Tarleton Visitor Moorings to Salwick Moss Bridge 28, Lancaster Canal

Final preparations were done this morning, removing anything that couldn’t be tied down from the roof and well deck, this meant that the shower got quite full. Tillys escape pod was put on the dinette, the safest place as near the back doors just incase. A call to Harry to check on arrangements confirmed that we should make our way to the lock at 11:40, the wind was quite strong but he didn’t think it was bad enough to cancel the crossing. One thing that might was if Salwick Brook was in flood after all the rain we’d had. He would call us back when he’d heard from the link. This he did after about half an hour, all systems go. He ran through a few checks over the phone and then gave some advice as the wind was quite strong and northerly, instead of keeping right up the Ribble we should keep more to the left to avoid being blown onto the bank.

There were going to be five boats doing the crossing today and our two boats were first at the lock, a bit early which meant we had to cope with nowhere to moor up and avoid hitting other boats. Chaps seemed to keep on appearing from all over, none in C&RT blue. In the end seven men were there winding windlasses and pushing gates. Once we were in the lock Harry arrived to hand over a sheet of phone numbers, it felt a bit like meeting the custodian of the Ribble Link and being handed the key of entry.

At 11:55 the gates were opened and we were off. Oleanna led the way with Blackbird following. Trying to remember all the tips that we’d been given. Aim for the mast on the bank and then when halfway there keep to the centre. At around 2000 revs we cruised along the River Douglas pushing against the in coming tide, still managing around 4.5 miles an hour. The wind was obvious but not a problem and the sun was coming out to see us on our way. Flood banks are set back which means you get a view unlike on much or the River Trent, to our right we could see hills in the distance.

A boat yard with yachts in various states of condition and plenty on pontoon moorings was passed. At the next bend there was a green buoy, blimey we couldn’t remember which side we should pass it on so we went wide and passed it to port. Marshland now stretched out on both sides of the river and the water progressively got wider and wider. A cruiser came round a bend with some speed, helped along by the incoming tide. Turning into it’s wake we rocked over the highs and lows with out prop changing tone as we went.

There’s not many landmarks to navigate by and the map in the skippers noted suggests that there are more markers than there actually are so when a yellow sign stood out from the horizon we knew we were nearly at the steep turn onto the River Ribble. Line the buildings up with the Asland Lamp (spelling from the skippers notes) and then keep to it’s left and turn after it. If you turn before you are likely to end up grounding on a submerged wall or sandbanks. Looking behind after we’d turned we could see the estuary stretching out behind us, sea meeting sky, somewhere in the distance was Ireland and then America. NB Blackbird looked so small as we started to head our way up the River Ribble.

More markers here so we could count down our arrival at the 2 mile perch. From here we called Steve to inform him of our arrival. He was sat in a van at the side of the entrance to Savick Brook and flashed his head lights. The turn into the brook is where quite a few people get caught out, cutting the corner where there is a sandbank. Storm from Blackbird had been advised to wait until you could see down the brook before turning, doing a 90degree turn. The tide now going out made us drift slightly towards the bank, but we made it into the channel safe and sound at about 1:30.

The rolling sealock was open for us so we could sail straight on. Here we found another boat waiting on a pontoon. Where had they come from? Yesterday there had been eleven boats do the crossing as the previous day the weather had been bad. NB Mr Blue Sky had been the eleventh boat and the depth of the brook when they reached it had not been enough for them so they were diverted to Preston and finished their journey today.

We now had to wait for the other boats. On our way over we’d looked back expecting to be able to see the next two boats that had been penned down behind us, but they only came into view as we turned into the brook some two miles behind. Cups of tea all round as we waited and chatted. The next two boats arrived closely followed by the third and final boat. Kind of glad we were ahead as I suspect we’d have been tempted to over take them. Oleanna’s engine had enjoyed the crossing pushing against the tide and her temperature gauge had stayed at a steady just under 90 degrees, no need to run off hot water.

Now in the hands of Steve and another blue T-shirt wearing lockie we started to make our way up the link. From vast open views we were now in the Lancastrian Amazon. A narrow windy channel surrounded with bamboo and Himalayan balsam. The snake of six boats gradually made our way to the first lock which then lockies operated for us. As we’d been the first two boats to arrive we were now the last two to work our way up the five locks. This all took time, a reshuffle of boats up at the front and then a lot of faffing with ropes from the boats in front of us.

Once the Lockies had gone on ahead to work the staircase Bridget and I worked our two boats up. It was nice to be stretching our legs.

Arriving at the staircase you quickly realise why you have to do these backwards, both up and down. When they built them they were limited to what land they could use, so the angle of entry is really awkward. The above photo is not a panoramic view. To the left is Blackbird coming from the rest of the link, Mick has just pushed our stern out to back into the lock behind his right shoulder. Here again the Lockies penned us up the three chambers. Not quite like Bingley, more concrete, but odd to be rising with gates behind us. As we reached the top a group of waiting boaters (they leave tomorrow) were there to help us wind and get on our way.

At the junction with the Lancaster Canal we turned left and headed away from Preston in search of a pub. We passed two of the boats we’d done the crossing with and were soon surrounded with fields over crowded with sheep freshly shorn.

That woofer had been allowed on Blackbirds roof all day, now I got chance to feel the wind in my fur and watch the cows and sheep as i sat on the roof too. It was a suitable reward for having spent the day down below in my escape pod just incase. I didn’t mind it actually as the door had stayed open all day. Max was however allowed to jump off his roof, I wasn’t! So not fare!!

The Hand and Dagger looked like a good place to stop and our guides suggested that there were moorings. So on we pressed doing nearly another four miles to reach a goal of beer and food. The other two boats from our crossing were moored up here. So we tried to join them, but after a few attempts we weren’t going to be able to get far enough into the side. There had been some space back through the last bridge so both boats reversed back to see if we could get in there. Blackbird ran aground but managed to push off again. It was a lot of effort to then not be able to get fully into the side, we’d have had to breast up too and that wasn’t good near the bridge.

On we went just that bit further until finally we both managed to get close enough into the side to moor up. A quick spruce up and we were off back down the towpath to the pub. What an enjoyable day. Hope it’s as easy on the way back!

10 locks, 15.44 miles, 1 swing bridge, 5 boats increasing to 6, 4 to 5 with gusts of 6, 7 men at one lock, 1st out, 4 mile perch, 1 sharp right, 2 mile perch, 90 degree left, 1 long wait, 1 hello from Aileen and Mike, 1 hello back to you in France, 1 slow moving snake, 1 drowned zebra,  2 narrow not to get scratches, 1 staircase of three backwards, 2 men for 9 locks, 1 rope assisted wind, 1 left, 1 plank not long enough, 1 roof riding cat, 2 pints each, 1 exciting day, 4 boaters 1 dog 1 cat ready for bed.

Chicken Lock to Tarleton Visitor Moorings

Once down the last lock we turned into St Marys marina where we filled with diesel. Our tank was down to a quarter full as we last filled at Wheaton Aston almost a month ago. The chap came out to meet us and felt sure he remembered our boat from three years ago, that was until we said how old she was. At 59p you can’t go wrong and because of this their turn over is quick. 123 litres later we pulled out and carried on northwards.

Passing Old Rufford Hall we wondered if their apples were ripe yet. We visited the hall and gardens back in September 2014 on Lillian. Short of an apple to go in a stew that night, we somehow managed to leave the grounds with one in a pocket. It made all the difference to the stew.

Up ahead was a boat we’d seen following us down the lock and we tried to catch them up before the swing bridge. They were travelling with NB Bittern who had been in Liverpool with us. The bridge closed as they went through, but then as the lady started to cross she saw us and went back to swing it for us too. Above and beyond the call. Next we wanted to stop to fill with water and dispose of any rubbish. We thought everyone would be doing this but they cruised straight past. It is advised to cross the Ribble link with plenty of diesel and water. This stops any crud that may be in the bottom of your diesel tank from being swilled up into filters if there is a swell and should your engine start to overheat you can drain off a tank of hot water to help keep it cool.

With both tanks full we pulled up a bit further ahead for some lunch. However we should have kept going as a very dark line of cloud was coming towards us, as though someone had drawn a marker across the sky. It started to heave it down. After about an hour it settled into just raining so with full waterproofs on we carried on towards Tarleton.

The next swing bridge didn’t look right as we approached, it was neither open or closed. Mick had to give it a hoik with the boat hook so that I could get across, my arms were too short. A boat had come past us whilst we’d been moored in the torrential rain, I suspect he found it hard to lock it, or maybe thought he had but it had then swung back open.

The channel now becomes very narrow through plenty of reeds and weed that we’ve not seen since the Chesterfield last year. We passed quite a few canoeists who seemed to be enjoying getting very wet. Then came a boat, a widebeam with hanging baskets on the sides and plenty of flowers on the roof. Mick pulled as far over as he could, they got the tree side. As they scraped their way through a lady came from below telling the chap at the helm to mind the baskets in the trees. Did she know we were there?!

Several blasts of reverse to clear weed from the prop were needed to keep us going. At one point we ended up in the reeds. Mick pressed the girlie button, knowing it was a mistake as he did it. The bow thruster made a slowing noise and then nothing. No power, possibly a blown fuse, possibly weed.

As we approached the last swing bridge we could see a familiar black boat on the visitor moorings. NB Blackbird had made it to Tarleton earlier in the day and missed much of the rain. They had been for a nosy at the lock and around the town and were returning just as we were finishing tying up. They had very kindly been a postal address for us so two parcels were handed over. New non-slip shoes for Mick and some biodegradable bags for our composting toilet to try out.

Bridget and Storm have a woofer! Not too sure about this. He does seem a jolly chap, but he came to say hello on my boat! They didn’t think I’d noticed. Apparently we will be spending some time together, not sure about this either. Think I preferred travelling with Jaffa, he did look tasty. My preparations are done, escape pod has been put together and I’ve spent all evening checking that it’s still comfy. Verdict, it is, just so long as the door stays open.

Preparations for the Ribble were set in motion. Skippers notes printed off. Mick put together the new rope and chain with the anchor and laid it all out in the well deck for easy deployment. A loaf of ginger cake was made. A load of weed was removed from the bow thruster, but a fuse had also blown. So until we can get a replacement fuse we don’t know if there is anything else stopping it from working. Good job we spent three years without one.

We had a few hours working our way through a couple of bottles of wine with Bridget and Storm, catching up on each others news and comparing notes for tomorrow.

1 lock, 5.21 miles, 3 swing bridges, 123.88 litres, 1 empty yellow water tank, 1 full water tank, 1 blown fuse, 1 rendez vous, 2 boats ready for the next adventure, 4 slightly apprehensive boaters, 1 escape pod moved into.

Crabtree Swing Bridge to Chicken Lock, Rufford Branch

Last night I got a message from Gary at All Seasons Covers asking where we were as today the weather might be good for them to make patterns for our covers. So this morning we stayed put outside the Slipway pub.

At around 9am our shopping arrived. Once off loaded I was left to stow all our purchases away. It’s a good job we had it delivered today as last night the last of our two wine boxes ran out. But now the wine cellar is full again.

NB Blackbird have been in Burscough for a couple of days and were wondering if we’d be joining them down the locks on the Rufford Branch. But with Gary soon to arrive we suggested that they carry on without us, we didn’t know how long we’d be. Luckily they partnered up with another boat, we’ll catch up with them tomorrow.

A couple of boats arrived coming away from Liverpool and there seemed to be a lot of people stood around the control panel for the swing bridge. Then there were more, it wasn’t working. One chap started to try to encourage the barriers, but that wasn’t going to help, most probably make things worse. They called C&RT who said they’d send someone out. About fifteen minutes later another two boats had arrived , then a C&RT van turned up and parked by us. That was a quick response we thought, except they were here to find a work boat. They tried to get things working, but had no luck, so the ever increasing number of boats had to wait. In the end one of the Lock Keepers from Liverpool turned up, he seemed to take no time at all to get the bridge back working and penned the now six waiting boats through. Several more boats came and went through during the morning and everything worked fine.

Gary, Ray and JP arrived around half ten. A passing shower and gusts of wind this morning had threatened their pattern making but the sun was doing it’s best to break through and they persevered with the wind. Ray and JP set about making a pattern for the cratch cover. A large sheet of what looked like white tarpaulin was taped onto Oleannas bow over the cratch board. Once in position some nips and tucks were stapled into it to make a better fit and then the shape of the boats underlying metalwork and woodwork were drawn on. This was really quite quick to do. The stern was going to take a bit longer.

Gary started by fixing the hinged brackets that will hold the pram cover framework to the hull. Various lines were drawn in china graph across the roof and down onto the sides of the cabin. A discussion was had as to how far to come with the sides of the cover. One option was to stop where we have a scroll on the grab rail, this would mean the front of the cover would come round to meet it, but this would be very upright which isn’t good. The other option was to keep the front straight which would cover the scrolls, but give a better line to the canopy. We decided on turn buckles to fix it to the roof and these were riveted into place.

They had already bent three Stainless Steel tube frames to measurements Gary had taken when he’d visited us two weeks ago. These were temporarily put onto the brackets to check their heights. A few inches need to come off them and then they were linked together with twine being held to the cabin roof and the backdoors. Once the overall shape and height were looking good the other side was tied in place. Ray stood at the front of Oleanna to check they were sitting straight, once every angle had been checked they could then start on the pattern.

The framework had double sided tape on it and marks where the roof section would finish. More white tarpaulin came out, it was laid on each section of the roof in turn. All three of them worked on the patterns. The front panel was marked up and then separate sheets were used for the sides. When Andy Russell did our sign writing we had asked him to put the C&RT number where it was unlikely to be covered by a pram cover. The chaps today added the number onto their template so that the cover can be tailored round it as it will stretch that bit further along the cabin side than we’d first thought.

With all the templates done we chatted through windows and zips. We’ve chosen a blue canvas that best suits Oleanna’s blue cabin sides which should be with them tomorrow. All being well they will be back with us at some point next week to fit them. Other companies said that they had a 14 week waiting list and then they would need to do three visits and our covers would take 4 to 6 weeks to make. Gary and the chaps spend much of their time making covers for Collingwood Boats, but they are currently on what once was known as Factory Fortnight. So we have timed being in their area very well as at other times of the year we’d have had a much longer wait.

As the chaps packed up a familiar boat came into sight. NB Autumn Bliss was the boat a couple of weeks ago where the crew didn’t realise that they should maybe lend a hand at locks. Their steering skills have not improved, pulling up for the bridge they ended up managing to bump into a cruiser on the off side, they were so far over it looked like they were trying to wind. Really hope that they did no damage. The crew may have been the same that we’d seen before, but today they were more suitably attired. White jacket replaced with anorak and jeans. Wonder if they are making their way to Liverpool!

After lunch we decided to make the most of a sunny day and start to make our way down the locks on the Rufford Branch. Sadly there was no-one to share with, just a lot of gongoozlers. There is a swing bridge just above the first lock, would it budge, no way. Mick gave it some extra umph and we got it moving, his assistance was needed again to get it closed.

The locks have many similarities to those locks on the Leeds Liverpool canal much further east, with ground paddles in boxes and cloughs. Many of the bottom gates have geared paddles which takes a lot of winding. After the first two locks we lost our audience and got deeper into the countryside. it’s hard to think that two days ago we were leaving the centre of Liverpool and now that all seems a different world away.

Our diesel tank is down to a third full, tomorrow we will fill up at St Marys marina so we have stopped one lock up with fields all around us. Perfect friend country! So perfect that Tilly had to be picked up and returned to the boat before she found yet another friend.

6 locks, 2.82miles, 1 hard swing bridge, 0 held up,  1 delivery, 6 boxes wine, 3 pattern men, 3 frames, 1 broken bridge, 6 boats waiting, 1 lost C&RT workboat, 1 battered narrowboat, 1 squashed cruiser, 1 week till covers, 1 left, 4 friends, 3 quite tasty, 1 cat picked up before she realised.

Salthouse Dock to Holmes Swing Bridge 10

Mann Island Lock opens at 8am which is a few twists and turns from Salthouse Dock. Over the last week boats have left the moorings anywhere between 7:30 and 7:50am. So we set ourselves a push back time of 7:45am, which we knew would mean that we’d be early for the lock, but depending on how many boats were trying to pull out at the same time it gave us some leeway. After a quick breakfast and a failed attempt to get our Saturday paper we made ready to leave. We were beaten to pole position by NB Jacaranda and were closely followed out from the moorings by NB Lady Baltimore, we were the remaining three boats who had come into the docks last Saturday and were going to be the only three boats leaving today.

The bright blue sky and sunlight was gorgeous as we pulled away. The wind this morning was kind to us and Mick managed to wind Oleanna with no problems whilst the Titanic continued sinking at the far end of the dock, it’s been like that all week!

With only three of us going out through the link today it meant that as we were in the middle we’d be sharing with NB Jacaranda and NB Lady Baltimore would be on their own. Well that’s how it started out.

As we pulled up towards Mann Island Lock, NB Jacaranda had pulled into the opening before the flood gates, the lock keepers had just arrived and were unlocking everything. We pulled up and entered the lock together. The Lockies checking that we’d had a good time, I wonder if anyone ever says that they didn’t. They told us to carry on and if we got to the next lock before them then we could take ourselves up.

Tunnel lights on we followed NB Jacaranda out and through the three sections of tunnel. As we got close to the end of the last section we slowed down. Ahead Mr Jacaranda seemed to skew his boat, then he nudged with some force the bottom gates of the lock. He looked over his shoulder at us. At this point we thought he was a single hander, they quite often gently nudge bottom gates open, but this had happened with a bit of force. I stepped off the bow when we got to the landing and opened the other gate. It turned out that NB Jacaranda’s throttle cable had got stuck, he hadn’t been able to put it in reverse or even neutral, he’d had to turn the engine off and then had no option but to hit the lock gates.

Mrs Jacaranda came out from below as the gates were closed and I opened up the paddle on my side. Mick stood chatting with them for a while and then a penny dropped in everyone’s heads. We’d met them before, at Crick this year when we were moving boats. In fact we had been given their mooring and when they returned earlier than expected they were a tad pissed off that someone was on their mooring. Well here we were three months later sharing locks with them. They pulled their boat out as the Lockies arrived. We offered to breast up or tow them, but the consensus was that we should go ahead, if it was something simple that was wrong they would join us, if not then they wouldn’t.

We pootled on along Sids Ditch. A huge cruise ship was in, it was as big as the buildings along side. Turning into Stanley Dock, the mural was still over looking us. Not sure if it will just stay or is the building it is on due for demolition? We pulled up at the bottom of the locks on the pontoon. The bottom gate paddles of the flight were padlocked shut and even the key of power didn’t work, so we had to be patient. After a while we could make out a figure in blue with a red collar working their way down the lock gates. NB Lady Baltimore joined us and we waited together for the lock to be unlocked and emptied.

The lockie knew about the other boat. It wasmoving but the throttle worked on and off. So as far as he knew they were returning to Salthouse Dock to get sorted and would most probably be tagged onto the boats coming out tomorrow. So three became two.

Mike, the lockie and myself worked the two boats up the flight and by the time we turned out of the arm it was still before 10am. We both pulled in at the services at Litherland and disposed of rubbish, yellow water, checked the weed hatch and popped to the very handy Tescos for a paper and a mid morning snack. Once we were done we pushed off with plenty of time to arrive at the first swing bridge.

Our progress was halted for a while by a Dragon race. Marshalls asked us to pull over and wait for the on coming boats, but we opted to reverse instead so as not to get tangled in the lilies. Further along were more obstructions, two cars were floating in the cut. Both were quite sporty, but we managed to navigate around them. No lady taking our number today, hope her statistics don’t get messed up or us accused of over staying!

We whiled away the time waiting at the first swing bridge with a cuppa and a danish pastry each. Mike and Lesley joined us and when the bridge chap turned up we were on our way again. He showed his face just as we pulled up at Bridge 9 too, perfectly timed so we hadn’t needed to tie up. We were now on our own again. I hopped off and opened the bridge for both boats. Mike and Lesley are hoping to get to Stoke for next weekend so headed off into the distance as we moored up for the day at just gone 2pm.

As the mooring spikes were going in and ropes tied all we could hear was incredibly loud MEOW!!!s After a whole week of being locked up they could have opened the doors a bit quicker! I had things I wanted to do. After ten minutes Tilly had made up for the last week and returned home with a large friend, who had seen better days. Lots of coming and going all afternoon. She even had a full walk of the roof for the first time ever and discovered that the life buoy was a good place to sit.

We’ve had a great time in Liverpool, our second visit by boat. There is still plenty to see and do, so we will be back.

6 locks, 12.56 miles, 4 swing bridges, ? held up, 3 boats down to 2, 1 beautiful day, 1 rain shower, 2 many false stops, 2 locking partners, 1 wave for Jean, 1 paper, 2 cars, 1 fire extinguisher, 6 boats heading to Liverpool, 1 expert at swing bridges, 2 friends, 5 hours, 1 woofer spotting ring, 1st coat on plank, 2nd coat on poles, 1 Saturday Roast for tea.

Salthouse Dock

The sound of an engine starting up in the morning tends to make one of us get up and put the kettle on and see who is leaving today. Another morning of the full six boats pulling out in turn and heading back under the bridge to Albert Dock. That will be us tomorrow morning. Our new neighbour made a move shortly afterwards and moved up a couple of moorings that had become available, not sure if we smelt or if that was their allotted mooring that hadn’t been available when they arrived.

Mick set off as soon as he’d had breakfast to pick up our life jackets. He opted to go by bus, but this proved to be more expensive than the train as he had to buy a rover ticket. The jackets were ready and waiting to be picked up. They all passed and only one auto-inflate needed replacing, even though we thought they were all out of date.

Once back we decided that we’d only be able to visit one type of God today and opted for the Anglican. On the way we called into John Lewis so that I could exchange some wool, I’d under estimated how much blue I needed and over estimated the red, so a straight swap was easy.

Mick opted to head on up the tower to admire the views whilst I kept my feet firmly on the ground and had a good look around.

The first Bishop of Liverpool was appointed in 1880 who was installed at St Peter’s Church in the town centre. In 1901 a decision was made to build a cathedral worthy of Liverpool. Giles Gilbert Scott submitted his design in 1903 at the young age of 22 and was partnered up with a more senior architect George Bodley. The foundation stone was laid by King Edward VII the following year and work started on the Lady Chapel.

At the end of June 1910 the chapel was complete. Today you enter the chapel down stairs from the main cathedral. A very pretty chapel greets you with it’s predominantly blue stained glass windows and wonderful carvings. High above the organ pipes cling to the wall like a slightly tatty romantic baroque moth. This took my attention away from much else here.

Worked progressed despite both world wars and eventually the building was completed, a thanksgiving service was held in 1978 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II. It is the largest Cathedral in the UK and fifth largest in the world.

Everything seems so clean, most probably because it isn’t as old as I’d expected. Most memorials in the aisles are carved into the structure of the building. Two stood out to me. The first was simple and was for one of the four organists the cathedral has had since 1910. Henry Custard will have played both the Moth organ in the Lady’s Chapel and the one in the Cathedral. Built in 1926, the organ was the largest musical instrument ever conceived. It has 8 manual divisions and pedals, 199 draw stops controlling 10,268 pipes played from two massive consoles. Today the organ was being tested prior to a recital tomorrow. It certainly has some very very low notes that resonated around the building as they were played in turn. If we were still here tomorrow I know that we’d be paying £1 to sit and listen to this mighty beast.

The second was in memory of a bishop who passed away around 2005. Sadly I didn’t record his name. The sculptural memorial is very reminiscent of the way a hard pebble gets moved around on a softer stone leaving different bowl shapes carved out on it, also a little like a rock pool. All of this has been carved into the fabric of the building with only the pebble added.

Mick in the meantime had made it to the top of the Cathedral with the assistance of a couple of lifts! On the way up he got to see the bells  and on the way down there was an embroidery room where gowns are stored, he didn’t stop here. Up on the roof the views were great. Men were working on a house roof meters below. He managed to take quite a few photos, sadly our mooring is just out of sight so no photos of Oleanna.

On our way back to the boat we stopped off to pick up enough provisions to see us through till Monday when we hope to be moored somewhere suitable for a supermarket delivery.  The boaters who arrived today are all very chatty and excited about where to go and what to see whilst they are here. The washing machine has now washed everything possible and has had a 90deg wash to give it a clean. The dishwasher is also having a clean before we top up the water tank for the last time ready for an early start tomorrow.

0 locks, 0 miles, 3 life jackets serviced, 1 ball wool exchanged, 2 nephew presents returned, 1 house of God visited, 10,298 pipes! 2 lifts, 108 steps, 1 pair of very squeaky shoes, 1 man passing off photocopies as originals, 2 new neighbours, 6 cat naps til freedom!

Salthouse Dock

Time to make up time in Liverpool.

So this morning we headed to The Walker Art Gallery. I’d noticed when deciding what to see in Liverpool that there was an exhibition on Alphones Mucha. Since my college days I have been a fan of his work. One scene painting exercise at college was to copy a printed artwork and I chose his poster for Ruinart Champagne. The end product was, even if I do say so myself, very good and hung in my parents conservatory for years. Not enough height on Oleanna so it now sits rolled up in our attic in Scarborough. A trip to Prague in the late 90’s meant I had chance to visit the Mucha Museum, which I loved and very uncharacteristically bought myself two copies of his Sarah Bernhardt theatre posters. These stayed in a tube until my 40th birthday when my Dad paid for me to have them framed. In my 30’s I bought a house which had Mucha tiles in the surround, this wasn’t the reason I bought the house but was a nice touch.

Alphonse Mucha 1860-1939 was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist with a very distinctive style. He started out as a scenic artist but after moving to Paris to continue his education he volunteered to design a poster for the superstar of the time Sarah Bernhardt and her next theatrical production, Gismonda. His distinctive style and the large format of the posters caught everyone’s eye. Sarah Bernhardt was so taken with the image that for the next six years he designed all her posters. Quite often people liked the posters so much they would be taken down in the streets of Paris for people to take home. HIs graphic style spread into other areas, perfume, cigarettes, mostly depicting beautiful young ladies with flowing hair. Borders of flowers quite often formed  halos around the ladies heads. His colour scheme was pastel colours which contrasted with his contemporaries.

Between 1916 and 1928 he worked on The Slav Epic depicting the history of the Slav and Czech people. Some of these paintings are 6m by 8m and it was a major labour of love. In the exhibition there was a slide show of these paintings which took over a large corner of the room, one image of each painting and the another that scrolled around showing that image in greater detail. Also on display were works by his contemporaries, Rodin, Gauguin whom he shared a studio with in Paris. Then a section on works influenced by him. In the 60’s art nouveau influenced many a psychedelic poster. His influence carries on including on a Grateful Dead album cover.

A very interesting exhibition and I would recommend it if you happen to be visiting Liverpool this summer.

Before looking around the general collection at the gallery we decided to stop and have a sit down and partake of a bowl of Scouse each which was very tasty.

Back at Oleanna new boats had arrived and we had a new neighbour on one side. Tilly was pleased to see us, too right! Who said they could go out all day and leave me to meet the woofing neighbours just outside my window. Spoiling my view!!

Late afternoon we walked over to the Georges Dock Building, Grade 2 listed Art Deco where  we joined a tour of the Queensway tunnel and it’s ventilation shafts that help to keep air smelling sweet below the Mersey. The building was the former head office for Mersey Tunnels and is still a working building. Our two tour guides Ryan and Billy were very informative and their patter was very well rehearsed.

Construction was started in 1925 from both sides of the Mersey and by 1928 the two tunnels met out of line by just an inch. When it opened in 1934 it was the longest road tunnel in the world at just over 2 miles. The tunnel is round with the road deck halfway down it, below is a similar sized passage which at one time was planned to have double decker trams going between Birkenhead and Liverpool, but this never happened.

Our tour took us up flights of deco stairs to the old control room, where two engineers used to sit and monitor the air in the tunnel. Almost two years ago they were moved downstairs to share an office with the tunnel police force. The banks of old controls were installed in 1966, dials, bulbs and switches a go go. We then started to head downwards through doors that had air locks, this was to prevent clean air getting mixed with bad. The ventilation towers, originally six of them now five, are used to push and pull air through the tunnel. In one large room we were shown the huge fan (6m diameter) that helps to suck polluted air up through the roof of the tunnel to be expelled. The air quality in the tunnels has improved through time, no more 4 star leaded petrol has made a lot of difference.

Down more floors and through more air locked doors to the fans that draw fresh air into the building and push it down into the bottom section of the tunnel. Here the old opening looked like something from Tracey Island in Thunderbirds.

Then we went down and down and down to reach the road level of the tunnel. Taken out to a viewing area which was a refuge we clung to the wall to avoid any possible contact with wing mirrors. The tunnel was built for much narrower vehicles! No photography or hand gestures were allowed here to distract the motorists, they did all seem to slow down though at the sight of our high vis. Here we could see where the air came in at road level on both sides of the tarmac and large wholes in the ceiling is where it is sucked out. Should there be a fire in the tunnel the air flow is kept going so that the smoke doesn’t build up and the emergency services can see what they are doing. Modern refuges have been built below the road deck where the trams were once going to be. Monitors in each of the seven areas would relay information from the control room down to those safe below.

Once back up all the stairs we got to meet one of the Police constables who works there. They have their own force who are also fire fighters and first aid trained, so that should an emergency occur they would be able to deal with it before other emergency services could arrive. If you break down in the tunnel there is a charge to get you towed out, if however you run out of petrol or have a flat tyre without a spare you will be charged a lot more! Traffic can back up quickly right through Liverpool as around 90,000 vehicles use the Queensway Tunnel each day. A fascinating tour well worth the £6 and all the steps.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 Nouveau graphic designer, 0 photos allowed, 2 hours reading and looking, 2 bowls scouse, 2 teas, 2 nephew presents to be returned, £6 for an £8 million tunnel, 4 boaters do steps, 1 double act, 212 steps back up, 5 down, 2 humungous fans, 4 olympic sized swimming polls full of air a minute, 12 cat naps to go!!!!

Salthouse Dock

The plum glut needed sorting this morning along with the apples and beans. So blanching and stewing took up much of the time. Sadly because I didn’t feel like doing this yesterday, about half of the plums had gone past being wonderfully ripe and had to go in the bin, sorry Frank and Helen. We now have apple ready for a crumble, beans for quite a few meals and stewed plums to have with breakfast over the next few days.

Our yellow water tank needed emptying so as today we had no direct neighbours we emptied and rinsed out the tank. Unlike in the middle of nowhere, nobody came up to chat to Mick whilst this was happening!

At 2.30pm we watched todays boats arrive, another six. We’ve been wondering if C&RT have a system for allocating the berths, say rotating them on an eight to ten day basis, or Mondays berths 12-17, Wednesdays 18-23 but boats that left yesterday were replaced today by others. If there is a system we haven’t been able to work it out.

At just gone 4pm Micks old school friend Jeremy arrived, after a cuppa we headed to the Pier Head to catch the Mersey Ferry across to Seacombe. We had just missed the 5pm ferry, but this meant that we could watch it cross the Mersey before it returned to pick us up. I try to avoid waves, so am always a bit apprehensive of going on such boats, but it was an experience I wanted to do and was glad that there was little if any swell. As we were about to pull out the Isle Of Mann Ferry came into dock. We could see all the way though underneath its catamaran hull as it moved sideways into the pier.

The views back towards Liverpool were great with it’s iconic waterfront. Very few people were actually looking at the view as most were just commuters returning home.

We spent a lovely evening catching up with Jeremy and Sarah, chatting away, eating and drinking wine. It had been something like seventeen years since Mick had been to their house in Wallasey. I’d never been to the Wirral, despite in my early twenties having gone out with a chap for a year or so from there. Thinking about it I only met his Dad once, the relationship was obviously never going to last!

With the last ferry crossing long gone we walked to New Brighton Station via the scenic route. This took us through Vale Park where Major Mace and his wife have created a drift wood Fairy Village. My photos don’t do it justice as it was quite dark, also we had a train to catch. But here are some photos from the local paper. We then walked down along the waterfront where another creation by the Major sits on the beach. In the light last night my photos make the galleon look very atmospheric. It is on the beach for all to enjoy until one day the sea will reclaim the drift wood. But this has happened several times already and a new ship is built to replace it. If we had time it would be great to come over during the day to see it better, but that will have to be one for the next time list.

The shops and arcades of New Brighton were all shut up, a surprise as in Scarborough the arcades and chippies are open till late in the summer.

We said our goodbyes to Jeremy and Sarah at New Brighton Station, all very yellow, and climbed on board a yellow train that would take us around the houses, then back under the Mersey to James Street Station not far from Oleanna.

0 locks, 0 miles, 5 bags beans, 1 big crumble waiting to be topped, 4 days worth of plums, 1 tummy on the mend, 6 boats out, 6 boats in, 1 attempted toilet roll murder, 1 ferry, 17 years, 1 yellow train, 1 surprise package on it’s way, 1 Thank you to Joa.

Salthouse Dock

Today didn’t turn out as expected. We have a list of things that we want to see in Liverpool. This afternoon we had booked to have a look at Queensway Mersey Tunnel, but unfortunately I haven’t been too well and spent all morning in bed. So our tour has been postponed for a couple of days.

Despite me being in a darkened room, exciting things have happened. Mick went out shopping for a few bits and bobs. He returned with a new handheld vacuum. Our old one we left on Lillian, mostly because we fancied a newer one. Mick had looked at reviews and decided that a Vax would be the best. We’ll see how well this fares with picking Tillys fur up from the sofa and the back of curtains. It’s on charge in the back cupboard where we had a socket put for this purpose. I’m looking forward to not having to use up numerous sticky roller sheets to get the sofa unfurry.

Once out of bed I turned on daytime TV, not done that in a long time. Being hooked up meant it came without the guilt of running the batteries down, however it hasn’t improved so I don’t plan  on watching it again for another long while. The knitting needles came out and once Tilly allowed me to have them I did a tension square. I can still knit, well with big fat wool I can. During the afternoon I made good progress.

My old T square came out again to check on our depth. Here there are meters of water under Oleannas hull so Mick hung out of the side hatch. Our diesel and water tanks are only half full at the moment, similar to when we measured it last time. Both of us were on board this time and Mick was stood to the side he was measuring, so not a completely accurate measure. The T square came out of the water measuring a depth of 2ft 3inches. A 2 inch improvement from last time and as Louis said on Thursday, she is sitting at her optimum.

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 tunnels, 2 hours of great fun, –2 hours sleep last night, 3 attempted murders of the toilet roll, 3 counts of self defence, 1 poorly Pip, 1 tunnel tour postponed, 10.8v Gator, 6mm and 5mm needles, 1 Dad and Daughter reunited, £3500 prize, 0 suitable houses in the countryside, 16 cm of a front, 1st meal of beans, 1 NB Blackbird cruising again, 38 cat naps to go.

Salthouse Dock

One important job to get done today, take the life jackets to be serviced ready for the Ribble. So Mick set off with all three of our life jackets and got a train out to Sandhills to Norwest Marine. We can pick them up on Friday. Somehow Mick’s jacket had managed to inflate in it’s bag a few months ago, so he has been using my original one. We last had them serviced a couple of years ago, you should really get them done every year. It is an expense, but far cheaper than replacing one of us.

I went to have a look around John Lewis. Our wine glasses have reduced in number, we are down to three now and our lidded saute pan is becoming a stick pan as it’s non-stick surface is wearing out. So I did a recky on the ground floor and then found myself standing on the escalator heading for floor three. A few days ago I was asked if I’d be interested in doing some knitting workshops for a project happening in Scarborough. I used to knit a lot and ended up doing quite a bit of knitting for shows at the theatre. But since my accident a couple of years ago I turned to crocheting and taught myself the basics as using a hook was much easier than needles. If I’m going to do workshops I need to be able to knit and pearl myself. So I spent some time looking at patterns and then selecting some chunky wool for a project. I can’t say too much as it will spoil a Christmas present for Mick, but then he’ll get to see it in the making anyway. Here’s hoping chunky wool is the way back into knitting. Just have to remember where I put all my needles!

Four narrowboats and a wide beam arrived at 2.30, all successfully avoiding the pedalboat swans. Luckily none of the boats replaced our next door neighbour who left this morning, so our view has slightly improved.

This afternoon, after England won the cricket, we went to have a look for somewhere to eat this evening. We had a wander around Albert Dock where much of the food is burgers, pizza and pasta and then crossed over into Liverpool One to see what we could find there. A better selection was to be found high up on the terrace. Late afternoon we were joined by our friend Frank and his friend Helen. Frank had been doing a bit of carpentry work in Helens school in Warrington, so they had decided to come over and spend the evening with us. It was very nice to see them both. I think Frank is now the most frequent visitor we’ve had since moving onto Oleanna. They brought with them a mass of fruit and beans from the school garden. Plums, apples, runner beans and green beans, half a boat full. I think we may turn green by the time we’ve eaten them all. I might have a go at blanching and freezing some, maybe even make a frangipane plum tart, who knows.

We had a very nice meal in Wagamamas along with a bottle of wine and lots of conversation before they caught a train back to Warrington.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 trains, 3 life jackets for servicing, 10 balls of wool, 2 stitch holders, 1 pattern, 4 new glasses, 0 pans suitable, 1 dock walk, 1/2 a boat full, 4lbs of beans, 3lbs plums, 2lbs windfall apples, 2 recipe books on the table, 3 hours catching up, 1 bottle wine, 3 bowls of ricey niceness, 1 plate of noodles, 46 cat naps to go, 3 extra taken today.