Category Archives: Theatre Design

Shiny Boat Central. Day 3

Paddington Basin

Another work day for me today. I put my model together and worked my way through the scenes. The colours I’ve used work well with just about every scene, I may just change the shade of pink I’ve used in the kitchen scene. Second coats could go on to everything and by the evening it was looking pretty good, it now looks like panto. Still a few days work left to do before I can hand it over.

Mick headed off to find a hardware shop. The washer on the cap for the water intake has expanded, making it hard to put it back on. So he returned with two to try and a set of new bits for a screw driver. In the set is a square headed one, which we’re hoping will mean we can now take off the back of the freezer drawer.

Then he headed off to make use of his 60+ oyster again. Today he headed first to Canada Water via the tube and southwards on the overground via Clapham Junction. Then on to Greenwich. Here he considered climbing up to the top of the Dome, but at £30 he felt that was a bit steep and the view wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as that from the Harbour bridge in Sydney.

So instead he spent £2 and caught the ferry Predator 2 across the Thames to Trinity Buoy Wharf. This only took around five minutes, but he had the boat to himself. He’d remembered about the ferry from when we came to visit my friend Kathy a couple of years ago in one of the galleries at the wharf.

Next was a bus to Canary Wharf, then DLR to Island Gardens where he watched big boats go past on the Thames, before returning back to Oleanna.

A busy day all round, except for Tilly. She has taken to sleeping until around 2:30pm, then she has a period of shouting at the back door before giving up and having to visit her box in the bathroom. A quick check at what I’ve been doing all day, by sticking her head right into my model box. Luckily she approves.

This evening I have started to scan my Dad’s diaries from the mid 1940’s. I only have two (I suspect that’s all he wrote) which cover his life from the age of 18 in York, then onto when he joined the army and training camps. The last few entries cover his journey across the seas to India where he rebuilt bridges around Hyderabad after the end of WW2. I’m wanting to try and collate his diaries, with letters, photos and his drawings at some point. Passing them on to Andrew to read has spurred me into action.

My Dad (central) at the age of 19
140th RE (Field) OCTU 175 Class April 1944

0 locks, 0 miles, 4 tubes, 2 overground trains, 1 ferry, 1 bus, 2 DLR, 1 back room den, 3 portals, 1 floor, 1 backdrop completed, 52 pages scanned, 1 cat saving up all her shore leave to have in one big go.

Shiny Boat Central. Day 2

Paddington Basin

A serious work day for me and as we are in London Mick was quite happy to head off for the day.

First he headed to Hammersmith where he used to work. Things have changed somewhat since those days, there are now traffic lights at Hammersmith Broadway. You’d no longer be able to race round in a Bedford HA van!

He took a walk up to the river, you can never keep a boater away from water long. The tide was out and numerous boats sat on the bottom waiting to float again.

Originally he’d thought of heading to Acton to the Transport Museum, but changed his mind as an interesting plane had arrived at Heathrow. So he caught the tube to Hatton Cross and then a bus to Terminal 5. Here he went up to the car park to see what he could see.

Not many planes were in view, but the one he’d gone to see was. A British Airways Airbus A319 which has been painted in the BEA livery which is who Mick’s father flew for after WW2.

Back at Paddington, I caught up with my Production Manager for Panto, we both got confused about a quote she’d had and I got on with painting my model.

Boats nudged round the pontoon, one boat wants to leave early Wednesday morning and if a long boat pulled into the available space next to them then they’d have been trapped. Their first move meant nobody would be able to use their original mooring as they were blocking access to it. We could have moved in there, but I prefer being on the outside without people looking in all day as I work. In the end another boat who is wanting to go for water moved to be next to them, they will vacate the mooring on Wednesday letting out the other boat at the same time when they go for water.

By the end of the day I had made definite progress with my model. Putting everything back into the model box it suddenly looked right. Phew!! I just hope it still looks right in the morning when I put the different scenes into it.

You will let me out! You will ! You will!! YOU WILL!!!!

0 locks, 0 miles, 3 buses, 2 tubes, 1 trains, 60+ rules, 1 plane, 2 many terms, 8 hours solid painting, 1 very bored cat, 2 hours of being stared at, sorry Tilly.

Last Lock To London. 5th July

Uxbridge Lock to nearly Ballot Box Bridge, Paddington Arm, Grand Union Canal

After watching a chap lower a pump into the canal, presumably to water his garden (bet he doesn’t have an extraction licence) we pushed off and rounded the bend to Uxbridge Lock. We dropped down and then turned into Denham Marine, for once we didn’t have to wait in line the mooring was empty.

Here is possibly the cheapest diesel in London, if you spend over £15 you can also fill with water. The tap now has a lock on it, so you can’t hog the service mooring just for water. The tank was topped up to the top but we refrained buying a bottle of gas, the price a shock after the cheap ones in Stoke. We’ll hopefully see a coal boat at some point and we’d rather give them the money.

A couple more miles and we had reached the last lock before London, Cowley Lock. We’d thought of emptying our yellow water tank here, but on seeing lots of people enjoying the sunshine with pints in hand we decided to wait until later. The yellow water has a touch of a wiff when it is pumped, also people just can’t help talking to Mick as he holds the hose spurting urine into our black container for disposal at the elsan.

Below the lock there was a handy space, we pulled in and had an early lunch. This is where I gave Oleanna half a wash a couple of years ago, a bird in flight had relieved itself all over her. I’ve recently been refraining from giving her a wash, hoping that a layer of dust would help us not to stand out too much amongst the London boats, very few are polished to within an inch of their lives. But most people can see through our thin disguise and make complementary comments.

Over the next stretch I bobbed down below, only needed for navigational reasons now I could get on with some work. Now I have my paint colour charts again I decided to use them to select what colour I would use as my base for the panto portals and floor.

My helpful assistant decided to join in on the decision, however pink is not the right colour for the job.

After a short while I could tell we were near Murderers Bridge. West Drayton is where we said goodbye to our first Second Mate, Houdini, in early 2015. We crossed the bridge with a full cat carrier and returned with it empty, cancer having gained another victim. So I always pass under here with a tear in my eye.

There were lots of boats like this on the Lee in 2014

From below progress seemed to be very slow. Oleanna seemed to be in constant tick over, but where were the moored boats? There was only one boat, a big wide beam taking their time in front of us. On a long straight they pulled over to let us pass. Thank goodness we could have been there all night!

No need to stop for water at Bulls Bridge so Mick swung the tiller out and Oleanna turned onto the Paddington Arm, straight ahead to London Town.

I managed to get a base coat on my model, then a first coat of green. I really hope I’ve chosen the right colour this time. A week ago it was all too bright and busy, so I thought a grey would be better. But earlier today grey didn’t seem jolly enough for a panto, I opted for in between, now i’m not so sure! I hate designers who can’t make their mind up!!

We pootled along, passing numerous boats. In Southall nobody was feeding the swans, only one coot visible and the water point looks like it is now in use. Plenty of boats, piled high, their own shanty towns on water. I quite like them, but wonder how they see to move their boat.

At 5pm we reached our chosen destination near Ballot Box Bridge. We’ve stopped here a few times now. Next to a nature reserve, a couple of hours away from Paddington, in Zone 4 and should you need it, a big Tescos a good walk away in the old Hoover building.

2 locks, 12.01 miles, 1 straight on, 1 left, 60 litres, 87.5 miles to ? 2nd colour, 3 portals, 1 floor, plus extra bits.

https://goo.gl/maps/AQE3jUnxDm1uxHv5A

Oy! That’s Not Your Boat!! 4th July

Debham Bridge to Above Uxbridge Lock

NB Augustus came past us whilst we were having our cuppa in bed, there wasn’t enough time to get the covers rolled up and pushed out to join them for Denham Deep Lock, anyway I hadn’t finished my tea.

An hour later another boat came into view, we started to get ourselves ready when Mick spotted another boat behind them, they were obviously already sharing the locks, so no need to hurry. We pushed off and followed on behind them knowing we’d be the odd one at the back of the queue.

Chatting to the two boats ahead as they descended the lock, they both were heading into London, one to take their chances with the masses, the other has a booked mooring.

With nobody coming from below we filled the chamber up, all 10ft 6″. A large group of students came up to the side of the lock to watch.

They just about filled the towpath side and I suggested that some of them move, just in case Mick knocked the bottom gate as he left, we didn’t want anybody tumbling into the canal or onto our roof. A chap sat on the off side closed the gate for us meaning we could be on our way.

We were now looking for a mooring close to Uxbridge, one with cover would be ideal. Soon there was space in the shade and Mick pulled us in, both of us doing our best not to get nettled as we moored up.

An early lunch then Mick was off to make use of his 60+ oyster card. He headed across London back out to Hackney where my panto model was sat waiting at my brothers. Hopefully I’ll be able to get on with finishing everything so that as soon as we turn out onto the Thames I can concentrate on boating.

Tilly headed off and soon found gaps in the mesh alongside the towpath to be able to access the trees and find friends for the afternoon. This left me with the panto script and a spread sheet to compile a props list. It is way bigger than last years, but with fewer tricksy makes. A set builder also needed more information so some of my technical drawings had to be scanned and emailed off.

The shade that we’d arrived to was short lived. I had about an hours worth before the sun crept along the cabin sides, this lasted well into the evening. Inside I was at least sheltered from the sun, but the temperature kept on rising. Tilly even had to return for spells to be a long cat on the floor.

When Mick returned we made use of the shade Oleanna was now creating and sat out to enjoy a barbeque, the towpath just wide enough. Sweet corn, followed by some chicken thighs marinated in ginger and garlic with a hint of chilli and veg and halloumi kebabs.

1 lock all 10ft 6″ of it, 1.17 miles, 1 shady mooring for an hour, 1 bright mooring for 7! 1 oven, 1 long cat, 4 tubes, 2 buses, 118 props, 4 kebabs, 3 thighs, 1 model back to be finished, 1 cat preffering a wider boat roof, 1 big hello again to Ali!

https://goo.gl/maps/CEdsoKLHjrK2wnTC7

Missing Cat. 1st July

Cassiobury Park

I don’t know what they were on about, I’m not missing anything! Everything is here right next to my boat along with me and I’m making the most of it.

My feline charms worked wonders this morning. I persuaded them that they needed another day off from moving the outside. She said that if She had a good day today, then until She got her box back She’d have run out of things to do for Puss In Boots. The big slidey board came out and I was told my assistance wasn’t required today.

Tom got the black box that spits things out out. Instead of feeding it today he showed it things, lots of yellow paper. He didn’t look like he needed my assistance either so I was redundant from boat duties, so made the most of this outside even more.

Outside was quieter today, no music, which meant I could hear friends in the friendly cover easier. Trees needed climbing and from up high I could watch the occasional boat coming past. One was called NB Wand’ring Bark. Now is that the sort of Woofer Bark or Tree Bark I wonder, the latter would be best.

Then there was this family who came past. The children took quite a bit of interest in me, ‘Look Mum, it’s the missing cat!’ ‘Do you think so’ ‘Yes’. As I said earlier I’m not missing anything! They watched me and then started to follow me, making it hard for me to get back to Oleanna.

She came out and asked about the cat they’d seen, did it have a white tip to it’s tale? Of course I did! She said sorry but that I wasn’t the missing cat. That cat has a lot more white and only one eye and looks nothing like me at all. The children were a bit disappointed but I was then able to carry on with my business undisturbed.

Tom had to go and get them some ding ding as they’d run out of fresh supplies. I offered to catch them some and even suggested they try the Shrimp and Plaice ding ding that I don’t like, but they weren’t too keen on either. Tom doesn’t like things that eat pooh. She calls them crustaceans which makes them sound rather nice and crunchy, but believe me they are not and are really rather yucky!

A boat came along, She popped her head out and suggested they tied up the outside in front of us, it is deeper there. I didn’t think it was trying to get away, but another boat holding it would be better.

0 locks, 0 miles, 9 hours, 1 afternoon kip, 36 trees, 5 friends, 23 showings, 10 sheets, 1st letter opened, 0 left for She to do, 0 other cats, 0 missing cats, only 1 cat, me!

PS She says hello to the people who thought they’d still been following us, but then everything stopped. Tom and She think people were still getting the blog from the old blog, somehow! Tom turned something off the other day which meant the old blog couldn’t be nosy anymore. We are all glad that you’ve found us again, although it looks like Ali hasn’t and She doesn’t want to get told off when She next sees her. Thank you Aileen you helped us sort it. She will write to you about Houdini’s’ transition to life on board, She thinks I’d give a very biased view that wouldn’t be helpful.

Temperatures Rising. 29th June

Cassiobury Park

Not too warm when we woke this morning, we were in shade from the park trees. However we knew it wouldn’t last.

By 11am the sun was starting to hit the bow of the boat, then crept its way along the roof and cabin side for the next three or four hours before the shade caught back up with it. Mick took the opportunity of the cooler hours to head off into Watford for a newspaper and a loaf of bread for me. The thought of baking a loaf with 30 degree temperatures just wasn’t appealing. So we enjoyed a poached egg and mushrooms on toast for a late breakfast. Sorry Ade and Aileen but I finished it too quickly!

Most cats in high temperatures tend to stretch out on a cool surface and spend hours doing very very little. Quite wise really.

Tilly however only stopped for two short breaks all day! The doors opened before 9am and were finally shut after 8pm. When I say open, you’d think we had a nice breeze through the boat, well except once Tilly is out the doors get closed to stop her from returning with friends. But with the side hatch facing the canal that could stay open, we also removed one of our windows and risked opening the off side cratch and left the front door open. None of this created a breeze but luckily our crew numbers didn’t increase.

Most of the day was spent reading. I had a script to read, very good it was too. Mick pulled out a file from one of the boxes we’d brought back from Scarborough. Information sent by a relative in Australia about his family. This confirmed what we already knew about Phillip Chignell being born in Leighton Buzzard on Lake Street, but sadly gave him no more information. He has a lot of scanning to do before he hands over the boxes to Kath, his sister, for safe keeping and her research.

I’d wanted to do some technical drawings today, but sweaty hands and tracing paper don’t go together. So I remade my portals to new dimensions that they will be built to. Using stock scenery as a base, we’ll be building the curved sections. To make them strong enough, they can’t just be screwed onto the existing flats, especially the bits that meet the floor, so I have extended them. This also gave me chance to have a go at simplifying the painted design on them. In the process I realised I’d missed a trick, so that was well worth doing in the 28 plus heat.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 hot boaters, 1 very VERY busy cat, 1909 Newport, 1872 Leighton Buzzard, 2 poached eggs, 1 newspaper, 1 loaf bread, 5 moving boats, 1 noisy park, 34.7 in the pram, 28.7 inside.

£11.09, Wash Day. 26th June

Cowroast Marina

Mick was up and off early again this morning to return the car. On his journey he picked up a red pepper so that we could have a pasta salad tonight as we hadn’t quite made up our minds what to do today.

We could carry on towards London only having used two of our three nights in the marina, meaning we’d arrived that bit sooner.

Or we could stay another night and do our best to use up the £11.09 that had been left on the electric by washing and drying as much as possible. This would also mean I’d be able to do some work.

An advantage of being moored bow end in, was that it would give us the ideal opportunity to fix the second bow fender in position. Doing this without touching up the blacking on the (for want of the proper term) bow post first would just be silly. So I risked having the grumpiest of grumpy men for a second day in a row, I delegated the prep to Mick!

In the future this may prove to have been an unwise thing to do, preparation being the most important thing. Scrapping off any loose paint, giving it a sand and then applying some Fertan, how hard can that be?! I learnt in our early days together that decorating and Mick do not mix. He’d been feeling guilty at me decorating our bedroom so had offered to lend a hand. I got him sanding the skirting boards. This was either a total mistake on my part or his plan all along, so as never to be given such a job again!

I worked on technical drawings for panto as Mick sanded etc. Tilly was either lending a hand behind my drawing board or shouting at the back door to go out. Here there are too many unexpected cars and far too many places to hunt for her should she fall in, but she doesn’t see it that way.

An Ocado shop was put in action, they seem to sell most of the gluten free flours that I use and have been running low on, so it made sense to shop with them. We’ll have to stop for a few things on our way though. Sainsburys sells the only odour control cat litter that isn’t obnoxious to our noses, we should be able to moor close enough to stock up with some and a few boxes of wine in a day or twos time.

With the weather being warmer I risked washing off the Fertan and once it was dry I applied a coat of blacking to the bow post. This should be dry by morning so that the fenders can go on.

One load of washing is left for the morning and the washing drawer will then be empty. Just about everything will be dry having used the tumble drier as much as we could, you’re not allowed to hang washing out in the marina! Will we run out of electric? Tune in tomorrow to find out.

0 locks, 0 miles, 4 sheets drawings, 1 stomping She, 3 pens retrieved from the floor, 1 near grumpy boy, 5 loads washing, 4 loads tumble dried, 6pm day boat, 1 model arrived in Bristol, 1 red pepper, 1 bow ready.

All Of North London. 23rd June

Wendover Arm to Cow Roast

Mick thought it best for us to move today to be closer to Cow Roast for tomorrow morning. This would save us an hour or so cruise time before checking into the marina for a couple of nights.

After breakfast we winded only disturbing three fisherpeople and made our way back to Bulbourne Junction. A day boat was already out and about, not going quite so speedy as the one yesterday thank goodness. However meeting another boat on such a shallow stretch meant we had to pull right over the bottom of Oleanna scrapping on the bottom and us listing until she found enough water again.

I stayed below to get on with some work. The date for my next meeting has been set and there’s is quite a bit to do along with cruising down to London with constant locks. I’ve also had a request from the Production Manager to send her the model so that she can show it to some builders for quotes.

So today I made sure I put everything together, made notes of what still needs doing, took photos, checked my sketch drawings making note of any changes so that I can work on these whilst the model is away. Then anything I could scan was scanned. If the postal service lets us down I need to have enough information to be able to recreate the model. Maybe it would just be easier to take the model myself to the meeting, but this week has got busy and the meeting is in Bristol.

Mick turned us back onto the main canal at the junction and then cruised us along the summit pound. To me there seemed to be more boats moored up, some breasted up, but maybe that was just a distorted view from below.

For a summit pound there isn’t much to look at as the majority of it is along a cutting. Trees blocking out much of the light for most of the way. Mick hoped for a space as close to the marina as possible, but he overshot and ended up having to reverse back for a space.

The towpath is narrow and quite busy here, a vast contrast to the Wendover Arm. This afternoon we must have had every single north London child under the age of eleven come past, there was a constant stream for over an hour. Most were very polite, but we did get a tap on the windows and one lad shouting in at us. Not bad going really.

0 locks, 4.23 miles, 1 right, 1 shady summit, 1 overshot mooring, 1 shoe box full of panto, 1 feline assistant overstepping the mark, 1 very hot and humid grey day.

https://goo.gl/maps/X2p5V5YbpCBMWMeV7

With the aerial on top of the pram cover

Terns Taking Turns. 22nd June

Grand Junction Inn to Little Tring Bridge, Wendover Arm, Grand Union Canal

A load of washing was set going before we pushed off today. Still heading southwards we cruised through Bulbourne Bridge and pulled up at the water point. Here we filled the tank as the washing machine did it’s thing. Then we winded at the handy ‘Winding Area’ (as they are now known on new blue signs) and headed northwards.

The old Bulbourne BW yard is fenced off, along the canalside from the road and surrounding area. Here lock gates uses to be made until 2003 when modern mechanised methods and bad vehicle access meant that production moved to Stanley Ferry and Bradley. The yard and it’s surrounding buildings since then have been used by a metal worker, who’s creations used to add interest, large horses and benches filling the canal side of the yard. But now everywhere is boarded up, it looks like some developers are about to move in.

A C&RT document about the future of Bulbourne is here. I’m not sure when it was written but it details the site. H2O Urban has details of a development on the site here. Four buildings will be converted into 25 new homes, a new footbridge and a new yard for C&RT. Works were meant to start last month on site and a website for the development is being set up here.

We pootled back to the junction where we turned to the left just above the locks. Here the Wendover Arm heads off in a south westerly direction. Back in February 2015 we came down here on Lillian. The navigable section is only around a mile and a half long with a winding hole and 48hr mooring at the end. The going is slow, very slow, most probably slower than it was on Lillian.

Originally the arm was built as a feeder for the summit pound, this was then widened to make it navigable. This however leaked and was shut off with stop planks. A hundred years later Phase 1 of the restoration plan was finished giving us what is navigable today. Phase 2 is ongoing with the aim of linking Wendover to the main network.

Along the slow mile we were followed closely by Terns. They took it in turns to hover behind us waited to catch a glimpse of a silvery fish in the water. Dropping from the sky to the water they hoped to catch a tasty morsal. Each turned their backs on us, so we couldn’t see if they had been successful of not. Quite a sight.

We pulled in just before the last bend where several fishermen had taken up residency, a day boat having just winded and was heading back waited for us to tie up. There was another boat before the bridge and one right at the end of navigation, but here it felt like we were on our own, all be it with a noisy mower going back and forth in the garden next door.

The sun was out, our windows and hatches all open. Tilly spent seven hours exploring and wondering why we weren’t out playing. Well that’s because we’d come down here for some peace and quiet away from the main canal so that I could get some work done over the next couple of days.

Late afternoon Oleanna bumped the side, someone was coming. Ten minutes later a day boat filled with chaps zoomed past us, bumping us into the side, thankfully Tilly wasn’t peering in through the hatch at the time! Very soon afterwards they zoomed back , not quite as fast as before, they hadn’t had long enough since doing a hand break turn to get up to speed again!

0 locks, 1.85 miles, 1 wind, 1 left, 1 load washing dried and put away, 3 terns, 1 heron, 1 canal being topped up, 1 traction engine, 2 more boats, 5 fishermen, K2 or K6? 4 pieces of car, 7 hours, 1 friend rescued, 1 very sunny day, 1st cuff knitted.

https://goo.gl/maps/Cucv4xBeN4cGysNF6

Speeding Through Milton Keynes. 17th June

Great Linford to Dairy Bridge 102

Shame we weren’t moored the other way round

Today is the last day on the flat for a while, so I wanted to try to get as much work done as I could whilst going through Milton Keynes. But things just kept happening!

We pushed off at the same time as our neighbours, leaving the wonderful moorings for some lucky person. As we pootled along to the water point I cleaned out Tillys pooh box and gave her a fresh lot of litter. Unusually she obliged by using it just before I cleaned it out, normally it’s christened just as the new litter goes in!

As we filled with water the first of todays many speeding boaters came past. This was a converted butty. We were only tied by our centre line in amongst other moored boats. The chap at the helm obviously clocked us, so cut his speed as he levelled with us, Oleanna rushing back and forth! As soon as he’d passed us his throttle was pushed forwards again as he passed other moored boats. I wonder if he would have bothered adjusting his speed if a, we weren’t outside or b, we’d been an older boat with piles of possessions on our roof!

Breasted up coal boats with Jules at the helm

A little while later Jules Fuels slowed at the bridge ahead of us, breasted up the butty and slowly came in in front of us. Stopping briefly to fill a couple of containers with water before they carried on towards Wolverton today. Their holds seemed to be predominantly gas bottles today. A shame we’d got coal at Rugby boats, but if the weather hadn’t warmed up in the last couple of days we’d have been needing some more.

Along the next stretch I concentrated on the Bank of England’s vault. Grey/gold/silver? A couple of miles along and Mick opened the hatch and beeped the horn twice. Was I needed? I popped up top.

Ahead there was a short narrowboat right across the cut blocking our way. I’d be needed to hold Oleanna in the bridge hole if there was nobody on board. No signs of movement came. Mick went to see if he could pull the boat in and hammer it’s spikes. Both bow and stern lines had been pulled, the centre line somewhere on the middle of the boat. He stepped on the back, trying to make his way to get a rope, a dog started to bark, Mick tried to squeeze past drying washing, then retreated to the bank. I spotted someone inside, eventually the chap got dressed and appeared at the back door. Between them they managed to pull the boat to the bank, we left the chap to tie up again and slowly passed him.

As there was a space at Campbell Park we made use of it for a lunch break. Just as we were pushing off a chap came up to chat about our chimney, windows etc, both of us clinging onto the ropes. Eventually when the chap paused we pushed off and left him to it.

I stayed up top for a while to see the new marina and Y shaped bridge. Large buildings are going up opposite and the marina looks like it’s about half full already, considering we don’t remember it in the slightest two years ago that’s not bad going. The Y shaped bridge is pleasing to the eye and a nice contrast to most modern canal bridges that are concrete clad in brick. The rusty metal railings depict bullrushes if you look closely enough.

Maybe this is where Boris has been hiding

The amount of moored boats through Milton Keynes seems to have increased greatly. Mick slowed whilst passing them and at times had to reverse to let other boats come past. At one such moment he picked something up on the prop. The next opportunity, a couple of bollards, he pulled over to investigate. As he rummaged around in the mucky water boats sped past, very few slowing. The tool box was required the normal implements wouldn’t do the job today. Wire cutters and molegrips instead. A steel cable was the culpret and was eventually coaxed off the prop.

We both waved at the couple who sit in their living room at Fenny Stratford, but nobody waved back, the garden seemed not quite as neat and tidy. A single hander had just set the lock so we joined him and closed up after us both, swinging the bridge back over the lock when all was done.

Mick pootled us another couple of miles whilst I popped a loaf of bread in the oven and carried on with work. At a reasonable distance from the road we moored up and let Tilly out. I made a pizza, finished off knitting the pair of socks. At 10pm two local boats must have been doing a boat swap. They sped past us at a rate of knots first one then the other, we really hoped they didn’t meet each other at a bridge hole.

1 lock, 8.72 miles, 1 swing bridge, 1 Y shaped bridge, 166 grey dots, 1 heavy sleeper, 3m steel cable, 2 many moored boats, 2 many bored boaters, 2 many speeding boats, 1 vault painted, 0 riches, 1 step closer to London, 1 loaf, 1 giant GF sour dough pizza, 2 full tummies, 2 socks knitted.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna