Category Archives: Shropshire Union Canal

Home Baking. 9th June

Lockdown ‘Home’

She needed some quiet this morning for her important phone call, with an important man (who has a woofer apparently), so I obliged and made myself scarce for much of the day. Whilst we’ve been tied to other outsides, ‘Home’ outside has got fatter and greener. New friends have moved in so I’ve kept myself busy introducing myself to as many of them as possible today. There were far too many to bring home, after all we’re only allowed to meet up in sixes at the moment!

My meeting with David was good. He’d sent through a few photos of what he’d been thinking and I replied with over 200 I’d found. If you didn’t know Rapunzel is another name for Lamb’s Lettuce, Valerianella locusta. So I’ve been thinking maybe we might need a world based on giant leaves, the structure of which mirrors fan vaulted ceilings. Tall trees stretching into the sky, like ships rigging. Lots to think about and formulate. Questions like where to put the Musical Director? How to change the world into England on the Wold? How to make the wold more than just green grass and rolling hills? Can we fill the auditorium with Kabuki drop banners, or would that be a touch too much to re-rig for the stage management?

The Tradeing boats were on the move, some coming and winding, others pulling up in front of us, hatching plans for a weekend trading here. My dungarees came out and the starboard side got a coat of black. It’s so nice to have both sides of Oleanna matching, just before we start doing locks again!

Mick headed into Nantwich for some bread, sneaking in a visit to the butchers for a pie. My sour dough starter had done it’s thing overnight and preparations for some pizza dough were needed. A mix of flour, water and starter was set aside for a while whilst I ground up some chai seeds, added psyllium husk and some water to make a gel. This all seemed a touch odd to me. Adding more flour and some water gave me a very gelatinous blob that needed to rest for a while. I wasn’t holding out much hope for how it would turn out.

Mick spent some of the afternoon prising the second punctureless tyre onto the Brompton, we’d had it forwarded to Scarborough last week. I could hear the odd bit of swearing coming from the stern. The front tyre had gone on far too easily, but then it had had several hours sitting in the sun, today the sun hid behind clouds for much of the day.

It fought back, but Mick got there in the end

Whilst I waited for the pizza blob to prove I set about making a batch of cheese scones, a proper days baking, should have made a cake too, but didn’t! The oven being on helped keep the kitchen warm for the pizza dough and then provided us with a treat to have with a cuppa as we listened to the days news conference from Downing Street.

What toppings to have on our pizza? There was the last of the chicken to use up and a bunch of asparagus. The bases were stretched out into a suitable shape and then put on hot trays in a very hot oven for a few minutes before coming out to have the toppings added. They looked a little less gelatinous now thank goodness.

Garlicky tomato, some red onion, strips of chicken, then spears of asparagus with a scattering of mozzarella cheese and back in the oven they went. I hoped I’d moved them around enough to compensate for our zoned oven, but mine needed to go back in for a few more minutes. Verdict tasty, very tasty. A better base than the one I’ve made in the past and asparagus goes well on pizza. We accompanied our food with a glass of wine, or two, as this would be our last night at ‘Home’, our 48hrs will be up tomorrow and it will be time for us to start to head away from the area.

Today there have been two anniversaries. A boating one and a theatre one.

Today, fifteen years ago was the press night in New York of Alan Ayckbourn’s Private Fears In Public Places. The play was part of the Brits Off Broadway season at 59E59, the first time a production from the SJT had taken part. The show in England hadn’t made much of a mark, but it was a different case across the pond.

This was all just before I left the SJT as Resident Designer and Alan and Heather had invited Mick and myself out for a meal before I left. That evening coincided with the reviews coming out in New York, our hosts were late to the restaurant and came in with huge beaming smiles across their faces, clutching copies of the reviews. The show had gone down a storm, it had been a huge financial risk taking a show to New York but it paid off. Within hours tickets had sold out, a list of famous people were being turned away and our little show from Scarborough was THE show to see in New York.

Six years ago today, we pulled out of Crick Marina on Lillian to start our journey northwards for the Tour de France, our yellow boat had to be in Hebden Bridge for the race to pass through! We pulled out of the marina, beeped the horn and joined our friends Bridget and Storm on NB Blackbird, becoming a cruising duo, The Wasp. That is more or less the day we started out on our journey.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2nd tyre, 1 hour talking panto, 2 smart gunnels, 1 boat surrounded, 10 hours! 9 friends maybe more, 1 aborted nosy, 1 last Thursday photo (on a Tuesday), 10 scones, 2 pizzas, 11 spears of asparagus, 4 glasses on wine, 1 last night at Home.

PS. The dates went to Lee on NB Halsall, sorry!

Dates. 8th June

Lockdown Pickup Mooring to Lockdown Mooring 4

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

What treats lay inside our two boxes?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Power Of Mascara. 7th June

Lockdown Mooring 6 to Lockdown Pickup Mooring

It appears that something has happened to boat engines during lockdown, tick over is hard to achieve anymore! Boats come rushing past, some keeping to a constant speed, others then increasing their revs after they have passed. This of course is what should happen, but not cranking it up to warp speed! Maybe this is the new normal on the cut.

Tilly was allowed plenty of shore leave this morning, she chose to return a touch earlier than suggested, for a good bath and midday snooze, which meant her leave was curtailed a touch. She and I watched the remaining hour and a half of Metropolis.

It’s amazing what eye liner and mascara do to ones physical and mental self. Blimey the Machine Maria with all her hip gyrating totally hypnotised the wealthy surface dwelling men. She also convinced the subterranean workers to stop their work on the machine that held the world together, flooding their world necessitating the none black eyed Maria to rescue their children from the rising waters. All very dramatic.

After lunch we decided to push off and return to Henhull Bridge. We pootled up to the winding hole below Hack Green Locks, said our Goodbyes to this end of the pound, winded and headed back towards Nantwich.

Here we waved to NB Islonian, wonder where our bows will cross next? Across the aqueduct the Hippie Boat was in full trading mode today. As we reached the water point another boat was just finishing off so we loitered mid cut for them to push off engaging warp drive again.

No chance of beating a warp speed boat to the bridge

Water tank filled, the plants watered, rubbish including a very soggy jumper that had been floating past ‘Home’ the other day headed for the skips and Tilly’s pooh box had a good wash and refresh.

We pushed off, saying farewell to Nantwich embankment and services for the last time. Here’s hoping that the next time we visit circumstances will be better, after all this is where we were for the Beast from the East, maybe Nantwich should be avoided from now on!

Back at Henhull Bridge we pulled in, tyres and mooring spikes at the ready. The last few days of rain hadn’t swollen the ground, hidding the holes for our spikes, they slid back in with ease, just a little tap required.

We’ll be here until our veg and fruit arrives in the morning. Then we’ll bid farewell to this stretch of the Shropie and continue our way northwards.

0 locks, 4.12 miles, 1 wind, 3 hours shore leave, 5mph, 1 full water tank, 0 rubbish, 1 clean and fresh pooh box, 1 very sodden jumper, 1 final farewell to Nantwich, 2 holes ready and waiting, 2 Marias, 1984 final scene only.

Fifteen Metres. 6th June

Lockdown Pickup Mooring to Lockdown Mooring 6, what used to be Bridge 87

The weekly Geraghty zoom was a full house today. Tilly the human showing us a cat with a flashing light on it’s head, talk of the new DG at the BBC and the disappointing lack of basket weaving happening in Eastbourne. All are well and in good spirits, even if Richards spirits are in very limited supply in Bangaldesh!

Next job returning the hire car. Mick managed the bike ride back from Crewe despite the strong wind that has taken over in the last day. On his return a fisherman was just setting up behind us. Between us and a newish turquoise Aintree boat there must have been about six meters, this fisherman had a slight preference to Oleanna or was it that it was closer to the footpath up from the road where he’d parked his van. None the less he was very close!

Where circumstances make it reasonably practicable to do so, you should treat towpath-side moored boats like your fellow anglers and aim to fish at least 15 metres away from them. In locations with large numbers of moored boats where leaving a 15-metre gap just isn’t reasonably practicable, please be wise and choose the most sensible location, keeping government social distancing guidelines in mind.
Canal and River Trust guidelines.

The lady who’d been fishing near our bow the other day was almost in another county compared to this chap! He set his rod and line to fish in the shade under Oleanna’s stern, the rest for his rod extensions right beside our mooring spikes. When we came to push off he lifted items that were in Mick’s way but said nothing and waited for Mick to step back on the stern before replacing them. What a shame we weren’t going to reverse off our mooring and leaving with the wind actually proved to be quite easy for once.

Maybe we should have said something to him. Maybe a big blast of the prop. Maybe he should have walked another couple of boat lengths away where there was plenty of room. But we decided we’d just leave him to it and mumble under our breath instead.

The wind was blustery and quite strong. Approaching Nantwich Bridge we slowed right down as a boat was coming towards us between moored boats, normally we’d have all been able to pass with ease, but today we decided to back away, leaving plenty of room for all. You could see confusion in their eyes as Oleanna drifted over towards the towpath, that was the side they should pass us on. Mick signalled to pass to our starboard side and we’d stay tucked into the towpath, making the whole manoeuvre far easier.

The water point was busy, we could last a while longer, anyhow we’d be returning this way tomorrow, we were only moving for Tilly’s benefit. The wind swept across the aqueduct, we managed to keep our line and avoided bumping into The Hippie Boat which was set up with all it’s covers. As we crossed to the other side we hit calmer air, sheltered by trees.

Most boats have now changed around here, however there are two on visitor moorings that we knew would still be here. On wards towards Hack Green into the open countryside. Swallows swooped at us, altering their direction at the last second to avoid collision. Some hung on the breeze and inspected out paintwork, yes I know I never got round to finishing the grab rail last year and I need to start all over again!

When last this way we’d spotted a picnic bench close to where Bridge 87 used to be. Here we’d get views to both sides, so we tried pulling in. First attempt and even our newly expanded tyre fenders wouldn’t be wide enough to protect us from the Shropie shelf. A touch further on and it looked more hopeful.

We tied up, let Tilly out to find friends and then Mick spent the next half hour trying to come up with a solution to stop us just bumping into the shelf when ever we moved around! Grrr!! Various fenders were tried and eventually Mick found that adding a rubber pipe fender on a long rope did the trick. the weight of them means they don’t float so could be lowered into a gap between Oleanna and the shelf. Silence returned.

This evening we have eaten our pies. Mine just within the use by date and Mick’s just outside. Hopefully we’ll still be alive tomorrow so I can post again.

0 locks, 3.55 miles, 1 straight on, 0 car, 10 zoom, 8ft at most, 2 Hippies, 1 blowy damp day, 1 roadless mooring, 3 hours, 1 rainbow, 2 pies, 40 potato wedges.

https://goo.gl/maps/ArPA2usjDFz8QjRu7

Closing Both Gates. 5th June

Lockdown Pickup Mooring

The alarm went off, straight out of bed, breakfasted, chicken sandwiches made and Tilly was left in charge for the day. Our trip back across the Pennines to Scarborough had more traffic than a few weeks ago, but still no hold ups along the way. Commuter traffic certainly is far less than it used to be.

We headed straight to see Val and everyone at Tower Estates to pick up keys to the house. Over the last few weeks the house has been cleared, apart from our furniture and belongings, and has had a thorough clean through. Our oven now sparkles almost like new.

After six years of renting the house out it is in need of some TLC. So today we were going to make it possible for us to be able to sleep there once the lockdown eases enough to be able to stay overnight in second homes.

Once we’d had a look around and checked things over the top floor was unlocked. First job was to get our bed down the windy staircase from upstairs upstairs. A 5ft wide mattress had somehow made it’s way up there, but how were we going to get it down? After our first attempt we decided it had to go back up to be folded in half to have a vague hope in it coming down the steep staircase that doubles back on itself within 5ft square. Thankfully it worked.

Which bedroom to move into? Our old bedroom didn’t feel right, there is still quite a strong aroma of cannabis and it needs redecorating, so the front room the other side will do for now. The bed frame followed down the stairs much easier than the mattress.

Next I hunted round for the boxes containing cutlery and crockery. All this was quite easy to find and after six years all needed a good wash, so the dishwasher was filled and had a test run. Thankfully it still works.

Sadly the cutlery drawer insert got thrown away

The kettle and toaster were next on the list, although I’d forgotten to bring any tea bags with us! Instead we drank from our water bottle and ate our chicken sandwiches in the front garden enjoying the seaside sun. Our neighbour has kindly cut the grass for us since we were last here, but the rest of the garden desperately needs some attention.

There used to be a very thick layer of bluebells around the patch of lawn, but these are depleted now. The biggest shame though is the lack of blue geraniums. The tenant before last liked gardening and had thought they were weeds, so had put a membrane down followed by a thick layer of stones. Some work will be needed to lift all this and hope the geraniums fight back into the sun. The other front garden needs a lot of weeding, but the giant foxglove by the front door will be staying. We are not proud gardeners, but like a more , shall we say, natural look. Our next trip will be to sort the garden out.

The garden shed has been removed, apparently it only took a few minutes to take apart as it was about to fall over anyway. Once a big laylandii tree has gone from next doors garden the back of the houses at our end of the street will have so much more light. The newly cleared patch seems to catch the sun quite well and Alan, next doors cat, was enjoying recharging his solar. I also got to meet Betty his feline house mate, she is quite shy and kept an eye on me from a distance. I made sure I introduced myself for next time.

Alan having claimed where the shed used to be

I measured up for curtains to replace those that we’ve ended up with. Made a list of jobs that need doing, we’ll be in touch with Frank for a few of them. Hunted round for gardening gloves and some white spirit. A large kitchen knife was found ontop of a kitchen cupboard, hopefully Mick hasn’t added his finger prints to some vital bit of evidence! Some light bulbs were changed and one from the downstairs toilet removed so we could get a replacement.

Five hours after we arrived we knew we’d now be able to stay the night, cook a meal, eat it and relax on a sofa. Our needs are far more basic than they used to be. With a key dropped off with one neighbour and the other one offering to help with anything we headed off, closing both gates behind us.

We called into B&Q as we left town. A pair of gardening gloves which will only be worn whilst working locks (more eco-friendly than disposable gloves) a large bottle of white spirit and a new light bulb for the toilet were purchased. Then we were on our way back. Friday rush hour on the M62 around Leeds used to be a nightmare, but today the traffic flowed freely. We made it back to Oleanna in under 3 hours to feed Tilly at a reasonable time.

At around 9ish Mick went out to check things over, unfortunately he’d not quite closed the stern doors properly. Our four legged second mate took advantage of the moment and gave herself some shore leave which hadn’t been sanctioned by either Mick or myself!

So for the next three quarters of an hour I followed her around hoping to be able to rugby tackle her. There is no point in trying to run after her, just following at a steady pace as she keeps her distance and trots along away from you, in this case along the road!

She was just about to spring back out from some sideways trees when a van came round a bend. I put my hand up to stop it as Tilly emerged then freaked and headed back into the friendly cover, the van could continue. We walked that way, then a bit further. Into the wooded area by the layby, she climbed a tree then carried on along the road some more! Into the moorers car park where a chap sat in his van watching me and Tilly. I thought I’d got her onto the towpath at one point, but I thought the gate was locked so would have to walk all the way round loosing sight of Tilly. She had that bolshy look, came back into the car park and carried on being at least six foot away from me!

But then on a third attempt to encourage her to walk with me she finally started to follow instead of leading. Back onto the towpath and up near the boat. Still no closer than six foot! Mick passed me a stool to sit on, which brought her closer, then eventually she wrapped herself around my ankles at which point she was picked up and handed in through the side hatch. A good end to a busy day.

0 locks, 0 miles, M6, M62, A64, 2 Pennine crossings, 1 very clean house, 1 bed, 6 mugs, how many kitchen knives when 2 do us on the boat? 2.7m by 3m, 1 murder weapon, 0 gravitationally challenged shed, 1 hanging garden, 1 damp wall, 1 long ladder needed, 1 broken door, 1 mistaken choice on locks, 2 introductions, 0 teabags, 2 litres, 1 pair, 1 big bulb, 1 escapee thankfully not flattened!

The 10% Is In The Air. 4th June

Lockdown Mooring almost 4A to Lockdown Pickup Mooring

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rain Stops Play. 3rd June

Lockdown Mooring 4A, just

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Lesser Spotted Number Checker. 2nd June

Lockdown Mooring 3 to not quite Lockdown ‘Home’ Mooring

With so many boats being about we didn’t want to take our time this morning. The water tank needed filling and we’d rather not have to wait, along with hoping we could get back onto our ‘home’ mooring where the towpath has a hard edge and is a good height to do the gunnels. So as soon as breakfast was done the covers were rolled back and we were on our way.

The water point was empty so we filled up the tank and disposed of rubbish. One big bin was still full to the brim with soil and rubble as it was a month or so ago and the bottle bins had long since overflowed!

A C&RT blue t-shirted chap walked past, tablet in hand. A lesser spotted number checker! The first we’ve seen in months, well there has been no call for them whilst the 14 day rule was suspended. But by Saturday every boat out on the cut will need to have moved as 14 days will be up. That is unless you have health reasons and have informed C&RT. Mick chatted with the chap as he walked past, it was his second day back after being furloughed, time to walk the towpaths again.

Another two C&RT chaps turned up in their vans, sheers and kebs put in a wheel barrow and off they went along the towpath. They were heading to trim the overhanging sideways trees and brambles along the towpath, presumably Fountains don’t go above ground level.

The sun was out and so were plenty of boats. We pootled our way back to Barbridge, where we kept a straight course on to Hurleston. The usual boats were still on their ‘Home’ moorings on the side of the reservoir. Would our ‘Home’ mooring be free?

Through Bridge 97 there was a boat hanging off the end of the visitor moorings, The Wine Boat. Behind them was a C&RT skip boat and tug! Excuse me!!! That’s our spot!!!! Further along was the Pooh Boat (Winnie sits on top of their bow fender), but there was enough room for us at the end. We pulled in and tied to the last ring, tyre fenders deployed.

Before lunch there was time to give the primer on the port side a quick rub down and a rinse off. This dried over lunchtime and the delay encouraged the sun to pass overhead and leave the gunnel in shade to cool down. Tilly sought out what shade she could find, first alongside Mick and then right next to me, except we both kept moving! Very inconsiderate!!!

Boats came past, one slowed to say hello. NB Sonoma was the next boat to be built after Oleanna by Finesse and we’d bumped into (at a distance) Gordon and Dawn two days before lockdown was imposed, right here at Hurleston Junction. Today they were out for the first time since things have been relaxed, a day trip for a picnic. Just as we’d finished lunch Gordon came to check on where we get touch up paint from. I had a rootle through the bow locker finding red and cream tins of paint, the blue hiding somewhere behind bags of coal. Apparently their blue is the same as ours, information was passed on as to where we’d bought ours from. Still haven’t dug deep enough to find the tin of blue Gordon, if it is a different number I’ll give you a shout.

Dungarees back on and the containers with the black Multiforte were dug out. Back in September when I was last doing the gunnels, the paint tin lid wasn’t going to have an air tight seal anymore. This was due to a touch of rust and the way the tin was made, a very tight seal which sealed itself incredibly well and had to be prised open so much that we almost needed a tin opener! So we’d decanted the paint into tuperware containers hoping for the best. A small one container I’d intended using for the starboard side a week or so later, but rain and work meant it never happened.

I opened up the small container first, a thick skin had formed. I could carefully prise this away from the sides of the container. I then realised that a skin had formed all the way around the paint. One giant black paint blister. With gloves on I held the blister above the container, squeezed the paint to the bottom and then punctured it. Still quite a bit of usable paint thank goodness. There had been enough in this container to do one side, but now just enough to get half way.

The other container had done a better job, just a skin on the top, the paint also flowed better onto the gunnel.

By the time I’d finished it was getting on for 5pm and insects were making a bee line straight for the fresh sticky surface. Should I move onto the starboard side or not today?

By the time we’d have winded, hoping our space would still be free (I think I’d have guarded it with boat hooks), sanded the primer, rinsed it off and waited for it to dry before painting, the insect population would have been chomping at the bit to stick to it. So the starboard side will have to wait for a suitable window in the weather, hopefully in the next couple of days.

0 locks, 3.42 miles, 2 straights, 1 full water tank, 1st number checker, 2nd Finesse boat, 2 doberman standoffs, 1 cat seeking shade, 5004, 1 rub down, 1 rinse, 1 giant black blister, 1 side looking smart again, 71 deceased insects with different ideas, 2 paw prints! TILLY!!!

Metropolis. 1st June

Lockdown Mooring 3, to the shade and back again

Tilly was given an hour this morning before we wanted to move. A few calls after we’d finished breakfast to encourage her home along with starting to wash the fertan off the gunnel worked a treat. I’d only just started and she pounced out of the friendly cover back onto the towpath where she was promptly picked up and passed inside.

We made our way to the shady spot again where the washing continued. The gunnels were already quite hot from the morning sun so dried off very quickly as I put my dungarees on to do the priming. I started at the bow working towards the stern which had absorbed more heat before we’d moved, it had cooled down by the time I reached it. Job done for the day.

Mick had walked up to the mill Shop for some bread, only plastic white frozen variety available, whilst I worked. The water point was busy, two boats filling and more waiting their turn. Today C&RT were aiming to have the network open again, so Continuous Cruisers can start to move around again. This has meant a lot more boats on the move and few of them coming past twice.

NB Islonian once topped up with water came past winded and found themselves a space on the 48 hr mooring, another boat had pulled in behind where we’d been moored, but there was still space for us. After lunch we reversed back to where we’d started the day, tyre fenders out to keep the newly applied primer away from the edge.

The bathroom floor is a nice cool place on a hot day

By mid afternoon more boats had arrived the visitor moorings now full and the straight stretch behind us only showing a few gaps. The boating world is on the move again.

I had intended to do some jobs inside this afternoon, but instead I decided to do a bit of research for a possible project with Dark Horse early next year. #unit21 is set in a world where as you reach the age of 21 you are assessed on your adulting skills. A world of uniformity.

Amy, writer and director had said she’d been influenced by German expressionism and films such as The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari, Metropolis and George Orwells 1984. I’ve seen the first two a very long time ago when at college and surprisingly never 1984.

A free version of Metropolis was on YouTube, so some of the afternoon was spent watching this iconic 1927 silent film. Not a short film by any means, this version had every scene reinstated. Directed by Fritz Lang it portrays a beautiful cultured utopian world above a bleak underworld where the populace are mistreated. A privileged youth, Freder discovers the underworld and falls in love, instantly clutching at his heart, with Maria a rebellious teacher. His father is none too impressed and orders that a machine man (robot) is made in the image of Maria.

The world is so deco, planes turn corners without having to bank and the work force battle hourly to stop the machines below ground from exploding all arriving at work in a trans like state, leaving exhausted after a ten hour shift. Makeup and the acting are as dramatic as you will ever see. The remainder of the film awaits for in between coats of paint or the possible rain forecast from Wednesday.

0 locks, 500 yards, 1 side washed, 1 side primed, 2 many boats, 1 full stretch of moorings, 1 water world on the move again, 445 deaths missed, 10 hours, 1 popped cat.

Blue And Red Jobs. 31st May

Lockdown Mooring 3 and a bit that way, then winding, then there and back a bit too

Tilly had an hour of shore leave whilst we had breakfast. As we waited for her to return I gave the gunnel a wash down to remove the fertan, hoping it hadn’t been too hot yesterday for it to do it’s job. Well there were a few places where there was still a touch of orange where I hadn’t quite managed to sand it well enough along with the fertan having dried a bit too quickly. Maybe I should have given those bits a second coat, but that would delay the repainting by a day. They will do for now, we’re considering taking Oleanna out of the water later in the year to check her blacking, so a better less knee killing job can be done then.

With the gunnel steaming away nicely and Tilly back on board we sought the shade again. Time to give the primer a good stir before applying a coat to any bare metal. This didn’t take long. I was now ready for the starboard side, so we pootled down the cut to Bunbury winding hole.

For the first time a boat was pulled up alongside the towpath whirligig and just about all the hire boats had vanished. They had been two abreast right up to the locks before, but now only a couple were visible. On our last trip to Chester they had all been moored below the locks and had taken a bit to squeeze past. Maybe they have all been moved back there to make them ready for when hire boats can go back out.

We pootled back to the shady mooring, tied up all ready for me to start again! My poor knees!!

At least this side had been sanded back towards the end of last year, so there was less general sanding required, but a few new rust patches and the rubbing strakes needed loose paint scraping away and a good sanding down. Then a rinse off followed by more fertan.

I wasn’t the only one being kept busy. Mick inside had decided to give the oven (or both of them) a good clean, a blue job. The glass fronts were cleaned as best he could with Bar Keepers Mate and Pink Stuff. They didn’t end up looking like new, but far better than they have for a while. The hob also got a clean just ready for me to spill cheese sauce on this evening.

It’s the same as this morning, just on the other side of the inside!

The crew have lost it again! They think they can fool me, but I’ve got their number. They thought I’d be pleased with three outsides in a day again, but two of them were the same as yesterday just on the other side! She thought I’d be confused and run off the wrong side of the boat, but I am far too intelligent to do that. I’d already taken note of which side the outside was on!

0 locks, 0.38 miles maybe (didn’t have the trip computer on), 1 wind, 3 outsides, 1 side primed, 2nd side fertanned, 2 knees owing, 1 tasty friend consumed, 1 oven bright and twinkling, 2 wings, 1 cauliflower cheese with bacon, 3 glasses of wine well it is Sunday!

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna