Category Archives: Narrowboat Maintenance

The Lady In Grey. 12th January

Shardlow

Hunting round for some envelopes I bought before Christmas I ventured into one of the front cupboards this morning. Here we store Christmas, the white sheets from the summer, spare covid tests and extra wine glasses. I noticed that a corner of the wine glass box was wet. This was on the bottom shelf.

Had the damp trap in the cupboard filled up and over flowed? I’d refilled it with crystals not very long ago and today it was still empty. As I removed things from the cupboard I found a small puddle that had been sucked under a plastic bag on the middle shelf. At the rear of the cupboard it looked like moisture had been getting in at the corner, the holes for the shelf brackets showed signs of damp too.

Everything was removed, including the shelves. Dampness mopped up and then we set the heat wave fan blowing at it to help dry it out. Just where was it coming from, or was it condensation collecting in a far corner from the stove? With the recent downpours it could be rain water that had been driven in by the wind. Mick ventured outside to have a look.

**Yes I know the roof needs a good wash!**

First possible was the starboard nav light, although this was a touch low on the cabin side. It was however half full of water. Mick emptied it, dried it off then reattached it adding a new layer of black tack to the outer edge to help seal it. After he’d tightened the screws he popped a drop or two of Captain Tully’s Creeping Crack on them. The port side nav light was also emptied of water.

Could it be coming from the poppers from the cratch? Some of these are on the overhang, so unlikely to be them. Another couple are quite high up on the cabin side. They also got a drop of the creeping crack. The cupboard was left airing with the fan on or the rest of the day until we needed the space to go back to bed. The contents were edited and then returned to the cupboard, hopefully there will be more air in there this time.

This afternoon I headed out for a walk down to Derwent Mouth Lock to see what the levels looked like today. I took the route by road to start with and walked past The Lady in Grey.

The house was built in the 1770’s for the Soresby family who moved to Shardlow when the canal was proposed. Their land spanned the cut giving them two areas for wharfs and warehouses for their canal carrying business (More info on the Soresby family can be found here on the Shardlow Heritage site, which is filled with information on the area).

**When it was the hotel and restaurant**

The Lodge was transformed into a Hotel The Lady in Grey with it’s restaurant it was highly regarded. The name came from the ghost of a headless young lady said to be hunting for her mothers lost jewels that her wicked sisters had hidden. Then it was a Thai restaurant which closed in 2008, this sadly was when the decline of the building is thought to have started. In 1967 it was awarded Grade 2 listing. In 2012 it is said that planning was sought for the buildings demolition and the site to be used to build three houses, this was refused. 2015 it received listed buildings consent for change of use back to a single dwelling with 5 bedrooms, things were looking up. However permission was refused to build eight dwellings in the grounds alongside the canal. Most probably the proceeds from these new dwellings would have afforded the restoration of The Lady in Grey.

The building is now in a poor state, the council seeking action from the owners, a s215 notice has been served on them requiring them to deal with the poor quality of the building. Such a shame. Most of the windows are smashed, wooden boards cover many of them. Photos from the local facebook page show the interior in such a dilapidated state. Here’s hoping that this once handsome house can be saved before it falls down.

Photos on the left are from yesterday, right today.

The towpath to Derwent Lock is now very muddy, slippy slidy muddy. The lock remains empty, well empty to the level of the river. I guessed about 14 inches lower than the canal today. The lock landing is now under water the edge of the river only noticeable by the tops of the ladders. The red level markers, one now is no longer visible, the other only a few inches away from being submerged.

The parallel path that runs a little bit lower than the towpath is now submerged for lengths. I walked along it for a while relieved to be off the muddy towpath, only to find another length submerged and having to back track to the towpath. Two new boats sit above the lock awaiting levels to drop and there is one space available in front of the pubs.

Overnight the levels are forecast to rise more. Will the car park by our mooring get flooded? Will the EA flood gates be closed on the canal, if this happens we’ve been told that Shardlow Lock will be padlocked and it’s bywash blocked off too to protect the properties in between.

One day it will stop raining.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 more leak or is it condensation? 2 drowning nav lights, 1 house with great potential, 1 more lodger booked, 1 hour of numbers for next year, 11 Dreamies, 9 inches, 14 to go, 1 vat of bolognaise.

Armed With A Hacksaw. 5th January

Shardlow

A list was made of items I still needed to purchase for #unit21, including a 3m length of plastic pipe! I nearly ordered it along with elbow joints online from Screwfix, but decided to see if there might be a DIY stall in Derby Market. Derby Market Hall is currently undergoing refurbishment, but I was aware of The Eagle Market, the front doors of Derby Playhouse open into the Market. The website suggested a couple of fabric stalls, time to catch the bus.

Mick had made the decision to fit the new alternator this morning and was already down in the engine bay. I required a hack saw so collected one on the way past. The Skylink bus picked me up and whizzed me into town. I made note of a Tool Station next to the big Royal Mail building where there was a handy bus stop, a much better location than Screwfix.

The Eagle Market has seen better days, I’d say only about a third of the units were occupied. I found a couple of fabric stalls and most of what I wanted and ended up having quite a chat with the lady who lives on a boat in Shardlow Marina. Sadly no-one had any navy velcro, that will have to be ordered on line.

No DIY stalls. I had a wander around Derbion the big shopping mall, nothing of use in there, just a sandwich for lunch. Much of Derby Centre stands empty, the bright lights of the shopping centre, being out of the rain has pulled customers and retailers inside. Such a shame. But I believe Derby Council are hoping to rejuvenate the area, refurbishing the market hall being part of the plan to try to pull retailers back into the streets and make it a destination. Well that’s the standard blurb used for such places nowadays!

After a visit to Wilko I walked back to Tool Station taking note of a low wall just by the bus station. Pipe, elbows and cement purchased I headed for the low wall. Here I pulled out the hacksaw and cut the 3m length of pipe in half, no problem getting on the bus now.

At the water point in Shadlow there were three widebeams. WB Lazy Days had moved across from the pub moorings where now sat two C&RT skip boats. Then there were the two widebeams that had been moored above Derwent Mouth Lock, one having a wash, the other on the lock landing. Later on in the evening we could see tunnels lights and hear spikes being hammered in, we presume the widebeams had moved to above the lock, freeing up below.

Back at Oleanna Mick had been working hard to fit the new alternator. Three bolts and three wires, simple! Except things on the old one had settled in nicely, a touch of corrosion on the negative terminal made getting the nut undone a touch troublesome. Time and patience was required. One bolt was in an awkward position and when it came to fitting the new alternator things didn’t seem to marry up as they should do. It turned out there was a bush on one of the holes that needed adjustment. A tap with a hammer sorted this.

All bolted in and connected the engine was fired up, things checked over. Everything working as it should. Hooray!

Time to pack Christmas away, well the lights outside could wait for light tomorrow. The tree was stripped and then given a good soaking in the sink. It will get a day or two inside before being popped in the cratch.

The neon bunny was just about finished off this evening. All limbs sewn on and body stuffed, just a fluffy tail needed. Although I may want to give him longer ears as he’ll be a magicians rabbit. Tilly wasn’t enamoured with it, I may have to hide it away so it doesn’t get beaten up!

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 buses, 24volt 120amp alternator fitted, 2m poly cotton, 1m stiff interfacing, 3m cut to 2 x 1.5ish, 3 widebeams, 1 bunny, 1 miffed cat.

Elbow Room. 4th January

Shardlow

More emails were sent regarding flooring for #unit21 this morning. This ended up with a proforma invoice that required payment before 1pm to enable it to be collected early next week. My credit card ended up being stretched that bit more, but thankfully the price hadn’t gone up over Christmas and it will be sat ready for collection.

Our Sainsburys delivery arrived at the end of the towpath. There’s not much space on the road so a bit of nudging out of the way was needed for someone to get past, Mick was there with bags to decant the shopping as quickly as possible so the van could head back off. Everything was stowed away before I got my work things out for the day.

Mick had been getting tracking information regarding our alternator this morning. Would this actually arrive as planned? Through the hedge I could see what looked like a DPD van heading towards the farm. Mick popped his shoes on and walked up to collect the alternator.

Hooray! Just when to fit it now? Should it go on straight way, three bolts and a bit of cabling to do. Should it wait for the existing one to stop working completely? Should it wait to be fitted by a mechanic? How much longer should we stay on the mooring? We won’t be going far for a while with the river in flood. Mick is thinking about it.

I got on with making up the forma for the giant mug. The base dimensions should just fit through the back doors on Oleanna, so I won’t be able to get much further than just the basic shape. Also covering it in the yoga mat has to wait as I’ll be using contact adhesive and there is nowhere near enough space onboard to lay things out to glue, let alone dry and all the fumes.

Sheets were cut to length and then scored so that they would follow the curve. Glued and held in position to dry with masking tape. A second layer was added, laminating two layers would make it stronger.

The actress will stir a giant spoon in the mug so I worked out the maximum depth needed for this. I then made a false base to slot inside, this will help to keep everything together. It’s now ready to have a handle added, just need to get a plastic pipe back from Derby on the bus!

**“It’ll be okay, so long as it’s not here for long!”**

Just where to store the mug until it can be taken to Huddersfield? I’d hoped to make this on land where there would be more space than in a 7ft wide narrowboat. Would it sit in the corner of the dinette? Not quite, but taking out the corner cushions gave it just enough space. Phew we won’t have to move it several times a day just to be able to go about our daily lives.

Tilly thought it was very good especially the new route behind it. Mick thought he’d be able to live with lack of elbow room at the table. ‘It’s funny you making BIG things and not models’.

Mick has spent some of today starting to work on our trip computer. As Water Explorer is no longer, we’re hoping to be able to reconfigure the computer to be able to run Nebo. It may take a bit of doing!

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 buses, 4 bags shopping, 2 boxes wine (back onto normal rations), 1 alternator, 1 roll flooring, 1 van booked, 1 Robert, 6 sheets foamcor, 1 basic mug, 1 narrowboat too narrow, 23 Dreamies! 2 bunny arms.

Excluding Vat! 3rd January

Shardlow

If all had gone to plan Oleanna would this evening have been sat above Cromwell Lock waiting for the morning tide to head to Torksey. Working on #unit21 becomes more complicated because we are stuck due to flooding. I need to get the props I’m making to Huddersfield as soon as I can. Finishing their construction would have been so much easier on land rather than on the boat without all my tools. I could really do with a hot air gun to bend some pipe. The pipe could be walked from a shop in Scarborough, but on the boat it requires a bus journey. The pipe is 3m long! Just complicated and more time consuming.

I spent some of the morning sussing out when would be good to head to Huddersfield with the props, this will involve hiring a van and on the same trip we could pick up some new flooring for the show. I also need to do costume fittings with three actors, at the moment they only work three days a week. So logistics, orders and payments. Nearly sorted.

Mick called Beta to order a new alternator. Our engine has a WOC number which means that when ordering anything from Beta they can see how our engine was set up and exactly what part we require. Mick did a slight ouch at the price, he did a bigger one when he realised that hadn’t included vat!

Our alternator has a special pulley on it. To replace the pulley you need a special tool, which we don’t have. The chap on the phone said they would put a special pulley on the new one for us to save moving it from the old alternator to the new one. It should arrive tomorrow, fingers crossed.

Being in Shardlow means there is a good bus service to Derby and Leicester on the Skylink which runs every twenty minutes ferrying people to East Midlands Airport. The bus stops by The Navigation Inn a five minute walk away. Add to this the government putting a £2 cap on single bus fares. Very easy.

Waiting at the bus stop I got chatting to a local lady about the river being in flood. We compared notes on levels of the River Trent and Ouse. My family home over looked the flood plain in York and Dad would give us reports of how high up the five bar gate the flood water had reached. I think if it got up to the fourth bar then driving around York was very tricksy as there would only be one route into the city not under water. The lady I chatted to recounted the floods of 2000 on the Trent. Sand bags were put over the drains in the road and stood at the bus stop you could just pop your hand over the wall and touch the flood water. Thankfully the water isn’t anywhere near that level …. yet!

**Lovely houses click photo to look inside one**

The bus sped into Derby. Past the train station where strikers stood with placards. Further on the bus passed the lovely houses on Railway Terrace. These were built to accommodate the senior Midland Railway staff in the 1840’s, the first houses built to house railway workers in the country. Jackson and Thompson built a triangular block of streets, North Street, Midland Place and Railway Terrace, NMR. In the 1970’s there was a campaign to stop the houses from being demolished, they are very fine looking houses. However their sight reminds me of a trip we did to Derby a few years ago. We walked down the same streets to Derby Crown Court to hear the sentencing of our original boat builders.

I swapped buses at the bus station and headed out towards Kingsway Retail Park. Here there was a Homebase, no pipe and fittings suitable for what I wanted. I checked the isles for anything suitable to make a giant mug from. A plastic dustbin? Too much to cut off to stop it looking like a dustbin. Kitchen bins were all too narrow.

Over at Hobbycraft I scoured the isles for something that might be useful too. But they had nothing suitable for a giant mug. A couple of months ago I’d spent ages hunting online for anything that might be useful and come up with very little the right size. So back to the foamcor plan. I picked up 8 sheets and some more tape.

My dodgy grip doesn’t like carrying thin things, eight sheets of foamcor isn’t that thin, but still. I’d brought with me three carrying straps from the yoga mats I’ve bought. These have elastic looped ends joined by some webbing. I passed two of them over the corners of the sheets, one each side and then joined them together with a third one, creating a handle on the top. Not the perfect handle but a much easier carry back to the bus for my return journey.

Whilst I was away Mick had changed the fuel filters and the gear box oil. We just need the alternator now.

0 locks, 0 miles, 4 buses, £2 each, 0 pipe, 0 connectors, 0 hot air gun, 8 sheets, 2 pies, 1 sad gits pie, 1 order completed, 1 plan coming together, 1 new filter, 1 cleaned filter, 1.5 litres oil, 2nd bunny leg.

