Category Archives: Food

A True Boater. 1st July

Rembrandt Gardens to St Pancras Cruising Club

Our booked seven days at Rembrandt Gardens were up today. After a leisurely start we pushed off at 11am, waving our new neighbours goodbye. The moorings under the trees are not so good for solar, but in warmer weather the shade would be welcome. One thing however that I’m not going to miss is the almost constant smell of weed. It seems as if nobody smokes cigarettes anymore, they just roll joints and find a boat to smoke them by!

We rounded the island and turned onto the Regents Canal. NB Muddy Waters a Finesse boat is still moored along the stretch before Maida Hill Tunnel, it looks like their tunnel light is as rusty as ours after four years. The tunnel was clear so no need to wait, popping out the other side where there are permanent moorings.

At the far end work is being done, it looks like new jetties are going in. Mick’s tug being put to work.

The stretch through Regents Park is always interesting. The big expensive houses with immaculate lawns, there will be a good crop of brambles on the other sides of their railings in a few weeks time! The towpath was busier than we’ve seen it before, so was the canal. Paddleboarders, trip boats and narrowboats all managing to be in the same place at once.

The Snowden Aviary at the Zoo is empty of birds, instead scaffolding was being erected and a chap stood on tip toes angle grinding another hole in the mesh. The aviary a Grade 2* listed building is being transformed by the architects Foster + Partners. It will become a walkthrough exhibit with colobus monkeys overhead, red duiker on the forest floor and African grey parrots will fly up to the top of the structure. More information can be found here.

As we rounded the bend by the Chinese floating restaurant we are still amazed that four years ago on Oleanna’s first trip to the capital we managed to get one of the 7 day moorings in Camden. Today it was crammed full, just like every other time we’ve been along this stretch. Good job we weren’t wanting a mooring today.

Just under the railway bridges we could see Christine walking towards us. She’d come to watch us go through Hampstead Road, Hawley and Kentish Town Locks as she only lives a few minutes walk away. Mick slowed Oleanna down and prepared to pick Christine up, however she decided to walk along the towpath.

A few minutes of us pootling along and chatting was brought to a very sudden stop!

How does time know when to slow down? It always manages it on such occasions.

I saw Christine put her right foot down, expecting there to be a solid surface below to meet it. Her foot just clipping the edge of the towpath, then there was nowhere else for it to go but into the canal, very closely followed by the rest of Christine!

Engine out of gear straight away. Oh blimey!!!

We still had momentum going forward getting further away from Christine. Mick shouted to a lady on the bank to help, ‘Please could you just hold her hand’. At least we hoped that would help until we could get off Oleanna to help her out.

In the meantime other people came running, we didn’t quite see what happened as we tried to get close to the bank without the prop becoming a danger. As soon as we looked again Christine had been helped up onto the towpath and was proceeding to empty her bag of water. Thank you’s all round and the samaritans who’d helped just seemed to vanish.

A sit down on Oleanna to assess any damage and to recover from the shock. Poor Christine, thankfully apart from a wet none functioning mobile she only seemed to have gained a grazed knee, which may have happened when she was pulled out of the water. We offered her a shower, but she decided as she was close to home she’d walk back an have one there. A short rather wet visit.

Up at the lock two canoes were coming up, then we were waved in. I hopped off to help the volunteer and take photos.

With volunteers at the next two locks we were a touch mob handed. The help was welcome, but when one of them commented that I was doing his job, I just carried on doing mine, I at least wait for confirmation from the helm before I start emptying a lock!

Four years ago there were cranes overhead, the general area a big building site. Today the railway arches are being converted into a cinema, a screen for each arch by the sounds of it.

I love that these two little blue houses have been allowed to keep an eye on the canal, with a gap between the modern boat like apartments.

Then as we ducked under the railway bridges and the repurposed gasometers came into view we knew we had reached our destination. St Pancras Cruising Club. We slowed and then started to back in towards NB Floradora who was to be our neighbour.

There had already been a discussion onboard as to whether it would be frowned upon to use our bow thruster to assist in mooring, but the amount of weed in the basin prohibited it’s use anyway. Terry from NB Floradora popped out to lend a hand, our centre rope passed over a t stud on the roof, this meant Oleanna could be brought into the gap almost sideways.

The weed made this a slow job, but after a while we were close enough for Mick to be able to catch the bow line and help pull her in to nestle up in the 60ft space below the HS1 line. Terry very kindly gave us a tour round, elsan, bins, garden, toilet etc, during which we met various people who all seemed to know who we were, well Marty did anyway!

We’d originally booked in for a few more days in Paddington Basin, but had been given the heads up by Heather Bleasdale that one of the longer boats at the cruising club was out at the moment, meaning that we might be able to use their mooring. We got in touch with the Harbour Master and booked our stay here instead, cancelling Paddington Basin as soon as we had confirmation.

