Author Archives: Pip

Guarding The Box. 9th June

Granary Wharf, Scarborough and Chipping Norton

A silly timed alarm clock for us onboard today. I was up breakfasted, butty made and on my way into the station at 7am, Mick stayed in bed, Tilly stayed curled up. Today I would be heading to Chipping Norton for the white card model meetng for Panto. Mick would be heading to Scarborough to do things he’d forgotten to do with a pint of milk and a key. Tilly would be snoozing a lot, but looking after the boat, a very important job.

First train took me to Doncaster, I had two seats to myself, so one for me the other for the model box which had only just squeezed into an Ikea bag yesterday for ease of carrying. Next train was from an adjacent platform, this would take me to Birmingham New Street, I had several tickets to cover me for this part of the journey which meant changing reserved seats. Instead I opted to pop the model box on the top of the luggage rack and sit opposite it on an available seat so that I could keep a close eye on it.

Next was a change at New Street and a wait, glad not to be rushing to change trains. The train would get me to Banbury, but my split ticketing (to save at least £100) had me moving seats several times. Blimey the train was chocka! Could I be bothered in fighting to reach my first reserved seat and then hope I wouldn’t have to move for someone else? The answer was no, instead an hour of standing protecting the model box as bets I could, moving out of the way for doors opening. I’m so glad I don’t have to do this as often as I used to when I lived in London, and the models then tended to be far bigger.

Hello Banbury, no aroma today! The familiarly coloured roof of John’s car/truck came into view, I had a lift rather than catching the bus out to Chippy. Time to catch up on lots of stuff during the drive, who had left the theatre since I was last there and who was new.

**All set up in order and ready to show the model**

We set ourselves up on the stage, all black tabs (curtains) and lots of speakers about the place. A table, angle poise, note books, laptop, everything to hand apart from a cuppa. The two of us were straight into working our way through the show with the model. A useful time. Should that move there, or here? The next scene change would be harder if we did that. How to transition between this and that, a few bits of writing required, it’s handy the director also being the writer.

A sheet of notes for me to address once home, one scene just nudged about a touch and a bit of model adjusting required for it, but generally all was good. We had eight minutes left before others would join us, time to finally make a cuppa and grab a few bites of chicken sandwich before we started.

**Not so neat and tidy after going through it twice**

Paul joined us (Technical and Facilities Manager) and a new lady who I think works in develepment and fundraising. Gemma (Production Manager) joined via zoom, sadly she’d not been able to join us in person. We worked through the model in a more practical way as John and I’d already done the arty bits. An hour and a bit later we’d got through the show, no indictation on how we were in regards to the budget though. Some chat about trying to get ahead more this year. Last year this had had to happen as their designer wasn’t hands on like me. So we need to find a balance between the two, enough to keep me occupied and far enough ahead to reduce hours during rehearsals.

Time to head back to Leeds. I had several possible trains I could get with my tickets and luckily Paul and his wife Helen gave me a lift back to Banbury so I managed to avoid the bus again.

Unfortunatly there had been a tree fall on the line which had held my train up by half an hour. On the southbound platform it was worse as there was a trespasser on the line further south, so all trains were being held at stations until the line was clear.

Time to go into guarding mode again, the train packed with people trying to get somewhere, anywhere. I stood in the vestibule, but thankfully after a couple of stops I spotted a spare seat. Time to sit with the model on my knee. Another change in Birmingham, another busy train, my journey now an hour later than planned, another seat with the model on my knee. Thankfully at Sheffield the train thinned out and I got the seat next to me for the model box, no need to watch everyone going past anymore. Finally I could get my knitting out and do a few rows, toe 199 coming along nicely.

Arriving back in Leeds just gone 9pm I was glad all I had to do was walk down to the South Entrance and back to the boat, only 2 minutes of brisk walking done today. Mick had been warned of my lateness, so he’d bought in pies and baked some potatoes, all accompanied by a much needed glass of wine.

Mick had traveled to Scarborough by the Coastliner from Leeds, so his bus pass came in handy, swapping buses in York meant he got a comfort break too. He did the few things at the house that were needed and tip toed around avoiding getting anything dirty. Then had caught a train back to Leeds using up a spare ticket he still had.

Tilly, what had she done? Well she’d watched the local swans swimming about showing off their cygnets and had a good old snooze for much of the day. It’s a hard life!

