2010 my third year on Almyne
Fri, 1 Jan 2010
3 miles 1 tunnel
Woke this morning to the crunch crunch of a boat breaking the ice on the way past. The canal was not frozen last night when we eventually retired, so there must have been a sharp drop in temperature just before dawn.
Kath
took a short trip to the supermarket for some last minute provisions, like bread and we set off early afternoon to brilliant sunshine, a clear sky and a light flurry of snow. Stopped off just before the tunnel at Newbold to top up with water and set off again just before dark.
The next couple of miles was done in the dark and was actually a pleasant journey, not too cold and enough starlight and moonlight to see where we were going to moor up.
Moored up close to All Oaks Wood, where we hope to get some firewood tomorrow.
Sat, 2 Jan 2010
Shadow went for a wander last night and has not yet returned, a bit of a worry as we cannot move on till he turns up.
I spent the afternoon doing washing and made a little dint in it.
Weather good although cold, the sun shining through brightly but with little strength. Ice on the canal again but not enough to impede the movement of the few boats that want to travel.
Sun, 3 Jan 2010
Nearest neighbours
Too cold to get up early so didn't get going till after eleven. Thick ice on the canal, almost too thick for the boats to break, but some were still moving and creating a hell of a din as they went past.
Cracked on with the washing again, there is mountains of it to catch up on, but I will beat it. Can't do too much at any one time as getting it dry takes longer than the actual washing and takes up all the spare space on both boats.
Took a walk with Kath to knock on all the local doors to see if anyone has seen Shadow. He often goes for a wander but is rarely away from the boat for more than one night.
Mon, 4 Jan 2010
Shadow still not back.
More washing today after lighting the fire. Temperature started of at a mere 45 F, and that was with the stove being in all night, although only just. Managed to get it going without resorting to fire lighters.
Tue, 5 Jan 2010
Sunshine in the Snow!
The wanderer returns. A guy rang Kath this evening saying that he had found Shadow. Apparently Shadow had wandered back into Rugby and was found close to where we had moored up previously. Having befriended said wayward animal he managed to get close enough to read the telephone number on Shadows collar and, hence the phone call.
Kath was delighted (in fact I think we all were) and promptly arranged to meet with said guy at the next bridge along the canal.
Said guy could not believe that we were all living on a narrow boat (too complicated to explain over the phone the fact that we live on two narrow boats, but there you go) which is why he agreed to deliver Shadow rather than getting us to walk the three miles back into Rugby and then try to find his house.
All's well that ends well.
I spent most of the day washing again. Nearly finished, I reckon that there is only another days worth, but we might just head off - if the ice breaks. Not likely according to the weather forecast.
Wed, 6 Jan 2010
Three inches of ice
Little to do today apart from keep warm. Did some work on the web site and did some development work for the web sites for Kath Scott
and Kaia
so their web sites should be going live soon, well some time this year!
No washing today as the washing that I have already done is not yet dry and is clogging up the passageways on Destiny.
Thu, 7 Jan 2010
Bridge 43
Up late today, well there is not much to do apart from watching the ice melt, or is that get thicker?
Started the engine and put Almyne in gear, revved the engine. There was absolutely no sign on any movement on the water for several seconds and then I spotted a little movement around Destiny's bows where the wash from Almyne was creating turbulence under the surface of the ice.
Although I was not up till late and did not get the fire going on Almyne till just after twelve, the temperature inside was down to minus half a degree centigrade. The sunshine had not warmed the boats up at all. Two hours after getting the fire going the temperature was up to 18.5 centigrade, but that is at shoulder lever, it was still pretty cold at foot level.
Perhaps this is why most boaters are hot headed but with cold feet.
Fri, 8 Jan 2010
Where we are
Decided to try to keep the stove on Almyne going 24/7. It works on Destiny.
Will be a little heavier on coal, but I should be able to get some work done instead of spending all day waiting for Almyne to warm up.
Will probably end up cutting lot more wood as it is so much cheaper than coal, it's free.
Sat, 9 Jan 2010
Cut lots of small stuff today for the pot bellied stove at the front of Destiny. Nothing over one and a half inches thick. Ten minutes cutting, ten minutes warming up, ten minutes cutting ten minutes thawing out. I find it is my fingertips that are the worst. I seem to be developing a bit of arthritis (or is it rheumatism) in the little finger on my left hand, which makes it particularly painful in the cold.
Mind you, if that is my only problem at my age I am not going to complain about it.
Sun, 10 Jan 2010
Sunshine on the snow
Blast from the past today. I got an email from a long lost friend from university. I last met Helen in Brighton in the early 2000's, since when, although she has not moved, she has changed her email address. Well, I've got it now, and hopefully we can keep in touch.
I have never been one for writing letters, or even keeping in touch by telephone (my excuse of late is that my hearing is deteriorating), but email and my web site is an attempt by me to make up for that.
Mon, 11 Jan 2010
Desolate
We had planned to go out for the day, but with a sort of thaw the tow path was so slippery that we decided to give it a miss. Even walking between the boats was a bit of a game, slipping and sliding at every step.
Amused ourselves playing Trivial Pursuit, the children taking the easy questions and Kath and I taking the 'Grown Up" questions. I lost, miserably.
A team of contractors arrived at the bridge and got all their tow path clearing equipment out, set up their signs and started to mow the grass and trim the hedges! Hmm, couldn't see much change to the grass under the snow and the hedges are not overhanging the tow path yet, still, they must be trying to steal a march on spring.
Tue, 12 Jan 2010
Snowy towpath
Today we went ten pin bowling. Fixed fee for all the games you can play from midday till six p.m.. Got my own back for trivial pursuit yesterday.
Walked a mile or so to the bus stop, caught the bus into Rugby and a taxi from Rugby to the bowling alley.
Played at least six games each and then got a taxi all the way back to the boats. Having lunched at the bowling alley we just had a snack for the evening and then watched Die Hard, all four of them. Well, only two tonight, watched the other two tomorrow evening, but I am jumping ahead of myself.
Wed, 13 Jan 2010
Springtime blossom!
Down to three bags of coal between us and the coal boat will not be along at least till the ice on the canal thaws out a lot more than it has at the moment. Should last us about three or four days, but to augment the coal we spent the afternoon cutting wood.
I purchased a gallon of two stroke petrol over a year ago and now I am on my last few gills, with both chain saws full. Something else to put on the shopping list when we are on the move again.
We had enough logs to last us a couple of days in no time and all from fallen trees.
Thu, 14 Jan 2010
Both of us
Steve
was due to collect the children today, but due to snow, he has postponed till tomorrow.
The first real signs of thaw, both boats are afloat. It was strange to find them rocking as we moved about. Normally we do not notice the movement of the boats as we live with it day in day out, but having been iced in solidly for over a week we have not experienced the movement and had almost forgotten what it was like.
If it keeps up like this we might just wee a boat or two moving past in a few days. Once someone else has broken the ice we might just try moving on a bit.
D'fer
is now so familiar with his territory that he wanders much too far for a wee and yesterday I had to walk several hundred yards along the road to retrieve him. When I eventually spotted him running toward me he was still quite a long way away. He tried to race past me to the boats, I think he knew he was in disgrace, but he responded immediately to the command heel. That in itself was unusual, although he is getting better.
Fri, 15 Jan 2010 Chopped more logs, did some work on the web site, preparing pictures of all the snow for the picture gallery and made some modifications to the software.
Steve arrived just after one and after a cup of coffee took them off to his house. Seems strange not having them around.
During the afternoon I tried Kath's dongle. She is with a different provider to myself, and wonder of wonders, the signal was terrific, much better than mine.
This meant that I could do some serious surfing and I found out loads about water less toilets and Hay Boxes.
Now it is a strange thing, but boaters are more than willing to chat about waste disposal of human by products, much more so than the rest of the world, so here goes.
The two main problems when afloat are water and waste disposal. My sister has commented in the past that she does not need to know when I empty the porta-pottie, but it is of some importance to boaters. Usually when we are on the move the next water point is not very far away. Topped up with water we can last for a couple of weeks quite easily, especially if we have both tanks topped up.
We last topped up on new years day and when we arrived here I spent four days doing the washing before I decided that it might be politic to conserve the water.
All the cooking and most of the drinks have been provided on Destiny. Now, fifteen days later we think that Destiny is almost out of water, but Almyne seems to be OK, not that we have a level indicator, but I still have water coming out of the taps. The taps on Destiny are 'spluttering' which seems to indicate that there is little water left.
Kath used to have a big rolling water container (the sort used on caravan sites) but having not used it for six months we left it at her lock up, it was just taking up space. It might be worthwhile getting one or two of those fold u water containers, at least then we could walk the three miles to the water point to fill it, even if we did find that it was frozen up. And then drag it the three miles back again. Hmm, perhaps not such a good idea, maybe we should just invest in a good water filter and melt the snow.
The porta-pottie is another matter. Once full, it cannot be used. It would be possible to carry it the five miles to the next sanitation depot. The only other solution is to dig a hole and bury it, although this is not approved of by BW. I did ring them to explain our situation and was given the thumbs up to use this method, but reminded that it should only be done in exceptional circumstances.
Have you ever tried to dig a big hole in frozen ground with a plastic seaside shovel, or the shovel from a fireside companion set?
When Andrew from the boat further along the canal took Kath to the supermarket last Sunday he described his method of waste disposal. He has an old elsan type toilet, one of those that is little more than a bucket under a seat. This is only used for solid waste and is immediately covered with a generous layer of ash from the fire. This absorbs both the moisture and the smell. At the end of each day the contents (a plastic bag is put into the bucket before use) are bundled up and put on the fire. Apparently it burns well, with no smell. Problem solved, we would never need a disposal point again, well, not in the winter anyway. In the summer getting to a disposal point is not a problem.
My research indicates that units like this can be purchased commercially, so we are not the only ones who have considered this as a solution.
On to Hay Boxes. Now I was under the impression that they actually do the cooking. Nearly right, what they actually do is continue cooking after the prepared meal has been brought up to temperature. This might be good in the summer, but in the winter we have the saves on all day anyway, so a source of free heat for cooking is not a problem. Might be useful in the summer when the fire is not going. Might make one, on the other hand I might not.
Quiet evening reading and enjoying a glass of wine.
Sat, 16 Jan 2010
Uploaded this pictures of the snow to the
PuppyD'fer picture gallery.
Shadow, the cat, decided to take a walk on the ice. It is now thawing quite well and although it is still quite thick it is also quite soft. Retrieved Shadow and then spent some time breaking the ice along the bank, not difficult.
By running the engine and putting the boat in gear we cleared a large area of the canal of ice for a reasonable distance around the boats. Still not soft enough to travel, but getting close.
We have not seen a boat go past since New Years day and still no boats today. I would have expected to see at least one boat go past as everybody must be in a similar situation to ourselves, running out of water.
Sun, 17 Jan 2010
DSCF1770
DSCF1768
DSCF1769
Spent most of the day thinking about moving. Mind you, as I keep saying to the children, thinking can be dangerous, it usually ends up with an outrageous idea that might even get implemented.
Anyway, in the course of my thinking, I remembered the visit to the doctors about my knees.
When I lived in Bristol, I went to the doctors for a new inhaler and when I walked in to the doctors office I was asked if I minded if someone sat in on the consultation. I realised at once that this was a brand new doctor who had not seen patients before and I could have fun. 'No I don't mind at all' I said.
The new doctor was very young (shows my age) and very pretty, she was also a little nervous.
She asked how she could help and I asked for a new inhaler. She wrote out the prescription for that and asked if there were anything else.
'Yes' I said, 'Every now and again when I am walking up stairs or pressing on the brake pedal in the car my right knee gets a shooting pain. When walking up the stairs I can alleviate it by favouring the other leg, but when driving I have to just push on through it. Also I get twitchy legs which keep me awake at night.
At this point the doctor sitting in, said that the medical profession recognises 'twitchy leg syndrome' but has no cure and does not know what causes it.
The new doctor then asked me to jump up on the couch so she could examine my leg. She palpitated my knee and leg and finding nothing wrong suggested that I book in for a blood test, just to be sure that there were no underlying symptoms that would give me these pains in my knee.
I will add here that a previous doctor when posed with my painful knee suggested that it was old age, to which I replied "The other knee is just as old and that doesn't give me pain".
To continue, I booked in for the blood test and about a week later had a call from the doctor. She asked me if I drank much. I told her that I generally have three or four cans of lager of an evening and down a bottle of whisky once a week.
She then asked if I was happy with this. "Oh yes" I replied, "Every night".
She then suggested that I pop in and see her soon to discuss the results of the blood test.
A couple of weeks later I was due for another inhaler, so booked an appointment with the doctor. On entering the surgery she asked me what I was there for and I said "An inhaler".
She wrote out the prescription, looked at my notes and then said "Do you know the effects of alcohol?"
"Oh yes" I replied "Alcohol rots the brain cells. Fortunately it kills off the old and infirm first, leaving me with the really good ones. The more I drink the more intelligent I get"
She gave me a funny (old fashioned) look, so I thought I had better expand on my reply.
I told her that alcohol rots the liver, kills brain cells, disrupts the workings of the kidneys and affects motor coordination, and that it is better not to drink and drive.
She told me that I had a good handle on its effects and then asked me if I ever got up in the morning feeling the need for a drink.
I explained that I could not face alcohol before about six in the afternoon, but really enjoyed a drink during the evening whilst watching TV or a DVD.
At this point I asked her the purpose of this line of questioning and she told me that the blood test might possibly have picked up the onset of sclerosis of the liver.
"Oh dear", I said "How long would I have to have been drinking heavily for this to become apparent?"
"About fifteen years" she told me.
"That fits rather well" I replied. Again she had a funny look about her, so I went on to explain that I had not really drank any alcohol until I went to college about fifteen years ago and that while I was there the college lecturer went to the pub every Friday afternoon and the students generally went with him. I, like the rest, joined in this social activity, but as I was driving I used to have five or six pints of cola, and, probably due to the company, I was asked on more than one occasion "What are you on, I want some of that".
After a few weeks I managed to organise my life such that I did not have to drive home from college on a Friday and I could participate with the others and imbibe alcohol at the same time.
I will never forget going up to the bar and asking for a pint of London Pride and then going on to say "This is the first pint I have had in thirty years."
As soon as the words were out of my mouth I realised that I had given the wrong impression by the look on the barmaids face, which made me think of the reasons for not being able to drink alcohol for thirty years. The only reason that I could come up with was being 'at her majesties pleasure'.
I still don't know if this enhanced my reputation at that pub or not.
The doctor still had a funny look on her face, so I then asked her what the prognosis was, "Is it three weeks, three months, three years, ten years? I am only asking so that I can make a risk assessment on it".
She told me that she really did not know and then went on to ask me if I could do something for her.
Could I refrain from drinking for two months and then come back and see her again for another blood test as this would give a better indication of my state of health.
"Oh yes", I replied, "No problem"
As it turned out, I moved house before the end of this period and my only regret is that I did not write to her explaining why I would break my promise to her. The letter was to be on the lines of:-
Dear Doctor, I have taken your advice very seriously and will refrain from drinking alcohol for the next two months, except for July 22nd, when I will be getting married. On that day I will have a drink in celebration.
I am also getting married on September 12th and will be having a drink on that day in celebration as well.
I would have loved to have seen her reaction to that.
So much for thinking!
Mon, 18 Jan 2010 ¼ mile
DSCF2273
I think we actually travelled more like two miles, but there was almost as much in reverse as in forward. Break a bit of ice and creep forward till you can go no more. Reverse up a bit, trying not to get the lumps of ice caught in the propeller, don't want to break that off, and edge forward to break a bit more. Painful progress. Still we made it to Brinklow Marina around about dusk. Manoeuvred into the entrance way between the two bridges and moored up for the night.
Will walk across tomorrow and see if they can let us fill our water tanks.
Tue, 19 Jan 2010 1/2 mile
NovelGate
NovelGate2
Whilst taking the dogs for their morning constitutional I was accosted by a gentleman who asked me if I was from one of the boats in the marina entrance.
I admitted that I was and that we were here for water. He told me that they had no water at the moment, all their taps were turned off. However, there was a boat coming down the canal from Rose Narrow boats and they should clear a path through the ice.
Rang Rose Narrow boats, they knew nothing of a boat leaving their yard, explained where we were and why and Rose Narrowboats were most surprised that we had been refused water. Told us that if we could get to them we could have all the water we wanted.
Rang BW, who could only suggest that we get a taxi to Rose Narrowboats and collect water in a container. The guy excused himself on the basis that half his staff were dealing with the iced up canals and the other half were dealing with the floods!
About twelve a boat did appear from the direction we wanted to head off in, breaking the ice up quite well. Maybe we might get there today after all.
Steve arrived about half two with the children and after a cup of tea went on his merry way.
We then set off towards Coventry pushing the broken ice to one side as we progressed, slowly.
Got to the 14 day moorings just past All Oaks Wood and decided, due to failing light, to moor up for the night.
It's a good spot, with a wide towpath and low hedges, giving views of the surrounding countryside.
Two neighbours, both of them very pleasant. One of them with a young girl the same age as Kaia , so we decided top stay a while.
Wed, 20 Jan 2010 2 miles
PICT0006
Kath was occupied on the phone for most of the day so Scott
and I took Almyne up to Rose Narrowboats where we filled up with water and got a new gas bottle.
Took a couple of hours in total and we got back, again, just before dusk.
Scott Kaia and Storm , for that is the young girls name, set about making a den for Scott to sleep in for the night.
Brian and Ann , Storms parents, have a small-holding quite close, so each day they have to go off and feed the horses, sheep, ducks, chickens and turkeys. Today they took Kaia with them, she loved it.
On their return the children kept the dogs occupied, all four of them, D'fer , Rowan
, Lady and Driscoll, which was a big bonus, because without that we would have had all four dogs, three cats three children and two guinea pigs creating havoc on the boat.
Thu, 21 Jan 2010
D'fer 1
Today it was the turn of Destiny to top up with water and gas. While we were at the facilities and Kath was getting a pump out we spotted the coal boat along the arm. They had managed to poke a small hole in their boat breaking through the ice and were up there for repairs. All fixed now, so we should be able to get some coal later on today when they go past.
Motored back to our chosen mooring, tied up and chatted to Brian and Ann for a while. The coal boat arrived and the boat behind us filled up with diesel and got a few bags of coal, then it was our turn. We topped up with diesel and got another ten bags of coal, which should see us through the next week or so till the weather eases off and we can stop burning it 24 by 7.
Then it was the turn of Brian and Ann who also filled up with diesel and topped up with coal. The coal boat id due back in about two weeks, all things being equal.
Fri, 22 Jan 2010
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Washing. With loads of water and rain outside I stayed inside and did the washing. Never did quite catch up on last time.
Kath took the children along when Brian and Ann took her into town to do some shopping, so I was left to my own devices, cleaning, washing, tidying and updating the site. They were back before I knew it and I had hardly seemed to have got anything completed, although I was tired by all the activity.
Unloaded the shopping and distributed it between the boats, packing it all away.
The children decided that another den was in order so set about erecting a tent that Brian had brought back with him. It was still pouring with rain the the ground around the boat was sodden, but that did not deter them.
Once they were set up they all went to their respective dens and settled down for the night. Kaia and Storm lasted about two hours before deciding to give it a miss this time and come back inside.
Sat, 23 Jan 2010
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It's the weekend, we can all have a lie in, until, that is Scott woke up. His moving around soon aroused D'fer who went berserk trying to get out to play with him.
Another day of cleaning and tidying. I want to get Almyne suitable for guests sooner rather than later as it is getting to the season of visits.
Took everything off the top of Almyne and washed her off. Now I just have to work out what I really want to put back and what I can do without. It is surprising just how much junk I can collect over the course of a few months travelling that might be useful at some time, but never gets used.
Cleaned inside and tidied up. I have given up washing the floor, with all the mud outside, as soon as the floor is clean D'fer comes in to admire the spotless floors and leaves a trail of muddy footprints so that I know he was done his inspection.
Over a period of time the foam mattresses and the under quilt on the bed become damp, partly due to me sleeping on them and partly due to condensation, so from time to time I like to get them outside to air. Today looked like a good day, but only for a couple of hours as shortly after getting them all outside in the sunshine it clouded over. Couldn't risk them getting rained on so brought them back in again.
Sun, 24 Jan 2010
TallShip
Spent most of the day helping Brian and Ann fit their new cooker. It is a 'built in' and is designed to fit a 600mm gap. Brian had fitted a 600mm unit. Hmmm, doesn't quite work, so we had to redesign the units in his galley to make everything fit.
Lots of fiddling and messing around with battens and spacers, but eventually got it all up and working. Now they can have a hot meal.
The weather did not help as it rained nearly all day, turning the tow path into a veritable quagmire and making it impossible to do anything on the tow path, so had to do all the work on his boat in the galley. Manoeuvring a cooker around in a gap just 10mm wider than the cooker was a real game. We had to lift the cooker out of its prepared slot into the gangway, while Brian stepped into the cooker space, then move the cooker past him so that he could get out to do something, then reverse the procedure so that we could put the cooker back to check. Then repeat the process again to make a little adjustment - took all day.
DetinyKath very kindly invited us all aboard Destiny for an evening meal which was much appreciated by all.
Mon, 25 Jan 2010
Another week. Where does all the time go? It's nearly February and Easter is looming up and we haven't got over Christmas yet.
I expect some of you have noticed that I have started putting pictures in that have absolutely no relation to what is going on at the moment, but as I have taken so few pictures recently I decided to put in some old ones that I did not have room for at the time.
Tue, 26 Jan 2010 2 miles
One mile there and one mile back. Turned around at Brinklow Marina, the one that refused us water, and returned to our moorings in preparation to setting off towards Coventry and then on to the Ashby Canal.
Cleared up all the mess that I had made clearing the roof to wash it, cut up all the little bits if log that were left over and chopped some kindling.
The evenings are definitely drawing out as the sun is just going down over the horizon and it is past half four!
Wed, 27 Jan 2010 7½ miles
Today were travelling again. Set off mid morning. Weather rather good actually and the journey not at all unpleasant. Paused at Stretton Stop to get rid of the rubbish, and again at Ansty to top up with water. The water point moorings at Ansty are not good, there is a ledge just under the water level by the bank which means that the boat is grinding against rocks all the time the water is being replenished. I suppose it stops people staying too long.
Arrived at Hawkesbury Junction in time to moor up and still take a walk right up to the junction and a short way along the Coventry arm before dark.
Time just flies. It's nearly time for the children to go to Llangollen again.
Thu, 28 Jan 2010 1/2 mile 1 lock
Ten miles for Destiny, well strictly speaking, five there and five back as we took Destiny in to Coventry Basin and back.
Once there we wandered into Coventry to look around and sort out one or two bits and pieces. A much nicer place than my previous two experiences of Coventry. Didn't stay too long as we needed to get back to Hawkesbury Junction to sort Almyne out before dark. We did not manage that, so had to move Almyne around the junction in the dark.
Fri, 29 Jan 2010
Staying put today, waiting to pick up the car to go to Llangollen and then on to Burbage . All organised, I think.
Collected the car just after half three, did all the paperwork and set of back to the boats. Got to the traffic lights where I needed to turn left to go down to the boats and stopped. The car behind didn't. Ooops.
Exchanged details and took the car back to the rental company. Got a new car, and set off to the boats again. It was nearly eight o'clock before I eventually arrived there.
Set of to Llangollen and had an uneventful journey, I had already had all the excitement that I wanted for the day.
Dropped Kaia off with her dad and went on to Kath
's parents.
Sat, 30 Jan 2010 Early start, seven o'clock, to get to Worthing by lunch time. Stopped off for breakfast about half seven.
Made it to Worthing by two in the afternoon, after stopping off at the top of Portsdown hill to see the view.
Stopped off again on the way back for another look at the setting sun.
Arrived at Burbage by eight and settled in for the night, exhausted.
Sun, 31 Jan 2010
Much more leisurely day today, left Burbage by eleven and stopped off at Wilton Windmill for a look.
Got back to the boats in time to unload the car and get it ready to collect Kaia , Nat
and Leanne
tomorrow.
Happy New Year!
Saw the new year in, lit some sparklers, didn't have any rockets, had several drinks. Haven't had a drink for more than a week now because I have been driving, but made up for it last night.Woke this morning to the crunch crunch of a boat breaking the ice on the way past. The canal was not frozen last night when we eventually retired, so there must have been a sharp drop in temperature just before dawn.
Kath
took a short trip to the supermarket for some last minute provisions, like bread and we set off early afternoon to brilliant sunshine, a clear sky and a light flurry of snow. Stopped off just before the tunnel at Newbold to top up with water and set off again just before dark.The next couple of miles was done in the dark and was actually a pleasant journey, not too cold and enough starlight and moonlight to see where we were going to moor up.
Moored up close to All Oaks Wood, where we hope to get some firewood tomorrow.
Sat, 2 Jan 2010
Shadow went for a wander last night and has not yet returned, a bit of a worry as we cannot move on till he turns up.
I spent the afternoon doing washing and made a little dint in it.
Weather good although cold, the sun shining through brightly but with little strength. Ice on the canal again but not enough to impede the movement of the few boats that want to travel.
Sun, 3 Jan 2010
Nearest neighbours
Too cold to get up early so didn't get going till after eleven. Thick ice on the canal, almost too thick for the boats to break, but some were still moving and creating a hell of a din as they went past.
Cracked on with the washing again, there is mountains of it to catch up on, but I will beat it. Can't do too much at any one time as getting it dry takes longer than the actual washing and takes up all the spare space on both boats.
Took a walk with Kath
to knock on all the local doors to see if anyone has seen Shadow. He often goes for a wander but is rarely away from the boat for more than one night.Mon, 4 Jan 2010
Shadow still not back.
More washing today after lighting the fire. Temperature started of at a mere 45 F, and that was with the stove being in all night, although only just. Managed to get it going without resorting to fire lighters.
Tue, 5 Jan 2010
Sunshine in the Snow!
The wanderer returns. A guy rang Kath
this evening saying that he had found Shadow. Apparently Shadow had wandered back into Rugby and was found close to where we had moored up previously. Having befriended said wayward animal he managed to get close enough to read the telephone number on Shadows collar and, hence the phone call.Kath was delighted (in fact I think we all were) and promptly arranged to meet with said guy at the next bridge along the canal.
Said guy could not believe that we were all living on a narrow boat (too complicated to explain over the phone the fact that we live on two narrow boats, but there you go) which is why he agreed to deliver Shadow rather than getting us to walk the three miles back into Rugby and then try to find his house.
All's well that ends well.
I spent most of the day washing again. Nearly finished, I reckon that there is only another days worth, but we might just head off - if the ice breaks. Not likely according to the weather forecast.
Wed, 6 Jan 2010
Three inches of ice
Little to do today apart from keep warm. Did some work on the web site and did some development work for the web sites for Kath
Scott
and Kaia
so their web sites should be going live soon, well some time this year!No washing today as the washing that I have already done is not yet dry and is clogging up the passageways on Destiny.
Thu, 7 Jan 2010
Bridge 43
Up late today, well there is not much to do apart from watching the ice melt, or is that get thicker?
Started the engine and put Almyne in gear, revved the engine. There was absolutely no sign on any movement on the water for several seconds and then I spotted a little movement around Destiny's bows where the wash from Almyne was creating turbulence under the surface of the ice.
Although I was not up till late and did not get the fire going on Almyne till just after twelve, the temperature inside was down to minus half a degree centigrade. The sunshine had not warmed the boats up at all. Two hours after getting the fire going the temperature was up to 18.5 centigrade, but that is at shoulder lever, it was still pretty cold at foot level.
Perhaps this is why most boaters are hot headed but with cold feet.
Fri, 8 Jan 2010
Where we are
Decided to try to keep the stove on Almyne going 24/7. It works on Destiny.
Will be a little heavier on coal, but I should be able to get some work done instead of spending all day waiting for Almyne to warm up.
Will probably end up cutting lot more wood as it is so much cheaper than coal, it's free.
Sat, 9 Jan 2010
Cut lots of small stuff today for the pot bellied stove at the front of Destiny. Nothing over one and a half inches thick. Ten minutes cutting, ten minutes warming up, ten minutes cutting ten minutes thawing out. I find it is my fingertips that are the worst. I seem to be developing a bit of arthritis (or is it rheumatism) in the little finger on my left hand, which makes it particularly painful in the cold.
Mind you, if that is my only problem at my age I am not going to complain about it.
Sun, 10 Jan 2010
Sunshine on the snow
Blast from the past today. I got an email from a long lost friend from university. I last met Helen in Brighton in the early 2000's, since when, although she has not moved, she has changed her email address. Well, I've got it now, and hopefully we can keep in touch.
I have never been one for writing letters, or even keeping in touch by telephone (my excuse of late is that my hearing is deteriorating), but email and my web site is an attempt by me to make up for that.
Mon, 11 Jan 2010
Desolate
We had planned to go out for the day, but with a sort of thaw the tow path was so slippery that we decided to give it a miss. Even walking between the boats was a bit of a game, slipping and sliding at every step.
Amused ourselves playing Trivial Pursuit, the children taking the easy questions and Kath
and I taking the 'Grown Up" questions. I lost, miserably.A team of contractors arrived at the bridge and got all their tow path clearing equipment out, set up their signs and started to mow the grass and trim the hedges! Hmm, couldn't see much change to the grass under the snow and the hedges are not overhanging the tow path yet, still, they must be trying to steal a march on spring.
Tue, 12 Jan 2010
Snowy towpath
Today we went ten pin bowling. Fixed fee for all the games you can play from midday till six p.m.. Got my own back for trivial pursuit yesterday.
Walked a mile or so to the bus stop, caught the bus into Rugby and a taxi from Rugby to the bowling alley.
Played at least six games each and then got a taxi all the way back to the boats. Having lunched at the bowling alley we just had a snack for the evening and then watched Die Hard, all four of them. Well, only two tonight, watched the other two tomorrow evening, but I am jumping ahead of myself.
Wed, 13 Jan 2010
Springtime blossom!
Down to three bags of coal between us and the coal boat will not be along at least till the ice on the canal thaws out a lot more than it has at the moment. Should last us about three or four days, but to augment the coal we spent the afternoon cutting wood.
I purchased a gallon of two stroke petrol over a year ago and now I am on my last few gills, with both chain saws full. Something else to put on the shopping list when we are on the move again.
We had enough logs to last us a couple of days in no time and all from fallen trees.
Thu, 14 Jan 2010
Both of us
Steve
was due to collect the children today, but due to snow, he has postponed till tomorrow.The first real signs of thaw, both boats are afloat. It was strange to find them rocking as we moved about. Normally we do not notice the movement of the boats as we live with it day in day out, but having been iced in solidly for over a week we have not experienced the movement and had almost forgotten what it was like.
If it keeps up like this we might just wee a boat or two moving past in a few days. Once someone else has broken the ice we might just try moving on a bit.
D'fer
is now so familiar with his territory that he wanders much too far for a wee and yesterday I had to walk several hundred yards along the road to retrieve him. When I eventually spotted him running toward me he was still quite a long way away. He tried to race past me to the boats, I think he knew he was in disgrace, but he responded immediately to the command heel. That in itself was unusual, although he is getting better.Fri, 15 Jan 2010 Chopped more logs, did some work on the web site, preparing pictures of all the snow for the picture gallery and made some modifications to the software.
Steve
arrived just after one and after a cup of coffee took them off to his house. Seems strange not having them around.During the afternoon I tried Kath
's dongle. She is with a different provider to myself, and wonder of wonders, the signal was terrific, much better than mine.This meant that I could do some serious surfing and I found out loads about water less toilets and Hay Boxes.
Now it is a strange thing, but boaters are more than willing to chat about waste disposal of human by products, much more so than the rest of the world, so here goes.
The two main problems when afloat are water and waste disposal. My sister has commented in the past that she does not need to know when I empty the porta-pottie, but it is of some importance to boaters. Usually when we are on the move the next water point is not very far away. Topped up with water we can last for a couple of weeks quite easily, especially if we have both tanks topped up.
We last topped up on new years day and when we arrived here I spent four days doing the washing before I decided that it might be politic to conserve the water.
All the cooking and most of the drinks have been provided on Destiny. Now, fifteen days later we think that Destiny is almost out of water, but Almyne seems to be OK, not that we have a level indicator, but I still have water coming out of the taps. The taps on Destiny are 'spluttering' which seems to indicate that there is little water left.
Kath used to have a big rolling water container (the sort used on caravan sites) but having not used it for six months we left it at her lock up, it was just taking up space. It might be worthwhile getting one or two of those fold u water containers, at least then we could walk the three miles to the water point to fill it, even if we did find that it was frozen up. And then drag it the three miles back again. Hmm, perhaps not such a good idea, maybe we should just invest in a good water filter and melt the snow.
The porta-pottie is another matter. Once full, it cannot be used. It would be possible to carry it the five miles to the next sanitation depot. The only other solution is to dig a hole and bury it, although this is not approved of by BW. I did ring them to explain our situation and was given the thumbs up to use this method, but reminded that it should only be done in exceptional circumstances.
Have you ever tried to dig a big hole in frozen ground with a plastic seaside shovel, or the shovel from a fireside companion set?
When Andrew from the boat further along the canal took Kath to the supermarket last Sunday he described his method of waste disposal. He has an old elsan type toilet, one of those that is little more than a bucket under a seat. This is only used for solid waste and is immediately covered with a generous layer of ash from the fire. This absorbs both the moisture and the smell. At the end of each day the contents (a plastic bag is put into the bucket before use) are bundled up and put on the fire. Apparently it burns well, with no smell. Problem solved, we would never need a disposal point again, well, not in the winter anyway. In the summer getting to a disposal point is not a problem.
My research indicates that units like this can be purchased commercially, so we are not the only ones who have considered this as a solution.
On to Hay Boxes. Now I was under the impression that they actually do the cooking. Nearly right, what they actually do is continue cooking after the prepared meal has been brought up to temperature. This might be good in the summer, but in the winter we have the saves on all day anyway, so a source of free heat for cooking is not a problem. Might be useful in the summer when the fire is not going. Might make one, on the other hand I might not.
Quiet evening reading and enjoying a glass of wine.
Sat, 16 Jan 2010
Uploaded this pictures of the snow to the
PuppyD'fer picture gallery.
Shadow, the cat, decided to take a walk on the ice. It is now thawing quite well and although it is still quite thick it is also quite soft. Retrieved Shadow and then spent some time breaking the ice along the bank, not difficult.
By running the engine and putting the boat in gear we cleared a large area of the canal of ice for a reasonable distance around the boats. Still not soft enough to travel, but getting close.
We have not seen a boat go past since New Years day and still no boats today. I would have expected to see at least one boat go past as everybody must be in a similar situation to ourselves, running out of water.
Sun, 17 Jan 2010
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Spent most of the day thinking about moving. Mind you, as I keep saying to the children, thinking can be dangerous, it usually ends up with an outrageous idea that might even get implemented.
Anyway, in the course of my thinking, I remembered the visit to the doctors about my knees.
When I lived in Bristol, I went to the doctors for a new inhaler and when I walked in to the doctors office I was asked if I minded if someone sat in on the consultation. I realised at once that this was a brand new doctor who had not seen patients before and I could have fun. 'No I don't mind at all' I said.
The new doctor was very young (shows my age) and very pretty, she was also a little nervous.
She asked how she could help and I asked for a new inhaler. She wrote out the prescription for that and asked if there were anything else.
'Yes' I said, 'Every now and again when I am walking up stairs or pressing on the brake pedal in the car my right knee gets a shooting pain. When walking up the stairs I can alleviate it by favouring the other leg, but when driving I have to just push on through it. Also I get twitchy legs which keep me awake at night.
At this point the doctor sitting in, said that the medical profession recognises 'twitchy leg syndrome' but has no cure and does not know what causes it.
The new doctor then asked me to jump up on the couch so she could examine my leg. She palpitated my knee and leg and finding nothing wrong suggested that I book in for a blood test, just to be sure that there were no underlying symptoms that would give me these pains in my knee.
I will add here that a previous doctor when posed with my painful knee suggested that it was old age, to which I replied "The other knee is just as old and that doesn't give me pain".
To continue, I booked in for the blood test and about a week later had a call from the doctor. She asked me if I drank much. I told her that I generally have three or four cans of lager of an evening and down a bottle of whisky once a week.
She then asked if I was happy with this. "Oh yes" I replied, "Every night".
She then suggested that I pop in and see her soon to discuss the results of the blood test.
A couple of weeks later I was due for another inhaler, so booked an appointment with the doctor. On entering the surgery she asked me what I was there for and I said "An inhaler".
She wrote out the prescription, looked at my notes and then said "Do you know the effects of alcohol?"
"Oh yes" I replied "Alcohol rots the brain cells. Fortunately it kills off the old and infirm first, leaving me with the really good ones. The more I drink the more intelligent I get"
She gave me a funny (old fashioned) look, so I thought I had better expand on my reply.
I told her that alcohol rots the liver, kills brain cells, disrupts the workings of the kidneys and affects motor coordination, and that it is better not to drink and drive.
She told me that I had a good handle on its effects and then asked me if I ever got up in the morning feeling the need for a drink.
I explained that I could not face alcohol before about six in the afternoon, but really enjoyed a drink during the evening whilst watching TV or a DVD.
At this point I asked her the purpose of this line of questioning and she told me that the blood test might possibly have picked up the onset of sclerosis of the liver.
"Oh dear", I said "How long would I have to have been drinking heavily for this to become apparent?"
"About fifteen years" she told me.
"That fits rather well" I replied. Again she had a funny look about her, so I went on to explain that I had not really drank any alcohol until I went to college about fifteen years ago and that while I was there the college lecturer went to the pub every Friday afternoon and the students generally went with him. I, like the rest, joined in this social activity, but as I was driving I used to have five or six pints of cola, and, probably due to the company, I was asked on more than one occasion "What are you on, I want some of that".
After a few weeks I managed to organise my life such that I did not have to drive home from college on a Friday and I could participate with the others and imbibe alcohol at the same time.
I will never forget going up to the bar and asking for a pint of London Pride and then going on to say "This is the first pint I have had in thirty years."
As soon as the words were out of my mouth I realised that I had given the wrong impression by the look on the barmaids face, which made me think of the reasons for not being able to drink alcohol for thirty years. The only reason that I could come up with was being 'at her majesties pleasure'.
I still don't know if this enhanced my reputation at that pub or not.
The doctor still had a funny look on her face, so I then asked her what the prognosis was, "Is it three weeks, three months, three years, ten years? I am only asking so that I can make a risk assessment on it".
She told me that she really did not know and then went on to ask me if I could do something for her.
Could I refrain from drinking for two months and then come back and see her again for another blood test as this would give a better indication of my state of health.
"Oh yes", I replied, "No problem"
As it turned out, I moved house before the end of this period and my only regret is that I did not write to her explaining why I would break my promise to her. The letter was to be on the lines of:-
Dear Doctor, I have taken your advice very seriously and will refrain from drinking alcohol for the next two months, except for July 22nd, when I will be getting married. On that day I will have a drink in celebration.
I am also getting married on September 12th and will be having a drink on that day in celebration as well.
I would have loved to have seen her reaction to that.
So much for thinking!
Mon, 18 Jan 2010 ¼ mile
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I think we actually travelled more like two miles, but there was almost as much in reverse as in forward. Break a bit of ice and creep forward till you can go no more. Reverse up a bit, trying not to get the lumps of ice caught in the propeller, don't want to break that off, and edge forward to break a bit more. Painful progress. Still we made it to Brinklow Marina around about dusk. Manoeuvred into the entrance way between the two bridges and moored up for the night.
Will walk across tomorrow and see if they can let us fill our water tanks.
Tue, 19 Jan 2010 1/2 mile
NovelGate
NovelGate2
Whilst taking the dogs for their morning constitutional I was accosted by a gentleman who asked me if I was from one of the boats in the marina entrance.
I admitted that I was and that we were here for water. He told me that they had no water at the moment, all their taps were turned off. However, there was a boat coming down the canal from Rose Narrow boats and they should clear a path through the ice.
Rang Rose Narrow boats, they knew nothing of a boat leaving their yard, explained where we were and why and Rose Narrowboats were most surprised that we had been refused water. Told us that if we could get to them we could have all the water we wanted.
Rang BW, who could only suggest that we get a taxi to Rose Narrowboats and collect water in a container. The guy excused himself on the basis that half his staff were dealing with the iced up canals and the other half were dealing with the floods!
About twelve a boat did appear from the direction we wanted to head off in, breaking the ice up quite well. Maybe we might get there today after all.
Steve
arrived about half two with the children and after a cup of tea went on his merry way.We then set off towards Coventry pushing the broken ice to one side as we progressed, slowly.
Got to the 14 day moorings just past All Oaks Wood and decided, due to failing light, to moor up for the night.
It's a good spot, with a wide towpath and low hedges, giving views of the surrounding countryside.
Two neighbours, both of them very pleasant. One of them with a young girl the same age as Kaia
, so we decided top stay a while.Wed, 20 Jan 2010 2 miles
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Kath
was occupied on the phone for most of the day so Scott
and I took Almyne up to Rose Narrowboats where we filled up with water and got a new gas bottle.Took a couple of hours in total and we got back, again, just before dusk.
Scott Kaia
and Storm , for that is the young girls name, set about making a den for Scott to sleep in for the night.Brian and Ann , Storms parents, have a small-holding quite close, so each day they have to go off and feed the horses, sheep, ducks, chickens and turkeys. Today they took Kaia with them, she loved it.
On their return the children kept the dogs occupied, all four of them, D'fer
, Rowan
, Lady and Driscoll, which was a big bonus, because without that we would have had all four dogs, three cats three children and two guinea pigs creating havoc on the boat.Thu, 21 Jan 2010
D'fer 1
Today it was the turn of Destiny to top up with water and gas. While we were at the facilities and Kath
was getting a pump out we spotted the coal boat along the arm. They had managed to poke a small hole in their boat breaking through the ice and were up there for repairs. All fixed now, so we should be able to get some coal later on today when they go past.Motored back to our chosen mooring, tied up and chatted to Brian and Ann for a while. The coal boat arrived and the boat behind us filled up with diesel and got a few bags of coal, then it was our turn. We topped up with diesel and got another ten bags of coal, which should see us through the next week or so till the weather eases off and we can stop burning it 24 by 7.
Then it was the turn of Brian and Ann who also filled up with diesel and topped up with coal. The coal boat id due back in about two weeks, all things being equal.
Fri, 22 Jan 2010
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Washing. With loads of water and rain outside I stayed inside and did the washing. Never did quite catch up on last time.
Kath
took the children along when Brian and Ann took her into town to do some shopping, so I was left to my own devices, cleaning, washing, tidying and updating the site. They were back before I knew it and I had hardly seemed to have got anything completed, although I was tired by all the activity.Unloaded the shopping and distributed it between the boats, packing it all away.
The children decided that another den was in order so set about erecting a tent that Brian had brought back with him. It was still pouring with rain the the ground around the boat was sodden, but that did not deter them.
Once they were set up they all went to their respective dens and settled down for the night. Kaia
and Storm lasted about two hours before deciding to give it a miss this time and come back inside.Sat, 23 Jan 2010
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It's the weekend, we can all have a lie in, until, that is Scott
woke up. His moving around soon aroused D'fer who went berserk trying to get out to play with him.Another day of cleaning and tidying. I want to get Almyne suitable for guests sooner rather than later as it is getting to the season of visits.
Took everything off the top of Almyne and washed her off. Now I just have to work out what I really want to put back and what I can do without. It is surprising just how much junk I can collect over the course of a few months travelling that might be useful at some time, but never gets used.
Cleaned inside and tidied up. I have given up washing the floor, with all the mud outside, as soon as the floor is clean D'fer comes in to admire the spotless floors and leaves a trail of muddy footprints so that I know he was done his inspection.
Over a period of time the foam mattresses and the under quilt on the bed become damp, partly due to me sleeping on them and partly due to condensation, so from time to time I like to get them outside to air. Today looked like a good day, but only for a couple of hours as shortly after getting them all outside in the sunshine it clouded over. Couldn't risk them getting rained on so brought them back in again.
Sun, 24 Jan 2010
TallShip
Spent most of the day helping Brian and Ann fit their new cooker. It is a 'built in' and is designed to fit a 600mm gap. Brian had fitted a 600mm unit. Hmmm, doesn't quite work, so we had to redesign the units in his galley to make everything fit.
Lots of fiddling and messing around with battens and spacers, but eventually got it all up and working. Now they can have a hot meal.
The weather did not help as it rained nearly all day, turning the tow path into a veritable quagmire and making it impossible to do anything on the tow path, so had to do all the work on his boat in the galley. Manoeuvring a cooker around in a gap just 10mm wider than the cooker was a real game. We had to lift the cooker out of its prepared slot into the gangway, while Brian stepped into the cooker space, then move the cooker past him so that he could get out to do something, then reverse the procedure so that we could put the cooker back to check. Then repeat the process again to make a little adjustment - took all day.
DetinyKath very kindly invited us all aboard Destiny for an evening meal which was much appreciated by all.
Mon, 25 Jan 2010
Another week. Where does all the time go? It's nearly February and Easter is looming up and we haven't got over Christmas yet.
I expect some of you have noticed that I have started putting pictures in that have absolutely no relation to what is going on at the moment, but as I have taken so few pictures recently I decided to put in some old ones that I did not have room for at the time.
Tue, 26 Jan 2010 2 miles
One mile there and one mile back. Turned around at Brinklow Marina, the one that refused us water, and returned to our moorings in preparation to setting off towards Coventry and then on to the Ashby Canal.
Cleared up all the mess that I had made clearing the roof to wash it, cut up all the little bits if log that were left over and chopped some kindling.
The evenings are definitely drawing out as the sun is just going down over the horizon and it is past half four!
Wed, 27 Jan 2010 7½ miles
Today were travelling again. Set off mid morning. Weather rather good actually and the journey not at all unpleasant. Paused at Stretton Stop to get rid of the rubbish, and again at Ansty to top up with water. The water point moorings at Ansty are not good, there is a ledge just under the water level by the bank which means that the boat is grinding against rocks all the time the water is being replenished. I suppose it stops people staying too long.
Arrived at Hawkesbury Junction in time to moor up and still take a walk right up to the junction and a short way along the Coventry arm before dark.
Time just flies. It's nearly time for the children to go to Llangollen again.
Thu, 28 Jan 2010 1/2 mile 1 lock
Ten miles for Destiny, well strictly speaking, five there and five back as we took Destiny in to Coventry Basin and back.
Once there we wandered into Coventry to look around and sort out one or two bits and pieces. A much nicer place than my previous two experiences of Coventry. Didn't stay too long as we needed to get back to Hawkesbury Junction to sort Almyne out before dark. We did not manage that, so had to move Almyne around the junction in the dark.
Fri, 29 Jan 2010
Staying put today, waiting to pick up the car to go to Llangollen and then on to Burbage . All organised, I think.
Collected the car just after half three, did all the paperwork and set of back to the boats. Got to the traffic lights where I needed to turn left to go down to the boats and stopped. The car behind didn't. Ooops.
Exchanged details and took the car back to the rental company. Got a new car, and set off to the boats again. It was nearly eight o'clock before I eventually arrived there.
Set of to Llangollen and had an uneventful journey, I had already had all the excitement that I wanted for the day.
Dropped Kaia
off with her dad and went on to Kath
's parents.Sat, 30 Jan 2010 Early start, seven o'clock, to get to Worthing by lunch time. Stopped off for breakfast about half seven.
Made it to Worthing by two in the afternoon, after stopping off at the top of Portsdown hill to see the view.
Stopped off again on the way back for another look at the setting sun.
Arrived at Burbage by eight and settled in for the night, exhausted.
Sun, 31 Jan 2010
Much more leisurely day today, left Burbage by eleven and stopped off at Wilton Windmill for a look.
Got back to the boats in time to unload the car and get it ready to collect Kaia
, Nat
and Leanne
tomorrow.© Chris Giles 2021
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