Category Archives: Christmas

2019 Round Up.

Checking our vital statistics for a years worth of cruising takes a while. We have a trip computer which records almost all our journeys, sometimes it counts locks twice, sometimes it doesn’t quite catch where we reached before we wind. Before we used this method of recording our journeys I would use canal plan to work out our distances. This method can also miss out parts of our journey but it does give me more statistics. You know how I like numbers! How many bridges, how many narrow locks and what distances we travelled on different types of waterways. So inputting a years worth of cruising takes some time.

Anyhow, here is our round up of the year.

The New Year was seen in at Crick. From here we decided to head to Sheffield to have the last snagging jobs done on Oleanna, we were fortunate that the route north was open with no winter stoppages in our way until we reached Yorkshire. Once in the top chamber at Foxton it was going to be downhill all the way to Keadby.

Sadly our blog started to loose it’s photos, which is a great shame. It was a problem shared by many bloggers who were all doing their best to get things working again. Have to say we ended up jumping ship from blogger to wordpress, but posts still lacked their photos when moved. We hope gradually to rectify this by replacing the missing photos, I miss them when looking back. But this will be a long job.

During January we cruised down stream on the River Trent, the weather was getting colder the further north we got. Our route was clear but at Keadby the lock off the river was being dredged, so our journey was held up a touch. Then with February came cold nights and the canal at Keadby froze over. So we waited at Cromwell for things to improve.

First go at Gluten free puff pastry for cruising sausage rolls

Daylight hours and tides meant we split our tidal journey at Torksey. The early morning start from Torksey was very cold, so I was very glad I’d knitted us both balaclavas, we remained cosy cheeked for our journey.

Our journey up towards Sheffield meant we coincided with the bicentenary of the opening of the canal and a very unseasonably warm weekend. The chaps at Finesse replaced a leaking window, gave us a new one (our choice), sorted out our gas locker lid amongst other bits and bobs. It had been a good decision going to Sheffield, it saved them time coming out to us and it saved us money on the extras we’d asked for.

Next we headed for Goole, the lure of cheap diesel and a night away to see our friends Bridget and Storm on the otherside of the Humber was a bonus. We then hunkered down to sit out storms and rising river levels. Our original plan had been to go to York, but flooding put paid to that, so instead we went by train.

Bridget and Storm with their lovely house

Towards the end of March we decided to give a trip up the Ouse another go, the rivers were at better levels and we still haven’t taken Oleanna there. But first Bank Dole lock wouldn’t fill due to silt, then when we reached Selby the Lock onto the Ouse had a fault which would take too much time to mend for us to wait. This was a relief for Tilly as this was where she’d discovered the difference between grass and duck weed and ended up learning to swim a couple of years ago.

At the beginning of April we headed to Leeds. From here we had a day trip to Derby Crown Court for the sentencing of our original boat builder (Stillwater) who had finally pleaded guilty for fraud. I also spent a more pleasurable day in London, having a meeting for Puss in Boots.

With panto in mind we planned our cruising for the remainder of the year. The remainder of April we made our way up the Calder and Hebble and onto the Rochdale Canal.

Being a foot shorter it wasn’t as tight as it had been on Lillian

Our friend Frank joined us to do the stretch from Sowerby Bridge to Hebden Bridge, which included the deepest lock n the network, Tuel Lane. He’d not done this stretch back in 2014 when he and I walked from Manchester locking Lillian over the Pennines to get to the Tour de France.

Once over the top we picked up a boat to share the locks down into Manchester. Clare and Graeme were over from New Zealand for a few months and proved to be very good company.

On the 1st of May, with the help of a Canal and River Trust volunteer our passage down into Manchester went well. The following day both boats headed down the Rochdale nine with an extra pair of hands from an old college friend of mine, Doug.

During May we cruised down the Bridgewater and onto the Trent and Mersey Canal gradually heading southwards. A short detour up the Middlewich Branch to look at where the breach had been before we carried on southwards.

A pause in the Cheshire Locks meant we got to meet up with Tom and Jan who were over for a visit. For Micks birthday we moored at Barlaston and had a nosy at the wonderful hall on the hill, our plan still stands if any of our family are interested! https://oleanna.co.uk/2019/05/23/the-plan-20th-may/

We saw the end of May out mooring at Tixall Wide before rejoining the Trent and Mersey and heading onto Fradley Junction where we joined the Coventry Canal. With Atherstone Locks out of the way I spent time below working whilst we cruised familiar waters on the flat, it might have rained too!

A day trip to London from Rugby for us both, me to a seminar for Separate Doors 3 and Mick to catch up with his friend Siobhan who was over from Australia. Continuing down the North Oxford Canal to Braunston where we joined the Grand Union Canal to head to London.

A visit to the Royal Ordnance Depot at Weedon meant I bought some lovely yarn to make a cardie for myself (it’s nearly finished!) and caught up with our friend Heather Bleasdale, who just so happened to be moored there as well.

Our route then up and down the Grand Union meant we managed to get to see both Mikron shows this year as well as teaming up with the cast and NB Tyseley to climb the locks up to the summit.

Tilly was left in charge for a couple of days whilst we headed to Scarborough to check on our house as we had a change of tenants. This meant we got to stay with Jaye and Duncan and catch up on the news from home.

I’d be in trouble if this photo wasn’t on the blog again!

We now pressed on down to London where we booked a mooring in Paddington Basin for a week in early July. This gave us the opportunity to catch with with friends and family before we headed back out west and down the Hanwell flight. I made the front cover of Canal Boat for July.

Mid July we locked out onto the Thames cruising the Tidal section to Teddington. From here we transited to the River Wey, brand new waters for us.

With my final design for panto delivered to Chipping Norton from Guildford we could enjoy our cruising a bit more, despite the soaring temperatures which had us hiding under trees for a couple of days.

On the 26th July we ticked off our third point on the compass, reaching Godalming the furthest south you can get on the connected network. On our way back to the Thames we met up with Adam from NB Briar Rose, both he and Tilly got wet that day.

The original plan had been to cruise the Basingstoke Canal whilst we were there, but sadly the levels were too low and the canal closed before we got there, so we spent a while longer on the Wey.

Onto the Thames where we managed to get a space outside Hampton Court for a couple of days and I discovered the joys of standing in line for some fresh veg. Gradually we made our way up the Thames. Waking early and getting going worked for us as mostly we managed to get moored where we wanted around lunchtime. Three years ago we did from Teddington to Oxford in a week but with a months licence we took our time.

The further upstream we got the quieter the river got, less hustle and bustle. We met up with Paul and Christine (NB Waterway Routes), missed Carol and George (WB Still Rockin), finally got to have a proper conversation with Sue and Vic (WB No Problem XL) as we headed upstream.

As the rivers bends got tighter, the banks were harder to get up. A mooring by Kelmscott Manor required a rope from the post to help us get on and off the boat, but it was worth it to visit the house.

On the 26th August we winded at the furthest point we could reach on the Thames on Oleanna and started to head back eastwards. Tilly gave one of our moorings a double stamp of approval and stayed out well after dark!

An incident with engine coolant nearly stopped us from reaching Oxford to see War Horse. But a nice man from RCR got us going again so we had a narrow lock fix and headed to the show catching up with Matt and Bill for a drink afterwards.

Then at the beginning of September we turned off the Thames onto the Kennet and Avon. For the last five years we’ve been meaning to head this way, but for one reason or another it hadn’t happened.

With tales of lack of mooring we kept to rising early hoping we’d get moorings. This mostly worked and wild moorings were very rarely needed, we did still have to use the gang plank every now and again. We only encountered one pound on our westward journey where even the longest plank wouldn’t have helped which meant we had to carry on up a flight with the clock ticking before locks were locked around us.

At Devizes we met an Instagram friend Frankie who’d been working on the flight over the summer. Despite following another boat down the flight we made good time with the help of the volunteers.

Onwards to Bath and Bristol. Here we moored with HMS GB in the background and met up with two of my old school friends for lunch. A big shame we couldn’t stay longer as there was more we wanted to do and see whilst there, we’ll just have to save up for next time as the mooring fees are quite pricey!

The section between Bath and Bradford upon Avon was our favourite, with the aqueducts and views along with the second deepest lock on the network.

Mick and Tilly got to enjoy it for a week longer than me whilst I headed off to Cornwall to eat gluten free pasties and start painting my panto set for a week.

Once I was back we had two weeks to reach Oxford, but the weather had different ideas. What felt like the monsoon season started. There was rain on most days, luckily not the day we did Devizes. We managed to team up with two couples from Bristol on a hire boat, by the time they reached the top of the flight they could work uphill locks with their eyes closed, we left them to master downhill on their return journey.

Our second low pound struck as we tried to leave Cobblers Lock, Oleanna was sat firmly on the ground and unable to leave the lock until a good flushing of water set her free. The rain actually did me a favour as whilst we sat in Newbury hoping for the Thames to drop I managed to get my model for A Regular Little Houdini finished.

At the end of October I headed off to panto land leaving Mick and Tilly a short distance outside Reading, hoping they would be able to get up the Thames in the following week. Our friend Paul came and helped Mick out onto the Thames reaching Goring on their first day. Here Mick and Tilly got to met Carol and George (WB Still Rockin’) who’d been clinging onto the moorings there before heading downstream.

Paul returned later in the week and despite the engine overheating and having to deploy the anchor they succeeded in getting to Abingdon where Oleanna had her second visit from RCR. Mick battled on against quite a downstream flow and reached Sandford Lock before tying up. Here the levels rose and fell, the engineer came for a second visit and found lots of crud in our cooling system.

With the engine in better fettle, Mick nudged his way up towards Oxford and finally made a dash up Osney Lock and onto the canal despite that section still being on red boards. It turns out he’d chosen his moment well as the river has stayed on red boards since then.

Once I left all the singing dancing and glitter behind and returned to narrowboat life we had to sit out high levels on the Oxford canal and on the River Cherwell. We loitered in Oxford, but as soon as it looked like things were improving we were on our way.

We paused in Banbury for Christmas haircuts and shopping before pulling in for a few days at Cropredy Marina, from where we headed to London for a Sibling get together at my brothers.

Onwards to the top of the Oxford Canal the day the locks reopened and down the other side continuing onwards to Radford Smelly for Christmas.