Once we’d settled the first thing was to check if Christine was okay. She’d made it home safely, had a shower and was in the mobile phone shop trying to sort a replacement. Thank goodness she was okay.

Not long after we’d arrived there was a knock on the roof. Heather is down in London for a few days and staying on a boat in the basin. We made plans to meet later in the garden for food and then headed off to explore the area.

The new development around Kings Cross goes on for miles. It is a nice mixture of old warehouses mixed with modern architecture. Retail units, bars, restaurants, Central St Martins art college, plus exhibition spaces and gardens.

The gasometers now have flats built inside them, if you have a spare £825,000 you could buy one too! The old structure surrounds the new and gave a very vocal Blackbird a good perch to sing it’s heart out. Plenty to see and explore, we’ll have to come back to see more.

Once our evening meal was cooked, we loaded a bag with wine, crockery and cutlery and carried our two pans all the way round the basin to the garden. Heather joined us as did others to chat away the evening, a selection of gin and tonics spread across the table. It was dark by the time we decided to call it a day. After three glasses of wine each we made sure we walked carefully back round the basin to Oleanna with our dirty pots.

3 locks, 3.25 miles, 1 empty wee tank, 1 wind, 0 birds, 1 true none boating boater, 1 drip dry Christine, 1 reverse, 60ft under the railway lines, 1 visitation, 1 blackbird, 1 Tilly eyeing up the wall! 1 Tilly grounded, 2 spag bols in the garden, 3 glasses of wine, 4 gins, 1 very pleasant evening.

https://goo.gl/maps/KA1pq4wv9GRqeY7B9

The Waterway With Christine And Paul. 30th June

Rembrandt Gardens

With a little under a quarter left in our water tank we decided to push off and have a top up this morning. We were fortunate to find the taps on both sides of Westbourne Terrace Bridge unoccupied so we didn’t have to share the water pressure with anyone else. Once the rubbish was disposed of and the tank full we reversed back through the bridge, winded and came back round the island to our mooring.

We tidied ourselves up and set off for our lunch date with Christine and Paul. We’ve passed the restaurants that run along the side of the canal numerous times, but never been inside, so today was going to be a treat as we were going to The Waterway.

Christine had booked an outside table. Outside is actually under two huge canopies and surrounded by large see through plastic walls, but there is still a lot of air circulating, heated by large electric heaters, one above our table.

As a meal out is now quite a treat we all had three courses. I had Squid with chilli sauce for starters. Followed by a very aromatic chicken in an ~~basket~~ enamel tray with fries and beetroot coleslaw. The chicken had been rubbed with cumin and was very tasty. My pudding was a scoop each of their sorbets, mango, lemon and raspberry, the first chilled medication I’ve had this year!

A very leisurely lunch with good company and wine. Again it was so good to be with family again after such a long time. Hopefully things will have improved sufficiently by Christmas for there to be a Geraghty Leckenby get together this year, well we can hope.

Much of the rest of the afternoon has been spent on the verge of snoozing. Mick has caught up with Mark Cavendish winning a stage of the Tour de France, I’ve got the blog up to date and done a little bit of work.

Tilly had some excitement when she came across a rat almost nose to nose with her. Tilly was far keener than the rat, who in the end after a stand off decided it would be best to run away, all be it closely followed by Tilly. I however decided that maybe it was dingding time for her and managed to encourage her back inside and closed the doors.

0 locks, 0.28 miles, 1 full water tank, 2 outsides, 1 confused Tilly, 2 boaters cleaned up, 3rd day in a row, 1 squid, 1 goats cheese croquets, 1 gravlax, 3 burgers, 1 chicken in a basket, 3 scoops, 1 cheese cake, 1 crème brulee, 1 brownie, 2 bottles wine, 1 lovely lunch, 3rd sister, how to get to see the 4th? 3rd neighbour, 1 snoozie afternoon, 1 long tailed friend.

Birthday Boy. 28th June

Rembrandt Gardens

Back in February our decision to head to London was so that we could meet with family, it was also so that we could be around for my brother Andrew’s birthday, his 60th birthday. Hence the mission to reach our booked mooring.

Mick was sent off this morning to find the last part of our present. I’d decided to get him a present for every decade of his life and I was missing one, some Kendal Mint Cake was needed. Whilst I tried to finish off bits of work Mick hunted through outdoor type shops and managed to find a minty assortment. The presents were now complete.

With a rucksack full of goodies and a bag filled with birthday cake we headed off to catch the bus. When we reached the bus stop I suddenly realised that I was missing the very important envelope with the icing recipe on it so that I could finish off the cake when we got to Hackney. Mick headed back to Oleanna to collect it whilst 4 number 18 buses came and went. Oh well, we’d get there in the end.

The icing went on the cake as soon as we arrived, it has to be simmered then poured over the cake to set and carrying it across London on a bus might have been a very messy thing to do.

Presents time. So what did I get my brother?

A box of matches, stems from a present from Paddington Bear when I was about six. The Kendal Mint Cake assortment. A Bottle of T, Timothy Taylors Landlord. A Bottle of Punt e Mes Vermouth. A pair of hand knitted socks, made by myself. Then a bowl, but not just any bowl.

Last Friday on our way over to Hackney we’d had to call into an old friends. Ben Davies was a couple of years above me at school. He is a cellist, cello tutor and ceramicist. Last year during lockdown he and his neighbour built themselves semi-detached studios in their gardens, wonderful light rooms. Ben has enough space to have a quartet play alongside his two kilns, a small office space and display area.

Since having his studio, and having the lack of concerts to play in he has increased the amount of time he spends making his pots. Using different colours of clay, he uses layers and hand builds, fires then sands back, then fires them again creating wonderful touchy feely pots with an organic feel and look to them. Several months ago I’d decided that if I could afford it I’d buy one for Andrew. The selection process took a while, sifting through photographs, then the decision was made, a small bowl made in porcelain in white, black and blue.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the actual bowl, it’s a little bit like one of the ones above. It really is a lovely object and especially nice that Andrew knows Ben.

We had a lovely meal of roast pork, dauphinoise potatoes and various salads, plenty of wine and conversation.

The cake come out and with candles lit, plus a rocket, we all sang Happy Birthday to Andrew.

A quiet birthday for him, but so lovely that we’d made it to London and were able to be part of his day.

0 locks, 0 miles, 3 buses, 2 tubes, 6 presents, 1 bowl, 1 brother, 60!!! How did that happen!?

Leckenbys. 25th June

Rembrandt Gardens

A mini cooked breakfast to start the day

Last night we did our first lateral flow tests, we’ve had the kits since we left the house but never felt the need to do one as we’ve not really been mixing with people. Thankfully they both came out negative. Just because you’ve had both jabs doesn’t mean you can’t get Covid or give it to someone, so even though the tests are not guaranteed to be correct they offer some form of reassurance. Whilst we are in London we’ll be doing them regularly.

Over the next few days we will be doing a lot of catching up with family. Today we saw the London Leckenby’s for the first time since December 2019. They are not fans of zoom so we’ve only seen them virtually once in the last 18 months. So today was quite emotional but lovely.

We had a tour of their house which is currently undergoing some major building work, so much so only Finn and Ziggy are residing on the ground floor of the house currently. The only way to see the top floor, well what there is of it was either by standing on a ladder and peering upwards or by climbing out of the window onto scaffolding to walk in where the roof will be returned later in the summer.

In temporary accommodation down the road we all enjoyed each others company again. Josh has obviously grown, he’ll be 15 in a couple of months time and is currently sitting end of year exams.

As always we had a lovely evening with them, enjoying their company, food and drink.

We did do other things today, but if I told you about them now I’d most certainly have to kill you all, as they are secret. I will divulge all later.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 dodgy geezers, 18, 30 buses, 1 family reunited, 1 pack of tissues, 0.5 of a salmon, 15!

Fret! Breach 53. 18th June

Little Tring Bridge

We’d had intentions to move today, not far but at least across the summit pound to Cowroast. However when we woke and checked the forecast we decided that we’d rather not get totally and utterly soaked. There wasn’t even a window in the rainfall that we could see, so instead we decided to stay put for the day.

The temperature had dropped overnight, at first this was a lovely relief as it had become so muggy. Long trousers were needed followed by jumpers, in fact by the afternoon Mick had lit the stove to drive off the chill that torrential rain brings.

Mick did us a small cooked breakfast with what was to hand. The last two eggs were poached in our poach pods, a little bit of rapeseed oil in them to stop the eggs from sticking. Mushrooms, tomatoes, my last slice of Gf bread from the freezer. I also insisted on hash browns, just because Karen had asked about them the other day.

Eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and hash brown

Hash Browns for 2

Wash a medium sized potato, don’t bother peeling it but grate it into a t-towel using the big holes on your grater. Grate about a third of a small onion (if you are called Joa you should omit the onion) into the t-towel too. Wring out as much moisture as you can. Add about a third of a beaten egg, just enough to help things stick together without getting too eggy. A good grind of salt and pepper. Mix well, then cook in a frying pan with a little rapeseed oil (other oils are available). Mick tends to make one big cake cooking it for about 7 mins on each side so that it has a good colour to it and is cooked through. Then it is my job to eat it. Yum.

Tilly was given 9.5 hours, but she wasn’t interested, I think all day she only just managed to step off the boat for a couple of minutes. But she did sit out the back under the shelter of the pram cover watching the steam rising off the canal. In Scarborough we’d call this Fret. The canal has obviously warmed up and the drop in temperature made it steam all day long. It’s the kind of steam you can put your hand out and touch.

The other day I’d had a modified idea for the Town Square for panto, today I was determined to see if it was a good idea and bring a touch more green into the opening scene. I liked the shape of the buildings and know that the build will have been priced up on the drawings I’ve already submitted, so I did my best to keep the existing shapes, changing the roof for foliage and the timber into plant stems giving them a touch more of an organic feel. Tomorrow I’ll put them in the model box with everything else to see if they work, but I’m liking the look of them so far.

Mick sat listening to the Women’s Test Match for much of the morning until rain stopped play. He should really have been out with the soft brush giving the cabin sides a good clean down. The port side will have had an extra rinse today. I suspect that the starboard side will now look even worse than it did before despite the almost continuous downpours all day.

In the C&RT update email this evening they have covered the stoppages around Selby. Tankards Bridge on the Selby Canal is still closed to boats over 7ft high, a road closure will be needed for them to mend the bridge and as yet the Council has not granted one due to work on going on the A19 nearby and the road being used as an alternative root.

Then there is Selby Swing Bridge. From the update it still looks like C&RT are seeking a road closure here too after an over weight lorry crossed the bridge doing no good to the bearings. There may be more news locally from Nigel the Lock Keeper.

With regard to the Aire and Calder breach, there wasn’t anything new in the update. However the local MP has been to the site. The second layer of piling is now complete and the area above the drain has recently had new concrete has been added where the wooden shuttering is behind Andrew Percy. Gradually over the next month tests will be done increasing the water level in the cofferdam. Fingers crossed the big hole is now fixed and there are no more set backs. He does also mention the sections of collapsed bank caused by the low water levels since the breach. C&RT have told him they are not immediately serious and will need addressing over the next year or so.

In other news, there is now the second part of Heather’s trip taking her up to Beverley on the Scholar Gypsy blog here’s a LINK

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 very wet day, 1 inch extra of water, 1 stove lit, 1 work day, 3 town houses rethought, 2 minutes shore leave taken, 0 quiche left.

The Sandwich Dive. 17th June

Seabrook Lock 35 to Little Tring Winding Hole, Wendover Arm

Back to the alarm being set at the new normal time this morning. As we had breakfast we could hear water cascading over the lock gates this meant a boat was heading down the lock above, brilliant the next two locks would be set for us.

Well that’s what we thought the last time we moored here, two years ago when we were waiting to accompany NB Tyseley up to the summit pound! Several boats beat us to the lock that day, but today no one came past. Brilliant.

I walked up to open the gates, hang on! It’s full, very full!?! Nobody had come past us, so how had that happened? Oh well, I emptied the lock and then we brought Oleanna up. Lock 36 was also full. This puzzled us as the lock had remained empty overnight, the only explanation I could think of was that the towpath grass cutters were out, two strimmers and a lawn mower. The grass had been cut on the off side of the second lock, maybe for safety the chaps fill the lock before trimming the grass. It’s not as far to fall when full.

The large expanse of grass alongside lock 36 was getting a very good trim. I thought the chap would stop once he’d gone behind the bench, then carry on down the towpath to lock 35. New cutting regimes have been put into practice along certain stretches of the canal. Some places now only the towpath, lock and bridge landings and moorings get cut, leaving stretches of wild flowers to grow to their hearts content.

Wading through long damp grass isn’t that pleasant, but surely on such a large expanse by this lock they could have cut by the lock and bench, then a wide strip for the path, leaving the rest to nature. Sadly no, it all had to be cut.

Is that the tip of the cat’s tail or just bird poo?

In the past there have been a couple of boats along here, but today just about every spot was taken. Is this down to more boats on the waterways? More boats having moved out from London over the last 18 months? Who knows but there is a marked increase.

The swing bridge swung without too much bother, then we dipped under the railway past Pitstone Wharf. Mick had collected together our rubbish on the back deck so I got ready to hop off at the next bridge to dispose of it. We quite often see photos of bins overflowing with rubbish on social media and people complaining about them.

Today we were confronted with not just a mountain of rubbish but a whole mountain range! There was more rubbish on the floor surrounding the bins than they could hold twice over! Don’t people realise that Biffa are very unlikely to empty these bins in this state. Usually this means that a C&RT employee, who could be out working on navigational things, will have to come and remove the excess rubbish. Yes these bins are situated where none boaters can add to the mountain, they most probably do, but there is no need for more to be added to the pile. A tweet with photo was sent to C&RT saying we hoped we’d find emptier bins ahead of us. Later in the day I got a reply saying the local team would deal with it, they also gave me a link to a map showing all their facilities across the network, useful if you don’t have Waterway Routes.

We waved to the people who now own the Margees house on the bend and carried on to the two Marsworth Lower Locks. We came up the first one to see a boat entering the lock above, so we opened the gates and waited for them to descend, I walked up to lend a hand as one of the top gates just wants to stay open.

The chap up the top lifted a paddle and their boat started to descend, their engine wasn’t on and someone was reaching down into the weedhatch. The paddle was closed and we waited for the prop to have been cleared before emptying the lock.

