A sublime day.

Hello fellow bloggers.

It has been another sublime day weather wise.

Sleeping in the heat we have been experiencing, has been not to bad. But my stupid shoulder has been keeping me away. It is improving allbeit slowly. So I was awake again pretty early and there for got up and took the mutt for a walk on the offside. Behind us we had the Manor House Hotel and the beautiful Braunston church. The church has been on many a postcard.

Whilst I walked Paddy, Keith made us a cooked breakfast. He always does a cooked breakfast, when we fancy one, because I do all of the other cooking. It is my morning off, as far as laying up the breakfast things. He also made me a nice cuppa. I still find a cup of tea is more refreshing than any other drink on a hot day.

Having had breakfast, I then trudged up the hill and I went and got a few salad bits from the shop in Braunston and some Bacon from the Butchers. The Butchers is one of the best in the area, and at the moment they are doing 18 rashers for £1.99, which is a very good price. When I got back to the boat, we both went to the Chandlers at the bottom of Braunston Locks. We find them much better on prices than other places. So with goodies in hand and on order, we headed back to the boat for some lunch, which I made. It was only a sandwich with some homemade cake, but would be enough to keep us going till dinner. We then decided to leave the Braunston Stop House Moorings and head out into the countryside up the Oxford Canal, for some peace and quiet. Before leaving though, I took the toilet cassette and emptied it. Yep I do that job as well. Well I help to fill it, so I should help to empty it. I know many women, will not even touch the cassette, let alone empty it, but it has to be done. So we are now out in the countryside and it is truly sublime. Stunning views and lots of birdsong.
Between Bridges 105 and 107 on the Oxford Canal, we spotted this Heffer grazing on the bushes. Your thinking aww how lovely. The problem with this was she was grazing out on the towpath. On the offside their were cows grazing in the field, so we think she may have swam across the canal. At any rate I rang the BW quick response team number and they were going to some out and find the cows owners. She was calling across the canal to her friends. Probably asking them to join her. Now that really would make a good photo.
We winded at bridge 107 and head back up the canal to moor near bridge 102, the Flecknoe road bridge, 7.4 miles 4hrs. This will be our home for a couple of days, as we have boat jobs to do. Like cleaning out the bilges and the front locker, which has an inch of water in it. That is going to be my job. Keith is going to clean out underneath the engine, as it has old oil in there and lots of dog hair. We will be using some cat litter to soak it all up. Then bag it up and take it to the nearest dump. I am totally against just dumping stuff in the hedgerows. The reason they made bins was so we could put our rubbish in them. So I wish people would use them. We are moored behind Tug Hector, the 2nd boat that Roger Fuller built back in 1986. The last time we saw her she had just been bought by her present owners Daisy and Paul, and they still love her, which is great news. Tug Hector has had a few changes made to her inside and she is looking lovely. Whilst we were nattering to Daisy and Paul, Graham on the Ecover boat Tia, pulled in to refill my Ecover bottles of which I am grateful. I had been hoping to do this for sometime. I got to have a few words with Graham, before he was off on his way home. No doubt we will see him again sometime.

So all is well with our world and we will enjoy this mooring and the digital TV signal we have. Andy Murray is through to the Semi Final after beating Tsonga yippee, well done Andy.

I have been out and washed down the boat and polished the side I could not reach when we were moored above Braunston. So that is another job done, for a few months.

Time to relax now, before bedtime. I am off to make a cuppa, so I will bid you a good evening.

Towpath Tale Part Two.

Hi Folks.

Well this one is really gonna make you scratch your head and wonder.

Over the weekend I got chatting to a friend who lives on a boat and is a continuous cruiser, and she was telling me that she met a woman and her family on a hire boat, which was heading back to base.
She enquired as to whether the lady and her family had enjoyed their holiday and the answer she got was.

"No, this has been the worst holiday I have had".

She said she was sorry to hear this and enquired further as to why she was so unhappy. The lady replied.

"People have been so rude and un-helpful, I feel that we will never take another canal holiday".

On this note, she asked what finally made her come to this decision and was told.

"We arrived at a flight of locks and joined the queue of boats to go up, when a private boat came past us and told us to go to the back of the queue"

My friend screamed "What".

The lady said " We were told that private boats take precedence at locks and all hire boats have to go to the back of the queue"

My friend was extremely annoyed and informed the lady that this was most definitely not the case. It was done on a first come, first served basis. Which she saw really upset the lady.

My friend spoke to this lady for sometime, and tried to smooth over her clear anger, at the way she and her family had been treated, whilst boating.

How dare anyone tell someone they are better than anyone else?
How dare anyone do this to a hirer, who has paid good money to be on a boating holiday?
This lady and her family may never come back to boating because of one stupid person.
If it had been me, I would have taken the boat name and number and reported them to BW, because the waterways does not need this sort of person on it.

I actually am a huge fan of hirers. Because they actually help to keep the waterways open. I have never had a problem with them. They are always ready to learn and listen to any help provided. Of course we have been hit by them on occasions, but it is only because they sometimes get things wrong. And yes I have asked to slow down a little when passing hire boats, which they usually do, because they did not realise they were going to fast.
We all had to learn and we all make mistakes. But to treat a hirer as this private boater did is not acceptable.

Braunston Historic Boat Rally Weekend.

Hi Folks.

I am not going to mention the football, because I realise that there maybe some very depressed people reading this post at the moment. So I will cheer you up with a few photographs from the 8th Braunston Historic Boat Rally.

There were 94 historic boats at this years event. Which is a record. The event organisers were also fortunate with the weather, it was sweltering on both days, which bought our the public and made for some great photographs.
I really had the most wonderful weekend, as did the other half, even though we are not taking part as we are not historic, although we are a working boat. Hadar was moored above the locks in the peace, quiet and shade, which was ideal for Paddy and Marmite. It just meant we had a bit of walk.

Keith took part in one of the boat parades. Two were held each day. The first at 11am and the second at 2pm. Keith managed to get a lift on Tom Hill's boats Ara and Archimedes. Keith was in his element.
Our weekend was made all the better, because we got to meet lots of fellow Bloggers and Facebookers. It is always wonderful to put faces to names. So a huge thank you to everyone who came and spoke to us. It was lovely to see you all. It was also wonderful to see old friends. Some who had travelled quite a way to come to the Rally. If you have never been the the Braunston Historic Boat Rally, make sure you come next year, because it is a fantastic event. The atomosphere is amazing, as are the people you get to chat too.

Today has been a bit of a let down after such a wonderful weekend. But I think we both needed a rest after all the walking we had done.
We polished the boats brass and waited for Tom and James to come with some diesel. They duly arrived during the afternoon to fill Hadar's tanks. Whilst she was filling up, I supplied the lads with drinks and the usual boaters talk got underway. Tom and James were heading back to London, so we hope they have a good trip. Tom's boats Ara and Archimedes look brilliant now they have been painted up, they are a credit to Tom.

With the day almost at a close, we are looking forward to a goodnights sleep, before setting off down the locks in the morning.

If you want to see some great videos from the weekend, why not have a look here http://vimeo.com/12938919

Oh what a day.

Hi Folks.

Oh what a day it has been.
It began for me at 4am. I was up listening to the dawn chorus.
Why?
Because I felt I was carrying around a lump in my stomach. I have absolutely no idea why, because I did not eat anything different last night. So I sat up until 5am and played on my Nintendo, wondering if I was going to throw up. When I did get back to bed, I slept until around 7.30am and was then up and doing the usual morning things.
Bog on NB Glenfield, offered us a lift into Tesco's at Daventry, so we accepted his offer, as it was a chance to stock up the cupboards. With it being so hot, we are living off of salads at the moment, so I got plenty of that in and other bits. We arrived back and Andy and his dog Lyra paid us a visit. So the kettle went on for coffee's all round. I then made us and Bob some lunch, it was the least i could do for Bob, after he took us shopping.
With lunch over, we waled down the locks to see if any more boats had arrived and they certainly had, it was extremely busy.
This photo is from a couple of days ago. The pound is now filling up with boats nicely, making life difficult for any other boats to get through. It is really quite funny to watch as people struggle to get by in spaces which really you could get a couple of double decker busses through.
It was nice to carch up with people we have not seen for a while, like Sarah on Chertsey, who we last saw in 2009 at the Rickmansworth Boat Festival. Since then she and her husband have bought Chertsey and are restoring her. It was nice to see them at Braunston. They had a lovely journey to get to Braunston and if you see Sarah she is wearing a perminant smile. She is so happy with nher boat. We also said hello to Sue from NB Thea, she is on our Facebook page as is Kerry Dainty, who we had never met in person. It is always wonderful to put faces to names. I do however get really annoyed when people choose to ignore me when I speak to them, especially when they know me. I spoke to one person a couple of times and felt like they were just looking straight through me. There is absolutely no need for being ignorant, as I have only ever been polite to them. Still my friendship is their loss. I can certainly live without knowing them, if they want to be that ignorant. I am the sort of person who will chat to anyone. I am a people person, but if i feel I am wasting my time, then I will walk away. Having chatted to loads of people and looked at loads of boats, we walked back up the locks with Bob, who bought us all a Mint Cornetto (My favourite). By the time we got back to the boat we were everso slight worn out, but I had cakes to make as Tom on Ara and Archimedes asked if I would make him a Victoria Sandwich and who am I to refuse such a lovely young man. He also wanted my winter back cabin curtains, because he did not have any for his butty. I was happy to help him out. Only because he reminds me so much of my son. So I made two Victoria Sandwiches. One for Tom and the other for us. I then did our dinner, which was a salad yet again.
With dinner done, I packed the cake and curtains into a bag, put the lead on Paddy and walked back down the locks again to deliver my goodies to Tom. He was chuffed to bits with both the curtains and the cake, so I hope he has a fantastic weekend. Walking back up the locks yet again to the boat Paddy was on his last legs, he was not finding it at all entertaining and by the time we were back onboard, he collapsed in a heap on the cool floor. He is not as fit as he should be due to a breathing problem he has had since birth, so although he came from a working farm, he would have been no good for working with sheep.
So dear friends, my day is now done and I am sitting down with my feet up and a cuppa to hand as I type this, whilst watching the football. Spain are leading Chile 1-0 at the moment.

A Vision in Blue.

Hi Friends.

Lets start with the football shall we. Congratulations to England on their 1-0 win yesterday. We played so much better thank goodness. We are now destined to play Germany after they won last night. Now if I did not know any better, I would have to say this was fixed to work out this way ha ha ha. I know it is not fixed, but it sure feels that way.

I would like to say to the boater who came past us at speed this morning SLOW DOWN PASSING MOORED BOATS.... Opps sorry for shouting, but grrrrrr. Just because it was early and people were still in bed. I suppose they thought no one would notice. I lay in bed thinking this person must have had a Bee up their arse to be going that fast. And yet as they approached the tunnel they slowed right down.

How do I know that??

I could hear the revs drop off to nothing. If I could have got out of bed quick enough I would have shouted at them out of the engine room doors, but as I was in the all together, I did not think it appropriate. But then neither was their speeding. Maybe the sight of me in the buff would have slowed them down quick smart. Some people have no respect.

Ok this morning's rant is now over. I am gonna be calm from now on.

Having been woken up by a speeding boater, I got up and took Paddy for his walk across the field and was greeted by a vision in Blue. The flowers are from Linseed plants and there are two fields full of flowers. It really did look quite beautiful in the sun.

Back at the boat, I made an effort to get all the brasswork cleaned inside and out. I like to keep the brass clean. It is so much easier to keep it cleaner in the Summer. During the winter after cleaning the brass outside, i would coat it in Vaseline, to make it last longer. So I have done all the portholes, mushroom vents and bits on the outside of the boat. I then got on with all the brass in the back cabin, this included the rails on the stove, the copper kettle and all the horse brasses. It is really looking smart now, even if I do say so myself. A bot of elbow grease goes a long way, even with my dodgy shoulder. Keith got on with the Engine. Whilst I was out doing the brass NB Glenfield arrived behind us with Bob on board, so no sooner he was moored up I made us all a cuppa and we spent a good hour chatting about our adventures and putting the world to right. We got to know Bob at the Little Venice Calvalcade in 2009. Bob is a WRG member(Waterways Recovery Group). It was nice to see him again and to find out all of his news. Whilst we were chatting, I could here a a noise which sounded like bees buzzing, the noise got louder and louder and soon over head we could see a swarm of bees. There must have been thousands of them heading up the canal. They looked like a force to be reconned with.
I wonder where they were heading?

After some lunch and yet more cleaning, we had a visit from Diana and Brian off of NB Harnser. I keep in touch with Brian via a Facebook and their blog, but it is always nice to meet up face to face. They are here in Braunston for the boat rally. So yep you guessed it, the kettle went on and chit chat insued. I love catching up with people, because there is always so much to talk about. We will see them again over the weekend I am sure. After they had gone, the TV went on to see the remainder of the football match between Italy and Slovakia, to see Solvakia win 3-2. Congratulations for dumping Italy out of the competition. Marcello Lippi should be ashamed of himself for not shaking the hand of the Slovakian coach at the end of the match.

I now have dinner to make and then an evening of cutting hubbies hair. He is beginning to look a little shaggy. I have been cutting his hair, ever since we met, so save ourselves a fortune. I guess we will be watching more football tonight. Unless something better comes a long.

Angel in the sun.

Hi Friends.

What a day I have had, it has been fantastic.
It all began a little less early than previous mornings. I was woken up by the sound of Crow's and Magpie's. It seems that on one side of the cut the Crow's live and on our side the Magpie's live and in the morning's they have a shouting match across the water. Then there were footsteps on the roof of the back cabin. Not sure whether it was a Crow or a Magpie though.
Having crawled out of my pit and got dressed. Paddy needed his walk and yet again he went scampering across the field. This time he caught the scent of something, and was off like a whippet to find the smell. It was probably a Rabbit, which he never did find. Having got back to the boat, I had breakfast and a cup of tea.
I then grabbed my camera and walked back up to the tunnel. This was the morning when the Butty 'Angel' was going to be legged through the tunnel. Roy the British Waterway's man, was there to make sure no boats went into the tunnel and his workmate was at the other end. The tunnel was closed from 8am to 11am.
I have spent a fabulous morning taking photographs of the Butty 'Angel' being legged through Braunston Tunnel and then the butty was pulled along by Gypsy Queen. It was so wonderful to see. It made me ponder about how they used to do boating all those years ago. It took the leggers about an hour and half to leg through Braunston Tunnel, all 2042 yards, 1867 metres. They certainly needed their weetabix this morning. I was joined by Betty from NB Oakfield, who also had her camera to hand. It was a bit of a shame that more people did not turn out to see this wonderful thing take place. Sue Day who is the Chair Person for the Horse Boating Society was there on hand to make sure everything went like clockwork. I happily gave my services to take the photographs for her. It is something I could watch all day.
Gypsy Queen pulled the Butty Angel out of the lock and on to the next lock down the flight. There is something so majestic about this form of transport. It would have been so peaceful on the cut in those days. The cut these days is a little more crowded and this was evident with the boats travelling up the flight. We made every effort to make sure they knew what to do when leaving the lock, because the last thing Sue needed was for a boat to get in between the horse and the boat. Thankfully everyone seemed to grasp what was required of them and the trip went without any hitches. The only real problem I had was the sun. Now I love the sun, I really do. But it did cause problems taking the photos, especially when people were in the way. I left the procession half way down the flight and legged it back to the boat to down load the photos on to a disc for Sue. I then made us some Bacon Sandwiches for lunch, before going back down the flight to hand the disc over the Sue and a couple of others, who had asked for the photos. One of them being the Cheese Boat which is here for the weekend. Geraldine and Micheal have a mooring in the Marina for the weekend. Whilst walking back I caught up with other people we know and who we will see over the weekend. Back onboard I was in need of a drink and a sit down. I really need to get my fitness back up to a better level. It was football time. But with the TV reception at best not good, Keith went and played with the ariel to get us a better picture for BBC1. As he sorted us out a boat pulled in behind us and I heard one of them say "We will stop here, and see if we can get a picture, if not we will go through the tunnel" They must have got a picture, because they stayed until the final whistle and then they undid their ropes and moved off. I wonder if their picture was as poor as ours was??

Ok now I think I said that I would not mention the football on a previous post, or was it the Election, oh well never mind I am going to mention the football, because you cannot have failed to notice that England were playing today again Slovinia and we had to win this match to stay in the World Cup. What a game it was too. The guys did us proud by winning 1-0. In my opinion it should have been more as we had plenty of opportunities to score more. I do wonder how much further we will go in the World Cup. I have a dreadful feeling that we may end up playing Germany next arghhhhh.

Also on the football. I was appauled by the behaviour of the French Coach Raymond Domenech. Domenech refused to shake the South African coach's hand. The snub occurred when Carlos Alberto Parreira, the South African coach, came over to Domenech at the conclusion of the game and wanted to shake his hand. The Frenchman refused to do so mentioning that Parreira had insulted his team by saying that they should not have beaten Ireland in qualifying because of a handball goal by Henry. he was stating the obvious and I bet none of the Irish were crying for the French when they crashed out of the World Cup. Despite what happened there was absolutely no excuse for Raymond Domenech's behaviour. He should be ashamed of himself. Football is supposed to be the beautiful game, there is nothing beautiful about it when people behave like that. Not only that it sets a bad example. Just my opinion though.

In the Heat.

Hi Folks.

Phewwwwww it is hot out there now, so thought I would come in and try and blog. The signal here is very poor, so I am not able to post photographs at the moment Sorry.

Yesterday having arrived at the top of Braunston Locks, we settled ourselves in and as I said in my previous post we had lunch. We then took a stroll down the locks to see how many historic boats had arrived already and we were not disappointed. There were a few already moored up for the Rally, these included Clover and Fazeley which belongs to Micheal Pinnock Jnr. Micheal Snr and Maureen were moored opposite on Alder and invited us over for a coffee, which was really nice. The last time we saw the two Micheal's was in October, so it was nice to do some catching up. We also met up with the Fudge boat and got to try some of their Rum and Raisin Fudge, which was extremely yummy. I love boat gatherings, because you get to catch up with a lot of people you may not have seen for a while. You also get to meet new people.

This morning we were once again awake way to early and so a cup of tea in bed was called for. I am not one for laying in bed, so having tried to nod off, I decided that it was best to get up and take his Lordship for his walk. I walked him up to and over the tunnel, where he could have a run out over the field. At the tunnel entrance was a BW man waiting for a widebeam to arrive from the other end. Well so he thought. It turned out that the widebeam was actually moored by us and was supposed to be at the tunnel for 8am. The widebeam arrived at 8.45am, so I bet the BW man was not amused. He has to come back tomorrow for the horse boat, which is coming through the tunnel in the morning. Back onboard K had laid up my breakfast, it was only cereal. We then decided that before it got to hot, we would walk up to the Butcher's and the small store in the village, to pick up a few bits. With the weather set to stay hot until at least the weekend, we will be eating salads, because I am not cooking. So we made our way down the locks and across the field, to the village. We love the Butchers there, he does some fabulous meat. I remember we bought some Lemon Chicken from him last time and it was amazing.
On our return stroll we called in at the Braunston Chandlery at the bottom lock and got some paint and a new Towpath Talk, before visiting the Lock Cottage shop, which does large cans of Brasso at a very reasonable price. He only had two cans left, so I bought them both.
Walking back up the locks to the boat, we got chatting to Ann on NB Oakfield. Ann was busy cleaning down the boat, before it got to hot. We learned that they were also friends with Del and Al on NB Derwent6, and that came about because Derwent6 was in the built slot before Oakfield. It is a very small world on the cut. We left Ann to her cleaning and we got back to the boat to put the shopping away.
K decided to rub down the pigeon box and use the Primer, Undercoat he had just bought. I in a moment of madness, thought I should wash the boat down and give her a coat of polish. I must have been barking, because my shoulder was not at all impressed. I managed to do the Starboard side and then I called it a day. Paddy was out on the back counter, staring at a tennis ball floating alongside the boat. I think this may have been the one he was playing with yesterday. I was not going to lean over the edge to get it out of the water, so he would just have to stare at it. Marmite was out on a long lead rolling in the dust. She loves nothing more than a dust bath. She then decided that chasing leaves was a great game. Ann from NB Oakfield walked up to say hello to us and the Mog and Dog. Time always flies when your having fun and it was then time for lunch and a well earned break. I am not doing anything else work wise today.

May I just say that for anyone out there with dogs.........PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, dont walk them in the middle of the day in this heat! heat exhaustion KILLS. how would you like to run around in this, wearing a fur coat unable to even sweat! KEEP THEM COOL! I am saying this after a friend posted this on her Facebook page. Paddy is laying inside the boat in the cool, which is where a dog should be. I know dogs need walking, but leave it until later in the day.

Cruising on a happy sunny day.

Hi Friends.

It was so nice to wake up this morning and see the sun beaming through the pigeon box portholes. This was 6am I hasten to add, so early. Due to the hour, I got up and made us a cup of tea which we enjoyed in bed. A small luxury, we like to indulge in some mornings.
P got his run out across the Buttercup Meadow again this morning. He is just like a silly puppy, when he gets in the long grass. P is now 6 years old, so he is getting on in human years I suppose, but the thought of running through long grass and Buttercups, makes him feel like a 1 year old again.
We set off from Crick at 8.35am, Betty poked her head out of her window and said "Good Morning, I thought you were going early". I replied "We had a lie in". We will see them again in a day or two, as they are coming to Braunston.
We stopped at the Sanitary Station at Crick to empty the toilet cassette, and then put in our ear plugs to do Crick Tunnel. You are probably wondering why we wear ear plugs. Believe me, if you heard our engine in a tunnel you would want to wear ear plugs as well. She is a very loud lady.
We arrived at Watford Locks and I went and found the Cathy the Lock Keeper, who told us we could come down behind NB Attitude, who was just entering the top lock. I helped the gentleman to get through the first lock as he was on his own and then Cathy helped him down the rest whilst I locked us down. Watford Locks are so easy to do and very pretty. Swopping and swishing through the air were House Martins and Swallows. A pair of Swallows have nested in the Lock Keepers shed, so they were busily flying in and out with flies that they were catching over the side ponds. As we got to the bottom of the stair case locks NB Lady Violet was coming up and out of the single bottom lock, but got her positioning wrong coming out of the lock, which meant K could not get our boat out of the lock without bumping her out of the way. With us being 70ft we need all the water we can get to turn her into the last lock. The lady steering seemed none to bothered and so we all went on our way without a word being spoken. We arrived at Norton Junction at 11.35 and turned to face Braunston. The views across the valley are stunning and with the new towpath along this stretch, you can moor up and look out across the valley. Braunston Tunnel soon approached and we donned our ear plugs once more as we entered the tunnel behind another boat. When moving through a tunnel it is advisible to keep to cruising speed, because this helps you to stay in the centre of the tunnel, as any wash bounces off of thr tunnel walls and keeps you centred. Unfortunately the boat in front chose to slow down, which meant we had to as well. This meant they were not exactly in control of their boat as another boat entered from the other end and they ended up having a coming together.
We are now at the top lock Braunston, having done 8.5miles, 7 locks, in 4hrs. We thought that the moorings would be busy so were surprized the moorings above Braunston top lock are empty, so we are now here till the weekend and the Historic Boat Rally.
I have done some lunch and managed to find a resonable TV signal for the football. At the moment Portugal are thrashing North Korea 4-0. Going for a walk in a while down the locks, to see who is already here for the Rally.

No Better Way.

Hi folks.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there.

There is no better way to start the day, than with a cooked breakfast. On our boat K always does the cooked breakfast. It is something he loves doing every now and again. But before that could be enjoyed. There was a certain mutt to walk, that came after the cat had crept into our bed to get warm. On a chilly morning, she loves to creep in under the covers, curl up in a ball and fall a sleep for five minutes, or until we get up. I disturbed her sleep, by getting out of bed. P was ready for his morning stroll. He was actually bursting to go, no sooner he was off the boat. I took him back up the towpath close to Crack Hill and let him have a run out across a Buttercup Meadow. He was in his element, bouncing his way across the field. I am sure he has springs in his legs. With his walk over, both he and M got their breakfast, whilst hubby cooked ours. This morning's delight was Grilled Bacon, Poached Eggs on Toast and Grilled Mushrooms. Very yummy as always. Because I do most of the cooking onboard, this is hubby's chance to shine and he does it very well. I then of course get the washing up ha ha ha.

With breakfast over with and the washing up done. I suggested we take a walk up Crack Hill. So I grabbed my camera, we locked up the boat and set off along the towpath, towards our destination. The views across the field was quite stunning with all of the buttercups out. You can see Crack Hill in the background.

Once we reached the top, there were picturesque views across to Crick Village, Yelvetoft and I could even see the radio masts at Rugby.
There was even a pleasant view of Crick Marina, where boats had gone out of for the weekend. We took a walk through Millennium Wood, and sat at a picnic bench and just listened to the birds singing. A Skylark was in great song nearby. I reckoned that they probably had a nest in the grass close by. It was just so nice to sit and listen to the peace and quiet of the countryside.

I love allsorts of wildlife, but one little thing really makes me smile is the Ladybird. They are so pretty and are great to have in any garden, if you want to get rid of Green Fly. Having enjoyed the tranquility of the wood, we wandered back to the boat and a coffee was the order of the day. P and M were allowed to go out on the back counter of the boat to enjoy the morning sunshine. Whilst I made lunch, K laid out his Rag Rugs on the roof of the boat, hoping someone may like to buy one. After lunch I got chatting to people walking a long the towpath. I could chat for England me. If chatting was a world cup event, then I would win it for England. Moored in front of us was NB Tranquility and they are also an official trading boat. I took a wander down to have a natter with them and introduced myself. Betty and Graham have been on NB Tranquility for 3 years and they sell rubber fenders, and knitwear. Betty knits babies cardigans up to the age of 2 years and very nice they are too. K came and joined in the chat and before we know it a couple of hours had gone, by and more coffee was called for. So we all pulled up a chair each and settled down to putting the world to right, whilst watching boats coming back to the Marina. When I looked at my watch it was 6.30pm, neither the mog or dog had been fed and dog had not had his walk either. So we all agreed although we were having a good time, we should cook our dinners and K should walk P whilst I put away the Rag Rugs and then did dinner.

Today has been a lazy Sunday. We spent most of it sitting in the sun watching the walkers, joggers and boats go by, whilst making new friends with Betty and Graham. We may see them again at Braunston next week. It has been a throughly enjoyable day. We did not sell any rugs, but maybe we will have more luck next week.

17 miles of beauty.

Is it just me, or has it been cold today??

I thought that it was more like Autumn when I took P out for his walk around Foxton Locks. I did catch a glimpse of a juvenile Kingfisher. Typically I did not have my camera on me. I never learn.

Brrrrrrrr where has the Summer gone??

When we set off at 8.15am, I did try to brave it in just my shirt sleeves and waistcoat. But both K and I had to don our Donkey Jackets to keep out the chilly Northerly breeze. The sun did put in an appearance, but was not warm enough to make us take our jackets off. Some of the views across the countryside along this 20 mile pound are stunning. We enjoyed 17 miles of scenery today and loved every moment of it. I saw a Buzzard, Squirrels, 4 Kingfishers, the usual ducks, Swans and Moorhens. It is was wonderful to see so many Kingfishers, because we were a little worried about them after the harsh winter we have just had. In some areas the Kingfisher has really suffered and gone altogether. This was mainly due to the lack of food, because with the canal frozen they could not catch fish. I do know that many fled to the rivers and even the coast to find food.

We met our first moving boat of the day NB Sarah D at 9.30 am and after that there was a steady stream of boats coming out of Yelvetoft and Crick Marina's for the weekend. There were plenty of stationary boats as well, some not holding up to date licences I hasten to add. We cruised past the home and stables of Piggy French. She has a beautiful property, but until today we did not know it was her place. For anyone who does not know who Piggy French is. She Piggy is a member of the UK World Class Eventing Squad.

During the run from Foxton to Crick, I kept the coffee coming, plus biscuits and then lunch. We only ever have sandwiches when eating on the run. I then cook at dinner time. Tonights dinner is going to be Sweet and Sour Chicken, with Rice. In between times I got to steer as well. I like to keep my hand in, as there is always something to learn. K is really enjoying steering the boat again after being out of action for some 6 months, so I am happy to let him have his fun ha ha ha.
We were just about to cruise past Kilworth Marina, and saw that they were just about to let the Dayboat out. Luckily they waited until we passed them by.

It always seems that we have to have someone hit us at least once a fortnight and this morning it must have been our turn again, because we were hit head on, but a boat totally out of control. They blamed it on being grounded, but I watched as they carried on down the canal and the steerer was all over the place. They apologised for hitting us. K said " It's ok, you would hurt this boat". Which whilst being true, it does not mean that we are open for target practice. People really need to learn how to steer their boats. We met a couple of private boats, who steered heavily out of our way, only to find themselves on the mud. When passing you do not need to actually move out of the way until the very last moment. You can head bow to bow and then at the last minute, slide past each other. Some people seem to make such a drama out of the manoeuver.

Heading towards Crick we passed Yelvetoft Marina, who is selling diesel for £1.19 a litre any advance on £1.19?

The Marina looked pretty empty. Either the boats are out, or they are still trying to fill it. It is in a lovely area and has all the facilities, but in these times of tightening belts, I do wonder if they may have bitten off, more than they can chew.

Having met every man, woman and their dog moving in the opposite direction, it was nice to arrive at Crick and find a mooring. There was only room for us and one more boat, so just as well we left early this morning. I tied up the bow and K did the stern as always. I then shut down the engine and turned off all the appropriate levers and switches.

No sooner we were settled P and M decided it had to be time to sit out on the back counter. M always has her harness and lead on, so she can sit out on the roof. P just lounges on the back counter and watches the world go by. It sure is a dogs life.

We will be staying here till Monday. We have a good digital signal again so we can watch the football. It had better be better than England's performance last night, because that match was a real shocker. We played abismally and that is a fact. I think we will be coming home early.

Up, Up and tie up.

Hi folks.

Is now at the top of Foxton locks, 1 miles, 10 locks, 1hr 30mins.

Having been awake since 6am, I got up and put the kettle on the gas so that K and I could enjoy an early cuppa in bed, before getting up and preparing Hadar for the off. When we were on the electric I used an electric kettle, which was so quick to boil. The gas is so slow. Having got dressed, I then took P for a run across the field. It has to be said he was gone before, I could say anything. Byt the time I got into the field, P was already down the bottom of the meadow. He always loves this place. Purely due to the smells of Rabbits. I know for a fact , even if he saw one, he would not know what to do with it.
The plan was to get up the locks early, which also seemed to be the plan of others, because as we arrived at the lock, there was a boat already going into the bottom lock. So having sat Hadar on the gates, I walked up to find the lock keeper. During the Summer they have lock keepers on duty to help people up through the flight. He informed me that we were 4th in the queue, which was a surprize to me because there was no one waiting below the bottom lock, we were on our own. Apparently I was passed by a gentleman running up the towpath, who was going up the flight third, if he was quick enough to get rid of his rubbish. Flippin cheek. I saw this man sprint past me, but though nothing of it. Clearly he was in a rush to get up the locks and did not want us holding him up.
As it actually turned out, the boat in second place, said that we should go before them, as it would be easier. Which was really very nice of them. So thank you to the crew of Mutley. They very kindly helped me do the first few locks, which gave us a chance to have a nice chat. It turned out that they are good friends of Jo and John on Acen, who we also have go to know, since being in Market Harborough Basin. So we had a nice quiet run up through Foxton locks, which nattering to the lock keeper. Once above the locks we moored up and K moved some more coal around in the hold to get the bow up a bit, he also restacked all the toilet blue and kindling. Hold looks all neat and tidy now. I mopped out the front locker, the gates at Foxton are leaking lots, and with such force it bounced off the fore deck and up under the hatch. There was a good inch of water in the locker. I have got most of it out, but as I am trying not to overdo it with my shoulder, I did not get it completely dry.
We have enjoyed a chat with other boaters moored near us and had our rolls for lunch. We are now watching the Germany v Serbia World Cup match on a digital signal, so all is good with our world today. We will probably head for Crick tomorrow.

A Morning At Foxton.

Hi Folks.

It has been the most beautiful morning here at Foxton. The sun was shining bright and early, with the temperature rising, as the hours crept by. Having walked his Lordship P early, we got to have a good run out across the field and I saw this little gem.
The flower is a Monkey Orchid and was the only one there. It is a real beauty. P was of course oblivious of this little gem, all's he was interested in was the rabbit holes.

After some breakfast K and I walked up to Rural Trading. Susan has set up shop in the old Skittle Alley of the Black Horse Inn and is doing a roaring trade with villagers and boaters a like. For boaters it is a much needed asset and we look forward to using her services. I have also agreed to supply them with coal over the winter for their village customers, which to me is fantastic, because we can make use of each others services. I look forward to working with her come October. Whilst there I bought some bacon, which we will have for breakfast one of these mornings.

Having left Rural Trading, we walked to the top of Foxton Locks, and spoke to the Lock Keeper Mike about going up in the morning. The locks are unlocked at 8am, so we will be probably one of the first boats up them. We of course passed the time of day with him for some 20 minutes, before walking down to Bridge 61 and a coffee was called for.
It is now getting hot, so having pulled Hadar forward into a better mooring spot, we have managed to get a digital TV signal, so perfect TV pictures for the football today. As I type Argentina and South Korea are playing and it is 0-0 at the moment.
I am now off to make some lunch. Have a good day everyone.

On the move again at last.

Hi folks.

Well the day has finally arrived. The day when we can undo our ropes and set off for pastures new. Having been stuck in Market Harborough since December, it has been a struggle not to go stir crazy.
The alarm went off at 7am, but to be fair I was awake at 6am. I could hear the Common Tern in the basin, looking for its breakfast. P had his walk first and then we had breakfast. Whilst drinking my early morning cuppa, I rolled up the sheeting and sorted the hold out, because we were expecting an early delivery of coal. Infact the delivery did not arrive until around 10am. But it was not a problem, because we were in no hurry. Because of my shoulder, I was not allowed to handle the coal today, so I left K with that job. He stacked the coal as it was delivered to the boat. I stacked the Kindling and Toilet Blue, which was none to taxing. I also got the job of making the tea. When ever we have a coal delivery, I always have cake and biscuits for the lads to devour. This morning it was Chris and Tom, who were digging into the cake and biscuits. To be honest they deserved it on such a warm morning.
With the coal, kindling, toilet blue and firelights stowed away, K started the engine and she was none to happy to fire on both cylinders, so coughed into life on one cylinder for a while and then got the second cylinder going. With all jobs done, we said our goodbye's to all the friends we have made in the basin and finally got moving as far as Foxton, 5.5miles 2hrs 5mins, it is absolutely fantastic to be on the move again, on such a fabulous day. The Swing Bridge at Foxton, was the usual pain in the butt. Apparently the bearing needs changing, but that will not be done until at least the end of the Summer, so it is almost impossible to open the damn thing. K had to actually use the boat to open it. He gave it a nudge for me, so I could get it moving. I could only get it open 3/4, and then it would go no further. Something seriously needs to be done now, before someone ends up hurting themselves. Thankfully it did not make my shoulder any worse.
Having arrived at Foxton, we moored up, set up the TV ariel and sat and watched the football. This mooring will be home for a day or two.

Life Is...

Life is meaningless only if we allow it to be.
Each of us has the power to give life meaning, to make our time and our bodies and our words into instruments of love and hope.

It won't hurt a bit.

Hi folks.

One day to go and counting. Yep tomorrow we are off yippee, we cannot wait to finally get underway.

This morning I was up with a spring in my step. I had a lot of things rushing in my head of the things I needed to get done. So I have had a day of washing and drying laundry. I then had to think of all the other things I could get done and it has to be said that some of them have to wait until tomorrow, such a filling the water tank. So I also did not want to over do things, knowing I had my Physio at 1pm.

I spent some of the morning chatting to the friends we had made since being in Market Harborough. I know we will see them again at the beginning of October, but I felt it right and proper to say thank you to them all for their help, whilst we have been here. I got hubby to lift my bike back into the hold. I did help him but need to take things easy.

We had an early lunch, because I had Physio at 1pm , so after lunch we walked down to the Cottage Hospital for my appointment. Now there was I expecting to be examined as it said on my letter from the hospital to wear a vest, which I did. But after waiting in the waiting area, listening to one woman who had been waiting for over an hour to be seen. I got called in 5 minutes after my appointment time. maybe this other woman had upset someone there LOL. So I was already to strip off, so the Physio could examine my shoulder, when she started asking me questions about my injury. I was still expecting to have to lie on the bed, but no she just asked me to lift my arm above my head, which is not easy at the moment. The Physio did not lay her hands on me once, which I find a little odd. Instead she gave me an instruction sheet and two large pieces of rubber strips to use for exercises and that was that. The one really good thing was she understood about living on a boat and the problems that can cause, because she has friends who live on a boat at Willow Tree Marina near London. It was refreshing to hear from someone in the Medical profession that they understood our way of life.

Whilst in the town we picked up a cooling wrap to put in the freezer for my shoulder, should it get angry when I do the swing bridge or locks tomorrow. I also need some stamps, as I have Birthday cards to post soon. I like to keep a selection of cards on the boat and the stamps to go with them. If I am in a town anywhere, I will pick up cards and put them in my Birthday box. Back onboard, it was time for a well earned coffee and a couple of Shortbread biscuits. Tonights dinner is going to be a Curry, and for pudding Strawberry Cheesecake with fresh Strawberries mmmm.

At the moment we are watching football and will be all evening. So you all have a good evening.

Time

Time is like a River.
We cannot touch the same water twice.
Because the flow that has passed will never pass again.
Enjoy every moment of Life.

Saying Goodbye.

This morning we said goodbye to our good friends Nigel and Anne on NB Enseabee. They arrived in the basin yesterday and we enjoyed a fabulous meal out with them last night in the Waterfront Restaurant.

This past couple of days have been pretty manic for me, as I have been helping out in the basin, which others had the weekend off. I really enjoy helping people, I am a real people person. Saturday we went to the local carnival and then came back and enjoyed a glass of wine with friends outside of the boat in the glorious sunshine.
Yesterday we had the basin to look after all day. It meant seeing the hire fleet in and allowing private boats in for overnight moorings. I could only allow three private boats in, as all the other slots had to be secured for the hire boats. As it turned out only three private boats wanted an overnight mooring, the rest were happy to wind and moor out on the towpath. The Foxton day boat paid a visit to the basin with a party onboard celebrating a 21st birthday, so they were in good cheer. What was refreshing though was they had two designated steerers who were not drinking, which is fantastic. They stayed for a couple of hours, before heading back to Foxton. It was a very busy day, which ended in our friends arriving at 7pm. We all did a quick clothes change and headed into the restaurant for a sumptuous meal, washed down by a bottle of wine. We then retired to their boat for another bottle of wine. It was heading for 11pm before we got back to the boat and then a cup of tea was needed before bed.
Today has been much quieter. I have done a bit of shopping ready for us to leave on Wednesday. Tomorrow is a busy day, and I will post about that tomorrow.

Having a problem.

Good morning.

When I say good, that does not mean it is good with the weather. Infact it is cold, wet and windy today. Ok who took away flaming June?????

Sorry I have not posted for a few days. It seems blogger is having a few issues with posting in the new editor, so I have had to revert back to the old editor.

Anyway I am still here and will post more later.

Towpath Tale Part One.

Hi Friends.

We all hear about the things that go on with everyday life on the land. Some of the news is upsetting and at other times it is funny. The same things also happen on the water. We have funny, sad and scary moments all the time. I thought I would share some of them with you if you have a spare moment.

This first incident was actually scary, because we could have been injured.

We were happily cruising to Coventry Basin on our other boat a few years ago now, when a gentleman on the towpath called to us asking "Do you have a mobile Phone" I of course replied "Yes". He asked if I would phone the police, because youths were shooting at ducks with an air pistol. We were just rounding a bend when these youths came into view. I noticed that the taller youth was carrying something down by his thigh, so I kept my eye on him whilst Keith carried on steering the boat. I kept my eyes on the youths as wel past them by and with my camera to hand I waited to see what they would do next. To my amazement the taller youth lifted his arm up over the other and aimed at us. The next thing to happen was something hit the boat. He had fired on us. At that point I took the photos of the 3 youths. he was just about to do the same again, when I got on my phone and rang 999. The police were very good. I gave them all the details and they said they would meet us in Coventy Basin, because at this point we were about 15 minutes away. As we arrived in the basin we got a phone call back from the police to say they had caught the 3 youths, still in the place we had left them.

The police came out to us and took statements. They also took away the photos I had taken of the youths. My description of all three was what secured their arrest. Having given seperate statements, we were asked if we needed councilling. Which we replied "No". Thankfully we were not injured in the event.
The final outcome was the older youth got 12 months probation and 12 months community service. The other 2 were let of with a caution. The police did say to us that the older youth was well known to them and they did not expect him to stick to the courts conditions.


Thankfully nothing like that has happened since. Well not quite to bad anyway.

Tuesday Rant.

Hi folks.

It is still raining outside. This is just what is needed to top up the canals and rivers. Because there are already water problems. This does not bode well for the Summer if we do not get enough rain.
You maybe thinking that having wet weather and living on a boat do not mix, but the weather really does not bother me whilst on the boat. It is all about living with it. I have proper wet weather clothing for when we are on the move, so I make sure I stay dry. Keeping warm is also important. If you get wet and then cold it can make you feel miserable.

On the subject of being miserable. I am not so much miserable, just everso slightly grumpy.
This morning began ok, I woke up without my shoulder hurting, so that was an absolute plus. I even slept prettty well as did the other half.
He had an doctors appointment at 9am, so we had to be up quick smart. I walked the dog, then sorted out breakfast and a cuppa, before we donned our wet gear to walk to the doctors. The news from him was good. Hubby can stop taking all of his tablets which is fantastic and we can now get on with having a life. And more importantly we can move at long last. This will be good news for everyone connected with us. This past couple of days has been a nightmare, because the hospital has been giving us the run around. We were told then when Keith had his operation, they took biopsies and he would get the result after 2 weeks. So we have waited and waited and nothing. I rang twice last week to be told, were we sure they did biopsies. My reply was "yes". So yesterday I rang again, to be told "yes they did do something, but to get an appointment urgently the outcome would be poor". The best they could offer was July 8th, which was no use whatsoever, as we have to move. So Keith then rang and laid things on the line, he also spoke to PALS (Patient Advisory Liason Service) who as always were a great help. Keith left everyone in no doubt that he was fed up with being given the run around. Having seen the GP we have been reassured that we can now go off. So I have rung the hospital and told them that we are now leaving and could Keith have an appointment for his 3 month check up in October, as we will not be back until then. This has been done without any fuss this time. So sorted at long last.

At our surgery they have electronic board which calls you to your GP's room, this board also gives out messages and the one message that got my grumpy mood started was the fact that 264 people did not go to their appointments last month. That is completely appauling. This means that 8.5 people a day did not go to their appointment. Do these people not have a phone to cancel if they cannot make it?
I think those 264 people are totally selfish. There can be no excuse for not cancelling an appointment, whether it be with a GP or nurse. I guess you could say. What if that person had died, or had been rushed into hospital?
Even if that was the case, surely a family member of friend could make that call, so that someone else can take that slot. People complain that they cannot get an appointment, and now we know why.


Whilst on the subject of being at the doctors. In the waiting room there are notices up, asking that you refrain from smoking and would you please turn off you mobile phone whilst in the building, so why is it everytime we are down there, there are people using their mobile phones???
Before entering the building we always switch our phones off. It is not difficult. The last time we were down there. I approached a woman who was texting on her phone, right in front of the sign. I said to her "Excuse me, the sign says switch your phone off". Her reply way "I did not see it". Geesh it is flippin big and bold enough. Once again selfish people.


I am probably sounding like a grumpy old woman, but it gets my back up when people are so disrespectful to others. I try so hard to think of others, when I do or say anything. Maybe I am living my life incorrectly?
Ok rant over with for today.... I will put it down to a Menopausal morning.

The good news is my Tesco food delivery was early this morning. Thank you Mr Tesco delivery man. Having our food delivered has been an absolute godsend.

Let it rain !!!!

Good morning.

What a couple of days weather wise. You know us Brits we just love to talk about the weather. Living on a boat, you cannot but help chat about the weather, as it affects us quite a lot.

Before I get on to that subject though, we had a little visitor in the engine room. It was a Brimstone Moth. Now like most people I have seen many moths over the years, but never this one. it was such a pretty little thing, but not really welcome on the boat. Not only that Marmite would have loved it as a starter to her dinner. So having taken this photo, I scooped it up and put it outside. Just as well I am not scared of Moths LOL. 

So the weather. We have had a real mixed bag over this past few weeks. Firstly it is cold and then we are all getting burnt. It was inevitable that we were going to get some much needed rain and we were not disappointed. Having had the thunderstorm the night before, we were subjected to yet another on yesterday afternoon. It rained so hard that the water in the basin looked like it was boiling.

There will be many places on the system really glad of the water, because I heard the other day that they have closed parts of the Leeds and Liverpool between Appley Bridge and Poolstock due to lack of water. It will not be long before hosepipe bans come in, if we do not get some more rain soon. There is a real worry on the canal, that other areas maybe closed due to lack of water, which will affect not just Private Boaters, but also Hire Fleets. Some of this problem can be made easier if boaters share double locks with other boats and make sure that gates and paddles are closed after use. I am not saying this will stop stoppages, but it will help. We are always being asked to conserve water. British Waterway's put's up notices asking boaters to help save water. But still many take no notice.

Due to the rain yesterday, today is much fresher. it is really quite pleasant today.

My day will be spent, doing laundry and cleaning inside the boat. So not a huge story, but these jobs need to be done.

Have a lovely day.

The Passing Of Common Sense.

I have just been sent this from another close friend, so thought I would share it, because it rings so true.


You tell me what you think, once you have read it??


Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, common sense, who had been with us for very many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were lost long ago in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird catches the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it WAS my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable strategies ( adults, not idiots and children are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6 year old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teenagers suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in discipling their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to seek parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Asprin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live when churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own own and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after 'Health & Safety Regulations' reared it's head and a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little down her lap, and was promptly awarded damages for millions in a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, TRUTH and TRUST, by his wife, DISCRETION, by his daughter, RESPONSIBILITY and by his son, REASON.
He is survived by his 4 half-brothers, I KNOW MY RIGHTS, I WANT IT NOW, SOMEONE ELSE IS TO BLAME and I'M A VICTIM.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone!!

Rumble, Rumble.

After a very steamy day yesterday the inevitable happened last night at 10pm (Get your mind out of the gutter). In the distance I could hear rumblings (not my stomach), a sure sign that we were in for a thunder storm. We were infact treated to an amazing light show, followed by thunder and heavy rain. This went on for an hour. I am not frightened of thunder storms, I actually find them fascinating. At the Restaurant people were sat outside under the large umbrella's watching the storm. It was as if it had been organised for their entertainment. As the rain began to fall, I had to close the windows, but continued to watch Mother Natures display. Amazingly neither the cat or dog were bothered by the going's on.
Did you see "Britain's Got Talent"?
I did and wow what a night. It was really difficult to decide who the winner should be. I felt so sorry for Janey Cutler, because she missed her cue and therefore got behind in her number. But at 80 years of age, she is a real star. I think the right act won. Spelbound were really fantastic and they will be a welcome addition to the Royal Variety. I loved Kieran the drummer. That youngman has a real talent and will go far. I can also Connected being signed up. Simon Cowell was seeing pound signs before his eyes, with those boys. People complain about all the talent shows we have on our TV, but they do show that this country really does have some fantastic talent, which deserves the chance to shine.
This morning I woke up to a very muggy, hazy start. It had been very clammy over night, so I was kind of hoping that the storm last night would have freshened the air, but no. I took the dog out for his stroll. I walked him down to the Cricket ground to see if any cars had arrived for the Car Boot Sale, which was going to take place there. I could not see any cars but could hear voices, from ladies setting up their pitches. "Your not selling that are you, its beautiful" one woman said. The other woman replied " Well I was, but if you would like it, I will keep it back", to which the first woman said "Well no you go ahead and sell it, I don't like it that much". So much for her saying it was beautiful. I wondered then what it was they had been talking about. The Car Boot was open from 9am, so after breakfast, hubby and I walked down to have a nose around. I was actually curious to see if I could find out what the women had been talking about. There were only twelve vehicles selling things and I saw nothing which I thought was beautiful. There was a lot of old tat there. We wandered round a couple of times, before leaving as the drizzle began to fall. It was all a little disappointing sadly.
I am not proposing to do much today. I have begun my shoulder exercises and it is not feeling very happy having done them. This I feel is to be expected as the muscles need to be toned up and stretched again. If I am lucky I may get hubby to wait on me hand and foot........ Yeah fat chance.
There is not much on the TV film wise this afternoon, so may have to have a DVD on. Later on we will be watching Soccer Aid. That should be entertaining.


Have a lovely Sunday.

Residential Moorings.

Good afternoon.

What a fabulous few days we have had. This is what living on a boat is all about. Thankfully I am an all weather person. I am quite happy to put up with whatever the weather chucks at me, but hey it is always nice to get some sunshine.
My shoulder is coming along I think. I have rested it as told by the GP and this morning I began the exercises. This maybe a slow process, as I cannot get my arm into some of the positions without pain, but it is early days. With a lot of time on my hands at the moment as I rest the shoulder, I have been doing some surfing on the net and I came across the British Waterway's Mooring site. To get a British Waterway's mooring these days you have to bid for one in the auction. The problem is that there are way to few Residential Moorings for those who do not wish to be in a marina. I did however spot this Residential Mooring. The main problem with it though is it is on the Aire and Calder, which is not where we would want to be. Infact on closer inspection they have three in the same place wooo hooo. Sadly though not for a 70ft boat. Finding a 70ft residential mooring is almost impossible. When we finally decide we can no longer move the boat, due to either old age or health issues, we would love to see our days out on the boat, but it is true to say that finding a residential mooring is never going to be easy. I remember when we were in Birmingham for the BCN Explorer Cruise a couple of years ago. There was a representative from British Waterways in the news, talking about the canal and that they wanted marina's to allow 10% of their moorings for residential moorers. Not sure what happened to that, it was it just a hollow promise. I know I have said we would not like being in a marina, but who knows by the time we get to the point of not moving the boat anymore we may like the marina idea. Time will tell. I really must go and sit outside and get off the computer.... Have a fun evening.

Not as bad as told........

Good morning.

I hope it is another beautiful day where you are?
It is beautiful here this morning, and is supposed to be another hot day.


Yesterday I had my steriod injection into my shoulder. Firstly the GP, who was very nice indeed, asked me to do all sorts of actions to see what mobility I had with my shoulder, which of course hurt like hell. He then asked me would I like the steriod injection, and of course my reply was yes please, if he thought it would help me. He said he thought it would.
I had not seen this GP before, and have to say he was very nice indeed and very gentle. We had a laugh about the fact that he got stuck in ireland, due to the Volcanic Ash for a few days whilst visiting his family. This broke the ice somewhat. He then put some local anasthetic into my shoulder, which I was grateful for. The Steriod then went in, which was rather odd, as I could feel it going into my joint. It was actually not as bad as I expected. Friends had told me horror stories. (NOTE to self, never believe friends). It was over with in minutes. I did not feel completely with it, the whole evening, so went to bed hoping for a good nights sleep. That did not happen arghhhhhh. The anasthetic wore off and oh boy the pain set in. Actually it is more of an aching feeling, which never stops, no matter where I put my shoulder and arm. So another crap nights sleep. I am gonna end up with dark rings around my eyes at this rate.


I got up at 7.45am and struggled with dressing. Mutt then got his walk, whilst the other half did something for breakfast. When I say did something, he just put cereal in bowl and made me a cup of tea. I have taken pain killers and will do some of the exercises given to me on a sheet of paper in a while to see how mobile I am. But was told not to overdo it for a couple of days, to allow the steriod to work. With the sun shining, I am going to sit outside and take it wasy I reackon. Of course yes I will be smoothering on the sun cream.


So my advice to you if you ever have to have a steriod injection, is not to worry about it. It is perfectly simple and nothing to worry about. Yes ok, you do get aching afterwards, but if it sorts the problem out, it is a small price to pay. If however after 6 weeks, my shoulder is still not right I have to go back to him. At this moment in time my shoulder is stiff and a little sore, but that should wear off in 24 to 48 hours I am told. Then I should see an improvement. It seems like a good excuse not to do to much today. But I am not exactly good at sitting around doing nothing, so this could be a challenge.

Phewwwwwwww Hot, Hot, Hot.

Wow it is hot already and it is only 11.10am. Infact when I walked Paddy early this morning it was rather on the warm side. The basin is a hive of activity at the moment, because the hire company is turning the boats around, ready for them to go back out later. When I say turning them around, I mean they are washing, cleaning and changing bedding etc. Thursday's and Monday's are always chaos here. But they have it off to a fine art. It is like a well oiled machine.


So did you watch "Britains Got Talent" last night?
Did you think the right people got through to the final?
I certainly did. I love Christopher Stone's voice. Even if he does not win this comp, he could go a long way. It is very humbling to see how he reacts to the applause he gets. He really has no ideal just how good his voice is. I was also chuffed for Paul Burling. He is just what the Royal Variety needs. This guy has worked the circuit for 25 years. he deserves a break. What the Royal Variety does not need is another dance group. As good as some of these groups are, they are all doing the same old thing. I love to see a good dance group, but there is now to many. Diversity and Flawless have cornered the market in the respect, so another will just be over kill. However Spellbound the other night were fantastic and that is more gymnastic than dance. I am looking forward too tonights edition to see who else makes it through.


I have received an appointment from the local cottage hospital, to go and have some physio on my shoulder and today I am going to have a Cortisone injection into the joint........ OUCH I hear you cry. I have been getting conflicting reports on this injection. Some say it hurts like hell and others say it is fine. Some say I will notice a difference straight away and others say you need to rest it for a few days afterwards for it to work. I will take the advice of the GP when i see him later. He is the only GP in the practice that does the Cortisone injections. Otherwise it would have ment me going to the hospital. Apparently women between the ages of 40 and 60 are more likely to get a frozen shoulder. This seems a little odd, but at 48, I qualify it seems. If you get it then make sure you seek help immediately, because if untreated it can take up to 3 years to get better :0(.


I am sure like me you were shocked to see the news last night about the shootings in Cumbria. I find it hard to comprehend that someone would want to kill inoccent people like he has done, just because of a feud over a will. This guy could not have been in his right mind. My thoughts are with all those who are injured and with the families who have lost loved ones. I remember when the Hungerford shootings took place. At the time, I did not live to far from that situation, and it was awful. It seems that the whole world has gone barking mad.


With the weather being hot, I am not going to be cooking tonight for dinner, so it will be a scrummy salad instead. I may even open a bottle of wine. That is if I am allowed to drink, having had this injection this afternoon. So I will sign off now and wish you a good afternoon.