Category Archives: Cats

Critical To Fatal. 28th March

Thorne Lock

You may have noticed (unless the problem has been solved when you read this) that there is no blog roll on the right hand side.

This evening Mick came to the blog to have a catch up on fellow bloggers posts only to find the blog was missing, a ‘critical’ error had occured! Oh blimey, what had Tilly been upto whilst we were out earlier?

WordPress sent an email to our IT department (Mick) regarding the critical error.

Since WordPress 5.2 there is a built-in feature that detects when a plugin or theme causes a fatal error on your site, and notifies you with this automated email.

In this case, WordPress caught an error with one of your plugins, RSS Feed Checker.

Critical had turned into Fatal in one email!

Not being able to access the ‘dashboard’ to look into the problem Mick was given the option of going into a special ‘recovery mode’. He did this and was able to remove the blog roll plugin. The blog is now visible again. More investigation is required tomorrow.

This fly is far more interesting than the wet outside

They sad it was a Sausage Day, but it turned into a bit of a Frankfurter! She said I had nine hours. Then it rained! Tom said I could still go out. Until he closed the back doors and said he and She were going out instead!

A loaf of bread was required along with a stretch of our legs. So we headed into town to Sainsburys.

Below Thorne Lock two C&RT boats are sitting waiting for next week, they have small diggers on them, the sort that are used for dredging only a bit cleaner! These will be joined at some point by a big crane boat which was being used at Newark Town Lock until recently.

With our shopping done we headed to Thorne Boat Services to see if they had any Marine 16, an additive Mick likes to put in the diesel tank to stop diesel bug. We looked round the chandlery, but they had none. Today their diesel was £1.45 a litre.

To cross over the canal we headed for the troublesome footbridge just as someone was opening it to get their boat through. Good job it wasn’t a windy day as when the chap had taken his boat through he stepped off without a rope. Pedestrians including ourselves were on hand to open the barriers, if we hadn’t been we suspect his boat would have drifted away just that bit too much to be able to jump back on. One of those instances where you just have to wait till it drifts back towards a bank.

Dolly Earl always has washing hanging out

We tried the Chandlery at Staniland Marina too, but the doors were firmly locked. Maybe we’ll try again tomorrow.

Mick called the chap who has our cratch cover, it is ready and he’ll bring it with him one day this week when he’s back in Thorne to do other work, he’s not sure when yet.

The afternoon was spent knitting, eighth pair finished and the yarn for the ninth pair wound into two balls ready.

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 winding, 0 bridges, 2 work boats, 3 lodgers, 1 loaf bread, 0 cratch cover, 8th pair finished, 1 Frankfurter day, 1 fatal error thankfully not that fatal!

Haloumi To The Rescue. 27th March

Bramwith Junction to Thorne Lock, Stainforth and Keadby Canal

With yesterdays excitement having gone on a touch longer than planned we found ourselves without a newspaper to read in bed this morning, more concerning was that we had no bacon or sausages for breakfast! However I always keep some haloumi in the bottom of the fridge ready for a bbq, so I suggested a veggie breakfast. it turned out to be a good suggestion.

Once Tilly was back from exploring we made ready. The canals were busy this morning, boats stuck either side of the Low Lane Swing Bridge on the New Junction due to problems with the road barriers again. Until they are mended you can book passage through with 24 hours notice for 10am or 3pm, glad we were already through!

A push of the bow was required today, no wind to help us get off the bank, we turned towards the Stainforth and Keadby Canal and pulled up at Bramwith Lock. A narrowboat was just going down so I helped with the gates before refilling it for ourselves.

Mick passed me the key of power so I could walk on ahead to work the swing bridge once we were down. I however was just a touch too late to press the buttons as someone who’d been at the services beat me to it. Two boats one way and one the other, only three cars held up.

That was my work done for the day, so I got out my knitting to do as we cruised our way in to Thorne.

The boat that had been sunk in front of the dry dock looks like it has been moved over to the towpath side, it now has a boom round it. We pulled in between a couple of boats and let Tilly out just as Patch a woofer from next door decided to go for a walk all by itself. We now know it’s name very well!

It’s flat round here, apart from the man made hills

Tilly inspected the trees, there are plenty in the community wood, but decided that it was a touch too busy to make the most of them.

A couple came by and stopped for a chat. They used to own a boat, but the lady now has difficulty walking so they had to sell up. Turned out they also had a boat builder go bust on them, they ended up loosing more money than we did. Link to our tale.

With the sun out there were plenty of people about at the bar across the way at Staniland Marina, one chap was having a very good time of it. We lit the stove, got it going and popped a couple of jacket potatoes in to bake, enjoyed with some onion sauce and cold gammon left over from yesterday. Yummm.

1 lock, 4.72 miles, 1 wind, 1 swing bridge swung, 3 held up, 3 slices of squeaky cheese, 1 tree whelmed cat, 1 pesky patch, 1.5 socks knitted, 2 perfect jacket spuds.

Hidden Depths. 26th March

Bramwith Junction

A couple of days ago Mick’s niece Fran had been in touch, she had a spare ticket for a Sheffield Hidden Rivers Tour today, would one of us like to go? Well this was right up Mick’s street and a chance to see Fran too.

So off I (Mick) went to catch the bus into Doncaster. The expected 13:13 bus from Barnby Dun into town never turned up but the 12:42 came along at 13:35. This got me to Doncaster station with 10 minutes to spare to catch the train to Sheffield.

Then a short 10 minute walk to the rendezvous point outside the Triple Point Brewery and Bar. I met Fran and her friend outside and donned our wellies in the car park. Another twelve people arrived in dribs and drabs, most (but not quite all) of them suitably attired. The three tour guides met us there, all wearing waders, and gave us a short briefing and hard hats.

Then it was off down the road to a gap in a moveable fence which lead to a suitable place where we could get into the bed of the River Porter. A bit of a walk in the open air first to get us used to walking on the rocky river bed.

The river soon disappeared into a culvert underground. The headroom was very limited at this point, in fact the lowest of the whole tour. At one point I had to resort to hands and knees.

It then opened out a bit and the headroom got better. We carried on until we were under the railway station. Here the River Sheaf joined us and the water flow got stronger. The guide told us to look up and he pointed out some wooden boards above our heads. These form part of platform 5 of the station. There are plans to remove these boards and replace them with glass or perspex so people above can look down on the underground river. It will also let light down to the river thereby encouraging a bit more wildlife down there.

Cracks of daylight from the station platform above.

We then took a sharp left and walked under the railway tracks. The station was built between 1865 and 1870 so these arches have been here a while.

All the time there was the rumble of trains moving up above while we carried on for a few hundred metres under the station. The going under foot was very rough along here, well actually for pretty much the whole tour. Lots of loose stones and bricks. There was much potential for broken ankles but we all survived. At one point one of the guides stood in in his waders in waist deep water with his head torch switched to red and pointed us through an archway on the left where the water was much shallower.

We reached as far as we were allowed to go, the presence of bats prevented further progress. So we stood a while to look for bats but none wanted to come out to play. The light at the end of the tunnel was tantalisingly close.

Unreachable Light at the End of the Tunnel

So that was the end of the tour. Or rather the halfway point, we turned around and headed back the way we came. All in all it took a couple of hours and was very enjoyable. It was difficult under foot and a walking pole would have been useful. There were a couple of places where the water came over the top of my wellies so waders would have been good too. But even so it was a great tour.

Fran gave me a lift back to the boat where she stayed for a Saturday roast dinner.

Meanwhile, back on Oleanna …

Tilly and I (Pip) were left in charge of Oleanna for the afternoon. Tilly hunted. I read my panto script, turned down a job that I’d been approached about yesterday (two models on a boat at once just isn’t feasible, panto takes over our lives for long enough, plus we still want to boat this summer), pulled out some knitting and caught up with my old school friend Morag for an hour on the phone. Then a gammon was popped in the oven with roast potatoes as the sun set, all ready in time to welcome the intrepid explorers back.

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 winds, 1 bus, 1 train, 1 car, 0 newspaper, 2 many dogs, 2 intrepid explorers, 2 rivers, 15 hard hats, 1 dress, 4 wet legs, 4 wet socks, 1 panto re-read, 1 sausage day, 1 hour catching up, 1.4kg gammon, 18 roast potatoes, 3 choc chop cookies with ice cream.

Who Stole The Outside!?! 23rd March

Pollington Visitor Moorings to Goole, opposite the concrete works, again!

I know I need to wash the windows, but…!

Who stole the outside!?! It had been an alright outside in the end, but now someone had stolen it! Thankfully by the time we wanted to be on the move the sun had started to burn it’s way through the fog, however a layer of merk lingered all day.

There were rendezvous to be met back in Goole, we just hoped that there would be space for us where cars can pull up close.

Through the haze we could only just make out Drax Power Station.

A Kingfisher sat singing as we passed.

A deer sprang it’s way across the fields stopping to check on us before heading into the woods.

Someone was moving house on the M18.

Back in Goole there was actually a choice of spaces where we wanted to be. We pulled up in the first one. A van was pulled alongside one of the boats. Mick chatted to the chap who was from a covers company from Hull. Did they do repairs? Yes, they could resew the zips into the cratch cover for us, £25, but they’d have to take it away for a few days. Fortunately they will be working on a couple of boats in Thorne next week, so we will coincide with them there.

Frank arrived an hour or so later, just as a batch of chocolate chip cookies came out of the oven! Then he set to on the freezer drawer.

With three layers of ply beneath the drawer Frank used his router to cut out a large rectangle, this would allow more air to circulate around the bottom of the drawer, there were already three holes to help air come up from the bilges.

A couple of ply runners were added to the floor to lift the drawer up slightly. These had a layer of candle grease liberally applied to them. Then the front edge of the drawer had some gliss domes screwed on. This is so that when you pull the drawer out there is a frictionless surface that will slide across the floor rather than a hard edge of wood. Small recesses for the gliss domes were chiselled out of the bottom of the dinette so that everything slid back into place. All we needed now were longer screws to reattach the drawer handle.

Outside knitting, until it got too cold.

Inside a narrowboat isn’t such a good place for gongoozling someone at work. Mick followed Frank around with the vacuum cleaner, Tilly busied herself in the trees and friendly cover and I got a chair out and sat in the sunshine knitting.

An Indian Takeaway from Leaf Tandoori was picked up and enjoyed with a glass of wine and plenty of conversation. I held of on my second glass until after I’d had a telephone conversation with a Director about a possible show, it went well, hopefully tomorrow I’ll find out for sure if it went well enough.

0 locks, 7.98 miles, 1 straight on, 1 deer, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Frank, 1 sliding drawer, 1 hugely massive battery, 4 hours, 2 fingers crossed, 4 poppadums, 1 shish kebab, 3 currys, 3 rice, 1 phone call.

https://goo.gl/maps/M4NnxrqSxpTE1Au9A

Suds. 22nd March

Pollington Visitor Moorings

Mick decided to turn Oleanna around first thing, so as to make the most of todays sunshine on the solar. This would mean no shadow cast across the panels from our chimney. The big wide Aire and Calder is handy for such manoeuvres, no need to cruise to the next winding hole here, just untie and turn round.

Once we were moored back up Tilly sniffed the air. A new outside! It smelt similar to the last one they’d tied up. When the back doors were opened up she skipped up the stern steps and then realised, Tom only span it round!!!!

Two phone calls this morning. The first one from the Keadby Lock Keeper Mark. At one time there were three Marks who worked there. He apologised that nobody had called back sooner, but he’d been off with Covid and today was his first day back. Mick checked tide times with him for the days we were considering. Spring tides early in the day, so if we wanted to we could do Keadby to Cromwell in one go. We’ll make our minds up about that nearer the time, possibly on the day. I popped a notice on the Trent-link group offering to be a ‘Buddy’ boat as we’ve done the trip several times before.

Next came a phone call from the opticians. My glasses had arrived! Hooray!! An appointment was made to have them fitted in a couple of days time, I’ll go to Doncaster on the train.

Time to make use of our location and the sun. The washing machine was put to work, three loads in total. The whirligig was popped up and filled, then the airer was popped out on the towpath for our socks.

The pram cover was unpoppered and laid out on the picnic bench by the water point. Mick attached the spray to the end of the hose and I filled a bucket with soapy water. The covers were going to get a good scrub.

In the first lockdown we gave the covers a spray of Wet and Forget which with the assistance of sunshine and rain gradually cleans your covers, or helps to keep them clean. We found it to be quite good and still have at least another two sprays worth left. Our covers though after two winters being stationary had gone very green especially where they are horizontal and meet the the cabin roof, so I’d decided that we’d give them a scrub first before a spray was applied.

The picnic bench here is handy to be able to work at a good height and before lunchtime the pram hood and sides had all been scrubbed both inside and out and given a good rinsing. I got to the scrubbing, Mick the rinsing and Tilly the supervision, when not looking for friends.

The cratch cover followed in the afternoon. As soon as they were just about dry they went back on the boat. Much better than they were and now we just need to find a suitable spray bottle, to avoid RSI, a couple of days of sunshine and they will get a spray of Wet and Forget to improve them more.

Mick then set about swapping Oleanna’s ropes for new ones. The ones being replaced we bought when Oleanna was new, the ropes she came with were too thin for the reduced grip on my right hand, so thicker 16mm ones were needed. They have served us well being used for over 5000 miles, but they were looking a touch tatty.

Old centre lines, worn soft shackle and a nice new one

We’ve had the new ropes for maybe a couple of years, just never felt the need to swap them over until now. A new soft shackle replaced the old one on the roof for the centre lines too. The old ropes will be kept and possibly used should we end up mooring up for winter again.

A spin round in the tumble dryer for our socks and pants meant that Tilly ended up with a nice cosy bag to snooze away the evening in. She’d had a very busy day despite there being few trees to climb within paws reach.

By the end of the evening the next sock had had it’s heel turned, what a productive day.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 wind, 0 shadow, 3 hours scrubbing, 1 hour rinsing, 3 loads washing, 8 hours! 2 friends counted, 2 hours reading, 1 lock booked, 1 pair glasses waiting.

Boat Conference. 21st March

Bramwith Junction to Pollington Lock, Aire and Calder

Time to put a plan together. Sitting around waiting for my glasses to arrive doesn’t get the water tank filled or other boat jobs done. So after breakfast and updating the blog we had a boat conference. These are actually quite rare, most discussions of our plans are held as we stand on the back of Oleanna, but today we needed to concentrate.

Our original plan had been to make use of the weeks whilst Thorne Lock was shut. The London Leckenby’s have a few days in York so we’d planned to join them, maybe even a boat trip into our home city as Jac and Josh have never done this and the tour guides on Oleanna know exactly where to stop to see our family home from the river. Various boat jobs to get done and do. Friends to catch up with around the area etc. Also being in the area for a change over of lodgers at the house would be handy. It all had fitted together quite nicely. Then after Easter we would head southwards on the Trent, the quick way south.

But since the dates for the stoppage at Thorne Lock have changed we’ve been in a quandary. Spending time in York is very appealing especially since Andrew and I haven’t been in the city together for at least 6 years and that was for a funeral. Catching up with friends is something we’d wanted to do summer before last, but floods and the pandemic put paid to that as we were rafted up with other boats at Naburn for several days.

Should we stay and do all those things?

Should we leave before the lock closes in a couple of weeks?

We’ve spent a lot of time mulling this over and every day for the last week we’ve discussed it further, but still not come up with a plan. Today we needed a plan.

Our discussion actually was relatively short.

If the London Leckenby’s hadn’t been coming up to York then we doubt we’d have been considering heading that way at this time of year. We’ve upgraded to a Gold Licence this year and if we stayed on this side of Thorne Lock and then exited via the Pennines it would mean us loosing about a months worth of Goldness. Decision made, we will be heading south on the Trent as soon as the tides look suitable.

A list of things we need to do was drawn up. Approximate dates worked out and ,most importantly a phone call made to Keadby Lock to book our passage. Sadly there was only an answerphone to talk to, but we knew someone would call us back.

With water needed we pushed off along the New Junction Canal again. If my glasses arrive in the next few days we’ll aim to be near a station to get back to Doncaster to collect them.

We made our way back swinging and lifting bridges. Before Sykehouse Lock three narrowboats that passed us yesterday were moored up, they looked like they were settled for a few days of company, jobs and possibly even a barbeque.

As we came through the last narrowing where a swing bridge used to be the light at the lock changed to red, shortly followed by green. There were plenty of people around. The volunteer who must live there in the tower, another C&RT chap by the bridge and a couple of boaters, so there was plenty of help to move the bridge out of our way and then back once we were below it.

At the end of the New Junction we turned left and headed towards Pollington Lock.

A couple of bank slippages are marked with yellow buoys. These were there when we walked the stretch shortly after the breach happened Christmas 2020. Short red posts and some spray paint mark the worst bits.

The visitor moorings below Pollington Lock were empty so we pulled up to the space closest to the water point and got the tap going. We very quickly remembered that the pressure is appalling at this tap, no sitting and waiting for the tank to fill, best to get on with other things and forget about it. Thankfully we can check our water gauge every now and then to know when the tank was full, the pressure so low that there’d be no boom from our tank and no major gushing of water coming out of the over flow, just a gentle trickle. It took longer than two hours to fill us up!

Tilly checked out the picnic table, but wasn’t overly impressed with the mooring. She’s managed to get on the other side of the ditch here before which makes for an interesting rescue. Mick however looked at the picnic table and realised what we’d be doing tomorrow!

1 lock, 7.32 miles, 3 swing bridges, 3 held up, 3 lift bridges, 6 held up, 2 outsides, 6%, 6th pair knitted, 2 plus hours to fill, 2 pairs of odd socks, 1 conference, 1 plan at last, 1 call booked, 1 useful picnic table and tap.

https://goo.gl/maps/CSMReDdA7iSvRyML8

Heading For Shelter. 20th March

Bramwith Junction to only just on the New junction Canal

A very sunny day, but the wind where we were moored seemed relentless. Looking up and down the canal we could see that it was a lot calmer just across the way at the beginning of the New Junction so before we did anything else we released ropes, let the wind push the bow round (well we had no choice in this) whilst the stern was still tied and then finished our turn, just as a cruiser was heading our way. Luckily the South Yorkshire Navigations are very wide. There was a little bit of confusion as to which side we were heading for due to the wind and our wind, but we both passed with ease.

This was to be the only boat we saw for quite sometime today.

We pootled a short way up the New Junction to where there was a horizontal bar to put chains round, the bank here a touch lower than elsewhere. Tilly was given eight hours shore leave, she headed straight off into the friendly cover and started eying up the local trees. Despite her presence the Chiff Chaffs sang their hearts out for us.

A cooked breakfast, another round of when and which way should we go. Still no decision, it would help if my glasses arrived!

Time for some boat jobs. Mick climbed into the engine bay and set about doing a gearbox oil change. Fuel filters will follow another day and the reason for an engine oil change (leave it with nice fresh oil whilst idle over the winter) has passed, so that can wait until the engine hours reach the next 250 hours.

I got out the wood polish. Time to give the interior wood a touch of tlc. I don’t polish the wood that often, in fact it is quite a rarity, possibly only the third time since Oleanna was new. Life has far too many interesting things to do which doesn’t include polishing wood or boats in general. But occasionally I just feel the need and have to act very quickly before the feeling passes.

My dodgy right hand isn’t too keen on certain jobs and a dodgy left shoulder now too, meant I did a very good job of our bedroom but then stopped for the day. Maybe next weekend I’ll tackle half of the living area, leaving the galley for the following weekend.

Over the last week Mick and I have been trying to wean ourselves off closing drawers as we enter backwards down the stern steps. Ever since Frank added the magnets to the ring leader drawer we have had no problems with it at all. After four nearly five years of always having to close drawers as you enter it is now hard to get out of the habit.

The freezer seems to be cooler too now in it’s perforated drawer. We just need it to go back on drawer runners, have an area underneath cut out for extra ventilation and maybe it needs a new handle as the old one fell off the day after Frank had put it back on for us, I think the thread has gone.

Considering it was a calmer sunnier day than yesterday we were surprised at how few boats came past. One rib zoomed up the cut creating a similar wash to Exol Pride. Then mid afternoon a narrowboat appeared, followed by three more boats. They’d all fit in Sykehouse Lock together and be able to leapfrog each other through the bridges.

You wait for ages, then three/four come at once

I normally avoid mentioning politics and world events here, but today I need to record news regarding my cousin Tim. Today we received news that he and his wife are in Ukraine. The fact that he has a new wife was news in itself! News on the social media grapevine, at least fourth hand, is that they moved out from their home in Chernihiv (north east of Kyiv) due to the fighting and were now in the countryside about 2 hours away with no electricity and an earth toilet. This was three to four days ago. I so hope they have made it to somewhere safer and that better news filters through the grapevine soon.

0 locks, 0.18 miles, 1 windy wind, 8 hours, 2 many woofers for a Mrs Tilly stamp, 1 polished bedroom, 1.5 litres oil, 1 inch short of a sock, 1 missing cousin.

https://goo.gl/maps/1s8FgPBsQUzhs7en6

Too Windy For Much. 19th March

Bramwith Junction

Exactly as the title suggests today was far too windy to go anywhere, even Tilly wasn’t too enamoured with the constant blowiness. Yet other people were on the move. Adams Ark a local widebeam was busy taking groups of cubs from Barnby Dun up to Bramwith Lock and then along the New Junction for a short distance. There was usually a very short person stood at the helm guessing which way to point the bow, they were accompanied by two adults who could see over the roof. Other boats came past struggling in the wind, one getting stuck on the bank opposite us as they hadn’t had enough umph to keep going.

After the Saturday morning Geraghty Zoom (amongst the topics, missing glasses, avoiding Labour and Swedes) we headed out to walk back to Barnby Dun to post off my socks and find a newspaper.

The ladies at the Post Office/Spar shop were very busy chatting away. The lady at the Post Office counter did interact with me briefly, but the lady I bought our newspaper from didn’t even look in my direction. Everything was purchased using contactless and nobody even mentioned how much things were. I checked my receipt a few hundred yards away, well it seems that I got some postage for free because they were all too busy gassing!

We walked through the village, which has been subject to new house building through the ages. Originally the village was an agricultural one, when the canal was built in 1732 produce was moved from Hull to Doncaster and Sheffield. In 1860 George Frederick Milnthorpe brought prosperity to the area by opening a malt kiln, this meant those who worked in the fields could now work through the winter. History Link. Land was sold off to Pilkingtons. Stainforth and Bentley pits were sunk at the beginning of the 20thC pulling people into the area. In 1959 Thorpe Marsh Power Station was built bringing more jobs to the area. The power station still appears on quite a few satellite images of the area even though the last two cooling towers were demolished in 2014 using no explosives, just a wire! They also appear in our Nicholsons guide in the Aire and Calder Section. A Gas fired power station was planned for the site, but has never been built.

We headed for the Farm Shop that I visited a few years ago. Set back from the road there is plenty of parking and a couple of picnic tables to enjoy a slice of cake and a coffee outside.

When last I visited there didn’t seem to be much fresh produce, although I think I’d only come for a carrot and a cooking apple which I managed to get. Today the place has changed.

A full rack of fruit and veg, fresh eggs, a butchers counter, plenty of the posh preserves and some frozen items. Little was priced! This always puts us off.

We picked up some spring cabbage and a leek for next week. Ogled at the 31 day dry aged beef in it’s climate controlled fridge, blimey those ribs looked good! At £31 a kg they weren’t the most expensive item, fillet steak was at least another £10. With no price on the boxes of eggs we refrained from buying any.

The people in front spent over £75, the chap behind had a shoulder of lamb and some pork fillet along with a box of eggs, his bill would be big too. In between them we stood with our cabbage and leek, £1.96! Well we are on an economy drive.

On our walk back be passed the Co-op, Mick popped in and bought the last dozen free range eggs. I wonder how long it will be before you can buy free range eggs again, or are hens destined to be barn dwellers forever due to avian flu?

Lunch today consisted of sad git’s Hot Cross Buns (M&S gluten free, very tasty) followed by our treat cheese. Ribblesdale Blue Goats and some Wookey Hole Cheddar, plenty left for another day.

Mick considered doing an engine service, the one he’s been meaning to do since November! But with the wind blowing straight across the canal he was worried he’d loose things like funnels, so this was put off again.

I got on with a new tension square with Lisa’s yarn on slightly bigger needles. This had meant pulling out the pouffe and revealing the secret passageway to Tilly, she’d so easily amused! I discussed sock knitting with lots of ladies on the March Knitting Challenge Group. I’d always been put off of knitting socks, never being able to get my head round four or five needles. But when I came across circular needles designed for socks and I gave it a go. I now love sock knitting and have my own pattern.

Cauliflower Cheese with extras, click on the photo for recipe

This evening I cut up the cauliflower we’d bought at Doncaster market. Blimey it was huge! I got half way through and decided I’d keep the other half for Monday evening, possibly a roast cauliflower korma that we’ve not tried before. Have to say size isn’t everything, we’ve been spoilt with our organic veg in Scarborough, Tree Top Press‘s caulis have so much more flavour.

0 locks, 0 miles, 6500 steps, 5 pairs posted, 1 newspaper, 2 chatty, 1 PO balance that won’t balance, £1.96, 12 eggs, 1/3rd of a sock, 0 service, 1 very blowy mooring.

Blue All Around. 17th March

Bramwith Junction to Doncaster Visitor Moorings

What a difference waking to bright sunshine!

We pushed off mid morning, the washing machine having nearly worked it’s way through a full cycle. A boat was just pulling back from the water point at Barnby Dun so we pulled up in front of them and took over the tap.

The plants in the cratch were given a water, thyme and two troughs of wild strawberries which have survived the winter well. I wonder if I should move a few into another trough to give them more space?

Time to hold up the traffic. For the first time at Barnby Dun a gap in vehicles happened almost instantaneously as I arrived at the panel. I had to have another look round before pressing the button on the panel, it wasn’t too long before a car arrived, thankfully the driver sat patiently as the barriers dropped.

I lifted the bridge enough for Oleanna to get through, then dropped it again, the road now open again to traffic. Thank goodness I hadn’t lifted it all the way up, as soon as I turned the key, turning the power off, an ambulance siren could be heard. It then came into view along the side road, blue lights flashing and whizzed across the bridge. So glad it hadn’t arrived a few minutes earlier when the bridge was up and Oleanna part way under it!

There was a keen head wind which pinned Oleanna against the side, a Reverse Andy with the stern rope was needed to get us going again.

More new houses have gone up around St Oswalds at Kirk Sandall. A couple of semis right up along side the church. Several properties have added fake greenery along their railings keeping prying eyes and the view of the canal out. One house has gone even further and built a large garden room right across the back of their property.

The light was on amber at Long Sandall lock, I hopped off with the key of power, Mick reversed Oleanna away from the bottom of the lock so that I could empty the water safely.

Above the lock there are nice 48hour moorings, there was a space, but sadly only two thirds of Oleanna would have fitted. We decided to carry on to Doncaster, first of all dropping off our recycling at the bins by the lock. Then another Reverse Andy to get off the bank again, this one took a bit more umph, but worked to get the bow out from the side and we were off.

The next pound is a touch mangy. Burnt out vehicles, rubbish, speeding cruisers! But then a high chirp, a flash of electric blue, a Kingfisher reached a perch and sat their chirping away. Sadly I couldn’t get it in shot before we were too far away.

Doncaster Minster came into view, followed by the visitor moorings, only one boat on them, we pulled in behind.

Sorry Tilly no shore leave here! I realised that we’d not finished unpacking since we moved back on board. All Tilly’s toys that had been taken to the house had been packed in her escape pod which was still collapsed in a cupboard. Time to unleash the toys. This was a very popular move and her two newest toys have not lost their pungency of cat nip.

An afternoon of knitting for me whilst Mick tinkered with the blog. He’s now discovered that we can add different links to reusable blocks on different posts. So from now on the blue and red arrows at the bottom of a post, if I can remember how to do it, will link to the page they are referring to, so just click on them.

1 lock, 5.74 miles, 1 lift bridge, 2 reverse Andys, 12 held up, 0 ambulances, 1 sunny day, 1 chirpy Kingfisher,0 drawer movements, 0 glasses news, 5th pair socks off the needles, 1 approach, 6 mice, 2 fish, 1 ball released, 1 happier cat.

https://goo.gl/maps/f9P4N7RZJ5CK95bA9

An Inch Short. 16th March

Bramwith Junction

What a grey day! Even Tilly wasn’t impressed, preferring to spend much of the day asleep inside. With rain forecast for 1pm we had a choice of moving off this morning or staying put. The next proper mooring can be quite popular, this time of year especially so as there is parking, water and bins. An hours cruise to find out and if full it would be another hour back again, bringing us into the window of rain opportunity!

We decided to stay put, we like this mooring even on a grey day. A walk around the junction was on the cards and there was enough time before we’d get wet.

As we walked down to Bramwith Lock we could hear an engine, then see a flag between the trees, coming along the New Junction. It was Pax a kind of cross between a Dutch barge and a trawler that had been in Goole. They turned towards the lock where some friends had already opened the gates for them.

A narrowboat arrived below the lock, pulling into the lock landing, as we walked past we had a chat with the chap. This was to be his first solo lock, the boat new to him, maybe only by a few days. We wished him luck and carried on to where a footpath heads off to the Don Doors.

The side you don’t get to see from the canal

Water was spilling over the edge of the aqueduct, more so than yesterday when we’d crossed it. I was amazed at how little space there is below the trough to the river flowing beneath. The sides of the trough have plenty of extra support to help it withstand sideways pressure when the river is in flood.

We climbed over the top to the other side, sadly no view along the New Junction as the guillotine gates were in the way. But it being so grey the pictures wouldn’t have been too appealing anyway.

Was that a Chiff Chaff? It was! A sign of spring.

We crossed back over the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation. The first Blackthorn blossom opening up hunting for the missing sunshine. Bees buzzed round. Was that a Woodpecker we could hear? Spring with all it’s new life.

The single hander came round from Bramwith Lock heading towards Long Sandall. He’d been helped up the lock so still had his first solo lock to come. We wished him well, his next obstacle being Barnby Dun Lift Bridge.

A looooonggg LOUD horn could be heard. Was that someone annoyed to be held up at the lift bridge?

Then another blast. Within a few minutes we could see where it had come from, Exol Pride! I so hope the single hander had been warned about the big blue boat, suspect the Looooonggg blast had been suggesting he got out of their way!

We stood and watched as Exol came past, a slight change of engine note before the junction, was that for us or just an adjustment before crossing under the Don Doors? The canal took a good half hour before it returned to calm.

A little after 1pm it started to rain. With whistling wind accompanying it we were glad we’d decided not to move today. Instead I sat in front of the stove and knitted, nearly a whole sock today, just short by an inch or so. Mick pottered on the computer whilst Tilly inspected the insides of her eye lids.

Today we added another option to our escape routes southwards.

~~Out of Keadby to Cromwell~~
Head across the Pennines, most probably by the Huddersfield Canals.
Head down the Ouse to Trent Falls and onto the Trent that way.
Cancel a trip to York by boat to meet with family and get through Thorne Lock before it shuts. Have a day trip by train instead.

The jury is still out.

It’s time to add a recipe to the Baking section. Tonight we enjoyed the last slices of my Bakewell Tart.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 walk, 3 waterways crossed, 1 solo boater, 1 Pax, 1 big blue boat, 4 signs of spring, 1 reluctant cat, 1 inch short of a sock.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna

Category Archives: Cats

Critical To Fatal. 28th March

Haloumi To The Rescue. 27th March

Hidden Depths. 26th March

Who Stole The Outside!?! 23rd March

Suds. 22nd March

Boat Conference. 21st March

Heading For Shelter. 20th March

Too Windy For Much. 19th March

Blue All Around. 17th March

An Inch Short. 16th March