Category Archives: Shropshire Union Canal

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!

Three For One. 30th May

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just Like The Old Days. 27th May

Lockdown Mooring 5 to Lockdown Pickup Mooring

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Loaf Of Bread. 26th May

Lockdown Mooring 5

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

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

Domed and cracked top even without the yeast

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

They look a touch like they need a good wash

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

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

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

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

Quite a beautiful evening.

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

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

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

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

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

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

It works today!

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

Leaving Home. 25th May

Lockdown Mooring 4A to Lockdown Mooring 5, Hack Green Winding Hole

Blimey I’m going to have to remember how to do maps now!

Our 48hrs were up this morning as the 14 day mooring rule was brought back in on Saturday, I know that doesn’t quite make sense unless you understand the mooring rules on C&RT waters . I could look back and count the actual amount of days we’ve been at Lockdown Mooring 4 and 4A, but I’ll save that for another day.

We’ve enjoyed our time at this mooring. I’d been aiming to get the gunnels repainted as it’s a perfect spot for the job, but general life, lack of motivation and the matter of 16 illustrations have all been keeping me busy and stopping me from sanding and painting. I’m hoping we may return ‘home’ for a couple of days before we leave for the east. There is also the matter of the Wheelie Shoppers!

Pushing off just before 11am, boats had already started coming past, with the sun out we could tell today was going to be a busy one on the cut. The flag bubble have had a move around, NB Plum has headed off to fit some solar panels and the bubble has been joined by another boat that’s been up and down the pound for a while now. We waved to Sandra, Kim and Barry, we’ll be back in a few days time.

The potato field is doing well, wonder how long before they are worth digging up?

Then round the next bend the local swan family came swimming towards us. Dad at the front, Mum bringing up the rear. But hang on! Quick, slow down!!!

Dad was giving one lucky cygnet a lift on his back. Such a wonderful sight, we’d thought the cygnets were too old for this, but obviously not. Sometimes there is space for a couple to catch a ride, but this cygnet wouldn’t leave much space for a second one.

One of those special moments in life.

We chatted with Heidi from the pirate boat as we passed, saying where we were aiming for. She and Jacki had tried the other side of the aqueduct but it was far too busy for their liking, so they’d returned to Henhull. We’d still go and see what we thought, we could always come back this way instead.

A boat was just pulling of the services as we approached so we hung back leaving them space to get through the bridge and past the moored boats on the 24hr moorings. A washing load had been done this morning, so our tank was quite depleted. Tilly got a fresh clean pooh box, I think only her third of lockdown, she has after all been using shorebased facilities as requested.

Plenty of boats came past, some stopping to do the necessary and others waiting for water. Then once filled we pushed off leaving the tap for another boat that had just pulled in.

NB Myrtle’s second mate sat under the A frame

Nb Islonian was selling coffees and across the other side of the aqueduct was NB Plum and NB Myrtle, the later with big flags out trying to drum up trade. As we passed I spotted their second mate taking shelter underneath their A frame. They sell jams, chutneys, dog treats, but nothing for our feline friends! Tilly was not impressed, I suspect neither is their second mate!

Boats came towards us, not many we recognised. Were they boats that have been pootling about at this end of the canal, just like us at the other end of this pound? Were they boats from marinas out for a jaunt for the day enjoying the bank holiday sunshine? Who knew, there were just plenty of them.

At Marsh Lane, Mick kept a very good hold of the tiller, despite Oleanna wanting to wind to return to our ‘home’ water, we wanted to go further, we wanted to go straight on. We were now back on water we’ve not been on since the 19th March, pre-lockdown. The last time we cruised this stretch in this direction was just shortly after the Beast from the East back in 2018 when the water was icy in stretches, today no ice to navigate through, just sunshine and fishing rods.

Onwards we forged with a slight sense of freedom.

Someone else was enjoying some freedom too. A Jersey cow was trotting along the towpath towards us, an occasional kick high into the air. She carried on past us thank goodness as we were wanting to moor up and didn’t really want a nosy cow peering in through the hatch or nibbling at our ropes.

Two chaps asked if we’d seen a cow, we pointed them down to where her friends had come across the field on the off side to say hello to her.

I need to take back my recent criticism of the crew on board Oleanna. Today they finally have managed to break the circle the they seem to have been stuck in for months. Today they finally managed to tie up a whole new, different, exciting outside! One with extra cow for good measure. She wouldn’t let me out until the cow had gone past. But then I was free to explore and find myself some tasty friends. Would I know where to come back to? Don’t be stupid of course I knew.

My sour dough starter was still looking a touch flat. I’d pepped it up with a touch of maple syrup this morning and later on I added a touch of bog standard gluten free flour in with the brown rice flour, this worked the last time, fingers crossed it does the trick by morning.

Plenty more boats came past us, few familiar. We soon noticed that the majority were actually just coming to wind and return back towards Nantwich. A few came from the locks and a few continued on up them, but I think the majority of boats out today were out for a day trip to check things over before returning to their home mooring. Currently Leisure boaters can visit their boats and go for a short a cruise, but as yet no overnight stays are allowed.

By the end of the afternoon I had just about finished my illustrations, painting in blossom and fireworks. Sideways trees now with more detail, although when I looked back at them they were starting to upstage my actors, so a bit of water and some kitchen towel tamed them down a touch, fading them into the background.

0 locks, 4.49 miles, 1.78 miles of fresh water, 1 home mooring left behind, 1 piggy back, 2 pirates, 1 full water tank, 0 rubbish left on board, 1 clean pooh box, 1 straight on for a change, 1 sky filled mooring, 1 jolly Jersey, 1 happy cat, 1 friend from the friendly cover, 15 illustrations complete? 1 eye test required, 1 punctured tyre fender, 1 shelf again.

So much for a map! Google won’t let me drop a pin!

Lazy Starter. 24th May

Lockdown Mooring 4A

Yesterday I got my sourdough starter out of the fridge, it’s been a little while since I used it so it needed a feed. It had been fed twice yesterday and shown some growth, but this morning it still wasn’t rising as high as needed for a loaf of bread. Only one thing for it, we had to have pancakes for breakfast! What a shame. I’ll give the starter a couple more feeds before I use it to bake with.

Not quite enough gluten free oats, so I had to steal a few from Mick’s 3kg bag we bought from the garage to make up the correct quantity to zuzz into flour. Once mixed up and frothing away happily in a bowl (no need for whipping egg whites in this recipe) I started to cook the pancakes. In our last Morrisons delivery we’d bought frozen blueberries instead of fresh. These are not the same with cereal so I decided to add some to the pancakes. But because they were frozen as I added them to each pancake they of course melted producing water which affected the batter a touch. Still tasty though.

Tilly had a full day of outdoors as the wind had calmed down considerably from yesterday. As the day progressed the sun came out to warm the world again and Tilly had to be encouraged to return home, her eyes heavy and ready for several cat naps.

Mick found a delivery slot with Sainsburys this week that we can combine with our veg box delivery. It’ll be the first delivery from Sainsburys since we were at Wheaton Aston back in March. This got us both quite excited as we tend to prefer Sainsburys to Morrisons. It looks like they are now allowing people who are not shielding to have slots late in the evening.

A day of painting illustrations again for me. I can only manage a few hours before I need to give my right hand a rest. It must be that my fingers don’t like the thin handles of my brushes, so I did two stints of painting in some long grass, adding detail to trees, adjusting shadows and highlights to faces and deepening shadows on clothes. By the end of the day there was just the sideways trees to finish off and add colours to fireworks and they will be finished. Then I’ll need to turn my attention to the portraits of the actors.

Mick finished setting up the new laptop and handed it over. He will now spend the next few days waiting to cringe as I find things that are different or missing. The programme to add copyright to photos has been missed and for some reason I managed to reduce all the writing and icons in size as soon as I started it up.

There have been more boats passing today. Those who have been moored on visitor moorings like us have to move on after the stated time, this means we’ll be moving in the morning. NB Coddiwomble headed off late afternoon to the junction and most probably headed on up the locks onto the Llangollen.

Everyone still there but the scrabble boat

I bobbed up to the bridge before dinner to see who had moved off from below the reservoir. Andy and Helen from NB Skydance (the Scrabble boat) had moved off, most probably up the flight. It will be the first time they’ve moved their boat since lockdown began, they preferred to collect water in containers from the top of the flight than move their boat. I suspect it will have been nice for them to use their hose pipe again.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 full day of shoreleave, 12 pancakes, 1 new laptop bigger than the last one, 125% required, 15 illustrations almost finished, 1 Sainsburys order, 1 farcical, 1 last night at 4A, 1 big Happy Birthday to Jac.

It Can Stop Now!!! 23rd May

Lockdown Mooring 4A

Well it seemed to be less windy this morning, so Tilly was allowed some shore leave (an hour) whilst we had breakfast and got ourselves ready for the Saturday morning Geraghty Zoom.

Gradually everyone turned up on our screen, eight from around the UK and one from Bangladesh. It was so lovely to see everyone, but especially Marion who has just spent a short spell in hospital. So good to see her back home. Todays topics covered, whipping up egg whites in pancakes, physio sessions and walking sticks, the National Theatre and how windy it is across the country.

Sandra (NB AreandAre) and Duncan (NB Coddiwomple) stopped as they passed for a chat and catch up. NB AreandAre will be loitering around Nantwich like us for the next couple of weeks, but NB Coddiwomple aim to head up onto the Llangollen for a while before heading northwards hoping that their trip across the Ribble Link will still go ahead.

A couple of passing boats did the crab manoeuvre along the cut, their sterns being pushed towards us as they passed. The first one pulled in at the end of the moorings, not sure if they’d intended to do so. Another could be seen being blown into the side a touch further along. Not really a suitable day to be going for a cruise.

I ventured out to encourage Tilly home. She was a touch disgruntled as she’d just started to venture along the path the Wheelie Shoppers use when I called her home. She wasn’t impressed in having to stay in the rest of the day, she far prefers shore based facilities now. But we are very aware that on days like this she is more likely to go missing, her scent being diminished by the wind.

Mick however braved the elements and set off on his bike into town. Our laptop of six years is showing it’s age, one hinge is held together with a cable tie and this is the hinge that the lead goes through to the screen, so it is only a matter of time before something more serious happens.

Earlier in the week Mick had found a suitable laptop at John Lewis so with various vouchers we’d collected he ordered one to be delivered to the Co-op south of Nantwich. He was away for quite sometime and I was just starting to get a touch concerned when he returned with a full Brompton bag.

Computer, bread, milk, potatoes (we didn’t get any in our veg box this week). He’d also ventured into town noticing that Clewlow’s was now open to more than pre-orders. A pork pie somehow managed to make it’s way into his bag. He also stopped at Holland and Barrett and got me some buckwheat flour, so a good trip.

The new laptop will take a bit of setting up and the helpful lady who immediately started to try to help Mick was very quickly silenced. This kept Mick occupied for much of the rest of the day whilst I continued with my work. Mid afternoon NB Mountbatten pulled up to deliver a bottle of gas before turning up onto the Llangollen.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 windswept cat, 1 bike ride, 2 inches more of laptop, 1 bottle gas, 1 yellowed broccoli, 1 improvised meal of sausage slop.

This weeks Thursday photo taken on a Saturday

Face Rhino Business. 22nd May

Lockdown Mooring 4A

The forecast for today was for wind, quite a lot of it, but we hadn’t expected it to wake us at 3.15am! Blimey it was loud!! We did however manage to get back to sleep eventually, but this meant we were slower in getting up than usual.

As we sat with our cuppas in bed we talked about which way we’ll be heading when the time comes. We plan on loitering in this pound for a couple more weeks until we feel more comfortable about moving away from the safety of what we know, veg boxes and deliveries meaning we rarely now have to go to the supermarkets or town.

But where to go? The titles in my puzzle book gave us a plan. Our destination maybe a touch further east than we’d originally thought we’d go and we doubted canalplan would help us with much of the route planning. However we could make an educated stab at directions.

Up to Barbridge Junction, turn onto the Middlewich Branch.

Right onto the Trent and Mersey, keeping a straight course when we reach Fradley Junction.

At Trent Lock head down stream on the River Trent, passing through Nottingham and Newark.

A pause at Cromwell Lock before heading out onto the tidal Trent. Tides dependant we’ll have over night stops at Torksey and Keadby.

Then back out onto the Trent (new water for us), at Trent Falls, if the tide is right we will continue to head east onto the Humber. We’ll need a pilot for this next stretch, under the Humber Bridge. An overnight stop at either Hull Marina or Corporation Pier (now known as Victoria Pier).

The following day, we’ll join the ferries to Rotterdam following their route out to past Spurn Point where our course will then head northwards up along the North coast. We might stop off at Scarborough for a night to wave at our friends before continuing on wards.

One port of call heading northwards would be Edinburgh. We might have a night or two there. Then back out into the North Sea hugging the coast up to Fraserburgh.

A major restock whilst here, including making sure that the wine cellar was filled. Then after checking the forecast for the next few days we’ll choose our moment and with a bearing of east north east we’ll set forth across the 285 miles of North Sea to Stavanger. We’re really hoping that our diesel tank has sufficient capacity for this leg of the journey, if not maybe NB Halsall or NB Alton will be able to give us a top up.

From here Mick has previous knowledge from a holiday he once took up the coast of Norway, so we’ll hug the Norwegian coast maybe bobbing into the odd fjord to restock and for a touch of rest. At Tansoy we’ll pass to the north of the island and head out from the sea passing Brandsoy on our port side.

Keeping the 5 road within sight we’ll continue eastwards round Sandvikbotn. One last restock at the Spar shop in Eikefjord before pushing back west and mooring up after a cruise of around 921 miles from Hull.

No idea who this chap is, but the Spar looks good

What looks like a gorge could be our easiest route inland through a forest to reach our final destination, only half a mile away at face.rhino.buisness What3words

The first section of our journey, to Hull Marina entrance, has been calculated using canalplan. It would be 200 miles and 2 furlongs, include 89 locks, take 79 hours and 41 minutes, so just over 11 days.

Then with an average speed on the Humber and sea of 5mph we reckon cruising time will be 184 hours. Crossing the North Sea (284miles) we’d not be able to stop, so that would be a 57 hour continuous cruise, taking turns being tied to the helm, Tilly would be exempt from these duties. The rest of the journey at 7 hours a day (a long days cruise for us nowadays) would amount to 18 days.

So in total we’d cover 1121miles, 89 locks. Taking us a total of 31.5 days, so lets call that 32.

If my puzzle book had said faces.rhino.buisness we’d have been heading to Alaska.

If face.rhinos.buisness, New Mexico.

If faces.rhinos.buisness, then Queensland.

We’re quite glad our destination is only Norway!

In other news, today has continued to be very windy. Tomasz Schafernaker on the weather forecast said it would be a touch breezy this afternoon. He lied!

It was so windy that Tilly’s shore leave had to be curtailed as it was too windy for cats. We managed a walk up to the bins, but decided to go no further. The rest of the day was spent painting illustrations.

Following on from Tom’s post regarding Costco toilet rolls. We have compared the toilet roll tubes from our last two lots of paper. The wide one was from a pack of nine rolls we purchased when it was all we could buy in Nantwich about 9 weeks ago. The other a more established brand. This more established brand has the smaller diameter, yet the roll before being used had the same outside dimension.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 very very windy day, 1 boat pinned to the side, 2 mad cruising boats, 1 ivy clad tree a touch too close for comfort, 1 cruise planned.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna

Category Archives: Shropshire Union Canal

The Lesser Spotted Number Checker. 2nd June

Metropolis. 1st June

Blue And Red Jobs. 31st May

Three For One. 30th May

Just Like The Old Days. 27th May

Loaf Of Bread. 26th May

Leaving Home. 25th May

Lazy Starter. 24th May

It Can Stop Now!!! 23rd May

Face Rhino Business. 22nd May