1 full water tank, 1 empty yellow water tank, 2 paddling cows, 1 mooring against a wall, 0 view, 1 suede strip too short, 1 lobster clasp only just big enough, 2 hot for pies, 2 poach pods, 1 new store, 1 new innards for sheep, 1 bored Tilly still with a dodgy tummy!
