Category Archives: Christmas

Up The Docks Without A Cat. Breach Part 4. 23rd December

Scarborough/Goole

Today was always going to be busy.

Originally we’d planned on picking up a hire car, collecting all our Christmas food, then packing the car with presents, things we’d need for a week on board Oleanna and finally Tilly. Then we’d head to Goole unload, have a night in the marina. In the morning Mick would return the car to the hire base, catch a train back to Goole and we would untie and head off most probably to the junction with the New Junction, find somewhere on our own and moor up. Hopefully Tilly would have realised where she was and we’d be happy to just open the door and let her go off to explore.

Well for a couple of obvious reasons that was not to happen.

However we decided we’d still get a car for the day, do our pick ups and then go and check Oleanna over, sadly leaving Tilly to mind the house (this was before the breach happened and our visit on Monday). Having an address now, we’d given a local car hire company a try last week and on returning the car Mick had asked if they had one for today, just for a day. They did but wouldn’t be open for us to return it on Christmas Eve. Hmmm! Well the lady said would we like to have the car until the 4th January all for the same price as a one day hire. Well it turns out this was a very good idea, two weeks for £34.50! Thank you very much.

So this morning we picked up our larger than normal car (at no extra cost either!), headed out to Tree Top Farm where our veg boxes come from to collect our Christmas veg and bird, then into town to wait for Aldreds Fine Cheese to open and pick up our treat cheese. When the doors opened a couple of people were asked inside, then Angela who used to work at the Theatre stuck her head out asking if anyone had any orders to pick up, she spotted me straight away without me having to say a word. It’s nice to shop locally.

Back to the house to drop things off and we were on our way to Goole.

Lisa had sent through a very damp photo of Oleanna still afloat this morning, maybe the level had risen a bit.

With a plastic step to hand it was far easier to step down onto Oleanna. Maybe the level had come up to help too. Nobody was out chatting today, it was far too cold, wet and windy.

Heating on straight away and we started again on hanging the curtains, having picked up some shorter screws on the way. Sadly the extension bit to the electric screw driver was missing from the box so we had to return to putting the screws in by hand. This was far far easier than our attempts earlier in the week.

The direction of the wind had changed and with slightly looser ropes Oleanna was swinging about a bit. A good sign that she was fully afloat, but it did make us notice that the stern was at risk of getting caught under the pontoon. Not a good thing!

Bedroom curtains back up but no Tilly to enjoy the view

On Monday we’d used a T stud on the pontoon to tie the boat pole to, which was around a third of the way down Oleanna. A plank was positioned nearer the front, but with short pontoons these both were quite close together. The bow was being blown out away from the pontoon, so the stern was sneaking in underneath. The pole needed moving further back. So we moved it along and between us managed to get it secured around the beam below, job done.

Twenty minutes of engine, time to eat our pack up and we were happy to leave again.

Geoff came over for a chat. He’s been keeping an eye on all the boats, he’d slackened ours off some more as our tiller had caught on the edge yesterday. But last night between 9 and 10 the caisson stop gates had been opened, he thought the level went up by 8 or 9 inches fairly quickly, but since then there had been no more progress. He’d heard that at the breach site yesterday they’d been dropping bags of aggregate, the plan was to continue with this some more and then apply clay to seal the leak. This was confirmed later in the day by the following email from C&RT.

Whilst we were there we couldn’t hear a helicopter and it was very overcast and rainy, maybe it’ll happen tomorrow. Geoff thought that maybe the level had been stopped at a certain point so that more work could be done at the breach before raising it again.

I’d heard of boats by Pollington Lock having ended up on the bottom on Sunday, but last night the level had risen and they were afloat again. Geoff suggested that there might be another breach somewhere towards Pollington. He didn’t know where it was, above or below the lock, but rumours were circulating. This was confirmed by a C&RT notice this afternoon. The bank slippage may well have happened with a lack of water pressure holding the piling in place. So another problem for them to solve.

Not a good state of affairs. Hopefully the level won’t drop again. It is very reassuring that people are keeping an eye on the boats. Lisa and Al across the way and Geoff who walks round every few hours to check things over.

Before we left there was one thing we had to do, actually meet Lisa. Lisa and I have things in common, boats, knitting, yarn and Scarborough and today we found ourselves within a hundred yards of each other. We all braved the wind and chill factor for us to have a chat on her pontoon, each of us keeping our distance. Hopefully when things are mended on the canal and when the weather improves we might just meet up on the towpath somewhere and be able to be more sociable and a little warmer.

On our way back to the car we passed the boats that are sat at a jaunty angle. These are moored where an old sideways slipway is. So the steps of the slipway have ended up being closer to the top and hence the sterns of the boats being hooked up. The only thing that can be done is to wait for the levels to rise again.

Another C&RT notice has come through this afternoon regarding the levels above Pollington Lock back to Ferrybridge Flood Lock. They have obviously been stopping water from coming down the bywash to the pound where the breach is. The canal is normally fed from the River Aire at Ferrybridge, so water has been backing up the cut. So air gaps under structures and bridges is currently reduced and caution is needed for craft with high cabin sides.

We had a wet journey back northwards with news coming in about more areas going into Tier 4 on Boxing Day. It took a while to find out the details, we were surprised yet relieved that Scarborough wasn’t on the list. This means that whilst we have a car we’ll be down to check things over again. Today the top of the water was exactly 4ft from the top of our pontoon, here’s hoping the next time we visit its’ risen.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 days hire, 12 day with a car, 1 bargain, 1 giant sprout stalk, 1 duck, 2 bags of apples, 0 carrots! 1 bag of treat cheese, 2 butties, 1 bag of coins, 5 windows with curtains again, 0 cat, 1 slipped bank, 8 inches higher, 4 foot, more tier 4s.

Breach Part 3. 22nd December

News from Goole started to come through from Lisa around 10:30 this morning. All was good, well apart from it looking like the level had dropped some more. If it carries on we might take a plastic booster step with us to make the climb up and down off Oleanna easier.

Oleanna glinting in the morning sun, a little bit lower

A helicopter had been heard, presumably now the weather has improved it had been brought in to move bags of sand and stone at the breach site.

Mick came across this on the ITV website late morning. Sure enough the helicopter was working hard. Tonne bags of aggregate being positioned on the canal side of the breach. There is also a piece from an Environment Agency chap early this morning. They have started to pump water over the caisson stop gates into the docks to help keep the level up.

https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2020-12-22/helicopter-deployed-to-help-plug-breach-on-aire-and-calder-navigation-embankment

Reports from Lisa came with accompanying photos every now and then. Geoff has been walking round checking on ropes and making sure everything is fine. A couple of boats in the corner are still at jaunty angles, these will need to be watched when the level starts to come back up.

By lunchtime we’d hoped to hear that the level was starting to rise, but sadly not. Al had made a gauge, from this he could see that the level had dropped another inch. Thinking about how much water has been lost from the pound is a bit mind blowing.

From where Oleanna is moored it is 8.5 miles to Pollington Lock, the canal most certainly isn’t narrow and the depth is capable of carrying commercial boats. Then there is the 1.75miles of the New Junction Canal to Sykehouse Lock. Southfield Reservoir may only be shallow, but it and the docks covers quite a large area. With the level having dropped at least two foot, that is quite some water loss! This of course will take quite a bit of time to refill, thankfully from the River Aire and not just a reservoir.

The docks are closed ABP having put out a notice to vessels saying there will be no penning in or out of the docks, due to water levels. Last night when we left we had a bit of a drive round and could see no ships.

Last night on social media there were pictures of narrowboats listing in Goole Boathouse Marina. Many more boats are moored around the edges than in Viking, but it also looks like the marina is shallower, so easier for boats to end up sitting on the bottom.

Before the tiers were announced after lockdown 2 we’d been planning on at least a week onboard, giving all three of us some much needed canal time, even if we couldn’t travel far. But when Goole and the East Riding were put into tier 3 our plans had to change. Its a good job we no longer planned on going for a cruise. We have a hire car for a few days so hope to head back down to check things over ourselves, we deem this as essential travel, checking on our home in exceptional circumstances.

0 locks, 0 miles, 7 updates, 1 helicopter, 1 tonne bags, 1 dining table ready, 2346836431578064.28 gallons of water lost, I may be exaggerating a little!

Photos curtesy of Lisa. Thank you

Breach Part 2, It’s Very Low. 21st December

Goole

There was plenty of standing water on the roads as we headed out of York on the A19, we passed close to Drax Power Station and then the salt and pepper pots of Goole came into view. Our route hadn’t taken us near the breach site, but all the low lying land looked quite soggy, so with several million gallons of water from the canal added into the equation there could be quite a problem!

On Mondays the marina is normally shut, we had our fob ready to open gates, but this wasn’t required as the place was a hive of activity. It took a while to find a parking space, plenty of owners about. Groups stood and chatted, others moved the old work boats back and forth, getting them off the mud. Just about all the boats looked reasonably level, just a lot lower than normal.

Geoff came over to chat, he’d loosened our ropes, as I think had the chap on Nomad along with Al from across the way. Oleanna sat at least two foot lower than when we’d left her at the beginning of November. The normal level stern was now going to be interesting to get down to.

Al had moved fenders up on the pontoon, but there was still a risk that the end might just catch a window or the paintwork of Oleanna.

We managed to get down by sitting on the edge of the pontoon and carefully lowering our selves down onto the gunnel, the slightly mangie off cut of purple carry mat we’ve been carrying around for years instead of going in a bin came in handy so as not to get a wet bum and to cushion knees when getting back up onto the pontoon.

As we stepped on board she rocked, phew we weren’t on the bottom … yet! The Dutch Barge a couple of boats up from us was very much sitting on the bottom, their draught being about 4ft, so Oleanna may have a foot and a bit under her still, but who knows what lurks beneath the surface.

Mick ramped the electric heating up and Oleanna was soon warming up quite nicely. Nothing seemed to have come to harm inside, hard to tell when we’d left every cupboard open, mattress up and the sofa on it’s back to keep everything aired. But the crockery was still in the cupboards and bottles of wine all upright. She’d been looked after well.

Talking to Geoff he suggested that the level may still drop some more. The caisson stop gates by the railway bridgehad been closed yesterday but they were leaking. At the other end the docks are closed, no movements of ships in and out of the docks. On previous visits to Goole when moored on the visitor moorings, we’ve noticed the level change by a few inches as the ships come and go, but the level was soon topped up from water coming down the system from the Aire at Knottingley. Victoria Lock, the older lock at the docks also leaks, so if the tide is out on the Ouse the water would gradually empty out at both ends.

News reports suggested that at the breach site culverts and drains had been blocked stopping the water from heading towards housing, the fields being flooded instead. Hundreds of tonne bags of sand had been brought to site and large bags of stones also sat waiting to be used to block the breach, they just needed a helicopter to lift everything into place. We all waited to hear a chinook but with the site just over four miles away we might not hear it. *It turns out it was too foggy for the helicopter.

The water level going down is one thing. Tight ropes, getting caught on something on the way down might have your boat list. Al had said the day before was a bit like juggling plates, loosening ropes here and there, then there and here again. If vents to the engine bay get under water this can let water in, helping a boat to sink. Oleanna and the vast majority of boats at Viking were all sitting level, just lower than normal. An older boat in the corner was listing, maybe sat on something under the water, people were on hand checking her over to see what they might be able to do.

Maybe if people have lots of showers the level will start to come back up

Then there is what happens as water levels are restored. Vents close to the water line are one thing, but the biggest worry for most is gunnels getting caught on the underside of the pontoon, holding one side of the boat down as the levels rise. A few of the pontoons in the marina have planks attached to keep your boat from straying underneath, but others like ours have quite a big overhang. Without some fat fenders our cabin side would have been making good friends with the pontoon.

Mick spent his time seeing what we had to be able to keep Oleanna from drifting under the pontoon. Our boat pole was long enough and tied to a big T stud on the pontoon would do one end. But our other boat hooks and poles simply wouldn’t be long enough to do anything. He put our big red buoy fender out towards the middle of the cabin. Hopefully this would do the job, it might rub the paint work, but that is cheaper to sort than a sunken boat.

I’d come equipped to rehang curtains. Nicely washed and relined they were a little bit tighter than they’d been when I took them down, but the curtain rods seemed to still fit and the length was okay even if a touch tight. One thing however was a right pain, the f*ing screws! I’d forgotten that they were nearly all Frank screws (just about no head left)! I struggled on for a while, but having had eye drops at the hospital, slightly blurred vision and a headache I have to admit to giving up very quickly. Mick later did better but he gave up too and we will source slightly shorter new screws which will make the job a lot easier.

Oleanna had her engine run, charging the starter battery was important as this doesn’t get topped up by solar or from the hook up. I checked the damp traps in cupboards, emptied them and topped up the crystals. Need to buy more! The heating on Oleanna is set to come on when the temperature drops to 8 degrees, the advantage of having a boiler that works on both gas and electric.

Next it was time to find the things we needed. We’d left various things on board as we’d planned to have a week or two out before Christmas, but that simply hasn’t happened. I needed lots of things for my work on next years panto. My old sketch books for Aladdin and Puss in Boots have handy information in them. So a full big bag of drawings was removed from a cupboard. We prefer the bread knife on the boat, a gravy boat for Christmas dinner and the most important things our Christmas Stockings.

Stockings! I won’t have to make new ones now

We had our premade butties and cups of black coffee and tea, no milk!

Just as we’d locked up and climbed back onto dry land, Laird the marina owner came past checking we were alright. Mick asked if there was anything we could use towards the bow of Oleanna to keep her from drifting under the pontoon. Soon Geoff returned with a new long plank, 10 to 12 ft long. This was slotted down between Oleanna and the pontoon and then pushed into the mud at the bottom. We found a short length of rope and then tied the top of the plank round a beam on the pontoon, hopefully enough to stop it from moving. People around said they’d keep an eye open.

Before leaving we drove up Albert Street to the end, near to the caisson stop gates. The water was higher on the dock side, we could only tell this by the water bubbling up from under the gates on the breach side.

During the afternoon we’d received an email from C&RT

Various bits of information came through during the evening Humberside Fire and Rescue, a good bit of footage on ITV news.

Lisa is heading down tomorrow, Al is staying over on their boat again and hopefully we’ll sneak back across the tier border when we have a car next. With the plank and pole stuck in the mud down the side of Oleanna we felt happier. Just have to hope the levels don’t carry on dropping too much and us end up on a list.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2ft plus (or should that be minus?) drop, 1 breach, 1 pole, 1 plank, 1 new friend met, 1 still to meet, 0 milk, 1 warm boat, 2 sketch books, 1 gravy boat, 1 bread knife, 3 stockings, 2 relieved boaters, 1 boat blog list again!

Advent Windows

Only one window now requires some attention in the house, the others are undercoated and waiting for a warm day for top coat. We celebrated Advent Sunday with roast beef and Yorkshire Puddings. The gluten free batter put in a bread tin, my only option and willed to rise. It did a little but by no means rising and curling over like my Mum’s used to, it was still tasty.

Mid afternoon my inbox chimed to the sound of new mail arriving. The annual Happy Official Birthday email from my wonderful 90 year old God-Mum Betty. We always used to have Sunday lunch with Betty when I was a child, roast beef. This was when I received my first Christmas and more importantly my first Birthday present of the year. I then had to wait ALL those weeks before I could open them.

For the last couple of years we have been gradually making our way up the Oxford Canal at the start of Advent. Chippy Panto open, some Christmas shopping attempted before leaving Oxford, our progress northwards slowed by stoppages. Banbury our next port of call for the bulk of our festive shopping, a trip to London to gather the family and then on towards Braunston to pick up our bird for the big day.

Being in Scarborough isn’t quite the same. Looking out of the windows on a morning with the central heating going, isn’t the same as popping more coal on the stove to get it springing back into life watching the ducks and swans floating on by. But, this year is what it is.

Unwrapping boxes of kitchen things, isn’t as exciting as presents, although rediscovering things you’d forgotten you owned is quite nice. But then I also know we don’t need any of these items having lived on a boat for six plus years. Their only purpose really is to fill cupboards. The only way to make use of them is to have a big party, a thing we don’t do very often, but maybe next year.

My work rooms have now just about been reclaimed there is SOOoooo much space. I’ve gone from a table and the end of a two seater sofa to the equivalent of the whole boat plus more! Blimey I used to be a proper designer! How many paint brushes did I need?!

Last night I moved my model making and paint box from the boat into my work room and as the sun faded away the bluey glow came through the arched window by my tables. My first Advent window.

No chocolate calendar for me this year, nor a candle. But there are other treats waiting to be opened.

There is of course the Herbie Awards for 2020, always worth keeping track of for good pubs, moorings and gadgets.

Animated Objects are showing some of their projects through the years, many wonderful glowing lanterns to cheer up the evenings.

The Theatre Chipping Norton also has a Virtual Advent Calendar. The first window opened at 8pm last night. Jack Dee with a tale of an actor and a boat, very apt.

This morning I’ve opened another window, one to book tickets for The Snow Queen at the SJT next week. Tomorrow our new hob will be installed. Another treat will be opening up a sketch book and starting work on the design for Rapunzel, opening night 17th November 2021.

Then planning our route for next year, should we go down the Trent heading to London? Head to York to see those people we missed this year? Head back over the Pennines? Will the Figure of Three Locks be open in time? The Weaver? Middle Levels?

Happy Advent everyone

Locks, Docks And Aqueducts. The Lee Harris Bursary.

Scarborough/Llangollen winter 2017

Earlier this week we were invited by my brother to join an on line presentation. The Lee Harris Bursary is awarded to a member of staff from 3DReid an architectural practice that my brother used to work for. The bursary commemorates the life of Lee Harris an architect who worked at the practice who tragically died from injuries he sustained in the 7/7 London Bombings in 2005. Inspired by Lees love of photography, travel and architecture the bursary provides an opportunity for members of staff to explore their architectural passions.

This years winner was Thelma Mannion who proposed to travel the Llangollen Canal on a narrowboat, sketching the engineering of the canal, the aqueducts, bridges and tunnels. Originally she had hoped to do her presentation followed by an exhibition of her sketches, but Covid put a stop to that, so instead there was an online presentation which included her sketches.

Lynn and Brian, Lee’s parents were on line along with about thirty other participants. Jac (my sister-in-law, who also used to work for the practice) suggested we should make ourselves comfortable with a drink to watch, so we did.

Using Microsoft Teams, our first time, we ended up not being able to see everyone at once, but we later rectified this. This was however the first time we have seen Andrew and Jac since last year when they joined us onboard Oleanna between Christmas and New Year. For some reason in lockdown 1 the London Leckenbys weren’t too keen on the idea of Zoom meetings, so we have stuck with the good old telephone. This and an aborted trip to York due to flooding means we’ve not seen them for nearly eleven months. It was lovely to see them again, even though it felt a touch like we were gate crashing an office do. But then when I lived in London I’d quite often turn up at the pub on a Friday night to join them all.

The presentation brought back memories of our trip back in 2017, and it turns out it is almost three years to the day since we turned off the Shropie and climbed up Huleston Locks to spend the winter on the Llangollen.

Maintenance work was planned on the locks which soon closed after we’d gone through. Our trip back had to be timed to avoid other stoppages, but that’s what happens in winter and if you plan with them in mind you can keep moving.

