Category Archives: Model making

From One Catwalk To Another. 4th July

Chisnell Lift Bridge to Dashwood Lock

A sausage day! Well it seemed like it would be a sausage day a I was allowed out to explore first thing, but it turned out not to be. She and Tom were up and outside chatting to Roots Tom and She quite early. I went along to check out their boat and their catwalk. A suitable size, but not such a good view inside. How’s a cat meant to be nosy?! They untied the outside, we’d still got hold of it so it couldn’t get away, and then they drifted silently away.

Time to find some friends!

***A good vantage point, now go away!***

Soon after breakfast there was a toot of a horn. Julie and Simon on NB Perseus had arrived a few boats back quite late yesterday evening. They’d seen a gap near us but hadn’t wanted to moor next to someone they didn’t know at that time of evening, little did they know at the time it was us.

**Simon and Julie** **another Lady of Finesse**

They pulled in for a quick catch up in the rain. We’d all be getting wet today! Good to see them again and be less aware of keeping space between us, last time we met we had covid. Hopefully we’ll get chance one day to sit out on the towpath and have an evening with them, but today they were on a more serious mission than us, hoping to reach Henley by Thursday.

By the time we’d finished our morning routine several boats had come past. Paul yesterday had warned us that only one top paddle was working at Somerton Deep Lock so it was taking an eternity to fill. We didn’t rush to get away, but also sooner or later we’d need to join the queue.

A group of high vis stood looking at the underside of Chisnell Lift Bridge. Was there something wrong with the bridge, we’ve seen it down before when the farmer has been in the field across the way.

**Wonder how long this will take to move?**

Arriving at Somerton Deep Lock we joined the end of the queue, three boats ahead of us and one already going down. The boats nudged up. One boat came up, another down, the filling of the lock taking forever. One boat was mob handed opening and closing the heavy gates. I picked up a windlass and walked up to see if I could help as did the lady from the hire boat in front.

A chap who’d been helping, headed to get his boat from below, he was a boat mover heading for Wilton. People around the lock helped him with the gates. A chap lifted the one working paddle to fill the lock. He paused halfway up and left his windlass on the paddle gear. This always makes me wince as it is bad practice. When he did it again after lifting the paddle fully I shouted across. I can’t remember exactly what I said, but I did follow it up explaining that if anything should break on the paddle gear then that windlass would likely spin off at great speed, a broken arm, lost teeth possibly.

As we waited for the boat to come up I chatted away to the lady from the hire boat, they’ve been hiring for around twenty years, so quite a bit of experience.

The boat mover thanked everyone as he left and the next boat was brought into the lock. The gate was being closed by a lady from the boat and I walked up to add my bum to the job. As I walked up she walked away saying that as the paddles get lifted it would close. The gate was quite a bit away from being closed and would likely make a big bang closing this way. I continued to push the gate, the lady walked down towards the bottom gates then because she wasn’t needed she got onto her now descending boat, saying that she was now redundant.

Then mutterings could be heard about hire boaters from the couple on the boat as it descended. Were they complaining that the hire boat crew weren’t helping. The lady I was chatting to had to say something, did they have a problem with her? They obviously did have a problem. I walked up to see what it was. A tirade came from the chap at the helm. ‘Don’t you know you should ask before helping at locks!’

I explained that we’d come along to help if needed and to be sociable. ‘My crew are more than capable!’ Well we hadn’t done anything other than help close a gate for them, no risk of us sinking their boat! If there had been need of anyone lifting paddles I would most certainly have asked if they wanted assistance, I never assume and never lift a paddle without confirmation, I even wait for someone to reappear at the helm if they’ve gone inside before winding my windlass.

The man was so rude. ‘Well we’ll have to make sure we don’t catch you up’ I said. Maybe he’d had a problem with me calling over to his crew regarding the windlass, or maybe he was just Hireist, those who are prejudiced against hire boaters no matter what. The lady from the hire boat was quite rightly p*d off with the amount of abuse they are getting from boat owners. We stood back and let them leave.

No-one was coming, time to fill the lock. I then asked the hire boat lady, ‘Can I help you with the lock?’ We both laughed.

Still a queue of four boats behind. Mick and I worked ourselves down, the following boat only coming to close the gate behind us. Except there was a boat arriving below, the chap walked away. Hope someone asked if they could help!

It was now raining quite hard. Should we continue or pull in on the meadows? There was space. If we carried on we’d want to get to Muddy Slipper before stopping due to there being a big black hole of everythingness around Heyford (no phone signal, internet or TV). With a zoom meeting planned for tomorrow and slow progress today we decided we’d best stay wet and carry on to the other side.

Heyford Common Lock, Allens (Alan! Alan!!) Lock, then the long section before you reach Mill Lift Bridge. Key of power was utilised here. Many hire boats were at home in Lower Heyford, one couple being briefed for a few days afloat.

Dashwood Lock then appeared on the soggy horizon. The hire boat just going down, another lady assisting with the bottom gate. I walked up to see if Muddy Slipper was free, it was occupied. Thankfully there is space for a couple of boats before the lock landing above the lock, so we pulled back and tucked ourselves up close to another boat. Time to dry off.

An afternoon of Tilly not being overly impressed of the wet outside that we’d tied up. I got my paints out to see how best to paint my rain forest portals and cloths. Of course as usual I changed my mind. Tomorrow I’ll give it another go.

This evening to help warm us and the boat up we’ve had a roast, well nut roast, but with squash, beetroot and roasted potatoes. Very tasty and just what we needed at the beginning of July!

3 locks, 6.2 miles, 2 lift bridges, 1 under examination, 2 cat walks, 2nd Lady of Finesse in a week, 1 very wet day, 2 miserable sods, 1.5 hours to get through Somerton Deep, 1 black hole cruised through, 1 router not working, 1 hot spot better, 2 versions to be revised.

https://goo.gl/maps/M8Jmu33mVx6jtBvS7

Finesse Ladies. 1st July

Dink and Malc’s to Premier Inn Banbury

More boats came past from Banbury. They started at around 6am with four having passed us before we were even enjoying a cuppa in bed. By the time we moved ourselves nine boats had come past, I kept a tally for a while but got bored when it reached eighteen.

Tilly was given an hour or so of shore leave whilst we had breakfast. Plenty on offer this morning, just a shame Mick forget about the existence of the black pudding which had been sitting patiently in the fridge to be eaten. Oh well, it just means we’ll have to have another cooked breakfast soon!

Tilly was called from the sideways trees and friendly cover, time for her to have a snooze and for us to move into town, hopefully we’d find a space at Spice Ball Park.

Round the corner a Twyford Wharf hire boat had been moored overnight, the new holiday makers just moving onboard whilst two chaps clung onto the ropes. As Spice Ball came into view so did the boats that had come past us last night. All spaces I’d noted yesterday were filled, no choice but for us to be in the centre of town. Sorry Tilly.

There were plenty of uphill facing boats, many must have stopped for the night or to go shopping , there was quite a turn around of neighbours. Mick looked into the electric bollards. These were here last year but not working. Today they were. Despite the charge being 95p a kwh he decided to create an account and credit £5. We’ll be here for a couple of days and with our reduced battery capacity it would be nice to have power without running the engine. It took a bit of faffing to set up, but soon power flowed into Oleanna.

I packed up my next pair of socks and popped them in the post. These were a try out pair for a friend who wears braces on her legs. Longer than I’d normally knit and of different sizes, I may not have got the legs quite right. Ali let me know any amendments so that I can work them into the next pair.

Time to have a tidy up and rationalise my work things. Then I can start to make a mess again.

Late afternoon there was a ‘Hello’ from outside the boat. This was Liz and Mark from NB Azzurra a Finesse boat that was built a couple of years after Oleanna. Last year when we met NB Barberella on the River Nene I was added to a Whatsap group The Ladies of Finesse. Very little had been posted for a few months but Tilly’s choice of welldeck to explore at Cropredy had prompted me into posting this week. It turns out that not only NB Perseus is based around here but Liz and Mark happen to live in Banbury, so a meet up had been arranged.

Liz’s face was familiar as soon as I popped my head out the back. It took all evening for us to pin point when we’d met before. February 2019, NB Azzurra was in build at Finesse and we’d returned to have a leaking window replaced and the gas locker lid hinges sorted, they had been on a visit to check on the build, the first full electric boat Finesse built.

We had a lovely evening with Liz and Mark. A pint of Hooky ale was enjoyed by all at Ye Olde Reine Deer Inn, a pint of Oat Sower for me a rare treat. Then we headed to Jool for an Indian meal and more conversation. Mark is a Waterways Chaplain for the Oxford Canal south of Banbury and Liz currently commutes to Glasgow three days a week as a radiographer.

Our paths are likely to cross a bit over the next few weeks as they will be heading the same direction as us, only a little bit faster.

0 locks, 0.4 miles, 2 hours shore leave, 1 pair of socks, 1 breakfast, 18 at least uphill boats, 1 wind tunnel, 95p! 3rd Finesse lady met, 4 pints, 4 currys, 1 bored cat, 1 spider rescued.

https://goo.gl/maps/9pqwDK4n5TYRUqVm8

We Shall Go To The Ball, With Added Photos. 30th June

Slat Mill Lock to near Dinc and Malcs

The internet was getting seriously annoying below Slat Mill Lock, we’d not be able to put up with it for another day and anyhow there were things that needed to be bought and picked up in Banbury, time to move on a bit.

Jumpers were required, todays temperatures wouldn’t reach the lows suggested on the BBC last night (8C) but it was still parky out there. The lock cottage at Bourton Lock looked a little bit more dishevelled than I remembered it and was that more graffiti scrawl?

Would the internet be better on the next mooring, possibly but the noise from the M40 would be too much, we carried on, hoping the wind direction would alleviate the noise on the other side of the motorway. Down Hardwick Lock, the last lock before Banbury. The noise was better so we pulled in still a distance out of town, but walkable to Waitrose and Banbury Cross Retail Park.

Tilly enjoyed some towpath time whilst I took photos of my model pieces. A lens fell out of my computer glasses, I’d not be able to do any more work until they were mended. Time to walk into town.

The spillway by Hennef Way was taking the extra water away from the pound, I wondered if that would continue for much longer, would Banbury Lock reopen today. A boat came past, they’d not come up the lock, but it was looking like later today or Monday. Good news.

I went to have a look at the lock. Vans and high vis filled the area, at least 10 C&RT staff on hand.

One chap was busy down in the dry doing something to the gate. A post from Banburyshire Info had been posted a short time before suggesting the lock would reopen soon, but the ‘Little Footpath’ as it’s known locally would have to wait to be reinstalled. The ‘Little Footpath’ being the walkway on the top gate.

The chap was busy grinding off the supports that had held the walkway in place, there were also missing timbers that used to connect it to the beam. Here’s hoping none of the locals try to cross the gate, as they all do instead of using one of the two proper bridges, someone could end up being really quite soggy!

Plenty of gongoozling going on by locals and boaters. One chap was trying to be helpful whilst at the same time complaining that boats were moored on the water point and the owners had gone shopping. Just where would the crane boat go? There was plenty of room by the Premier Inn, but would they get the crane boat turned to go through the lift bridge? Would it then be in the way of Tooley’s trip boat?!

It looked like a metal collar had been fabricated to add to the top of the rotten gate. This had diagonals down to the top of the gate and then two large plates had been bolted and welded on, one on each side, presumably to hold the gate together. I suspect it’s a temporary repair that will last until there is a new gate made, possibly in next winters stoppages.

Things looked like they were going in the right direction, but the stop planks were still in, I headed of to get my glasses mended, then returned.

The stop planks were out, the top gate back with water up against it. One top paddle was half lifted and the crane boat was slowly rising in the lock. Success. Many hands were busy removing all the fencing around the lock.

The top gate was opened, I didn’t actually notice it opening, so it must have been easy. Then the crane boat had to wait for the last obstacle, the plank across the top of the lock, to be moved.

**The first civilian boat to go through** **at 3pm**

People above the lock stood at their tillers, who would be first? Certainly one boat had only arrived yesterday as they’d passed us. There was a pause, the crane boat now out of the way. Everyone looked round, would boats be allowed through? A C&RT chap gave a big beckoning wave to the boat I’d seen moored above the lock on Monday. The joy on their faces. She hopped off to close the gate, was told to get back on by the chap at the helm. Then she jumped off again, the gate closed behind them and soon the bottom paddles were lifted, their boat descending away from Castle Quays. In all the excitement they’d forgotten to lift their fenders!

A lady from the first boat to come up stood behind me. Her boat was a share boat and this would be their first ever lock. ‘What do I do?’ I offered to give her a hand, but there were so many people about waiting for their turn I’d have been surplus. The excitement was over, lock working, time to get back on with what I was really in town for.

I picked up a few things, I’d missed the bank then started walking out to the retail park. Drizzle was not good for the pad of tracing paper I’d just bought. I took refuge in Dunelm hoping it would stop, it just got heavier. I wondered around looking for something we might need then I could get a bag, a plastic bag to protect the tracing paper. Thankfully a new bolt of fabric was being opened up, it’s plastic covering would be just the thing, marvellous.

Next up was Hobbycraft for green paints. My paint kit has two shades of green, but as Cinderella is set in the rainforest I could do with a selection.

Tilly greeted me on the towpath, the excitement of the lock reopening had missed her by, but Mick had been counting the passing boats. Six had passed by the time I got back, no notice from C&RT to say the lock was open.

In the boaters update this evening there was a link to Maintenance, repair and restoration work this weekend. I clicked the link for the Oxford Canal. The notice had been update at 17:01, but not emailed out to those waiting to hear the news.

Repairs to the lock gate have been successfully delivered by our team. Navigation open

Well done C&RT for getting the lock and navigation working again. But your communication skills ….

2 locks, 1.17 miles, 1 chilly morning, 2 pairs of glasses requiring repair, 1 chap angle grinding, 9 watching, 10 removing the fencing, 1 crane back up, 1 boat down, 1 ecstatic crowd, 30 sheets tracing, 4 shades of green, 11 boats gone past this evening, 2 boaters and 1 cat back on track for the south, 0 notice.

https://goo.gl/maps/YBtJ9vRPaZ28VauAA

A Kind Of Update, Update. 29th June

Cropredy Marina to below Slat Mill Lock

Our three days in the marina were up today. Being plugged in is all very nice, but there’s only so much washing you can do, well the curtains could have come down but the idea hadn’t crossed Mick’s mind. Tests on our electrics suggested the remaining two batteries would be fine now they’d had a full charge and also because of this Mick can now monitor them again. We’d only know for sure if we went back off grid.

Marina’s are not our natural habitat so we did chores making sure that the water was full, yellow water was disposed of and then went to say our goodbyes to Theresa in the office. Who knows we may be back.

This morning an updated notice came through from C&RT in regards to Banbury Lock.

Planned repairs to the damaged lock gate are progressing on site. Updates of this notice will be provided.

Well that wasn’t really an update, that’s an ‘Oh we didn’t give them an update when we said we would update them’ kind of update. Nothing to even guess at there, no stop planks went in yesterday and work continues on the damaged gate. When we fully know what we’re dealing with we will update the notice. We tend not to knock C&RT, they have an ever increasingly hard job to do, but their communication skills at times are next to none existent.

We reversed out of our pontoon and turned right out of the marina towards Banbury. A mooring was in mind for the day, but would someone have already snaffled it?

A single hander was just finishing at Cropredy Lock, so the local gongoozlers got to see two boats in quick succession going downhill. The lock cottage looked like they’d had a leak or flood, mats and rugs hung on the fence drying. No toy dog on the fence by the bottom gates, one day I will replace the one I saw there years ago, it made me smile.

**This fence so needs a little woofer in amongst the roses**

All the canoes were at home, no bobbing about on their wake would have to be endured, well for a while. NB Serendipity was passed at the services, they’d been into Banbury for shopping, winded and now were heading elsewhere for the rest of their weeks on board.

We’ve not noticed The Saucy Hound before, a cafe/junk shop just downstream of the services. It looks like hey do all day breakfasts and hot dogs. Who knows if we get stuck along this stretch we may have a visit.

I counted the number of boats on visitor moorings facing Banbury, 17. They won’t all be headed south of Banbury, but I suspect a good proportion are. We passed one boat with a sign in it’s cratch ‘Make compost not war’. Their array of black buckets on their roof suggested they have a system for their waterless toilet.

At Slat Mill Lock I noticed some old brickwork just behind the bollards on the offside. The boundary wall between the lock and field has a stretch of modernish brick. The earth also looks lower than that surrounding it at either end of the lock. Are these all signs that there used to be a lock cottage here?

Quite a few locks along this stretch of the Oxford have a lock cottage standing alongside. Cropredy, Bourton, Grants and Somerton all have a cottage. I spent some of this evening looking at old maps back to 1880’s and there was no mention of a cottage, just the lock, which was quite often referred to as Slatemill Lock, Slate Mill being a short distance away on the banks of the River Cherwell. I also couldn’t find any information elsewhere on the internet. If anyone knows more I’d be interested.

The award winning mooring, at the end of a length of piling was occupied by a C&RT tug and skip boat. How inconsiderate of them, don’t they know that they’d moored their boat on the best bit with wide towpath and clear to the sky for solar. We need solar more than we did now we’re down to 100AH of battery. We pulled back towards the lock, ants nest after ants nest meaning we got closer and closer to the lock.

The afternoon was spent sketching out a new clock for Cinderella, emailing it to John and then making a white card version of it for the model. I put together a white card model story board so that everyone can see what happens and when with regards to the set. Have to admit to running out of steam before taking photos of all the model pieces to assist the builders, but that can happen tomorrow.

Just before 7pm a new update came through.

Planned repairs to the damaged lock gate have progressed very positively today. We will be able to give an update on likely timescales for reopening navigation in tomorrows update

Well, that’s slightly better. ‘Timescales’ may just have been written without thought, to me it suggests there may be several openings. Maybe assisted passages, a temporary repair with a later closure, closed for a month, a week, a day? Who knows. Another update not really updating us, just trying to be positive. I’d show you an update from the Wigan flight or Huddersfield Narrow where you are given almost too much information, but that would be a whole blog post in itself.

However, facebook has interesting photos.

2 locks, 1.9 miles, 1 reverse, 1 right, 1 full water tank, 1 more wash load, 1 empty wee tank, 1 skip in the wrong place, 6 buckets to our 1, 1 cat’s tail held high again, oh that boat Tilly explored the well deck of in the marina, turned out to be NB Perseus another Finesse boat, Tilly has good taste, 1 bad internet connection, 1 boat on the move again tomorrow.

https://goo.gl/maps/aE1p8fMpizRXTiff6

One Bus A Week. 28th June

Cropredy Marina

Smarter clothes than boater clothes were put on this morning, time to take my white card model to Chippy and share it with the creative team. Cropredy doesn’t really have a bus service, well it does, on a Thursday, one bus into Banbury. Then there is one bus that returns an hour later. Or you can walk for half an hour for a more regular service, you may as well just keep walking on the towpath into town. No option but to get a taxi today.

I got dropped off at the new Premier Inn by Castle Quays so that I could walk to the bus station and check on the mooring situation and if anything had been happening with Lock 29, Banbury Lock.

As far as I could see above the lock there was plenty of space, who knows what it’s like further back at Spice Ball Park where many people prefer to moor. But there would certainly be room for Oleanna.

Two chaps in blue and high vis stood by the top gate, the gate with the problem. They were chatting to a chap and I overheard ‘Best case scenario’. I had to but in as I hadn’t heard the next bit, the bit everyone around here and further afield would like to know.

I wasn’t given the best case scenario but was told that today people would arrive from Oxford and London. Stop planks were likely to be put in to be able to drain the top end of the lock, but they doubted that the gate would be lifted out today. A crane boat was sitting just above the taped off lock waiting to be used. A couple walked past and asked me if there was any news, I relayed what I’d been told, basically no one would be moving today.

Below the lock the mooring situation was different than above. One boat on the services mooring, another opposite then at least two sets of boats breasted up under the bridge. I didn’t have time to walk any further as my bus was due.

I’d opted to arrive in Chippy an hour earlier than I needed to as this year I’ll be staying in different digs. Madeleine my new host had invited me to pop round to meet her and see her lovely house if I was in Chippy. Very handy for the bus stop at the other end of town from Suzanne’s where I’ve stayed before. I’m also nearer to the Co-op and Sainsburys which is handy. We had a chat over a cuppa and I got to look round.

Just time to grab something for lunch and walk to the theatre where John Terry (director not footballer) was getting ready to set up for our meeting. Half attendees would be in the room, the other half joined over the internet. Last year I’d done my final model showing on line and know how hard it is to get a camera set up for those on line to see properly. A laptop was tried but those in the room wouldn’t be able to see anything. Then a phone was used, this was much better.

With everyone present John and I talked our way through the show, scene to scene. Lots of questions from Gemma the production manager, a few from Sophie the costume designer and discussions with Nathan the lighting designer. John seemed very happy and informed me of various changes in the script that have happened recently cementing the twist we’d come up with for Cinderella’s coach. Just one alteration to do in the model, so I came away happy.

Paul, Louisa and myself then went down onto stage to check some measurements. My plans of the theatre have been based on incorrect plans I got the first year, gradually over the last five years I have updated and altered my master plan. But still dimensions needed checking. There would be 2m depth behind the backdrop. Items to be hung on tracks closely together were worked out and subtracted from distances between bars, my guestimate had been correct. Then we worked our way through where items would be stored and how some pieces would best be split for ease of moving. All done, time for a cuppa whilst scanning the drawings. I checked the time of the next bus, blimey seven minutes! I was off and on my way.

Back in Banbury I walked up to the lock, it’s handily positioned right by the bus station. Fencing around the lock had been erected during the day.

Stop planks were doing a good job of holding back the water above the lock and the lock was drained.

**Brought from doing towpath works by the look of it**

The crane boat had been moved to below the lock and was now facing uphill. The bottom gates still chained shut.

I’ve since seen footage of the crane boat being moved mob handed by C&RT staff. The top gate which had been quiet this morning when I’d visited was gushing forth soo much water!

Looking at the gate this evening nothing was immediately obviously the problem. But at least now those working to mend it can see everything without water gushing everywhere.

C&RT had said there would be an update today, but none came through. We hope to hear something tomorrow.

I walked to the station to get a taxi. This gave me the opportunity to see how many boats were moored below. I counted two facing away from the lock and then seventeen facing towards it. This was only as far as I could see towards the old foundry. Who knows how many were around the next bend at the Tramway?

Back at Oleanna Mick has had a busy day. He’d washed just about anything and everything, we’ve got fresh towels for the second time this week! The bilge pump float switch has been fitted, the stern glad tightened.

He’d also got in touch with Mark from LiFe Batteries in Cornwall who is highly recommended on the 12volt group on Facebook. We’d have no problem adding a new battery to our two older ones, he’d need to set it up correctly to match them. However the footprint of such a battery (100AH, so twice the capacity of the one that has failed) would mean that it wouldn’t fit in our battery tray.

**Looking back to the queue below the lock plenty more behind me**

Mick asked about replacing all three but with two, but twice the capacity. The existing battery tray wouldn’t accommodate them either. During the day he’d been thinking about changing where we locate the batteries. Being lithium they don’t have to be in the engine bay, so they could move inside and into the cupboard we call The Shed. This was designed to hold a Brompton bike and have a hanging rail. It now holds life jackets, extra coats, handheld hoover, scarves etc and really could do with a proper sort out. The base of it would certainly be big enough for new batteries, they would then have a shelf above them to protect the terminals, then it could be a more organised Shed. The batteries being indoors would also help them to charge in cold weather.

All of this cannot be done straight away. So our current plan is to cope with 100AH until later in the year. This will almost certainly mean turning the freezer off to help live within our means.

0 locks, 1 drained and fenced in, 0 miles, 2 taxis, 2 buses, 1 new host, 1 new deli to try, 1 model showing, 1 big thumbs up, 2 meters tick, 1.5 meters tick, 1 clock to alter, 6 boxes pasta, 14 scans, 42 copies, 1 dash for the bus, 17 waiting, 100AH to live with, 1 clean pooh box, 1 unhappy cat.

Electrical Means. 27th June

Cropredy Marina

**My assistant avoiding doing any assisting!**

Kind of handy to have a day without moving before heading off for a white card model meeting for panto. I got the drawing board out again to do a ground plan and section of the set. The section is useful to check sight lines, making sure things you don’t want to be seen until a certain point can be kept well out of view. This is a touch hard at Chippy because they don’t really have a fly tower, so things either have to concertina up on themselves or only be a certain height to start off with. A section is also useful for the lighting designer.

I also had time to run through the model doing all the changes, a kind of dress rehearsal for tomorrow when I do it in front of the creative team. Then I did a few sketches of some big props and puppets, these were only basic but enough to convey the basic idea of them.

All day boats have been heading downstream, quite a few hire boats. I wonder how many don’t know about Banbury Lock being shut. Yes there is a notice on a lock beam, yes there is a notice on line that you can sign up to. But not everybody looks or knows to look. I’m hoping to get to Banbury early tomorrow so that I can check out the mooring situation and see what’s happening at the lock before catching a bus out to Chippy.

On board Oleanna the two working batteries seem to be doing okay, they have charged up on the shore line. So the loose connection on the alternator will have been to blame for their sorry state. The temporary fix to bypass the failed battery needs to be made more permanent until we decide how to proceed. One new battery or three?

We are now down to two thirds of our normal amp hours. This was the original capacity Oleanna was specked with, we then changed our minds and wanted a third battery. This has served us well, but we’d been thinking we might upgrade to twice the capacity now that lithium batteries are more advanced, cheaper and easier to get hold of than they were seven years ago.

However for the time being we need to live within our electrical means. We’ll see how we go, but the first thing that will get switched off will be the freezer as when it’s hot it is working continuously. I’ve not restocked it and meals are currently planned around eating it empty. A big Sainsburys order arrived this morning, the wine cellar is restocked with boxes so that will make up for the freezer being off. Chicken curry new style tonight, lots of spices, but not too hot, yum.

This evening Mick turned the shore power off to see how the two batteries cope overnight on their own. Fingers crossed they survive the night.

0 locks, 0 miles, 4 loads washing, 2 tumble dries, 1 grounded cat, 1 Cr*predy! 1 model ready, 12 sheets of drawings, 2 batteries charging, 6 boxes under the back steps, 1 bag of peas to use up.

Topless Tunnel. 25th June

Bridge 123 to Claydon Top Lock visitor moorings

Another early start, pushing of at 6:30 with cuppas in hand. The lovely cool breeze was nice and refreshing as we wound our way along the summit pound of the Oxford Canal. Sun cream had been applied as few clouds showed themselves.

This morning our batteries hadn’t been complaining. At the moment we can’t check their state of charge properly, so all we can do is help them to keep topped up. Good job we want to keep on the move at the moment.

Wiggles and winds soon brought us to the contrasting landscape. One minute beautiful green fields, sheep grazing, bird song. Then round the next bend the huge mounds of earth from HS2 sat grey against the horizon. No activity today just earthwork scars across the gentle valley. I’d been at work last year when Mick passed this way so the new temporary bridge was new to me.

A short distance onwards the normally very popular moorings had only two boats on them! Blimey, maybe the HS2 works has put people off, or is it just the lack of view at this time of year with so much greenery about.

Late yesterday afternoon we had a Clifton Cruiser hire boat come past asking where the next winding hole was. Mick checked our map, Fenny Compton another two hours ahead. Their boat needed to be back in Rugby for Monday morning and today the temperature was due to hit 29C! Thankfully we passed them as we approached Fenny, already winded and heading back to base, a long hot day ahead of them.

Next Fenny Compton Tunnel where the roof was removed quite sometime ago. I looked for the towpath, but there was no sign of it amongst the cow parsley and nettles. As we passed through the narrowest part Oleanna had to push past the vegetation on both sides,

No need to stop at the old railway bridge today, no requirement for a festive wreath of ivy for the cratch. Then the first Oxford Canal lift bridge, sitting open to boat traffic.

The first mooring above the Claydon flight looked very nice and shady, sadly a boat was sat there. Strange conversations came from within as we passed, followed by a rendition of ‘Always Look on the bright side of life’. They had some sort of bird onboard, a parrot, a very vocal one.

Spaces were available on the rings before the bridge, we pulled in leaving an Oleanna sized gap between us and the next boat. Tilly was given an hour, knowing full well she’d take far more. The kettle was put on and we could sit down to join the Geraghty zoom only five minutes late and our cruising for the day done.

