Category Archives: Theatre

Old Friends. 26th September

Brook House Winding Hole to Hall Green Footbridge 93, Macclesfield Canal

With Harecastle Tunnel booked for this afternoon we didn’t want to be sat in queues at the locks into Stoke today, the alarm was set and we pushed off with our first cuppas in hand at 7:30am. Slowly and quietly past the other moored boats, a little glimpse of Barlaston Hall, we can still dream, and on past Wedgewood.

Trentham Lock was almost in our favour, we helped set it for the first boat soon to come towards us. Then we were on the long pound heading in towards Stoke.

I headed below to prepare breakfast, it being Sunday and an early start we deserved bacon butties, with a few mushrooms and ketchup.

The hot dog on legs and Shooting Range are still there. The wood clad boat now has weeds, maybe intentional, growing in it’s gutters (wonder if we’ve had a quote for the gutters in Scarborough yet?) and Shufflebottoms has had the bank side seriously cut back. Owls and Halloween graffiti have been added to the walls along with a lot of scrawl.

Stoke Bottom Lock soon came into view. This huge concrete structure kind of fits it’s surroundings of the A500 Queensway and the house alongside it, today only five vehicles parked in the drive and on the road. This lock and the next four are currently being locked up overnight as vandals have been emptying pounds. We arrived at 9:30 so this wasn’t a problem for us.

No train for us whilst in the lock today

A train sped past over Cockshute’s Lock just before we arrived. Boaters hope to get a photo of their boat in the lock as a train passes, I wonder if train drivers keep a tally of how many narrowboats they get to see here?

A couple of fishermen were set up on the towpath in the next pound, I got my first ‘Ay up Duck’ as I walked ahead to the next lock. Here the lock was half full, or half empty and the first downhill boat was approaching. I was there first so lifted the paddles to empty it. If I’d known that it was a single hander I’d most probably have filled it and helped lock them down. The lady was very chatty and said she was being followed by several boats, the first one being a hire boat that she’d had to go back and help as they were doing their best to adjust water levels with all four paddles open on the top lock.

Johnson’s Lock is just round a bend, so the line of sight from it isn’t good, the gates were just opening as I came into view, chance to holler up to leave the gates for us. Above the next boat sat waiting in the short pound, another single hander who’d come to help the hirers whilst he waited. All downhill boats today were heading back to moorings, their summer cruises coming to an end.

We rose as another boat descended Stoke Top Lock, then some do-ci-doing happened to move the three boats round each other and we were on our way up to the summit of the Trent and Mersey. As another boat was waiting to come down we didn’t get a chance to drop off rubbish at Etruria Junction bins and we didn’t fancy turning or backing down to them, so it could wait for the next ones.

The huge wasteland that has laid dormant for as long as we can remember is starting to show signs of redevelopment a new bridge crosses the canal to link it to east.

A group huddled around a large sign where the canal used to have an arm. Burslem Branch Canal used to head off here to the north, a trust was set up in 2011 with an aim of restoring and regenerating the branch.

A new footpath has been opened this year connecting the old port to Middleport and an artwork showing what the area was most probably like just before the branch breached in 1961 which saw it’s closure. So many bottle kilns.

Along the towpath is a long mural, the painters fuelled with oatcakes. It makes for a far jollier scene than the fence used to be.

Middleport Pottery stands bold and proud, showing buildings in the area just what they could become. We still haven’t visited, so it has been added to the ‘next time’ list. Stoke Boats had plenty of boats out on the hard, one looking like it needs quite a bit of tlc, another being jet washed to within an inch of it’s life.

Under Bridge 127A. Up ahead we could see a small flag fluttering on the stern of a boat, far smaller than we’d expected from a member of the Flag Bubble! There sat Barry by NB AreandAre and Sandra reading an information board. We’d known they’d be here and shouted out ‘Veg Box delivery!’ Last year in Lockdown 1 they were moored close to us at the bottom of Hurleston Locks, we became a little community on our ‘home’ moorings.

We pulled up in the next space, thankfully plenty available at this time of day. Chance for a catch up with them and get to meet one of their grandsons. Barry had his greeting cards on display for sale, so we bought a few and had a go at the raffle, winning another card. It was very good to see them again after their elongated trip to New Zealand last year.

We’d arrived in plenty of time for our next rendez vous. The well deck contents were stowed in the shower, strawberry plants popped on the roof. Gosh there’s a lot of space in there! Just before 2pm we walked back to say our farewells to NB AreandAre and to await our visitors, Bill and Lisa.

Lisa used to be a Stage Manager in Scarborough and Bill is an actor who has lived in our house much of this summer. They have recently moved to Stoke so it was an opportunity to meet up not to be missed.

We pushed off and headed onwards towards Harecastle Tunnel. At the moment you can just turn up in the morning and join the queue to go through, or you can book passage in the afternoon. We were joined by a hire boat and another behind, neither had booked but were added to our passage. We were given the safety briefing, nothing new from our last trip through, horn and light tested.

Life jackets were handed out and because Mick would be at the stern by himself we equipped ourselves with walkie talkies. A few years ago a tragic accident happened in the tunnel when the chap at the helm bumped his head on one of the tunnel profile changes and fell in. His wife was below and didn’t notice anything until the boat started to bump the sides. So it’s best to keep talking to each other to make sure you are there. We acknowledge each other, even when stood close at the stern, every 100m (this is also a bit of a joke between us pointing out the direction of the closest exit).

Bill, Lisa and I sat in the well deck and chatted our way through the tunnel, catching up on all sorts. After the third boat entered the tunnel the doors at the southern end were closed, the fans cranked up and the flow of cold air could be felt coming past us. Harecastle has no ventilation shafts so the air is moved using the fans.

Sitting the bow is a whole different experience from being at the stern. Having your head around about 4ft lower in the tunnel and not looking over the cabin top makes it seem cavernous. I was waiting for it to get really tight, it got a touch smaller, but never tight at the pointy end of Oleanna. Water Explorer has our passage through the tunnel at 45 minutes, not bad as we were following the hire boat, the chap at the helm not having done so for thirty years.

Popping out the northern portal we slowed whilst the hire boat worked out which way they were going. They wanted to go right, the lady kept pointing that way, but to do that you have to go left first. They turned and we followed only to come face to face with a boat wanting to exit the junction. Mick made sure he informed NB Bethany May who were following us from the tunnel as we apologised to the on coming boat.

The canal turned over the top of the Trent and Mersey and we managed to find space on the aqueduct for a cuppa. It had been lovely having Bill and Lisa with us for the trip, hopefully we’ll get to see them next time we come through the area.

They were given directions back to Kidsgrove Station via the Trent and Mersey canal. Our trip from Westport Lake had taken an hour and three quarters, journey back would take 15 minutes by rail replacement bus, plus the walk.

We decided to move on a touch further and get onto the Macclesfield Canal properly. On the next stretch of moorings there were a couple of familiar boats from Lockdown 1 and ‘Home’. The Pooh Boat with it’s toys in the windows and ducks on the roof, wonder if their dog still barks as they come in to moor each time? Then a touch further on was NB Plum, Solar Afloat who was one of the Flag Bubble with Barry and Sandra. Next door was The Toastie Boat who turned up to Hurleston at the end of our time there.

Onwards to Hall Green Lock, the stop lock between the Trent and Mersey and Macclesfield canals, all 1ft 3″ of it. We pulled in just past the water point and quickly got our Sunday dinner in the oven, roast chicken, Yum!

7 locks, 12.67 miles, 2 canals, 1.5 miles of tunnel, 1 straight, 1 left, 2 go right, 3 lockdown boats, 12 years, 4 cards, 2 SJT friends, 0 shore leave! 1 roast chicken, 1 long day, 1 lovely day.

https://goo.gl/maps/akC4JrQPvgcwJKBL8

Just Like A Car Park. 23rd September

Roseford Bridge 94 to Swivel Bridge 108

We had to wait to pull out this morning, boats coming in both directions, there had already been about eight boats go past heading northwards, most now familiar as we keep leapfrogging them. Eventually we pushed off and arrived behind NB First Dawn a BCBM share boat at Deptmore Lock. We helped lock them down then bring another up before it was our turn.

The morning was lovely, sun with a touch of cloud, the boat ahead had similar ideas to us, if there was space at Tixall Wide we’d stop for the day, if not we’d continue to the Trent and Mersey.

Passing Stafford Boat Club, NB Festina Lente was moored online, we’ve never met them but said hello as we passed, nobody heard us. Then the odd pram cover on NB Malakarti came into view, this was one of the last Steve Hudson boats to be built and the original owners discovered that their Huskies got seasick, so it was sold on fairly quickly. It is one of the boats that we got to see a lot of during Lockdown 1 as it was moored on Nantwich Aqueduct all the time.

Once past Radford Bridge I was onto slightly unfamiliar water. Our first cruise along here on NB Winding Down I’d had to jump ship for a day to head to Hull Truck for a read through, leaving Mick and his sister Kath to carry on to Stone. Another occasion I’d just broken my ankle, so was confined to quarters with Tilly, Mick single handing above. This is also a stretch where I seem to get busy below as it’s a good break between locks. On one occasion Mick remembers wafts of stew coming from below at 9:30am as I popped things in a slow cooker. Another time he thinks I was doing some work below. So maybe today is the first time I’ve actually been up top.

The sign to RCR was familiar but not the Stafford Riverway Link, the lock down to it currently being worked on.

I’d never seen the homemade train by NB Abba.

Milford Bridge is a roving bridge, with almost full curving lines, but still not as pretty as the Macc bridges. Across the River Sow Aqueduct I did a Gyles (Gyles Brandreth on Great Canal Journeys), ducking my head to avoid the view.

Soon we arrived at Tixall Lock, the cream paint of the lock cottage glowing in the sunshine. We helped NB First Dawn down, as the weather was so nice they had decided to carry on to the T&M, we’d also leap frogged several other boats that had passed us this morning, maybe there might be space for us at Tixall Wide?!

Our approach to the wide summed up what the stretch of popular moorings would be like. Some boats moored nose to tail, others having gaps both in front and behind. On such a popular mooring if we pulled into a big gap we’d certainly have pulled up to the next boat and not plonked ourselves in the middle. We’d also nudge up if we found ourselves left with git gaps after other boats had moved on.

There were two possible gaps we might have squeezed into, but it all felt like a giant car park for boats, did we really want to squeeze in, we know that the view is lovely, but! It didn’t take us long to decide to continue onwards leaving the masses.

There was space just after Swivel Bridge so we pulled in mooring at the end of a piece of armco leaving space between us and the bridge. Tilly was given 4.5 hours shore leave. We think she liked it as she didn’t return for two hours, then missed dingding time!

The whirligig was put to good use with two loads of washing drying and I sat down to get my head around what paint I needed to order for panto. Quite a long list and one I need to try to prune a touch before emailing it onwards. One thing that I discovered is that you can at last get Bio Glitter from a well known theatrical chandlers. I’ve avoided using glitter as it is so bad for the environment, but this year I’ll be adding a little bit of sparkle to the walk down set.

2 locks, 6.15 miles, 1 train, 1 Gyles, 1 car park, 7 git gaps, 2 tight squeezes, 1 mooring on our own, until late afternoon, 2 loads washing, 4.5 hours which turned into 6! 1 grounded Tilly, 2 many colours, £8.83 glitter, 5 chums, 1 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval, 1 failed rugby tackle.

https://goo.gl/maps/bQQGSuUCbDp8gVv16

Glad We Didn’t Come By Car. 22nd September

Otherton Marina to Roseford Bridge 94

We’re getting slower at getting up in the mornings. Today fishermen were coming past with their kit as we had our cuppa in bed. A match was being set up around us, comments from a passing boater to one of them suggested that they’d be starting at 10:15am. With this in mind we made ready, pushed away and had passed the last chap shortly before the call went along the line to start.

The canal had been busyish and at Filance Lock we met our first uphill boat, a single hander who’d managed to gain assistance from a dog walker. Filance isn’t friendly to single handers, there’s nowhere to tie up to below so this chap was grateful for the assistance. Oleanna however quite fancied being in the lock before he left, no matter what Mick did she wasn’t having any of it. Oleanna gave NB Arden Tilly a little kiss as she went by.

Penkridge Lock had a boat coming up, they’d been hoping to be able to wind and use the lock for their return. However we were there waiting to make use of the water. The locks are far deeper than the Wolverhampton 21, between 8 to 10ft deep compared to around 6ft 4″. The water certainly rushes out of them at speed.

Below the lock we pulled in and moored up. A few bits of shopping needed and we’d heard that Wednesday was market day in Penkridge. We’ve not stopped here for ages, the walk into town felt a touch like that of Market Drayton, only shorter. Some lovely houses.

Market Square was just a car park, the market must be elsewhere. We carried on walking through town, all the cars heading in one direction. Just off Stafford Road near the River Penk the traffic was backed up, they were all going to the market.

The market has it’s own site and car park, we were glad we’d walked and wouldn’t have to sit in a jam in a car to find a space. The market is big with a one way system, a little like Ikea, we were trapped until we’d walked all the way round. There was the usual fare of tat, but also good stalls that caught our eye.

Hardware, pies, crafts, plants, fish (smelly), socks (not so smelly), veg, dog trests (none for cats!), towels, cat statues one of which had the same expression Tilly has when she visits her pooh box! A pretty good market, but very busy. Have to say we did walk past the Covid test and jab centre quite quickly, I really hope no-one with symptoms comes for a test in such a crowded place.

With a black pudding pork pie and a spare hose attachment we left the market behind and headed to the Co-op for other bits of shopping.

After lunch we set off again, still some distance to cover to keep up with the schedule. At Longford Lock we pulled in behind a boat that had sped past us a while earlier.

With only one top paddle working the lock took forever to fill. Extra weight was needed on the gate beam to get it open whilst comments were made about the state of the locks. I walked round to go and lower the working paddle whilst the chap brought their boat into the lock and the lady waited to close the gate behind. He then hopped off and proceeded to drop the one working paddle, which hit the bottom with a metal thud! Then he ran to get back on his near full length boat that was still very much in gear. He didn’t make it in time as the bare bow hit the bottom gates not once, but twice!

After all his complaints about the locks, he most certainly wasn’t doing anything to help. The general rush the two of them seemed to be in wouldn’t help them any, in fact they were likely to end up braking something that may slow them down quite considerably!

The bottom gates opened as the chap at the tiller opened another can of Carlsberg.

Under the M6 bridge another fishing match sat. I wonder how much fishing they actually get done with so many boats about. But they all seemed quite happy and most returned a hello.

At Park Gate Lock we’d caught the speeding boat up, doubt they slowed for the fishermen, well they’ve the Four Counties ring to do in a week, they were hoping to reach Stone by the end of the day!

The basin here is now full of boats, Bourne Boats now builds their boats here. The old Midland Chandlers closed last year, but in the last three months a new chandlers has opened, Park Gate Leisure. The chap said they were gradually getting on their feet. A peer inside the door and I could see all the basics, plus life jackets. They also sell 13kg gas bottles. Sadly we didn’t want anything today.

Running around the locks and biffing gates certainly wasn’t making the boat ahead go any faster as we caught them up again. Comments here as to there only being two working paddles, one at each end, were made as their boat entered the lock in their usual style. I have to say I did take note of their number.

Now it was time to find a mooring hopefully away from the motorway noise. At lunchtime I’d received a message from the panto production manager saying that the company who were going to print up the cloths hadn’t received the artwork, had I sent it? Well yes and it had been signed for on delivery a month ago. My heart sank, yes I have scanned copies but nowhere near the quality needed to enlarge them to 25 times the model! Just before we moored I got confirmation from my agent, who happens to also work for the printing company, saying that my art work was safe and sound. Thank goodness!! Finally now it looks like the cloths will be ordered!

Tilly had a fun few hours outside whilst I made some apple crumble flapjack and then got on with hunting down neon tops for #unit21 again. After an hour and a half I’d had enough of looking at young ladies in scanty tops on vinted, here’s hoping some of them offer to drop their prices and nothing else!

5 locks (thankfully still in one piece), 4.46 miles, 1 vast market, 1 hose connector, 1 small pork pie, 2 boaters in a quandary, 1 shop, 1 contract copied (house or boat?), 1 trip on Winding Down, but which 1? 0 help from blog! 35 fishermen, 1 big rush, 1 number taken, 1 tray too big, 2 much flapjack, 0 well what a shame!

https://goo.gl/maps/bqQStjqcf4bch51m8

Tilly Tunnel Practice. 18th September

Coombeswood Canal Trust to Dudley Port Basin

Last night we joined the first event of the Waterways Alive! Festival which is taking place this weekend at Batchworth Lock. Since the formation of the Waterway Arts Collective this has been the first opportunity to put together an event. Events are happening live and some available on line and last night we joined a large zoom gathering to hear about how a Mikron show gets put together. Hosted by Kate Saffin, there was Marianne McNamara (Artistic Director of Mikron) and Poppy Hollman the writer of A Dog’s Tale one of their shows this summer. A very interesting hour hearing how the company works and what their plans are for next year. Sadly this year we didn’t manage to get to see either of their shows, here’s hoping we manage to be in a suitable place next year.

Tilly was given an hour and a half whilst we had breakfast and then just as we joined the Geraghty zoom she came in, cabin crew went straight to the doors and closed them, just to make sure we’d be ready for departure when we’d finished chatting to the family. Topics covered today Chorley Cakes (made with shortcrust pastry, an Eccles cake is made with flaky puff pastry) and whether to have butter on them or not, The Medway and it was nice to see Sean home between tennis tournaments in the States.

A rather pleasant mooring for the night, thank you

Last few chores were done before leaving the close proximity of a water tap and recycling bins. The shop was closed today so we couldn’t leave a donation, instead we did one on line later in the day. Thank you to the trust for a very pleasant stay.

One chore that hadn’t been done, checking the weedhatch. There was almost guaranteed to be something around the prop, we’d pull in where we’d had lunch, except there were fishermen there. We’d pull in at the tunnel waiting mooring, perfect. Mick pulled quite a bit of plastic off the prop and by the time he’d finished we thought we could hear a boat in the tunnel.

This gave us time to pose for a selfie in front of Oleanna to send to Mick’s Aunty Gill. Thankfully the sun was out, the birds were cheeping, hard to imagine the amount of heavy industry, noise and soot that would have hung in the air below Stewart and Lloyds.

The Trust workboat soon appeared from the tunnel a large chunk of charred tree trunk on the bow. A few years ago a boat got stuck in the tunnel due to a log getting wedged alongside it. We wonder if the work boat goes through the tunnel once maybe twice a day to check it’s clear. Just a shame the tunnel was now full of a cloud of diesel fumes.

With diesel and water tanks both full, we now sit lower in the water, progress was slower through the tunnel. Back out the other side we had a few more moments were there was no telling Oleanna which way to go as we headed to the offside bank! Two boats headed towards us, no such problems for them.

Netherton Tunnel was empty except for a fisherman and a couple of pedestrians who were around a third of the way through. I slid open the hatch a touch to check on Tilly below. A couple of years ago she started to shout at the stern doors, not happy with the imposed darkness that a tunnel brought. Yesterday there had been two tunnels, today the same two again. How was she faring? Very well it seemed, sitting at the dinette, keeping a beady eye on me peeking down through the hatch. Yes yes I’m fine! Tunnels are nothing to worry about. I shouted because I was in need of shore based facilities that just so happened to coincide with the outside turning the lights out! I’m an experienced boat cat you know! I can cope with tunnels!!! Just as well as there’s a big one planned soon.

We popped back out into the sunlight 34 minutes later and headed back to the New Main Line. Here it was right, then another right onto the Gower Branch towards Brades Locks. About ten days ago NB Briar Rose had done the same trip, only when they reached the staircase lock there was a problem, the top chamber being completely empty.

One of the paddles between the two chambers was leaking so much that the top chamber would never fill. They ended up having to reverse all the way back to the new main line to find an alternate route. News had come through to us that the problem had been sorted and our ascent was fine.

A quick check for oncoming boats on the Wolverhampton Level before Oleanna pulled out turning right, would we ever turn left again! After about a mile we did, turning into Dudley Port Basin. So far the water on the Wolverhampton level had been quite clear, some duck weed and quite a lot of lily pads floating about. Here in the basin it seemed that the lilies had taken over, would we have problems. We chose where to moor, there are rings all the way round the basin, the stern would have quite a clear line towards the side.

It still took a bit of doing, churning up quite a lot of stinky blackness from the bottom. Hopefully the smell will dissipate quickly! With a mooring in sight of the road we could finish off our Sainsburys order for delivery in the morning.

This evening I succeeded in finishing cutting the scalloped edges of the 3588 leaves for panto whilst watching Great Canal Journeys. I now have an Ikea blue bag full of them, hope there is enough! But one disappointment for the evening was not getting to see any of the Marple flight and only one lock of the Ashton flight into Manchester on GCJ. But with a very mature novice crew on board we suspect Sheila and Giles are being saved all the hard work and the recounting of John Thaw’s early life in Manchester was far more interesting.

3 locks, 2 a staircase, 7.57 miles, 2 tunnels, 8 mysterons, 1 cool cat, 3 moving boats, 4 rights, 1 left, 1 screaming baby, 1 barking woofer, 1 big order made, 3588 leaves, 1 bag of panto ready, 1 goldfish, 1 coconut, 1 mardy cat.

https://goo.gl/maps/ZspZLYprf4aMLuaMA

A Productive Day. 14th September

Cast Iron Roving Bridge

Rain. Well it had been forecast.

Just about all our neighbours moved off all sporting their wet weather gear. We on the other hand sat indoors to stay dry. We’d most certainly chosen the best day to ascend the locks into Birmingham.

Tilly ventured outside when the rain dulled a little, but still nothing had changed to alter her opinion of BUMingham.

During the morning we heard a low deep engine coming. Was it a trip boat or could it be a coal boat. The bow came into sight, it was NB Roach. I waved to the chap on board as Mick made his way out of the pram cover, we were after a new gas bottle and he had some on board.

With quite a few boats moving about he wasn’t able to stop straight away. Another boat hailed him too for some coal. He gradually reversed back into the space behind us and tied up. £35.50 so not bad and we’d rather stock up now as there are still rumours of shortages further north. He’s heading for Worcester then onto Stourport for next Monday, back up to Stourton Junction hoping that the lock in Kidderminster is operational after a big fire and subsequent pollution in the canal there.

I spent the day working. All of a sudden emails were flooding in regarding Panto. These needed attention and the props list needed up dating and forwarding to Jo who is already working on the show.

Our super powerful torch comes in handy at times

Then it was time to put the finishing touches to my #unit21 model. Adjustments of lines on the floor a bit off here and there to make the overall proportions look better. Then it was time to take some photos to update Amy on the model.

I updated the technical drawings ready to scan and send to Graham for a new price. Different covering materials were sought out and samples requested so that projection can be tried out. A very productive day for me.

Mick spent his time lighting the stove and generally keeping warm, he also walked to Sainsburys for a few bits.

Tilly, after a couple of checks on the outside, retired to bed for just about all of the rest of the day. A very productive day asleep I think you’ll find!

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 boats left, £35.50 gas, 1 day behind already, 1 soggy day, 1 model finished, 1 big torch, 1 happy director, 4 new samples, 1 panto set builder, 0 production manager, 1 updated props list, 1 bored cat, 1 cosy boat.

The Pie Diet Advantage. 11th September

Black Boy Bridge 69 to Kixley Lane Bridge 72

Topics of conversation this morning on the Geraghty zoom, breakfast parties, the B&B at Wigrams Turn and living with someone who isn’t there. We have a sound engineer in the family who is currently busy at the New York Open working for Eurosport.

We decided to nudge on uphill a bit today. At bridge 70 we passed the Kings Arms a slightly more expensive pub for food than that of The Black Boy. Here bridge 70 has been half painted cream. With the effort to reach the centre line I’m surprised they didn’t finish the job.

After about a mile we could see Knowle Locks rising up the hill ahead of us. We’ve been down them before once but never gone up and it would be a first time for Oleanna on the flight.

The locks are positioned so that if there is any wind anywhere in the UK it will also be here, ready to push your boat off course. Jackie from NB Mad Hatter had suggested the other day that it was safer to open both gates making it safer to move from lock to lock. The walk round the wide pounds between locks makes it just that bit far to walk back and forth to open and close gates or set ahead if there are only two of you, so I was relieved to see blue t-shirts about the flight.

Two volunteers walked up to the bottom lock, one lady left to wind a paddle, the other walked uphill. I opened the bottom gate, Mick entered and sat by the off side wall. The lady was about to lift the opposite paddle. Mick suggested it would be better to lift the same side paddle, to which she replied ‘Oh you only need to do one paddle on these’. Did she know that Knowle Locks are counter intuitive? Or did she not know that opening the paddle on the same side as your boat normally makes for a smoother passage up a lock? It was the latter! I managed to open my paddle quicker bringing Oleanna back to the side she’d started off at.

The next lock was being set for us and a gate opened ready for Mick to transit across the pound. After closing the gate I walked up to the top paddles for the lock and started to wind the same side paddle. It was a little bit stiff, but no more than any at Hatton or Stockton. The volunteer asked if I wanted him to do it, well, thank you, but no thank you. I love doing locks, especially if they are a bit of a challenge at times, with it being Oleanna’s first time through Knowle I wanted to work the locks even more and would have felt deprived if the volunteers had just taken over. He understood and left me to it, having a chat instead.

Above the lady waited and waited before emptying the third lock. In fact she waited for the lock gate to be open on our lock. I walked round the wide pound and could see she was really struggling with the paddle. I offered to wind the paddle, my long reach windlass and diet giving me more of a pie advantage to lift the stiff paddle. It rose, the lock emptied and the volunteers moved on up to the next in the flight.

I opened the bottom gate then very quickly realised that the wind was now a factor and rushed round to the other side to open the other gate as Oleanna was being blown right across and might even miss the entrance to the lock all together. We managed to rectify the situation.

Fourth lock and both gates were waiting open for us, phew! The number of volunteers on the flight was at least six and we were only their third boat of the day. Another volunteer headed to the top lock and started to empty it as Mick crossed the pound between the third and fourth locks. Water started to pour over the by washes, so much for saving water!

At the top lock we now had three volunteers, two at the bottom gates and one at a top paddle. Mick pointed in my direction requesting that the same side paddle be wound first, the chap on the other side stopped and waited before Mick gave him a nod when the lock was about half full, Oleanna sat comfortably to one side of the lock and rose.

By the top lock was a blue gazebo, the Knowle Society had joined with C&RT to have a stand at the locks today as it is the first day of Heritage Open Days. This runs for ten days each year in September. It’s well worth checking the website for possible places to visit. Three years ago we visited numerous places in Leamington Spa and Warwick that you don’t normally get chance to see and the year before in Preston we got to walk round the Egyptian balcony in the Harris Museum.

We pootled on a short distance to near Kixley Lane Bridge, this would do us for the day. Once Tilly had had her initial explore and we’d had lunch we walked into Knowle for a touch of shopping.

The first building you come across is a very jolly house. Yellow walls, red front door, green window frames and the garage door is bright blue around the corner. It could nearly be a house painted by @lucyknit, but then again it’s a little bit tame for her.

A village cricket match was on going, the nearest thing Mick would be getting to test cricket this weekend! We called in at Tescos for a few things and then found our way to Knowle Parish Church. Here today you could climb the tower (part of Heritage Open Days), but only until 3pm and it was 3pm. We had a look around inside.

The original church was consecrated 1403 and was saved during the reformation by the villagers pleading that crossing the River Blyth to reach the church in Hampton was often impossible due to flooding. Through the centuries extensions were built, an organ loft, south aisle and the tower increased in height.

The first bells (three) were hung in 1687, these were recast for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubliee and by 1931 the church had eight bells.

In the soldiers chapel there is a fine stained glass window but the walls caught my eye more. Here stencilled artwork covers the walls in an almost William Morris style. Stained glass windows from various eras cast coloured light throughout the building. My favourite by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, a Pre Raphaelite window depicting George and the Dragon.

5 locks, 1.56 miles only, 7 vlockies, 1 paddle, 0 pies, 0 life jacket, 2 gates, 139 for 8, 3pm, 1 Saturday newspaper, 1 sound engineer in NY, 2031 leaves finished, 1557 to go.

https://goo.gl/maps/UQwCsqzexpdW2gV47

Our Burger And Chips. 8th September

Radford Smelly to Wedgenock Park Bridge 50

Buckwheat pancakes for breakfast this morning, although I seem to have lost the really good recipe so these weren’t quite up to scratch, maybe it’s the lack of sour dough starter in them! Tilly came home so I had the chance to walk back to the bins to dispose of rubbish. What a pleasant walk that was in the shade of all the trees, no good for solar though!

A message came through from Mick, he was on his way back, house chores completed ready for our next lodgers. He’d been lucky enough to catch the direct train from York to Leamington Spa so his return journey would be a couple of hours quicker than the outgoing one.

Some attention was paid to my #unit21 model, new bigger boxes were made and lines on the floor moved and adjusted, they still need a touch more adjustment. The sliding doors now have a tissue paper covering so that the model can be back lit to get silhouettes. So nearly, but not quite finished.

Mick appeared earlier than I’d expected he’d got a taxi to the nearest bridge. A quick drink and a cat back on board and we were ready to push off into the early afternoon sunshine, we had shopping to do and a table booked for this evening. It took a while however to get pushed off as we seemed to have got stuck in the mud!

We pootled through Leamington Spa, pulling up by the new ramp up towards Morrisons. Whilst I did the shopping Mick pulled a polo shirt off from the prop, the reason for our seriously slow progress through the town.

If only our freezer was bigger, whole salmons for £20 or so, fillets or sides. Christmas 2019 they were selling off Turkeys at silly prices.

Onwards just after a boat had come past, the chap weaving across the canal, side to side. Was he avoiding trees or just drunk? Would we end up sharing locks with him?

No trains as we went over the aqueduct. Four proposed locks will join the Grand Union to the River Avon here taking you on towards Stratford, ten locks in all.

No room to pull up for diesel at Delta Marine, well it was late in the day anyway. Will we have enough to get us to Coombswood Canal Trust? All the hire boats were out at Kate’s.

Soon we were at Cape Locks, the first of many that will take us up towards Birmingham. Both locks were empty and waiting for us, their heavy bottom gates and stiff paddles a little unwelcome on such a hot day. Thankfully these would be the only locks we’d be doing today, Hatton can wait for a cooler day.

Does anyone know what the Round Oak 9 x 3 means inside the steel beam on these locks?

We pulled in at the end of the moorings in the shade, the batteries nicely charged by our cruise so solar not as important as shade.

What do you mean I don’t get to go out here?!?!!!!

A shower and change of clothes and we were ready to cross the top lock gates and take our table at The Cape Of Good Hope.

Have they always had the extended outdoor seating area where the narrow lock used to be? Or has this been done because of the pandemic. Plenty of space to sit and eat your food, sup your beer and gongoozle. Our table was by the pub, with a view between two moored boats across the cut.

There was a constant stream of people being served at the window, inside was almost empty. A slight disappointment was that they only had gluten free Peroni, fine but I’d hoped for something a little more interesting so I stuck to white wine. A Kiwi Burger for each of us, Mick’s with a brioche bun, mine with a GF bun and rustic skin on chips. At last we were having our burger and chips!

Thankfully we were sat under cover as a rain shower passed overhead. Will we be so lucky tomorrow? Blimey it was busy, and rightly so. Just hope they stay this busy when the weather turns.

I’d already spotted a gf pudding other than ice cream on the menu, Blackcurrant Mousse Biscuit Slice. Blackcurrants are a firm favourite, so Mick didn’t feel left out he had a chocolate fondant. All very nice and well worth waiting for. A lovely evening at a fine pub.

2 locks, 4.54 miles, 1 mile round trip to the bins, 2 trains, 2 clean beds, 1 clean and tidy house, 29C, 0 blackberries, 1 chicken ready to roast, 1 polo shirt, 2 glasses wine, 2 burgers, 2 puddings, £51, £75 premium bonds win, 1 lovely evening, 1 Mick back onboard.

https://goo.gl/maps/o522a8QN3GuphTR68

Cutting The Tea Cosy. 7th September

Radford Smelly

An hour of shore leave was permitted whilst I had breakfast this morning and wrote out a shopping list. Tilly came home bang on time, it was my time to head out before it got too hot!

A new route into town was called for. I walked along the canal until it ran alongside Radford Road when I dropped down onto it and walked in the shade for a while. At the junction of Willes Road there is a handy Sainsburys Local, it didn’t have the right sort of yoghurt though. I then followed Willes Road over the River Leam, today is the right sort of day to see Leamington shining in the sunshine with bright blue skies.

I found scissors and took a chance at a pair meant for crafting, rather than dress making, hopefully they will stay sharp enough for long enough. A hunt for black tissue paper came up trumps in the end, but a plant spray bottle with a pressure pump was nowhere to be found. I want one of these so the pram and cratch covers can have another spray of Wet and Forget before it’s too late, it’ll also mean I don’t get trigger finger! Think I need a garden centre.

As a child I wanted a dress the colour of that sky

Bobbing in and out of air conditioning had been worth the walk as it was now getting really quite hot. I chose to walk back through Jephson Gardens mostly in the shade then followed a path through Welches Meadow where there was no shade. Thankfully back at the boat it was still cool inside.

Mick gave me a whatsapp video tour of the house, before going upstairs upstairs to rummage through my scenic art bags so that I could select any good brushes for painting panto. I really wanted my foot wide roller cage to make basing in and glazing scenery so much quicker, hopefully it will fit the pole Chippy bought for me last time as Mick wasn’t too keen to bring mine back on the train with him. Once my brushes had all been auditioned it was time to re-read panto.

The final draft of the script had landed in my inbox, a few cuts and additions to the props list were needed. I suspect Jo’s Aunt has already knitted the tea cosy for the Dame to wear! This has been cut and replaced with a washing line full of underwear pulled out from beneath the Dames petticoats. Oh well, we’ll just have to take turns in wearing the tea cosy ourselves!

During the afternoon the temperature most probably rose to 29C and chilled medication was called for. As soon as I got a Solero out of the freezer it started to melt, it soon disappeared before I re-read Act 2. Tilly spent quite a bit of time inside this afternoon, but as the temperature dropped in the evening I allowed her to have an extra hour before her dingding. This could have been a mistake, but thankfully she came running before the mad cat woman had to show herself.

The new scissors were tried out and at the moment they are doing very well, a good length of blade and sharpness. Watching the news and Silent Witness got me through at least 600 leaves. Only another 2988 to go!

0 locks, 0 miles, 5 mile walk, 29C, 1 virtual tour of the house, 1 roller cage, 1 long handle, 6 brushes, 1 tray, 3 sets of linen, 1 helpful neighbour, 1 free chilled medication, 2 acts, 3 cuts, 4 additions, 1 sunset, 600 leaves, 0 new blisters, result!

Orphans. 6th September

Radford Smelly

Mick and I compared views as we had our cuppas in bed this morning, his from the back bedroom in Scarborough, mine across the canal as boats started to move off.

As you all know Mick does very yummy cooked breakfasts, but this morning I made myself a pre-Mick breakfast, mushrooms on toast. Yes Mick cooks mushrooms, but not in a white sauce, he shys away from making bechamel sauce. Well he’d enjoyed his pizza last night, so I enjoyed my mushrooms, my excitement also meant my photo was out of focus!

My list of jobs to get done whilst there is that bit more space on board is really quite long, just where to start? I decided to see how my scissors coped with scalloping the edges of the panto leaves. Mum’s dress making sheers are good, but too big for cutting curves. Most other scissors I could find were nowhere near up for the job. The smallest pair, embroidery scissors were wonderfully sharp but too short and get stuck on my thumb. If I was doing maybe 100 leaves this would be fine, but for over 3000! The woman who has numerous pairs of scissors needs another pair.

At midday I checked in for a zoom meeting about #unit21 with the director. The current cost of materials has been a shock, nips and tucks a necessity. If only we had £5000 more we could build a false floor and have flexible neon in it, instead we are looking at some vinyl flooring with the neon lines painted. Some experimentation is needed but I’ll need some UV light to see what works. Looks like I’ll be experimenting whilst at Chippy.

It was far too hot outside after my meeting to head into town, I closed all the curtains and decided to get the remainder of the felt cut into triangles, a job I need all the dinette table for, so best to get it done now.

Checking the gutters and roof out in problem corner

In Scarborough Mick managed to meet a builder, not the one intended, this chap reckons we need to replace guttering and tiles at the back of the house, not a surprise really. After ringing round numerous plumbers has also managed to get one booked, in November!

Over the last couple of days Tilly and I have been pestered by a couple of swans. They are beautiful creatures but lurk outside boat hatches expecting slices of white sliced to be thrown out for them. Their smoking habit of 40 woodbines a day very evident as they try to attract your attention! For those who knew Josie in Bempton, they sound just like her. We do our best not to encourage their demands.

I’ve also noticed three ducklings, a little bit older than toddlers. They swim back and forth with no sign of their mum. Orphans. I’ve chatted with them several times wondering if they are old enough to survive once the cold weather hits, have they learnt enough life skills to survive. Looking around the boat for something to give them porridge oats was the only item on the menu other than very frozen peas. I scattered a handful out of the hatch and they were very much appreciated. A few more sprinklings and I felt I was helping them to survive.

After cutting out another 1000 or so green triangles I spotted that the ducklings had returned, quietly sitting hoping for a few more Scottish Rolled oats. I put some in a bowl so that they were easier at hand and sprinkled a few more onto the surface of the water. They tend to sink after a few seconds so the ducklings had to be quick.

Is it Woodbines or do you prefer cigars?

Looking up I suddenly realised that I now had two extra beaks demanding oats from me! The slight orange from nicotine staining on their white feathers and their long necks that I’d always been warned about as a child ‘They’ll break your arm!’ made me recoil inside the hatch.

Then the penny dropped. I’d been taken for a mug. The ducklings and swans were all in it together! Pulling at my heart strings, dishing out the porridge oats. Had I been conned? Or were the ducklings child labour!

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 step off the boat, 5 curtains drawn, 2 blinds, 12 midday meeting, 1 hot long Tilly, 9 hours very few taken, 2031 triangles, 5 blisters, 3 orphans, 2 Mafioso chain smoking swans, 27 C, 0 BBC1!

Girls In Charge. 5th September

Radford Smelly

Boats pulled away this morning, but we would be staying put. With a change of lodgers at the house one of us needed to head back to Scarborough to get a few jobs done. We’d looked at hiring a car, but Enterprise prices are no longer cheap, not even for a van. The thought is that last year they sold off lots of their cars and now there are not enough to go around. Train fares for the two of us would waste a weeks worth of money from the house, so with his Old Gits rail card Mick was heading up to Yorkshire on his own leaving the girls on board.

I was given a briefing on how to read the remote console for the batteries and in return Mick was briefed on jobs that need doing at the house. We’re hoping he can meet a builder and a plumber to get a few jobs done and whilst he’s away I’m going to take over the dinette table and do some work. The only job that won’t get done at the house is patching up the damp wall in the kitchen as that is most definitely a Pip job.

Leamington Spa Station is a 1.75 mile walk from Radford Smelly, we both walked into town, me deserting Mick to go to the Co-op. He had a five hour train journey ahead of him and I had a leaf factory to kick start.

The wonderful Mudrock cat is still pristine by the student accommodation. It is my favourite graffiti of all time. Leamington Spa encourages and commissions artists to decorate their walls in parts of the town. Unfortunately earlier in the year a group of tag artists used a lot of silver spray paint over the top of quite a few pieces. But new works keep on being created, some very skilled and beautiful, others that just brighten up a dull wall.

As the temperature gradually rose outside I closed curtains to try to keep Oleanna in some shade as there is no tree cover here, good for the solar though. As Tilly went of to explore I cleared the table and got the felt out.

My panto set has portals which are decorated with leaves. We could get them made by a company who specialise in all sorts of leaves stamped out of fabrics with veins and stalks, but I wasn’t after that sort of detail for my panto world. Hence four shades of green felt. Would my scissors be sufficiently sharp to cut through four layers of felt at a time to speed the job up?

I measured out double thickness strips, cut them from the bolt of fabric. Then marked each one up with points of triangles. These were then cut and put in a big bag. By the end of the afternoon I had used half of the felt and had an Ikea bag with over 1500 triangles in it. These now look like the leaves on my model, they just need refining with scalloped edge which I aim to do in front of the tv.

Tilly came and went all afternoon, taking the opportunity to enjoy some shade every now and again. Mick arrived in Scarborough to a very clean and tidy house, we knew it would be as Bill and Alex had left the house spotless last time they stayed. They have now headed over to Stoke to The New Vic for two weeks with The Girl Next Door, the new Alan Ayckbourn play. If you are passing it’s most certainly worth going to see.

During the afternoon Oleanna and one other boat were joined by at least five more boats, some summoning up the energy for Hatton others wanting a nice mooring after their exertions.

Mick was too excited to get the photo in focus!

Whilst I ate the left over moussaka from a couple of days ago, Mick tucked into a fully glutenised pizza from Pizza Tempo with accompanying garlic bread. This used to be his favourite, but with me in tow he doesn’t get to enjoy it very often. It will last him two nights.

0 locks, 0 miles, 3 trains, 3 miles walked, 6 hours shore leave, 2 shades green, 1557 triangles, 1 full bag, 1 blister, 1 spotless house, 2 girls left in charge, 1 stunning cat, 1 beautiful Tilly.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna

Category Archives: Theatre

Old Friends. 26th September

Just Like A Car Park. 23rd September

Glad We Didn’t Come By Car. 22nd September

Tilly Tunnel Practice. 18th September

A Productive Day. 14th September

The Pie Diet Advantage. 11th September

Our Burger And Chips. 8th September

Cutting The Tea Cosy. 7th September

Orphans. 6th September

Girls In Charge. 5th September