Up early, Tilly left with a full bowl of biscuits, but how to get both of us with dry feet to the station? Albert Street always has a puddle close to the main gates of the marina, at the moment it is really rather deep. Mick dug out his wellies and I re-acquainted myself with riding the brompton bike. Having the bike with us would assist me in the mile walk to the station, although when we got near to the main road I decided that I was a touch wobbly so walked instead.
Train in view
We were early for the train north, no bad thing as we didn’t want to get caught out if ships had been moving around the docks necessitating a swing bridge to be closed. Today we alighted the train in Seamer, the last stop before Scarborough. I found somewhere to perch whilst Mick cycled off to pick up a van. The one we’d booked had a couple of things wrong with it, but when an engine warning light lit up Mick was offered another van with a long wheelbase. More than enough room for us, just a bit more awkward to maneuver.
Class 37 Victorious
Into town to the house, we needed to pick up a few things for our move, crates, cool box and cat caravan. We knocked on the door, always a strange thing to do at your own house. We picked up the bits, checked on a reported leak in the kitchen then headed off leaving our lodgers to get ready for work.
Yummy!
Thank goodness we’d booked a table at EatMe for lunch as they were fully booked. We enjoyed burgers each, always worth a visit. Then there was time to kill. After walking into town my foot didn’t fancy going any further, a look at the sea would have to wait, so we sat ourselves on the sofas in the foyer of the SJT. This turned out to be a good move as our friend Lee walked in and had time for a catch up chat.
Constant Companions is Alan Ayckbourn’s 89th play. Three intertwined stories of humans and android lovers filled the round stage at the SJT. The audience kept very amused but also slightly concerned as the androids say that they will miss us when we’re gone, as in the human race! A very good afternoon followed by many hellos in the foyer with lodgers past and present, plus the assistant producer from Dark Horse. Lovely to see everyone.
Goolish cakes on Falsgrave
Time to head back to Goole, over the Wolds arriving back at the marina after dark. Getting the extra long wheelbased van into the parking area was a bit interesting, but Mick managed to do it leaving enough room for other vehicles to get passed without having to bump into Oleanna. Tilly cuddles and cheese on toast to end the day.
She knows, but we’re not talking about it
0 locks, 0 miles, 0.5 miles by bike, 1 giant puddle, 1 train, 1 extra long van, 2 burgers and chips, 1 Lee, 0 Duncan, 1 Connor, 89th play (heading to Bowness and Newcastle Under Lyme), 2 androids, 1 run down, 1 van ride, 1 happy cat.
Finding a gap in the traffic would be our problem this morning. Cars, canoes and paddleboards were everywhere. We managed to push off just as the cars were returning at the end of their time, this also coincided with all the paddleboards deciding to stop for some refreshments and tying up at the service point! Thankfully someone came along and pulled the boards to one side giving us enough room to tie up both bow and stern.
Traffic chaos
Water, yellow water, rubbish etc, all the chores done, we could be on our way again.
Deep
Barrow Deep Lock is as it’s name suggests deep. It took quite some time for a boat to come up, not helped by there being a ground paddle out of action. Then it was our turn to go down. Some gongoozlers asked questions. Now either I was thick or they were. They really couldn’t understand about the water having to be level before the gates would open, they repeatedly kept asking ‘Why isn’t it level?’ as if it should be an instant thing.
Pillings Flood Lock
Below we now followed the course of the river to Pilling Flood Lock which sat with both sets of gates open waiting for us. Our schedule had us mooring on this side of Loughborough today, but we wanted to visit the shops in town, so we passed by a stretch of nice looking armco and carried on along the cut.
A couple of boats came towards us. The cut here fairly wide and no sharp or sudden bends. Both boats asked if there was anyone behind us. We’d have understood them asking on the Llangollen or the Oxford summit, but here?! Not to our knowledge, and they were possibly in a much better position to see than us!
At Loughborough Junction we turned left, making sure to say hello to a group of lads at the bridge who’d been throwing stones into the cut. Only one boat was moored in the basin, we winded and then reversed onto a pontoon. Despite Tilly being excited at arriving somewhere she was left in charge as we headed into town.
No market today
A new sim card for the router at the house was needed, our original provider having fobbed Mick off with a solution to solve the poor connection which he knew wouldn’t do anything. A chat with the chap in EE and an explanation of why we only wanted a sim for a few months and we left with an envelope addressed to our current lodgers a new data sim enclosed. Back to Oleanna via Sainsburys for a few bits, then via Tescos for a post box. Sim on its way and so were we. Loughborough may have an interesting side to it but we hadn’t found it.
Hmmm
But where to moor for the day? We could head back to the junction then reverse the way we’d come for a mooring. Or we could continue straight on, which is what we did.
Certainly a meadow on the gates
Down Loughborough Lock and on to Bishop Meadow Lock where I helped a lady bring her cruiser up from the river section. They were looking for a mooring outside a pub for a Bank Holiday Monday meal, they’d not been having much luck.
Now on the river again, pennywort and some gentle bends. No-one here asked if anyone was behind us and they didn’t offer us that information either.
Passing Normanton on Soar you get the wonderful view of the church, a few big houses with their lovely gardens. Then you get the little summer houses, I prefer these. My favourite a green one, people inside waved to us.
My favourite
A rowing boat, paddleboarders what a shame it wasn’t sunnier.
If only the sun had shown itself
Passing the emergency flood moorings we wondered how you were meant to read the instructions in an emergency situation. We’d not noticed rings and bollards to tie to .
Photo taken for future emergency reference
On through the flood gates and onto Zouch cut. Blimey it was popular. We managed to find a space with a ring for the bow but ended up using a spike for the stern. Despite it being quite late and normally Tilly’s dingding time I allowed her half an hour of shore leave. She took longer, only returning when she did as Magpies were complaining about her on the towpath. She said something about a stamp of approval, but at the time she had a mouth a full!
4 locks, 7.5 miles, 1 left, 1 wind, 1 full water tank, 1 empty yellow water tank, 4 car traffic jam, 2 cooked breakfasts, 0 behind us, 2 North Lock boats passed, 1 new sim, 1 busy river, 30 minutes extended to 65, 1 woofing woofer neighbour!
Those mushrooms in the fridge needed eating up, so I had to make some mushrooms on toast ala Pip this morning, sorry Mick!
Emails back and forth to the printers. Update from me to Production Manager and Director. A new coach drawing done. Sideways trees checked over a few more times.
Go away, I’m recharging my solar!
Mick still in Scarborough was being kept busy too. A chap had come to measure up for wooden double glazed windows to replace the single glazing. Numerous questions were phoned through to me. If we had one type of stop on the highest window in the house we’d loose the squiggly bit, we like our squiggly bits so a key option was okayed. A cottage style was rejected, but brass furniture approved, all whilst I was drawing up the coach.
On his way to the station Mick popped into Clockhandyman and purchased a switch to add to our Nebolink set up. Then he caught three trains back to Rugby.
Time for a detour
A Google for copy shops came up with The Printing Works, time to get my updated plans scanned and copied. The usual walk across the park towards the station was closed due to an emergency closure on the bridge across the Avon, just a short detour required to get back on track. The very helpful chap took his time, concerned about the grey background on the scans. I checked them over, not a problem you could see all the information required, they wouldn’t be for display.
As he scanned and printed we chatted about what I did, he got a sneaky peek at a photo of my model. He very kindly let me borrow a Pantone swatch book so that I could identify the shades of blue I’d used on my portals. This is so the printers can add in a coloured border that will wrap around our scenery instead of it being white. I promised to email a photo when the show was up and running so he could see how it all came out.
Pantone charted
New sets of plans were popped in the post as I walked back to the boat. Then it was time to make the new bits for the model. A simpler coach, two bits of handrail and a dustbin. MIck was back shortly before I’d finished. Over the next few days I’ll have to dig my paint box back out from under the dinette to paint them, but hopefully the majority of everything is now done. Time to get back to boating life.
0 locks, 0 miles, 3 trains, 4 window phone calls, maybe it should have been me that went to Scarborough, 15 scans, 12 copies, 2 envelopes posted, 2 hand rails, 1 dustbin, 1 coach, 2 plates of pork fried rice, 1 switch.
Thankfully the weather was better today, still a touch chilly, but the sun was showing it’s face. Boats that had been stationary yesterday were on the move , including NB Momentous, I happened to glance up from what I was doing as they passed to wave hello.
A generous plate full of pancakes
Blueberry pancakes for breakfast were very tasty, followed by the Geraghty zoom. Subjects included Shap, Huel, Portsea and when is an island an almost island! Then it was time to get on with work.
Just keeping an eye on you
Today the drawing board came out. My technical drawings needed updating with the cuts and alterations that had been discussed. As I worked away Tilly came and went exploring the world behind the sideways trees and Mick worked away washing bedlinen and making beds in Scarborough.
Tanya our most frequent lodger arrived mid afternoon soon followed by Georgia, two actors from the new Ayckbourn cast that starts rehearsals this week.
Once I’d finished updating one set of plans I started working out how to split the print of the portals, a quote from a new company to me had come in a quarter cheaper, if I could squeeze extra leaves in around the edges it would save us some money.
Updated plans
Tilly persuaded me that the stove needed lighting again, she enjoyed having prime position in front of it for several hours whilst I worked away. After dinner I reimagined Cinderella’s coach, if I could get the build cost for this down from £1800 it would be good. Several sketches were done, all of them must be cheaper!
0 locks, 0 miles, 10 sheets adjusted, 2 beds made, 2 new lodgers, 1 stove relit, 1 hire boat boating into the night, 11pm finish.
Glad we’d not planned on moving today, the rain wasn’t torrential it just hung around in the air keeping everything very wet. Mick kindly lit the stove, emptied the ash pan and filled the coal skuttle, today was definitely a day for a fire.
Moored just down the way
Thankfully Tilly wasn’t too keen on being outdoors, the stove was far more appealing. So the two of us got to stay cosy inside, unlike Mick who had to walk to the station to catch a train to Scarborough to do the next turn around between lodgers.
I had a long chat with Jo the props maker for panto. Going through the props list I’d finished off this morning. Jo does all the buying and making of props and with quite a good lead up time she is hoping to import a LOT of fake bananas, maybe 300! We talked beasts, plants, buckets, chairs, all sorts, taking 2.5 hours!
I did have to venture out for a pint of milk. The nearest shop looked like it would be Tescos so I set off along the muddy towpath, hopping over puddles here there and everywhere.
The people of Rugby don’t seem to be wanting to buy ice at the moment that’s for sure. I spent a bit of time by the lemonade bottles measuring them up to use as bases for lanterns. Then I found a route back to Oleanna through the housing estate to avoid getting muddy again.
Autumn!
Apparently it wasn’t raining in Yorkshire when Mick came through Standedge Tunnel on the train, but the River Ouse was up a touch and there had been some localised flooding in Scarborough, thankfully not near the house.
Propy bits
The afternoon was spent doing emails and sketches of props, whilst numerous hire boats cruised past each and everyone of them getting really quite soggy.
0 locks, 0 miles, 2 trains for Mick, 1 very very full, 150 minutes props chat, 300 bananas, 4 sketches, 1 cosy boat, 1 long snoozy cat.
Waking in the back bedroom is a strange thing, the bed is quite bedoingee which we’re not used to and being aware of people moving around the house, but not sure where. We opted to get up for our morning cuppa and be sociable. Coco the woofer was happy to see us, they’d just come back from a walk in the park. Soon we were joined by Herbs two girls aged six and nine, we all chatted whilst they had their rice crispies and Olivia and Herb finished packing things up.
I think we need someone to tame our garden
The two girls said hello on the Geraghty zoom before being ushered to pack their bags and get ready to leave. Today they’d be going to Diagon Alley (The Shambles in York), their Dad Herb say’s he’s Harry Potter, but they don’t believe him. We waved goodbye and then set about sorting our breakfast.
I did another hour of pulling things up in the front garden, trimming bushes and hacking back ivy and rose bushes that had bolted for the sky. Mick tidied the dead bluebells making sure any seeds were scattered for next year, we like our bluebells.
Capplemans the only chippy in Scarborough
Bedding washing, ironing, cleaning, bed making, shower cleaning kept us busy right through the day until it was time for Mick to head off and pick up our order of fish and chips. Very crispy batter today, yummo! We made a mental list of jobs still to be done then blobbed in front of the TV before heading to bed early.
Wonky!
Sunday. Was that curtain pole like that before? Surely when we put the curtains back up after I’d decorated the back bedroom we’d have noticed the pole on a wonk? Maybe someone had tugged the curtains a touch too much and the screws holding the pole up had given up. Things happen. We’d rather know about them than not, then we can do something about it, if we’d not slept in that room then the next time the curtains were drawn they may have come down. Mick tried to fix them, but in the end we deemed it a longer job than we had time for so we removed the curtains for safety (there is a blackout blind), afterall a two year old would be sleeping in that room tonight!
All clean and ready for Zoe and family
Windows got a once over, the big shower a full clean, it still has an annoying leak! The postman delivered an important parcel. We packed away our things into the car. Oven, fridge cleaned, sandwiches made for the journey back.
It lives!
One last thing to check, our Christmas tree that hadn’t been doing to well when we’d left it back in May. With all the rain and having been repotted with some of our home made compost it was green again and sprouting! Brilliant!!
A message was sent to Zoe our next lodger and we were off to join the queue of traffic trying to leave Scarborough. Would we make it back in time to drop the car back off before Enterprise closed? The back route over the Wolds was busy with farmers harvesting. Rain as we passed Goole, the M1 closed near London so tailbacks of traffic as people exited to avoid it. We played chicken and hoped that carrying on to the Crick turn off would work, thankfully it did.
The car was unpacked and returned well within the time frame, Mick picking up various bits and bobs on his walk back.
Tilly was very happy to see us, the pigeons and wagtails had kept her occupied, but we were far better than the birds. Look see they left me with only a few biscuits! There were the just in case biscuits left in her bowl, the magic food bowl licked clean.
Whilst at the house there had been post to open. I got a certificate from Dementia Uk for my fundraising. I also got a parcel of yummy yarn from one of the dyers who’d donated yarn to my Sockathon. This was from her monthly yarn club based on literature, Mars. I’d also bought myself a skein of her brightest multicoloured yarn. The later will soon be being knitted up into a pair of socks for me, it’s about time I had some new socks.
The other exciting post had to be signed for and fortunately it had arrived swiftly. Mick had decided to upgrade our Nebo logging and has purchased a Nebolink. This will automatically record our journeys once installed. More about this when he gets round to wiring it in.
Nebolink
After two days of cleaning, bed changing etc we deserved a glass of wine this evening, we sat down and watched the 1935 Hitchcock version of The 39 Steps on Youtube. This is the version that the play we’d seen on Saturday was based on. So much of it was the same, only slight alterations and the direction made the stage play so funny compared to the serious side of 1935.
0 locks, 0 miles,1 car back in time, 1 full house, 1 spotless house, 1 family to another,2 of each, £868.13, 220 grams yarn, 2 empty bowls, 16 biscuits left, 1 big cuddle from Tilly, 1 last wash load.
Our mooring here in Banbury meant that picking up a hire car from Enterprise was a lot easier than it would have been from Cropredy. Hiring a car from Friday instead of Saturday morning was also a lot cheaper for the weekend. So this morning we packed up things we’d need for a couple of nights away, filled up Tilly’s biscuit bowl and got the magic food bowl out. Tilly would be left in charge, Mick’s Christmas present of a webcam focused on her food so we could check it opened on time.
24 hours apart!
It was grey in Banbury when we left, as we worked our way up and across the country it brightened up. By the time we reached Scarborough it was positively sunny and only t-shirts were required. Back at the house we unloaded our things, working out which room we’d be sleeping in for the night as Olivia our lodger for the last few weeks had family staying.
To the NORTH
The garden had had a field day. The wildflower bed was certainly past its best, some very droopy Oxeye Daisies and one stem with teasels stood out from the masses of grass. I spent an hour pulling out long grasses and Mick added our deposits into the compost bin. Then it was time to put on smarter clothes for us to head to the theatre for the evening.
A beer each
Eat Me had a beer and burger deal on if you had a ticket for that days show. The beers didn’t include the gluten free one that they do but the person who served us said it wouldn’t be a problem. We ordered our burgers which we knew would be the best we’ve had for quite sometime. Our bill turned out to have a third off because of the deal, well worth it.
A burger each
The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow was guaranteed to be very silly. Four actors play all the parts, at times costumes are abandoned on stage for an actor to run elsewhere to play another part. Wigs, references to Hitchcock films, physical comedy including a chase on the Flying Scotsman, an escape at height on the Forth Bridge, quick changes, certainly kept us on our toes. Olivia Onyehara (our lodger) played all the romantic ladies, Dave Hearn played Richard Hannay and then Niall Ransome and Lucy Keirl played everyone else, I have no idea how many parts. One character made Mick and myself turn to look at each other. In a big huus (said with a Scottish accent) Hannay is confronted by a black gloved man holding a smoking cigarette in a long holder, Professor Jordan. This man, a German Spy with the top of his little finger missing! Thankfully Mick didn’t need convincing that I wasn’t a German spy.
If you happen to be in Keswick in the next month get yourself a ticket.
Dodgy perspective atThe Trafalgar
A drink with our friends Steve and Frank after the show kept us out late, on returning to the house Olivia and her partner Herb were still up. It was really nice to have chance to meet Olivia and congratulate her on her performance.
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 car, 2 buckets, 2 pouches of food, 1 Tilly in charge, 1 hour weeding, 2 burgers, 2 beers, 2 hours 40 minutes of silliness, 2 mates, forgot to ask you Frank, how are your beans doing?
An early start today had us walking across the muddy cow field and broken bridge to reach the New Inn at 7:15. Here sat a car, lights on, the occupant waved frantically at us as she pulled out from the parking space. The door opened ‘Long time no see!’ The smile was recognisable from 38 years ago, we’d both changed a lot since 1985. Jenny is now a vet, in 1985 she was possibly six, I was eighteen and had just finished doing my A levels. Using an inheritance from my Grandad I’d bought myself a flight to Hong Kong where my cousins Ian and Tim lived at the time. Jenny is my first cousin once removed.
The farm
Back in February, or was it March, our itinerary for this year changed the day we got back from moving Oleanna to Goole. An invite had arrived inviting us to my cousins for this weekend. A social gathering not involving a funeral was very attractive, it also came along with the added attraction of it being the Royal International Air Tattoo, at the bottom of Ian and Sally’s garden.
A Leckenby Maine Coon
They had moved to the area ten years ago and had said if ever we were on the Gloucester Sharpness Canal to get in touch. We’d never managed to contact them. A look at a map actually suggested that Lechlade was a lot closer to them, thus our destination for the summer was set.
The drive to their house in Fairford took longer than expected. Road closures and one-way systems were in operation for the airshow. The traffic wasn’t too bad, mostly down to the early hour. On arrival we were first greeted by dogs, then the household gradually woke up around us.
Sally, Jenny, Sam, Mick, Pip and Ian
Ian my cousin last seen at my Dad’s funeral nearly eleven years ago, Sally his wife last seen at Andrew and Jac’s wedding and Sam last seen in Hong Kong at the age of nine. A bit of a shame Andrew, Jac and Josh hadn’t been able to make it too, but that did mean we got everyone to ourselves, well along with all the other guests.
Having the runway for Fairford Airfield running within half a mile of the garden has meant a gathering of Ian’s old RAF and Cathay Pacific pals through the years, this year was to be the first since the pandemic. Today they were expecting 28 people, tomorrow a slightly different crowd numbering about 20.
A top up breakfast was offered and cuppas, would the weather oblige and allow the airshow to take off? The strong wind meant certain planes had not arrived and others wouldn’t get airborne, this included the Battle of Britain planes. The flying schedule pinned to the fridge door was now half obsolete. However airshow commentary was available on FM radios which were positioned around the house and garden.
Tumbling round each other at the bottom of the garden
Gradually more people arrived, the wind kept constantly strong and the planes started to rumble along the runway which was just out of view behind trees. Up came a display team, possibly the Spanish Patrulla Aguilas. Safety rules are such that the planes cannot do their acrobatics over the crowd, but there was nothing to stop them from doing so over the house. Unfortunately I missed taking what would have been the photo of the day as several planes crossed directly above the house. Oh well, at least I got to see it.
Something fast and noisy
Jets were extreamly noisy the view mostly very good.
The kitchen crew
Late morning Sally came round for a sandwich order, Jenny and Sam ready in the kitchen to make up what everyone required, each wearing their own branded pinnies for the occasion. Ian busied himself with distributing drinks from a plastic bag, large buckets sat in the garage filled with cans of beer and soft drinks all on ice for the day.
RAIN!!!
The organisation of the event certainly showed that they’d done this a few times before. The only thing that was out of their control was the weather. The heavens opened with torrential rain, we all took cover in either a small marquee or inside the house, perfect for a lunch break.
The Red Arrows, down to a seven man team due to one of them waking up with a bad neck this morning (footage taken from Sunday’s show). Sadly this made their formations look lopsided.
Us boaters agreed that the display from the Saudi Falcons was better by far, the ex-RAF contingency politely made comments, not able to totally agree, airforce blue still running through their retired veins.
Overhead
Refueling was a theme of the show and possibly the best photo I got all day was the one above. Chinooks, Tornados and many more planes gave displays. Conversations started and paused as the jets screeched overhead.
The planes were great and so was the company. Plenty of knowledgeable folk to give you technical information should you want it. Many of the chaps I’d met before at Ian and Sally’s wedding when I was their youngest bridesmaid. They had provided the arch of raised swords to walk through, all I had to do was wear a wine velvet cloak and my black patent shoes that Aunt Nancy had bought for me.
1972
Then there was lots of catching up to do with Sally, Jenny and Sam. News from the USA about Jo their brother about to become a father. News from Ukraine about Tim my cousin. History of houses, both French and Scottish.
A lull after the planes had landed saw preparations for the evening meal. The weather had forced a change of eating location into the garage which was bedecked in red white and blue. Ian was incharge of the bbq, Mick kept an eye on it too especially when he spotted flames that needed to be taken under control. Saucisson and pickles was followed by pork, jacket potatoes and salad, then chocolate pots, meringues and cheeses. We certainly were full to the brim with lots of lovely food.
Scary Scarborian
A quick dash around the house being shown family memorabilia, certain plates very much of their time and the painting that used to hang in Grandads house that was known to my side of the family as Scary Man. On the back of the portrait is a long account about Mr and Mrs W Appleby (Mr being in the portrait), they lived at 43 Sandside Scarborough and he is a far flung relative of ours. He happened to live next door to a Cappleman another ancestor.
Jenny very kindly gave us a lift back to Lechlade, even having to turn back when we realised we’d left our coats at the house. There are now plans for a meet up one weekend when I’m in Chippy working on panto.
I was left with my magic food bowl, but was still very pleased to have them back
Was it worth changing our plans for the summer for just one day? Yes it most certainly was. The planes and hospitality were one thing, but also reconnecting with family was way more important. Thank you for the invite, we had a brilliant day.
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 Tilly incharge, 7:15 rendez vous, 2 cousins, 2 cousins once removed, 3 woofers, 1 old Maine Coon, 28, 7 not 8, or even 9, 1 day of noisy planes, 13 hours of family, 2 many memories to share.
Back in Scarborough Mick happened to arrive the day after a builder had been to do some work on our roof. Hopefully the areas we can’t see have been done as well as those we can. Mick also discovered a blocked drain. As we’ve been paying for insurance for such things he made a phone call for someone to come out today to unblock it. Unfortunately this meant extending the car hire as he’d never make it back across the Pennines in time. So slightly more expensive than it should have been, but better to get it sorted today.
Lots of tall greenery
The front flower bed, which had our first humanmade compost added earlier this year is thriving! Mick sprinkled on some wild flower seeds to add to anything left from last year. We’ve still to see any flowers other than the bluebells that have been there for years.
Meanwhile back on Oleanna.
Boats have been coming and going most of the day. The Hotel Boat Lady Teal came past the chap at the helm giving a running commentary to guests sat on the roof. This was far more convivial than the language being used on a shiny widebeam between husband and wife. I thought boating was meant to be relaxing, life better by water and all that! I’m not sure what the argument was about, but I don’t give their wonderful life afloat together long!
A little taster
Act 2 of panto was re-read and scribbled sketches made. I’d thankfully finished in time to join a webinar at 11am.
Nebo is a boat logging app that was developed by Stephen Winter in Australia. It tracks your journeys and then sends you a report at the end of a days cruise. You can also use it to share your journeys and information with other boaters and friends. We first came across it when the Goole Escape happened, our friend David suggested it so that we’d all be able to see where we were on the Ouse as we headed to Selby.
Every now and then we used it to track our journeys during the following year and when we heard that Water Explorer was going to be no more we hunted round for a different way to track our journeys. Nebo came to the front and we’ve been using it for every journey since January. It’s use by narrowboaters has increased this year, more dots appearing on the map, so the chaps at Nebo wanted to do a webinar to go through new features that they will be launching in a week or so and to get feedback from boaters here in the UK, especially on the inland waterways as Nebo was mainly developed for use at sea and on rivers. It’s used extensively in Australia and the USA.
Stephen explained how the tracking works, the app which you can download onto a phone or tablet uses GPS to track your movements through Geofences, octagonal (I think he said) areas that can be identified as locations. We were shown how the geofences work around Sydney Harbour. Here in the UK they are working hard to geofence the inland waterways. So far on our journeys this year we only get the occasional named place that we’d been through or visited. On none geofenced stretches you get co-ordinates instead.
They are working at adding locks and tunnels so that you can see how long you were underground and log how many locks you’ve been through. Currently we have to do this manually, which lets face it isn’t that hard, but it would be nice if the report you get at the end of the day listed when you travelled through these.
Photos can be uploaded to show features to other users. You can chat to boats that are ahead of you, send messages and display your clubs burgee should you want to. It could make for quite a social app.
As an alternative to the app you can buy a Nebolink which is wired into your boats battery bank and has a GPS and a sim card built in. This will automatically track your journeys, starting as you move from a mooring and stopping after you’ve been stationary for a while. As with the app on a phone this will send you a daily log of your days voyages. Here’s ours from yesterday. Each month you also get a monthly report.
With the new version there will be new features such as being able to see previous journeys you’ve made should you want to.
Feedback was invited from the 18 or so UK boaters. Geofencing locks, bridges and tunnels was a main request. You can also give people a link to be able to track your location, this is being improved in the new version.
There was also the suggestion that maybe stoppage notices could be added, heights of bridges, lock dimensions, locations of services. All useful navigational information if you are using the app on a phone as you cruise.
Waterway Routes
We use Waterway Routes for this information, it is very comprehensive. Information includes types of moorings, duration of moorings, towpath types access onto towpaths, winding holes (and their available length), water points, elsans, pump outs, rubbish bins, recycling bins, diesel, gas, boatyards etc. etc. All sorts of information that are useful for boaters and towpath users. We know it is as up to date and as accurate as it can be. As we travel we help update details giving Paul five figure grid references of things we spot that have changed. Paul travels the waterways himself both by boat and by bike regularly, quite an undertaking.
Many a boater will sing the praises of Open Canal Map which is free and can be updated by users, but the accuracy isn’t, for want of a better word, policed. When we’ve looked at it in an area we’re in we find mistakes or old information which isn’t helpful. .
Nebo is having an upgrade in the next few weeks with three levels of subscription. Starter which is free. Silver and Gold (which uses a nebolink) will be subscription based. I believe everyone will get a chance to see what is offered with a silver subscription for a month for free when it is first launched.
We look forward to more geofencing of the UK waterways and may upgrade ourselves to the silver subscription. If they develop a wifi version of nebolink I suspect we will purchase one, but for navigational information we will stick with Waterway Routes. I can’t see that Nebo would ever have such copmprehensive and up to date information as Waterway Routes currently has.
A very informative webinar and nice to meet, even if on line, the Founder and CEO who I think have found a hole to fill in the UK.
The rest of the day was spent working on sketches for panto, working in adjustments I’d talked about with John. I got a third story board together, but suspect there is still more to do.
Chap in a flat cap
A walk around the new housing opposite, showed the use of astroturf and real hedging. I came across a couple of sculptures. One to mark the Bickershaw Colliery Disaster in 1932 where twenty miners entered the cage to lower them down the number three shaft to the pit face. During the descent the equipment malfunctioned and descended too far submerging it and the miners into a flooded chamber at the bottom of the shaft. Only one miner survived.
Carved from a tree
In the centre of the development is a carving of Private Alfred Wilkinson. Alfred was in the Manchester Regiment and was a recipient of the Victoria Cross for volunteering to deliver a message in Marou France in 1918, being exposed to extreme gunfire for 600 yards. He died at the age of 43 in 1940 of carbon monoxide poisoning at Bickershaw Colliery.
When’s Tom going to be home?!
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 blocked drain, 1 extra day with a car, Act 2, 3rd storyboard, 1hour nebo, 1 wave to David and Tim, 7:45pm return.
No need to rush this morning as we’d only got a short distance to cover. So a cuppa in bed was enjoyed then over breakfast I added notes to my sketches for panto and sent them off so that John could have a good look before my meeting with him later on in the day.
Surely we can stay another day!
We pushed off at around10:30 and pootled our way towards Plank Lane. Passing the Dover Lock Inn, it’s such a sad sight. It’s been empty for years and has certainly had an inferno inside. A sign along the towpath says ‘Canalside Care The Dover Lock Inn, Working in partnership to improve the local environment’ ! Wonder how long that’s been there?
What a sorry state
Soon we arrived at Plank Lane. The bridge here forms part of a busy road and time limits have been put on it so as not to hold up the traffic during rush hour. You cannot work the panel between 8 – 9:30am and 4:30 – 6pm. We were well out of those times, but I still had to wait a while before I felt there was a gap in the traffic.
Red light is for traffic from the car park
Pressing the OPEN button seemingly does nothing for a while, that seems to let any cars waiting through the bridge before it drops the barriers. By the time all traffic lights turned red I’d already caught a few cars. At panels like this I always make sure I read the instructions before operating the bridge. Press and hold today.
Open sesame!
Looking up from the panel there was a newish sign in blue saying not to open the bridge all the way up, but just enough to get through, as when fully opened it may get stuck! You would be seriously unpopular then!
A top up of the water tank, the pressure now we’re on the flat considerably less than up in the hills, this took quite some time. Should we pull up behind the next boat or carry on a little bit further? Further was preferable so that Tilly was less likely to head towards the road. Spikes hammered in, cat let out.
This would do us for the night. I spent the afternoon quickly jotting down some new ideas to show John I’d had this morning, then realised that my meeting was via teams. We’ve only used Teams once about two years ago, clicking the link to join the meeting with just a couple of minutes before it started wasn’t wise. Updates, then passwords that had to be changed as we seemingly didn’t remember the correct one. Then it said no way! My IT department deserted me to cycle off to collect a car! All really annoying, but John and I got there in the end via zoom.
Has Liz Truss been along here?
My meeting was good, my basic setting was given a big thumbs up, but I’d maybe been being a touch cautious on the built pieces of scenery. The budget hasn’t risen this year, so this was a good thing. But with a director who wants to push the budget to it’s maximum there were plenty of new ideas to add to the mix. Numerous notes were taken and I’d just put them into understandable order when Mick returned.
He loaded the car with a big bag of washing and our first bucket of offerings for this year to return to the house. He also dropped off a large click and collect shopping order that needed stowing away. Then off he headed back to Scarborough for the night, checking on Olivia our new lodger and to wash our socks and pants, along with a dentist appointment tomorrow.
Sunset over the basin opposite
Boats arrived to fill with water, others carried on through the lift bridge, plenty of footfall on the towpath that Tilly managed to dash her way through to the friendly cover. An evening of working my way back through panto, Act 1 completed new squiggles of ideas. Tomorrow I’ll do Act 2 and then translate the squiggles for others to view.
Yummy!
Prawn and pea risotto tonight for me and a Tempo Special for Mick, both things we each like but the other one doesn’t. Looking at Facebook this evening I came across news from Peter Baxter the volunteer at Wigan. More pounds on the flight had been drained last night on the flight so passage had been impossible again today. Thankfully the pound worst affected isn’t that big, so the hope is that tonight the bywashs will top it up sufficiently to be used tomorrow. This does mean though that volunteers may not be quite where boaters would like them to be (right ahead of them) as they may be doing more important things managing the water down the flight so passage is possible all the way up or down.
0 locks, 2 miles, 1 lift bridge, 14 held up, 1 full water tank, 2 boxes wine, 6 bottles, 1 slightly squished melon, 1 panto meeting, 2 pages notes, 1 bag of dirty washing transported to Scarborough, 10C lower than at Plank Lane.