In Warwick we met up with my family and then picked up crew Mike and Chris to help us up the Hatton and Lapworth flights.

The last few locks were done on New Years Eve bring us up to the Birmingham level for the new year.

Quite a busy year. So our vital statistics for 2019

According to Canalplan

Total distance is 1199 miles, ½ furlong and 886 locks . There are 119 moveable bridges of which 22 are usually left open; 139 small aqueducts or underbridges and 20 tunnels – a total of 8 miles 2 ¼ furlongs underground and 8 major aqueducts.

This is made up of 207 miles, 4 furlongs of narrow canals; 399 miles, 5¾ furlongs of broad canals; 102 miles, 5 ¼ furlongs of commercial waterways; 226 miles, 6 ¼ furlongs of small rivers; 212 miles, 5 furlongs of large rivers; 49 miles, 6 ¼ furlongs of tidal rivers; 150 narrow locks; 626 broad locks; 109 large locks; 1 lock on major waterways.

838.2 engine hours

That is 255 miles and 272 locks more than last year! But 246.4 hours less engine running, just goes to show it’s worth having solar panels.

1336.93 litres diesel, 9 (although we’ve got 2 empty now) gas bottles (used for central heating as well as cooking), 6 overnight guests, 6 packs Dreamies, 1 cover cat, 32 friends, 17 Mrs Tilly stamps of approval, 1 double stamp, 5 pairs socks, 3 pairs gloves, 1 baby blanket, 2 shows designed, 1 cover illustration, 5 lots gluten free puff pastry, 9 supermarket deliveries, 39 boxes of wine delivered, 12 bottles of wine delivered.

Thank you for sharing our year with us.

Kicking Heels And Packing. 5th 6th January

Oozells Street Loop to Cambrian Wharf to Oozells Street Loop

A bit of old amongst the new office blocks

Sunday we decided to go for a little bit of a pootle, we needed water and to dispose of our waste. The original plan was to cruise round the Icknield Loop and then the Soho Loop stopping at the services at Hockley Port, before returning.

But by the time we’d walked to Sainsburys for a few things for a roast in the evening and emptied the yellow water tank and pooh bucket, time had run away with us.

So instead we continued round the Oozells Street Loop, past NB Waterways Routes and turned left. Turning right isn’t an option here as you would be turning about 300 degrees without sufficient width. So we continued on to near Monument Road Bridge where you can wind at a short stubby arm.

We then cruised back into town and pulled up at the Cambrian Wharf Services. Here we knew the tap would be slow, but with a wash load in the machine and no moving boaters it didn’t bother us, so we stayed, had some late lunch, until the tank was full. The bins here were overflowing so not the right place to dispose of our waste.

There was one space left at Cambrian Wharf quite close to the pub, The Flapper. Normally this would have put us off pulling in, but the pub closed it’s doors for the final time on Saturday night. However the thought of being hemmed in on a pontoon wasn’t that appealing, so we returned to Oozells Street Loop.

Tilly requested to go out. We told her it was just the same, but she insisted. Each alcove into the car park had to be checked just incase there was anything interesting. There wasn’t so she returned tail hung low.

This is one very stubbornly boring outside

Then there was the horrible job of returning everything to the Christmas hamper. The tree was allowed one more night inside before it was returned to the cratch and normal temperatures.

Monday morning and it was time to sort myself out. The back steps were lifted and my paint brush bag brought out from storage. A small selection of brushes and a nice natural sponge were put to one side before the bag was returned to it’s hidey hole.

The big black bag came out from storage along with my red winter boots. Some thermals, something I would consider smart, but others maybe not.

Tilly has been caught several times today trying to get into the big bag, but I’m afraid it isn’t her way out of Birmingham. Mick will do that soon.

Schedules, tickets and euros are packed. I’ve checked in for my outbound flights and now have boarding passes on my phone. So tomorrow I will jet off to Austria to work. I’m hoping it will be fun and that I’ll get chance to have a bit of a look round Vienna before I come home. Mick will please Tilly no doubt and find her an outside that appeals more than here.

Mick may post about what they get upto whilst I’m away and I may post a Viennese postcard or two if there is time. But for now, we’ll see you soon.

0 locks, 1 mileish, 2 lefts, 1 wind, 1 straight on, 1 too familiar mooring, 1 roast chicken, 2019 Christmas packed up, 1 big black bag, 105 euros, 15A window, 1 cat with cabin fever, 1 eye test, 2 boaters kicking heels.

The Cape. 27th December

Cape Top Lock

One of two moving boats today NB Merlin, they’ve come a long way from Bunbury

A tidy up of Oleanna which included removing the last few weeks worth of cat fur from the curtains. A batch of gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough had been made yesterday so it was resting in the fridge ready to be sliced and cooked ready to fill the boat with a yummy aroma when our visitors arrived.

Photo credit should go to Tilly for final adjustment of the photo

The journey up from London for the London Leckenbys took a while longer than they’d hoped as traffic had been bad, but they got to us before 1pm. With all the light industrial units closed for Christmas they were able to leave the car close to the water point. As Andrew said if their car was a Ferrari then they would have moved it elsewhere. But as it’s a damp VW with moss growing on it’s windows and has various battle scars from through the years he wasn’t too worried of it’s parking location.

Tea and biscuits were accompanied by opening our latest post and Mick’s last Christmas present, an under pillow speaker so that he can listen to cricket during the night, hopefully without disturbing me.

A stretch of the old legs along the muddy towpath was called for, the weather not really having improved from yesterday sadly so we didn’t venture too far before returning to the boat and donning our glad rags to go to the pub.

The Cape of Good Hope is a well known canalside pub run by a couple of Kiwis. Ages ago when on Lillian we moored in the Saltisford arm and wove our way through the housing estate to sample their burgers. Today we’d booked a table to be sure we’d get one, but it wasn’t as full as it had been in the warmer months. Today we just had to negotiate the lock gates after a couple of aperitifs.

Warm and cosy inside we chose a couple of starters to share, followed by mains. Dough balls, for the youngest along with haloumi and veg kebabs for the second youngest.

Josh with a steak nearly as big as himself

Main courses were steak which came with a festoon of vine tomatoes. A very tasty Blade of Beef with wild mushroom jus. A lamb shank. Two wild boar and chorizo gourmet pies. They all hit the spot being very tasty and were washed down with beer and wine.

The lock gates were a touch more problematical on the way back, but nobody got wet so that was a relief. Birthday cake for pudding got the thumbs up from my brother as Queen of Sheba cake is a fond memory for both of us from our teenage years.

Putting the boat into sleeping mode for five meant the stove had been allowed to burn itself out so that Josh wouldn’t cook on the sofa. Luckily there was still an amount of heat coming from it to keep the chill off until morning.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 Merlin, 3 visitors, 8 biscuits, 4 slices fruit cake (thank you Nick), 1 damp walk, 10 muddy shoes, 4 muddy paws, 2 bottles wine, 3 pints, 2 bottles beer, 1 orange juice, 1 steak, 2 pies, 1 shank, 1 blade, 5 slices of chocolate, 1 afternoon and evening of conversation, 1 cat wanting a quiet life again, 1 apology to Duncan and Jaye due to poor phone signal.

A Bright Flash. 26th December

Radford Smelly to Cape of Good Hope

Yesterday we had bathroom doors not able to shut due to the amount of heat the sun was providing on the starboard side. Sadly today this wasn’t going to be the case as it was raining before we got up and it stayed a damp grey day. Just a day to go cruising!

I’d woken with images of my sour dough starter having taken over the cabin overnight. But it was still contained to the proving shelf and when I looked into the bowl it hadn’t done anything over night. I swapped out the cabbage leaves for newer ones and fed it, hoping things would improve. Unfortunately nothing happened to it all day, so it was another failed attempt. But this one definitely has worked the best, maybe if I’d fed it with the right quantities whilst sober. I’ve certainly not given up yet. It will have to wait now until I return from Vienna, as I don’t want to leave the responsibility of feeding it to Mick whilst I’m away. It does mean we’ll have to have some more braised cabbage on my return, oh dear, never mind!

Time to make a move. We pootled up to the winding hole, winded and headed back into town. Past the cat and water point and pulled in by Morrisons. We’ve visitors coming so needed a few things. Many of the shelves were bare, Christmas cakes were reduced and a huddle stood round waiting for the price reduction of the turkeys. One lady infront of us at the checkout had three birds and other stuff, her bill around £25! Well that’s certainly worth waiting for. If only our freezer was bigger.

Back at the boat, as we rolled back the covers a blue boat came past. It had been moored in town with us and then was the only moving boat yesterday. The chap at the helm said they’d had to turn round as the kids (presumably grand kids) had managed to block the toilet with paper. Their maserator hadn’t appreciated it! What a lovely thing to sort on Boxing Day! Maybe we’d be sharing the locks with him and his blocked loo.

My new coat did a good job the drizzle preferring to roll off it than soak into it. I may be able to fit an extra layer under it after all the Christmas food and chocolate have become memories.

At Tesco’s we passed the blue boat. With McDonalds as well as Tescos, they had plenty of shore based facilities until the toilet gets sorted. We left him to see if reversing the macerator would help unblock it.

All was quiet at the boat yards, Kate Hire base had one car in the car park. Nowhere to get any gas, we still have a brand new bottle so we’ll be fine for a while, even if we need to use it for heating. Having guests means the sofa will be used as a bed, the stove is too close for this to be safe so we’ll let it burn out.

Below the two Cape Locks a Kingfisher darted in front of us, brightening up the day no end. Then at the top lock a big boxer dog came to say hello and provided my new coat with it’s first mud.

We’d expected a few boats to be moored here, but we seem to be the only ones. It’s most probably because the TV signal is poor again! Tomorrow we’ll pull back and top up with water and await the arrival of our first visitors.

2 locks, 4.85 miles, 1 wind, 0 turkeys for us, 1 wee tank, 75% off turkeys, 3 packs of bacon, 1 loaf bread, 3rd starter destined for the bin, 1st left overs meal, 1 damp drizzly day, 2 late for Tilly, 1 Kingfisher.

https://goo.gl/maps/4MBAN78c6og7UXWq6

Smelly Christmas. 25th December

Radford Smelly

What a beautiful day. Blue skies hardly any wind, a perfect day for cruising. So we stayed put, there was far too much present unwrapping , eating and drinking to do.

The boy was very happy with his new gloves

Our stockings were filled with chocolate, pens, socks, pants and a grease gun. The best thing in Mick’s was a new pair of Pond Gloves. His old ones had sprung a leak a couple of years ago so needed replaceing. They are ever so good for when you have to reach down to clear something around your prop and well deserving of a Herbie award for best gadget 2019.

Breakfast, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon accompanied by a glass of Bucks Fizz. Very nice.

Christmas presents followed. A mitten each to hold hot/or cold drinks. New jeans. Pearsons new guide to the Black Country. A guide book to Vienna. A novel. Felix The Station Cat book. Cat t-towel. A food goodie bag. An endoscope. A stripey top. All sorts.

Then we walked off the early morning fizz, a nice romantic walk along the towpath to ….. the bins! There were plenty of people about, most of whom stopped before they reached the really muddy section, but we carried on not wanting to return to the boat with our bags of rubbish.

Tilly came and went for much of the day. When she was home she unwrapped her presents. Ziggy and Finn (London Leckenby cats) had got her a small catnip mouse. Thank you!

Joa (Tilly’s number one fan), Mungo and Dog got her a box of crinkly noisy things that she spent quite a bit of time getting out of the box. Thank you, thank you! The catnip sardines from us didn’t go down so well, but the new bedoinge ball from Father Christmas was batted around for quite a while.

She saw to her own Christmas dinner, which Mick spotted and managed to close the hatch just in time before she brought it in to eat on the table cloth!!

Yesterday I’d decided to have another go at a sour dough starter. I’d come across a site explaining a bit more about them. The suggestion was to use a red cabbage leaf to help it get going, these have an abundance of natural yeast sat on their leaves (the white stuff). So as I started on the braised cabbage I popped a leaf into some sorghum flour and water. This method suggests stirring it frequently and feeding it every 8 hours. The quantities were a little bit large so I reduced them to start with, opting for a medium sized container. When I went to check it this evening,I lifted it down off the proving shelf. BLIMEY! A monster!!

After 24hrs it had doubled in size. It was fed and put in a larger container. The quantities of flour and water became what ever I fancied (due to the wine I’d consumed), so I’ve possibly blown it now. But we’ll see whether I’m making bread in a days time or back to feeding it hoping and praying I haven’t killed it.

Duck with pinenut, apple and chestnut stuffing

The duck was cooked, roast veg roasted, new version of bread sauce reheated. Then we dug in. Our two plates straining under the amount of food. It was all very very tasty. There was no need for seconds and there will be plenty of left overs.

Tree presents. A Christy Moore album for Mick and a new boaty cap for me.

We’d been given a firework Santa meant to go on top of your Christmas pudding or cake. With our low ceiling we decided it was most probably safer to light it out on the towpath. It played ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’ as it erupted. Very good fun, thank you Christine. Here’s a link.

After a suitable sipe it was time for birthday presents. I did very well. A day rucksack that packs away into itself. The follow up book about Felix and Bolt his assistant at Huddersfield station. A bottle of The Kings Ginger. Socks. A cast aluminium low casserole dish. A new waterproof coat from Mick. This is a sailing coat from Decathlon so hopefully it will be far more waterproof than my old coat.

Birthday cake, now iced with runny chocolate and candles. We managed to squeeze a thin slice in each and then retired to the sofa and the TV with Tilly curled up dreaming of mice.

0 locks, 0 miles, 14 pairs pants, 7 pairs socks, 0 ash can, 1 bottle booze, 5 chocolate oranges, 1 ruck sack, 1 endoscope, 3 sardines, 2 mice, 3 balls, 1 waterproof coat, 2 pairs scissors, 1 cap, 1 tasty duck, 1 birthday cake, 3 bottles consumed, 2 crackers, 0 games of Mind The Gap, 1 firework, 1 tasty vole followed by shrew, 1 moving boat, 1 very lovely birthday. Thank you

Happy Christmas!

Radford Smelly

The big man has been and boy has he been generous

she also got a new bedoinge ball that glows in the dark

To all our friends, family and readers

May we wish you a

Very Happy Christmas

From all on NB Oleanna

Pip, Mick and Tilly xxx

All We Want For Christmas. 23rd, 24th December

Radford Smelly to The Big Cat, Leamington Spa

Moving into town was the way forward. So the alarm was set and we had our first cuppa with breakfast and cruised the mile and a quarter into Leamington Spa. There were more boats moored up in town than there had been a couple of weeks ago, people had come in to do their shopping. Mick headed off to get the hire car whilst I had a good sweep through Oleanna.

Our mooring turned out to be far better than it would have been back near the lock, here we can get the car to within 100ft of the boat.

First port of call, Princes Drive Recycling Centre. Blimey it was busy! Engine oil, old electrical items and our old printer went in the skips. Tilly’s spiny chasey toy (the red flying saucer in the middle) that she’s grown out of sat in the middle of the skip making me feel guilty. Unfortunately they wouldn’t take used antifreeze without an appointment, which happens on Thursdays, apart from this coming week!

Next Morrisons for peanut butter and some Coffee logs that we’d like to try. This did mean us sitting in traffic to get into the store, then more traffic to get to the petrol station and even more traffic to get out to just sit in traffic again to return to the boat to drop off the antifreeze. The whole trip, there and back, would have been much quicker by boat!

Time to head across country. 14 miles as the crow flies was a good 40 minutes by road. Soon we could see the Banger Spire calling us up the hill into Braunston village. There were two parcels waiting at the post office, luckily the chap let me show him a copy of a bill on my phone as proof of ID as I’d left my cards on the boat.

Then we joined the queue at the butchers. The chap in front was picking up his Turkey, a lady on crutches had a large order and another lady had the wind knocked out of her when she was told the price of her fillet of beef joint! She asked if they could make it a touch smaller, but the butcher explained he could but it would still cost the same price! Hope they know how to cook 3kg of beef fillet.

A pie did manage to get added to our shopping

Our order was as expected, sadly no gluten free bangers.

Midland Chandlers only had imperial allen keys and open metal buckets for ash, but we did get a grease gun and spare water hose parts before heading back towards Leamington Spa.

Screwfix provided us with Allen keys, then we joined traffic going into Sainsburys. Once parked we started on our main food shop. Five bags of goodies, everything we wanted and an opportunity to use our nectar points, a good cheap shop.

The only thing left was an ash bin.

Homebase, No, but they did have some Gorilla Tape that is Crystal clear to mend a hole in the pram cover.

Lidl, No.

A Hardware shop in town, No.

A Fireplace and stove shop on Rugby road, No.

Time had run out so we returned to Oleanna fully laden but missing an ash bin, we’ll have to order one to be sent somewhere, but we don’t quite know where at the moment. Maybe a last minute note to Father Christmas might work?

24th December

Tilly and I had already decided last night that we wouldn’t be staying in town for Christmas. The view wasn’t much this morning when I opened the curtains, it was still dark. After a cuppa in bed, Mick headed off in the car to see if Morrisons would sell him a bottle of gas. Even though they’d just had a delivery this morning they didn’t have the right sized bottle for us, never mind we’ll get some up towards Birmingham.

A quick breakfast and then it was time to return the car to Enterprise. I hitched a lift and then walked up to Wool Warehouse. The yarns that I first used for socks in my Etsy shop is now discontinued, so I was wanting to check out an alternative.

There were far more colours to choose from and Oops! I came home with seven balls. I had to have the red and blue. And I wouldn’t be a boater if I hadn’t got the colourway called Kingfisher. So that’s January sorted.

We pootled up the way to the next winding hole, I hopped off at Morrisons for a couple of bits and by the time I returned to the canal Mick was just pulling up to wait for me. Back to Clemens Street Bridge where we topped up the water tank as I gave the floor a good wash. Then we were on our way again, retracing our steps to Radford Semele. We were surprised nobody else had turned up there, maybe they all know about the TV signal.

Christmas Eve wouldn’t be Christmas Eve without sausage rolls

The remainder of the day has mostly been about cooking. First lunchtime sausage rolls.

Pinenuts for the stuffing and cider gravy reducing

Then stuffing, gravy and bread sauce.

Followed by a Queen of Sheba cake. This will get iced tomorrow.

Then the braised cabbage got to sit on the stove top for an hour or so. The smell of it is so yummy! All of this lot will end up in the outdoor fridge overnight.

Then came the maple and mustard ham with dauphinoise potatoes. Yum!

One happy cat showing off her white bits

Tilly had a few good hours on the towpath, only having to escape from a grey hound once. We all agree this is a better place to spend Christmas, maybe not quite as nice as on the Oxford Canal, but I suspect there will be fewer boats moving tomorrow.

How does Santa Tom get through the air vent? He won’t get an ash bin through there!

The stockings are out and we are wrapped up and ready for tomorrow.

0 locks, 4.47 miles, 1 wind, 32 coffee logs, 1 duck, 1 gammon, £112 for a fillet, 2 parcels, 2mm allen key, 1 last pounce, 3 peanut butters, 5 bags shopping, 0 ash pan, 0 gas, 700 grams yarn, 8 sausage rolls, 1 new recipe for bread sauce, 1 vat of gravy, 1 pot of stuffing, 1 pan of cabbage, 1 ham, 8 sliced potatoes, 1 cake, 8 oz of chocolate, 3 stocking, 2 boaters and a cat all excited.

A Touch Further Than Planned. 22nd December

Longhole Bridge to Radford Smelly

Today we were going to be passing our last water point before Christmas, so as the heating had been on first thing I made use of the hot water and had a shower before we set off. The sun was out again as we ventured further towards Leamington Spa.

The first lock along this stretch is quite a distance from any road, you can tell this by the lack of paint and amount of rust on the gates and paddle gear. The paddle I opened to empty the lock made a slightly worrying hissing noise as the water ran through below, but it survived in one piece and didn’t explode.

Once down our second lock of the day we pulled over to top the water tank up. There is an Elsan here, all very clean. A sign in the hedge by the tap says that it is out of use currently due to health and safety reasons for the operative emptying the cess pit. Notes have been added to the sign suggesting it has been out of action for sometime.

On the side of the elsan a new looking box was labelled Cesspit telemetry. Is this elsan still out of use? Hunting round the stoppage page on the C&RT website it suggests that it was reopened on the 7th November this year. There certainly isn’t anything on the actual elsan suggesting you can’t use it.

*We have now had confirmation from C&RT through Paul Balmer of Waterway Routes that this Elsan is now fully open. Someone will be along to remove the sign that had been missed.*

Down Fosse Middle Lock a boat came towards us, so we could leave the gates open for them and carry on to the next lock not that far away.

Oleanna now with added lights, that you can’t see in the day time

We were now looking for a mooring as close to Radford Bottom Lock as possible. Here is an ideal place to bring a car to load and unload things. But the moorings above the lock were some distance away and a chap was practicing firing an air pistol at the trees there, not an ideal spot for Tilly! The towpath was also very muddy.

As we got closer to the lock we could see that a pair of boats had just ascended, so we carried on down the lock hoping for somewhere there to pull in. Here the designated winter moorings started. There was a gap, but we decided to carry on to below the church in Radford Semele for the day. This was further than planned and not handy for car access, but better for Tilly tonight.

Tilly had a good couple of hours whilst I got on with writing lists. The big food shopping list being the main one. A batch of puff pastry was mixed and popped in the fridge, I’ve added a touch more Xantham gum and water than usual to see if that would make it less crumbly whilst rolling it out. The first roll and turn went very well, the second and third a touch messier. I’m sure it’ll taste fine once it’s got sausage meat inside it.

I’ve checked back on previous visits here for TV signal. Last years visits fall into the posts that have lost their photos and when we moored here on Lillian it was before I’d started to do the thumbs up/down for signal quality every day. No wonder no body is moored here, the only channels we can get without the internet are shopping channels. We really don’t want a new mattress even if it is such a bargain!

The last of our boat warming bay leaves from Frank, well he did bring us two carrier bags full!

5 locks, 2.69 miles, 4 boats moving, 1 topped up tank, 1 boat a bit too far, 1 happy cat, 2 sides A4, 3 more turns to go, 42 bayleaves left, 1 possible change of Christmas mooring, £520 saving.

https://goo.gl/maps/ejJhFhL2BfRtxxKM6

Mistaken Identity. 21st December

Basecote Aqueduct to Longhole Bridge 31

See, what did I say! The sun came out and what do they do? They move the outside!

That isn’t strictly true. Whilst we had breakfast Tilly was allowed to head off and explore, we’d only got a couple of hours to cruise today, so there was no rush to leave. Mick headed off on a bike to get our Saturday newspaper and hunt for blueberries.

Returning with everything he called for Tilly, who he’d spotted up the towpath. We’d want to make a move now so I put on my boots to go out and encourage our crew back on board. Mick pointed up the towpath, a cat sat some distance away and a lady dog walker held onto her two woofers, not moving a muscle.

Mick did say he couldn’t see properly, which was true when I questioned if it was Tilly on the towpath. The cat turned to head into the sideways trees flashing an almost total white front. Too much white, but I went to look anyway. The lady with the dogs stood her ground until I got closer.

Deep in the sideways trees I could see a fluffy cat keeping a close eye on what was happening. Definitely not Tilly. I walked back with the lady, keeping an eye open for Tilly, only to spy her busy in the hedge alongside Oleanna. Once her business had been dealt with she trotted back on board, we were ready for the off.

Below the aqueduct and embankment the River Itchin was sprawling itself across the fields, the level must have risen somewhat after yesterdays rain fall as neither of us remembered it from when we’d arrived.

Shortly before Bascote Bridge there was a pumpkin graveyard. What looked like a whole field of pumpkins lay unpicked (if you pick a pumpkin, maybe you cut them?) in lines in the field. Some were flattened, others still sat bulbously orange and proud above the earth. Why had this crop just been left to rot in the field?

We stopped at the water point, topping up and to make use of the bins, emptying our yellow water into our container too.

Here I got a text from someone. ‘Hi Pip how old are you this year cos John and I were talking about u and could not remember how old you were in comparison to us’. Earlier in the year I’d thrown my phone out of the side hatch, a new phone was set up quickly, but I’d lost several numbers, this was obviously one of them. Who was it from?

Going through all the Johns I knew there was only one I could think of. I asked ‘Is that Jane?’ Then proceeded to let her know how old I would be this year and wished them both a Happy Christmas.

Onwards to Bascote Staircase. With a two chamber staircase you need to have the top one full and the bottom chamber empty, no matter which direction you are going in. The top one looked ever so empty, the old openings towards a side pond visible, these normally lay well below the water. Whilst it filled I walked down to the next lock, topped it up and opened the gate in readiness for us.

The paddle gear was bloomin stiff on some of the bottom gates, or have I lost the umph to get them moving? Swapping sides I found easier paddles and emptied one chamber into the next, then down and on wards to the next two locks.

A short pootle and we reached Welsh Road Lock, no chilled medication on sale today sadly. There certainly wasn’t a shortage of water today the bywash hardly noticed me filling the lock.

Below we hoped for a space next to a big field, we opted for the second mooring. Last year when we’d come this way in the summer the levels had been low and we had difficulty in getting into the side, none of that problem today.

Mick got the remaining lights out and arranged them on the cratch and around the wreath whilst Tilly explored our new surroundings.

I busied myself inside. Time to pack summer away properly. For months we’ve been lifting things on and off our bed, time to stop doing that and find homes for things. Our clothes were edited to winter only. With new vacuum bags I packed things away and realised I’d manage to fit the summer duvet in with them too. The outdoor chairs wouldn’t fit under the bed with the new bag so the wardrobe was rearranged too.

There was a gap under the bed, what could go there? I decided to rationalise my yarn stash. Keeping sock, glove and my nice Riverknits yarn out, everything else went into a vacuum bag and managed to shrink into the space. Yarns that were left out were organised most going into the pouffe at the end of the sofa, just leaving me with my cardigan to finish off. The pouffe gets used when we need to use the sofa as a bed, so it was good to whittle down all the stuff that had come to rest on it.

During the afternoon I got to thinking more about the text I’d received. I’d had no reply, signal was bad, but still, it felt a little bit odd. With scams on the rise I wondered if maybe it had been an opportunist trying to get my date of birth, after all who doesn’t know a John. I mentioned it to Mick. I’d not actually given away the exact date, but how old I would be in four days time!

I sent a message to friends who would have Jane’s number and waited to see if it was her. No reply came. Mick agreed it was possible someone was trying to get info, he checked the number on various websites to see if it might have cropped up before. Nothing.

If it was someone up to no good, what would I be able to do about it? I didn’t want to ring John, in case it wasn’t them. Time would tell, we just had to wait.

We enjoyed our buffalo sausages this evening. They were nice, quite meaty, but we wouldn’t rush back to stock up the freezer with them, not at £5 a pack. My cardigan knitting came back out and I started the button band whilst we finished catching up on His Dark Materials ready to watch the last episode tomorrow.

Just before lights out a text came through on a chink of signal to my phone. The same number! It wasn’t Jane after all. But who was it?

My cousin Julie, who used to be married to a John, but now has her brother John living with her. At least that explained it. From now on though I won’t go giving away personal information until I know who’s asking.

5 locks, 2 a staircase, 2.15 miles, 2 outsides, 32 pumpkins, 269 squashed pumpkins, 2nd set of lights, 1 new vacuum tote, 1 sheep or equivalent of yarn under the bed, 1 bag for charity shops, 1 John not that John, 1 our John, 1 our Julie, 0 scam, 1 lesson learnt.

https://goo.gl/maps/6tw9LK9zo14QrZYi7

The Last Post. 20th December

Bascote Aqueduct

Six and a half hours She said. Bloomin brilliant! I love days when she says that early on, so much time to explore and report back about friends, trees that need climbing can be given all the time they require. Tom opened the doors for me.

WHAT!!!! Rain! They didn’t mention anything about rain!

They keep doing this to me, letting me into the outside when it’s wet. They keep the dry outsides for themselves and let me have the wet ones. She says it’s not their fault, yet She expects me to go out and get wet and then complains when I come in with muddy paws! Well She should knit me some socks that I can take off at the back door then.

Whilst it rained Tom looked at his screen and She knitted, her last pair of socks before Christmas. She wanted to get them in the post today, so everything else had to wait until she’d sewn the ends in, taken loads of photos and then wrapped them up, twice.

I by now was bored of watching the rain from the shelter of the pram cover so ventured out, well I needed a wee really. On my return I needed to dry off and return my paws to being white, She didn’t appreciate me wanting to be by the stove on her knee.

It kept raining, all day long. She put her coat on, I thought we were going to go for a walk like we sometimes do. But No! I had to stay inside whilst she went out to post those socks! Tom said I wouldn’t like the big busy road. When he finally let me back out She had gone. Still it rained and rained some more.

How am I meant to keep things white in this?!

I ventured out a couple of times, but my paws just got too muddy and wet necessitating flicking them. Along from our mooring a woofer had left a deposit, what on earth had it been eating? Well at least it was colourful, festive pooh.

Balloons? Glitter? At least it stood out from the mud

She came back and suggested going for a walk. What in this?! Stupid woman. Instead we all settled down and did our Christmas cards. I only send a couple a year, the most important one to BJ cats, the ladies who rescued me and let me come to live on a boat. They get loads of photos of me living my life.

Tom and She sent out their cards. A strange choice of photo I thought, but an impressive sight that is no more apparently. She grew up with Ferrybridge as a land mark and wanted me to explain. In July this year one cooling tower was demolished, then a further four were blown up in October, leaving only three. A shame as they looked like really good things to climb, bet there was a great view from the top.

Do you know what? After cat curfew, at around 4pm it stopped raining! Well thank you so much for that!

When they went to bed though I spotted a chance for a bit of night exploration. But she heard strange noises and Tom was sent to investigate. Damn! My distraction technique had worked in getting Tom to leave the hatch open when he’d checked the ropes. Sadly he’d closed the outside outside the pram cover. She has really good hearing, maybe I should get her some ear muffs for Christmas.

0 locks, 0 miles, 6.5 hours of pure wetness, 1 damp wee, 1 last sock, 1 last post, 1 sparkly pooh, 2 much snoozing, 2 many puddles, 4 muddy paws, 2 hands wanting something to knit.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna