Category Archives: Theatre Design

It’s Mooo not Meow! 9th May

Viking Marina, Goole to Viking Marina, Goole

Change around laundry and ironing completed. The Shed reclaimed as a bedroom with organised storage. Upstairs upstairs tidied. Windows washed. A sister-out-law to visit. Food eaten. Outfits remarked on. Who stole the youngest Prince? Beds made up. Clothes and food all packed. One on loan sewing machine returned and the last pair of socks delivered.

It was time to load a van and return to Oleanna.

Tilly’s pooh box and scratch post were the last items to be added to the van. I knew what had been happening, they normally keep me locked inside when they load up everything, but today I was allowed to supervise. I may have been distracted by the elaborate bird feeder though. Maybe I’d be allowed to supervise in the big white box, but no chance of that as I was bundled up into the cat caravan! I know I wouldn’t get under Toms feet, but She says that Tom isn’t so sure. Hopefully the scratches on my chest from the tussle with Tilly will fade without leaving scars. This morning we’d decided not to add any extra stress to her day by trying to give her a travel sickness pill. If only she’d lie down the motion wouldn’t be half as bad!

I’d refrained from saying how well Tilly was doing as we passed our usual stopping place on Staxton Hill, she then showed signs that we’d soon need to stop to refresh the puppy pad in the caravan. Thankfully there were only two stops today then she calmed down, sat with her back to the door of the caravan where I could sort of stroke her.

On our route we somehow got talking about cows. Tilly tried joining in, but her mooing fell short!

On arrival at Viking Marina, Tilly was the first thing off the van and inside. There was time to appreciate the nice clean floor before it was filled with bags and boxes that all needed emptying and places found to stow it all. Tilly checked everywhere over, peeked out the back and then settled down, It’s good to be back home.

Alastair chatted with Mick. Two new engine mounts had been fitted. The stern nav light attached. Leak on the skin tank had required a 46mm spanner to tighten the pipe and all was good.

With everything for the galley, saloon loaded onto Oleanna it was time to make a move. Well just reverse back, wind and come in for the bow to be nearest the bank. This would make filling the water tank easier. The bags of clothes would come straight into the bedroom, plants could go on the bow straight away and Mick would be able to reach to replace a steel cable tie on the bow fender that had broken in Bramwith Lock three months ago.

Whilst knitting socks my back has improved, but sadly moving things around, stoopid stooping has encouraged it to ache again. A few hours sitting down helps. Today though to be able to sit down lots of things needed to be stowed, moved here and there. Yes Mick could have done it all, but it was just easier to get on with it, someone needs to remember where things have been stashed after all! Tilly didn’t help with any of this, she was far more interested in the secret passage and refusing to come back out when I wanted to put the sofa back into sofa mode!

Once we’d remembered we’d put the duvet and pillows in vacuum bags Mick made the bed up whilst I adjusted the Sainsburys delivery for the morning. Diner was some left over gammon we’d shared with Kath (Mick’s sister) and Bill one of our lodgers, with some carrot and parsnip hash. Thank you Mick for being on cooking duty.

0 locks, 180ft, 1 wind, 27 cheese scones, 1 painted wall, 1 van full, 2 puppy pads, 1 proud She, 1 last pair of socks delivered, 1 determined Duncan, 1 more painting hung, 1 slot filling booking, 1 chocka boat, 1 empty water tank, 1 full water tank, 2 new engine mounts, 1 stern light, 1 secret passageway, 1 cat on the shelf, 2 happy boaters, 1 happy cat.

A Quick Wash And Brush Up. 28th April

*updated since this morning

Today Mick has headed down to Goole to give Oleanna a check over and a touch of TLC. When last we visited I was ashamed of how dirty the floor was! So a visit to do a touch of spring cleaning was needed before we move back on board.

Here’s hoping the trains behave better than on his last solo visit.

He has instructions to purchase a new mop, the one we have has a very solid foam head and takes several days for water to penetrate it to be able to wash the floor. So he’ll pop into trusty Boyes on his arrival and if there is the correct oil in stock he’ll purchase enough for the next engine service. *No mop was purchased today, 10 litres of oil and a new kettle instead.

A visit will also mean being able to give Alastair a gentle nudge to prompt him into doing the jobs before we move back on board, we’ll be wanting to be off pretty smartish. *The requirement of a new Engine mount means the jobs are being delayed until the mount arrives and can be fitted. Spring cleaning consisted of a very good hoover top and bottom, but no mopping.

**Evidence of Alastair on Oleanna’s stern**

Back in Scarborough we’ve had a change over of lodgers which means the house is really quite busy. The jobs list is slowly having things ticked off it as there is only really Mick working his way through it at the moment. But as of Monday I’ll be joining in again as my Sockathon will have finished.

Only three more days to go, including today. So far I have kept up the sock a day routine which means that I am heading for 15 pairs in April! My reserve pairs of socks will be knitted after all.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/pip-leckenby-1677835197682?utm_source=copyLink&utm_medium=one_page&utm_content=page/pip-leckenby-1677835197682&utm_campaign=pfp-share&utm_term=50a5d3dc7102451d994bd901f237e68f

A post last week on a women’s Facebook group suggests I could have knitted at least another 7 pairs to raise money. There will be quite a bit of yarn left from the donations I had so I’m considering knitting more but as and when I have the time. Boating, seeing old friends and soon Panto designing will be taking over. But if I can raise a few more pounds for Dementia UK that would be fantastic.

Talking of funds. Last night after an update post on Facebook I had a couple more donations which has taken me just over my target. Thank you sooo so much to everyone who has sponsored me. There is however still time to make a donation to help me keep knitting for just a few more days. An episode of Downton Abbey has been watched a day. Watching them so close together shows just how horrible most of the characters are and what trials they all endure. Yet there is caring too. We’ll not finish them all by the time we’re back onboard, so they will have to fill rainy afternoons. Here’s hoping there aren’t too many of those as we’ve the River Aire to navigate first and we don’t want to be held up by flood water!

We’re all counting down the days now to being back afloat. The freezer is gradually being emptied, I may have to make some pea soup to finish off the frozen peas and chicken stock. I also made a boo boo when making cheese scones the other day, so there is a batch and a half of basic scone mix frozen, just requiring yoghurt egg and cheese to be added for any emergency cheese scone moments in the next few days.

0 locks, 0 miles, 27 socks so far, 1 toe too, 8 pairs to weave ends in on, £~~626.97~~ *£641.97 raised, so far, 1 dementia nurses training, 1 boat with filthy floors, 1 wall prepared, 1 new boiler, 2 sides of flashing sorting, 15 windows, 1 decorator, 0 scaffolding yet, 1 tube of Captain Tolleys for the shower, 2 more lodgers, 16 fingers, 20 toes, 4 paws crossed that we get away smoothly, 1 van about to be booked, 1 boat floor still requiring mopping, 1 new engine mount required.

Firmware and Footwear. 5th April

Goole/Scarborough

Last Fridays post was filled with woolly goodies. Two more Independent dyers had sent me some yarn for my sockathon. What kindness! The two parcels together most probably had enough yarn for 14 pairs of socks. Thank you so much to Jem (Under The Olive Tree) and Beth (Beehive Yarns) for your generous and wonderful support.

I had a day out to Leeds to visit the Hello Stranger Yorkshire exhibition. Lots of photos from shows over the last four years and how the pandemic was coped with and how the industry has changed since. Designers were invited to add their details to a map of Yorkshire. One colour string showed where Yorkshire designers lived, the other where people from outside Yorkshire have worked. As I fitted into both categories and neither I decided to have both colours of string on my label.

I made sure my return to the station included the wonderful markets and the Exchange. Must remember all that fish when we pass through Leeds in a few weeks time!

Saturday morning started with me casting on the first pair of socks. These were to be knitted in yarn that I had bought for the challenge, matching the logo colours of @dementia-uk. In the post that morning I received a card from their Fundraising Officer wishing me luck, what a lovely touch, especially hand written, my sister-in-law would approve.

So far I’ve managed to knit a sock a day, that’s an average of 8 hours clicking a day. I go to stretch my legs each day so that my natural posture doesn’t take to being a seated one. The occasional move from one chair to another also helps. Podcasts are listened to when I’m going round in circles and we’ve taken to watching an episode of Downton Abbey each day, starting from the very beginning. We may have to up to two episodes a day as there are 50 in total. Blimey some of those servants are really really horrible!

Mick has been seeking out new insurance quotes for Oleanna. For some reason our renewal quote from GJW had gone up whilst reports on social media suggest other peoples have gone down. Craftinsure are by far the cheapest for both contents and the boat, however some things are not covered such as laptops. Why are they so much cheaper? How are they so much cheaper? Do they pay out without hassle if you need to claim? All questions Mick is seeking the answers to before we commit ourselves to a new policy.

The days, weeks and months are ticking away. Time to visit Oleanna and give her engine a run, check her over and now that we have a date we need to be back on the boat for, give notice on our mooring. Mick took the train down to Goole an easy and familiar ride now, whilst I sat on the sofa knitting.

The daffodils at Oleanna’s stern are long past their best and the scraped paintwork turning orange on the gunnels shows that she hasn’t moved anywhere for sometime. Hopefully there will be time to give things a good rub down and repaint before too long.

Mick sent me a photo looking out through the new window in the pram cover. A vast improvement from the old one which not only had holes in it but had become a touch white making the view a bit foggy. The boat opposite our bow has had a change of name, a very wise change by Lisa.

Mick ran the engine and went to see Laird and also had a catch up with Alastair. Sadly Viking Marina are out of diesel at the moment, so the tank still hasn’t had a fill. Then it was time for Mick to plug the laptop into Oleanna’s brain and give the inverter a firmware update. This new version means we can control the charging of the lithium batteries more, especially when the temperatures are really low which lithium’s do not appreciate.

**Daffodils and gunnels past their best!**

With everything locked up, Mick headed back to the station with the intention of being back in Scarborough to eat with me before I headed out for the evening. Sadly there were problems on the tracks. A vehicle had run through both barriers of a level crossing at Gilberdyke. This meant all trains had to run slowly and that Mick’s train which normally would have continued on to Scarborough stopped in Hull.

The next train northwards followed a slow train and by the time it had reached Bridlington it itself had been cancelled as the train behind had just about caught it up! In all it took Mick four hours to return to Scarborough by which time I’d cast on the toe of sock 5 and decided to give myself an evening off. Spent at the Bike and Boot with old female friends I used to work with at the SJT. It was very nice to see every one in the flesh, many I’ve only seen on zoom get togethers over the last few years and those have gradually petered out.

**The Chippy model box waiting for me to be creative**

Another parcel has arrived at the house. The empty model box for Chippy Panto, all ready for me to start designing. It made sense for it to come here, rather than us trying to guess where to get it sent to in a months time.

For those wanting to know what panto will be this year, I can now confirm it will be ‘Cinderella’. But not just any old Cinderella, this one will be set in Latin America! So the music will most certainly be toe tapping. Sadly the budget won’t stretch to a visit to South America for research purposes, the internet will have to do!

The Sockothan continues and if I continue at the current rate then I should manage to beat last years pairs by several! Thank you so much to those near and far (Hello Canada!) who have sponsored me. Thank you also to those who’ve requested socks. All socks on my list are guaranteed to be knitted in April so make sure you’ve made your donation on the JustGiving website. I may be opening the challenge up for more sock requests in a weeks time, so if you feel you missed out first time around you’d best keep an eye on the blog.

So much yarn, 5 socks, 5 days, £100 cheaper, 2 barriers, 1 notice given, 1 inverter updated, 8 hours each, 67% of target, 1 evening off, 6 old friends, 1 slightly numb bum, 2 circular needles, 9 years of boat ownership!

Sharing. 30th March

Ten years ago today we stepped off our shareboat, NB Winding Down for the last time. Well Mick visited her again when showing prospective purchasers around. But the 30th March 2013 was the end of a three week cruise when we’d moved her from the then Carefree Cruising base at Elton Moss near Sandbach to a new base at Welton Haven on the Leicester Section.

We’d really enjoyed our near four years as shareboaters. Four weeks a year onboard the same boat (despite every owner bringing and leaving their own cling film!) had been made the most of.

A week iced in at Aqueduct Marina where we only got to move to top up with diesel and have a pump out.

A March trip when we had to buy ourselves sun hats and suncream and ventured down the Anderton Boat Lift onto the River Weaver. We hope to return this year to spend more time on the river.

The odd extra week came our way that other owners couldn’t use. Hmmm!

It was an affordable way to spend our holiday weeks from work afloat.

Ten years ago we didn’t know where to go for breakfast after packing the car to set off back home, we ended up on the bridge over the M1 at Leicester Forest East Services. Following three weeks of the tranquillity of the waterways the chair scraping noise from mid morning diners was SO loud it had us in stitches.

In the last ten years we sold our share, bought NB Lillyanne to keep us going until we had Oleanna built. The start of our original build wasn’t so good and we had to start all over again, but it was certainly worth it, as Oleanna is a far better boat than she would have been.

NB Winding Down we think is now based at Aston Marina outside Stone. Originally she was blue, then green and very recently she has returned to being blue again, just as we’d got used to spotting her in bright green. Maybe we’ll pass her this year and be able to say hello again.

Up in Scarborough it’s been a busy time. The back bedroom has been decorated. New curtains made for the living room and dining room on one side of the house. The sample of the front cloth for panto last year is now stretched on a frame and hung on a wall. The room may now have to be called the wave room as it also contains a set of photos of wave dodgers in the North Bay here in Scarborough.

Last week we had a day out to Bempton, hoping to see Puffins. Despite both of us having lived in Scarborough since the 1990’s neither of us had been. Sadly it was far too windy for the Puffins so we had to make do with thousands of Gannets instead.

The duvet that sprung holes last year now has a new cambric cover. My painting dungarees have had an upgrade, new elastic, a patch and new pockets for extra kneeling pads, which I’m hoping to make out of some giant mug yoga mat offcuts. They are now considerably more colourful and maybe a little bit in theme for this years Chippy Panto. Yes, I am returning for my fifth panto at Chippy. I can’t say any more about it at the moment as they haven’t announced anything yet. But it promises to be very colourful and toe tapping, it may have the audience dancing in the aisles!

The house is a very full house at the moment with two lodgers and tonight it will be opening night of Comedy of Errors at the SJT. We’re heading along to see the show and await to see what a lobster has to do with the Shakespearian comedy!

#unit21 played it’s last two shows at The Storyhouse in Chester last week. What a show! It was a shame to not be there for the final performance, but Chester is a long way from Scarborough. I’ll be meeting up with some of the Dark Horse actors in a few weeks time on a different project.

We keep in touch with the waterways. Our friend Chris on NB Elektra has a live bowcam so we can get a pootleing fix. He’s currently on the Shropie and it looks like it’s been raining this morning. We tend not to watch so many vlogs, but do pop by The Pirate Boat to catch up with Heidi every now and again. It’s nice to see a few bloggers are back out and about on the water too. NB Bonjour, NB Briar Rose , NB What A Lark, NB Hadar, NB Ali’s Dream to name a few. I’m getting quite home sick.

Our planned cruise now has slight alterations due to a family get together and work commitments for me. So we now have a firm date for when we’ll need to be back on board and heading towards the Pennines.

Saturday will see me taking up route on the sofa or my Mum’s nursing chair to knit. My Sockathon will start after breakfast on the 1st April. I need to average a pair of socks every three days, hopefully I’ll manage more, but we’ll see. Donations of yarn are starting to arrive. I’ve collected my sock yarn stash together along with needles and the patterns from last year. I just need to work out what gauge each yarn will knit up at, I’m hoping I can do this by comparing yarn using wraps per inch rather than knitting a swatch for each yarn. Fingers crossed, or should that be needles crossed! Any suggestions of things I can listen to or watch whilst knitting would be appreciated. We don’t have Netflix or anything you have to pay for.

I’ve promised myself a walk each day so that I keep moving, I can’t cease up, there are lots of locks to do soon. I will also be helping Tilly to make her Hot Paw Buns as Easter is getting close.

Fundraising so far? I’ve just about reached two thirds of my target! Thank you so much to those who’ve donated already. Still a way to go once I start knitting. If everyone who’s visited the blog this last week chipped in £1 I’d be sailing towards my target of being able to train up an Admiral Nurse with the skills and knowledge to support families affected by Dementia.

0 time to write lists, 2 skeins to make into cakes!

Restoring Power. Catch up 4th March

The weather forecast next week looks to be cold. What’s new? Well it’s going to be colder than it already is up on the north east coast. Goole looks like it will have below freezing temperatures. When we left Oleanna we’d left her with everything sorted for such a cold spell, she was plugged in with the thermostat ready to kick the heating on should things get really chilly, the advantage of our Aldi boiler being able to run off electric when hooked up.

However in the last couple of weeks Oleanna has been turned round by Alastair ready for when he has time to do jobs on her. Mick left him with some keys and the camera on board had broadcast movement a few days after his last visit, so we knew she’d been winded. She’d been unplugged from the mains, turned around for easier access, then plugged back in again, Oleanna has two hook up points to make this easy. However inside there is a switch you need to flick to select which end of the boat you are hooked up to, Alastair didn’t know about this. So for a couple of weeks Oleanna has been living off free solar, but should the heating need to come on it wouldn’t work. Someone needed to flick the switch.

Mick caught the train down to Goole a now familiar journey and if you break your ticket in Filey it’s cheaper. Oleanna was given the once over checking she was ready for minus temperatures and the switch was flicked to accept power at the stern. A catch up with Al from NB Summer Wind was had and a chat with Alastair.

The alternator chap he’d had in mind to refurbish our faulty one is no more. Another company said that unless it was something special/historic then it wouldn’t be worth doing! Well they obviously didn’t want the job. We’ll be scouting around in Scarborough to see if anyone here can help us instead.

Topping up the diesel didn’t happen again as Laird had just run out as Mick arrived. Hopefully next time.

The other job today was to meet up with Sean from SPL Covers, who just happened to be at the marina on another job. Our covers are in need of some tlc, too much use. The pram cover front window has had a hole in it for a couple of years and this year it has made a few friends. These happen when it gets folded down for cruising, a crease happening in the same place time and time again has taken it’s toll. The window has also gone quite opaque too, so this will be replaced.

The cratch cover zip that failed early last year will also be replaced. I tacked it together last spring so it was about time it was replaced. Mick checked to see if SPL could clean them too, however that would likely take several weeks to happen and we’d rather the covers were back on Oleanna as soon as they can be to help keep the weather off.

A productive visit.

Meanwhile on land.

Last week was production week for #unit21 in Huddersfield. The upgraded set went in easily but as the temperature of the set increased we found a problem with the fabric it was covered in. When the flattage arrived in the cold it was very baggy saggy. But as it warmed up in the theatre it tightens up making things look wonderfully smooth. However the upgrade to the set involved slitting the fabric to insert LED lights and perspex to create fake neon. In hindsight the original covering of the flats and upgrade should have been done in a warm environment when the fabric was taught, not an easy thing when workshops tend to be chilly places! This is also the first time either Graham or myself have used Ripstop on a set.

So as the set warmed the fabric tightened starting to distort the slots the lights were in. Clamps and cable ties stopped the movement, but the fabric carried on doing it’s thing. Thankfully the atmospheric lighting doesn’t show any of our problems up after a touch of colouring in with a Sharpie was done.

The actors did a couple of run throughs for technical purposes, then a full dress rehearsal where one of our new Led strips decided it didn’t want to do green, the main colour required. So sadly on photos we have a rouge strip and on press night it and it’s partner were unplugged.

The show was very well received and there were plenty of familiar faces in the audience, including Vanessa Brooks who used to be the Artistic Director at Dark Horse, also Pete Massey who used to work at the SJT in Scarborough. It was great to be able to have a catch up with him and Rach his wife after the show.

#unit21 is now on tour for the next few weeks. The Lowry in Salford 3rd 4th March, Chroma-Q in Leeds 10th March, The Junction Goole 15th 16th March, Storyhouse Chester 23rd 24th March.

Decorating of the back bedroom has started. Well the decorating bit hasn’t yet started, it’s more the demolition stage. I’d hoped to be able to remove the cornice and ceiling rose that would never have been in such a bedroom, but they have turned out to be plaster and very well attached. With my back still making me cautious they can stay for a while longer, the last thing I want to do is be patching up a ceiling.

Lots of patching up and some paint stripping to do, interesting how some new Eco friendly paint stripper has and hasn’t worked even with being left overnight to work it’s magic.

A new sewing machine has been invested in along with a cordless drill that matches the sander I got at Christmas, so we now have three batteries between tools.

Estimates for new windows have been coming in, all very expensive. The funding we’d applied for from the council to help insulate the house we were told a few weeks ago had run out, but yesterday we had a phone call suggesting there are now more funds available. We’ll have to see what happens on that front.

Our cruising plans for the year have had to be slightly altered. Two offers of work and an invite from my cousins will see us heading down south rather than staying in the north. It will be good to see family members at something other than a funeral and I think I was 18 when I last spent any time with my cousins kids. Hopefully there will still be enough of the summer to return northwards to accomplish our original plans of cruising the River Weaver. The life jackets have had their annual service, left inflated in a room over night well away from any cat claws.

Pip’s Sockathon 2023 will take place during April this year. A charity has been selected, a conversation with their Community Fundraising Executive has been had, so I’d best get my needles ready. There are still some things to sort for it but there will be more news on that front very very soon.

So for now that is all our news. Stay warm everyone, I can safely say it is far warmer on a boat than in our house!

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 wind captured on camera, 1 boat unhooked, 1 boat rehooked, 1 new sewing machine, 1 drill, 2 batteries makes 3, 1 red strip, 9 ensemble, 2 job offers, 1 workshop, 1 family get together, 1 brown bin, £30 curry for 2, 1 soda bread, 1 bored cat, 4 troublesome doors, 1 job made longer, 1 room stripped back, 36k or 26k? 1 charity, 10 pairs maybe this year, 1 vanity project, 174 x110, 1 blind, 2 covers at the menders.

0 Winds Due To Wind. 18th February

Mick headed to see Oleanna today. When we ‘d left last week there were a few things that we’d left on board due to only one of us carrying things due to my bad back, so these needed collecting. There also hadn’t been enough time to chat with Alastair about some jobs Mick was wanting him to do.

Then there was also the matter of the old alternator that had gone faulty on us in Shardlow. It had moved to Scarborough with us with the thought that a chandlers here might be able to get it refurbished for us. However Alastair said he could sort it, so that needed returning to Goole. With a bike used as a sherpa Mick set off, hoping that he’d fixed a stubborn puncture, Oh for both bikes to have solid tyres!

Mick and Alastair talked about the jobs we’d like him to do.

Stern nav light fitting, Mick will do the wiring on another visit.

Alternator refurbished.

Check the engine mounts and give the engine a general check over. Mick does Oleanna’s servicing but it’s always nice to have someone totally au fait to give her the once over. When we had RCR gold membership we got an engine check each year, but we’ve now cut back on our membership to save some pennies.

Fix a coolant leak. Mick thought this might be from a hose connected to the skin tank, but Alastair thought it was the connection rather than the hose. He’ll tighten it up and sort it which ever.

Tighten the stern glad.

They also chatted about the tappets in the engine. Mick ran the engine and they decided they sounded fine, so that will be left for another year.

**Mick’s Christmas present keeping a watchful eye when we’re not about**

Mick had also wanted to top up with diesel. Manoeuvring around the marina would have been tricksy today due to strong winds, so that can wait for next time. If we had jerry cans he could fill the tank that way. But as we tend to cruise and not sit about for too long in one place we have never really felt the need to own jerry cans, they take up space. Maybe the price of diesel will have dropped again when we next fill up, Domestic rate in Goole last week was £1.09.

The stove was cleared out, not enough time to sweep the chimney today.

A list of things to return with had been put together. The washing drawer was emptied, contents washed and hung up to dry. The interior of Oleanna still needs a good tidy, the floor certainly needs a good wash, maybe even a sand in places followed by a coat of oil before we are back on board full time.

Meanwhile back on land. Tilly has been meeting the new neighbours. The cats who used to live in the area have all moved away, now there are new felines to get to know…..or not!

She hadn’t done any packing for a few days, so I thought I’d give her a helping paw. Thank you Tilly, everything had to wait for Mick to put them away as stooping is still a thing I’m avoiding.

#unit21 rehearsals have been going well. I had a postponed visit to watch a run this week and managed to do a few jobs whilst I was there. Next week is production week and the first shows that kick off the tour. Some last minute knitting has kept me busy in front of the TV. Getting my fingers into training for this years sockathon, there will be more news about this once my show has opened.

Curtain lining has arrived and hopefully this coming week Dulux will deliver everything I need to give a bedroom a makeover in the next few weeks before a lodger moves in. It’s a room that has been decorated by tenants through the years and not very well. But having said that it wasn’t too good before they even started! Here’s hoping my back is fully mended.

Mick and Frank have been dishwasher installers and kitchen adjusters. The old dishwasher had given up the ghost. A damp problem in the last few years and the fact that I think the kitchen had been built around it made it a challenging job. Thank you Frank once again.

Sadly we’ve not had chance as yet to go for one of our walks around Scarborough, my back and work getting in the way so far. Hopefully we’ll put that right soon as we’ve not even been to the beach yet!

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 winds due to the wind, 1 jobs list, 3 new cats, 1 woofer, 1 dead sewing machine, 3 varieties pancakes, 1 hat, 30 badges, 1 alternator, 2 much money being spent, 1 quote, 0 funding, 1 McCarthy visit, 1 vanity project, 1 new PM, 1 salt and pepper reunited with us.

Don’t Let The Cat Out! 4th February

King’s Marina to Cromwell Lock

Since arriving back in Scarborough it’s taken Tilly a while to settle down. She knows where she is, but the house makes odd noises, different from those on Oleanna. Add into the mix our lodger Claire making noises in the morning and singing in the evening, it all makes for a nervous cat. Over the last couple of days Tilly has ventured outside into the static world the house is surrounded by. She obviously remembers the local cats and is constantly looking out for Alan, Betty and Shoes. I have tried to explain to her that none of them live here anymore! But still she looks. The annoying thing for us humans though is that we thought the runny cat pooh would have ceased since Shoes moved away, however it is still lurking in the grass!

I managed to borrow a sewing machine from my friends Dawn and Lee at Animated Objects, so all the costume alterations have been finished. A few small house jobs have been done and I’ve been baking.

I made some fresh curd cheese and a batch of Yorkshire Curd Tarts to use up the pastry left over from mince pies. The slightly orange pastry was rather nice with the curds. Then yesterday I made a loaf of cheese and spring onion gluten free soda bread using up half the buttermilk I’d been left with from the curd cheese. We had to try a bit with our dinner last night as it smelt so good. Very very tasty. A definite recipe I’ll be doing again, there is still enough buttermilk left (now in the freezer) for another loaf.

Now that Maud’s Swing Bridge on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal is left open to boat traffic we needed to identify a window of opportunity to move Oleanna up to Goole. I have work commitments over the next few weeks and we wanted to give Tilly a chance to settle down in the house before we’d be leaving her for several days. We estimated the journey would take us a minimum of four days.

Mick checked the tide times, then the weather. Our first window looked good. A couple of days ago he called Cromwell to check on tide times for Sunday. Then a call to Keadby to check times there too. Both locks were booked.

Time to work out how to get back to Newark. The railway line out of Scarborough has been closed for much of this week due to engineering works, strikes and the poor service on Transpennine Express made us look at the buses to York, The Coastliner. These run every hour and currently a single fare being £2, it would be a bargain.

So this morning we were up early, breakfasted, a few items packed, soda bread and my work things in case we are held up on route. We caught the 9:10 which was pretty busy already and by the time it arrived in Malton it was chocka, I think we even passed hopeful passengers at a bus stop on our way into York. We hopped off at the station and had a half hour wait for the next train to Newark Northgate arriving a little after midday.

We headed straight to the marina as the office would soon be closing. When we’d arrived, we’d imagined Oleanna would be stuck for several weeks, maybe even months, in the end it was only nine nights. Two bags of coal were bought and popped on the roof.

I then headed to buy supplies whilst Mick topped up the water tank and made ready for our departure. I hunted round Waitrose for yellow labels. We’d brought a few days worth of food with us, but needed another couple of days supplies along with milk and cereal. Two heavy bags later, including two boxes of wine, I could drop the gate fob back at the office.

Lunch was had, soda bread, still pretty good even when cold. Then it was time to put our life jackets on and push off, reverse out from the pontoon and say goodbye to King’s Marina. Paula the marina manager came out to wave us goodbye and wish us a good journey. Thank you for accommodating us in your friendly marina.

Left. We headed towards Nether Lock where I climbed up a ladder to head to work the lock. The paddles were half raised, it was refilling itself. I turned the key of power and encouraged it to fill quicker, which worked, except the panel still had to work it’s way through all the button presses! It took quite a while before eventually the button moved the gates. Getting my phone out to take a photo of Oleanna coming into the lock, I lost grip and it bounced across the concrete, each time getting closer to the lock edge! Thankfully it stopped a foot short of me having to replace it, a shame the screen is now cracked.

Back in April last year the levels had taken forEVER to equalise when emptying the lock to come in, I did it twice in one day, so today I was prepared for a long wait again. The lock did not disappoint! I had to press the button several times when it did nothing at all for it to get itself ready to open the gates. But we got there in the end. A helpful couple walking their dogs offered to finish working the lock for me, so that I could get back on. I turned them down, no way would I be climbing down the 12ft or so of lock ladder when below at the lock landing it would only be three foot of ladder.

We passed North Muskham, Muskham Ferry where a group from King’s Marina were enjoying a few pints having come down in ribs. They all waved us on our way.

Fishermen lined the banks. One young lad had caught a fish worthy of a photo, his mate catching one a quarter the size was still eager to have the photographic proof. Then a group of men in waders stood round weighing up the days catch, there must have been a match on by Cromwell Lock.

Mick winded Oleanna to face upstream and bought us into the pontoon. Time to head to the bow to tie up. We don’t often cruise without Tilly on board. When opening a door it is automatic to check to see if she is waiting on the step inside. Don’t let the cat out! She’s never allowed out until we are moored up, yet she is so excited to be somewhere new, she charges to the other door before you can get there. Gentle persuasion is required to keep her away from an opening door, sometimes a ‘Grrrrr!’ is required to keep her eagerness in check, it works quite well. Doors are rarely left open, they always get closed behind you. At times trying to keep Tilly in is a pain, but today there was certainly one big hole without her on board. Hope her magic food bowl has opened up and that she’s cosy on our bed.

1 lock, 4.9 miles, £2 coastliner, 1 train, 1 Lincoln Cathedral in view, 0.5 loaf of soda bread gone, 2 boxes wine, 3 yellow stickers, 2 boaters back afloat, 1 feline boater stuck on dry land, 2 pork chops and 2 jacket potatoes.

https://goo.gl/maps/re622ZJ5TsvVKdTq8

Shrunk or Grown. 26th 27th January.

King’s Marina

I was off to catch a train, well three that would get me to Huddersfield mid morning. The current track record of Transpennine Express is really quite poor, trains being cancelled here there and everywhere, so my last leg of the journey couldn’t be guaranteed. Thankfully all went to plan without too long standing on platforms in the cold. I even got to see Lincoln Cathedral from my first train way way off in the distance.

Mick was left to check in with Paula the marina manager at King’s. She was wanting to give us the best deal on mooring, cheaper to pay for three months than on a daily rate. However, as soon as we know that the way ahead is open, the tides are right and I’m not at work we will be moving downstream. So Mick opted to pay weekly.

Borrowing the directors sewing machine meant I could finish sewing one costume. Now all nine actors have overalls they can wear to rehearse in over the next few weeks. We got everyone into their costumes to check them over. Had anything changed? One chaps overall seemed a touch too tight, easy to undo a couple of darts in the back. Sadly someone else was in a situation where the zip wouldn’t do up, a case of shrinking and expanding going on in unison. Notes were taken for expansion, all those off cuts from arms and legs come in handy for waist lines.

Time to position the numbers I’d made. With everyone stood in a row they looked like mug shots of convicts.

Rehearsals continued elsewhere for the remainder of the day giving me use of the studio floor. Connor came to help roll out the new show flooring, cutting the big roll into three and then marking out the design. Base coats of white were applied, all ready for the green to go next time.

I’ve been quite astounded at the price the Premier Inn were wanting to charge me for production week, so on this trip I’d booked an AirBnB to try out for a night. With a bag of alterations to tack I headed to find my room and see if the access codes worked. The front door was easy, the one for my room a little bit more tricksy, but I got there in the end.

I checked around to see what I had, a small kitchen area with cooker fridge and microwave. No sharp knife and slightly heat affected cupboards the laminate edging having come away sometime ago. The cooker and fridge are a bonus, no storing breakfast on a window sill and a heater that actually works without a big fan going constantly.

**Chips were only for reference purposes**

With some supplies bought along with a portion of chips from the nearby takeaway I set to with alterations sat on my sofa with a huge TV mounted on the wall. TV signal here would certainly get a thumbs down as I couldn’t seem to get any terrestrial channels. I also didn’t want to interact with Alexa as so far I’ve managed to avoid having her in my life. Eventually I did manage to get something to have on in the back ground, early episodes of Silent Witness, the lab used to be next to Kings’ College in Cambridge.

Digs verdict. Well it would be nice if the gap under the door didn’t let light in constantly. The microwave clock is easily covered up with a sketch book or tea towel. The shower door was easily rehung. The romantic view from behind the blind of buildings three foot away did mean no noise from the ring road next door (quieter than the Premier Inn). The big strip light was useful for sewing, but gave an atmosphere similar to that found in a dentists chair. If I stay again I’ll try to fix the shower so that more water comes out of the head than dribbles down the pipe. Having a fridge and cooker though may outweigh other things and it is two minutes walk from the theatre and £200 cheaper than Premier Inn, A bit more cutlery wouldn’t go amiss though.

Back at Dark Horse I finished the alterations on costumes, helped with a mark up of the stage for full rehearsals next week. Then when I was left on my own it was time to don my mask and finish off the giant mug. Getting things lined up and stuck on straight took time. The outside was covered, then the handle. Thankfully my plan for this worked out and two tins of stinky glue later the mug was finished.

Still with time before my booked train, I worked my way through a few props that needed painting. Packed everything away and then removed my mask. Hopefully the aroma on spray paint and any stinky glue will dissipate over the weekend.

My return journey was slightly hampered by late running trains, but this actually meant I still arrived back in Newark on time.

During the day, posts on the Trentlink group had been going about regarding Maud’s Bridge on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal. Then an official C&RT notice was put out.

Update on 27/01/2023:

We have now assessed the works required to the bridge following the damage caused by the road traffic accident and are now preparing for the comprehensive repair to be completed by our contractor.

In advance of this, following advice from our engineers, we will take a team to open the bridge to canal traffic on Tuesday 31^st January at 10:30 and then close it at 11:30, allowing all boats currently in the area to pass the bridge.

Following this we will consider further openings as required until a full repair is complete. We will also update this notice with details of the full repair when we have them.

Brilliant! Except we won’t be able to make the hour time slot.

Mick sent an email, to which he got the standard reply that he would get an answer within five working days. So he made a phone call.

The chap seemed fairly hopeful that another bridge swing would be possible for us on another day. He would know more in Monday and call us back. Lets hope we can find a window where everything fits together before too long, so we can move Oleanna up to Yorkshire.

0 locks, 0 miles, 6 trains, 1 rip, 4 inches, 2 tucks untucked, 2 x 9m, 12 white lines, 9 numbers, 36 pieces velcro, 2 tins stinky stink sticky stuff, 1 large mug, 2 caddies, 2 wands, 2 books, 1 giant spoon, 1 shower door, 0 view, 0 noise, 1 hour opening, 2 many commitments 2 make it, 4 meals with sprinkles, 2 pies, 2 jackets.

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Don’t Just Sit There Having A Bath! 24th January

Hazelford Lock

The decision to stay put today had been made last night. C&RT were working on Town Lock in Newark today with possible delays for two hours. That was if we could get there as yesterday we’d had reports that between the lock and the next bridge had been frozen.

Mick made a phone call to King’s Marina, were they iced up? What was their diesel price? There was ice still around the edges of the marina, but the central section had thawed. We’ll do a diesel price comparison with the other two marinas tomorrow.

A sausage day for Tilly. Allowed out at breakfast time with two hours. The two hours was extended each time she returned. Something was certainly keeping her busy out there.

Simon from C&RT walked by during the morning, presumably continuing his checks at each lock. Then there was a chap walking his dog, most probably from the Dutch Barge Lily. Other than that island life was quiet, except the noise from the weir. No passing boats today.

Time for me to collect my thoughts a bits and pieces together for my next visit to Huddersfield this week. Name tags were sewn into the new overalls. A couple of spare chip trays were made in pink and purple. A new batch of felt badges were started, ready to be added to overalls. The large wheelie bag was dug out from under the bed and filled up with things to take. The back steps were taken out to access my paint brush bag and an edited few brushes and chalk line made it into things to take.

Tilly returned to warm up three quarters of an hour before cat curfew. We tried to convince her that she should make the most of her shore leave as it will be the last for some time. But it fell on deaf pointy ears, Tilly preferring to have a bath in front of the stove instead.

This evening we enjoyed the last, apart from a butties worth, of roast pork with red peppers and paprika. Yum.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 chaps, 1 woofer, 2 hours, 2 hours, 2 hours more! 3 overalls, 16 badges, 3 nice brushes, 1 small roller, 1 clean pot, 1 wheelie bag, 2 train journeys booked.

Zig Zagging Forever. 19th January

Shardlow

Ice covered the canal this morning. Jack Frost had been to visit. Would the ice stay around? Or would it melt?

Mick sat out the stern waiting or the sight of a Sainsburys van. From our mooring you can see traffic on the main road and he spied an orange van heading out from Derby, would it be for us? It was. He walked down to greet the driver waving our orange bags in the air. We’re now stocked up with food for the next week.

Next the coal situation needed to be improved. Mick took the bike and headed off to Shardlow Marina to see if he could get a bag on the bike. The chap from the boat behind us had offered to give Mick a lift in his car, but Mick managed a bag at a time, only two bags required to keep us going.

Meanwhile I wanted to make use of still being hooked up. A new 3XL overall was pulled out from the bag of costumes. An existing costume was pulled out to compare measurements with. One of our actors is more like a 4XL so extra side panels are needed, a sturdier zip and the new overalls would be a spare pair just in case! I worked out what to add, what to shorten, the offcuts from the legs coming in useful.

At lunchtime an email arrived in our inboxes. The Upper Trent!

‘Update on 19/01/2023:’

‘Water levels have started to come down, and we have been able to open Cranfleet Flood Gates. Boaters can now travel along the navigation.’

Hooray!!!! Should we make a move straight away or wait for tomorrow? The ice around us was gradually melting, enough so that Tilly had been allowed shore leave again. How would it be for reversing in? Having power for the rest of the day would be handy for sewing. We decided to stay put and plan our moves for the next week.

Then things started to go wrong. First Tilly ran out of green Dreamies, she noticed the colour change! Then I tacked a panel in the overalls on the wrong side. Tilly decided to give the mince I was defrosting a good sniff on the kitchen counter that is a NO GO area for felines to make up for the lack of green Dreamies!

I lifted my sewing machine up off the floor onto the dinette seating so no one would walk into it. Tilly decided to have a mad ten minutes charging around everywhere. This unsettled my sewing machine which fell to the floor!

Oh Bu**er! The light still worked. Where was the reel holder thing? That was found. I put a chilli together so that the mince would be well away from Tilly’s sniffing nose. Then sat down to look further at my sewing machine.

The stitch selector seemed wonky. I tried turning it. It wouldn’t shift. I tried straightening it up. It came off in my hand! What stitch was the machine set to? If straight I could carry on. The dial had been between stitches when it broke off. I tried the needle. It was moving from side to side! But I don’t want to zigzag for the rest of my life!!!

**That dial should be where the black hole is!**

Mick tried having a look at it. A connecting thing had sheared off on the selector, no chance of putting it back on. Could we turn what was behind the dial without it. No. I found a new part, but we need the bit that has sheared off to be removed to replace it. No sewing for me for a while!

Thankfully I was working on a spare overall, the adjustments to the ladies overalls were finished, so the spare can wait a week or so. I just need to add three little things to the existing pair so that braces can be attached inside.

Tomorrow we hope the ice will have receded. Fingers and paws crossed.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 delivery, 4 boxes wine, 2 bags coal, 2 bike loads, 1 icy canal, 2 gates open! 1 river open! 3XL taken to bits, 3XL tacked back together, 1 hand, 1 knob, (now then!), 1 broken machine, 1 cat in the dog house, 1 plan coming together, 2 boaters 1cat getting ready to make a move!

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna