*****Is going there and back to see how far it is.*****













Hi I am Jo…wife, lover, best friend and soulmate to Keith. Lover of all things to do with nature and the canals. I am passionate about the Waterways and its history.


I hope you will join me in my rambles and do please comment – I love to hear from and meet new people in blogland!

Life on the cut through my eyes.

Daisypath Anniversary tickers
*****Stay safe and warm out there..*****













Thursday 31 October 2019

Rockery planting.

Hello family, friends and followers.

It is almost the end to another week, as we walk slowly towards Christmas. Yes I have finally mentioned the festive period. Quitely I have been getting on with Christmas preparations. I have fired up our small freezer, so that I can begin to stock it ready for Christmas. This morning we went out and did a bit of pressie shopping for two very special bundles of joy. Christmas is all about children and whilst I hate the fact that businesses and the media begin the Christmas hype way to early, there is something wonderful about buying small gifts. We do not buy presents for each other, and I always used to say we do not buy for the adults, I would only buy for the children, because as you no doubt know, it is a hugely expensive time of the year. We do not expect gifts from anyone, I would much rather have a nice card or company at Christmas.

As you will know we have moved to another mooring and have been tackling the garden. The last bit to be tackled is the rockery, which we have built on the steepest part of our plot.
This morning having arrived back from doing some shopping, we were greeted by a parcel, containing five Heather plants, which we had ordered through Amazon.
The plants were very well packaged and came in their own little bag. I took them out of the bags and discovered five very healthy plants.
I did not waste anytime in putting the Heathers into our rockery. Thank you to Garden Dreams for our lovely Heathers. For now the rockery is finished, because I want to see how everything grows and survives over the winter. I am so loking forward to seeing how everything blooms. If certain things fail then I will of course have to replace them, but things are looking good so far.

Pop back soon xx

Monday 28 October 2019

Rockery building day.

Hello family, friends and followers.
After an overnight frost, which is th second frost of the Autumn for us, we have had a beautiful day. The sun shone and all was well in our world. Well almost. I am feeling a little bit pants at the moment. My Costochondritis has flared up again and I am suffering with my other joints. It is back onto the medication for me for a few days. I am not one to dwell on being poorly and I most definitely cannot sit around unless I am dying, so with the sun out, we got on with the garden and in particular our rockery.
We cleared the plot for the rockery when sorting the garden out, so it was already for working on.
The first three rocks went into place and set us on the path for the rest of the rockery. Luckily all the rocks used were already in our garden, left by the previous moorer.
The first row being completed. We shared the digging, but Keith did most of the lifting of the rocks.
It did not take us long to finish putting the rocks in place, I then got on with putting in some plants. Despite all the rain we had on Saturday, the soil was remarkably good. We are really pleased with how it has gone and look forward to seeing the plants thrive. 
After lunch, I felt so worn out, that nothing else was going to get done on the garden today. So it is feet up and TV on.

Pop back soon xx

Saturday 26 October 2019

Relieved comes to mind.

Hello family, friends and followers.

I sit here on a very soggy, dank and miserable Saturday afternoon, thanking my lucky stars for all the wonderful people and things I have in my life right now and having been told some dreadful news this morning, it has made me realise that life is short and it is for living right now. Live each day as if it maybe your last and love the ones who love you back, because tomorrow is not certain.

The weather has not been the best, and so there has been no gardening for a day or two, but that has given me the chance to get on with baking, sewing and tidying. As you will be aware if you read my ramblings, we came home early to our new mooring because our generator died on us whilst at The Black Country Living Museum. Well yesterday (Friday) we had a visit from an engineer from Fischer Panda. he had come to do a report on the generator, because he like us thought it had seized. On arrival, he suggested he try a few things, one of those things was to change the fuel pump, because he suspected it may actually be the problem. Fuel pump changed it did not cure the problem, but then the engineer decided to try another fuel pump, because he was not convinced. Hey presto the generator started, this meant not only had our original fuel pump fail, so did a brand new one the engineer tried. To say that we are relieved the generator is fixed and it was a small thing, well small compaired to the whole thing seizing is an understatement. The generator was out of warranty, so we could of ended up with a huge bill, but instead we wait to hear what we may or may not have to pay. Because we were outside of the warranty by three months, we may not have to pay anything, so fingers crossed on that, because we still have five new leisure batteries to buy. A huge thank you goes out to the Fischer Panda engineer.

With the weather being so dreadful today, it was a good day to sit and watch the first semi-final of the Rugby World Cup. England v New Zealand. Wow what an incredible match. England played their socks off and definitely deserved the win. Tomorrow we look forward to Wales v South Africa. Who knows we may get an all Great Britain final.
With it being so wet, I am staying inside and battening down the hatches for the whole day. The TV is on and the fire is lit, so all is well in my world. We are also one step closer to getting our landline phone connected. It has only taken two weeks :-(. Hopefully all will be sorted out next week.

Pop back soon xx

Tuesday 22 October 2019

Patio time.

Hello family, friends and followers.

It has been a beautiful Autumnal day today, so we spent all day outside getting more jobs done on our mooring.
My first job of the day after the boaty stuff, was to go for my morning walk. When I got back I wanted to get a laundry wash done. I was in the laundry before 8.30am, so first to the machines. Once the laundry was done and hung up, Keith and I got on with cutting our fence panels to size. We bought a 6ft panel and cut it in half. We then had to trim both panels down to fit, because one is only 5ft width. Thankfully it all went really well and did not take us too long.
The previous moorer left us with a tin of Green Cuprinol fence paint. So I did a first coat before lunch.
After lunch, we got on with clearing the overgrown shrubs alongside the Bin and Elsan room. Tomorrow we will tidy it up a bit more and will then look after it, keeping the bishes under control.
I then did a second coat of Cuprinol on the panels. Once they were dry we began to dress our patio. We have put Honeysuckles at the ends and hopefully they will trail along the fencing. We also put up a piece of trellis for a Clematis we transferred to the bigger planter. We still have some other bits to add, but it is going to be a nice little sun trap for us to enjoy.
Our fairy door has a new home, and hopefully the garden fairies will enjoy their new home.
Al in all it has been a fabulous day. We look forward to doing more tomorrow. I for one am feeling ever so slightly shattered this evening.

Pop back soon xx

Thursday 17 October 2019

Plant moving.

Hello family, friends and followers.
We woke this morning to a beautiful sunny start. With showers due during the afternoon, I was determined to get on with some gardening today and to at least move the fruit bushes. Keith went off to do the weekly shop. Because he has his bus pass, he enjoys going into Leamington-Spa on the bus to the Aldi store and it means we do not have to pay for a Tesco delivery. Whilst he went shopping, I got on with preparing our garden. I dug in a path, where I used some stabs on the mooring to make a path. 
This was where our fruit bushes would be going.
Keith got back from shopping, I stowed away the food and then made us some lunch. After lunch and watching Bargain Hunt, we set about moving our fruit bushes from our old garden.
With the Raspberry and Gooseberry bushes moved. We then put in some Strawberry plants at the front. we also have some wild Strawberry plants to go in.
With us both feel on a roll, we decided to get on with moving some of the shrubs.
Along with the shrubs, we have put in lots of Lavender and Cat Mint for the Bees.
There is still plenty to do, including a rockery, but we have made an good start. I am now feeling extremely sore. My hips and knees are very painful, so I think tomorrow I may have a day off. I hope that I can walk tomorrow :-), because at the moment I am walking like an old woman hahaha. 

Pop back soon xx



Wednesday 16 October 2019

Bugs on the move.

Hiya family, friends and followers.

After a damp start to our Wednesday, the sun came out and we have had another busy day in the garden.
This afternoon we moved the log pile, which we had on our old garden for the beasties and bugs. Whilst removing the logs, it certainly looked like we had someone nesting in between the logs at some point, because there was a little nest and some marigold seeds in a pile. I think we may have had a wood mouse in there at some point, but there was no sign of it being in there recently. We rebuilt the log pile in our new garden and put back the solitary bee homes, which have laeve in them. The log pile has been built over an old tree stump, because there was absolutely no way we could dig it out, so we have covered it up.
Having moved the log pile, we got on with moving the bug hotel as well. I need to redo the layers and add some new things, but it is in place and we also bought some of the spiders and bugs with their home 🐌🐜🕷 , so they also have a new home now. Finally we relocated nest boxes and bee hotels. The bird boxes will be put up after they have been cleaned and the boxes painted, keeping them waterproof. I want to put some felt on the roofs as well, because they are leaking.
Update on our generator, which you may recall from a previous post has died. Rob from Kate Boats came and inspected the generator, he confirmed it has seized and will be contacting Fischer Panda to see how to proceed, so fingers crossed. Now that we have moved all the large items from our old garden, I can now begin to dig the garden over and start moving plants. I also have a rockery to build somewhere on the garden, but I am undecided as to where that will go yet. I think it will just evolve. The garden is really taking shape now and we are both really pleased with it so far.
My day ended with me cooking dinner. I am now putting my feet up, because my legs ache and I am shattered.

Pop back soon xx

Tuesday 15 October 2019

A productive day.

Hello family, friends and followers.

I am going to be boring for some, because I am going to be going on about our new mooring again. It is taking up our time when the weather allows. Yesterday nothing got done due to the very wet weather. No one can say we are lacking water now. Keith is doing well on his antiviral tablets and eye gel. Because he has Shingles on his face and in his hair, I gave him a rather serious hair cut, so we could see the extent of the rash. It seems most of the rash is on his face and on his forehead along the hairline. It is getting better and it has not really stopped him from doing anything.
Today we were promised some sunshine after the deluge of yesterday and the sun did pop out for a while this afternoon. Our plan for the day was to finish removing all our belongings from our old mooring, so this morning we emptied the second bunker and got on with removing planters.
This afternoon fellow moorer Maria, came and tackled our overgrown hedge for us. Maria is a tree surgeon and has all the tools to tackle the job, so it was well worth getting her in to do the job. Within two hours we had the hedge cut and all the cuttings cleared up ready for Maria to chip in a few days time.
 The hedge has been cut back by a good foot.
Having the hedge cut back, it has really opened it up and made it lighter. I am now looking forward to tackling the garden.
 Already we have fungi growing in the garden, which makes me very happy, because I love all the different kinds.
After finishing the hedge, a Wren and Blackbird came and tucked into the bugs shaken from the hedgerow. I will be adding some nest boxes to our garden to hopefully encourage the birds to nest.
So pleased with our days work.

Pop back soon xx

Saturday 12 October 2019

Shingles and a touch of hard work.

Hello family, friends and followers.

You know how it goes. You just think you are getting on top of things and life throws you another curve ball. Yes we had that curve ball thrown at us on Friday. On Monday I noticed that Keith had what looked like a spot on his forehead. I thought he got caught by one of the branches off the trees we removed from our new mooring. On Tuesday/Wednesday it seemed to be getting bigger and more angry. Keith was then complaining his head hurt and on Friday morning I made him ring the GP to ask advice. She booked him in with the nurse who diagnosed Shingles. Because the Shingles seemed to be affecting his left eye, she sent us immediately to the University Hospital, Coventry, because if Shingles affects the eyes, it can cause you to go blind. When I say immediately, it took us almost three hours to travel there, because we had to go by bus. So we caught the X17 to Coventry and then the Number 4 to the hosptial. What we did not know what the Number 4 takes you on a tour of the bloomin city. Anyway we arrived at the hospital and found the emergency eye clinic, where he was seen as soon as we arrived. We were all done and dusted within an hour. Keith has antiviral tablets and some gel for his eye. We then caught the Number 9 bus back into the city, this was much quicker, the X18 to Warwick and the number 1 back to the gate outside the Arm. All in all it was a very long day, but at least Keith can now be on the mend.
Even with Shingles Keith was keen to get on with some jobs. So having recieved our chicken wire on Friday, we got on with fixing it to our fencing. Now our mooring is completely dog-proof, and NO we are still not getting a new dog.
We have had a busier day than we had planned, but we have achieved a lot. Having done the chicken wire this morning, this afternoon we cleared the patio area. We moved the two large planters which were on the pontoon, complete with earth still in them, to their new location at the front of the patio. We have also moved our table and chairs to the patio, this has cleared space on our pontoon, which is now looking much tidier :-). I am looking forward to planting the planters up for the Spring and enjoying sitting out with a coffee or something stronger :-).
That is it for the day. Time to put my feet up until tea time at least.

Pop back soon xxx

Wednesday 9 October 2019

Back to it.

Hello family, friends and followers.

Autumn is upon us and therefore we must make the most of the sunny days, if we want to get any jobs done. This morning we woke up to sunshine, which put a smile on my face. Mind you I was not smiling at 4.30am. I was sleeping and dreaming about a tarpaulin floating in the Arm, when I was woken up by Keith shouting "Wake Up". He was dreaming and muttering in his sleep and when he eventually woke up for a cup of tea, he had no recollection, that he had shouted at me hahahaha. I did go back to sleep for a while, but then got up and made us our first cuppa of the day. Discussions were had as to what we would be doing for the day and it was decided that we would get more moving done.
We moved our table and chairs. These will go on the patio area once it has been cleared of the previous moorers belongings.
We wondered what we could do with the table top we made which was good but wobbled on its base. Keith had a brain wave and we have attached it to the gate to create a dog-proof gate.
We await the chicken wire to dog-proof the fence. This is to keep dogs out, and NO we are not getting a new dog 🤣.
We put a temporary cover on one of our bunkers, because it was leaking. We will felt it properly eventually. But with funds tight right now it will have to wait.
We moved our bird table and Clematis and some other plants. The bird table was made by our friend Mike, who also lives on his boat two boats away from us.
It has been a good days work and good to see more progress being made. We still have a bit to do, but there is no hurry as such.

Pop back soon xx

Tuesday 8 October 2019

Day Off.

Hello family, friends and followers.

I am not usually one for lying in, but this morning I made an exception, mainly because I overslept. I only woke up when Keith coughed and it was already 7.45am. Cup of tea and the BBC1 news on we sat in bed until gone 8.30am, which is luxury for us, because we are not ones to lounge around. I have to say it was lovely though and I think it has come about, because I am just so in love with the peace and tranquilty of our new mooring.
After getting up we had breakfast and I started to take the curtains down in the back cabin. They will get washed and put away for next year. During the Winter, if the stove is going the curtains can get so dirty with the smoke and dust, so I like to put them away with the lace to keep them clean.
After a coffee, we walked into town to get our flu jabs done. Keith gets his free, but I have to pay for mine. This year it was £11, which in order to keep the flu away, is a small price to pay. I realise it does not cover any new flu that comes along, but it does cover me for the ones on the go already. I have been having flu jabs for years and thankfully they have kept me flu free and I have not had bronchitis for years either.
We took a walk around the town, checking out the charity shops, where I got a Margaret Dickinson book, which will be added to my collection. I adore her books and will happily read them over and over again. After checking out the charity shops we walked down to Torry's, Warwicks very own independant DIY shop to purchase a few bits. Our walk home was done alongside the racecourse, which was looking lovely on a sunny autumnal morning. We have had a day off from doing anything on the mooring, but I dare say we will be back to it tomorrow if the weather is on our side.

Pop back soon. xx

Sunday 6 October 2019

Making changes.

Hello family, friends and followers.

We have only been on our mooring a few days and yet we have already made changes. It is already feeling like home and we both love it.
The garden is in need of a lot of attention, so we got on with clearing the many damson trees, which have self seeded. I have however kept a couple, which I will keep under control and they will be lovely for the birds to sit in and for me to hang my wind chimes on.
Already taking shape. The hedge behind iur garden is over grown and so we have a friend coming in to get it under control for us. Once that has happened, we will be able to keep it tidy and I will be able to get on with planting up the garden.
At this end of the garden I plan to plant our fruit bushes. Raspberries and Gooseberry bushes, which are on our old garden. I also have Rhubarb to go in and Strawberry plants. The plan for our garden is to make it a little oasis of peace and calm for us and the birds and the bees, which I will be making most welcome. I have a log pile to move and a bug hotel as well.
Because we have had no TV, we have been binge watching Peaky Blinders. I love that program. It is made even more special, because there are people, places and boats we know very well in it. We spend our time picking out our friends, places and boats, but most of all we both love the series. Tonight we will be watching series 4. Today we sorted out the Terrestrial TV aerial, Satellite dish, phone and broadband, although we still have to get the phone line moved. We also moved the remaining 3/4 tonne of coal, so it has been a busy day.

Pop back soon xxx

Friday 4 October 2019

Moving precious family members.

Hello family, friends and followers.

We have been on our mooring now a couple of days and already we have achieved a lot. We came home earlier than planned due to our generator and batteries and so the mooring was not cleared by the previous moorer, which is not a problem for us, because we are very easy going and know her well.
One of our priorities was to move our precious family. We moved Marmite and Paddy to their new home. We could not leave them behind, so yesterday we cleared a space in the garden especially for them both. We then removed them from our old garden and placed them together in our new garden. I welcomed them to their new home and I hope they love it as much as we already do.
Today I have begun clearing the garden. The main problem is the hedgerow overgrowing onto and into the garden. There are also some shrubs which need cutting back and then the whole garden needs digging to get rid of the nettles and brambles. There is already a rockery in place and we have also been left large stone planters, which will be going onto our patio area, which at the moment is full of the previous moorers belongings, which are to be gotten rid of. She came to collect a few bits today and it was lovely to sit and have a cuppa with her and to have a natter. Leaving a mooring which you have loved for over Twenty years, must be so very difficult and on top of that she is selling her boat, so a double whammy. Anyway we will love her mooring as much as she did and we will do our best to look after it.
I already feel at peace here and know that it is going to be very tranquil once finished.

Pop back soon xx

Wednesday 2 October 2019

Day 52: Last day of the Autumn Cruise.

Hello family, friends and followers.
What a difference a day makes. We were blessed with sunshine on an Autumnal day. We descended the last of the 6 Lapworth Locks.
We left the Stratford Canal via the Lapworth Link. Lock 20 is back in operation finally.
We approached Kingswood Junction and turned right onto the Grand Union Canal, where we followed another boat for a while. We then saw a stray boat floating in the canal, with a man on the roof try to get the boat into the side. It turned out it was the gentleman off the boat in front of us, who was trying to moor the stray boat up, but was struggling, so we offered our help by coming alongside the stray boat, in order to get it back into the side. Once this was achieved, I loaned the gentleman our lump hammer so that he could hammer the mooring pins back into the ground. Boat safely moored up, allbeit around the wrong way, we both set off again for Shrewley Tunnel.
We arrived at the top of Hatton Locks, to be joined by Narrowboat Yondley and their crew. We had a great trip down the locks.
Whilst walking down the flight to working the locks, who should I come across or should I say they came across me. Adam and Adrian on NB Briar Rose, were walking up the flight heading off for some lunch. We only had time for a quick "hello" and chat, but it was so lovely to see them again. I cannot remember the last time we saw each other.
Having completed the Hatton Flight, we said "Cheerio" to Yondley and her crew and thanked them for their help.
Now for the good news I spoke about Yesterday. We have a new mooring in the Saltisford Arm. We have moved from our old mooring and onto the first mooring as you come into the Arm. For us it is brilliant, because we can come straight in and reverse straight out, so no having to wind anymore. The mooring is also straight, whereas we were on a slight bend and on the bottom, being a deeper draughted boat than normal. The new garden needs attention, but hey you know me I love a challenge. I am sure we will get it all neat and tidy in no time at all. We have to move all our stuff from our old mooring, but first we must wait for the old owner of this mooring to move all her things.
Looking forward to posting about the progress of our new home.

Pop back soon xxx

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