Category Archives: Moorings

Setting Up Office. 16th June

Bramble Cuttings

Last night we had more rain, thunder and lightening and when we woke it was still peeing it down! As we supped our cuppas in bed we could hear the boat behind us start up its engine and gradually pull away, when it came to taking a peek out of the side hatch we realised we were on our own, the boat in front of us had vanished. Oh well what a shame, Bramble Cuttings all to ourselves!

First job, after letting Tilly out, the yellow water tank. We tried to remember when we last emptied it and we think it was at Calverley! This job normally gets done every three or four days, we’d reached six days. No wonder it was making a slightly odd noise this morning! We considered heading up the canal to wind and return to make the job easier, but that could take a couple of hours and would our space still be here? So instead we pulled back to one end of the moorings with less overhanging trees and set the hose up over the top of Oleanna. The container we pump into had very little room left in it for even one rinse of the tank, the fullest it’s ever been.

The rain last night hadn’t been conducive to sussing out the phone signal. I remembered it wasn’t so good here and certainly in the cabin I only had Emergency calls. With the sun doing it’s best to show itself and the storm clouds having cleared I had a wander around the mooring to see if signal was better. First one picnic bench then another, a couple of faint dots appeared, hopefully that would do. Time to go to work.

Several of our shopping bags protected myself and the laptop from the very wet picnic bench. Then I was ready to make my call. Last week I’d caught up with the Director for Panto and today Helen the costume designer and I were going to have a designers huddle. Comparing notes and references, making sure that the two of us were heading in the same direction with the overall look of the show. After all I could have been heading down the Arthurian way and Helen setting the show in the 60s/70s. But both of us were on the same track. We shared a few ideas and decided which way to go with one character, both a puppet and an actor. Helen will design the costume then I’ll sort the puppet to match. A very good meeting and worth getting a slightly damp bum for.

Bramble Cuttings all to myself, well She and Tom were here too along with a few friends! Fewer now.

Whilst She chatted away I had a good nosy round, claimed all the benches as mine and enjoyed clambering up and down an old tree that had been cut short. Plenty of pouncing possibility. I soon found friends and brought them out of the friendly cover to play with. She wasn’t too impressed and I got taken inside on one occasion, ‘to give your friend a chance to run away!’ But I was soon back outside trying to track it down again. The use of a barbecue stand gave me extra height to see over the tall grass for any movement.

Next I had some thinking to do and an email to send. Yesterday my agent had been in touch regarding designing another show this year. With the theatre industry sitting on a knife edge at the moment this was quite a surprise.

In normal pre-covid and pre-boating days I’d have checked the dates seen that it fitted quite well with panto, said yes and started to pack my bags for another trip to Vienna. But life is not that way anymore.

Austria is ahead of us with Covid-19 and the Vienna English Theatre are starting to put together a plan to reopen later this year. I presume they have social distancing to deal with and then importing their actors, director and designer from England. The dates sit very close to panto and it would mean me being away from Mick and Tilly for a few weeks in a row. I’d return from Vienna and head straight to Chippy. Should the 14 day quarantine still be enforced I would not be able to do both. But if Panto can’t go ahead then it would be a shame to turn it down. So many factors no body knows the answer too. I sent an email to Chippy to see what the current feeling there is.

Mick checked the engine bay to see how much water had made it’s way down there yesterday in the storm. Only water where it is expected to be, the rest still dry, the drain around the engine board did it’s job well.

Early afternoon we were joined by a boat at the far end of the moorings, they proceeded to sand back to metal a portion of their gunnels, but after about an hour the world fell silent again and they pushed off heading towards Middlewich, leaving us all alone again.

The washing machine was put to use, but we didn’t dare hang it out as it would certainly get another rinse as late afternoon the sky started to rumble away again, this was soon followed by more torrential rain.

Thunder? What’s that?

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 empty wee tank, 1 office, 1 load washing, 2 designers in a huddle, 1 designer in a quandary, 2 dinky frogs, 6ft back to metal, 1 boat cat in heaven, 1 thunderous evening, 1 Tuesday roast of pork.

https://goo.gl/maps/WZMGP8SRNqi4NFzp9

Drenched. 15th June

Hannah’s Walk to Bramble Cuttings, Trent and Mersey Canal

It took quite a bit of persuading to get Oleanna away from the bank this morning, that grass at the bow was holding her in. Pushing off at the back and reversing out into the cut to give more room to swing her bow round eventually worked and we could head towards Wardle Lock.

A boat was just coming up the lock, I lent a hand and we chatted on opposite sides of the lock. This chap was travelling with three other boats from somewhere on the Bridgewater, heading towards Chester. He had an umbrella up over his roof and his dog was enjoying the shade it gave. His boat rose slowly as one paddle was wrapped in black plastic, but then this lock did always fill very quickly! Quite alarming on your first time if you didn’t heed the warnings on the gates.

We were soon in the lock and descending down onto the Wardle Canal, the shortest canal on the network all 154 ft of it. I didn’t bother heading to check if anything was coming, just shut up the lock and let Mick beep the horn instead.

Out of the Wardle Canal onto the Trent and Mersey. Left takes you to Northwich, Manchester, Liverpool, Lancaster even Leeds if you turn right at Wigan. Right takes you to Stoke, Stone, Birmingham, London. Straight on takes you to Carefree Cruising and Elton Moss Boat Builders.

Mick turned Oleanna to the left then reversed her back to the water point. Last time we were here this tap wasn’t in use, but today we thought we’d give it a try again. An adaptor was needed so that we could connect our hose then we waited for the tank to fill. Kings Lock Chandelers was open so Mick headed over to buy some oil for the next engine service. The sun was out and the aroma of chips wafted down from the chippy. Sadly Mick only returned with the oil, no bag of chips for lunch!

Just before we pushed off again a little boat popped out from under the bridge and turned towards the Middlewich locks, we’d be following.

The canopy over the Wharf was in the middle of getting a new coat of paint and several boats were moored on the off side. A new hire company has taken over the site, Floating Holidays. A look at their website and I realised that they are not a new company. For four years they have been based at Poynton on the Macclesfield Canal, but have taken the plunge by taking over the old Middlewich Narrowboats base. Really hope it works out for them after being stuck on the Macc due to lock closures over the years, we’ve also seen at least a couple of companies come and go from this site. If you fancy a boating holiday they are currently advertising a post covid discount.

They certainly are doing a lot of work around the place and signs are going up advertising their facilities. Even the dry dock was getting some attention as we passed.

There was a boat coming up in the first lock, so I lent a hand with the gate and offered a helping hand to the chap from the boat in front of us. Apparently another boat was coming up the locks so we should be able to swap with them, maybe these were two of the boats from the Bridgewater.

As the little boat came out from the bottom of the top lock the chap checked I’d be alright with the gates on my own. I said yes, my body weight most certainly twice his! The boat coming up was still in the bottom lock so Mick and I reset the top lock and waited for it to start ascending the middle lock before we lifted a paddle, saving water and stopping the pound overflowing into the dry dock where a chap was working.

Oleanna made it into the pound on the bend first. I left the gates open and headed down to see if I could help. The chap said he’d be another five minutes, no problem. We stood and watched the water gradually fill the lock, his centre rope getting tighter and tighter as the boat rose. He finally went to loosen it, having to pull his boat onto quite an angle to give himself enough slack. Then in single handing mode he pushed the throttle forward. The boat started towards the top gate, the levels still a good 6 to 9 inches different. Now, at tick over the boat would rest against the top gate until levels equalised, then the boat would help push it open. But this was not tick over, it had quite a bit more umph than that! As I lent against the beam the boat came crashing into the gate, almost toppling me and certainly giving the gate an unwanted ramming!

The chap then came to open the gate, not keeping his distance to which I just stepped away, saying ‘I’ll leave you to it.!’ The boat still had forward momentum and now the gate was clear it continued on it’s way out of the lock. He had to give the bow a push so as not to hit us where Mick had brought Oleanna into the side, giving him the widest turn possible around the bend. But by now access to the stern of his boat was blocked by the beam, ladder and paddle gear! He only just made it onto a gunnel to walk back to the helm before he would have rammed the dry dock! What a ….!!!

Now we could carry on down, in the safety of our own company, just so long as the top gate held.

All the Andersen Hire boats were breasted up three deep, awaiting holiday makers to take them out. We hired Bergen Fjord 12 years ago to celebrate Mick’s 50th and do the Cheshire ring.

The sun was making the most of the day and we were now really quite warm so we pulled in under cover of some trees. They looked really good, lots of climbing possibilities. But all they said was ‘No Tilly, not today’.

A stop for lunch and to swap jeans for shorts brought us into mid afternoon. We pushed on to Big Lock where the pub is surrounded by fencing at the moment, lots of work going. It’s changed hands several times since we’ve been coming this way.

The thin bridge that crosses by the bottom of the lock has been taken away to be strengthened and refurbished by C&RT. It used to have a weight limit to it, then it was closed which meant all pedestrians had to cross over the top gates of the lock. Now that the bridge has gone a temporary scaffolding structure has been erected to replace it. Higher than the original with far more steps people would still rather cross the lock gates. I had assistance from a young lady from a cruiser who was obviously itching to work more locks than sit with her Mum and Dad.

Onwards now to the recycling centre where we moored up and Mick managed to walk our rubbish in to be disposed of. Good job we’d checked the website and seen that it would close at 5pm, the gates were locked at 5:02! Plenty of cars arrived after this, all whom had to turn, in pre-covid days it was open until 8pm.

We sat and waited a couple of hours and just before 7pm we could hear the beep beep of a van reversing, our Sainsburys delivery, timed beautifully with a storm coming over head. The driver was new, he was a driving instructor until recent times. With shopping sorted for quarantine and disinfecting I stayed below with the spray bottle as Mick pushed us off. No need for the two of us to get wet!

Our aim had been to carry on to Croxton Flash, here Tilly would be allowed shore leave tomorrow to make up for today. The heavens opened, then opened some more. Blimey!! The rain was hitting the roof of Oleanna so hard it was bouncing back up under the mushroom vents and letting itself inside. I hurriedly closed windows and moved electrical stuff out of the way, then checked if Mick was okay.

Croxton Flash just about came into view, another boat had taken the mooring we’d been hoping for, nothing for it but to carry on and hope for a suitable place to show itself sooner rather than later. More and more rain, then some more for good measure!

To my surprise we seemed to be pulling in on the off side, Bramble Cuttings. There was space between a couple of boats and we slotted in nicely. It took a while before we were secure and the covers were up. Mick stripped off his top layers, jeans totally soaked through, all left to drip dry under the pram cover.

Bramble Cuttings!!! One of my favourites! Except She and Tom said it was too late. All those trees going to waste, Pah!

5 locks, 2.83 miles, 1 left, 1 full water tank, 1 camisole top, 1 fresh coat of paint, 1 pranging prat, 1 gate still water tight, 1 tempting offer, 1 young assistant, 1 long wait, 1 squashed pepper, 6 bags of shopping, 1 exceedingly wet mile, 1 space left, 1 drenched Mick, 1 cat with trees in her eyes.

Into Civilisation. 14th June

Bonfire Night Mooring to Hannah’s Walk, Middlewich

With a jar of sourdough discard in the fridge we enjoyed some pancakes for breakfast. I decided not to put any blueberries in them, especially the frozen ones as I wanted to see what they were like plain. I still haven’t found the best temperature to cook them at. They have a glug of maple syrup in them, so if the pan is a touch too hot this caramelises before the mixture has cooked sufficiently in the centre to flip them over. Too cool and they take forever to cook through and look anaemic. By the last batch of them I had the temperature correct, well that’s how it goes with pancakes!

Verdict? I prefer them with blueberries in them.

Pushing off just after midday we made our way to Stanthorne Lock. A Canadian Mother stood in the field across the way watching over her offspring as their heads just about bobbed up through the growing crop.

Bridges line up and large Cheshire farms proudly show off their black and white credentials across the fields.

We passed the line of moored boats where the posters in NB Grace’s windows suggest you should slow down, we did.

Soon we arrived at Stanthorne Lock which required filling before we could descend. Blimey it took forever to fill the chamber. Mick came along to help with windlass in hand after the paddles had been lifted.

A family stopped to give their dog a drink and take photos, they wisely decided to stop by the centre of the lock, meaning everyone could keep their distance.

I wound a paddle up on the bottom gate, all of a sudden coming to an abrupt stop!? The paddle wasn’t showing above the metalwork, why wouldn’t it go any further?

A closer look and the reason became obvious. A stop has been added limiting the height to which the paddles can be raised. This is to limit the amount of water coming out of the lock. This was the lock which had had all paddles lifted on it in March 2018. The amount of water overwhelmed the pound below and caused a breach which left a huge hole in the canal at The River Wheelock Aqueduct, leaving a boat teetering on the edge. Maybe the stops have been added in case someone ties to do the same thing again.

The crew from a boat came up to help with the lock, this is quite normal practice and sociable, but I wonder how much of this will happen in our new social distancing boating? The usual comments and questions, ‘Aren’t these paddles hard’, I’d just been remembering the first time we’d come through this lock on a hire boat and what a B***tard the paddles had been then and how easy they are now. ‘How far you heading today?’ The answer came back, ‘We came out from Nantwich on Friday so today we’re heading back’. I nearly followed on with ‘And then heading home?’

With the gates open and paddles wound down there was a touch of deciding where to stand to be able to keep our distance as I did the hurdles over the lock beams.

The short stretch of mooring below the lock at the breach site was full and it didn’t feel right hammering in spikes to where there had been such a huge hole, so we carried on round the first bend where Mick could see armco. We pulled in then had to hunt for the metalwork lying somewhere beneath all the grass, this took quite some doing.

Tilly was out, sussed we were in a built up area and headed straight through the nearest sideways trees. No point in hanging around on the towpath here!

This is the nearest we’ve moored to civilisation for a long time. Plenty of people on the towpaths walking, not going into single file to pass others. Conversations right outside. It turns out we’d missed seeing an extreamly large abnormal load going through Middlewich today. A giant tanker full of medical grade oxygen was taking three days to get across Cheshire from Ellesmere Port to Staffordshire and numerous roads were closed for it.

Have to say we both are a little bit on our toes being moored in Middlewich. We’ve never had any problems here through the years, but the town does have a bit of a reputation and with plenty of bored teenagers in the world right now! Tomorrow we’ll head back out into the countryside.

1 lock, 2.07 miles, 2 aqueducts, 12 pancakes, 1 town cat, 1 jungle mooring, 2nd coat, 1 hour catch up with London, 0.5 tin of tomatoes omitted! 1 last night on the Middlewich Branch.

Waiting For The Fireworks. 12th June

Bridge 12 to Bonfire Night Mooring, Lea Hall Bridge 22

Warmer today, no need for coats, well until it rained, which we managed to avoid. Tilly was kept in so that after breakfast we’d be able to push off. The view we’d come for was just visible if you stood on the gunnels on tip toe.

Someone else had obviously thought the view was worth a bench over looking it at some point too!

As we rolled back the covers I realised that the boat at the other end of the moorings was familiar, the chap stepping on and off his boat was checking the paintwork. It had to be one of our Pandemic Mooring Buddies from the bottom of Hurleston. As we came along side the sign writing confirmed it was the chap who had designed the yellow bicycle from when the Tour de France went through Hebden Bridge. He spotted us coming and bob out to say hello.

His plans are similar to ours over the remainder of the year so our paths may cross a few more times before summer is up, although I suspect we will be travelling a bit quicker than him. We were able to pass on the information about the Macclesfield Canal that Lee on Halsall had given us, so thumbs up all round. Maybe one day we’ll find out this chaps name. He’d certainly got the best stretch, just off the end of the 48hr mooring and with a gap in the hedge and trees, he had the view!

On we cruised, another short day. We’ll have longer days at some point this summer but for now an hour and a bit is all we need to cover whilst we wait for locks to open.

This stretch is very familiar, the coach house, the stable block now a nice home for someone and the fields of cows which used to wear very bad toupees! Wonder if the Yankee candle shop will open this coming week?

Through the last wooded section our destination for the day came into view. Two boats already pulled up, but we headed for the far end, our usual spot. From this mooring over looking Winsford and the River Weaver we’ve watched fireworks on two Bonfire Nights.

The view at the far end was okay, but the trees at this time of year have leaves, not normally present in November and we weren’t expecting a firework display. The doors were opened and Tilly set forth to see who she could find.

Much to her disturbance she found a herd of milk cows who were very very vocal in the field below. So when we realised that the two boats behind us, in a better position for the summer, were moving off I called Tilly back. Last time we were here we nudged to the very far end when a boat moved off whilst Tilly was out. A very bemused cat sprung out from the sideways trees and wondered why I was on someone else’s boat. But due to the cows today I had no difficulty in calling her home before we moved the outside with her in it.

Right in the centre of the mooring we have views on both sides. To the east the West Coast Main line crosses in view, there are more trains than we expected, but not too many to be annoying.

During the afternoon I went out with Tilly for a little walk and Mick chatted with his friend Chris who has just signed up with a boat builder and hopes to be cruising the network shortly before Crick boat show next year. All very exciting.

This evening we have watched the final part of Noughts and Crosses, we’d saved it to watch in a week and what a week to have chosen to watch it in! It charts the story of Sephy and Callum who fall in love in a dystopian London where the black elite rule the white underclass.

Veg box peas added into a quinoa salad tonight

At about 9:30 this evening we could hear fireworks down below in Winsford. How lovely of someone to think of us on our Fireworks mooring, just a shame it wasn’t a touch darker so that we could appreciate them.

0 locks, 2.82 miles, 2 outsides 150ft apart, 1 railway, 1 blowy day, 0 tupees, 39 bicycle locks, 1 snake, 1 bunny, 2 black cats, 142 peas, 1 flash view, 9 firework bangs.

https://goo.gl/maps/NxzAsjnkG6QKh1iT6

PS. The queue today at Snugbury’s had a wait of 40 minutes and caused mayhem on the A51. The police in the end had to turn people away. Glad I wasn’t there in a cardboard car!

Dates. 8th June

Lockdown Pickup Mooring to Lockdown Mooring 4

There was a long wait this morning which stretched into the afternoon. But a little while after 1pm the familiar car pulled into the layby at Henhull Bridge. This is our last veg box delivery from Nantwich Veg Boxes or Clems Traditional Greengrocers before we move out of their area. Hoping the contents will keep us going for a while I’d ordered a £15 veg box and a £12 fruit box. We chatted with the chap and thanked them for looking after us over the last couple of months. We’ve no idea when we’ll be back in the area, but I hope they will still doing the boxes as I’ll be placing an order.

What treats lay inside our two boxes?

Cabbage, lettuce, aubergine, vine tomatoes, new potatoes, a courgette, parsnips, asparagus, peas, cauliflower, brocolli.

Satsumas, apples, pears, plums, peaches, bananas, a pineapple, strawberries, a melon and a tray of dates! Very festive, apart from neither of us are partial to dates. We’ll find someone who is.

The amount of boats going past all morning reminded us that we are of course on the Four Counties Ring, maybe we’ll have to queue at the Queuing Lock on the branch in a few days time! We’d held off having lunch and decided to wait a little longer so that we could get to a mooring where Tilly could be let out.

The rain last night had swollen the ground, my mooring spike at the bow was held tight and needed a good whack with the hammer before it would pull out. We then pushed off joining the moving boats, one appearing behind us, two coming towards us in the first short stretch.

The potato field has had another spurt of growth, the furrows having almost vanished now. Round the bend to the Flag Bubble Mooring. How many boats?! Five. This stretch has been taken over by trading boats. Plum has new neighbours, The Hippie Boat and Toastie Boat. He said it was better now the Australians had moved on, tongue in cheek of course!

A couple of boats were on our ‘Home’ mooring where we hoped to pull in. There seemed to be gaps, but one boat was on ‘the’ best bit. We pulled in at the far end, our original mooring here. Tilly sauntered off the boat, trotting into the field to check on it’s progress. The top of the grass is now yellowing with seed heads, wheat maybe? Someone else will have to stop and let us know how Tilly’s field is doing over the coming months, photos please.

NB Halsall came by and topped up our diesel tank. Chance to get local knowledge about the Anderton Boat Lift and the Macclesfield Canal reopening, would we still be able to cruise where we’d planned this year?

Current word on the boat lift is that it may open at the beginning of next month. There is a new chap in charge who has to learn the ropes. Various differing reasons are given when ever anybody asks when it will reopen. They are worried about operating the lift with social distancing measures (!), they are reluctant to open it without being able to run the trip boat and cafe (which will fund the whole operation, then there is the other worry that it hasn’t been used for a few months and will it still work? Lee and Roberta are keen to start doing their monthly trips onto the Weaver again.

News on the Macc is more positive. C&RT are going to open Bosley and Marple Locks a couple of times before the end of the month and then they plan on reopening them for July and August, the main boating season. They have been closed due to low water reserves following the Todbrooke Reservoir incident. But water is now being back pumped off the River Goyt and a damaged culvert from Combs Reservoir is currently being mended. We’d been a touch worried that we might get onto the Macc and then get stuck for the rest of the year, however Lee thinks we should be fine.

This afternoon the weather has been better than we’d thought it would be so I donned my dungarees, got out my dust mask and rubbed back the primer on the starboard side. A rinse off with canal water was going to take a while longer to dry than last week, so the paint will have to wait for tomorrow.

I also had some work to do, preparation for a chat with David the panto director for Chippy this year. The final decision as to whether the show will go on is still to be made in mid August, but I have agreed to do a bit of work before hand. So if the green light is given then I’ll be ahead of the game a touch.

0 locks, 0.81 miles to ‘Home’, 1 last time, £15 veg, £12 fruit, 1 pack of dates, 5 hours shore leave, 1 grown field, 204 reference photos, 1 gunnel rubbed down, 1 starter fed, 2 fingers crossed for a new pizza recipe, £16.40 refund from Sainsburys, Yay!

The 10% Is In The Air. 4th June

Lockdown Mooring almost 4A to Lockdown Pickup Mooring

Awake earlier than normal I listened out for rain, it sounded hopeful. After a cuppa in bed it looked like I might just be able to get a coat on the starboard side gunnel before we needed to move off. But as I ate my cereal it started to rain. Mick checked a couple of weather apps and there was only meant to be a 10% chance of rain, well that 10% was in the air and falling on the gunnel I wanted to paint! I decided to put off the painting for a few days as we’ve a busy few days ahead.

Our 48 hours would soon be up at ‘Home’, so we rolled back the covers and headed under the bridge to wind. We slowed and beeped the horn as we approached the flag bubble. The lead boat is now an interloper and has no flag, they could at least have made an effort!

Barry and Sandra bobbed out into their cratch. On Saturday they will ascend the flight up onto the Llangollen so this was the last time, for the moment, that our bows would cross. It’s been nice getting to know them over the last few months.

We’re hoping we’ll be able to meet up in the future and actually sit down together for a drink, maybe a reunion on our ‘Home ‘ patch of the Shropie in a couple of years, who knows. But for now both boats have to head off and become the ‘strange’ boats in new places.

We weren’t heading far, just to the pickup mooring, well a little bit away from the road this time. Pulling in we deployed our tyre fenders which we think have grown. Oleanna seems to be sitting just that bit further out than normal, just that bit too far for me to get comfortably on and off at the stern.

Mick then headed off on the Brompton to Crewe to pick up a hire car whilst I did a touch of research for panto and said ‘No’ a lot to Tilly, the road is too close here for shore leave. An email dropped into my inbox from Vanessa who runs Separate Doors. With some emergency funding from the Arts Council she is wanting to produce a leaflet regarding the Learning Disabled, the arts and the pandemic and would like me to do an illustration for the cover so that it matches her three previous reports. My answer of course was yes.

A click and collect order had been placed with Sainsburys to coincide with having a car, a big stock up before we head off away from Nantwich. Back at the boat we sorted it into quarantine and disinfect. We’d been told that the blueberrys had a short date on them by email this morning, but not about the other items. Two pies, 1 large chicken, houmous and onions all use by the 6th. The chicken was meant for Sunday then it would last through much of the week. I filled out a form on line requesting a refund, sadly nowhere to leave a comment. Normally we like Sainsburys but this order is very disappointing. Menus rearranged and we’ll risk having the pies on Saturday. If they are true to their word we should get £16 back in vouchers.

Mick made use of the car to take some old engine oil to the tip, fortunate that the registration number of the car ended in an odd number as no even numbered cars would be allowed entry today. Just as Mick was about to pull away, two familiar figures walked past on the road. They then made their way up onto the towpath. We know which way the Wheelie Shoppers were heading, but not their final destination, hopefully we’ll find out before we have to push off out of the area.

This morning before we moved off the PPe bird sang it’s heart out again for us. We’ve not heard it for a while and didn’t manage to record it again. It followed us down the way to the pickup mooring and as it rained this evening we think we got a match on Mick’s app. The bird in question sings a variety of song, PPe we believe is only part of it’s vast repertoire. Several other excerpts of song were analysed and came up with the same conclusion. A Song Thrush. This could be wrong as the actual PPe call hasn’t been successfully run through the app and there may be a Song Thrush sitting alongside it. We’ll have a listen to recordings and see if we can confirm our suspicions.

Dark clouds came and went for the remainder of the day, another 10% then 20% of rain filled the air. By the time the chicken was roasted there was 70% rain. That gunnel better not have to wait months to get painted!

0 locks, 1 wind, 0.75 miles, 2 final farewells, 1 red car, £16 plus, 1 Thursday night roast, 10 litres to the dump, 0 wheelie shopper, 2 wheelie shoppers, 1 possible identification, 2 very fat tyres, 1 wetter day than expected, 27 keys at the ready, 1 miffed off Tilly.

Rain Stops Play. 3rd June

Lockdown Mooring 4A, just

We may not have talked to some of our neighbours much, but we’ve got to know their boating habits quite well. One such boat is the Pooh Boat, they never stay anywhere for very long, preferring to move on every couple of days. Yesterday after we’d turned up and tied to the end ring, they nudged back towards the C&RT work boat to leave enough space for another boat between us, nobody made use of the space though. So this morning when we heard their Beagle woofing we knew they were getting ready to push off, despite the rain. Their beagle announces their arrival and departure as he feels he has to give a running commentary.

Once the barking had faded into the distance we donned our waterproofs ready to wind Oleanna so that the starboard side would be ready for painting should their be a window in the rain long enough. Multiforte dries quickly, you can apply a second coat after a couple of hours.

Mick reversed us to the the junction, where we winded and then reversed back, taking up half of our usual mooring here, the other half being filled with work boat. The rings just that bit too far apart for our 58ft 6″ even with a chain added to our ropes, so a spike was needed. All ready for a break in the rain.

Yesterdays outside had been a touch too sunny. The other side of it today was wet and cold. What a rubbish outside! I even tried the trick of going out the front in case it was different at that end of the boat, but it wasn’t, it rarely is. Tom left the doors open for me, but all that did was make the inside chilly. In the end I decided not to use shore based facilities and reverted to my pooh box. I made a lot of hints during the day which fell on deaf Tom ears, but by mid afternoon he decided that he’d light the stove. Good idea!! About time!!! He wouldn’t feed me early though!

A damp morning required a good breakfast. The last two rashers of bacon (those in the fridge, there’s another 32 still in the freezer!) needed eating and I’d defrosted some oxford sausages. The last few old potatoes were grated up with a bit of onion for hash browns, the last tomato sliced in half and the last two mushrooms from the veg box sliced and cooked. A breakfast suitable for the day.

Tilly gave up checking on the weather for a while so we decided it was dry enough for the egg walk. The leak at the bottom of the locks looked drier, if you can tell such things when it’s been raining all morning. But on closer inspection the gate recess still has a garden of it’s own in need of re-pointing. The level of water in the lock was down by a couple of feet, so not high enough to leek through to the towpath.

All the way up the flight the towpath is looking neat and tidy, top soil added to the edges and the gravel path now compacted. New concrete slabs sit alongside the path, one with a bench. At the top of the locks the compound from the works was being cleared. The wooden supports that sat under a temporary flooring being lifted and piled up ready to be removed from site. I reckon by the end of the week all will be gone.

A boat was topping up with water as we walked past, the crew eager to get down the locks. In the back of the van at the egg farm there were still no duck eggs, but we filled our well walked egg box with half a dozen of his finest hens eggs. The farmer walked up to check if we’d got enough, he was just about to do the third collection of the day.

The long line of boats that has sat beyond the bridges above the locks has depleted somewhat, still a few which I suspect will move by Saturday. The top gate was open ready and waiting for the boat to go down, so we walked round to the bottom gate to cross the bridge and walk round the reservoir.

Blimey it was chilly up there. The view not as good as it’s been. Along the footpath there are now splodges of blue spray paint marking the positions of bolts. More metal stakes have been added to the bank of the reservoir. Soon you’ll be able to let a ball go down the hill and watch which route it takes, bouncing off the stakes.

As we walked down the flight I felt the urge to work some locks again. Everyone has their own way of working locks, but I find it hard to watch when people make their lives so much harder. Here one lock was being worked at a time, no thought to fill the next chamber in the flight with the water from above. Yes the water does top up the locks as you go down, but so much also flows round the bywashes avoiding being reused. Of course on the Llangollen this isn’t such a problem as there is a constant flow down the canal, but else where wasting so much water during dry periods such as this….. The lady walked round the lock rather than cross the bottom gates to lift the paddles, then back round another couple of times to open and close the gates whilst the boat sat waiting for the next chamber to be opened up ahead, the wind in the mean time pinning the boat against the bank.

When we reached the bottom lock we swung the top gate open to save more energy being expended then was needed. Next week we’ll start to move again, slowly away from our comfort zone around Nantwich. Have to say I’m looking forward to doing the Trent and Mersey hurdles again, the Cheshire Locks will be a treat.

National Theatre at Home This House poster with treated photo of members of the company

This evening we watched the latest offering from the National Theatre, This House by James Graham. Set in 1974 in the world of the Whips of the House of Commons. It charts the farcical lengths they took in trying to keep a majority whilst the government hung by a thread. Labour all northern apart from one Cockney and the Torys all sporting immaculately tied ties. We enjoyed it but felt it was a touch over long.

0 locks, 750ft all in reverse, 1 wind, 1 grey wet day, 1 disillusioned cat, 1 breakfast, 4 muddy paws, 0 gunnel painting, 6 eggs, 1 circumference, 4 times round a lock, 0 impetus to do much, 1 stove, 1 play, 1 cat curled up on a knee.

Three For One. 30th May

Lockdown Mooring 3, then that way a bit, then there, then the other way a bit.

There had been two birthdays this week in the Geraghty family and there was much talk of basket weaving as Marion has a visit this coming week from an Occupational Therapist. We’re waiting to see what creations she comes up with.

Then it was time to take down the dinette table and pull out the boat painty box that lives below the seating. It’s really a shame that the cupboards didn’t get sliding doors on them, as they hinge downwards and the desmo legs of the table stop them from opening fully, hense having to take the table down to get big things in and out! We have the table up all the time, which the builders most probably didn’t consider at the time. One day we’ll get round to altering them. It’s not too much of a hardship removing the table as what is stored there isn’t needed often.

With Tilly back on board we headed backwards, just off the 48hr mooring to a patch of handy shade. The bank was an okay height for working on the gunnels and I gave the nettles and long bits of grass a quick trim with our shears before starting.

My painty dungarees came out, knee pads added and a kneeling mat for the floor, this would fend off soar knees for a while. Having worked in a theatre in the round painting floors for years, my knees do not like me. I know I’ll be hobbling around for a while, but Oleanna will have nice looking gunnels again.

A few weeks ago Mick had got me some new rolls of sandpaper and I expected them to fit the electric sander. But sadly they are too big, They’d need trimming down and with all the faffing with extension leads out of windows, I couldn’t be bothered so got the sanding block out and did it by hand instead.

The port side first. This side got a coat of paint before I headed off to do a weeks painting on panto last Autumn, so shouldn’t have been too bad. But a few bubbles of rust have shown themselves after knocks and scrapes.

I had to stop a couple of times to remove some doggie downloads, but the job was soonish done. The dust was rinsed off with canal water and left to dry whilst we had some lunch and awaited the return of our second mate. She was far too busy to return home on her own, so I had to be interesting. The fertan (rust convertor) came out and so did Tilly.

Job done, everyone back on board, we could now reverse to the water point under the bridge. A cruiser was just pulling out so we waited for them to pass, he thanked us for being patient whilst he ‘pratted about’. Once they were out of the way I headed up to the bridge to see if the cut was clear and gave Mick a thumbs up. He backed Oleanna up past the moorings and we filled the tank.

The canal has been a lot busier today, most boats passing us twice which suggests they are leisure boaters out for the day. After the announcement regarding more relaxation of lockdown on Thursday C&RT had updated their guidance to boaters. From Monday much of the network will be open again and Continuous Cruisers will be able to move further, however for Leisure boaters there is still no news on being able to stay overnight on their boats.

News came through yesterday that C&RT are aiming to reopen the Macclesfield and Leeds Liverpool during July and August, the peek of the boating season. Our original plan for this year was to cruise both canals to head back towards Yorkshire. We’d still like to cross the Pennines on the L&L, maybe seeing friends at a distance on our journey. We just don’t want to get stuck part way across the top if lack of water closes locks again. Fingers crossed.

Once the water tank was full we headed back under the bridge choosing to moor on the other side of the 48hr moorings in the sun. The shady patch had been full of flies who had wanted to take up residence inside Oleanna! Tilly got to see her third outside of the day (all within 200 meters of each other) and soon returned with a friend. The next boat along didn’t seem too fazed as they ate their barbecue as she munched her way through the poor rodents head just a few meters away.

0 locks, 0.25 miles, 3 moorings, 1 side prepped, 2 wide sandpaper, 2 aching knees, 2 piles of pooh, 1 friend at least, 1 forgotten tiller, 1 prat, 1 possible change of plan.

Just Like The Old Days. 27th May

Lockdown Mooring 5 to Lockdown Pickup Mooring

When to move today? We had a Sainsburys delivery booked at Henhull Bridge, but not until 9pm at the earliest. This morning the ideal position by the bridge would be full as NB AreandAre would be there picking up their veg box. Should Tilly be allowed shore leave or not? I decided that it would be mean to keep her in all day so she was given a couple of hours shore leave as Emails were checked and breakfast consumed. She returned bang on time and the doors were closed.

A beautiful morning for a cruise. We winded and headed back towards Nantwich. Flag Iris dip their toes in the water, Michaelmas Daisies are taking advantage of cracks in the concrete edging and Dog Roses cling to the trees.

Boats had moved about. Some from the 48hr moorings were now just outside town where restrictions end giving them 14 days. Other boats still sat where they have been for months, well past 48 days now. We wondered whether the emails from C&RT had been clear about visitor moorings also reverting to their times when the 14 day rule was brought back in, I had checked in the FAQ section. But we don’t know what everyone’s situation is, they may be shielding and have asked to stay for longer. Just how many though are interpreting the guidance to their benefit?!

NB Islonian and NB Myrtle were on the embankment hoping for more trade whilst the second mate considered a dip to catch the passing fish.

Two boats were on the water point, we’d still got a pretty full tank and didn’t feel the need to loiter to top up so we carried on past.

Just coming under Acton Bridge was NB AreandAre having just picked up their veg box. If we’d known our paths were going to cross we could have shared a delivery slot, but it wasn’t guaranteed so we’d both gone solo this week. One advantage was that the pickup mooring was almost certainly going to be empty for us to pull into, which it was, our spikes dropping straight into the well established holes.

This afternoon I continued with The Garden portraits and finished them off, I also added a touch more to the fireworks. I’ll look at them again tomorrow, but I think they are now finished. They’ve taken longer than I was expecting, some I’m quite pleased with, just hope Amy is too! The chap top right, is currently playing Josh (the best man) in The A word on TV.

After we’d eaten this evening we didn’t feel we could settle down to watch TV as there was still our delivery to arrive. We had one glass of wine with our meal and waited. At 9.30pm an orange coloured van pulled up into the layby, Sainsburys!!! Just like old times.

The chap was very friendly and informed us that the rules with regards to substitutions had changed. This morning we’d received an email from them informing us of only one item having to be substituted, some bread flour for some spelt flour, everything else was as ordered! I was happy with the flour as I can still make bread for Mick with it. But if I hadn’t wanted it we could mention this to the driver before anything came off the van and he would return it for us. It just has to stay on the van. Handy to know, shame we couldn’t return the pudding rice.

Mick asked him about the delivery slots that were now coming through. Sainsburys had stopped offering slots to anyone who wasn’t shielding and at risk. But Mick has been checking every so often, click and collect started and now delivery slots. The chap thought it was down to two things, an increase in drivers therefore slots and things now settling down so fewer being needed for those shielding. We can still only book one slot at a time and only a week in advance, but that is just fine.

Once everything was sorted, quarantined items were put in the bow and everything else disinfected we could settle down for what was left of the evening, oh and a second glass of wine!

0 locks, 3.88 miles, 1 wind, 2 hours, 0 friends consumed, 1 panto email, 2 many at the water point, 2 waves to AreandAre, 2 pirates, 16 illustrations finished, maybe, 1 noisy road, 1 jaunty mooring, 1 orange van, 2 boxes wine, 1 more handwash, 2nd glass of wine and relax.

Loaf Of Bread. 26th May

Lockdown Mooring 5

That maple syrup and spoon of other flour had done the trick to my starter, this morning it had doubled in size and hadn’t sunk back down the jar. It was ready to bake with. I wasn’t prepared. I’d thought it might take until this evening for it to be ready to start a loaf and if I started a loaf now then I would end up baking it tonight at bed time!

I scanned through my recipes and found one that suggested it would rise and be ready to bake between 5 and 7pm. The recipe did have a touch of yeast added to it, but I thought it was well worth it as I didn’t want to waste the progress my starter had made. So a loaf of Chestnut and oat bread it was. My starter was so airy, the airiest it’s ever been. I ran out of white rice flour, so had to add some brown rice flour. Once mixed the sponge was left on the proving shelf for four hours to see what it did. It rose up and showed great promise.

Domed and cracked top even without the yeast

Time to get on with the portraits of the actors who would have been in the production of The Garden. I’ve been putting this painting off for a while, but it proved to be quite pleasurable to work on.

They look a touch like they need a good wash

Skin tone shadows were painted in for everyone and highlights washed back. Then I started to work up one face at a time.

Whilst painting we listened to Anno Domino the new Alan Ayckbourn play. Alan and Heather play all the characters and it is well worth a listen. Back in the 60’s Alan had a stint of being a Radio Drama Producer for the BBC. This showed as we both laughed out loud at images that simply wouldn’t have been as funny on stage. The sound effects (an Ayckbourn hobby) and atmosphere along with the multi track recording worked very well. It must have been great fun for them to make as it is great fun to listen to. Available until the 25th June.

Final ingredients (including some yeast) were mixed into the sponge. Then it was poured into a lined tin and left of the proving shelf for an hour and a half to rise. It gained about a third in height, time to bake it. Mick was requested not to step on and off the boat for a few minutes whilst I transferred the tin into the hot oven. Any knock right now would end with a very flat loaf. Transfer completed Mick could continue to mend one of our tyre fenders that has developed a puncture.

I’d spent all day sat at the dinette table working, so after dinner I headed up the towpath for a walk. I’d spotted a footpath on the offside of the canal which would bring me alongside Oleanna as the sun started to set.

Quite a beautiful evening.

I walked up to Hack Green Locks. The field beside them had the now rotund lambs/teenagers we’d seen back in March. They still played and demanded milk from their Mum’s teets. One old lady just stood and stared at me until I moved away.

I crossed over the bridge between the locks and started to walk back towards Oleanna. This side of Nantwich the fields are all pasture where as to the north they are more arable. Blimey the long grass was hard to walk through and there was no obvious footpath.

A murder of Crows circled the nearby wood, cawing to each other. I found my way into the second field and walked round it’s perimeter trying to find the way ahead. Nettles and brambles stopped my progress. By now I felt like I’d walked through miles of deep snow, my calf and thigh muscles complaining.

I found a narrow bridge across a ditch into another field with more long grass but decided to turn back and head to the bottom lock where a pathway had been worn to the bottom gates. The bywash here was just narrow enough to hop over and I was back on shorter grass.

Tonights sunset was beautiful. A good Shropie sunset is hard to beat. Not having Hurleston Reservoir in the way helped to get the full effect.

0 locks, 2 walked to, 0 miles, 1 frothy starter, 1 loaf, 84th play, 4 portraits finished, 1 Sainsburys order completed, 9 hours, 2 friends consumed at least, 1 tyre mended, 1 stunning sunset.

It works today!

https://goo.gl/maps/9MSEzxGEjpwHCevp7

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna