Category Archives: Cats on the Cut

Out Of The Freezer. 13th August

Littleport Station Road EA mooring

A rail workers strike day, thankfully getting back to Oleanna shouldn’t be affected by it too much, but the hot weather could still have an effect. On Thursday trains between Ely and Cambridge were cancelled due to the heat in the afternoon and yesterday speed limits had been imposed, so I was eager to get heading back to the boat early on if I could.

Andrew and Jac were up just in time to say goodbye to me as I headed off for the bus then two tubes to get to Kings Cross, I’d ended up giving myself plenty of time to get to the station so had 45minutes to wait for my train, which was jam packed all the way to Cambridge. This meant sitting with my model box on my knee for an hour as there hadn’t been a seat near the luggage racks to keep an eye on it.

Apart from it being busy it was really rather pleasant because of the air-conditioning. Oh why aren’t boats all built with air con!

Just past Ely the train slowed right down 20mph limits, slow going past all the Ely moorings, I think I spotted NB Misty Blue with other boats breasted up to him. Then about ten minutes late the train pulled into Littleport, the doors opened to a wall of heat. Blimey I’d had over an hour of not feeling clammy that I’d forgotten this would hit when stepping off the train.

**The golden crisp dry world we live in**

Back onboard Tilly was being a long cat. The fan was moving air around, wet towels hung up and a couple of windows had been removed to encourage a breeze through the boat.

My bags were unpacked and I was at work within minutes. We were near to a post box and two things needed to be sent off. 1 a full set of drawings for panto, 2 Josh’s birthday card, most important. Mick was going to bring it to London but that of course hadn’t happened, so presents will have to wait till we see them next.

With a hot and bored cat the afternoon dragged on as we didn’t want to move at the hottest point of the day. Mick headed off to the Co-op to stock up on a few bits whilst I worked following up on notes from the meeting.

Boats came and went from behind us, the river quite busy well into the evening. Mick rang Denver to see if we could find out what time we’d be able to lock through on Monday, he left a message. We think it’ll be around midday, but hopefully someone will call back.

It’s nice to be home, but I so wish someone would turn the oven off!

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 bus, 2 tubes, 1 train, 1 hot and bothered cat, 1 hot and dripping Mick, 31C inside, 1 cooler evening thankfully.

Filling Up On Halibut. 12th August

The Swan on the River mooring to Littleport Station Road mooring

A very hot humid night in London and I suspect onboard Oleanna too. Today the temperature would rise that bit more and would end up changing our plans.

**I wonder what used to be on the ground floor**

After breakfast I headed of with a bottle of water in hand, caught a bus then the tube into Piccadilly Circus. I was here to check things out. I wanted to see which way Eros faced, get some photos of my own and then take a look at the building that stands on the corner of Shaftsbury Avenue and Great Windmill Street as I want to use it in my panto set.

I got some good photos, but not quite at the right angle, I needed to look across at Eros, not up at him. Lilywhites was nearly at the right angle and there was a staircase up through the building. It was worth a look. Well it wasn’t really as they position things on the window sills to deter photographers don’t they! Hopefully I’ve enough images to work from.

I decided to walk up Piccadilly, sticking to the shade, bobbing into Fortnum and Masons to appreciate their air conditioning for a little while and watch people stacking expensive teas into their shopping baskets.

I then dropped down into the underground at Green Park and took the tube to Stockwell, here my plans were stalled, the Northern line south bound was suspended. Time to join a massive queue for the 155 bus. I soon realised that this bus would take me along a part of London I used to know very well. Clapham North was were I lived in my final year at college and the route south from here had many places I used to visit when I lived in Brixton for three years. I’ve not really been back to Clapham Common since I left so it was lovely to see that somethings hadn’t changed in the last 26 years.

I hopped off the bus in Balham and kept myself in the shade walking to my friend Morag’s flat. Despite the hold up with transport I arrived perfectly as she’d just finished a Teams meeting for work. Morag is a very good school friend of mine, we’d last met when we were in Marple last year. There was lots to catch up on and a very lovely vegetarian lunch to enjoy before she had to be back at work for her next Teams meeting at her dining room table.

Meanwhile back on Oleanna, Mick spotted a boat that had been moored behind us yesterday near the station, so he knew there should be a space there. He pushed off, winded and returned to the handier mooring for trains to London. The electric boat we’ve seen a few times on our way back from Bedford was there and Mick pulled in. The lady on board was having problems with her generator, so Mick mentioned he’d just left the pub mooring where there is hook up. She was off like a shot to plug in and wait for someone to come out and sort her troublesome generator.

Our original plan had been for Mick to catch a train sometime in the afternoon and come down to join me at the London Leckenby’s for the night. But as there was no shade at the mooring the temperature was rising inside Oleanna. 31C. Not too bad when you can have the windows and hatch open to encourage a breeze to pass through. But with everything shut up to keep a cat indoors it would be really unpleasant. This along with longer delays on the trains due to the heat we decided that Mick should stay with Tilly and make sure she didn’t cook overnight. A real shame, but better for our second mate.

My next port of call was the British Museum. I joined a rather long queue of people going through the security checks and headed indoors, I think a lot of people were heading in doors out of the sunshine. I headed straight for the right room, one that was built to house what are known to many as The Elgin Marbles. One day they will be sent back to Greece, but today I was glad they were still here as I wanted a closer look and to take photos as I’d like to do a touch of a panto joke with them. Lots of photos later and a comfort break I was heading back out to Hackney to help with the final preparations for dinner.

During the afternoon in Littleport a boat had pulled up behind Oleanna. There was then a bold knock on the roof. Mick popped his head out to see if he could help only to find Graham from NB Misty Blue who we did the Tideway and cruised some of the Regents Canal with last summer. He’d spotted Oleanna and stopped to say hello before carrying on for the day, looking for shade. Now some people think we move fast, we know we don’t! But Graham has been all over the place since we last saw him. Then he was heading for the Kennet and Avon which he did and carried on up the River Severn to the Gloucester Sharpness, he was one of the last boats across the Rochdale before it closed and a couple of days ago he crossed The Wash. Hopefully I’ll get chance to say hello when he comes past us next.

This evening we were joined by Jane and her new (to us) boyfriend Kevin, who are over visiting from Sydney. We all grew up together in York as our Mum’s were best friends. It was so lovely to see Jane, hear the news from Australia. Of course there was food, including a whole halibut a first for Andrew to cook. What a wonderful fish, I suspect they will be eating the left overs for days to come.

Conversation kept going until midnight when slightly boozy photos were taken. What a lovely evening.

0 locks, 0.621371 miles back, 2 moorings swapped, 5 buses, 4 tubes, 31C inside at 2pm, 1 London trip abandoned, 1 breezy boat, 1 hot but safe cat, 1 statue, 2 rooms of marbles, 2 old friends, 1 new friend made, 34C, 1 day of shade finding.

**Pip, Jane, Emma, Andrew 1968. Just like it was yesterday**

Wishee Washie. 6th August

Aldreth GOBA Mooring to Stretham Ferry GOBA Mooring

We allowed ourselves a cuppa in bed this morning and exchanged notes on the depth of the Old West on Facebook with the cruiser that had pulled up yesterday afternoon almost at the other end of the moorings. Wasps still wanted to gain access to Oleanna, so we sat and had breakfast with all the windows closed. That didn’t matter to the wasps as they still found their way in, down the chimney!

Along our way we passed bullocks all heading in the same direction as us, one of them had set a trend, the others had followed, none knowing why. Long maned ponies grazed what green morsels they could find and stared into the depths of the one tree.

A Lapwing blew it’s kazoo and circled round us a few times. Egrets watched our slow progress and Cormorants sat high on the power lines surveying for fish. Two baby Grebes sat on Mums back hitching a ride.

We passed a boat, who exclaimed how shallow it was. Not much different to the Grand Union we thought, but if you are from these parts and used to river cruising then it must feel very shallow round here. The 4mph speed restriction signs don’t help!

Back in the land where water is pumped from the low lying land into the river in less arid times. Today pumps pump water back onto the land, last night I could see four spraying their plumes of water over fields yet to be harvested.

**Some friendly cover to keep Tilly occupied today**

Passing what used to be the Lazy Otter we soon arrived at the long length of GOBA moorings. We’d come far enough for the day and pulled up at the far end, plenty of space for more boats. Tilly was given 6.5 hours, we had an early lunch and then I started work.

Today I concentrated on pantomime advertising for Piccadilly Circus, Wishee Washie Soap, Buttons, Lions Tea. I still need a couple more to fill the scenery, but there’s enough for now. By the end of the afternoon I’d completed my notes and the shoe box was really quite full. A good couple of days.

Plenty of boats came and went as the afternoon progressed. Hire boats fresh out from Ely, cruisers heading out for the weekend. A look out of the hatch at the line of boats and I could see people swimming. They then set about giving the offside of their boat a wash. The depth seemed suitable for such a job. Oleanna is in desperate need of a wash, but I’m not prepared to get into the river to give her a spruce up.

0 locks, 5.85 miles, 6.5 hours, 5 swimmers, 2 washing their boat, 1 box of panto complete, 4mph!

Maybe It’s The Cinnamon. 5th August

Middle Fen (One Pound) GOBA Mooring to Aldreth GOBA Mooring, Old West

The Middle Fen/ One Pound mooring might just be my favourite from this summer. Once up the bank there is plenty of space to sit out. There is no passing footfall, and your nearest neighbour is a few boat lengths away. On an evening the Kingfishers dart back and forth, several of them. Sadly this morning it was time to move on and leave a space for someone else to enjoy the mooring.

Today blue skies had returned, we’ve had a lot of cloud lately.

Brownshill Lock needed setting in our favour. When we’d come upstream a chap had been confused about how to open and close the guillotine gates (it has one at each end) he’d not seen the downstream control cabinet, small and identical to the one at the top gate. I had no such problem and filled the lock by pressing buttons whilst Mick managed to keep our cabin sides away from the big overhang of the lock landing.

We were joined for our descent by a small rib, who were out for an adventure. They didn’t have a key to operate the lock, so seeing a narrowboat arriving below they decided to go straight back up with them.

Across the tidal section passing Earith. We kept our eyes peeled for GT, Heathers boat that is now in the water, but we couldn’t spot her. The water point here has been closed by the EA until it has had a thorough clean, the Littleport tap on the Ely Ouse is also closed leaving one tap between us and Denver sluice.

At one time we’d toyed with the idea of returning along the Hundred Foot Drain to Salters Lode, cutting down on our return trip. But with water levels low we’ve abandoned the idea, the thought of getting stuck and having to wait for the next tide not that appealing at the moment, if ever.

A nose peeked up to our port side, a seal, most probably heading towards Westview Marina where a Mum and her pup can often be seen. It dived before I got chance to take a picture, instead I got three Egrets a Cormorant and a few ducks in one shot.

Whilst in Brownshill Lock Mick had called ahead to the lock keeper at Hermitage Lock, as we approached the light turned from red to green and we were soon inside the lock under the road and heading down onto the Old West. There have been plenty of tales of how low the Old West is, these started about a month ago. The lock keeper had said we’d only be dropping about 8 inches and the Tidal level was lowest he’d known it. Well he was wrong, we dropped at least 2 foot onto the Old West where the tide mark is visible about 9 inches above the current water level.

It was slow on our way out, today it was slow going on our way back. We kept to the middle, watched weed glide past beneath us and were soon joined by the Terns fishing in our wake.

The GOBA mooring at Aldreth came into view, one cruiser sat at the near end, we headed to the far end and moored up, enough depth so no problem. Tilly was given 6.5 hours, I’d promised to go for a walk with her today, so I walked as she skipped along the top of the flood bank to the next bend and then back again.

It was a bit early for lunch, so I started to prepare a Moussaka for our evening meal. As I added the red wine to the mince, oregano and cinnamon, a wasp came in through the window attracted by something. Then as I stirred the meat sauce another three came in to join it. What was it they were coming in for? Red wine? Cinnamon?

We checked outside to see if we’d moored alongside a nest. No sign of one, just a few wasps doing their best to get in through closed windows, some aiming for the mushroom vents. We kept everything closed and hoped they’d get bored and move off. The cruiser moved off, Tilly came in, the doors were shut and we reversed back to the other end of the mooring. I didn’t actually believe that they’d managed to move the outside. But this other outside wasn’t half as good as the first one!

I got on with model making, propy bits, a few tweaks, alterations and additions, managing to cross off five hours work.

As I put the moussaka together the wasps came back and hung around until it was baked and eaten. Doors closed again, just as we wanted to have windows open to cool the boat down too!

2 locks, 6.86 miles, 2 miles tidal, 1 seal, 1 rib, 3 egrets, 543 wasps, 1 inside the stove! 2 outsides, 5 hours model making, 2 thrones, 1 wasp magnet, 1 cinnamon stick, 200ml red wine, 1 lovely sunset.

https://goo.gl/maps/bGDHi7VC1JcYYwyv5

Petiti Sausage. 4th August

Middle Fen GOBA mooring

Of late there has been little need of my insulating properties in the morning. Or there has been no tea in bed as the outside needed moving early. But today was different, I got to curl up on toes and keep them nice and warm as tea was drunk and things were read in bed.

The rules were read as soon as they were dressed and She said I had ten hours! It was a sausage day!!! I spent most of the morning sat on the catwalk watching and waiting for friends. Tom had to pull the outside that bit closer as overnight it must have wriggled and made the ropes loose.

Soon Tom joined me, sitting in a chair. He knows that at the moment sausage days mean he has to make the most of the outside too, whilst She takes over the whole of the inside. The printer took over most of the bed. The boxes I’m not allowed to sit in took over the sofa. THE BIG box that I must not even ever think of going near kept being moved from table to sofa to table to sofa. The long thin cupboard where She slots things in has been tantalisingly just open for ages and things were slotted in and out. Then other things were slid in and out and just left everywhere! The dinette, the floor, the sofa! Tom and I knew we were much better off outside.

She says it was a productive day, so productive Tom made kedgeree for their dingding whilst she carried on being productive. She was so productive she only took photos of productive things, well and one of spikey plants that stick in my paws!

Tom did things with buckets and I sat waiting for friends. We had a productive day too!

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 level up, 1 indoor studio, 1 other world created, 1 list still to complete, 2 options, 1 new bucket, 10 hours, 1 long day, 1 sausage making cat, 1 Petiti sausage day.

Three In A Lock. 3rd August

Nobles Field GOBA mooring to The Waits to Middle Fen GOBA mooring

A chores day to start with. Being moored against one of the landings on Noble Field meant we had easy access to empty the yellow water. Tilly’s pooh box got a wash and change of litter too. Then we were on our way into St Ives before breakfast.

**Straight towards the sun, wind following**

Blimey that wind was strong this morning! It took quite a bit of umph to turn us around. Mick changed his mind about backing in to The Waits for water so we headed in forwards. Plenty of space, but not by the water point, our main reason for pulling up the arm. The nice couple on NB Coleen let us pull up alongside and assisted with our hose. After chats we headed inside for breakfast our tummies rumbling by now.

Shopping lists were drawn up, one for Waitrose, mostly fruit and veg along with a few bits we had vouchers for. Another for Morrisons, hoping their wine and porridge oats would be cheaper. As soon as the water tank was full we pulled further up the arm and moored right by the steps, ease of access to get the bike off. I headed to Waitrose and Mick to Morrisons, only one item not available at each store, so a quick text between us meant we had everything covered.

I was back in time to make a cuppa and be settled in time for a zoom catch up meeting with Amy from Dark Horse regarding #unit21. They are hoping to tour the show early next year but need to wait to see if a funding bid to the Arts Council is successful. We’ve all got our fingers crossed, but have to wait until October before there will be any news.

A quick lunch then it was time to reverse back down the arm and tick off a few miles today.

**A cruiser had to turn to let us through, down stream boats have right of way**

A cruiser waited for St Ives lock to fill, I hopped off to dispose of our rubbish, the raised wheelie bins with recycling a welcome sight. We were soon joined by another cruiser, all three boats slotting into the lock with plenty of space. I was the only one left up top to press the button for the guillotine gate.

After warnings from the volunteers at Houghton the other day I was expecting the timer delay not to work, it obliged! You press the button the gate raises a few inches, this is when the delay should start it’s count down. I pressed the button again, it raised a little bit more. I read the long winded notes about to how to overcome the problem which didn’t really make that much sense. A later note concurred with what the volunteers had mentioned. If the timer doesn’t start counting, press the up button again and hold it for a few seconds after the gate has stopped moving. I ended up doing this several times before the counter started to count down more than one second.

Everyone below looked up at me. I looked at the counter still counting. I’d finally got it moving when the lock was about two thirds empty. We all just had to wait though.

Last out of the lock we imagined we’d be last to the mooring we were after. But the cruisers had favoured a stop at Honeywell by the pub rather than a field with little access to anywhere else. We pulled in and tied up the outside we’d been moored at a month ago. The steep bank now easier for us after a months more experience of such places.

As Tilly reacquainted herself with the outside, checking any holes her arms of head would fit down I worked my way through work emails. A long winded email from the producer for panto regarding digs was quickly sorted by a message to Suzanne, the digs I’ve stayed at before are now reserved for me. It’s strange being on the other end of the digs list, it’s normally me receiving enquiries for accommodation in Scarborough.

Fabric samples and quotes for panto. Photos of a cloth that we may reuse. An email exchange with the marketing department regarding my programme biog and social media photos. I thankfully have a while longer to get things to them and found out that they are wanting to do a double page spread in the programme on the set design.

Then it was back out with the model reworking the sizes of elements for the Tower of London. Much happier with it now, still more details to add, including a few ravens.

1 lock, 4.57 miles, 1 arm reversed down, 2 boxes wine, 1 pot yoghurt, 90 minute catch up, 3 in a lock, 1 flock of trampolining sheep, 3 Kingfisher mooring to ourselves, 1 digs booked, 1 cloth, 2 pages, 3 hours, 1 full water tank, 2 clean boaters, 1 missing blog post still to come.

https://goo.gl/maps/d9vFnKsPca5JGFiM6

Moor And Moor Again. 1st August

Houghton EA mooring to Nobles Field GOBA mooring

Boats were already on the move this morning before we’d got ourselves ready. By just gone 9 we pushed off fairly sure that Hemingford Lock ahead of us wouldn’t be in our favour.

Passing Hemingford Grey there was plenty of room, but most likely due to boats already having moved off this morning. We paused to dispose of our rubbish at the first bins since Bedford. The bin was only a third full, but surrounded by lots of red rubbish bags. Maybe these were from litter pickers.

Tallis House sits on the bend of the river, followed by St James’ Church with it’s odd steeple. Next time we’ll have to spend a bit of time walking round more of the Hemingfords.

At the lock, we’d caught up with a widebeam who was just starting to lift the guillotine gate. We’d both fit in the D shaped lock so Mick brought Oleanna in first and pulled her in to the side. Both boats were soon dropping down to the St Ives (not the one in Cornwall) reach of the river.

Not quite a mile on we pulled in to the next GOBA mooring on the outskirts of St Ives. Our first bit if bank turned out to have a wasps nest which would have ended up right by the hatch. So we pulled along a bit further, aligning the solar panels with gaps in the trees.

**Mum fishing for her not so small babies**

All tied up and I opened the side hatch to the sight of a four inch hole in the bank which had wasps coming and going! Another nest. We unpinned ourselves and carried on past the long landing to the far end. No sign of nests here, or so we thought until the bow spike was being hammered in. Oh blimey!

It was decided that the nest was far enough away from Oleanna and our neighbours soon calmed down as peace returned to their world.

NB Cleddau appeared an hour or so later, they headed into town hoping there would be some space left. I suspect this may be the last time our bows cross this summer as our cruising speeds and distances will differ from here.

During the day Mick had a walk into Waitrose, he then returned for the bicycle as there was wooden cat litter on the shelves, the first we’ve seen in months. I got on with work and Tilly explored the new outside.

**One of the noisy twonk heads next door**

This outside got very noisy when a hire boat came in to moor, a crew member threw a fat fender over board so someone had to dive in to retrieve it. This ended up with several of them in the river, discussing how much sewage there must be in it! All banter, but very loud. I turned on a podcast about Victorian Female Murderers, keeping in the correct period for panto, it also did the job of blocking out the noise from next door.

Not the best day designing. I’d got carried away with model making, some pieces as they went into the model box required trimming, shapes altering, so quite a few bits to remake. There are still two scenes to make, one will be fiddly so needs a really good karma day, which certainly wasn’t today.

Too hot inside for the planned moussaka this evening, so the mince I’d defrosted got made into some burgers instead and were cooked outside on the barbeque. A very pleasant evening sat on the bank of Nobles Field. The field was bought in 1970 and is held in trust as a recreation ground for the residents of St Ives, hence the landings where canoes can be launched, the moorings and plenty of people coming down to the river to enjoy the evening.

**Beef and whole grain mustard burgers**

1 lock, 2.08 miles, 3 attempts at mooring, 1 final wave, 7 hours of problem finding, some solved, others created, 1 cat fight averted, 10 litres cat litter, 2 trips to town, 4 burgers, 4 kebabs, 1 day off work required.

https://goo.gl/maps/TB93JpeAeiqN6voEA

Autumn Before August. 31st July

Brampton GOBA mooring to Houghton EA mooring

Rain. Rain! We had some rain!!! Not a lot, but some! At least it’s a start, it just needs to carry on.

Tea with breakfast this morning and we pushed off just before 9am.

The river curves around Portholme Meadow, 260 acres of alluvial flood meadow, one of the largest areas of grassland in the country. Dots of people could be seen walking on the paths. In 1918 the meadow was used as a Training Depot Station by the RAF.

As we approached Godmanchester Lock I spotted NB Claddau tucked in down the arm above the lock, we’d not ventured down there, maybe next time. Today had a tinge of ‘next time’ about it. We realised that we’d not had that much of an explore around Bedford, St Neots, or Huntingdon and Godmanchester we’d just cruised on past and it almost certainly deserved a stroll around it’s streets.

The angled approach to the lock and the strong wind caught Mick out, but that was soon rectified for him to drop me off to set the lock. A hire boat arrived below just as we were about to empty the lock, chatting to the lady she was saying they’d hoped to reach Bedford today, but the head wind and going against the flow they thought they’d not make it. According to our maps it would take 12 hours to reach the upper river in Bedford on a kinder day.

**There’s a developer somewhere waiting for this house to fall down**

Onwards under the two bridges in Huntingdon, a rather nice but ramshackled house between them sported Wonder Woman giving advice for the pandemic. We wondered how much it would cost to rescue the house and remove it’s current tenants of pigeons!

Along the banks we spotted Chestnut trees, their lower branches starting to turn orange with bright green conker shells growing plump. Sloes covered the Blackthorn bushes, will they last till the first frost has come to split their skins. Elderberries hung dark dark red. Nature bringing Autumn close before August has even started.

Houghton Lock looked as though there were a couple of volunteers on duty. As I’d not worked this lock on the way upstream I hopped off to lend a hand. The lock tends to be manned at weekends and these two chaps were very jolly. More boats appeared below and even though the lady had come up to see what was happening she got a fright as Oleanna appeared through the bottom gates.

A couple of boats were moored on the island, we tucked in close to a cruiser for the rest of the day. Just so long as there weren’t any woofers about Tilly could explore to her hearts content, which she did, not returning for several hours!

Early afternoon a boat approached the island, NB Cleddau, they’d been aiming for the moorings at Hemingford Grey but been told they were full, so they grabbed a space a little behind us.

Another afternoon of work, which didn’t go according to plan, but I did come up with a design for my portal headers which I was quite pleased with.

Sue invited us round for drinks on the terrace at 5pm and as Pimms was on the menu it would have been very rude not to join them. We had a couple of hours of chat and drinking on the bank as Tilly proceeded to give NB Cleddau a full walk through! They have double glazing!

2 locks, 4.72 miles, 2 volunteers, 1 island mooring, 4 glasses of Pimms, 1 each, 4 glasses of wine, 1 very nosy cat, 1 cat 10 rats, 2-1.

https://goo.gl/maps/CSPrqf4fhcaxTPm76

Floating On By. 30th July

Brampton GOBA mooring

Last night the moorings had filled right up. A group of cruisers breasted up and a narrowboat came along early evening wanting to try to get their stern into the git gap in front of us and lay their bow across ours. We offered them to breast up, but they had a dog and with our cratch cover and filled buckets on the bow it would have been difficult for them to get off. Fortunately for everyone a boat at the far end of the moorings decided to set off before any spikes or ropes had been sorted, so they swapped and a bankside mooring was taken.

This morning we allowed ourselves a cuppa in bed, it turned out that we would be the only boat not to move today. Bacon butties were followed by the Geraghty zoom, house buying before going on the market and Bedford were subjects covered today.

Mick headed off on the bike in the search of a Saturday morning newspaper, our first in quite a while, Tilly got on with enjoying a sausage day and I continued to make barrels and crates for panto. Every year I’ve made at least two barrels for my panto model, maybe I’ll keep these this time, just in case I need some again. They are quite time consuming.

By the time Mick returned we were the only boat left on the moorings. I’d checked Tilly was still about every time someone pulled away, just incase as curiosity of the interiors of other peoples boats seems to be growing despite the rules! I’m just looking to see what boat improvements we might be able to make, so far nothing, but you never know!

Around midday the moorings started to fill up again. It only took an hour for there to be no space left just as Ken and Sue came past in NB Cleddau. A bit of a blustery day and the current made it hard to hover for a quick chat before they floated on by. Five minutes after they left a boat pulled out, only to be replaced by another within two minutes. We may play leapfrog with Cleddau tomorrow, depends on who sets off first.

The remainder of the day consisted of model making for me. Tower of London, St Katherines Dock. By the end of the day my box of model bits was getting quite full and now I need to put everything into the model box to see what needs altering and tie things together.

Mick got the endoscope out. A giant crochet bag I made on the Lancaster canal years ago had gone for a swim yesterday. It wasn’t a very good bag, a try out for others I made, but it had become a very handy bit of padding. You could kneel on it when on a muddy nettle bank. This summer it’s been used under the plank quite often to save what’s left of our paintwork. Yesterday the plank had moved quite a bit and the bag had ended up falling into the river.

It’s quite heavy so Mick hoped it hadn’t gone far, he’d tried fishing it out with the boat hook and now tried to use the endoscope to find it rather than aimlessly fishing in the murky water. But his phone didn’t want to talk to the cameras wi-fi, and then the power pack ended up getting wet! So we apologise now if someone picks the bag up on their prop.

I’ll have to make another, just a shame all my scraps of fabric are back at the house. Maybe it’s time to donate some really worn out t-shirts to be reused.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 sausage day, 1 Saturday newspaper, 1 box full of white bits, 1 exhausted cat.

Where Did He Come From? 29th July

Paxton Pits to Brampton Mill GOBA Mooring

The level came up last night, we had slack ropes this morning. However the flow on the river has just about stopped. Water levels around the whole system are in trouble and it looks like rivers are not going to escape. For several weeks there have been amber boards up along the Great Ouse. We’ve become used to such boards when the levels have been high in the autumn and winter, but right now it is the opposite, we really need some sustained rainfall.

An early breakfast for us and we were on our way heading down stream, hoping for an early in the day arrival at Brampton to secure a space before the masses arrived.

It was a lovely morning, one where you remove your jumper almost as soon as you’ve put it on. Kingfishers chirped as we went past, zipping and zooming out of view too quickly for a photo.

Offord Lock was around the next few steep bends, the lock cut heading away from the main course of the river. Round the first bend. Hang on, where did he come from?! Ahead of us a narrowboat, we’d not seen him until now.

We caught him up at the lock and I went to lend a hand I asked where he’d come from. He was heading for diesel and as he turned the bend towards the lock he’d run out. So his boat was currently running on what ever he could find below, he’d managed to get about 3 litres together, citronella oil was mentioned, at least he’d be free from mosquitos for a day or two!

We chatted as the guillotine gate was lowered, Offord Lock only 100ft long so most definitely not shareable. I wound the bottom gate paddle gear for him 59 turns to raise it, then we pushed open a gate each before he headed off to top up on diesel at the marina below.

59 turns to close the slacker, hard work. Mick joined and lifted the guillotine gate to refill the lock. As we’d been heading up stream we’d heard that the bins here had been removed, boaters however were still leaving their rubbish! Today this is no longer possible as the fencing around the bin area has been moved, although I bet some boaters still will leave rubbish! Not a case of changing bin contracts, these bins have gone!

The A14 was busy unlike the GOBA moorings beyond it, not one boat moored on them. We still wanted to be that bit further on. Brampton Lock was waiting for us, we dropped down, wound our way around the islands, past the pub and pulled up where we’d been a couple of weeks ago, next to the big tree which would give us shade later on in the day and somewhere to sit out.

We arrived just before 11am, just as a cruiser was pulling away. We had the big field to ourselves for an hour or so until NB Ivy May arrived and pulled up a few feet away on the other side of the tree. During the afternoon the moorings filled up, a cruiser leaving not quite enough space in front of us for another boat. Despite having been the first to moor we now looked like we had left git gaps around us. Mick pulled us back as far as we could go, hoping there’d be enough space for a short one in front.

I spent the afternoon working on Piccadilly Circus and on board the ship. Finer details will be done after I’ve put everything into the model box to see if it works. So if anyone has any ideas on panto type Victorian adverts I can add to Piccadilly Circus please pass them on, who knows your idea may just make it onto stage this Christmas. I also spent sometime wading through on line catalogues and requesting samples to be sent out to me, lots of pink and purple fabrics, one with extra sparkles that I know we wont be able to afford, but I hope I get a sample of it!

Later in the day Mick contacted Paul from Waterway Routes regarding the length of St Neots Lock. On Pauls maps he uses the navigation authorities dimensions, after all they should know how big their locks are! A quick measure on google maps confirmed what we already knew. Paul plans to come out to measure the lock to get the correct dimension and then inform the EA. So in a future update Waterway Routes will be even more accurate than the EA.

2 locks, 4.86 miles, 1st boat, 1 extra rule regarding fences, 236 turns at Offord, 1 aching shoulder/neck, 1 hot water bottle, 12 episodes of Sherlock Holmes, 2 scenes, 5 barrels nearly made, 8.5 hours, 2 git gaps not of our making.