Well considering we’ve been sat around for what feels like the last month it was a surprise to get the Nebo Monthly Summary through.
This is where we travelled in May.
We moved 11 times, underway for 18 hours and cruised what the report says was 76.5 miles with an average speed of 4.1 mph and a maximum speed of 8.1 mph, we have been on rivers and had the tide to assist us too.
The Nebo reports tend to be more accurate than they have been in the past, but there are still two different distances recorded. One is in the banner of the report and suggests the total distance travelled, the other is at the end of the days log which is a running total, this can often be 0.2 miles or so different.
So my tally of distance for May is 78.125 miles.
My spread sheet also records milage from Canal Plan, but because that is done in miles and furlongs it takes a bit of time to add up, which is currently better spent on model making for panto.
Whilst work is ongoing at the house, and I’m beavering away designing Panto, it suits for us to be roughly where we are. But once the final model is painted and working drawings are scanned and with the set builders and the house full of lodgers again, we will be free for a few months.
The queue with two already going up River Lock
We’ve been along this stretch of the Aire and Calder for the last three weeks, I’m sure the local boats that shuffle up and down are starting to wonder if we’ve joined their numbers. I know how long certain boats have been moored in several places. Our current mooring I suspect is one that is used frequently as Oleanna gets stared at as boats go past, often winding a little further on from us. I’m hoping our last two moorings are far enough apart for the number checkers, we’ll find out if not. Anyhow we’ll be moving on in a few days and not just to the services!
So our current options.
Birthday Boy back in 2023
Leeds Liverpool. The Leeds end of the canal is currently open, buton restricted hours. We could head up to Skipton, but that would be chancing it with the dry weather. If the canal is shallow it would be a tedious cruise rather than pleasureable.
Heading to the top Salter Hebble Lock
Calder Hebble. Currently open. River levels fairly normal at the moment although the flood lock at Ferrybridge was closed the other day. Of course we did the Calder Hebble last year to reach the Rochdale, then back from the Huddersfield Narrow.
I’ve actually braved it twice!
The Rochdale is currently closed between Lock 1 and 4 Tuel Lane. There is a leak somewhere around Lock 2 and water levels are poor. The rest of the canal is open. But to go that way would likely mean opting to do the Macclesfield to get around the Bridgewater breach. Or maybe the Manchester Ship Canal, an option we’d like to do one day, but not this year.
Paul and Mick with the carrot cake on the HNC
The Huddersfield Narrow is out of action due to the bank being washed away by Lock 11W in floods last winter. That route is likely to be closed for some time.
We plan on a return visit to York in a few weeks time. On one of Mick’s train journeys this week, going over Scarborough Railway Bridge he noted that the River Ouse had responded to the recent rain fall in the Dales. The level was up, almost level with the bank at the Museum Gardens moorings.
Sheffield. There’s an option open to us, we’ve been by boat twice now and brought Oleanna away from there when we moved onboard. So that’s two and a half visits.
The pretty Chesterfield in 2016
Our preferred route southwards is the Tidal River Trent, turning right out of Keadby Lock. Currently the Chesterfield Canal is open. We’d love to cruise that way. The going is slow as we were reminded earlier this year on the short stretch we managed. However, dry weather could mean the canal closes at the top end.
We could go to the Kinema in the woods again
Fossdyke and Witham. Open and always an option. We could head to Boston, maybe see if the navigable drains are worth ticking off the list. Some boats from the Fund Britain’s Waterways Flotilla are headed that way to cross the Wash. Sadly we don’t have enough time due to commitments to tag along with them, we’ve seriously looked at this.
Then once further south and out the other side of Nottingham, which way should we head then?!
I suspect some of our decisions will be made for us. What will be will be, just so long as we manage to get onto the South Oxford for me to go to work in October.
The highlight of our summer plans was going to be teaming up with our friends Graeme and Vicki on NB Misty Blue and tackle some off piste water to gain access to Beverley Beck. The off piste bit of water is open, we’d be in a very VERY serious drought if the Humber Estuary dried up!
Heather Bleasdale and Simon Judge did this trip in 2021, we’d have joined in too if we’d not been on a mission to see our family in the south after the pandemic. Others have also done the trip on narrowboats and widebeams, just not many, and the cruise is done by many a cruiser heading for Hull Marina.
This year a couple of things stand between Oleanna and Beverley Beck.
Firstly, the River Hull (which connects the Beck to the Humber) is officially closed due to bank slippage. This happened before we came back onto Oleanna this year and has been shored up with big bags of aggregate. However, a more permanent solution is needed and there is no timescale for that right now.
I’d seen that Syntan one of the Beverley Barges had been moved onto the Aire and Calder for May as the river was closed. I got in touch with my friend Jeremy to see how they had managed on the Hull. He forwarded the following Notice to Mariners.
MARINERS ARE ADVISED that the temporary closure to navigation between Sculcoates (Chapman St) and Wilmington Bridges promulgated in Notice to Mariners No.9/2024 will, in general, remain in place until the repairs to the collapsed section are completed later in the year. However, requests for a controlled transit past the Ashcourt’s site during the spring and summer months will be considered upon request and on a case-by-case basis providing certain conditions can be met, namely:
· A formal request is made in advance to the Harbour Master’s Office
· The owner/master/ or person-in-charge has visited the area and assessed the restricted navigable channel in relation to their craft
· The passage(s) will be made in daylight and with visibility of at least 1 nautical mile (1852 metres).
· Transit past the damaged section will be conducted at minimum safe speed to avoid creating a wash
· The owner has a valid certificate of marine insurance for their craft
· The owner signs an indemnity form
The damaged section will be marked at the upstream and downstream extremities by yellow flags and by fixed yellow lanterns at the upstream, mid and downstream points.
Syntan
Scale Lane Bridge is also having work done to its turntable mechanism, so larger vessles wouldn’t be able to get under it, we suspect we’d be okay.
Then there was a crane boat that sank and slipped its moorings blocking the river. This was moved to the side, but holes in it’s hull meant it stayed on the bottom no matter what the state of the tide was and on the highest of tides it would be completely submerged.
It’s now been moved to the side
This last week Syntan has succefully made it’s return journey back up the river. There was an overnight stop at Hull Marina and then when the tides and visibilty were right they headed back up to the Beck on Friday. The damaged section needs to be passed at high water. This is relatively easy on the way upstream, you can go with the water. However downstream is that bit more tricky timings wise.
We contacted Graeme with a list of the closures up north and our concerns about the River Hull. His other concern was should the summer remain dry, he’d either not be able to get to Yorkshire, or get stuck and not make it back to his winter mooring around Rugby. Last year he got stuck on the Lancaster and then again on the Huddersfield Narrow, so understandably he’s more cautious this year.
For a trip that requires a lot of planning, charts for the Humber change frequently as the sand banks move, recently catching out a big container ship and then two smaller boats had the coast guard out to them last week as they were stuck. Add into the mix problems on the River Hull. Then the final reason for cancelling our plans, we’d have to do it alone without NB Misty Blue. This is not an option even without any problems on the river, two boats is far safer than one.
Another real shame. We both have strong connections to Hull, Mick’s family and a large part of my theatre life. Beverely would have been good to catch up with friends in the area and have been close to Scarborough for the house and visits to friends. But it’s not to be this year. Next year it’s already pencilled into the diary.
Humber Bridge
One day we WILL cruise under the Humber Bridge rather than take it’s photo from dry land.
Next up on the thwarted list and due to dwindling water comes the Ripon Canal.
Ripon Cathedral
So, okay this wouldn’t have been new water to us, we’ve cruised up to Ripon twice, once on NB Lillyanne and in 2020 on Oleanna. It’s lovely going up stream on the River Ouse. Care should be taken at the river locks as the sight lines from the paddle gear are nonexistent, so you have no idea what is happening below in the lock.
Several cuts above your usual pub food
Back on Lillyanne I opened a paddle just one turn at Milby Lock, which sent the boat careering over to the other side of the lock, rather than holding her in. A large dint in the wall suggesting we weren’t the first to do this, however we may have been the first to loose a porthole which jumped out of it’s frame and into the lock. Houdini our second mate at the time really didn’t know what to make of it all!
There is Benningborough Hall to visit, Newby Hall, a lovely meal to be had at the Dawney Arms. Then Boroughbridge with it’s cheap diesel. The Ouse turns into the River Ure which has made it’s way down from Wensleydale, picking up water from the hills and speeding it down to York several times a year.
Newby Hall
You climb up Oxclose Lock onto the Ripon Canal. Built by William Jessop and opened in 1773 enabling goods to be carried to and from York and Goole. Coal was carried up to Ripon, lead and agricultural produce brought down stream. In 1846 the river and canal were sold to the Leeds and Thirsk Railway company who were meant to keep the navigation open and in good order. However it was neglected and started to silt up, lighter loads in boats kept boats moving, but by 1892 no boats could go past BoroughBridge, the canal now redundant.
Oxclose Lock
Thankfully in the 1950s and 60s local opposition stopped the canal from being filled in. The Ripon Motor Boat Club and IWA fought for the waterway and The Ripon Canal Society was born, the canals restoration completed by 1996, the management of the canal handed over to British Waterways.
Making it’s way from Pateley Bridge, through Studley Royal Park, passing Fountains Abbey the River Skell is used as the feeder for the Ripon Canal. At times of drought, such as now, the Environment Agency ask C&RT to stop abstracting water from the river to help conserve the wildlife on the river. This means there is little or no water topping up the canal.
One of the locks at the top of the Ripon Canal
A week ago, the top two locks on the canal were closed to help conserve what water there was at the top end. But on the 27th May a notice was posted that Oxclose Lock would need to be booked 48 hours in advance and was only to be used for essential passage for returning boats to their moorings or pre-booked maintenance.
Tilly spotted our Ripon visitor long before we did
So the canal is closed for the forseeable future. We have another trip planned to York in the next few weeks and may still head up stream to Boroughbridge, we’ll see how things go.
A refill of the water tank, we’d been using the washing machine and had had to top up on the electric too. A shower for me whilst the tank filled so that I’d not need to head to the water point this week. Then just as we were untying to leave it decided to rain, not much thankfully. Sarah waved as we pulled out and turned back towards the canal, maybe next time we meet we’ll be able to have a longer chin wag.
A new arrival on the towpath
We pulled into the first available gap alongside the road that leads to the marina and awaited a supermarket delivery. Stocks were quite low and the wine cellar under the back steps nearly empty! With everything stowed we pulled away again and went to find a view for this week, away from badger holes. Mick added a spring line and we hoped that our chains would be strong enough should Off Roader come past heavily loaded.
Hooray!!!!
Time for Tilly to stretch her legs again on the towpath after being cooped up for a few days. With boat chores done Mick packed his bag and headed off to catch a bus into Leeds and then the train back to Scarborough. The roofers are returning to the house to tidy up, Mick thinks he’s found a probelm on a different bit of the roof! Time to get the house ready for our next lodgers.
Late evening I recieved an email from John, he’d spent all of Bank Holiday Monday working on the script for panto. There were new ideas he wanted to pass on, one that should give us a wonderful end to Act 1. Time to amend the current storyboard.
Crossing the River Aire
A walk before the rain was due. I’ve changed the shoes I’m wearing to walk in to see if that might help with my calf. So far it is better, but it’s not a miraculous recovery. On the other side of the River Aire is the site of some open cast mining, now St Aidans Nature Reserve. Numerous lakes and reedbeds were busy with so many birds it was almost deafening as I strode my way through a central path.
Great Crested Grebe, numerous geese and Tufted ducks, a lapwing who was camera shy and then this duck. The size of a female Mallard but with far superior plumage. Could it have been a Gadwall?
Big, medium and little boats
As I walked back to the boat I could hear that something big was on the canal. Off Roader had just come up Lemonroyd Lock. Would our chains hold as it went past deep in the water. Thankfully it didn’t get up to full speed as the canal was also being used by rowers, so Oleanna just bobbed about a touch, the ribs with the rowers causing more wash than the multi tonned barge!
New treads and flying bar supports and a spruced up prosc
Back at Oleanna I edited the storyboard for panto and emailed it to John, hoping this version would have a better responce. The answer came back from an initial look, he was all smiley, thank goodness! He’d be in touch tomorrow after spending some time with it. Phew! I pulled the model box out of my clothes cupboard. It’s been used a few times since I last had it and was showing it’s age. I deceided to give it a make over, and new rests for the flying bars, whilst I waited for Johns verdict.
The Queen of Oleanna
Tilly spent much of the afternoon avoiding getting her paws wet as the rain set it. She has taken to sitting on the stern hatch, so her bed was moved out there a week or so ago. Today it made for a very good DRY vantage point to watch the ducks and swans whilst listening to the rain.
Deer just visible near the piling
6:30am we bumped the side, Off Roader was on it’s way towards us. I peeked out of the front curtains, there it was some distance away. But more worryingly there was a deer in the cut! Oh blimey! Could I mount a rescue mission? It swam away from Oleanna trying to find somewhere to get out. I thought of various ways I might be able to help, the highish bank wouldn’t help, should I end up in the canal too that would not be a good thing as other than Off Roader there was nobody about. I so hope it managed to swim up stream where the bank is lower and doesn’t have piling.
Tilly has now worn this outside out, she’s used it all up so she says. Sitting in her viewing area wasn’t even enjoyable today. I walked round the block taking the rubbish to the bins at the marina. Plenty of Recycling and General Waste bins, then two wheelie bins with no lables on them. I assumed one would be for glass, correct assumption. The other for food waste, well nobody else seemed to have made that assumption had they!
Rose
Back at Oleanna I returned to a great email from John. Just one scene to rework and his choices on options I’d given him for other scenes. I now just need to finish off the storyboard to make it pretty and get cracking with the white card model and sketch working drawings before a meeting that is looming. I decided to treat myself to getting the basic set made for the model with an outline design drawn onto it. By 10:30pm I’d achieved my goal for the day. By 10:30 I’d given up hoping for a lap to sit on! Come back Tom I need someone to pay me some attention! I would just like to point out that I am not ignoring Tilly and I’m more than happy to play the fishing rod game at bedtime. Too right, if that stopped I’d be looking for somewhere else to live!
At Last, model bits!!!!
0 locks, 0.5 miles, 1 full water tank, 0 response from Aquavista still, 1 wind, 1 left, 2 moorings, 1 empty wee tank, 4 boxes wine, 1 full fridge, 2 sausage days, 1 world wet under paw, 8.57 miles walked, 130 minutes briskly, 1 Frank PA phone call, 1 viewing position, 1 edging restuck, 1 actor squeezed in, 2nd WIP storyboard, 1 big thumbs up, 1 scene to amend, 2 portals, 1 front cloth, 1 cyc, 1 improved modelbox, 1 theatre designer needing some new things to listen to.
Next waterway to thwart us this year is the Pocklington Canal.
Barmby Lock
Water we’ve never cruised. To reach the canal you leave the Tidal Ouse at Barmby Lock and Barrage and head up stream on the River Derwent. The two waterways meet at Cottingwith Junction, which for land lubbers is part way between Thorganby and East Cottingwith.
The Ferryboat not changed a jot in looks
Just north of the junction is a place that sits in my personal history, The Ferryboat Inn. This is a pub that my school friends classed as our local in the few years we all got together after we’d left school. Run by the Rogers Family, Tony was a couple of years below us at school, it was legendary, it had a six day licence and you were welcome to turn up in your wellies straight from harvesting unlike the other pub in the village which was for non-locals. If you turned up on a Sunday you’d disturb them, sat round the bar eating their Sunday roast. Dominoes match night was a good one to arrive on as there’d be a very good spread of sandwiches and should you want to cross the River Derwent there was still a rowing boat. Tony now runs Half Moon Brewery in Ellerton, and has just come third in the CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain Mild catagory.
Stamford Bridge bridge
The river used to be navigable up to Stamford Bridge, but Sutton Lock is inoperable should you want to head up stream from Elvington, another village I have very fond memories of growing up.
From Cottingwith Junction the Pocklington Canal heads off towards the east. Nine locks used to rise the canal up towards Pocklington, where Mick’s father was stationed for some of his time during WW2 in the RAF. Now the navigation stops at Coates Lock 5, a reverse back to the Beilby Arm to wind. There’s only one mooring marked on our Waterways Routes map, on the Melbourne Arm, then one back at Barmby Lock. So not a place you’d end up staying on for long, but one we’d both love to cruise.
Lock on the Pocklington Canal
Completed in 1818 it was used to carry coal and agricultural produce. It was never a financial success as goods had to be moved onto horse drawn carts to reach their destination, a couple of miles away on the other side of the York to Hull road. In 1848 it was sold to the York North Midland Railway and gradually it deteriorated, the last commercial craft to use it was keel Ebenezer in 1932. In 1959 it was proposed that the canal should be filled in, but the IWA and locals campaigned to save it and in 1969 the Pocklington Canal Amenity Society was formed.
Sadly someone left a paddle up on the canal a month or so ago. The Pocklington Canal has little that feeds it. We asked about visiting the canal when we were at Naburn last month, the CRT notice says 48 hours notice is required to book Cottingwith Lock, but Kenny at Naburn said the canal was closed, levels are not thought to be able to return to normal until the autumn.
So sadly not much point in cruising the River Derwent which will possibly be low too.
This summer’s original plans were to stay in Yorkshire and cruise waterways we’ve not been on before. We were quite looking forward to this, new waters. But for a few reasons our plans have been thwarted.
The first waterway to thwart us, The River Foss in York.
Boo!!!
When we were in York at the end of April, Mick noticed a sign at Castle Mills Lock saying that the lock would be closing that weekend and would remain closed until October as works were going to be carried out on the lock gates. This being York and very prone to flooding in the winter months is the reason the works are being carried out now.
Blue Bridge at the confluence of the Ouse and the Foss
Castle Mills Lock has to be booked at least 48 hours in advance and is operated by volunteers from the local IWA. So sadly we’d already run out of time to book the lock.
Castle Mills Lock
Castle Mills Lock is the only surviving lock out of the six that were built on the river. There is a detailed history of the river and it’s use through the centuries here. In brief it suffered and still does with siltation. It was used as part of the cities defences instead of continuing the Bar Walls, the silt built up creating islands where Foss Islands Road is now. Sections of the river were canalized to save navigating the tortuous meanders to Sherrif Hutton. It was used as a sewer, to transport goods, mainly into the countryside, far less made it’s way into York.
End of navigable river
Now the river is only navigable, should the build of silt, lilies and weed allow, to just north of the old railway bridge across Huntington Road, the line used to go to the Rowntree Macintosh factory and on to Murton and beyond, it is now a cycle and footpath. Should one get to the end of the navigation, you’ll need to reverse your way back to Wormalds Cut to be able to wind and return to Castle Mills Lock. There is nowhere to moor on the river, more’s the pity, so it’s only a day trip, but one we’d very much like to do one day.
Another look through my sketches this morning before I sent a link. Time to forget about panto for day or two. Time to think about how we’d be getting back into the marina tomorrow after a night away. Still no-one had returned Micks phone messages, still no-one had replied to an email he’d sent yesterday, still tumbleweed!
Puddles!!! Remember them!
I sent a message to Sarah from NB Honky Tonk, well actually right now they live on Dutch Barge Pheonix. Might they be about tomorrow at around 4pm to be able to let us into the marina? She offered us a spare key and came to meet us at the gate. A quick exchange of greetings and thanks before we were off along the towpath to Woodlesford Station.
A bag of socks to finish off
From here we headed to Leeds, one stop, the dark red widebeam still moored just above Office Lock on the Leeds Liverpool Canal. Out through the barriers to pick up something for lunch, M&S didn’t do too well, but I found a nice chicken salad. Then onto a train bound for London, time to catch up on a bit of knitting as the countryside whizzed by.
St Pancras
London was busy! It usually is, flashing lights and being funneled out of the station, was something happening, or was this just to accommodate football fans heading to Wembley? A long wait for the No 30 then we could sit back and enjoy the ride towards Hackney. That was until the bus decided to change its destination! Oh well we’ll get the Overground one stop. Nope that was closed for the weekend! Back on the bus, finally reaching our destination.
Today, Saturday, is Jac’s birthday. Big hugs all round and Josh had made a surprise visit for the weekend. Cuppas and chats, followed by exchanging presents. Jac got a mattress topper and some olives from us, Mick got an oil filter wrench and a head band to wear in bed which has flat speakers, so he can keep up with the test matches abroad without having ear buds in.
Jane, Jac and Kevin
Glad rags on, and face mask off for Jac, the next guests arrived bang on time. Jane and Kevin, who were over from Australia on a celebratory trip for a significant birthday of Janes earlier in the year. We last saw them in 2022, since then they have married, so there was even more to celebrate. Andrew and I grew up with Jane and her sister Emma, so there was lots to catch up on. Their celebratory trip funded by Inspector Morse, Jane was in an episode and her residual payments from one episode tend to be enough for a trip back to the UK and Europe every few years. A friend of Josh’s, Mia, bobbed in on a break from work to wish Jac a happy birthday. The pub where she works was very quiet this evening, so she managed to get the rest of the night off and came back to join us.
Pip, Mick, Josh, Mia, Jac, Jane, Andrew and Kevin
A very lovely evening, with very good company, a huge salmon, apple cake and homemade ice cream and maybe just a little bit too much wine!
Sunday morning there was only really enough time for a cuppa in bed with Ziggy and Finn and a brief chat with Andrew and Jac before we headed to catch our train, it was far too early for us to see Josh! Bus and tube, enough time to buy something to eat for brunch on the train then we were hurtling our way back northwards.
Opens in the autumn!
Tilly had looked after the boat well, but was understandably seriously bored!
Time to return the key to Sarah and Phil on Pheonix. We were invited inside for a cuppa, it’s always a bit of a shock going inside a wider boat, soooo much room! They bought Pheonix just over a year ago, Phil is tall and NB Honky Tonk was just a little bit too low when they decided to live onboard full time. NB Honky Tonk is moored on the Trent and Mersey currently and used to cruise further south when there is time.
A rather good clock on the underground
We’ve followed each other on Instagram for a few years and recently Sarah was added to the Ladies of Finesse group, so it was really nice to finally meet her and Phil. NB Honky Tonk was launched about a year after Oleanna, so we had quite a few things to chat about in common. Their evening meal was just about ready so we did our best not to disturb it too much and headed back to Oleanna to finalise a supermarket delivery and get something to eat ourselves.
Last night She said I should make the most of this morning. When she opened up the covers I could see that the big fat boat that had been behind us had moved their outside along with the woofer, brilliant I could now make the most of the morning.
They’ve gone!
Trees to climb, friendly cover to explore, pouncing scratching everything! Then I remembered that there was a box of fresh Dreamies to sample, they are far better when fresh out of the pack, so I returned before heading off again, leaving She to swirl with her pencil.
I worked my way through my notes, more sketches, different versions of scenes. Would I now have an improved storyboard? After three hours I decided that it was time Tilly returned, there was an hours grace should she be a busy cat. I stepped out onto the towpath and called several times, thinking she’d have gone to where the wide beam had been sat the last few days as there were trees to climb. I was about to give up when out she popped from back where we’d been moored last week. She trotted along towards me the morning now over, it was time to close the doors, shore leave would now be canceled.
Another boat cat along the towpath
An hour later Mick arrived. The roof completed yesterday, the scaffolders had returned this morning, this time Mick would let them take it down. Now we need the decorator to return to paint the bit of guttering he’d not managed to reach when the lean to was in the way. He’d been hoping to make use of the scaffolding, so he’ll now need to bring a ladder. The roofers still need to return to tidy up after themselves but that will be after the weekend. So we are now back on schedule, phew!
This morning I’d sent a message ahead to boaters we’ve actually yet to meet in person. They moor at Lemonroyd Marina where we have booked in for a few days. Currently there is no manager here and trying to get an answer from anyone who works for Aquavista is proving impossible. Sarah from NB Honky Tonk messaged me back with the location of our berth, there had been an Aquavista person about this morning, but would they still be about by the time we arrived?
Key of Power back to work
We made ready to push off. The rain from a couple of nights ago had loosened up the stickyickyness on our covers, one side got a rinse down, the other side will have to wait. I walked ahead to work the lock as Mick brought Oleanna behind. We swapped with a boat coming up Woodlesford Lock and then descended. Sun shining, it was good to be moving again, we’re so not used to staying put for so long.
Down she goes
A right into the marina, then we followed the directions we’d been given by Sarah to our mooring. A much longer pontoon than we’ve had here before. Our welcoming committee a Pied Wagtail. A hunt round for someone to give us a key to the gate proved pointless. Currently there is no manager here, we’ve met the new one at Bank Dole Lock a few weeks ago, but I don’t think he starts until next month. So for this evening one of us needs to stay inside the gate to let the other one back in. Thankfully last year when we stayed here we set up an account to be able to use the hook up, we still had some credit left so plugged ourselves in.
Our welcoming committe
More work putting images together ready to send to John. I’m going to sleep on them before sending them, I think they are an improvement from the last lot.
The last of the 100th birthday pork in a peppery paprika pork was washed down with a couple of glasses of wine this evening. Tomorrow we’ll sus out how to escape the marina, but more importantly how to get back in!
1 lock, 1.5 miles, 1 brisk minute walking, not even a mile, 1 story board just about done, 3 quality hours of shore leave, 1 roof finished, 0 scaffolding.
Hang on what was that on the windows? Rain! We’d had rain!! However the towpath was dry. Brrrr! Chilly! I actually lit the stove this morning. I knew that by mid afternoon it would be warm inside, but that would have meant sitting in the cold working for hours. Today I wanted to be productive so being comfortable was more important than saving on coal useage.
Stove about to be put on tick over
A couple of emails went back and forth between Chippy and myself, then it was time to get the mood right.
A couple of years ago a friend said how inspirational listening to Kate Bush felt. I have to agree, I’ve listened to her in the past and found to work better. Today I sorted through the CD’s onboard, a limited number. For some reason we rarely listen to music, maybe because on NB Lillyanne we had no means to do so. Cricket, podcasts are the occasional norm, but today I needed the boost that Kate would hopefully bring with her. Maybe it’s because I know all the lyrics, so she doesn’t take up brain power, her quirky songs keeping you on your toes, the atmospheres conjured up. I don’t know, but it seems to work. Today was going to be long, so I added in some Kate Rusby, maybe she’d give a different inspiration.
Kates as back up today
In Scarborough, the roofers finished by late morning, an invoice landing in our inbox. We now need to get a decorator to call by to finish off the guttering he’d not been able to reach 18 months ago, then we’ll be ready for the next phase of works. Months ago I’d pulled out the paint, put it so I thought in the shed so it would be easy to find. However, No matter how much he looked Mick could not find it. 15 minutes of him going through the tins of paint in the understairs cupboard via Whatsapp, no I’d definitly put them somewhere else. I held off asking if he’d done a boy look in the shed, now I had to ask. Have you looked behind the door in the shed? The answer, NO! There they were!!!
Finished! Well they want to play golf tomorrow
Mick bought himself a new electric saw to make use of the old roof battens, chopping them up for kindling, one side of the coal bunker filling up quickly.
This outside hasn’t changed in years!!!
Sketches were quickly done, ideas drawn, some erased, others kept. I think Kate was helping lift my mood, far better than listening to depressing podcasts about crime and WW2. There was time to walk to the bins and around the block, not the full number of steps or brisk minutes, but enough to get some air.
A quick stop for some food and a chat with Mick, then back to it. Propelling pencil put down at 10:30pm. A good day, hopefully! I want to see if I come up with any more ideas tomorrow then send them off again and await the verdict.
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 round the block, 16 sketches, 2 lists, 10 hours, 0.5 new roof, 1 boy look! 1 very bored cat, 1 toilet roll who’s days are numbered!