Final Statistics. 1st January 2023

Willowbrook Moorings, Shardlow

Levels on the rise. I don’t see us moving for some time. The flood gates at Cranfleet have been closed since the 23rd December and levels are higher now. The lowest recorded height in that time that we can find was 1.13m and the flood gates were closed then. So this mornings height of 1.76m is going to take a while to head on down stream.

Yesterday I made note of all our journeys that have been recorded through the years on Water Explorer. The chap who has been running it said the site would be taken down at the end of 2022. It’s still there, Oleanna recorded as the last moving boat. When the site vanishes so will all our vital statistics for both Oleanna and NB Lillyanne.

At the end of each year I sit down and put our years cruise through Canal plan with the aim of getting a slightly more accurate distance than Water Explorer gives. Water Explorer will cut corners if there have been no way points, it also sometimes counts locks twice or not at all. Beeston Lock on the Trent usually gets counted twice for some reason. This year I will do the same, working out our back and forths on canalplan, which also isn’t totally accurate.

But for now here are our vital statistics (according to Water Explorer) dating back to 1st January 2015.

NB Lillyanne, starting heading up stream on the River Lee from Enfield 1st Jan 2015 to when we moved her for the final time on 2nd May 2017 to brokerage at ABNB in Crick.

Total Journeys	505
Total hours recorded	1550
Total Miles	2565.76
Total Locks	1714

These figures are from trips recorded, some journeys in the early days were missed.

NB Oleanna, starting on 28th March 2017 from Finesse Boats in Sheffield to 31st December 2022 to Willowbrook Moorings.

Total Journeys	1279
Total Hours recorded	4164
Total Miles	6242.72
Total Locks	3694

So our Total statistics from Water Explorer

Total Journeys	1784
Total Hours	5714
Total Miles	8808.48
Total Locks	5408

At some point I will work out Oleanna’s statistics for the year as I normally do, but that will have to wait for tax returns and giant props to be made, along with zooming along the River Trent back to Yorkshire.

Mick spent some time in the engine hole today. Trying to see what he might be able to find. Did we have a problem, or was it that something wasn’t pushed home properly? A new battery for his multimeter was needed, the power on board totally turned off for a half hour. The alternator was working. But can we trust it?

He got a phone call from the chap at JD Narrowboats who was wanting to check that we’d got plugged in somewhere and were we sorted. He also sent us a link to a new alternator he’d found on ebay. How very kind of him. Mick is thinking on what to do. We intended on buying a new alternator and when the current one failed we could swap them over and send the original one off to be mended if possible, then we’d have a spare. But should we do it now or wait until we’re back in Yorkshire? Should we go for the ebay one at half the price of a Beta one? Well you get what you pay for!

This afternoon we went for a walk to have a look at the river. We followed the muddy towpath through the old port of Shardlow. Since our very first visit nothing much has changed. Several of the old warehouses still stand boarded up, calling out to be refurbished into offices, housing or some other use. One of my favourite buildings has already been converted into a home, Soresby Warehouse built around 1820.

**Derwent Mouth Lock 1 on the Trent and Mersey Canal**

Derwent Mouth Lock, the last lock on the Trent and Mersey sat half empty today. In normal times this would have been only about a quarter empty, but with the river in flood! Below, the level at the lock landing today would mean stepping down off Oleanna, normal times it would be one very big step up to the bank.

The river level boards are well in the red as expected.

We walked back on the other side of the canal, past the pubs, lovely houses and the not so lovely more modern buildings. What a busy place this must have once been.

**Their TV is a projector onto the end wall of the house, huge!**

A pause to look over the garden wall by the lock. The river, here unnavigable, rushed by faster than the River Ouse passes Selby Lock. The house here has spent quite a bit of money on their Christmas lights, multi coloured fairy lights in all the bushes and trees in the garden and then multicoloured bulbs along the eaves the excess gathered together inside their phone box.

Pork and apple stew tonight with dumplings. I chose to cook it mostly on top of the multifuel stove meaning the dumplings didn’t go crispy.

**Pork and apple stew, click the photo for the recipe.**

Our viewing of the new series of Happy Valley was interrupted by a call from my bestestest friend over in Sydney. Emma was out for a morning walk with her dog Moose. It was lovely to have a good catch up.

0 locks, 0 miles, WE this year, 234 journeys, 743 hours, 1248.12 miles, 565 locks, 3 mile walk, 0 twinging calf, 1 not so sure cat, 1.84m river level at 11pm, 1 stew, 6 dumplings, 30 minute catch up, 1st Happy Valley season 3.

Unexpected Last Cruise. 31st December

Shardlow to Willowbrook Moorings

The levels seemed to have a downwards trend this morning, just a shame the forecasted levels weren’t to continue in that direction! What will be will be, we always knew the River Trent in winter would be interesting, or not as the case may be!

There were a few lulls in the rain so Mick took the opportunity to head off to the Co-op for a Saturday newspaper. Before he left he fired up the engine to top the batteries up.

As I pottered away inside I heard the engine tone change. Nothing like the washing machine or dishwasher were on, but it sounded like one of them had just started a heat mode. That wasn’t all either, there was a sort of rattling sound coming from the engine. Maybe Mick had left a spanner on top of something and it was vibrating? I gave him a call and turned the engine off for further investigation on his return.

The engine board was lifted, things checked over, engine started up. Hmmmm! The batteries weren’t charging as they should. The rattling noise continued. Maybe after five years the alternator had gone. What a handy time for it to fail, New Years Eve with an extra bank holiday on Monday! The invertor was turned off, minimal use of power required.

We put our heads together, we could sit in candle light for the next few days reserving what was in the batteries for the freezer and fridge, or we could find somewhere to plug in. Shardlow Marina wouldn’t be possible as we’d have to go down onto the River Trent. Mick tried calling Chapel Farm Marina. The person he needed to talk to had just left, but hey would try to get him to call us back.

**Where we thought we’d be spending new year**

Next Mick tried across the way, JD Narrowboats. A chap answered the phone who wasn’t meant to be at work today. He could give us a mooring, but there wouldn’t be any power. He suggested a few things to Mick but none of them were suitable for our set up sadly.

On our way into Shardlow I’d made a comment about the moorings above the lock, some of them having power. There had been a big sign saying that moorings were available. Mick walked up to have a look and take down the phone number. He called and chatted to Tracy. They don’t normally do short term visitor moorings but they would be able to help us out until we got sorted. If we moved up the lock they would come and see us later to get us hooked up.

**Our last known position on Water Explorer**

After lunch the wet weather gear came out. The trip computer was fired up to run Water Explorer for the last time before the site is taken down. Would we be the last boat to be recorded as moving on the site?

We reversed back to wind outside JD Narrowboats. Two boats had pulled up outside The Clock Warehouse, presumably for the new year. We worked our way back up the lock and pulled into the mooring. Mick then said that the alternator now appeared to be working again! What!!! However it couldn’t be trusted.

Tracy and partner arrived around 4pm, got us plugged in, took a meter reading and took a cash deposit from us, any funds not used when we leave will be returned to us. We were also sent their address should we need it to have a new alternator sent to us.

**Below Shardlow Lock, last lock of the year**

I got on with cutting out foamcor for the giant mug. Followed by discs of yoga mat and sections for the sides. I thought I’d have a go at taping it all together to make sure it would work. Just as I thought, the softness of the yoga mat was not suitable to stand up on it’s own. I tried fixing the sides to a base piece and all that happened was that it all bent over onto itself! Hmmm, a rethink is required. Maybe if I make the mug out of foamcor first then cover it in the mat? I could get a carpenter to make it out of wood, bending skin ply round a former. This would be far more solid, but what they are wanting to do with the mug requires it to be as light weight as possible and as soft as possible to avoid injury, yet keep it’s shape.

Before resorting to carpenters I’ll see what I can do with foamcor. The mug will only have to last for a few shows, not months. So I’ll see what I can do first.

I also turned my attention to places to stay in Huddersfield for production week. My preferred Premier Inn has shot up in price over the last few weeks, almost doubling. Travelodge was still cheap, but a bit of a walk away from the Theatre. Time to look elsewhere, possible AirB&B apartments were looked at, more research required.

Chicken Tagliatelle this evening with a difference, we didn’t have any tagliatelle! Fuseli did the job though. We watched the film Yesterday whilst the whole of Derby seemed to be setting off fireworks. Thankfully Tilly isn’t too bothered by them. Big Ben bonged the New Year in, we watched the fireworks which went on forever! Derby kept up with the capital, explosions continuing for another hour.

Our hopes for the new year are charging batteries and dropping river levels.

So all of us on Oleanna would like to wish you all a

Happy New Year

1 lock, WE the last cruise 0.37 miles, Pip’s Nebo 0.4 miles, Mick’s Nebo 0.5 miles? 1 wind, 1 unexpected cruise to end the year, 1 failing alternator, 1 Saturday newspaper, 1 boat plugged in, 2 many bird feeders, £450 or £250? 1 very floppy mug, 1 new year facing the wrong way, 1 walrus.

https://goo.gl/maps/r1T2RbcBEyrriC1R8

Two Reds. 30th December

Shardlow

The levels appeared to have peaked this morning and were just starting to come down. We knew we wouldn’t be going anywhere today.

Phone reception is almost none existent inside the boat in Shardlow so it was no surprise when Micks phone received a text message from Adrian at C&RT. He’d tried calling to see if we were still wanting our booking tomorrow to go through Stoke Lock, Cranfleet Flood Gates were still closed. He already knew the answer as did we, Mick texted back confirming that we’d like to cancel our booking. He also asked what would happen from the 3rd of January at Stoke Lock, would we need to book? The answer was that there would be plenty of people about to pen us through when we arrive, hopefully soon afterwards the lock will be back to self operation. Adrian would stand the team down for lunchtime tomorrow.

Mick spent sometime sat out the back making phone calls to cancel all our Trent lock bookings. We’re hoping we may still be able to make the window of good tides next week, but who knows what the river will do and when Cranfleet Flood Gates will reopen. Cromwell Lock said that they’d be able to get us to Keadby one way or another, maybe missing out on a stop at West Stockwith. One slightly worrying thing was that despite us both remembering Mick having talked to Keadby Lock they didn’t seem to have us in the diary! Glad we hadn’t got to the M180 Bridge and radioed ahead with no-one expecting us! Doesn’t matter now, and we’ll double check when we booked it next.

Mick also called Shardlow Marina. Oleanna was due an oil change, the price of oil was a touch more than he was wanting to pay, maybe it would be cheaper to get the bus and buy some from Halfords? He decided to pay the extra and got on the bike and headed off.

**When red lights shows it is not recommended for craft to proceed beyond this point due to flood conditions**

Down the towpath at the Shardlow EA flood gates two red lights showed. Both the River Soar and Trent are closed. We’ve stayed this side of the flood gates just in case the river comes up even more!

Tilly did more calculations regarding the wall. She eyed up the wooden signposts again, checked them for claw stability, then decided the call of Dreamies was greater than achieving her goal of getting to the top of the wall.

Inside I took over the dinette table. Foamcor was measured out and cut up to make the base shapes of some giant sugar lumps and milk pods, the sort you get in hotels. I caught up on the Christmas Day radio 4 play which was directed by an acquaintance, The Signalman. All the edges of the shapes were covered in masking tape, this should stop the contact adhesive from eating into the foam when I come to cover them in yoga mats.

Whilst the PVA glue was out I made use of it to re-stick some edging strip that was coming off in the bathroom. An off cut of foamcor proved useful to get the glue in behind the veneer. Masking tape used to hold it in position whilst the glue dries.

Mick got on with the oil change in the engine bay. He’s saved doing the filters until tomorrow, we doubt we’ll be on our way for a few days.

This evenings meal made use of the last ham, ham stock which I’d drained off when I roasted the joint. I made it into a stew with a potato, carrot and peas. The stew bubbled away on the stove top for an hour before I made use of the last of the stuffing, making a sort of topping out of it. It then went inside the oven to finish off. Verdict, tasty maybe a little bit salty, but a good invention to use up the last of the leftovers from Christmas.

Yesterday and today we watched Mayflies, a story of a man diagnosed with cancer and his wish to control the end of his life. What a jolly bit of TV to have between Christmas and the New Year! Some very good performances, but a box of tissues was very much required. To jolly things up we’ve watched episodes of Ghosts, Mick has nearly caught me up.

**Glad I can’t make the mug to go with them!**

0 locks, 0 miles, £60 oil, 4 bookings cancelled, 1 oil change, 6 inch sugar lumps, 1ft milk pods, 1 pot of stew, 2 many tears, 1 near death experience, 1 red lever, 20 catnip Dreamies spilled on the sofa, 2 swirling cats eyes!

Solid Under The Surface. 18th December

‘Avecoat Marina

NB Victoria next door was covered in frost again this morning, the pontoon was slightly white too. Was the weather really going to change so dramatically?!

We took our time to get up reading our Saturday newspaper at leisure, then joined the Geraghty Zoom. New sofas were absent, football baubles and benylin were all discussed. Then it was time for breakfast. Giant tomatoes ruled the plate today.

Time to try to make Oleanna look a bit festive. I needed to find some wire to hold bits of greenery together first. In a box in the cat proof cupboard I found the wire, I also found bags of press studs. Time to digress.

For months one of the poppers on a blind on the front door has been broken, the bit that goes through the fabric having come away. So for months we have lived with a corner of the blind hanging down. We’ve also lived with not being able to roll that blind up to see out of that side of the door.

A hammer was found in the ‘shed’ cupboard. Using the table didn’t prove to be solid enough, so I moved to the floor with a mat under the base to protect the floor. On my second attempt it worked! We can now sleep in darker conditions, well until the popper falls out again which it will do. I think the punch tool actually needs to be a very tiny bit bigger to get a better hold.

By now outside it was raining. The precipitation started off bouncing off the gunnels of the boats either side, then it just turned into wet rain. Any whiteness on top of the ice vanished quickly, we were now into plus temperatures.

My bag of ivy was sorted through. The long straggly bits went together in a circle easily, but were just too weedy. Then chunkier bits were joined together, but they didn’t make a pleasing shape. In the end I used the long bits and added into it sprigs of chunkier ivy to beef it up.

We had a discussion as to whether it would be better to add battery powered fairy lights or should the long string of lights, we’ll be adding soon, be wound into the wreath. I decided that it would be easier to put the battery powered lights in, if Mick fancies adding even more from the long string then fine.

**Just a ribbon needed to help secure it**

Once the lights were wound round I added the dried seed heads, which are really quite fragile. They may or may not survive being on the bow. Only thing needed now was a dry ten minutes to put it on the cratch. That didn’t happen, so it ended up sitting in the well deck away from Tillys chewing teeth.

By the end of the wet day, the ice surrounding us was now submerged under water. Will we be able to move tomorrow? It would be good, but we don’t think it will be possible, the ice was really quite thick. We’ll be patient.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 popper/press stud mended, 1 dark bedroom again, 3rd go at wreath, 1 cooked breakfast, 2 invisible sofas, 2 boaters waiting for someone else to move first, -2C to 10C in 14 hours.

Solid. 16th & 17th December

‘Avecoat Marina

It’s been going to happen, inevitable really with -6 or -7C overnight. Oleanna this morning was frozen in solid. No sea legs required on board this morning. The sliding galley window above the cooker is also frozen shut and the condensation on our bedroom window in the morning is solid! Oh for double glazed windows and thermal break frames! But where does all the moisture in the air go to in such situations? It’s still there. Does it just find another cold surface to condensate on? Like in the back of cupboards, under the gunnels? I think I’d rather see it and mop it up than discover damp clothing.

The weather forecast for next week is looking like there should be a thaw, but how long will it take? The only boats trying to move at the moment are the coal boats, and a few odd bods. NB Bargus one of the coal boats on the four counties ring had been forging on until today when 3.5inch thick ice stopped Jason’s progress. NB Mountbatten on the Llangollen, managed 50 yards before the ice was too thick, so Richard ended up reversing back to his mooring, another attempt to move will be made tomorrow.

All the groups are full of discussions about breaking ice. Back in the day there were special icebreaking boats with extra pointy bows to help cut through the ice. Some boats had rigs that the crew could hang onto as they rocked the boat from side to side cracking the ice.

Footage of our next door neighbour breaking ice was come across thanks to a link from Brian on CWF. I wonder if they’d be willing to have a few turns around the marina on Monday to break everything up for us.

A tap on the roof mid afternoon turned out to be a chap from across the way. He had our new water pump! Mick very quickly fitted it and water pressure was restored. It’s noisier than the last good one, but we can cope with that.

**Wonder if it’ll give us turbo power?**

Mick tried leaving our ash pan next to the water tap, he also poured hot water over it. No joy, still frozen. He then walked up and down trying taps and found one still with a flow a bit further along. Time to fill the tank. The immersion heater was turned on and later on in the day I enjoyed my first shower since London. Oh it’s good to have clean hair again.

Later on in the day Oleanna broke free from the ice and was bobbing about again as we moved around inside. Fingers crossed it keeps thawing.

Saturday, both of us were wanting to head back into town to the Ventura Retail Park to do more shopping. However getting there was proving so complicated. Two buses each way, or a longish walk at both ends of one bus. Buses only every two hours made it hard either to have sufficient time to do shopping or to be back on board for a festive zoom. Looking at the maps we decided we’d do our best to pull in once past Fazeley Junction, then we could walk to the retail park. Here’s hoping we manage to get moving with enough time to conclude our Christmas shopping!

Mick popped over to the office to pay for the new water pump. Word is that at least two boats are hoping to be able to escape on Tuesday. NB Capricorn being one of them is moored further into the marina than us. Hopefully they will do the job of breaking what ice there is, if they manage to escape we will be close behind them.

Our coal, delivery arrived just before lunchtime. 10 bags of unknown smokeless coal. Here’s hoping it’s good as our roof and well deck are now filled with it.

Across the road from the marina we’d spotted some ruins when we arrived. I headed over with the garden sheers hoping of finding some ivy to make a wreath.

Alvecote Priory was founded in 1159 by William Burdett who on returning from a crusade stabbed his wife as he’d believed she’d been unfaithful, the monastery was founded for his penance. The ruins that can be seen today are from a house which was built using the stone from the Benedictine Priory. A large arch stands at one end and hidden nearer the canal is quite a substantial Dovecote which would have been two storeys and been able to house 350 birds.

The trees and bushes around the area provided me with three differing types of ivy and some old seed heads were also picked. The seed heads are quite fragile, but if they survive they will add a bit of interest to my wreath.

The iron came out and was used to add patches of felt to a 40 year old duvet that is currently adding insulation to us over night. Sadly the fabric is starting to give up and leave feathers everywhere. If I can keep it going for a while longer before I sew it into another cover, that will be good.

Mick headed to try to find a parcel and send another on it’s way. There is plenty of stuff that’s been thrown onto the ice of the canal, including a supermarket trolley under Bridge 70. If it’s still evident when we reach the bridge we’ll have a go at hoiking it out.

The surface of the canal is now showing signs of a thaw, puddles appearing on top of the ice. The tap by our mooring was back working, so a top up of the tank was soon followed by plenty of clothes going through the washing machine.

A catch up festive zoom with the Scarborough chums was had with festive hats, mince pies and lots of cheer. Good to see those who could make it and sending festive to cheer to those who were battling with snow to be with family or plumbers.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 new pump, 1 boat frozen solid, 2 pottering days, 2 awol parcels, 1 on it’s way, 10 bags coal, 1 boat starting to free up, 2 loads washing, 6 chums, 1 bag of ivyness.

Del Boy Pumps. 14th December

‘Avecoat Marina

Christmas card day today. The selection of image this year was pretty straight forward and now that the format has been saved it is quite an easy thing to swap images out from last year, amend the writing then print them out. It used to take forever, with quite a lot of swearing accompaniment.

A round robin summation of our last year was put together last night and this morning needed a slight alteration as I’d omitted a visit to Birmingham early in the year. With that sorted copies were printed out. Tilly couldn’t cope with the backwards and forwards of the paper in the printer. It kept spitting them out and then swallowing them again! Errgh!!

Cards were scored, trimmed and folded. Greetings written, signed. All ready for stamps. We had quite a lot of left over stamps from previous years, this was the time to use them all up as come next year they won’t be valid. Still a few short and only one large letter stamp remaining.

#unit21 emails flew around for a while this morning along with whatsap messages from Amy. Lots of trainers were being tried on in Huddersfield, a smaller boiler suit had arrived for the smallest member of the company. A short list of returns will be compiled next week. A good days fittings without having to travel north.

Mick topped up the water tank. Dish washer and washing machine put to work. However the water pump with the tick started to leak*. The one with the question mark was fitted. This lasted long enough for Mick to have a shower. It was very noisy especially when Mick went to check on it and it was also leaking*, *oll8cks!!!

The third untested pump was fitted. This was quiet, very quiet! It worked, but not very well. The pressure of water coming through the taps was considerably different to normal. With the old pump we know that if you count to 7 and a little bit you have just the right amount of water in the kettle for two mugs of tea or coffee. With this pump we resorted to filling a mug twice, possibly to a count of 20!

Most certainly not enough pressure for a shower. Here’s hoping delivery delays don’t affect our new pumps arrival.

In the afternoon I chopped up some butternut squash, drizzled it with oil and wrapped it in foil on an oven tray, popping it on top of the stove to gradually cook by itself. As it sizzled I made up a batch of sweet pastry for a second batch of frangipane mince pies. Adam had pointed me to the recipe he uses, but it lay behind a paywall. I’d been given enough information to adjust my gluten free pastry recipe, the zest of an orange and to use the juice instead of water to bring it all together. It certainly smelt festive.

The multifuel stove was also used this evening to cook risotto rice for our evening meal. Everything got going on the hob then once the chicken stock was simmering the cast iron pot was popped on top of the stove to carry on bubbling away. It cooked in half an hour, peas and the squash added. Very tasty with a bit of cheese on top.

**Butternut squash and chicken risotto**

I’d found a knitting pattern for a rabbit, so I cast on the head and worked my way through the pattern. I’ll need to get a bit of stuffing for it once it’s knitted. Progress was slowed somewhat as we watched the last episode of The Serpent which had been broadcast ages ago. Blimey that man was horrid!

0 locks, o miles, 3rd del boy pump, 1 proper one on order, 1 soggy bottom step, 30 round robins, 45 cards, 3 parcels, 1 new recipe pastry, 9 pairs trainers, 1 overall.

**A stunning view, but will we ever escape?!**

Erratum

*Having not been able to stick my head in the bottom step to observe the problems with the pumps myself, I have had to rely on information passed to me from Mick, who did have his head in the bottom step. This information led me to believe that each and every pump Mick tried leaked. This was incorrect, they simply just stopped working!

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna

Category Archives: Narrowboat Maintenance

The Lady In Grey. 12th January

Armed With A Hacksaw. 5th January

Elbow Room. 4th January

Excluding Vat! 3rd January

Final Statistics. 1st January 2023

Unexpected Last Cruise. 31st December

Two Reds. 30th December

Solid Under The Surface. 18th December

Solid. 16th & 17th December

Del Boy Pumps. 14th December