Originally both of us would have been heading off to check on the house this morning, some seriously cheap train tickets had been bought for part of our return journey via Hull. But we’d decided that one of us would be better staying on the boat to keep it and Tilly warm as the temperatures were due to get low again. Here’s hoping ice isn’t our next problem!
Herbie Award winning hose tap thingy
All the boat chores were done and the water tank topped up. The Herbie Award Winning tap on our hose is now plumbed in and handy on our mooring as you have to go back and forth from one place to another when disconnecting this and that and then turning the tap on.
Just up to that tree Tilly
As the tank filled Tilly and I stretched our legs along the towpath, not far though as a woofer was coming in the opposite direction. Tilly followed me back to Oleanna where she went all cartoon cat with arched back and bushy tail as the dog walked past.
As Mick has the OAP railcard it’s always him who gets to head back to the house. He headed off shortly before it started to hail, but managed to be on a bus as it really came down and covered the towpath within a few minutes. This was then followed by snow, quite chunky flakes too. Tilly was not amused by it.
With the table all to myself I got the sewing machine out and started to sew up rectangles of navy polycotton with stiff interfacing inside. These are for dance competition numbers in #unit 21. Then the remaining numbers were weeded out in vinyl ready to be ironed on tomorrow. They’ll need velcro adding to them but that will happen in Huddersfield on my next visit.
Weeding
Courgette fritters to eat tonight on the boat. I strongly suspect Mick will have had pizza.
Brrrr!
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 full water tank, -C temps due, 2 trains, 1 towpath walk, 15 minutes hail, 30 mins snow, 1 moving boat, Where did that come from!?! 1 stove being stoked, 9 numbers ready.
Time for the annual round, a long post so sit back, put your feet up and enjoy.
The New Year kicked off with winter maintenance in the house. Having two hallways proved time consuming refreshing the woodwork and patching up the worst of the wallpaper. But this was broken up with weekly walks to see the sea. I resumed work on the development showing of #unit21 for Dark Horse and a Christmas present of a cheese making kit proved very tasty in creating my first ever Yorkshire Curd Cheese Cake from scratch. I plan on having a second go at this soon!
In February work progressed in Huddersfield towards opening night, the floor painted, final costume fittings and then the set and lighting added. All while Mick serviced our life jackets and Tilly grew more and more bored of life in the house.
Once the show was opened we had a trip down to London to catch up with the London Leckenbys for a belated Christmas, on our way back we visited Oleanna. When ever we could we visited Blue Water Marina to do jobs and have a pack up lunch. The stove was reblacked, walls washed down and cupboards sorted through.
Then at the end of February, Mick and I left Tilly in charge of the house, we packed enough clothes and food for a couple of days boating and headed to Thorne to move Oleanna through Thorne Lock before a winter stoppage began. Blimey it was chilly out there, but wonderful to be back afloat and moving Oleanna to Goole. Now we were all set to move back onboard and have a few weeks of pootling about in Yorkshire.
Back at the house we made it ready for the first of this years lodgers. Our boat Christmas tree was retired into the back garden where we hoped it would thrive, this of course was before we knew a drought was on it’s way! Tilly said goodbye to the dragon that lives up the chimney, left Seville and Valencia to look after the house before having to endure the car trip back to boat life.
After a few days sorting ourselves, including having one of Joan’s gluten free Chinese takeaways, we unplugged Oleanna and backed out from our mooring at Goole Marina (Boat House). We spent the next three weeks bobbing about between Pollington Lock, Doncaster and Goole. Maintenance jobs were ticked off the list.
Alistair did engine and weedhatch jobs, Frank joined us a couple of times to do carpentry jobs, our galley drawers no longer have a life of their own, the covers had a good scrub and a spray of Wet and Forget to help them keep clean.
In March I’d set myself a charity challenge, to knit as many pairs of socks in the month as I could. Nine pairs knitted for people in return for sponsorship, I also got a very generous donation of yarn from Lisa on NB Summer Wind.
Our plans had had to change as Thorne Lock still hadn’t closed, but was about to! Plans to visit York and West Yorkshire were abandoned, we’d bought ourselves a Gold Licence for the year so wanted to make the most of it. So on March 24th with all the jobs done we turned our backs on Goole and set off into the sunset to see where 2022 would take us, all three of us grinning from ear to ear.
We made our way to Keadby ready for our booked passage on the tidal River Trent, the fast route south. A phone call from a boating friend in need of support meant we’d be doing our best to make use of the spring tide to reach Cromwell in one go despite the weather forecast. We spent a couple of days doing what we could to help in Newark before we needed to be on the move again.
On upstream to The Trent and Mersey keeping up our cruising hours and Tilly hoping we’d stop with enough time for her to explore each day before cat curfew.
Up to Fradley then onto the Coventry Canal, we played leapfrog with NB Free Spirit for a couple of days.
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, up the Curdworth Flight then a turn left onto a section of the Grand Union we’d not been on before at Star City. Up Garrison Locks, Typhoo Basin and then the Ashted Locks where we now have the measure of that Tunnel! A mooring space at the top of Farmers Bridge had our name on it. This was handy for a road trip to swap lodgers and for visits to the dentist. It also meant we were in shot when a group came to jump the top lock!
Fast forward to 6:15
Our route out of Buminghamsaw us through Edgbaston Tunnel, down Lapworth followed by Hatton. A pause was needed for Tilly’s annual visit to a new vet, the one here the closest to the canal we’ve visited so far, also handy for The Cape of Good Hope!
At Napton we joined the Oxford Canal and headed for Braunston, pausing to stock up on goodies from the butcher. On the Grand Union we made our way up over the hill and started our descent down The Long Buckby flight back towards tidal waters.
On the 1st of May we turned left at Gayton Junction onto the Northampton Arm dropping down the flight to the River Nene. We’d only been this way once before and that was when we’d just bought Lillian (NB Lillyanne) back in 2014. We bought ourselves a second Abloy key, showed our Gold Licence to the chap at Northampton Marina and started our journey down stream, time to explore.
A decision was made to head down to Peterborough taking note of places we’d want to visit on our return journey. We worked our way through the guillotine locks, many button operated and others with the wheel of cardiovascular overload.
Tilly loved many of the moorings apart from those in Peterborough where crowds surrounded the boat and meant returning from shore leave was impossible for several hours.
In two weeks we reached the end of the river at the Dog in a Doublet Lock. Here the river becomes tidal, we’d save that trip for another time and turned back upstream to head for the Middle Level.
Here we wanted to explore all the drainage channels, but decided we’d do that on our return too. So we took the direct route and crossed the low lying waters in three days arriving at Salters Lode on Mick’s birthday. The levels out on the tidal stretch of the Great Ouse needing to be just right to get through the lock, turn and head upstream to Denver Sluice.
A lovely GOBA mooring was found on the River Wissey and eventually the sun came out for a birthday barbeque, we’d made it to the Great Ouse.
The remainder of May was spent exploring the River Wissey, Ely and The Little Ouse. Brandon Lock sits at the most easterly point on the connected navigable network for boats Oleanna’s size. Sadly a build up of silt stopped us from getting her bow into the lock, but we did get her as far east as was possible, ticking off the fourth point of the compass.
There was a trip to Hull Truck to meet old friends at a gala evening followed by a meet up with Micks family back in the Fens. At the end of the month we got to know Neil the seal at Ten Mile Bank moorings as he basked in the sun and took sunset dips in the river.
The Jubilee was seen in at Denver, we lit our guiding lights as a Lancaster Bomber flew overhead heading to see the Queen. The Relief Channel gave us a good mooring to be able to have a trip away to celebrate Dawn and Lee’s 50th Birthdays in Scarborough, we went as Wallace and Gromit and won an Oscar!
Another visit to Ely to see the Cathedral, Farmers market and meet up with Heather from NB Bleasdale, the first of many this summer. The River Lark was explored, the end of navigation reached with a handy mooring outside a pub.
We headed for the Cam, our paths crossing for the first time with Ken and Sue from NB Cleddau. Then onwards in to Cambridge where we visited colleges, ate chilled medication and had a day trip to Duxford so that Mick could sit in the pilots seat of a Trident 2, a seat his Dad had sat in on many a flight.
Oleanna squeezed along each of the three Lodes, Wicken, Burwell and Reach. Wicken Lode a magical place and a day visit to Anglesey Abbey with it’s wonderful gardens.
Then we headed onto the Old West a river with a very different feel than the Ely Ouse. A pause was needed when we reached Earith for us to have a tour of Heathers new to her boat GT. Once off the tidal water we were on a different Great Ouse again. Here St Ives, St Neots and Hemingford gave us sunsets, D shaped locks, huge meadows and wonderful towns and villages to explore.
As the temperatures started to rise I needed to do some work. Cruising happened in the mornings, my Panto script and sketches were done in the shade of what trees we could find. White sheets were bought and we hoped for a mooring with shade for the really hot days that were to come. Tilly took to lying on the floor and we took to wearing wet t-shirts to help us to keep cool. Thankfully the hot blast only lasted a couple of days then the temperature dropped and we could continue to head upstream.
July 21st we reached the navigable limit of the River Great Ouse, having to reverse some distance to be able to turn round and return to Bedford for the River Festival.
Here we met up with Ken and Sue, Jennie and Chris from NB Tentatrice and Heather again. Plenty of things to see, do and hear. The boat parades, raft races, vintage cars, all sorts kept us busy for the two days.
Now at the end of July we alternated the days between cruising and my work. More beautiful days cruising and more wonderful sunsets, one day off to visit Cambridge for some more chilled medication and to see the Hockney exhibition.
August saw more hot days. Trips to London to celebrate birthdays, panto meetings, catch up with best friends and travellers over from Australia.
On the 15th August we crossed back from Denver Sluice to the Middle Level having really enjoyed our three months on the Great Ouse. Now water levels were a worry along with having enough time to reach Oxford for me to go to work in October. We made the decision to come back and explore the Middle Level another year, maybe we’ll cross The Wash to get there!
By the end of August our progress up stream on the River Nene slowed to a halt. First one lock broke then another two ahead of us. We’d recently been accepted to join the Reflections Flotilla on the Thames to mark the Queens Jubilee in a few weeks time, now that time was ticking away.
When we did get moving again we had to make up our cruising hours. With the news of the passing of the Queen we didn’t know if the flotilla would still be going ahead, we carried on at pace waiting for news. Back up the River Nene, turning onto the Grand Union, working our way southwards. The news came through that the flotilla would go ahead, but now in remembrance of the Queen.
With a couple of days to spare we squeezed into the Eco-Moorings by Islington Tunnel. Two days of catching up with family and more friends over from Australia before we joined boats heading along the Regents Canal towards Limehouse Basin. An afternoon of activity saw numerous narrowboats festooned with white lights.
On the 24th of September the Thames barrier was closed and we all headed out of Limehouse Lock up stream to Chelsea where we clung onto buoys until the early evening when the flotilla started to muster.
Getting on for 150 boats all displaying white lights got into formation and headed down stream. Crowds stood on the illuminated bridges and Tower Bridge opened up in a royal salute as we passed underneath. What a truly amazing day.
Now we had to head towards Banbury, back round the Regents Canal as a leak in the engine bay needed testing on the calm waters of the canal rather than the tideway. By the time we reached Brentford we were confident with Oleanna’s engine again. On the Thames Tilly got a birthday present of a night on a Cliveden Island. Sadly we got an unexpected present on our arrival in Oxford, a second red line on a covid test! Panto painting couldn’t be put off so we made our way gradually up the Oxford Canal keeping our distance from people at locks and taking maximum doses of paracetamol.
A week of painting in Banbury before I moved to Chipping Norton to stack up the hours over the next four weeks getting the 50th anniversary panto ready. Rendez Vousing with Oleanna at weekends in Banbury and Coventry kept me sane. Mick had to single hand across the summit of the Oxford Canal to avoid the first of the winter stoppages.
All three of us were back onboard by mid November, covid free and vaccinated. We took things slowly now, time to rest up, meet friends, gather family and pootle towards Christmas. Our 20th Anniversary was celebrated with a Chinese takeaway at Alvecote Marina, a planned stop which ended up being extended due to plummeting temperatures. The canal froze, there’d be no moving the outside for Tilly!
Temperatures lifted dramatically and the ice just about vanished in a couple of days, we could now be on our way to Christmas. Alrewas was a good place to spend the festive days, a very good butchers and a village with lots of character and humour.
Bookings in the New Year had been made for passage on the tidal River Trent for us to reach Yorkshire, but this would not be. The Trent had risen before Christmas, Cranfleet Flood Gates were shut ahead of us, so no New Year at Hazelford Lock. Instead our alternator played up and we sought out a mooring to hook up to and see in 2023.
This year we’d been wanting to explore again. This year we cruised miles of new water, made new friends, got too hot, got iced in, got stuck, got to be in the first illuminated flotilla on the Thames for 300 years. What a great year it has been.
So our vital statistics for 2022 according to Canalplan are
Total distance is 1249 miles, 6½ furlong and 555 locks . There were 88 moveable bridges of which 29 are usually left open; 156 small aqueducts or underbridges and 18 tunnels, a total of 7 miles 2 ¼ furlongs underground and 8 major aqueducts.
This was made up of 227 miles, 1 1/2furlongs of narrow canals; 363 miles, 2 furlongs of broad canals; 85 miles, 5 furlongs of commercial waterways; 269 miles, 1 furlong of small rivers; 234 miles, 7 1/4 furlongs of large rivers; 69 miles, 6 furlongs of tidal rivers; 176 narrow locks; 232 broad locks; 54 large locks; 2 locks on major waterways.
731.7 engine hours
1156.1 litres diesel, 5 (although we’ve got 1 empty now) gas bottles (used for central heating as well as cooking), 28.5 litres oil, 3 oil filters, 1 fuel filter, 2 air filters, 1 water pump, 2 new belts, 690kg coal, 1 overnight guest twice, 6 packs Dreamies (not enough!), 56 friends, a record breaking 41 Mrs Tilly stamps of approval (4 in one day!), 15 pairs socks, 2 shows designed, 9 lodgers, 2 lots gluten free puff pastry, 9 supermarket deliveries, 30 boxes of wine delivered, 2 lost unicorns.
Thank you all for joining us on our journey. Wonder where we’ll get to in 2023?
That’s one heck of a lot of water coming downstream! During the day we had notices regarding flood locks being closed down stream, including Newark. At the moment there are daily updates on the Trent Link group on Facebook. Lots of charts to look at daily, we know we can’t go anywhere, but it’s still interesting.
The rain hammered down for much of the morning.
More numbers to do today, more checking things through before I filled in my balance sheet.
Lots of boxes to ignore
This afternoon it was time to log on to the Government Gateway and fill in my tax return. There is lots to read and check through, would it be best to go the Rent a Room direction or go the income and expenses route with income from our lodgers?
Mick made himself scarce and went for a walk, leaving Tilly and myself. In the end I gave Tilly an extension to her shore leave as she just would not shut up and let me read. That’s when Mick arrived back, at least he doesn’t sit by the back doors getting increasingly noisy!
Over the top
Mick walked down to Derwent Mouth Lock to have a look at the river. Today the water was just about level with the towpath, in places it was over the top. Not much of the red river level marker showing either. On New Years Day the level was 1.76m so today it was another 9 inches higher. The less muddy path back to the village was quite full of water in parts too.
Above one red the other not far to go
Notes read, boxes filled, I was soon submitting my tax return and as very much expected I owe them no tax, just my NI voluntary contributions for the year. You can now see how many years you’ve contributed, a feature I’ve not seen before.
Lodger figures were passed on to Mick who then added them to his tax return. All done and dusted for another year.
Broccoli Bacon Pasta tonight.
0 locks, 0 miles, 48cm in 24hrs, 2 tax returns submitted, 1 meowy cat, 0 tax, Class 2 NI paid, 11 years to go.
Another early morning, well for Mick returning the van and sending off the costume returns. Frustrating that despite the returns going back to the same company, they had to go in three different packages, one to Poland via UPS the other two by Evri. Because of the two different couriers it meant Mick having to visit two different Premier stores in the torrential rain before returning the van.
On his arrival back to the boat he put on his chefs hat and cooked us a breakfast. As he cooked, a stream of water appeared from the window above the cooker. There was so much water coming down the glass outside, the water had filled up the frame and was finding it’s way inside. This year I haven’t got round to taking the windows out and giving the frames a good clean out. The drain holes on this window were almost certainly blocked. So as Mick fried and poached our breakfast I donned my coat and provided myself with some pointy thin sticks.
Co-op bacon not as good as Alrewas bacon
The drain holes were totally blocked. Prodding from above and then below saw rivers of muddyness drain down the cabin side. I managed to do enough of a job to keep the water draining away and not entering the boat. A better more comprehensive clean out is required before too long, but that will require a warmish dry day as each window will need to come out of it’s frame.
Having now got soggy legs and Mick having had the early start we both deserved breakfast, it was very yummy.
Tilly really wanted to be out, but the rain was putting her off. But in the end her need was far greater than staying dry and she sprang off somewhere on the towpath. She soon returned much relieved and came for some Dreamies. The next few hours as I worked my way through the last few items to order for #unit21 she came and went as often as any cat could. The day gradually drying up, but the towpath remaining very wet and extreamly muddy. My list of jobs bore the brunt of Tilly’s muddy stamps.
Good job most jobs were done !
Time to sit down and do figures. Time to finish off last years accounts, add up my design fees and money from lodgers. Downloading bank statements takes some time, then reconciling them. Things are a little more complicated this year as my self employed year doesn’t run the same as the tax year for our lodgers. Maybe I should move my accounting year and maybe I am too diligent with the figures. It all takes time and concentration (well only a couple of afternoons worth), which isn’t helped with Tilly coming and going, demanding Dreamies every five minutes! Mick was understanding and watched some old episodes of All Creatures Great and Small with the subtitles on, after all he needs the figures from the lodgers for his return too.
Still some more to do tomorrow, then the tax return filling in, only to be told I don’t owe any tax just some National Insurance contributions, which I already know.
Numbers and notes
Dinner this evening was jacket potatoes with the remainder of the chicken from our Friday night roast and some homemade coleslaw. One day we will finish the red cabbage bought for Christmas!
0 locks, 0 miles,1 van returned, 3 parcels, 3 refunds, 20 rolls of tape, 1kg green confetti, 2nd payment, 4 hours of numbers, 4 muddy stamping paws! 1 overdue catch up.
Topics in the Geraghty zoom this morning included foxes, calculus, hyacinths and magnolia trees. Good to see everyone again after Christmas and the New Year.
1.55m up 2 inches from yesterday, the River Soar is closed again
I needed to make the most of day light hours so I was soon out on the stern. Wind direction was checked, then Mick helped remove the starboard side of the pram cover, extra ventilation required today.
Milk pods
Rain had been threatening for most of the morning. When it struck it did it in style! We’d chosen the right side of the pram cover to remove, but the rain still came in. Things were moved round, items removed from where rain water gets diverted on the roof. Just about everything important stayed dry and by lunchtime the milk pods were finished. They moved into the cratch to free up space in the stern workshop.
Now the moment of truth. Would my measurements of the stern doors have been correct and had I built the giant mug to those dimensions. Tilly was locked in the bedroom. I lifted the mug out from it’s position on the dinette, over the kitchen units, a few inches to spare there. Then offered it up to the back doors. I could have hooked them out of the way, but that might mean they wouldn’t end up being as open as they could be.
How much space past the doors?
I rested the mug on the top/threshold of the door. Very little light could be seen either side. I then carefully pushed the mug through the opening. PHEW! It fitted. I really had no idea what I would have done if it hadn’t. Phew! Maybe 2mm to spare. Phew.
Thank goodness for that!
The rest of the afternoon I spent sticking yoga mats to the inside of the mug. It sat on off cuts raising it off the wet deck. It pee’d it down again and I risked having the back door open for some fresh air, the sides of the pram cover back on trying to keep everything dry. This did mean the back of the mug got a little bit damp, but it should dry out fairly quickly.
With next to no room to work in and day light fading fast I had to stop. The large pieces to cover the outside of the mug would have to be done elsewhere with more space. The mug was lifted onto the hatch just enough space between it and the pram cover for it hopefully to stay dry overnight.
Sun setting, time to stop work
Items were packed up to take to Huddersfield. Not having the mug in the corner of the dinette made the boat feel so spacious!
Happy bunny
The evening was spent replacing the bunnies ears with longer versions and watching Happy Valley. The Piazza in Huddersfield featured as a location. Tomorrow we’ll be delivering the giant props to a unit that was just out of shot, I’ll have to check if there really is a chemists there.
Talk has turned to what to do should the river remain too high for us to head northwards. A week would be fine, but what if it ends up being several weeks? Maybe our route requires amending. Last year we’d only been interested in stoppages before Christmas holding up our progress, we’d not taken any note of those on the network behind us this year. Would we be able to reach Yorkshire by one of the Pennine routes?
1.52 m
We knew Wigan closed on the 3rd Jan. But what about the Rochdale or Huddersfield Narrow? Mick looked through the stoppages. If we could get Oleanna to Huddersfield for my show that would be brilliant. We knew there was a stoppage stopping us getting there from the east, but what about the west? A long stoppage in Slaithwaite, oh well! The Rochdale has stoppages scattered around too. So no Pennine route open to us. Even if there had been we’d have needed to be through Stenson Lock before next Monday when it closes for new bottom gates.
So it looks like we are here for the foreseeable. Forecast for more rain in a few days. Great!
Stern workshop
Time to get to work properly. Most of the jobs involve contact adhesive which is very very smelly, so not a job to be done inside. I set myself up a workshop at the stern under the pram cover for some shelter.
Drying area
The hatch got a layer of plastic to protect it, aerials moved out of the way. One of the lockers was cleared for a drying area. Time to get sticking yoga mats onto the formas I’ve made. The two sugar lumps were covered before lunchtime. The vapours coming from the glue as soon as you start to spread it out was really quite something, I ended up opening one of the sides of the pram cover, but it didn’t help that much.
Not a bad view, two widebeams added last night
I have previous experience of this glue. Frank used to use it to fix edging onto pieces of scenery at the SJT. On one show we used it to add curves of silver laminate to what became known as ‘the doughnut’ which hung from the lighting grid in Scarborough for ‘Making Waves’ a show about the RNLI in Northumberland. None of us were too keen on this particular piece of scenery which when back lit illuminated everything above it, including ducting which normally remains unseen for very good reasons.
All covered
My first experience was at college fixing fabric to foam shapes, sitting all day in a workshop with the extractors working hard. When I got home that day I proceeded to empty the fridge of all four of my house mates food hunting for my cheese grater! It is strong stuff.
Hmmm
I decided that I’d only do so much gluing each day to hopefully save my brain cells, so I moved back inside to work on the giant mug. The pipe I’d bought yesterday was measured out with the hope that the hair dryer we have on board would get the pipe hot enough to bend into shape. No chance! I also needed a vice, pieces of wood all sorts which simply were not available on Oleanna. Time to rethink.
That should work
I’d bought three 90 degree elbows yesterday, if I had one more I’d be able to make a handle, quite square, but it would do the job. Pipe was cut, holes in the mug to slot things through, yep it would do. Mick was volunteered to head back into town tomorrow to pick it up along with a suitable mask to protect me from the glue fumes.
Are you waiting for your Dingding to be served Tilly?
Mick carried on working on the trip computer. He managed to install the Android Operating System with not too much bother. It just won’t re-boot now! Still work in progress. He then moved on to removing the Christmas lights outside.
Work boats
During the day a couple of boats have come past, one presumably returning to it’s home mooring and a C&RT tug boat which returned with another skip several hours later. Will these be used for dredging? Or will the new lock gates be loaded into them for Stenson?
Finished bunny
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 makeshift workshop, 1 stinky morning, 1 head ache, 2 sugar cubes done, 2 bottoms done, 1 handle rethought, 2 holes, 2 rolls masking tape, 1 elbow missing, 0 response from the trip computer, 1 Friday night roast, 0 way out of here come Monday, 1 pompom.
A list was made of items I still needed to purchase for #unit21, including a 3m length of plastic pipe! I nearly ordered it along with elbow joints online from Screwfix, but decided to see if there might be a DIY stall in Derby Market. Derby Market Hall is currently undergoing refurbishment, but I was aware of The Eagle Market, the front doors of Derby Playhouse open into the Market. The website suggested a couple of fabric stalls, time to catch the bus.
Mick had made the decision to fit the new alternator this morning and was already down in the engine bay. I required a hack saw so collected one on the way past. The Skylink bus picked me up and whizzed me into town. I made note of a Tool Station next to the big Royal Mail building where there was a handy bus stop, a much better location than Screwfix.
The Eagle Market has seen better days, I’d say only about a third of the units were occupied. I found a couple of fabric stalls and most of what I wanted and ended up having quite a chat with the lady who lives on a boat in Shardlow Marina. Sadly no-one had any navy velcro, that will have to be ordered on line.
We’ve missed Wind in the Willows
No DIY stalls. I had a wander around Derbion the big shopping mall, nothing of use in there, just a sandwich for lunch. Much of Derby Centre stands empty, the bright lights of the shopping centre, being out of the rain has pulled customers and retailers inside. Such a shame. But I believe Derby Council are hoping to rejuvenate the area, refurbishing the market hall being part of the plan to try to pull retailers back into the streets and make it a destination. Well that’s the standard blurb used for such places nowadays!
After a visit to Wilko I walked back to Tool Station taking note of a low wall just by the bus station. Pipe, elbows and cement purchased I headed for the low wall. Here I pulled out the hacksaw and cut the 3m length of pipe in half, no problem getting on the bus now.
Shardlow is getting quite full
At the water point in Shadlow there were three widebeams. WB Lazy Days had moved across from the pub moorings where now sat two C&RT skip boats. Then there were the two widebeams that had been moored above Derwent Mouth Lock, one having a wash, the other on the lock landing. Later on in the evening we could see tunnels lights and hear spikes being hammered in, we presume the widebeams had moved to above the lock, freeing up below.
Back at Oleanna Mick had been working hard to fit the new alternator. Three bolts and three wires, simple! Except things on the old one had settled in nicely, a touch of corrosion on the negative terminal made getting the nut undone a touch troublesome. Time and patience was required. One bolt was in an awkward position and when it came to fitting the new alternator things didn’t seem to marry up as they should do. It turned out there was a bush on one of the holes that needed adjustment. A tap with a hammer sorted this.
Power restored
All bolted in and connected the engine was fired up, things checked over. Everything working as it should. Hooray!
Time to pack Christmas away, well the lights outside could wait for light tomorrow. The tree was stripped and then given a good soaking in the sink. It will get a day or two inside before being popped in the cratch.
The neon bunny was just about finished off this evening. All limbs sewn on and body stuffed, just a fluffy tail needed. Although I may want to give him longer ears as he’ll be a magicians rabbit. Tilly wasn’t enamoured with it, I may have to hide it away so it doesn’t get beaten up!
More emails were sent regarding flooring for #unit21 this morning. This ended up with a proforma invoice that required payment before 1pm to enable it to be collected early next week. My credit card ended up being stretched that bit more, but thankfully the price hadn’t gone up over Christmas and it will be sat ready for collection.
Delivery!
Our Sainsburys delivery arrived at the end of the towpath. There’s not much space on the road so a bit of nudging out of the way was needed for someone to get past, Mick was there with bags to decant the shopping as quickly as possible so the van could head back off. Everything was stowed away before I got my work things out for the day.
A box of potential power
Mick had been getting tracking information regarding our alternator this morning. Would this actually arrive as planned? Through the hedge I could see what looked like a DPD van heading towards the farm. Mick popped his shoes on and walked up to collect the alternator.
Hooray! Just when to fit it now? Should it go on straight way, three bolts and a bit of cabling to do. Should it wait for the existing one to stop working completely? Should it wait to be fitted by a mechanic? How much longer should we stay on the mooring? We won’t be going far for a while with the river in flood. Mick is thinking about it.
I got on with making up the forma for the giant mug. The base dimensions should just fit through the back doors on Oleanna, so I won’t be able to get much further than just the basic shape. Also covering it in the yoga mat has to wait as I’ll be using contact adhesive and there is nowhere near enough space onboard to lay things out to glue, let alone dry and all the fumes.
Sheets were cut to length and then scored so that they would follow the curve. Glued and held in position to dry with masking tape. A second layer was added, laminating two layers would make it stronger.
False base on top
The actress will stir a giant spoon in the mug so I worked out the maximum depth needed for this. I then made a false base to slot inside, this will help to keep everything together. It’s now ready to have a handle added, just need to get a plastic pipe back from Derby on the bus!
“It’ll be okay, so long as it’s not here for long!”
Just where to store the mug until it can be taken to Huddersfield? I’d hoped to make this on land where there would be more space than in a 7ft wide narrowboat. Would it sit in the corner of the dinette? Not quite, but taking out the corner cushions gave it just enough space. Phew we won’t have to move it several times a day just to be able to go about our daily lives.
Tilly thought it was very good especially the new route behind it. Mick thought he’d be able to live with lack of elbow room at the table. ‘It’s funny you making BIG things and not models’.
Mick has spent some of today starting to work on our trip computer. As Water Explorer is no longer, we’re hoping to be able to reconfigure the computer to be able to run Nebo. It may take a bit of doing!
Tilly came and went most of the day. The sun was out and what a lovely day it would have been to cruise. Instead Mick did a couple of loads of washing, introduced himself and Tilly to our bow neighbours. They have quite a few bird feeders and a dog, so it was good to let them know of Tilly’s existance.
Maybe it was the cat nip Dreamies or maybe its the two donkeys in the field next to our moorings, but Tilly rarely ventured further than the gunnel and the hatch. Any suggestion that it might be open was used. Dreamies are rationed now to one each time she comes home! She comes home frequently!!
Mick’s hair was over his ears, time for a trim. A stool was taken outside and the clippers came out. Grade 3 all over and no need to sweep up. Just a shame it’s a little bit early for the birds to collect the hair to line their nests. I always think Mick looks a little younger after a hair cut, even if he turns into a Skin ‘Ed.
Catching up with friends always happens at this time of year. As yesterday had been my college friend Kathy’s birthday it was way past time to have a good chin wag. Good phone signal required being outside so I took my coat with me and stood on the stern. We really did have a lot to catch up on, Kathy has moved back onto her boat on the Thames by Tower Bridge for a while. A shame she hadn’t been there for the flotilla, although I suspect it was a very noisy evening.
View from the stern
I heard about the next Society of British Theatre Designers exhibition, which this year Kathy is curating. There will be 13 regional exhibitions, instead of the usual one, under the collective title ‘Hello Stranger’. The exhibition happens every four years and is normally filled with costumes, model boxes from designers and students. Many of the models are remade specifically to be exhibited costing people a lot of money. This year the designers are being encouraged to only use what already exists for display and there will be more workshops and conversations than before. The work on display will chart what has happened in the performance design world over the last four years, how the pandemic changed the way designers worked and what they produced. Hopefully we’ll be near one of the exhibitions to be able to visit.
After an hour and a half it was time to warm up again in front of the stove. That is when I realised I should have called Kathy via Whatsap. Numpty! But then I’d have missed the mist collecting in the field opposite and Tilly exploring the roof of the boat at our stern!! Rule 4, NO going on other boats! Being flouted in front of my eyes.
My #unit21 knitting came out. Time to stuff the head of the rabbit. Sew on some features and it’s ears. I still need to knit the second leg and both arms. I just hope it’s big enough, otherwise there will be some doubling up of yarn and bigger needles needed.
By the time we went to bed the River Trent had managed to drop by 11cm. There’s still a long way to go and more rain forecast.
0 locks, 0 miles, grade 3, 1st ever Tilly return to the boat using Dreamies packet rustle, 90 minutes catch up, 1 very chilly arm and shoulder, 2 ears, 1 nose, 2 french knot eyes, 1 stuffed head, 11cm.
Levels on the rise. I don’t see us moving for some time. The flood gates at Cranfleet have been closed since the 23rd December and levels are higher now. The lowest recorded height in that time that we can find was 1.13m and the flood gates were closed then. So this mornings height of 1.76m is going to take a while to head on down stream.
Water Explorer
Yesterday I made note of all our journeys that have been recorded through the years on Water Explorer. The chap who has been running it said the site would be taken down at the end of 2022. It’s still there, Oleanna recorded as the last moving boat. When the site vanishes so will all our vital statistics for both Oleanna and NB Lillyanne.
Our last journeys
At the end of each year I sit down and put our years cruise through Canal plan with the aim of getting a slightly more accurate distance than Water Explorer gives. Water Explorer will cut corners if there have been no way points, it also sometimes counts locks twice or not at all. Beeston Lock on the Trent usually gets counted twice for some reason. This year I will do the same, working out our back and forths on canalplan, which also isn’t totally accurate.
But for now here are our vital statistics (according to Water Explorer) dating back to 1st January 2015.
NB Lillyanne, starting heading up stream on the River Lee from Enfield 1st Jan 2015 to when we moved her for the final time on 2nd May 2017 to brokerage at ABNB in Crick.
Total Journeys
505
Total hours recorded
1550
Total Miles
2565.76
Total Locks
1714
These figures are from trips recorded, some journeys in the early days were missed.
NB Oleanna, starting on 28th March 2017 from Finesse Boats in Sheffield to 31st December 2022 to Willowbrook Moorings.
Total Journeys
1279
Total Hours recorded
4164
Total Miles
6242.72
Total Locks
3694
So our Total statistics from Water Explorer
Total Journeys
1784
Total Hours
5714
Total Miles
8808.48
Total Locks
5408
At some point I will work out Oleanna’s statistics for the year as I normally do, but that will have to wait for tax returns and giant props to be made, along with zooming along the River Trent back to Yorkshire.
Final positions
Mick spent some time in the engine hole today. Trying to see what he might be able to find. Did we have a problem, or was it that something wasn’t pushed home properly? A new battery for his multimeter was needed, the power on board totally turned off for a half hour. The alternator was working. But can we trust it?
Boarded up
He got a phone call from the chap at JD Narrowboats who was wanting to check that we’d got plugged in somewhere and were we sorted. He also sent us a link to a new alternator he’d found on ebay. How very kind of him. Mick is thinking on what to do. We intended on buying a new alternator and when the current one failed we could swap them over and send the original one off to be mended if possible, then we’d have a spare. But should we do it now or wait until we’re back in Yorkshire? Should we go for the ebay one at half the price of a Beta one? Well you get what you pay for!
A lovely building
This afternoon we went for a walk to have a look at the river. We followed the muddy towpath through the old port of Shardlow. Since our very first visit nothing much has changed. Several of the old warehouses still stand boarded up, calling out to be refurbished into offices, housing or some other use. One of my favourite buildings has already been converted into a home, Soresby Warehouse built around 1820.
Derwent Mouth Lock 1 on the Trent and Mersey Canal
Derwent Mouth Lock, the last lock on the Trent and Mersey sat half empty today. In normal times this would have been only about a quarter empty, but with the river in flood! Below, the level at the lock landing today would mean stepping down off Oleanna, normal times it would be one very big step up to the bank.
The river level boards are well in the red as expected.
Lovely
We walked back on the other side of the canal, past the pubs, lovely houses and the not so lovely more modern buildings. What a busy place this must have once been.
Their TV is a projector onto the end wall of the house, huge!
A pause to look over the garden wall by the lock. The river, here unnavigable, rushed by faster than the River Ouse passes Selby Lock. The house here has spent quite a bit of money on their Christmas lights, multi coloured fairy lights in all the bushes and trees in the garden and then multicoloured bulbs along the eaves the excess gathered together inside their phone box.
In need of a lick of paint
Pork and apple stew tonight with dumplings. I chose to cook it mostly on top of the multifuel stove meaning the dumplings didn’t go crispy.
Pork and apple stew, click the photo for the recipe.
Our viewing of the new series of Happy Valley was interrupted by a call from my bestestest friend over in Sydney. Emma was out for a morning walk with her dog Moose. It was lovely to have a good catch up.
0 locks, 0 miles, WE this year, 234 journeys, 743 hours, 1248.12 miles, 565 locks, 3 mile walk, 0 twinging calf, 1 not so sure cat, 1.84m river level at 11pm, 1 stew, 6 dumplings, 30 minute catch up, 1st Happy Valley season 3.