0 locks, 0 miles, 6 trains, 2 buses, 2 lifts, 5:50 alarm, 1 full on solid day, 3 bite lunch break, 1 warm welcome back to Chippy, A4 sheet of notes, 0 major, -1 pint milk, 1 shed door locked, 2.23 miles walked, 2 minutes briskly! 3 cygnets.

Boaters Boating! 8th June

Woodlesford Lock to Granary Wharf, Leeds Liverpool Canal.

Tilly was given a couple of hours whilst we had breakfast and joined the Geraghty zoom. Subjects today included barns versus gardens, snobby boaters, trapese theatre and Dr Who deceipt.

It was finally time to give Oleanna and ourselves a cruise, something that has been missing for the last few weeks. As we got ready to push off we got chatting with a couple who were looking for a better mooring. Solar important to most boaters nowadays, they were looking for a gap in the trees. We pushed off, giving them a choice of places closer to the lock.

I walked on ahead with the key of power, reaching Fishpond Lock as a boat was coming down. The gates need to be closed to retrieve your key, Oleanna still a distance away the gates were closed so the lady could get back on her boat, I then reopened them.

We’ve done this stretch a few times over the years. Today we spotted where Off Roader must come to. New ladders and steps over a wall, along with new mooring bollards. The canal isn’t wide enough for the big boat to wind by the mooring, so it must continue up to Knostrop Lock where there is plenty of room.

Sadly Thwaite Mills is now closed. It was a great museum that we visited back in 2019. Reading up about it’s closure, Leeds City Council felt they couldn’t justify the £250,000 rent each year so had pulled out. It looks like the owners CRT have put it up for sale, but no one seems to know for how much or when. There used to be a mooring here that you could pay for a night, but now big signs say NO STOPPING!

Rowers were getting themselves sorted at Knostrop, glad we’d not set off any later as there were quite a few boats going out.

Up the lock, time to look at the giant Mallard and the bridge over the weir before climbing back on board and heading up the wide expanse that once used to have a long island down the middle. No need to stop for the services so on to Leeds Lock, quite a shock to be in a short lock again!

Now the yellow river taxis appeared, they run between the Royal Armouries and Granary Wharf. I didn’t pop my head over the high wall to check for moorings in the basin, as we hoped to moor closer to the station, we’d return if we had to.

Along the River Aire up to River Lock, Lock 1 of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Sadly we won’t be ascending further than the first lock this year, the locks only available up to Skipton Friday to Monday due to low water.

Windlass in hand and a handcuff key required now, the key of power put away. I tried to get the ground paddles to work, one wouldn’t unlock, the other only turned a couple of times so I’d have to use the gate paddles, carefully. The old rack system is easy to use, it pulls a wooden cover away from an opening to let the water through, there are more of these at Bingley. It took a while, I went back to try the ground paddle to see if the change in water pressure had made a difference, but it hadn’t.

As ever it was windy in the wharf, we found a space, the rings not ideally positioned for us, but the boat ahead would be moving off in a couple of hours once they’d stocked up, food or weed I’m not sure which. Just as we got the covers up it hammered it down with rain, a perfect time to show Tilly how pants the mooring was.

A late lunch, followed by a run through with my model, then it was packed up ready for the morning.

A chicken went in the oven, enough time to add some more minutes walking before it would be ready. I walked round the station then tried to find the river bank to follow upstream for a while. I seemed to be following an odd looking chap who was quite interested in people’s bags as he walked along. I took a detour and eventually made it back to the river only to find my route cut off by building work. Instead I had a wander around Tower Wharf, which we’ve seen develop over the years.

**Looking towards Granary Wharf from the River Aire**

I managed to pull out some yarn and do some knitting for the first time in two weeks, I’ve something to keep me occupied on the train southwards now.

4 locks, 5.4 miles, 1 grey day, 2 boaters boating again, 2 hours shore leave, 1 turned up nose to Leeds, 1 roast chicken, 100th pair cast on, 1 big box permenantly in an IKEA bag!

https://what3words.com/heats.upon.mini

Shower! 7th June

Woodlesford Visitor Moorings, Aire and Calder Navigation

After breakfast we started to make ready to push off. It was a little damp in the air, but we really now needed to fill the water tank and to improve the internet as that had become seriously dull.

Outside the rowers were heading up stream then returning. The local swan family that process about with their seven cygnets were about. Dad really was not happy with the rowers! He would take off, wings flapping to speed to the chosen boat, landing just by their stern. Screams came from young teenage coxes. Then the next boat actually got collided with, the cob landing just behind the end rower in their boat! The trainers tried to get the rowers to keep moving, but they were all concerned and wanted to know if the end rower was okay. They did need to get shifting before the cob had sorted itself out again and aimed itself at them again. We pulled out and got totally ignored by all.

I walked to Woodlesford Lock, the only walking I’d get done today. Up we rose with the help from a volunteer, he pointed out where the bottom gates had been biffed this week by ‘a Commercial boat’. Yellow tape marked where the two walkways now didn’t quite line up.

Straight onto the water point above the lock. With clean water filling the tank, we dealt with yellow water and then I gave the bathroom a good clean, followed by a wonderfully hot long shower for myself, no need to conserve water now.

**You could almost hear Oleanna’s sigh of relief**

We pushed over to the spot we’d vacated a couple of weeks ago. Tilly was granted shore leave, then was ushered inside as we wanted to head back to The Spud Boat moored by the lock to get some lunch. Two tuna crunch potatoes, very tasty they were too and she certainly didn’t scrimp on the butter, just the perfect amount.

The drawing board came back onto the dinette table and I worked through the remainder of the pieces of model whilst MIck headed to Lidl for some supplies and a Saturday newspaper. On his return the only place he could sit was on the sofa, so he watched an episode of Narrow Escapes. We’re a bit out of sync with television programs at the moment, that will need to sort itself out as I’m not so good at watching things twice in quick sucession.

All drawings were completed, one empty box, another full. One job left to do, to have a rehearsal for my model showing, make sure everything is there and pack ready for my trip to Chippy.

Tomorrow I really must pull out some yarn to get some socks on my needles again, as I really can’t just sit and watch tv without something to do. Here’s hoping I have enough time as tomorrow we’re going cruising!

1 lock, 0.9 miles, 1 mardy swan, 2 totally freeked teenagers, 1.5 miles walked, 14 minutes briskly, 1 clean bathroom, 1 clean Pip, 1 full water tank, 1 empty wee tank, 1 panto ready for a meeting, 1 evening off!

He’s Home! 6th June

Aire and Calder Navigation

I woke early, but closed my eyes, next time I opened them it was far later than I’d planned, at least an hour later than normal, oh well, I’ve been working hard!

Time to get cracking with the technical drawings. These are still only sketch drawings, but should enable the Production Manager to get prices for the set build. After the white card model meeting, decisions will have been made, somethings altered, so I’ll adjust the drawings accordingly. Once the model is finished I’ll do more detailed plans for the set to be built from.

Over in Scarborough Mick got bored of waiting for the roofer to arrive and at 3pm I got a message saying he’d given up and would be on the next train. Heyho, here’s hoping the roofer doesn’t startle our next lodgers when he eventually turns up! Thankfully where he’ll be working is by The Shed window, so he won’t just appear outside someone’s bedroom. But here’s some photos of the lean to now it’s finished, I’ve a bit of painting to do when I’m next there long enough.

**Robin Hood joined by some other blue boats today**

A walk around the watery block via the bins after refreshing Tilly’s pooh box. I think I heard what would have been Mick’s train pulling out from Woodlesford Station just as I got back. Sadly I ended up having to do a quick crossing of the road which pulled my calf muscle again, so the hobble that was starting to fade has returned.

**Feline assistant taking it easy today**

Mick brought gifts, my smelly tea, Lipsyl and a new tube of Eurax. The other night I must have been a tasty treat for some insect as I now have five very itchy bites on my forhead and cheek.

**A fair few bits of model had moved boxes today**

I decided to finish work a touch early, not quite reaching the end of Act 1 scenery. Burgers and chips with a glass or two of wine a treat meal marking Mick’s return to the boat and me almost having finished work ready for my meeting next week. I even managed to pick up a pair of socks and finish weaving the ends in. That is pairs 98 and 99, I’ve changed the numbering of my socks to reflect how many I’ve knitted in aid of Dementia UK in total over the last three years.

**Good job CRT don’t mind sharing bollards when mooring up**

Next pair 100! Will I get the yarn sorted in time for my long train journey next week?

0 locks, 0 miles, 3 trains back home, 2.81 miles walked, 43 minutes briskly, 3 blue boats at the lock, 1 boat with it’s full complement of crew again, 98, 99 finished, 5 itches, 1 lie in.

A Doctors Walk. 5th June

Aire and Calder Navigation.

This morning I had a telephone appointment with a GP in Scarborough, I’ve some wonky levels in my blood, which they are keeping an eye on. I checked phone coverage throughout the boat. Pretty poor, not unexpected. I tried out the stern, bad. Out the bow, that was much better, ahh no it dropped to only one bar! Would I have enough signal for the call?

I worked through my panto model notes, then decided that I’d take a walk up to Woodlesford where the signal is far better, there was still an hour left of my appointment window, perfect to do both things together. I had to bully Tilly off of her throne so that I could go out, then I strode on up the cut towards the lock.

Past the road bridge signal improved greatly. Onwards past the lock and along the track heading for Fishpond Lock. I was surprised at the number of boats still moored on the towpath that had arrived when we were there. No phone call so I crossed over the lock gates and started to head back. More wooden birds seem to be on the roof of one boat, think it’s my favourite with it’s swan neck.

Then it started to rain. I took shelter under trees, my walk would soon have me leaving good signal if I kept up the pace anyway. Gosh the level was down. By the lock the bywash usually thunders away was just a mere trickle today, maybe C&RT were expecting a lot of rain so were compensating ready for it’s arrival. Looking at the river level over the bank, that had certainly gone up, less gravel visible.

I crossed back over the lock and sat on a bench for ten minutes, still no phone call. After a while I decided to give up and risk the doctor calling when I was back at the boat, I’d done all I could, but couldn’t afford any more time away from work.

An hour later my phone rang, sticking my head out of the side hatch I managed to get sufficient signal for my call. Still wonky levels, I’m booked in for another blood test with extras in 3 months time, nothing to be alarmed about. You have to take them at their word really.

The roofer had been! He’d looked out of The Shed window from a ladder and said what we thought he’d say, the leading needed replacing, he’d be back tomorrow to do it. Great, if he turns up. Mick had just about got the house ready for lodgers by now, but decided he’d stay one more night to be around for the roofer.

The white card model was worked through again, all done and dusted. Did I really need the second (or first) pair of sliders? We’ll see. I then had a go at making paper roses. We need a way of making them, that is simple but effective, for volunteers to make, we want quite a lot of them. I tried origami versions from the internet, some good, some so hard to follow I gave up quickly, others just ended up in a mess if you weren’t concentrating, so not ideal.

I then tried one where you cut rings of petals then glue them together. Bingo! That’s the way to go. I made several sizes and one that will go on the proscenium so it had to be at 1:25 scale. It was quite fiddly, but I got there. Wonder if I’ll be as sucessful with paper that starts off as 2ft squares?!

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 roofer Hooray!!! 1 white card model completed, 3.22 miles walked, 47 minutes briskly, 1hour 10 minutes late, 1 borderline, 1 rising, 3 months, 4 lovely roses, 1 diddy one for the model.

STinky!!!! 3rd, 4th June

Aire and Calder Navigation

In the mornings I open up the back of the boat, slide the stern hatch open, then Tilly can go when ever she wants, I still need to open the door or side hatch to let her in. This can be annoying, but it’s far far better than having to try to catch a rodent friend scurrying around the boat! This morning was no different and she’d been out for a while then come back in for a snooze. WE then heard a scurrying on the stern deck!

Pirates!!! We’d been borded!!! Were they still on board? Their paw prints required a good amount of sniffing for identity. Bigger than mine. A WOOFER Pirate! The smell made my lips curl. Eurgh!!!

I made arches and barrels for the walkdown scene, the tip of my poor index finger is now really quite sore, but the end was in sight. After lunch I popped everything into the model box. My barrels were far too small, pethetic really. Time to remake them that bit higher.

In Scarborough the lean to was coming along well. All but one pane of glass was in. Neat flashing around a soil pipe, bits of timber at joins. What would we like where the pitch of the roof had been altered on the inside? Mick had made the right decision, wood. Un-surprisingly the roofer had messaged saying he’d be round tomorrow. Is that the tomorrow that never comes?! I’d put photos of the lean to here, but the internet is abismal!

**Tilly watching and waiting for the battery status to show**

Wednesday. When I finished work last night and popped the new barrels in the model box I hadn’t achieved my goal for the day sadly, but I was also disappointed that my new barrels were now too big! Barrels take a lot of making at 1:25 and I seem to make them for every panto at Chippy. Maybe there was a different solution, thankfully there was and a mixture of the two sizes of barrel did the trick. Hooray!!!

**At least this boat that’s been there for a year has it’s uses**

All of a sudden there was a smell. Oh Blimey that was rank!!! What was it? Where was it coming from?

Was it the sewage works that sit behind Lemonroyd Marina? I went outside, there was a vague aroma there, back inside it was stronger and not quite the same as the sewage works. I walked round, far stronger around the galley and dinette. Maybe our starter battery, although new, was gasing?! Tilly was closed inside, I lifted the engine board, all was fine in there. Just where was it coming from?

Inside it still stank! Do Lithiums make a smell? I opened up The Shed cupboard, nope it just smelt of life jackets and gloves. I turned to ask Tilly what she thought it might be……my lips curled. Oh Barry Gibb! It’s YOU!!!!!!!!!!

**You can stay out here with your Stinkyness!**

A closer sniff made my eyes water! What on earth?! Her paws were a touch grey, had she found a hole to go down that was inhabited by a musky stinky creature? That was the only explanation I could come up with. What a Stinkerooni!!! I avoided beng close to the stinky one for the remainder of the day, she was constantly having a bath, but didn’t seem to be too perturbd by the stink.

In the afternoon I ran through panto scene by scene. Checking positioning of things. Did I need more sliders? Would that look better a bit more upstage? Was more room required for that scene? A list of notes to work through.

An email about the white card model meeting arrived. What time and where? I was now able to book my train tickets, a touch of flexibility required but having 5 return tickets splitting the journey up instead of the one saved over £100. Now with a definate deadline I was spurred on to tick things off my notes list and worked on to midnight.

**Roses, think I’m going to have had enough of roses by the end of the year**

Back in Scarborough, guess what? The roofer promises he will be round tomorrow! But the lean-to was now completed. They had said it would take three days and it had. They’d even tidied up and helped Mick move the extra fridge back in along with Tilly’s tree back into the corner. Rain is forecast so we’ll see if it’s water tight.

**Robin Hood came back with the crane boat**

By bedtime Tilly wasn’t quite so stinky anymore, but I really didn’t want to share the bed with her!

0 locks, 0 miles, 4.58 miles walked, 81 minutes briskly, 1 Bee Gee on a post, 3rd time lucky with barrels, 1 cocker pirate, 1 sheet of notes, 1 lean to, 36 hours to sink, 1 tree back where it should be, 1 absent roofer, 1 definate leak, 5 return tickets, 1 extreamly STINKY cat!

It’s Just Some Old S**t. 1st, 2nd June

Aire and Calder Navigation

Paul Fernley Whats-his-face, Shetland plans, Sherry, Mars Bars and AI train Announcements were the topics of the Geraghty zoom on Sunday morning after we’d had a cooked breakfast without eggs.

Having a car meant we could head to Tescos to stock up on a few things that Lidl wouldn’t have, enough supplies for one onboard and a loaf of bread for Mick to take back to the house. After lunch I cracked back on with model making as Mick reset the toilet, our fourth solids bucket being put into action. Then the trolley came out along with bungees and three buckets of some old S**t headed off to go in the boot of the car then on to Scarborough to do its composting for a year or so mixed with garden waste. The fishermen must have wondered what sort of bait Mick had and so much of it!

Model bits for Act 2 were started.

Monday and Mick awaited the chaps who were coming to fit the new lean too at the house, we hadn’t heard anything from the company for a few weeks, admitedly we’d not called them last week to check they were still on track, but sure enough they were. The hope that the roofer would return today to look at some dodgy flashing that a cowboy had done a few years ago was obviously postponed due to their van breakdown…..again! Here’s hoping they turn up and sort things which will in turn sort a persistantly damp wall in the kitchen.

Time to harvest the first of the Alpine Strawberries from the roof of Oleanna. These little plants have regenerated several times over since I bought them from an honesty box on the Trent and Mersey years ago, they seem to have enjoyed being repotted this year and hopefully there may be some berries at the house too.

Wiggly things and more beads stuck to wire and card today, more inventing for intentions sake. Mid afternoon there was the Hello from Mick returning with empty buckets, a huge bag of wooden cat litter and several weeks worth supply of toilet roll, he’d ordered plenty from Naked Sprout so I suspect The Shed room in the house is now filled with bamboo toilet rolls with nowhere to sleep.

We delt with the yellow water, water supplies onboard were deemed to be enough to last out the next few days. Then it was time for Mick to head off to return the hire car to York and catch the CoastLiner bus back to Scarborugh to see how the lean to had progressed during the day. Not bad, all the frames were up, no glazing but that would follow tomorrow.

By the end of the evening I’d only got one more scene to make in the model box, the walkdown finale.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 return trip to Scarborough, 3 buckets of deposits, 1 broken down van, again! 6.71 miles, 95 brisk minutes, 0 new PA notes, 1 framework up, 1ft diameter giant wiggle, 47 beads, 2 more sausage days for Tilly, 1 hire car returned.

Lock Stuff. 29th, 30th, 31st May

Aire and Calder Navigation

Thursday I spent working on the storyboard for Panto again. Editing out options, adding in the basic set to all the drawings and working on the one scene that’s still not quite right took most of the day.

**The Christmas present felt catnip balls have been requested recently**

I walked down one side of the river passing one bridge and crossing the next, opting to take the path inside RSPB St Aidens. The path occasionally gives you a view across the lakes that once were an open cast mine, the river lurks behind many trees on the other side.

Soon I came across what looked very much like a disused lock. A gate recess first giving it away, then curved walls at what had been the entrance to the lock. A mooring bollard and a couple of now bent lock ladders peeked out from the earth that now fills the chamber. I checked Waterway Routes, locations of old locks are marked and we quite often try to imagine what places would have been like.

In 1988 the river bank near the Lemonroyd Lock collapsed into St Aiden’s open cast mine which then of course flooded, lower seams of coal that had been mined collapsed in too, to a depth of 230 ft! An Act of Parliament was obtained in 1992 to create a new 1.9 mile waterway. Kipax and Lemonroyd Locks were replaced with one big lock, the new Lemonroyd Lock. It took ten years before mining could continue at St Aiden’s after the site had been pumped out. The coal reserves are now exhausted and the land is once again flooded and is an RSPB reserve covering 740 acres.

I tried to find where the top gates had been, but had no luck as the land levels out and covers any evidence.

Friday. I forwarded the new storyboard to John at Chippy. There had been a staff read through of the latest draft during the week, footage posted on social media, my storyboard sat in the middle of the table. Time to crack on with the model, lots of propy set pieces this year, so my bead tray is coming in handy. I spent much of the day inventing things panto style.

Late afternoon a familiar voice saying Hello could be heard, Mick had returned from Scarborough having picked up a hire car. Well it was meant to have been a van, £20 a day rather than £60 for a car, but the only van they had was a transit which would be an inch taller than the car park Mick would be heading to in the morning, so he got an upgrade to a car. An evening off work for me and a vat of Yaxni made, which will last us for a couple of meals.

Saturday. A very early start for Mick, off the boat by 6am. He was heading to park in the centre of Liverpool and to then meet up with Marion and John for a trip on the Waverley out to Angelsey and back. A van, petrol and parking were far cheaper than a hotel for the night. If you are lucky he might come along and tell you about his voyage. If I’m lucky I might be able to upload a photo from the trip, but the internet here seems to be getting worse!

There was one egg left that needed eating so the start of my working day was delayed by some blueberry pancakes, well Mick was going off for a treat so I could have one too! Then Tilly and I got on with what is now just a normal day for us. She sites on the roof hatch whilst I work. Then she gets ushered indoors for me to go out for a walk, just around the block today including a trip to the bins. Just gone 11pm, I’d just tidied upmy work when Mick stepped onboard, he’d had a good day if a bit breezy and I’d managed to finish of the model for Act 1.

0 locks, 0 miles by narrowboat, 1 Paddle Steamer to Angelsey and back, 1 car not van, 3 days model making, 1 storyboard finished and sent, 1 gafforing read through, 1 Queen of Oleanna, I wonder if we could trust Tilly to lie on her bed as we cruise? Nope, she’d be off hunting as soon as the oportunity arrived!

May Map.

Well considering we’ve been sat around for what feels like the last month it was a surprise to get the Nebo Monthly Summary through.

This is where we travelled in May.

We moved 11 times, underway for 18 hours and cruised what the report says was 76.5 miles with an average speed of 4.1 mph and a maximum speed of 8.1 mph, we have been on rivers and had the tide to assist us too.

The Nebo reports tend to be more accurate than they have been in the past, but there are still two different distances recorded. One is in the banner of the report and suggests the total distance travelled, the other is at the end of the days log which is a running total, this can often be 0.2 miles or so different.

So my tally of distance for May is 78.125 miles.

My spread sheet also records milage from Canal Plan, but because that is done in miles and furlongs it takes a bit of time to add up, which is currently better spent on model making for panto.

So Where Now?

Well we don’t really know where to go now!

Whilst work is ongoing at the house, and I’m beavering away designing Panto, it suits for us to be roughly where we are. But once the final model is painted and working drawings are scanned and with the set builders and the house full of lodgers again, we will be free for a few months.

**The queue with two already going up River Lock**

We’ve been along this stretch of the Aire and Calder for the last three weeks, I’m sure the local boats that shuffle up and down are starting to wonder if we’ve joined their numbers. I know how long certain boats have been moored in several places. Our current mooring I suspect is one that is used frequently as Oleanna gets stared at as boats go past, often winding a little further on from us. I’m hoping our last two moorings are far enough apart for the number checkers, we’ll find out if not. Anyhow we’ll be moving on in a few days and not just to the services!

So our current options.

Leeds Liverpool. The Leeds end of the canal is currently open, but on restricted hours. We could head up to Skipton, but that would be chancing it with the dry weather. If the canal is shallow it would be a tedious cruise rather than pleasureable.

Calder Hebble. Currently open. River levels fairly normal at the moment although the flood lock at Ferrybridge was closed the other day. Of course we did the Calder Hebble last year to reach the Rochdale, then back from the Huddersfield Narrow.

The Rochdale is currently closed between Lock 1 and 4 Tuel Lane. There is a leak somewhere around Lock 2 and water levels are poor. The rest of the canal is open. But to go that way would likely mean opting to do the Macclesfield to get around the Bridgewater breach. Or maybe the Manchester Ship Canal, an option we’d like to do one day, but not this year.

**Paul and Mick with the carrot cake on the HNC**

The Huddersfield Narrow is out of action due to the bank being washed away by Lock 11W in floods last winter. That route is likely to be closed for some time.

We plan on a return visit to York in a few weeks time. On one of Mick’s train journeys this week, going over Scarborough Railway Bridge he noted that the River Ouse had responded to the recent rain fall in the Dales. The level was up, almost level with the bank at the Museum Gardens moorings.

Sheffield. There’s an option open to us, we’ve been by boat twice now and brought Oleanna away from there when we moved onboard. So that’s two and a half visits.

Our preferred route southwards is the Tidal River Trent, turning right out of Keadby Lock. Currently the Chesterfield Canal is open. We’d love to cruise that way. The going is slow as we were reminded earlier this year on the short stretch we managed. However, dry weather could mean the canal closes at the top end.

**We could go to the Kinema in the woods again**

Fossdyke and Witham. Open and always an option. We could head to Boston, maybe see if the navigable drains are worth ticking off the list. Some boats from the Fund Britain’s Waterways Flotilla are headed that way to cross the Wash. Sadly we don’t have enough time due to commitments to tag along with them, we’ve seriously looked at this.

Then once further south and out the other side of Nottingham, which way should we head then?!

I suspect some of our decisions will be made for us. What will be will be, just so long as we manage to get onto the South Oxford for me to go to work in October.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna

Author Archives: Pip

Guarding The Box. 9th June

Boaters Boating! 8th June

Shower! 7th June

He’s Home! 6th June

A Doctors Walk. 5th June

STinky!!!! 3rd, 4th June

It’s Just Some Old S**t. 1st, 2nd June

Lock Stuff. 29th, 30th, 31st May

May Map.

So Where Now?