By Bridge 130 the bins were in a much better state, so we hovered and disposed of our small mountain of rubbish before stopping at the wharf to top up the water tank and dispose of the yellow water at the elsan.

Left at the junction and we were soon at the bottom of the Marsworth flight. Volunteers were apparently on duty up the locks today, so we’d have help.

No sign of anyone until we were rising in the second lock, I could see blue t-shirts and red life jackets ahead, great they’d set the next lock for us. They waited quite sometime to do this, but eventually the gates opened.

The two chaps were chatty, worked the locks their way one offering to give me a break. I suspect he needed a break more than I did, I wonder how many locks they get to work on their average day?

With walkie talkies you would have thought they would be quite organised, but the conversations just seemed to confuse matters. Should we wait for a boat two locks behind us? One was coming down, would we meet in the next pound, at the next lock? No the lockie above would make the down hill boat wait and empty the full lock in front of him for us. There must have been a reason for this, but none we could think of.

A chap above was just starting to fill lock 44, saw us and closed the paddles, we could fill the lock for him. It turns out it was a boat we’d shared some of the Leicester Section locks with a few years ago NB Old Tom North. The volunteers left us to do the top lock on our own and shifted their assistance to the chap heading down the flight.

We’d thought of heading to Cowroast today, still ahead of schedule. But would there be any moorings free. Instead we both had the same idea, we’d turn right and go down the Wendover Arm for the night.

Blimey considering we’d come from the huge expense of the Ouse at Goole we were now finding our way along the narrow shallow channel.

A Sandwich Tern took advantage of us churning the water up.

It followed us closely, hovering by our stern. The when a glint of a possible fish appeared it swooped down to the waters surface.

I tried to film it, but it moved far too quickly and my camera had no idea what it should focus on.

Fortunately I did manage to get several photos of it just about in focus.

Boats were moored before the bridge and then at the winding hole, but the short straight length of bank was still free. Spikes were hammered into the dried out towpath and Tilly was set free to explore, although she wasn’t too enamoured. Well it was boring the last time you tied this outside up!

An afternoon of making model dressing bits. Working out how to make a wheelbarrow took some doing, a trestle table was much easier although I had to convince it to stay in one piece before I could chat to the Scarborough Chums on zoom.

Better look as though I’m enjoying myself!

In other news, there is now the first part of Heather’s trip to Hull on the Scholar Gypsy blog here’s a LINK

12 locks, 4.38 miles, 1 left, 1 right, 2 locks full, 3 walkie talkies, 1 wasted lock, 1 contract, 1 sandwich, 1 quiche, 1 muggy day, 4 light showers in the evening.

https://goo.gl/maps/7Yqezqj6Ja9whReMA

A Little Bit Disappointing.14th June

Mill Lane Bridge 102

A day to sit in the shadows as the temperature was forecast to rise. So we just about managed a lie in, then enjoyed our Saturday newspaper with a cuppa in bed.

Tilly was given 9.5 hours which she used pretty much all of, just returning for the occasional ‘thank you for coming home’ Dreamie and to check we hadn’t moved the outside with her in it.

Mick filled the stern gland greaser and tightened the stern gland, a job to do when the engine is cold.

I set about hunting for hooded zip front overalls on the internet. Overalls tend not to have too many measurements, height, chest and sometimes waist or across the back. These of course are helpful. But when the majority of your actors have a body shape that does not conform to the average trying to find the right size can be a touch of a mine field. One of the actors would fit a Small height an shoulder wise, a Large chest wise, but a XXXL waist wise.

I worked through one brand hoping I was making the correct decisions on sizes, then found the same overalls elsewhere £5 cheaper with different sizes and measurements! In the end there was only one way to go forward, order one of every other size and get them delivered to me to be measured. This unfortunately meant signing up for Amazon Prime, a service I know a lot of people can’t live without, but it pains me not being able to support smaller companies. At least it’s a free months trial so it’s not costing me or Dark Horse anything and I have already put a reminder in the diary to cancel it before it starts to cost.

A long awaited for chat with David the Director of Chippy Panto regarding the coloured model. One or two small adjustments needed and a few extra bits of dressing are required such as a wheel barrow and a tea urn. He’s considering cutting a whole scene, one that doesn’t progress the plot and would save a lot of puppet making and UV paint.

Then it was back to putting some paint on the costume designs for #unit 21 whilst listening to the Prime Minister delaying the lifting of restrictions for four weeks. Later on the local news we realised just how far down the country we’ve come. Jo from Chippy Theatre was being interviewed with regard to the delay and how panto has been on sale for two years now. Looking at a map, we are currently level in north/southness with Chipping Norton which lies just an hours drive away to our west.

A towpath barbecue was enjoyed with an abundance of asparagus followed by salmon and veg kebabs. The day hadn’t turned out to be that hot, in fact it was a little bit disappointing in the heat department.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 stern gland greased, 1 stern gland tightened, 9.5 hours of towpath frolics, 1 speedy hire boat, 2 many measurements and not enough, 4 overalls ordered, 1 float, 9 costumes half painted, 3 highlight pens required, 1 hour chatting panto, 1 urn, 1 wheelbarrow and a few flowers, 4 more weeks, 2 London Leckenby chats, 1 Fatso windfall, 21 C Max.

Too Many Visitors! Breach 52. 10th June

Norton Junction to The Wharf, Bugbrooke to Evans Bridge 42

Well Shefali said it was going to be cloudy today. I for one was quite looking forward to not having to put sun cream on and having a day off from turning into a lobster. But as we woke there was still an amount of sunshine necessitating the application of cream.

Peeking through the bridge at the junction

A couple of boats came past over breakfast heading towards the junction, maybe they were early through the tunnel, but which way would they be going?

As we got ready to push off another boat from behind did the same, we hung onto our ropes and let them pass as they were just a little bit ahead of us. Would we have a partner for the Long Buckby flight? Or would they turn up the Leicester Section? Seven years ago to the day we came out from the Leicester Section on NB Lillyanne accompanied by NB Blackbird and turned towards Braunston at the start of our life afloat.

We followed the boat down towards the flight where another boat was tied up above the locks at the services. We pulled in at the water point and let the two boats ahead team up, assisted by a couple of volunteers. Never seen volunteers here before.

We dealt with yellow water, fresh water and rubbish then pulled up towards the locks, the volunteers setting the lock for us. Someone came up to tell them that a pound in the flight was very low, possibly too low to navigate. Oleanna descended on her own as no other boat showed itself, I walked on down to set the lock ahead.

The pounds between the top four locks of the flight are quite long, certainly not close enough to walk on to set the next lock then walk back to open and close gates. Even though the bottom gates are very heavy I quite like these locks. Some graffiti brought smiles to us as we passed. We were back in our routine of going down hill, each of us knowing which job to do or leave for the other one.

Boats managing to get through the low pound

The volunteers walked down to check the level in the low pound ahead of us, although I think they had been beaten to it by a full time Lockie. At Lock 10 the bottom gates were open and soon a chap in blue arrived. We closed the bottom gates, leaving a paddle up on one gate then he lifted a paddle at the other end, sending water down. All we could do was wait and watch as the boats ahead of us made it into the next lock and then onwards.

The lockie walked back and forth, checking the troublesome pounds level and then that of the one above. After quite a wait he was happy for me to close the bottom paddle and fill the lock and be on our way.

Now on the flat we made our way with the noise from the M1 for accompaniment.

The towpaths were having a hair cut. A duck smoked a woodbine. We passed three Tilly boats. Batman and Robin rested their superhero bones and a koala peeked out from a welldeck.

At Weedon we noticed the nice metal windows on the back of a building for the first time. Have these always been here, but just covered in ivy and masked by trees. One window has been replaced, I quite like the difference.

All the visitor moorings on the embankment were empty again, not even Heather Bleasdale was leaning out of her window to say hello.

The diesel point at Rugby Boats was free so we pulled in to top up the tank, at 79.9p a litre this was far better than it would have been in Nuneaton. Tilly sat in the window and kept a very close eye on the dog. Sitting out of the water was NB Cream Cracker, we are pretty sure that seven and a bit years ago this was the first boat we looked at. She is currently under offer and presumably out of the water for a survey.

Onwards past a spillway where C&RT chaps were installing a dam. It looks like work has been done to one end of the spillway and they were about to start at the other end. Not sure if one chap was assisting in holding a scaff bar in place or had just come for a chat.

We soon arrived in Bugbrooke our stopping place for the night, a late lunch was followed by a sweep through and tidy up as we were expecting a visitor. Our friend Lizzie works for Unusual who are based just by the West Coast Main Line here in Bugbrooke.

It was decided that we’d have a cheeky drink at the pub, so as soon as Tilly came home we locked the doors and headed over the bridge to find an outdoor table. After a couple of hours and a bottle of wine we were just about caught up on everyone’s news. Lovely to see Lizzie again, plans are being formed for a bit of a get together sometime later in the summer.

Back on Oleanna we were about to start cooking when Mick noticed that we had quite a few visitors. Somewhere on the bank there was an ants nest, most of the occupants were now having a great time on Oleanna! They marched in through the side hatch ready to explore further!

Despite a couple of glasses of wine we decided to move on getting away before news got back to the nest and more visitors might arrive. Being alongside the railway it took us a couple of miles before the track got to a distance we thought we could cope with, a handy M appeared on our map so we pulled in. The sheep behind the sideways trees filled the gaps between the trains going by. After sweeping down the outside of the cabin we finally sat down to eat at 8:50, Tescos Indian with homemade gluten free nan breads.

7 locks, 10.75 miles, 1 low pound, 3 coming up, 2 super heros, 1 stiff paddle, 4 train tickets, 2 nights hotel, 1 clean (inside) boat, 1 toy box opened up, 6 toys selected, 2 hours catching up, 1 bottle Pinot, 45636768235246 ants! 2 mains for £5, 2 homemade fluffy nans, 1 koala!

https://goo.gl/maps/twaUiefEjwNpQT6k7

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Breach Update from C&RT today

The Aire & Calder breach repairs remain on track and the navigation due for opening by mid-August. During w/c 5 July a phased re-watering will commence, levels will be increased gradually and monitored by our engineers. The cofferdams will remain in place until the phased rewatering is complete.

We continue to do everything possible to get the navigation and towpath back open as soon as possible for everyone to enjoy.

Please see separate notices regarding arrangements to book passage through Pollington Lock and Sykehouse Lock.

No, I’m Spartacus, 5th June

King’s Orchard Marina to Meadow Lane Bridge 50

Settling into the earlier routine now we got going in the morning sunshine a touch later than yesterday. Standing on tip toes I could just see a big digger and some fencing. Is this our first glimpse of HS2? I’m sure we are going to see more as we work our way southwards.

At Whittington we skirted round the village with neat back gardens all open to the canal. In fact one garden seemed to have a welcoming committee out to greet us. The gardens here were to set the theme for our days cruise.

The polytunnels that used to fill the fields alongside the canal have been moved away, the contents of which didn’t look very productive from what I could see. The tractor weather vane still looks good especially with the bright blue sky we had.

Another Geraghty zoom on the move, today we could worry them all as we passed through the shooting range, no flags were showing so we were fairly sure we’d be safe. Popping out the other side of Hopwood Woods one cloud hung behind our heads, would more join it through the day?

At Fazeley Junction two new birds have joined the Kingfisher and Robin not quite in the same style, but the Finches (?) are still quite effective. Fortunately Mick was on the ball and followed his instincts as to navigation as I’d got side tracked somewhat by the birds and had not given him directions! We turned left towards Coventry, soon arriving at Glascote Locks.

Quite often there is a queue here for the two slow flowing chambers, but as we arrived one boat was just finishing in the bottom lock so there was only a slight pause for us before we could start to ascend.

As with most narrow lock flights, I waited until Mick was happy, maybe the lock half full before I walked up to the next one. I could see that there was a slight gap between the gates indicating the chamber was empty, I’d just need to push them open. Well the next photo contradicts what I’ve just said.

That is because despite Oleanna most definitely being in view from the next lock, she had almost reached the level of the joining pound, a chap arrived and wound both paddles up to fill the lock. I’d walked about two thirds of the way to the lock, called out but wasn’t heard. An about turn for me back to help Mick open the gate and drop the paddles, no point in raising the blood pressure, surely the chap would apologise.

If he was a single hander I could be of assistance, I walked back up, crossed over the bottom gate so as to drop the offside paddle once the lock was full. The gate was opened, he brought his boat in and was just closing the gate as his partner arrived with some shopping, she stepped on board and took over the helm, well once she’d sorted herself out by which time the chap had already lifted a bottom paddle. I waited for a thumbs up from the helm. When the gates opened she seemed a touch bemused that there was a boat sitting waiting in the lock below!

We paused for lunch and a top up shop at the handy Co-op before carrying on. Our aim for the day was to get ahead of ourselves again and get towards the bottom of the Atherstone flight so we could climb them all tomorrow instead of just the bottom two.

More wonderful gardens including the one where they really must hoover the grass to keep it so immaculate!

Clouds were gradually gathering. Some impressive cirrus above our heads, their long whisps stretching off.

At Alvecote Marina we looked at the old work boats that moor there and hunted round for a blue boat with a bench on the bow. There she was NB Harnser having a little rest between cruises.

Under the M42 where a couple were busy painting their roof making use of the shade from the bridge and easy mooring with armco.

A short distance on there is a little island, behind which are some private moorings, NB Spartacus being one of them. The proposed route of HS2 will pass directly over the heads of these boats as it clings to the route of the motorway.

Onwards some more, not quite wanting to get to the bottom of Atherstone today. We passed under the railway and then skirted round a small hill which we hoped would shield us from the trains. A couple of boats were moored up their tabby cat sitting watching the world go by. A bit further and we passed NB Burghley Girl, we pulled up a little way on from them as yesterday I’d seen them walking their Siamese cat. Not often you get three boats in a row all with cats. We kept our distance so each feline could enjoy their own patch of towpath.

Tilly was straight out, along the cat walk at speed. She’s seen some movement up ahead that would require a pounce into the friendly cover. Would two hours be sufficient? Six would have been better!

A copy of a script was printed out as a quinoa crust quiche cooked in the oven. Time to get my head round my next show as before I know it I’ll be doing costume fittings. The quiche went down very well accompanied by some Jersey Royals, there’s enough left over for a couple of days time too.

2 locks, 14.24 miles, 2 lefts, 1 turned lock, 0 apology, 5 zoomers, 0 shots fired, 1 Saturday newspaper the last copy in the shop! 3 cats in a row, 32 pages, 1 quiche, 2 more colours on the crochet blanket.

https://goo.gl/maps/FonQdQVCRQLEW7o98

Thumbs up. Not enough time for a stamp of approval. Reusable blocks still being problematical!

If Only You Could Change The Sound Track. 3rd June

Branston Lock to Alrewas Lock

Today we managed to get going earlier. A limit has been imposed on the length of time we take to have a cuppa in bed and instead of having our second drink after breakfast we have it with it. We don’t want to be rushing things in the morning not unless we really have to, but so far we’ve saved a full hour.

Branston Lock was surrounded by Canadian geese this morning. Four adults looking after their creche, so I talked to them nicely and requested that they allow me to walk round the lock to open paddles and gates. By the time Oleanna had risen in the lock another boat had arrived to come down, the lady came to work the lock, but the geese were not quite so amenable to her. So we left so that they could enter the lock before having to get anywhere near the geese again.

In the last five years plenty of building work has been going on. A new estate to the west of the canal and quite a few houses appearing close to The Bridge Inn. This was where we’d planned to moor last night, but maybe despite the noise from the road our mooring had been better last night as we didn’t get disturbed by early building works.

Next up Tatenhill Lock. What a pretty lock it is with it’s cottage alongside Link.

Then we had to breath in to pass through bridge 36, hoping the spread we’ve seen to our waistlines lately hasn’t expanded Oleanna’s gunnels. She fitted no problem.

Just looking at the scene you’d never guess that on one side lorries carrying aggregate and concrete were hammering past to and from the works, on the other side the busy A38. If only someone could change the soundtrack this would be a wonderful stretch of canal. It’s places like this that we wonder what it was like in March last year when the country closed down.

The noise slightly dulled at Barton Lock with buildings between the canal and the road. Here a group of what I’m assuming were Duke of Edinburgh canoeists were pulling their boats out above the lock, which meant the towpath was quite congested just as I wanted to look at some plants that had been left with an honesty box. As Oleanna finished rising I spotted that there were some wild strawberry plants for sale, I requested some coinage from Mick and we left with a tray of flowering plants. I just need to find containers to plant them in.

The canal now sits alongside the A38, so busy with traffic. We played our game of waving at the lorry drivers to see who would respond. We had quite a few beep beeps but got more waves back. Glad we brought smiles to some faces today.

Ahead at Wychnor Lock a boat had come out from Barton Turns marina and was ascending. I went up to chat and help. The paintwork on the boat had seen better days but I soon spotted that it was a Narrowcraft boat, NB Lillyanne (Lillian) was a Narrowcraft. I mentioned that we’d had a bright yellow boat from the same builders. The chap wearing a suitably coloured polo shirt said he’d most probably driven Lillian. When they had been having their boat built he had been asked if he could move a bright yellow boat to be sign written, he’d been warned that the colour would attract attention.

Now the canal meets up with the River Trent for a while, the next pound having numerous bridges to keep the towpath dry. A warning to keep away from the weir means giving the engine some extra umph.

Alrewas Lock needing setting but that was soon done and Oleanna had reached her destination for the day, just slightly ahead of schedule. Well we’d rather stay here than back alongside the A38. There was also a butchers to visit.

A full on six hours for me today! Well that was until I was told off for breaking the first boat cat rule! She wasn’t too pleased with me bringing a friend home, popping it on our bed got a different reaction.

After a small top up shop at the Co-op and Coates the butchers I got on with adding some colour to my illustration. Then it was time for the Scarborough Chums zoom with a special guest this week, the lovely Susie Blake.

The evening was spent sat out doors chatting to our boat neighbours. We had another barbecue, well the butchers had some nice looking lamb steaks and asparagus which we couldn’t see go to waste.

5 locks, 5.54 miles, 1 hour quicker, 1 sunk boat removed from lock, 4 strawberry plants, 0 pots, 6 beeps, 8 waves, 1 wolf whistle, 1 yellow helmsman, 6 hours, 2 lamb steaks, 2 pork steaks, 1 pork pie, 1 bunch asparagus, 2 pints milk, 1 perfect mooring for a barbecue, 1 fender discussion, 1 friend, 1 illustration coming along, 1 Susie, 1st episode, 2nd series Line of Duty, 1 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval.

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Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna

Category Archives: Food

A True Boater. 1st July

The Waterway With Christine And Paul. 30th June

Birthday Boy. 28th June

Leckenbys. 25th June

Fret! Breach 53. 18th June

The Sandwich Dive. 17th June

A Little Bit Disappointing.14th June

Too Many Visitors! Breach 52. 10th June

No, I’m Spartacus, 5th June

If Only You Could Change The Sound Track. 3rd June