Hillmorton to near Charity Dock, near Bedworth.

Hi Folks.

Another fabulous day weather and cruising wise.

The back cabin stove was lit first thing to get the heat up ready for me to cook dinner and to boil the kettle for our first coffee of the day.
We left our over night mooring at 8.50 am to head for the top lock at Hillmorton, where Andrew the volunteer lock keeper was on duty.

We had a nice chat and he was very helpful.

Lock 5 was due to be re-opened after repairs.

At the bottom lock, volunteers were setting up a Macmillan Coffee morning with cake, which could be purchased for a donation. I bought two pieces of bread cake, which would be consumed along the way. I hope they did well. Apparently last year they made over £200.

We arrived at Clifton Cruisers to find a canal jam. It seems the gentleman ahead had moored there over night only to wake up this morning to find he was blocking the canal, because some of the holiday boats had come in whilst he was sleeping and had moored up. So he had to swiftly move his boat.

We were surprised to see the offside visitor moorings in Rugby completely empty and there were only four boats on the towpath side.

Not a good look. The Rose Narrowboats day boat were getting in a real pickle. They were on the wrong side of the cut when we met them, so the steerer panicked and slammed the boat into forward, hitting the towpath bank. it then bounced off, did a pirouette and then slammed into the offside bank. I think they were in for an adventurous day.

Sad to see the building next to the stop lock at Hawkesbury Junction has fallen or been knocked down.

Time to make the turn.

One day we will drink in the Greyhound.

Our cruising day ended at 3.20 pm, when we moored up near Charity Dock, Bedworth.

 

 

Long Itchington to Hillmorton Locks.

Hi Folks.

Last night I was so tired, I was in bed by 9.30 am. I did wake in the night, but we did not get up until 8.30 am, which is late for us.
We left our overnight mooring at 9.25 am and set up through the locks at Long Itchington.

We reached the Stockton Flight and there was no other boat insight to share with, so we were on our own. Luckily all the locks bar the top one were in our favour.

I got to take Hadar through my first double lock, which Keith worked the lock for me.

I am getting more confident with handling Hadar through locks, which is exciting.

We pressed on to Calcutt Locks, where we met Chris who was out with Peggy the RYA training boat. Chris is normally in charge of steam boat Adamant and comes to the Saltisford Heritage Weekend. We made Napton Junction at 12.25 pm. Lunch was eaten on the move. We had neated Sausage rolls and homemade Victoria Sandwich.

On the way towards Braunston we passed Trevor Maggs on Corona, who was on his way to Banbury.

We arrived at Braunston Junction at 2 pm.

Cute moment.

Our cruising day ended at the top of Hillmorton Locks, where we tied up at 4.20 pm. It has been a fantastic day, with lots of boats on the move in the warm Autumn sunshine.

On the move again.

Warwick to Long Itchington.

All sorted and ready to go we were. Nothing left to put on the boat and so we said "Goodbye" to our mooring at 9.30 am this morning.
We stopped at Cape Locks to unload 10 bags of coal for a customer, who met us at the locks in him van. Coal delivered we set off down Cape Locks with Narrow boat Jameson (Irish Whiskey). It made a wonderful change to share. Jameson is a charter narrow boat. The couple who own the boat crew it and the paying visitors enjoy the break for however long they are on board.

The lock gates at Cape Locks need some gardening work done on them I reckon.
We had no idea how far we would go, but because the weather was warm and sunny and the company great we kept going.

We ended up sharing all the locks to Long Itchington, where we parted company with Jameson, who wanted to fill up with water.

Our mooring for the night.

Almost there.

Hi Folks.

As I sit and type this post, the stove has been lit because it is chilly and damp out. The kettle is now humming and we are now snug for the evening.

I am now getting ready to head off into the wide blue yonder for a month. With going cruising comes the list of things to do before we head off. On my list this week has been getting the flu jab, this was done this morning for £8.95 at Mellors Chemist. We always pay to have the flu jab, because we like to be covered with Winter coming on. Since having the flu jab, I have not suffered with Bronchitis, which is a huge bonus. Flu jab done, it was back to the boat to cook a Chicken curry lunch with special rice. I can tell you now it was scrummy and all homemade. After lunch Keith and I got on with finishing the changes to our generator. Yesterday we thought we had completed the job, only to find we had leaks on some of our old joints, so this morning Keith went off to Screwfix on the bus using his buss pass to get new joints. We spent most of the afternoon changing the joints, filling the system and then bleeding the air out of it. Finally we were able to run the generator and hey presto the new system appears to work, which of course made us both happy. Working on a boat never ever goes according to plan and every job always takes longer than expected. Still the job is now done and fingers crossed we will have no further problems.
Further things on my list include doing a wash tomorrow.
Filling the water tank.
Emptying the loo.
Getting rid of rubbish.
Fill back cabin coal box with house coal.
Tomorrow we have a food delivery coming from Mr Tesco, so we will have a full fridge and cupboard for a couple of weeks.
Things to put in the hold will include hosepipe, trolley for cassette.
We also need fenders, life ring, shears (for long grass) and I know the list will get longer.

Whilst Keith and I were getting busy, Marmite was snoozing on the top of the hob. I had used the cooker to cook lunch and so the hob was nice and warm, so Marmite thought she should make good use of the heat.

She always looks so peaceful. Paddy was also asleep. It is definitely a pets life on our boat.
So we are almost there. It is hoped that we will be setting on Wednesday because we have coal to deliver on the way.

Busy day.

Hi Folks.

It has been a busy old day.
This morning I donned my Saltisford t-shirt. Gathered my tools and set off into the Sensory garden to get on with pruning and cutting back ready for the Winter.
Before I got on with the cutting back, I wanted to put a felt roof on our bug hotel.

It still needs more items added, but already there are some large spiders housed in amongst the logs.

Next we turned our attention to the Sensory Garden. We had a shredder in so we made the most of it by cutting everything back.

It all looks nice and tidy ready for the onslaught of Winter, which will eventually arrive and with us going out again, I need not worry about doing it when I get back.

With the weather having been moist and warm, we have been treated to some lovely Fungi in the Arm.

Some of it very colourful.

Small is also beautiful.

All shapes and sizes.

 



We have been doing more work on our own garden, because I wanted to increase our pebbled area and add some grasses and alpines.

We still need to add more stones, but so far we are pleased with our efforts.

The Strawberry patch has been getting a makeover. I am getting rid of the old plants and putting in some of the runners, which will be the strawberry plants for next year. We have had quite a few Strawberries off our few plants this year and look forward to more sweet delights next year.
After lunch Keith got on with sorting the generator out and all being well it should be finished tomorrow. We will then need to run it, to see if it works alright.
It has been an enjoyable day all in all.

 

 

Slowly getting there.

Hi Folks.

Well according to the weather people it is officially Autumn today, so if they are right then the weather will be going downhill from now on. I will believe that when I see it. I actually love the Autumn, because of the wonderful show the trees can put on, with their leaves changing colour. During the Spring we admire the trees when their leaves spring forth and adore the trees once more in greenery. During the Summer we take the trees for granted I think, but as Autumn takes hold, the trees shout "Oi" we are here and splash us with their beautiful colours.

Today has been a day of going into town and to the vets.
This morning I walked into town to get a few items. I wanted a new hand towel and clothes pegs, which I managed to get from the Original Factory Shop. Because our toilet is very close to our radiator, when the radiator is hot, we can actually get burnt, so I put ribbons on a towel and have it hanging between the radiator and the toilet, this does the trick and no burnt hips, which is a blessing.

Back from town, we had a visit from Simon, who is helping us sort our generator out. He did some measurements and then went off to buy some pipe. Hopefully he will be back with us tomorrow.
After Bubble and Squeak and a Pasty for lunch, I took Paddy for his two week weigh-in.

When we came back from our Liverpool trip, Paddy's weight had dropped to 12.9 kg, which is weigh to low. Since being back we have struggled to get him to eat more, so we can get his weight up. If you feed him more than he wants he will just throw it up, so we have been feeding him more throughout the day. His weight has gone up very slowly. Today he now weighs 14.7 kg, which is not as much as he used to be, but it is going in the right direction. Paddy is now 11 years old and we know he is on borrowed time due to a medical condition, but he is happy in himself and still enjoys a good cuddle. He has never been an energetic boy, he loves nothing more than sleeping all day. This is why we cannot understand why he is not as fat a pig, because he does very little exercise. He has been an absolute angel for all the years we have had him.  He is slowly getting there.

Jobs are getting done.

Happy Wednesday everyone. The middle of the week as far as I am concerned, so it is now downhill to the weekend.

It looks like I am getting back into the groove of blogging, I know it has taken me a while, but life has a habit of getting in the way and with so much going on blogging then takes to the back burner. But here I am and hopefully I will keep this new found incentive to post going.

I have had a day of cleaning the back cabin. I washed all the hung plates and then re-hung the curtains.

All this is happening, because we are going out again. I have begun to polish the brass as well, which always makes the cabin sparkle. The stove got a fresh coat of paint, which I like to do twice a year.
Tomorrows job will be to fill the coal box with house coal and to finish the brass work. I know I have to do the outside of the boat before we head off, but that will be the last thing to be done.
Tomorrow, we are having our generator looked at because it has been playing up and the last thing we need when we are out is for it to go completely. Yes we of course can run our engine, but we never like running it unless we are moving, because she is a noisy old girl. So hopefully the generator will be fixed tomorrow and we will then change the engines oil, top up the batteries and make plans to leave for a month.

Fabulous visitor

Hi Folks.

The waterways supports all sorts of craft, but this is the first Gondola I have seen on the canal and it is most certainly the first one to come into the Saltisford Arm. 

It had come up from Startford-upon-Avon and is heading towards London, so you never know you may see it, if you are that way.



He had come in hoping to have a shower and to find somewhere, where he could have breakfast, but we do not have showers here. However we did give him a few places where he could get a breakfast.

Apparently many Gondola's which finish their working life in Venice make their way to the UK and are restored and then put back to work. This one is The House of Peroni Gondola and will be seen down in London.

It was a real treat having such a wonderful craft in the Arm

 

A definite change.

As our lovely Summer is starting to fade, the crops in the fields are gathered in and leaves are starting to turn.
There is a freshness in the breeze and a dampness in the air as Autumn will soon be upon us. We are thinking of going cruising again for a month, but before we can set off, we have a generator which needs seeing to and plumbing work on it changing, which hopefully will happen this week.
I had taken down our back cabin curtains thinking we would not be moving again before next year, so I need to hang them again and then hang the plates.
Why are we going out I hear you ask?

We have been invited to a private boat gathering and we have accepted the lovely invitation. It will be nice to go out again and we know there will be no lock stoppages, we may stay out longer. I enjoy cruising when it is colder and it is hoped we will sell the remainder of our coal. This will be the last coal selling season for us, because we have plans to change the hold into something else. But first we need to sell the coal and then the work begins, because the shuts need to come up and the base plate needs cleaning and painting. The hull sides also need repainting, before we set to and board some of the hold out for our new project.
So not only re their changes in the weather, there will be changes in what we trade in.

I have decided to put my photography to good use and have started making cards using the photographs I take. It is a new direction for me, but I am hoping it will take off. Keep popping in to see the changes.

I want to hold your hand.

Is it a age or a generation thing or just the way we are.
I have been with Keith for 16 years and whenever we are out we hold hands. I wonder if it's an age thing or just that we are 'touchy feel-y' people.  Keith and I have always held hands. I feel safe and always happy when we hold hands, of course it is not something we do when we are busy with the boat or working locks, after all that would just be stupid. But you may just see us holding hands when walking the towpath.

I have always thought it lovely when you see elderly couples walking along together holding hands. It think it is definitely more a generation thing, because I see more older couples doing it than younger couples. Maybe I notice it more because I am now a mature woman. I say mature, because I am not over the hill yet.

I think more hand holding needs to take place.

Birthday Boy.

Hi Folks.

Sunday is always a day of doing very little for me on the whole. I guess I am old school and think Sunday is a day of rest.
Sunday was Keith's birthday and so doing very little was most definitely called for, after all if you cannot relax on your birthday then when can you?

The day began rather chilly, so with Keith feeling the cold the stove was lit, which actually proved to be a mistake, because by the evening we were roasting, but that will come later. The one good thing about lighting the stove it means I can cook things on the top, so my Rhubarb stewed gently and smelt so yummy. The stewed Rhubarb will be going into a crumble today for pudding. I then spent the afternoon pottering around, which meant nothing much was achieved, but hey ho who really cares.

For those of you who know me, you will know you rarely see me in a skirt of a dress. I will wear a dress when we do the 'Village at War' weekend at Stoke Bruerne and I occasionally don a skirt when it is hot, so for me to wear a skirt out of an evening is pretty unheard of, but as it was Keith's birthday and we were heading out for a meal, I did don a skirt and heeled shoes. Our destination for the birthday meal was Mr India in Warwick.

I had my 1st Biryani, which was really lovely.

 

Keith also had a Prawn Biryani. We are totally recommending Mr India. If you want to drink alcohol you need to take your own, because they do not have a licence, but you can buy soft drinks from them, which is what we did.

We strolled back to the boat through the town, which was rather lovely and arrived back to an extremely warm boat. The idea of lighting the stove was a wonderful idea in the morning, but blimey the heat emanating from the cabin when we stepped on to the boat was intense. Doors were opened and clothes stripped off. Ok minds back in the gutter. I am talking about jackets.

It's that time of year.

Hi Folks.

 

I do not know about you, but I am seriously wondering where the heck this year has gone?

It does not seem that long ago we were welcoming 2016 in and now we are almost saying "Goodbye" to it.

In the past couple of days there has been a turn in the weather. In the morning's the boat is covered in dew and so are the cobwebs.

I do so love to see the dew on cobwebs, but it does seem so early to be thinking about Autumn and then Winter.

With the weather changing it has been time to light the saloon stove for the first time after having taken the stove out to repair a pipe leak, paint the tiles and the stove. Keith feels the cold sooner than I do these days, so I lit the stove.

One of the other jobs I did was to change the fire rope around the door, because the old rope had been on the door for over Nine years.
Fire lit, I went out and cut some Rhubarb for a crumble. With the colder, damper weather comes the scrummy, comforting puddings and stews so I will be a happy lady. There is nothing nicer than the smell of a stew and dumplings cooking in the back cabin stove, or come to that a curry. The salads will be put on the back burn for another year and I will definitely be getting back to comfort food. As I type the Rhubarb is on top of the saloon stove waiting to stew slowly.

It is Keith's 64th Birthday, so we will be going out for a meal as usual. We do not bother with presents or cards, after all there is no point in buying cards and we have everything we need. We are off for an Indian curry at a restaurant we have not tried before, so I will let you know what we thought.

Have you been watching the Paralympic?
I feel so very proud of the GB team, who have been awesome. They make me feel so humble. Some of their stories which have been told over the past Eleven days, really makes me realise that nothing is impossible, if you truly believe you can do something. I have also enjoyed watching 'The Last Leg'. Adam Hills actually had his hair dyed to look like the Union Jack after losing a bet, that Australia would beat GB in the medal table. Great program.