Topics today, what to do with ripe tomatoes, the deepest loch in Scotland and cheating on school sports days. I wonder how much ketchup Christine’s one tomato would make?

A late breakfast as the sun started to come across and hit the roof and both sides of the boat. Hopefully late afternoon would see us into shade.

Cricket was listened to, Tilly came and went, often opting to lie on the bathroom floor as she was too hot again. I worked my way through my Cinderella model, making sure I’d got everything and taking photos as I went so as to be able to do a new version of the storyboard.

During the afternoon a Carefree Cruising boat pulled up behind us, another foot would be good. Both Mick and a chap from the boat behind went out to see if we could adjust our ropes to accommodate them, this was soon sorted. Their dog took a fancy to Tilly at one point. Her popping out from the sideways trees, she got chased back in through the hatch. I showed her the front door entrance which she used for much of the remainder of the day.

She and Tom gave me an extra way on and off the boat too. Part of the see through sides was removed, just the hammocks left in place. She had to hold them closed at one point as the woofer walked past and all I wanted to do was stick my tongue out at it. She said because the glass wasn’t there I wouldn’t be safe, so not to be so cocky! I tried shouting at me later, but I just moved further down the towpath to get away from the noise.

My model is now complete, just a few bits to do before my meeting. Hoorah! Despite good solar for much of the day Mick felt it necessary to run the engine again at around 7 for half an hour to help charge our batteries, Boo!

Sadly the wind was too strong to sit out and cook our dinner on the barbeque, the defrosted pork was chopped up and made into paprika peppery pork, very tasty.

We ended the day by watching Elton John at Glastonbury. All the lyrics imprinted on our brains. Very evocative of my sixth form days and parties that ended up on the flat roof of my parents house watching the sunrise. Those parties were great parties. Elton still blasting out the tunes in tune unlike one onlooker in the crowd!

0 locks, 9.3 miles, 1 lift bridge lufted, 1 topless tunnel, 5 fields of broad beans, 3.5 hours cruise before breakfast, 1 hot day, 1 model complete, 2 batteries struggling, 1 near miss, 1 more entrance, 0 bbq, 1 pair of braces needed for a gold suit.

https://goo.gl/maps/4tWRBqK6hhwK4naFA

Snake In The Grass. 24th June

Napton visitor moorings to Prior Hardwick Bridge 123

Our lithium batteries had turned themselves off overnight, not a good sign. Good job we planned on setting off early. A cuppa was made and we pushed off at 6:30 and as quietly as we could we made it round the bend to the water point. As the tank filled we had breakfast then we pushed over to the other side to empty the yellow water tank and dispose of rubbish.

Time to enjoy the narrow locks. The bottom one was empty, as we rose up a hire boat came towards us from the moorings in the first pound. The ladies chatted away, it had been their first narrowboat holiday and maybe they’d be doing it again. Because we’d been chatting I’d got out of my usual routine closing paddles and the of side was still up as the gate was opened. I reminded them that it was up, the ladies took note.

**I only had two beers last night! Why am I seeing double?**

I walked up to set the next lock, the first few were obligingly empty for us, the pounds a touch low though. Thankfully the lowest pound could be topped up with a lock full of water from above.

**Bubbling below an empty lock as the lock above was emptied**

The first down hill boat, a couple exploring the whole network, they’d been at it for 2 years and have no end date as yet. They had come through Banbury and had serious difficulty at the now closed lock. It had taken several people to open the top gate, some having to sit on it, as far as it would open. Then as their boat came out of the lock it rose up over something possibly on the gate.

**Nice views, water buffalo not visible from here though**

At the last lock in the flight we met our third downhill boat. I walked over to the lady, she jumped in (not into the water!) asking me to cross over to the other side where I’d be able to open a bottom paddle for them. I replied that I was happy to do that but thought I’d come and say Good Morning first. She was obviously in locking mode, they were hoping to grab a space below the flight left by a hire boat returning to base, hopefully one of at least three spaces would still be free for them. She also warned me to mind where I put my feet at Marston Doles bottom lock.

I opted to walk to the next lock, about a mile. The towpath narrowed as it does on the Oxford Canal. Some sections narrowed even more due to bank erosion. Then I was soon walking through the overgrown towpath. A manchette at times would have been handy. I managed and got to enjoy being surround by butterflies and damselflies galore. Plenty of wild flowers to keep the insects happy. There are plenty of people complaining on the lack of mowing on the towpaths at the moment, this stretch did feel like it had not seen a strimmer this year.

At Marston Doles Bottom Lock I kept my eyes peeled. Then there it was, a 2ft long grass snake on the lock landing, very dead. I wonder how it met it’s demise?

The pound in between the two locks was really quite low and when I reached the top lock a C&RT worker was letting water down. The top lock has had new gates which are successful in holding back the water. The bottom lock however leeks like a sieve, so every morning the pound requires topping up.

Once up we swapped with another downhill boat and carried on our way. When did we last head southwards on the Oxford Canal? We seem to cruise the Oxford most years, because of Panto. We spent a while thinking about it, a check on the blog just now and it turns out it was 2018 when we last headed south. That’s ages ago!

Originally we’d planned on doing a few more miles and getting close to the HS2 crossing, but Mick was after stopping sooner so as to spend some time with our troubled batteries. A length of armco showed itself with a slightly wider area where we’d be able to sit out for a barbecue this evening. We pulled in just gone 10am and soon adjusted our fenders as few boats seemed to be slowing down to pass us.

Mick waited for the engine to cool off, lifting the engine board to assist. Tilly headed off into the friendly cover, but fairly soon returned complaining that This outside is far too hot! Too hot for cats!!!

Mick spent some time down in the engine bay, trying to alter the bus bars that connect our three lithium batteries so as to cut out the one that is failing. He’d found a suitable sized bolt, but not a nut to fit it. We looked in all the obvious places for a nut, boxes of bits and bobs. Nothing. The hunt extended to boxes of things under the dinette. Eventually I looked at a brand new attachment of doom (a handy grinding disc useful for rust removal). In the bag was a bolt, a nut and a washer, would the nut fit?

Well it was the right size but the thread wasn’t the same. How’s about using the bolt from the attachment of doom instead? This worked so long as you remembered that the thread went in the opposite direction to normal. Finally the failing battery was isolated, leaving us with two batteries and 100 amp hours at 24 volts.

The afternoon was spent adding elements to my white card model. These are details that I’d normally add when upgrading the model to a coloured model, but I felt it important to do them now as they’d affect quotes from set builders. So the Town Square went from being 2D to 2.5D.

An early evening engine run was required. Would the two batteries we’re left with work as they should do, or have they been brought down by the faulty one?

Burgers and sausages were popped on the bbq along with a foil package of butternut squash. The squash ended up being cooked for a little bit too long, one side a touch black, but roasted with some oil and thyme it was still nice. Our mooring was ideal for the evening.

**Just about zero footfall, what a good spot for a bbq**

Once the temperature had started to drop Tilly headed out again, maybe a little bit late in the day. All the time we were sat out we could tell that she wasn’t far away, her bell giving away her location. Then as we moved inside I called and called. The dingding bell was dinged. No sign of Tilly.

I tried several more times to call her inside, each time I’d hear just enough from the sideways trees to know she was close. So there was nothing for it but to just leave her to finish being busy and come back in her own good time. 10pm, 10PM!!!! Well you are the one’s that tied up the hot outside!

9 locks, 3.5 miles, 4 passed, 2ft of snake, 1 full water tank, 1 empty wee tank, 1 top up, 10 improvements, 2 batteries better than 3 (we hope!), 1 nut short, 1 attachment of doom to the rescue, 2 Mrs Tilly stamps of approval.

https://goo.gl/maps/SfAKMQWmGCPtfvVB6

Appointment With A Stranger. 19th June

Rowington Embankment to Cape of Good Hope Visitor Moorings

Up early again! Breakfasted and on our way just gone 7:30, we had about an hours cruise before we’d reach the top of the Hatton flight. Shrewley Tunnel was really quite wet, Mick had remembered his waterproof, I’d forgotten and got quite damp and chilly. Yesterdays rain had helped reduce the temperature so I soon popped on a fleece, knowing full well it wouldn’t stay on long.

Two people climbed off a hire boat at the end of the moorings above the flight. Were they just going to have a look at what lay ahead or were they about to set off? Would they have already picked up a boat to partner with? When they reached the lock they started to fill it, no sign of their boat following them, maybe they were just generous souls!

We checked to see if they were willing to share the flight with us, they were, but not sure when their boat would be arriving, the men were being tardy at pushing off, we could go ahead if we wanted to. Many hands make light work of the Hatton flight so waiting a few minutes would save many more minutes further on.

Philippa, Helen, Keith and Steve (?) were experienced hirers, out for two weeks. They’d already done the Avon Ring so had decided to use up their remaining days by descending Hatton, winding and returning tomorrow. The hire company had said that Birmingham was a bit grotty, so not to bother!

With three of us on the lock side I walked ahead to open up the next lock which was already full. I was also keeping an eye out for volunteers and a stranger. A volunteer was spied watching us from the bridge down the flight, then the blue and red vanished, maybe we looked as though we’d got everything sorted, we would do soon.

There was someone walking up the flight with purpose, could this be someone heading for a bacon butty at the cafe or might it just be the stranger I was looking for? She looked across at the boats in the lock, Oleanna tucked behind the ABC hire boat. We’d been a little bit early for our rendez vous and had jumped at the chance to share the flight. I called across, ‘Hello are you Jane?’ ‘Yes’, came the reply, ‘You must be Pip!’.

Jane is a colleague of my old college friend Emma who lives in Warwick. I’d messaged ahead a few days ago with the hope that we’d be able to meet up. Plans were put together and could they bring along their friend Jane who is wanting to buy a boat to live on. This then morphed into us having an extra pair of hands for the flight if we could do it on Monday morning. Never turn down the offer for assistance when faced with 21 broad locks!

Us ladies soon split up into two teams that would leapfrog each other down the flight. Philippa and Helen walked on down to the next lock to set it whilst Jane and I got chatting. I knew next to nothing about Jane other than she was keen to help today. She’d been on several holidays and earlier this year she’d done a helmsman course in Braunston where she learnt the normal things along with single handing and how to break ice! Therefore I didn’t have a novice on my hands.

On our way down we met two boats coming up, one with a couple of boys in blue assisting them, another had been helped up the first three but they were now on their own.

**Philippa and Helen waiting to open the lock**

Thankfully the sky was a touch cloudy, not too much to give concern, but enough to help keep the temperature down. Jane and I had a good old chat about all things boat, crafts, etc as we walked between locks and as we waited for Mick and Keith to bring the boats into our lock. We didn’t get chance to chat to Philippa or Helen as we were leapfrogging each other.

Mick checked to see if we required refreshments at the halfway point, but we were fine. Working every other lock with someone to chat away to makes for a less gruelling trip down the flight, certainly far far better than it just being the two of us, which we have done before.

Jane and I got to work the last lock of the flight, we maybe should have waited a touch longer before winding up our paddles so that Philippa and Helen could climb back on board with ease, instead they had to climb down a ladder, maybe they didn’t know about the steps down below the lock which would have been far easier.

There had been conversations at the helm of the hire boat that maybe Keith should swap with one of the ladies. This was turned down. The ladies were working the locks today, he and Steve were going to do them tomorrow, that’s if Steve has finished reading his book at the dinette by then.

We pulled over onto some armco and popped the kettle on. Some choc chip cookies had been freshly baked this morning, time for a well earned sit down for all of us.

Thank you so much Jane for joining us today, your enthusiasm for boats and the canals shone out, it was a pleasure having you as crew. I hope your house sale speeds up and then you can start in earnest to look for your boat and home. I hope our paths cross again soon.

The flight had taken us 2hours 22 minutes. Time to look back on previous passages. Back in 2013 (our first descent) we’d teamed up with another hire boat with six crew, today we’d beaten the 2 hours 30 minutes, in fact today was the fastest we’ve descended the flight. May 2016 was 3 hours 15 mins and February 2017 Mick managed the flight in 46 hours 34 mins due to my broken ankle and a storm holding us up for a day.

Todays time however didn’t beat our record which was when we teamed up with Nb Cygnet and had my brother and nephew as extra crew, when we managed to head up the locks in 2 hours 15 minutes. Maybe today if we’d not had to wait for the two up hill boats we’d have just beaten it.

We poolted on to around the corner almost opposite The Cape of Good Hope to moor for the day. Only one other boat when we arrived, but by the end of the day the moorings had filled up, including our locking partners from today, now ready to face the flight again tomorrow.

A jot of work this afternoon saw me go back through all the scenes of Panto, a few more notes taken and some of them worked through before it was time to freshen up and head to the pub.

Emma and her husband David had just arrived. It’s a couple of years since we last saw Emma and longer since we met David. Lots to catch up on and a lot of cat talk, they currently have seven in their house!

Normally I have a Kiwi Burger with a gluten free bun, but today I decided to try their gluten free option of fish and chips. Mick went to order our food, only to be told that the gluten free batter was made with beer. This isn’t that unusual as it’s normally made with gluten free beer, but today it sounded as if the gluten free batter would be made with normal beer, hence making it NOT gluten free! Maybe something was lost in translation, but it really didn’t make sense and as some of the first things I gave up because they weren’t agreeing with me were beer and fish and chips I really didn’t want to risk it. So instead I had one of their lovely burgers. At least I knew what I’d be getting.

A lovely evening with friends to end a good day at the locks.

21 locks, 6 miles, 1 hire boat with 4 crew, 1 inside, 1 valiant volunteer Jane, 0 volunteers to assist us, 1 super speedy descent, 3 cookies, 1 left, 4 hours shore leave, 1 model just about complete, 3 burgers, 1 fish fillet, 4 rustic chips, 7 beers, 2 glasses wine, 1 very lovely evening.

https://goo.gl/maps/mP6y1gKqNvkNi1VXA

Lush Green Narnia. 17th June

Dickens Heath Narrows to above Lock 6 Lapworth Flight

With a couple more hours on the flat today I got on with sorting out the coach for Cinderella whilst Mick popped on his waterproofs. Yes we had rain, but thankfully not too soaking.

A new improved version of the coach was drawn out to scale on a piece of thick paper and offered up into the model with all the relevant dressing for the scene. A reduction in width by 4inches would improve it’s look, but just how deep to make it? Will Cinderella’s dress be a big pouffy one that requires plenty of room so that she can sit down? In a usual setting for Cinderella this is likely to be the case, but in Chippy’s version set in Colombia, who knows? Well the costume designer may know. I chose a depth and then worked out how to make it in model form.

Mick pulled in at Lady Lane Wharf for a top up of diesel. £1.04 a litre considerably cheaper than in the centre of BUMingham. Mick also picked up a big bag of charcoal for £2.50, bargain, he should have got two!

Keeping an eye on where we were I managed to time my model making perfectly to have things that needed to dry with arriving at the lift bridges. The first one was so easily wound up, the last few turns of my windlass almost did themselves. This did however mean that something wasn’t quite in balance, so it was far harder to wind it back down.

A friendly soul had moored on the bridge landing, not too far to walk to the next bridge thankfully. Plenty of boats out on the hard for blacking at Swallow Cruises. The next bridge needs twice as many turns of a windlass, the amount of weight you are pulling up, or pushing down with the hydraulics is quite immense.

We’d been undecided as to where to moor today. Our schedule had us in the middle of the Lapworth flight, this could be tidged a bit either way. But neither place would be ideal. Should we crack on and complete the flight, or stop after the first four?

At Lock 2, Narnia Lock, we had a boat just leaving, a Calcutt Hire boat. If ever I get around to painting a mural in the top room of our house it will be based around Narnia Lock and the first time we came through it on NB Winding Down. I’ll just have to be creative in how I deal with the fireplace positioned centrally on the wall.

The next lock had a Canal Club boat just coming up, so all gates could be left.

We conferred. We’d do two more locks then moor up in the long pound before the thick of the flight. It was lunch time anyway.

I walked down to check if anyone was about to arrive below the two locks, one boat that had passed us this morning was just closing the bottom gates. I set the top lock then walked down to lift a paddle on the second one so that it could fill as we emptied the top one. I’d just started to empty the bottom lock as a boat showed itself heading towards us, no need to close the gates again.

**Someone’s going to have to climb the ladder**

Cowparsley and Hogweed are growing alongside each other in the next pound, thankfully not Giant Hogweed which you must keep away from as the sap causes blisters.

Tilly got to head off into the friendly cover, an extra instruction today, Please find your old collar! She was allowed an extension until 7pm, when her bum was wiggling ready for a pounce just by the back doors. Her preparation didn’t pay off, so it was easy to lure her inside for dingding.

The coach was finished and some lanterns added to my model. It’s just about ready for another look through the show, then hopefully I’ll be able to do sketch working drawings ready for quotes.

4 locks, 7 miles, 2 lift bridges, 0 held up, 5 hire boats, 4 hours stretched into 5, 1 coach, 7 lanterns, 5kg charcoal, 1 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval.