Category Archives: Nature

Hunting. 12th April

Lockdown Mooring 4

Easter when I was a kid was quite often spent in Buttermere in the Lake District. We would stay at The Bridge along with many others who had become regulars for the weekend. The first sign that the Leckenbys had arrived was our dog Worthington running through to the rear bar to claim prime position in front of the log fire. I strongly suspect my life began in that hotel Easter 1966.

The adults would play Hare and Hounds, the hare leaving a paper trail across the fells for the hounds to track them down. I suspect my brother and I were left with mum in the bar with her G&T whilst my Dad, Buddy and others were scree running on the peaks.

One year we joined in with an Easter Egg hunt at a friends house in York. This was the first hunt I’d ever been on. It was very well organised, each of us with a little basket to collect our chocolate in, special eggs had our names iced on them. I came away with quite a collection I seem to remember.

Amazing what you can fashion with a toilet roll, pink ribbon and some micropore tape

Then there was the year Granny and Pompom came to stay with us and I made myself an Easter bonnet out of pink ribbon. I remember it well, better than that jumper!

Now onboard Oleanna, Easter usually brings with it the not so secret secret purchasing of Easter eggs. These are then normally hidden until our Sunday morning cuppa in bed when we produce them from their hiding holes, “Happy Easter!!!” Well that is how it’s been since we moved to living on a boat. This year however it was different.

The not so secret secret purchase hadn’t been possible for normal eggs, due to lack of space in our shopping bags, restocking the wine cellar was far more important! But two small bags of Mini Eggs had been squeezed into our bags amongst the cabbage and carrots, so we wouldn’t do without.

The shopping on Thursday had been unpacked, disinfected or left for three days before being brought inside. Mini eggs were deemed to need disinfecting to be brought indoors. The new regime takes time and means that things don’t always end up being put where they normally would go. The last I saw of the packets of mini eggs was on the counter top as the Milton solution dried.

Just where had they gone! We had a proper Easter Egg Hunt on our hands. Mick had a look in the obvious places that they could have gone. Nothing!! A girl look was needed!

Just where oh where had they gone?!

Drawers were opened up. The shopping bag drawer now filled with chocolate!

Not there.

I really must get round to tidying these

Nor there.

What about……..

YES!!!!

The first place I should have looked, at least it was the last!

To walk off some of the chocolate we took our rubbish for a walk up the locks to the bin. The big containers have gone from the works enclosure at the top of the locks.

Then we decided to follow the route I’d taken yesterday, just cutting it short to avoid the boggy patch. As we approached Stoke Manor we noticed a black plastic bag on top of a post. Then we turned down the lane and got to Stoke Manor Farm. Here was another black bin bag, what were they covering?

There’s another walking person under the black bag

Public Footpath signs. Is this because someone is isolating and don’t want people traipsing through their farm yard? Is it fear? Well I have to say it made our mind up, we’d follow the footpath on our maps across their yard along the Public Right of Way.

We headed across the fields and took a different path to reach Bridge 99. The fields seemed to be just a touch greener today, maybe Mother Nature had been hard at work overnight.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 Easter egg hunt necessity, 2 bags of eggs, 2 bin bags, 0 Easter epic, 2.4 miles walked, 1 roast chicken, 0.75″ too wide, 1 pulled out sock, 1 nosy neighbour, 1 worrying car.

A Handful Of Pots And An Apology. 11th April

Lockdown Mooring 4

Firstly an Apology to the BBC. She and I would like to apologise to the BBC (and Gordon Buchanan, he’s my favourite) for suggesting that they hadn’t checked their facts the other day in relation to cats not being allowed out at the moment due to Covid-19. In fact the BBC had been given unclear information from the BVA. The BVA said they “had given information that related to both general guidance as well as specific advice for cats from self-isolating or infected households, but not made the distinction clear.“

“The article suggested that veterinary advice was to keep all cats indoors, but BVA has since explained that this advice is only in relation to cats in infected households or where people are self-isolating.”

We on Oleanna apologise for suggesting that the BBC hadn’t checked their facts. Sorry to Gordon, my favourite is the Polar Bear Family and Me, it’s dead good, luckily Gordon didn’t become their dingding!

So sorry to Adam, Gordon and their colleagues, we like the BBC.

I wish She and Tom would make my dingding wizz round like this. Gordon is great!

Another day of nine hours of shore leave in one place! She says I need to get good at spending time in one outside and it not moving so much, so I spent quite a bit of time snoozing today on the bed instead, well it was a warm day. I did say hello to everyone on the Geraghty Zoom before putting my head down. Tom listened to the cricket and guess what? England actually won!! Again!!!

I decided to see if I could get a better look at those wonderful chimneys back up the canal. With the OS ap now downloaded onto my phone I set off on a three mile walk.

My route took me up by the locks. We’ve been a touch concerned about the amount of water leaking onto the towpath by the bottom lock at Hurleston. Mick this morning saw a CRT chap and asked him about it. The works at the lock haven’t as yet been signed off by the contractor, but apparently there is an artesian well by the lock and that is where the water is coming from. It does seem to be getting wetter each time we walk up there.

I walked along the back of the reservoir and then looped round onto a footpath that runs alongside the A51. This led to a gate onto what must have been the original road still with cats eye down the centre.

A short distance on I got to view the front of Stoke Manor, a wonderful redbrick front with bay windows. It is apparently now owned by the County Council and has been split into flats.

Flat five does however have 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, so I doubt they are pokey places. The only interesting thing I could find out about the Manor was that during World War 2 it was used to house landgirls.

The chimneys are so tall and from one angle they resembled a hand. Very fine indeed and worth the stroll to see them.

I then followed the footpath through Stoke Manor Farm out onto freshly sewn fields. A sign asked me to keep to the footpath which wasn’t so obvious. But I soon could make out where others had walked before me, from one tree to the next.

The earth was soft and warm beneath my feet, the small sprigs of green starting to rise towards the sun. Just a scattering of green across the landscape. Maybe I’ll have to return in a few weeks time to see how it’s doing.

I could have crossed over at the next canal bridge but decided to continue to the far end of the fields where Barbridge sits. My map suggested that the path should continue between two houses, but my way was blocked.

A couple were busy in their garden, so I asked them which way the path went, it turned out to be on the other side of their house. I thanked them and then very quickly discovered the path had become a bog!

One of those hop skip and jump moments, hoping that speed would mean I could levitate across the top, my weight not breaking the surface. But gravity knew better and my trainers sank into the mud!

I soon rejoined the road then the towpath and headed back southwards, making a note of a stretch where there might be tree cover should the weather get very hot before lockdown is lifted. Who knows if we’d get into the side here, but it might be worth a try should we seek shade.

The white posts on the reservoir had been photographed by the C&RT chap Mick had spoken to this morning. However he hadn’t asked about them. There are quite a few sets of posts, possibly three lines of them down the embankment each heading off on a different bearing.

This evening we’ve had the nearest meal we can have to an Indian Take Away as every place we’ve seen in Nantwich is now closed. Two dishes from Morrisons, along with my first sag aloo ( I made enough to last a second meal) and an attempt at gluten free chapatis.

Potatoes at the ready and chickpea flour weighed out

The chapatis I made with gram flour (chickpea flour) some oil, cumin and fennel seeds and some water. This makes a dough/paste that you then roll out and fry in a dry pan. They ended up looking a touch drier than normal chapatis, less stretch which is to be expected with a lack of gluten. They were tasty and softened up a touch under the t-towel that kept them warm. I may try a different recipe next time which has arrowroot in it, or maybe one with yoghurt, we’ll see.

0 locks, 0 miles, 3 miles walked, 10 on zoom, 2 handheld cameras, 314 Boothferry Road in Dhaka, 1 boat moving, 1 cat out past curfew! 21 pots at least!, 2 soft fields, 2 muddy feet, 24 posts at least, 4 chapatis, 2 mains, 1 side, 1 rice, 1 test match victory, 1 phone call, 2 boaters sleeping on things.

Just which way will the future have us going?

Listening. 10th April

Lockdown Mooring 4

Rules were read and Tilly was free to explore to her hearts content. 9 hours! We were expecting lots of footfall today along the towpath, but it wasn’t that bad. C&RT are trying to discourage the masses from filling the towpaths, especially those that are narrow and where 2m distance is an impossibility.

Their first poster was far too wordy and you would have had to be seriously bored and nosy to stop to read it.

Yesterday they put out another version which is a touch more to the point in a polite way.

The other message they put out yesterday was to not visit or move boats over the Easter weekend. This was to discourage people with boats in marinas coming out for a jaunt over the holiday weekend. We also felt that the instructions were for every boat owner including us. Stay put, so we listened and did. We only saw two boats moving today, they both winded and returned, one pulling in just past us, the other pausing for a while before carrying on back towards Nantwich.

Mick cooked us a very nice breakfast, well I had some bread, there were eggs and bacon that needed using too so it would have been silly not to. It was even a two course breakfast with a Hot Paw Bun for pudding. No need for lunch today.

Mick got the chairs out and tucked himself away in the garden. From Oleanna’s gunnel to the worn path it is over two meters, then my tape measure ran out of it’s 5 meters before it got close to Mick. So I reckon the bottom of our garden is about 6/7 meters away from the boat. This now means that Mick can happily listen to the cricket and I can listen to other things, well I know what’s going to happen with the cricket. There will be lots of twists and turns to the plot before the nail biting finish.

I had intended doing a little bit of work today but instead I decided to catch up on some listening. Pre-boating days I used to listen to radio plays as I made models at the top of our house in Scarborough. I miss that, so instead of reading something myself I listened.

The first two installments of The Community Hall Roof Fund, written preformed and produced by Venerable Bickers. Link available on Spotify. This is of course a pseudonym for a friend of mine in Scarborough. He was a very good sound technician, so the quality of the recording is very very good as are his sound effects. It’s a little bit Ayckbourn meets Monty Python and has several references which takes me back to my Stephen Joseph Theatre days. A very amusing listen, I wonder where it will take us next?

Vanessa Brooks is a writer/director and founder of Seperate Doors which champions learning disabled actors. I have worked with Vanessa in the past and hope to in years to come. She is producing short stories, introduced by leading playwrights such as Timberlake Wertenbaker, Our Country’s Good and Jonathan Harvey, Beautiful Thing and Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.

A Significant Change in the Weather leaves you room to fill in the gaps in your head. Not jolly but thought provoking.

The Lagoon is a much lighter piece, set partly on a cruise ship, it had me chortling out loud.

All are very much worth a listen. I may be biased as I know both the writers, but I hope you enjoy them too. I’m very much looking forward to the next episodes and stories which will come over the following weeks.

The afternoon was finished off with a walk up to the reservoir and around it’s circumference. A haze blurred the distant views but I was glad to be away from the Blackthorn blossom which seems to have given me hayfever. A cockerel had escaped and a poor lady brandished a large net on a pole in the hope of catching it.

Central on the water is a floating island which looks like it is being used for inspection purposes. The white poles we’d noticed from the canal are quite sturdy. Paul from Waterways Routes confirmed our suspicions of their purpose ‘they are probably surveying markers to see if the embankment is slipping’.

They cluster around an area where the bank is lower than elsewhere and a wall of armco has been added on the water side in the past. Perhaps after the Toddbrook Reservoir incident any slippage is being monitored more carefully.

Daffodils were out enjoying the sunshine and Peacock butterflies rose into the air dancing with each other deciding whether they fancied each other enough. A lovely walk on my own whilst Mick listened to England fighting back at the cricket.

0 locks, 0 miles, 6 rashers, 6 hash browns (our last), 2 buns, 2 lost dogs, 2 reunited dogs, 2 moving boats, 1 spot of buttercream, 1 perpetual jumble sale, 2 itchy eyes, 1 circumnavigation, 96%, 2 butterflies, 1 exhausted cat, 0 Lapwings.

Two Pronged Shopping. 9th April

Lockdown Mooring 2 to Nantwich to Lockdown Mooring 4

‘No Tilly, sorry’ was a phrase used a lot today. She just didn’t understand that every ten to fourteen days there will be one day where she isn’t allowed out. She was adamant, shouting at the back door, she’s forgotten all about BUMingham! I know we’d asked her to use shore based facilities and for the last ten days she has only visited her pooh box twice, today she could go as often as she wanted, But I’d rather go outside! Her four legs stayed crossed for much of the day, giving in mid afternoon, I could hear her relief.

Another warm, but overcast day to pootle into town. At the green double decker bus kids were playing with a hammock, glad I wasn’t the one lying in it! Then there is the field with what looks like hundreds of old tractors, someone’s collection maybe. All these sights will soon disappear as the hedges and trees are starting to turn green, the Blackthorn is certainly in full flower which is just wonderful.

Several boats had already passed us this morning, we passed them as we arrived at the embankment. There was a space just where the ramp comes up to meet the towpath so we tied up, collected our bags, a bike and the long shopping list and walked into town. It seemed busier than ten days ago, more cars and more people out walking. Last time we’d walked into town Mick had suggested maybe the pavements should become one way, everyone sticking to the left footpath (where two are available) to help with social distancing. We kept to the left, occasionally having to swerve into the road to avoid others.

Once in town we split up for a two pronged shopping attack. Whilst I headed to Morrisons for the majority of the shopping (single shoppers only), Mick went to pick up our meat order and then to Holland and Barrett.

I joined the queue at Morrisons, barriers snaking the line back and forth. I can’t help but people watch, some people just don’t get social distancing. There were a couple of young ladies who seemed to be together. One lady was fidgety as she smoked, swaying back and forth in the line. The gap between them and the old chap they chatted to infront varied between 3ft and 5ft, nowhere near 2m (sorry for mixing units). The chap didn’t seem bothered by it even though he had said to them that he wasn’t meant to leave home, being over 70, but he was now coming out more than ever!

Then there was the chap who leant on his trolley, smoking his roll up. A bit of tobacco straggling out the end was picked out, he then took another drag. Fingers, mouth. He may think he’d not touched the trolley with his fingers, but he had. Once his fag was finished he put on a pair of gloves for protection!

We wear gloves when shopping, mostly to remind ourselves not to touch our faces. There is still a need to wash your hands and disinfect things you touch, they just help to keep us aware until the next sink is within sight.

Holland and Barrett were closed today so Mick arrived before I’d got into Morrisons. We conferred across the queue, Mick headed to join the queue for Aldi. This meant that should there be things missing in Morrisons he could hopefully pick them up across the road.

I finally got into the store and was handed some disinfectant on a papertowel. Was this to clean my hands? The trolley? Both got a wipe and I started.

Stocks were pretty good, only expensive eggs though. The trolley quickly filled up. Our two pronged attack worked, a phone call before Mick had reached the check out and he got eggs and tinned tomatoes. A few other things were missing, but nothing that meant we’d starve. Sadly it looked like we’d be running out of space in bags and on the bike, so no easter eggs! Instead a couple of bags of mini eggs which would fit round other things in bags.

I elected to use a self scan conveyor. Less contact with the shop staff until you realise the cabbage you picked up doesn’t have a barcode! I could sort my shopping as I scanned without pressure. Fridge bag as normal and a bag we’d not need to touch for at least three days, this one can stay outside without being disinfected. All good.

Back at Oleanna the new system of disinfecting things was carried out and the spare items stowed in the cratch, so we wouldn’t have to squeeze past them in the coming days. Hopefully this will be the last time we’ll have to visit a supermarket for a few weeks. We have secured two deliveries over the next three weeks and will place an order with Clem’s the greengrocer from the market, maybe have a meat order delivered too.

As Mick moved us along to the winding hole I made a start on the very important job of making Hot Paw Buns. I mixed up the sticky dough as we crossed the aqueduct, pausing alongside NB Mountbatten to buy some kindling. A quick shower before we arrived back at the water point and then the fruit and spices were added to the dough and left to rise a second time as we pootled our way back towards Hurleston.

We’d made a note of a mooring we fancied trying where the towpath is quite wide closer to the junction.

Here gives us the option to sit out at a good distance from anyone on the towpath. Tilly gave it the once over, checking out the freshly ploughed shore based facilities. This would do, she got so distracted that when she finally came home for dingding she’d forgotten to go, so the only option left was her pooh box!

The Hot Paw Buns with their special filling were ready for us to sample for pudding whilst they were still warm. The marzipan paw print had gone slightly dark in the oven, but was still very very tasty.

Paw prints in marzipan for the final rise

This evening we joined in with the 8pm applause for all those who are looking after us, NHS, farmers, shop workers, carers, lorry drivers. People waved from the top of the reservoir, other boat horns could be heard and applause too in the distance. This week the wardrobe department from the ENO have been busy in their homes making scrubs for the NHS Link. Sarah the first lady in the time lapse was at college with me. I believe there are more wardrobe departments and props makers using their skills across the country doing this too.

0 locks, 5.18 miles, 2 winds, 2 straights, 2 pronged attack, 1 chicken, 1 pork pie, 9 sausages nicely defrosted, 0 market stall, 0 Holland and Barrett on Thursdays, 2 supermarkets, 2 queues, 4 boxes wine, 1 Indian, 4 bars chocolate, 1 loaf, 1 sad gits mince, 1 full water tank, 4th mooring with a garden, 1 pooh field, 8pm BEEP BEEP!

https://goo.gl/maps/VVhHgxwagaWSpDRc9

A Faltering Starter. 6th April

Lockdown Mooring 3

Trying to give my sourdough starter a boost means that I’ve been creating quite a bit of discard. You need to empty out some of the starter before you feed it again, so that the ratios remain good and the existing starter is getting enough food. So I’ve been storing the discard in a jar in the fridge. Today the jar was getting quite full so it was time to use some, we also have quite a bit of milk for which the use by date is bordering on terminal. Time to make pancakes!

Sourdough pancakes are not as quick to make as normal, mostly because I need to make oat flour, for this I use my stick blender which has a very sharp blade. I also add some ground almonds to make then a touch finer, but this makes it quite sticky, so you have to scrape it off the blades. Maybe I should just make my whole bag of oats into flour and save it for recipes.

Once mixed and left to rest for a short while they were cooked in batches of three and added to a plate in the oven to keep warm. Then enjoyed with various toppings. One nice breakfast.

Another load of washing was put through the machine making us very low on water again. So once Tilly had returned from her morning check of the estate we pushed off and headed backwards for water. The wind pushed us away from the side, then we reversed back through the bridge behind us and past all the moored boats.

Outside the service block were three C&RT vans, a meeting or tea break going on inside. We disinfected the water point and attached our hose. The three chaps came out in turn from the building, they may have a van each, but one chap had no idea what 2 meters looked like with his colleagues. We kept our distance anyway.

Back at our mooring we settled back in. The view to our off side clearer now as I’d managed to remove Tilly’s artwork at last. Tilly headed off to find friends and I caught up with some work emails whilst Mick tried unsuccessfully to find the handle from the riddler on the stove that had fallen off the other day.

The Garden is changing due to the current state of the nations health. Live shows sadly will no longer be happening in July. But the play will go on, just in a different form. I’ll find out more tomorrow about my new involvement. I’ll still have work to do, but no need to go shopping or paint the set and everything will be done from home on Oleanna.

Reading up about my failing sourdough starter I decided that I needed to do something other than just feeding it. One person suggested that at the next feed I should have one third starter, one third flour and the third third water. So I would need to reduce the amount of starter I already had. It was a bit bubbly so I decided to risk making a loaf of bread.

A Buckwheat loaf was mixed and put on the shelf to rise and what bottled water I had left was mixed in with the remaining starter and fresh flour. With no more water I would have to put the starter in the fridge until I can replenish my stocks.

An explore was needed to stretch my legs. A kissing gate from the towpath seems to be a popular route across the nearby fields. A quick look at the OS map and I set off to see what I could see.

Three kissing gates and a bridge later I had no idea which way the path went. We’ve never got round to downloading them onto my phone so Google earth was all I had. Sadly it wasn’t that much use. I knew which way I was supposed to be heading, but just couldn’t find a way there. I walked perimeters of fields looking for gates or stiles, but none showed themselves. In the end I gave up and retraced my steps over the dry ploughed fields, back around the kissing gates to the boat.

After two hours, the oddly short time my recipe suggested, my loaf of bread looked no different. I left it high up on the proving shelf to see if things would improve after a few more hours. After seven hours up there there was some rising happening, but it was now too late to get the oven and cast iron pot up to temperature and bake it. So I risked leaving it overnight, it was just an experiment anyway.

0 locks, 0.38 miles, half backwards, 7 pancakes each, 1 full water tank, 5 clean windows, 2 meters please! 3 shows cancelled, 1 change of tack, 1 show that will go on, 3 woodpeckers, 1 failing starter, 1 lumbering loaf, 2 friends, 1 failed walk, 1 PM in intensive care.

Boaters Covid Support. 31st March

Lockdown Mooring 2

A couple of weeks ago Kate Saffin and a few other people started a facebook group with the aim of connecting small local boating groups on the network in relation to Covid-19, circulating information and supporting where help was needed.

We started as a group for boaters running local waterways based COVID support groups. That is still important – creating a network of small, local, responsive groups across the waterways with this group as an umbrella group to support anyone running a group. As things have developed we’ve been asked for help by more isolated boaters, so this also a network for any boater to connect to other boaters – for some practical help or just to know that there are others around your area.
Boaters Covid Support-National Network, Facebook

Existing groups contacted them and then there were people like me who wanted to connect to a local group if there was one around. This part of the Shropie didn’t have a group, yes I could have set one up with the guidance from the Boaters Covid Support, but as we’ll be moving on when we can it seemed daft to become an admin for an area we are (hopefully) only visitors in.

I’ve been checking back to see if a group had been set up and today I found a growing list of such groups. Hopefully this link Covid Suppport Groups Listing will take you to the relevant page where you can download the list. A small group had been set up for the Northwich/Middlewich/Nantwich area, so we both joined.

So far there are ten members in our group, but I hope it will grow. These groups are intended so that people can offer help locally or ask for help should they need it through these challenging times.

Today we’ve been watching the farmers ploughing the fields around us on both sides of the canal. This is exciting as I may soon have a whole field to dig and run around in. Having my own pooh field as shore based facilities will keep Them happy.

Our mystery bird returned and I tried to film it to capture it’s call. Here it is right at the beginning, before the White Tipped Tailed Tilly starts with her whingeing! Thank you for the suggestions so far. I think however it is possible that it might be a Turn of some sort and only calls when in flight.

This afternoon we set out on a walk. The Ordnance Survey map was checked to see if we could do a circular route and one was found that would keep us on this side of the canal.

We walked up towards Hurleston, stopping for a chat with Barry who’d been very industrious painting his plank and pole. Then we continued on along the towpath past the junction and on to where the fairies live at the bottom of the garden. Behind the canalside properties lies a rather nice looking house with great tall chimneys. Maybe we’ll head that way another day.

Along hedges, across fields, we were quite glad Mick had the map on his phone because other than at the occasional gate post there was no obvious footpath to follow.

What until recently must have been thick mud now has a dried out top crust all cracked and in parts deceiving as you foot squelches through into the underlying softer layers. Then tractor tracks hard baked make the going hard, we did our best not to twist any ankles.

Grassy fields, old maize fields with the remaining husks long since devoured by wildlife.

Past a very large new barn being built, alongside the farm track and across more fields.

Down into the corner where a wrong footed style gave us a conundrum along with getting spiked by the holly tree that had grown round it.

Here we could see our route across a small wooden bridge a style at both ends.

This then led us into a very well maintained garden! Hang on, we thought, we can’t go tramping up their garden. We checked the map. It suggested the path went up the left of the buildings, except these buildings didn’t look like they were L shaped.

We tried round the other side of the hedge, no. Then up the side of the garden apologising as we went. In the corner by an area where chicken were fenced in there was a style, phew we could get out of someone’s garden.

We soon joined the track away from the houses and on a telegraph pole saw a notice saying that the footpath was closed until June, due to damage sustained by the bridge during the recent floods. The footpath on this map suggested that we should have walked right up through the garden! Glad we didn’t.

There’s some lovely looking houses about with their two tone bricks. A 4 bedroomed barn conversion is for sale, a mere snip at £570,000. Link

The road led us back towards the canal and our nearest southernly neighbours. from here it was back onto the towpath and back to the boat. A good three mile walk, slightly challenging under foot.

0 locks, 0 miles, 6 boats, 1 after dark, 2 fields ploughed, 1 flock of seagulls, 1 mystery bird, 1 poem ready to add, 3 miles walk, 2 kissing gates, 2 styles, 1 tennis court in use, 2 coats left outside, 1 big pan of chicken and sweet potato hash, yum.

Drifting On By. 25th Marc

Lockdown Mooring 1

The mornings are filled with sunlight at the moment and sleeping past 7am is getting hard, this will help next week not to feel too lazy when the clocks have jumped forward. Our mooring is close ish to the railway but with the reduced time table we rarely hear them, instead the world is filled with bird song. That is until a boat comes past, I can hear them from quite a distance at the moment.

This morning we were expecting at least one boat, NB Briar Rose. Adam and Adrian had set off almost three weeks ago from their marina on the Grand Union and had headed for the North. Sadly most of the north is still closed due to storm damage. Now Corona-19 has stopped all but essential navigation of the network, they’d been feeling the lock down approaching in the water too, so had turned round a few days ago. NB Briar Rose is being left at a marina and they will be returning home, four weeks early.

They were the first boat to come past this morning and we managed to have a chat with them as they drifted past at a safe distance. Tilly was a touch disappointed not to see Adam as last summer he visited us in Guildford and brought her lots of treats. But she was far too busy in the sideways trees to even pop her head out to acknowledge them. We wished them a safe journey home.

Tilly spent much of the day outside. Luckily there seems to be a lot to keep her occupied and today she managed to keep to the newest rule of using shore based facilities. She’s a touch exhausted so you may not hear from her for a while.

I continued painting my model and then in the afternoon moved onto a new project that needs to be done for Friday. My stocks of card are kept low on the boat due to lack of storage, but an old pad of tracing paper provided me with enough card for my model. Tomorrow I’ll finish it and be able to post some footage on line.

Mick started on his list of jobs. Today to grease the hatch doors and locker lids. As the weather gets warmer a lot of our hinges (Oleanna’s not ours) start to creak and we always intend to give things a good grease. Well today the side hatch doors were take off and some stern gland grease applied. The two bow locker lids also had the same treatment.

These took a bit of removing so Mick dug the Hebble Spike out from a locker and used it to cushion the hammer blows to nudge the lids along their hinges. Sadly the locker lids are in need of some attention from me as they are not quite central to the opening. So as they get opened and closed any grit down the side has worked the paint off and now rust is working it’s way along. These have been on my list of jobs to do for a while.

A walk to the chandlers on the off chance of some milk. The café window was open but nobody was around to serve. The lady at the chandlers hadn’t been able to get any milk for the last few days and any bread she’d got had been snapped up first thing. Rumours were that the shops were chaos in Nantwich with long queues still.

Walking back the two chaps moored near the lock asked if we had everything we needed and were we alright for shopping? A better community spirit than on other stretches of the towpath around the country.

During the day we counted eighteen boats go past. The first being NB Briar Rose and the last NB Halsall in the dark.

0 locks, 0 miles, 9.5 hours, 18 boats, 1:55 ish model, A4 sea, 1lump hammer, 1 Hebble spike, 2 hatch doors, 2 locker lids, 1 gas locker hinge greased, 1 heel stitch dropped, 70% spent pouncing not sleeping, 2 Mrs Tilly stamps of approval.

And STOP. 23rd March

This morning we could feel something in the water around us. A few boats were moving, most coming past us to wind and then head back towards Venetian Marina. We walked down the towpath to check out if there was space at the barbeque mooring as we’re wanting to clean our boat covers. One boat was pulling away leaving one, there would be space for us.

Back at the boat I was receiving emails about my Dark Horse show, they were wanting my opinion on how the show might be realised with current restrictions. Obviously the play can only be performed once restrictions are lifted. I sent an honest reply back. Some elements won’t be affected much if on-line orders don’t get affected. Costumes, another matter. With social distancing I wouldn’t be able to do fittings with the actors, worst case scenario the actors would have to wear their own clothes, should the show go ahead. But my strong belief is that when restrictions are lifted, theatres and theatre companies will need to have a show up their sleeve, one that can be built and rehearsed quickly. So I can finish the design, we’ll have our meeting in a couple of weeks over the internet and then time and restrictions will guide us as to how much will be possible. My next payment will be on completion of the design, due in two weeks, this will go straight out to renew our boat licence.

The feeling we’d woken with was growing inside. If a lock down of the country was imminent then we wanted to be somewhere we’d be able to get water, shopping, diesel etc. We had lunch, headed to the winding hole in front of us, turned the boat and headed back to Cholmondeston Lock.

Here a boat was waiting below to go up, they were emptying the lock, we nudged in behind them. The chap opened up the gates and came to move his boat, I walked up and closed the gates for them and then operated the towpath side paddle whilst the chap did the off side.

We chatted from opposite sides of the lock. He was moving his freshly painted and spray foamed boat towards Birmingham. Tomorrow he’d pick up timber in Nantwich so that he could start to fit the boat out and then a friend was coming to help him up the rest of the way. When asked where we were going I explained that we felt movements would be restricted soon, so we wanted to be above the lock.

Once we’d ascended the lock ourselves, gloves were removed, hands washed, windlasses disinfected, we pootled along to the next winding hole. Here we winded again then reversed to some Armco. Hatch to the towpath. Here will do, it has a farmyard smell to it, we may get used to it.

Whilst we’d been moving we’d had emails from other boaters who’d been feeling the same vibe. An email from C&RT had come through asking boaters to limit themselves to an area. We would now be staying on this pound.

During the afternoon we turned the BBC on, the usual press conference at 5pm wasn’t going to happen, a COBRA meeting was taking place. All Brits who were abroad were being urged to return home as soon as possible. There would be a broadcast at 8:30pm.

Mr Johnson with fists clenched announced the new measures from No 10. We knew this was coming and to a certain extent it was a relief to finally hear it.

At 11:00 this email from C&RT dropped into Mick’s inbox.

Following the most recent announcement from the Prime Minister regarding the UK’s response to the coronavirus crisis, we are asking leisure boaters to stop all non-essential travel. As a result, and to help those who live-aboard (along with those who would need to travel to their boat in order to move it) we are suspending the requirement to move every 14 days. The suspension will be kept under review in line with revised government guidance, applying initially until 14 April.

We ask everyone to be considerate and make sure at least a minimal amount of essential movement is maintained to keep vital boater facilities and services accessible to those that need them. We will continue to maintain boater facilities and pump out cards are available from our online shop. (We will be urgently reviewing the implications for face-to-face sale of pump out cards and facilities keys from our public offices).

Please click here for the latest updates to our Frequently Asked Questions and up to date advice on where to get support.

Colleagues whose roles are critical to the safe management of the waterways, for example those managing water levels, those carrying out statutory inspections of canal structures, ensuring essential facilities for boaters are available etc will continue their day to day work.

We will be doing whatever we can to support our customers and protect the waterways so we can return to enjoying them fully when the crisis is over. We will keep the situation under active review and update you in line with changing circumstances and guidance.

Thank you for your patience and forbearance and please stay safe during these unprecedented times.

Richard Parry
Chief Executive
Canal & River Trust

So from now until further notice we will only move for water and shopping. We’ll try to combine the two. Tilly will have to adapt too, rationing of the outside may have to be brought in.

Stay safe, stay well, stay at home my friends.

1 lock, 0.83 miles, 2 winds, 1 determined theatre company, 2 unnerved boaters, 1 set of covers that can wait, 1 pound, 3 water points to choose from, 1 town for shops, 2 Dreamies not 4, 1 pongy mooring, 1 country on lock down.

https://goo.gl/maps/WoSs2YJ7XG88f4nX8

Fusilli. 20th March

Nantwich

A shopping list was drawn up over breakfast with what we’d like to get from the shops. A Brompton bike and bags at the ready we walked into Nantwich to see what we’d find.

The arms houses are so pretty on a sunny day

Up on the embankment people kept their distance from each other. With less traffic on the road than normal it wasn’t necessary to press buttons at crossings. It being the last day of school, teenagers stood outside Malbank High School puffing away on cigarettes, we kept a wide berth as they enjoyed their nicotine.

Town wasn’t as quiet as we thought it would be, mostly older people doing their shopping. Each bench around the war memorial had only one person sat on them.

We headed for Pepper Street. Here an older lady jokingly warned friends she had the lurgy and to keep away! Then proceeded to stand close and have a good natter, this Social Distancing is going to take some people a while to get the hang of!

H. Clewlow Butchers had their display of pies in the window as usual. Mick made his choice then went inside, returning with a pie, a chicken and some frozen gluten free sausages.

Next it was Chatwins for a loaf of bread. All these items a touch more expensive than if we’d got them at Morrisons, but at least we were supporting local shops.

Holland and Barrett next to see what gluten free flours they had. Sorghum flour is out of stock everywhere I look on the internet, I knew they wouldn’t have any but I did manage to get some brown rice flour which should keep my sourdough starter happy, that’s if it can cope with a change of food. Here I was invited by the shop assistant to scan my own items, he just had to press buttons on the till.

Then to Morrisons. Fruit and veg seemed fairly well stocked the potatoes a touch depleted, but round in the next isle was a different story. Booze, only sweet or expensive wine left. We’re fine for now.

Down every isle the shelves were being restocked, the sound of boxes and plastic wrapping being cut away. Anti-bac handwash was going out on the shelves so we picked one of them up, we use this normally. Shampoo, meat and mustard were the new isles to be empty.

I’m glad I was brought up cooking and able to look at what was left on shelves and know we’d be eating tasty things for the next few days. Most things on our list were covered now just a few exemptions, so whilst Mick sorted the bike out I headed to Aldi.

A shop assistant was astounded at the amount of frozen ham and pineapple pizzas they were getting through. Then a chap asked why the booze isle was empty. The manager explained that until there are more drivers they are restricted to one delivery to the store a day and she was ordering nappies and pasta rather than booze. Next week things would be restocked, but for now Nantwich would be a sober place to be.

Heading back towards the boat we stopped at B&M where Tilly’s cat food filled the shelves. £2.99 each of 3 for £10! I got one, she now has supplies for a month. I have to say I never thought I’d be buying free range eggs at Home Bargains.

After lunch we walked over to the bins at the services. Mick spotted in the skip a new unopened bag of Fusilli pasta with a date on it. What was this doing here? The only pasta in Nantwich. If I wasn’t gluten free we’d have had it, but left it for someone else to find.

NB Halsall had been due in Nantwich over the next few days and Mick had sent in an order. However they have had to change their schedule due to deliveries to them being altered. We tried working out where we might meet them, considered getting a bag of coal from the chandlers here. In the end we checked if they would still have enough stock for us if we met them at Calverley tomorrow, rendez vous arranged.

As Mick had a towpath haircut Tilly tried her paw at catching squirrels at the bottom of the embankment. It really isn’t fare! They jump from tree to tree without doing any calculations, its as if Isaac Newton never existed!

Then we sat down to watch todays press conference. Life is different and will stay this way for sometime. Our summer plans of catching up with people in Yorkshire will not happen, we’ll still venture north as C&RT say they have no plans on closing the navigation. Emails full of photos will be sent to those we’ll no longer be able to see. The camera and microphone are now working on the laptop and tomorrow there is a planned get together of Mick’s family on Zoom. I suspect we’ll end up seeing more of each other over the next few months than normal.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1st chiffchaffs, 4 shopping bags, 1 laden bike, 0 porridge, 0 wine, 1 coal boat rendez vous, 1 bag of pasta, 1 shaved head, 1 speedy squirrel.

Pigs Not Ponytails. 19th March

Coole Pilote to Nantwich Aqueduct

Over the last couple of days we’ve been discussing whether we should wear gloves whilst working locks now. Apart from when we venture to the shops this is when we might be in contact with the virus. So far I haven’t bothered, making a mental note of what I touch when back on the boat and giving those places and my windlass a wipe down.

Mick however today decided that he’d wear gloves to protect others as well as himself. Doing so makes you a touch more aware of what you touch. He wore his rubber coated gloves and I pulled out a disposable pair for working our way down Hack Green Locks.

I’ve also changed how I tie my hair up. A ponytail doesn’t quite keep it all away from my face when working locks and this gets quite annoying when you are trying to avoid touching your face! So today I decided to revert to pigtails. All good so far, except my hat doesn’t quite sit on top of them.

A few boats had come past this morning and the lady from the boat behind us had been out for a walk with her dog and cat. We pushed off at nearly midday, well Tilly had been out finishing off her friends!

The communications mast from the Secret Bunker hid behind the trees for much of the mile to the locks. We wondered how much toilet roll was stashed away down there in the cold war and if it still might be there.

Our new modus operandi for working the locks seemed to work well. That was until I spotted bedoingee lambs in the field alongside the locks and had to take a photo!

My camera would now need a wipe down. One little lamb obliged when a bedoing was requested and both Mick and I bounced up and down to keep it company.

Over kill maybe, or better safe than sorry

The locks were easy work, followed by wiping things down and disposing of gloves. I think the top of the cabin sides of Oleanna will end up being very clean at this rate.

A zoom in to the hill tops just in view confirmed that we could see Mow Cop on the horizon a familiar sight from the Trent and Mersey and Macclesfield Canals.

Then a dart of blue, quickly followed by another! Two Kingfishers sprinted ahead of us. We kept our eyes glued to where we thought they might have landed. The camera worked overtime pointing in their general direction and I was lucky to get one reasonable shot with the two of them. I wonder if they were by their nest as it’s now breeding season.

We pootled along soon reaching the outskirts of Nantwich. A long line of boats greeted us, did this mean the embankment was full? No it meant the usual boats that stay in one place for a fortnight were doing just that, close to a bridge and away from visitor moorings.

Along the first stretch of 2 day moorings we spotted Jellicoe the butty for NB Mountbatten. Here is a possible mooring for a supermarket delivery, but as none are available we decided to continue on towards the aqueduct. Last time we passed here NB Valerie was moored along the embankment. Today another green boat sat on the same mooring.

As we rounded the bend of the embankment we could see that there was plenty of space up ahead near the service block and the ramp down to the roads below. We crossed the aqueduct and found ourselves a place, furthest away from the road as possible.

Our shopping trip was put on hold until tomorrow when we’ll face others in the queues at the tills. So Tilly got to reacquaint herself with the hill we’re sat on. Too much footfall for her liking, but better than BUMingham.

During the afternoon I received an email that I really hadn’t expected. Dark Horse have decided to continue with The Garden. They don’t know when or if it will get to be seen by an audience, but want to continue as if it will be. So this afternoon I have scanned my drawings and emailed them off to my friend Graham for a quote. I will colour up the model and in April we’ll have a virtual production meeting via Zoom. Depending on when the show goes ahead will depend on how much I can achieve of my design as I’m not sure charity shops will be open for me to start collecting costumes.

Late afternoon the laptop was handed over to the IT department. It’s all very well arranging for meetings to take place over the internet, but you really need to have a working microphone and camera for such things. After an hour or so, both were working. Mick is now going to see if he can connect my camera up to the laptop at the same time so that I can walk people through the model more easily than with the laptop.

2 locks, 3.93 miles, 2 outsides, 0 friends, 4 muddy paws, again! 1 job to continue, 2 Kingfishers, 2 pairs gloves, 2 antibac wipes, 2 pigtails, 1 last of everything fresh stew, 1 sister-in-law in Australia, 6 weeks lock down in China starting to lift, 0 new measures here.

https://goo.gl/maps/HKSRnTDFbe4ti4gF6

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna

Category Archives: Nature

Hunting. 12th April

A Handful Of Pots And An Apology. 11th April

Listening. 10th April

Two Pronged Shopping. 9th April

A Faltering Starter. 6th April

Boaters Covid Support. 31st March

Drifting On By. 25th Marc

And STOP. 23rd March

Fusilli. 20th March

Pigs Not Ponytails. 19th March