Thelma travelled with her sister and their partners on a hire boat from Swanley Bridge Marina. A shame as I’d hoped she be starting at Hurleston and we might get a glimpse of our Lockdown Home mooring. They had the boat for a week and travelled last August to Llangollen where they walked to Horseshoe falls and marvelled at how energetic the River Dee is there.

Main points of interest to Thelma were the tunnels with their textures, the aqueducts and locks which are much smaller than you find on the Irish waterways which is where she spent most of her holidays when younger.

It was an interesting talk, even if she had them going down Grindley Brook Step Locks (Staircase) on their way up to Llangollen, and so nice to hear her enthusiasm for their trip. A very fitting way for Lee to be remembered by his colleagues. Thank you for including us.

The photos in this post are from our trip in 2017. Sifting through the hundreds I took during November, December and January it was hard to edit them down to just a few.

The deep snow that fell gave us one of our favourite boating days as the sun came out and we had the canal more or less to ourselves, stunningly beautiful.

Back in Scarborough work continues on the house. One living room and dining room have patched in wallpaper and fresh coats of emulsion and gloss. The room that we call the Shed has also had a freshen up, the scars of several tenants and takeaways now erased. The flower bed at the front has been cleared of gravel and plastic in the hope that our blue geraniums will return.

Next job is curtains, then we can move living rooms and have an open fire again, just so long as we can keep Tilly from climbing the chimney!

There is still plenty more to keep us busy and off the streets.

It May Be Historic … 3rd July

Whaley Bridge to Lower Basin, Bugsworth Basin

I bet through Lockdown the 7 day mooring in Whaley Bridge was nice and quiet, not now with the easing of restrictions, the amount of traffic on Buxton Road is so noisy. But at least it meant we were close to the town to do a bit of shopping this morning and do our bit for the local economy.

Opposite the Transhipment Warehouse is an overspill with a walkway across it. Normally this takes away any excess water down into the River Goyt from the summit level, the feed for the canal coming in under the warehouse. But this feed right now is not flowing, we believe it normally comes from Toddbrook Reservoir, the one with the overflow spillway that started to collapse in August 2019.

C&RT had looked into using water from Combs Reservoir another feeder, but a culvert blockage has done just that, blocked the flow of water. So to maintain the water level a series of pumps have been set up. Firstly water is being fed from Combs Reservoir into the river system and when it reaches the overspill in Whaley Bridge it is then being pumped out of the River Goyt into the canal to maintain the level.

Two huge pipes run up the overspill, one spouting water into the basin and two large generators sit behind fencing to power the pumps. I suspect the second pipe, currently dry is powered up when the lock flights at either end of the canal are opened up, so as to replenish the water faster.

Into town where people stood in short queues outside shops. The bakers could wait and we carried on to our main goal, the butchers. Christmas 2016, E. Wild and Son had provided us with a very nice goose for our dinner, their bacon was also especially good. So today we decided to treat ourselves with a proper joint for Sunday and a few slices of their bacon, yes I know our freezer is full of bacon, but this is especially good smoked bacon. As it was Mick who went into the shop he also managed to come out with a pork pie.

Next the Co-op for some milk and then the bakers for a shop bought non-sliced loaf as a treat. Then we made our way back to Oleanna resisting the 40 gins at the off-licence.

The sign to Bugsworth is hidden at the back

Covers rolled up and we winded and headed back to Whaley Junction where we turned right to Bugsworth Basin. The drizzle was gradually growing into proper rain as we came past Teapot Cottages and approached the water point. By the time we’d tip toed around the goose pooh and tied up it was raining properly, we really shouldn’t have bought that big bag of charcoal in Bollington!

Pablo (the warden boater from the basin) arrived at the water point and handed over a card to do with diesel polishing, which we didn’t want and tried to give back, but instead we were given a second one! As the water tank filled Tilly had a freshen up of her pooh box, sadly using the last of the nice odour control litter. She’s not done badly as this was bought just before lockdown.

Where to moor? Which arm? How close to the pub? How close to the A6?

We decided to see if the little arm off the Middle Basin was free so that Mick could fit the new bow fender whilst standing on dry land. One boat was moored there with it’s engine running. Next we tried the Upper Basin, plenty of room there but nowhere suitable for fender fitting. With a Sainsbury delivery booked for tomorrow evening we decided to head back to the Lower Basin where the van can pull up along side us.

Stepping off the boat, you quickly realised that life was far too short to try to avoid the goose pooh. They reluctantly moved along a bit and made space enough for us to moor up, whilst we squelched through their deposits.

Tilly of course was chomping to go out, so the back doors were opened and we awaited her response.

A quick dash across to the wall, a look around. Then a jump onto it to see what lay beyond.

The other side had to be better than the outside. But there was another rushing canal! Apparently it’s called Black Brook and it makes a lot of noise! Only one thing for it, go back inside and perfect my stare to get the stove lit.

Amazing it worked!

0 locks, 1.18 miles, 1 right, 1 chunk of lamb, 6 rashers, 1 pork pie, 2 pints, 78 blueberries, 1 loaf bread, 2 pipes, 1 damp poot, 1 show postponed to 2022, 1 grumpy cat, 1 silencer required for news conferences.

https://goo.gl/maps/qwWywVwudogThkRr6

The Invisible Tap. 28th June

Tilly Trees to Smith’s Bridge 14

Happy Birthday to my Big Brother, my only brother. His birthday meant there were celebrations to be had onboard Oleanna too this morning. When I was a kid I would be given a present on Andrews birthday as he would get presents on mine due to it being Christmas Day. Today for my other birthday I was offered a cooked breakfast.

We’d fallen short on suitable things for a full spread, but managed quite well. I grated a touch too much potato for some hash browns and Mick cooked some mushrooms and scrambled egg. Due to the amount of potato, we had free form hash brown rather than cakes. Very nice.

Pushing off at about 11:30 we wanted to find somewhere with less tree coverage, today was set to be windy and at times very windy. We considered only moving a short distance, but in the end moved on to Higher Poynton.

Passing Lyme View Marina we noted a big banner advertising their new launderette then waited to spot familiar boats. The blue Narrowcraft Boat is still on line along with the boat with a proper telephone (Post Office 746) under someone’s pram cover, wonder if it’s connected. We used to have a red one in our kitchen in the house, it would ring and occasionally get answered, but everyone on it was quite faint (wonder if an engineer could have fixed that!).

The long line of boats on the approach to Higher Poynton is still there. The length of towpath is popular with continuous cruisers as it is close to a road and is 14 days.

We pulled in under Brownhills Bridge where a water point sits opposite the winding hole. Blimey the towpath was busy, plenty of walkers about and the benches either side of the tap were filled with interested people. There was enough room for us to hop off and get the hose filling our tank whilst answering numerous questions.

Mick headed off with rubbish whilst I did other jobs including putting a brush of Fertan on the mended gas locker hinge which after last nights rain had already started to turn orange!

So many people about. Many were stopping at The Trading Place for chilled medication or a coffee. The chap in the shop was busy on a project blocking the doorway so orders had to be requested and then passed out past the hazard tape.

Four boats sat in the short arm at Braidbar Boats. Two primed hulls sat very high, awaiting engines and most probably ballast. Then two highly shiny newly finished or almost complete boats, another two sat out of the arm on moorings across the way. We were surprised that four of these boats were semi-cruisers and more shockingly they all had chrome fittings!!! What will the owners do to fill their time now they no longer will need to polish the brass at frequent intervals?

Wonder which one would have been headed for Crick Show

Once the tank was full we pushed away continuing a bit further before pulling in to moor. NB Cleddau sat on her mooring, waiting for Sue and Ken to take her out on a cruise. Under Smiths Bridge we pulled in where the towpath growth seemed a touch shorter than elsewhere and before the huge pylon crossed the cut.

We’ve been here before and this mooring required extra shore leave rules for Tilly. Four years ago Tilly had vanished at this mooring, out before breakfast and not seen until after dark. She had us walking round the whole area calling for her all day as the wind eradicated her scent. So it was just as well she didn’t seem too keen on all the walkers on the towpath today and didn’t venture too far from the boat until of course the walkers thinned out with the heavy rain!

A birthday phone call to London was made, all is good with the London Leckenbys. Andrew had opened his presents in the monring, then they’d been for a long walk, returning to cook a stuffed fillet of pork as the ice cream maker was churning some chocolate chip, vanilla and almond crunch medication. What a shame we couldn’t join them!

How to spend the afternoon? What to watch? I suggested, tongue in cheek, Little House on the Prairie. Mick found the pilot film on Youtube. We managed quite a lot of their journey to the prairie, all the time concerned that their small woofer seemed to have to walk all the way behind the wagon, through winter and spring. We lost interest once the dog had been swept away by a river, a sulky daughter was making her father pay by walking the remainder of the way to their new life, head hung low making Michael Landon feel very guilty.

Next choice I wasn’t allowed, not surprising really, Some Mothers Do ‘Av ‘Em. But my third choice was possibly the best, Roobarb and Custard. We watched a whole episode of the 70’s wobbly cartoon.

A roast chicken then distracted us, maybe it was just as well!

0 locks, 2.35 miles, 1 tap, 1 full water tank, 1 monkey, 186 to 189, 2 semitrads, 0 brass, 1 cat with a fan club, 1 cat staying close to home, 1 soggy moggy, 2kg roast chicken, 2 cheeky boaters.

https://goo.gl/maps/UuromqcJZFRagWwp7

DAL. 8th May 2020

David Anthony Leckenby was born on the 25th April 1925 in Acomb, York. His Dad was Cecil an architect, known to my generation for his bushy eyebrows and ability to watch football on a very fuzzy TV.

His Mum was Mildred, a house wife who passed away when I was about 18 months old, and there was Peter his elder brother, who grew up to be a telecoms engineer, living in Trinidad for a number of years.

David attended Archbishop Holgates School just outside the bar walls of York. The fine building now houses part of St John’s College.

During his school days he was interested in architecture and planes. His diaries from this time (the only ones we have) always mention the planes flying over. Maybe one of the Lancaster bombers that flew low over Acomb on the 1st of September 1943 was piloted by Mick’s Dad.

His plane sketches improved through his teenage years

Whenever an old plane flew over our house he would say what it was and then rush out to check he was correct, he inevitably was. I’m sure lots of people who grew up during WW2 could do the same.

Once he’d left school he commuted by train to Leeds where he attended Leeds School of Architecture. He used to tell tales of riding his bike carrying a drawing board as he peddled to and from stations. I was lucky enough to find his diaries from these days a few years ago when sorting through the family house. Sadly there are gaps in them and he certainly got a bit too obsessed with a young lady called Peggy!

His college days were of course interrupted when he was called up, by October 1943 he was writing from the platoon hut in number 7 company lines at Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow.

Over the next year he moved around, June 1944 he was at the 175 class, 140 OCTURE, Ure Bank Camp in Ripon and by December 1944 he was posted to France, then Brugges. Sadly there are gaps in his diaries so I don’t know where he was for VE day. Maybe my brother remembers a tale or two that I don’t.

He never shoot his gun in combat, but was around Europe for the final push.

There are mentions of German mine fields and a tale of picking items up that could have been booby trapped, but luckily for him they weren’t.

Sat on the front row just off centre to the left

In September 1945 he waved farewell to the shores of England and set sail for India. Here with the Sappers he mended bridges, and I believe ended up being one of the last Brits in Hyderabad. Here he did shoot his gun when a snake came out of the overflow on his bath.

We are very lucky to have many of his wonderful sketches of India. Some architectural others of men with cows and landscapes.

Sadly his diaries stop whilst in India. So with the information to hand I don’t know quite when he left and headed home. I do know that he managed to jump ships and come home via Germany where he wanted to meet up with Peggy. She however had shacked up with a Canadian soldier (if he’d looked back at his diary he’d have seen it coming), Dad’s trip a heart breaking waste of effort.

Back home he returned to Leeds School of Architecture. His year was now a mixture of those who had been demobbed and those a few years younger. Stood in a queue one day he spotted a tall young lady, Lillian Heseltine!

They courted, Dad had to sell his prized motorbike to buy an engagement ring.

Proposing on a trip to Rievaulx Abbey where his final project for college was based, they got married in Thornton, Bradford in 1952.

They lived in York, with Dad working in his fathers architectural practice where he became a partner.

He won awards for the Marine Biology building in Robin Hoods Bay.

Many buildings and shop fronts around York were designed by him, he also looked after churches around the city and built our family home in Fulford, which was just still visible from the River Ouse when we last passed.

He loved his walking. Climbing most of the Lake District peeks with Worthington.

Gliding was another love, but he was given an ultimatum by Mum to chose flying or his family. He wisely chose us. For his 80th birthday we bought him a trip up in a glider from Sutton Bank, the club house his design.

A touch different from his earlier flying days

He took up windsurfing instead and got his daughter hooked for a few years too.

If Mum and Dad could think of an excuse for a party, then the house would be filled with people. In fact I think the house was built with parties in mind!

Dad loved his dancing and his record collection, often seen kneeling on the floor with a head torch on so that he didn’t play the shadow of the next record.

Holidays in foreign parts, where food and the local wines were always sampled. Most holiday photos are of people sat around tables.

The beard was grown in 1976 when he became very ill and ended up in a plaster cast from the top of his head to his waist for most of the drought filled summer months. Gradually the white hair crept from his chin and took over his full head of hair.

He got to watch his Grandson Josh grow and became known as Daddy Daddy.

Lots and lots of happy memories.

David Anthony Leckenby 25th April 1925 to 18th September 2012

My Daddy Fatso. xxx

PS I’m aware I can’t spell

Over Budget. 12th February

BUMingham

A tidy up today, rationalising my work things. This always happens when we’re expecting visitors. Our friend Ali was in Birmingham for a few hours today, but the window of opportunity to meet up ended up being too short, so sadly we didn’t get chance for a catch up. On the plus side Oleanna is tidy again. We hope all is well with your Mum today Ali.

During the evenings I’ve been knitting some new socks for my esty shop. The yarn I used to use is no longer available, so I needed to knit up some new examples, which will all be for sale. With some daylight I wove all the ends in and took some photos. Hopefully over the next couple of days I’ll get them listed in my shop. I especially like the Kingfisher pair.

During the afternoon I made a start on costume drawings for The Garden. Drawn out in pencil, then the outlines inked in. I’m hoping to get them coloured up soon as right now is the prefect time to pick up some winter coats in charity shops, but I’ll need the thumbs up from Amy the Director first.

Mick did a trip to the bins and came back with a suggestion. The Malt House at Old Turn Junction is a Green King pub and at Christmas Kath, one of Mick’s sisters, gave us a gift card for the chain so that we could have a night out on her. A very thoughtful present that would only fill our bellies and not take up space in Oleanna.

With smarter clothes on we crossed bridge after bridge and made our way to the pub. We’ve been in once before with Bridget and Storm a couple of years ago. As ever the choice for me was between Hunters chicken, Tikka Massala or Ham egg and jacket potato. Well that was the official gluten free options. A jacket potato instead of chips means their deep fat friars are used for onion rings or things that contain gluten as well as chips. Luckily for me that isn’t a problem, so I had a couple more options.

Mick chose a Loaded Burger and I had chicken and chips without the bread and butter or curry sauce, this was okay but a touch bland even if they gave me extra chips to make up for it. A glass of wine and a pint of Abbott Ale went down very nicely, Mick however wasn’t allowed a second pint as Oleanna is still moored with tyre fenders at the moment and he might miss judge getting back on board!

We went slightly over budget, so after our food and the one drink we headed back to keep Tilly company with another glass of wine and a game of pawball.

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 visitors, -1 cataract, 3.5 pairs socks, 11 costume sketches drawn and inked, 1 wine, 1 pint beer, 1 burger, 0.5 chicken, 1 mound of chips, 1 Happy Christmas meal, 17p over budget!

Vienna Postcard 4. 13th to 15th January 2020

31 hours

Real roses tend to loose their heads when used in magic tricks

Back to work Monday morning. Today we should have been doing some technical notes followed by a couple of dress rehearsals, the second one to be watched by Julia and Helene the Producers from the theatre. I spent the morning breaking down the water torture cabinet more. Then later I was able to add chains and padlocks.

Me on stage adding bits of dressing to the water torture cabinet

The afternoon was then spent going through sound and projection cues. Even though Sunday afternoon had been used as extra plotting time there were still issues. The projector was producing a distorted white rectangular light when we went into black out. One suggested solution was never go to black out! This didn’t go down well for obvious reasons.

Dan running through things out of costume

Then when the water torture cell came on (it has a tv screen inside it which runs footage) the projector also showed the footage! The projector wasn’t the right one for the job. This was the point that the projector was turned off never to be powered up again!

Everyone was getting nervous when sound cues were played back. This morning they had been finessed, this afternoon all that work had vanished and needed redoing. Poor Dan really needed to do a dress rehearsal but was thankful that he and Tim had done a run on stage on Sunday as there was no time left.

So our first dress rehearsal was in front of the producers and photographer. My set still needed a few things doing to it, but there simply hadn’t been any time left after sorting the technical issues out. The dress went okay, but the producers had lots of questions afterwards.

Tuesday there was time to finish the cabinet, with bolts and breakdown the chain making it look older. Then Bruno, the Viennese Frank Matthews started work on what are known as the ‘Doughnuts’. These on the transporter bridge connect the cables from the dolly at the top of the bridge to the gondola below. I could hear quite a lot of German being muttering under his breath, but in the end he succeeded in getting the tension right on the ropes both upwards and down to the stage.

The dress rehearsal in the afternoon disappeared again, so in the evening we had a preview in front of local teachers. It went well but with a few little glitches. Most of us retired to Das Lange for a few glasses of beer and wine, we’d got through the show, but there was still work to be done.

Healthy fruit for breakfast was followed by some egg and bacon

Wednesday morning I was given instructions to head off and do some sight seeing. My jobs list was short but lighting, sound and a new projector needed to attention. Helga was sent out to track down more rivet heads that I could use on the bridge.

So I headed into the city to the historical centre. Walking in again I wish I’d wrapped up better as the temperature was low, it even started to try to snow at one point, sadly not for long enough. Young trees were wrapped up to protect them in parks and a few mounds of old snow lingered near the ice skating ring.

I walked through the palaces, not really knowing what was around me, the balcony where Hitler addressed the crowds in 1938. The butterfly house reminded me of Kew garden with a touch of Jules Verne added. St Stephan’s and St Peters churches both still with their Christmas displays.

At Julius Meinl I was pulled inside to marvel at the number of different caviars for sale. I hunted round for things to bring back. The cakes looked fabulous, the cheeses so tasty, twelve types of tomatoes, tins of baked beans for 2.49 euros! I spent my time smelling and absorbing and refrained from buying anything other than what the ladies at the theatre had said was the best Austrian chocolate Zotter, they certainly make strange flavours!

Whilst having some lunch I got a phone call saying the rivets had arrived. So I walked back to give them a coat of paint before they were added to the set. I’d only managed 8 miles walking today!

In the morning a new projector had been brought in, but the image couldn’t be made a suitable size to satisfy us. So after another morning of work the projection in the show was cut for good. I could then get on with riveting the bridge with the help of Vernon. we managed two sides but ran out of time. He’ll finish them without me tomorrow.

Another preview night and then it was time to pack up my belongings. Julia and Helene seemed happy. The show is great, it’s just a shame the icing on the Sacher Torte was missing, your average punter wouldn’t know it wasn’t there. Farewells and big thank yous to all the chaps at the theatre. They are a great bunch and very welcoming. By the end of my time there it felt like I’d been working with them for ages, a very good team.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna