Braunston to the bottom of Hillmorton Locks.

Hi Friends.

We were in no hurry to be under way this morning so for us it was a late start as we waited for Tradline to open at 9.30am, and then Keith had to return in ½ hour to give them time to wind the 60m of line we wanted onto a reel. This line is to replace the tempory lines we made when Hadar was first launched to hold up the side cloths, and some rope to make a pair of answer lines, which we may need later this year. Having taken the rope on board, I made a coffee and we prepared to set off leaving Braunston behind.

Before completely leaving Braunston though we needed to empty the toilet cassette, but could not get into the sanitary point as it was already in use, so we pulled in my the water point and I walked up with the trolley to empty the loo.
No sooner we set off for pastures new for 2011, we saw Working Boat Chertsey moored up, neither Sarah or Jim were about. (CLICK ME) Chertsey is being restored by Sarah and Jim.
No sooner we left Chertsey behind we then ran across Trevor on Working Boat Corona, sporting her new livery, she really did look fantastic.
The canals are for everyone, and this gentleman was clearly enjoying his time out in his canoe.
A fairly uneventful run to Hillmorton locks, I worked the locks, whilst Keith moved the boat. It had been quite some time since I have stepped from gate to gate and found it refreshing to do it again. At least I know I have not lost my touch, not sure Keith's photograph is very flattering, but it made me smile. We got to the bottom lock where we overtook 2 boats going the same direction. Granted one had stopped above the bottom lock to empty their elsan, but the other boat was in one of the bottom locks, the gentleman had tried to use the lock we went in to, but he couldn't open the gate, so they changed over to the other lock. This meant the first lock was full so I asked the gentleman why did he not use the lock as he had filled it, he told me the bottom gates were leaking and he could not open the gate, so I finished filling the lock again and yep you guessed it I opened it up and we went through and left before them. I reckon from the conversation between the 2 men they were trying to do it scientifically. So much for science, knowledge, muscles and technique win the day everytime. I did not find it difficult. I do have to say though, although the gentleman working the locks was a large gentleman he did not look very fit.
Having left the bottom lock, we passed this Swan's nest and her Cygnets, these are the second Cygnets we have seen this year, Keith took a photo of some earlier.Working Boat Badsey moors above the bottom lock in front of the Cafe.
Not wanting to arrive at Rugby to find no moorings we decided to moor up below the bottom lock, and leave arriving at Rugby till tomorrow morning. The sun is shining and we have had a wonderful days cruising.

I have just cooked some mince for a Cottage Pie for dinner tonight and then we may have some Pineapple and Ice Cream.

Marmite and Paddy have been enjoying the sunshine since we have been moored up. Marmite was laid out on the towpath rolling in the dirt so she was in seventh heaven.

Going now to check on dinner, then I am going to relax before dinner. It will then be time for a nice hot shower and an evening in front of the TV.

Chat soon xx

Mountain Barn to Braunston Top Lock.

Hi Friends.

After a fantastic nights sleep, I even managed to lay-in a little, but no sooner Keith and I were awake Marmite wanted to make her presence known, so she jumped on the both of us and then stood on Keith looking into his eyes, you know like the cat in "Cat Woman" the one where Halle Berry is Cat Woman. Anyway that was Marmite's good morning hello this morning. With us both awake when then discussed what the day would bring.

It is true to say that we both definitely have itchy feet and the need to get moving, so much so, that our golden rule flew out of the back doors of the back cabin, because we decided to travel on a Saturday. We set off at 8.45am, with a view to getting down through Watford Locks. On the way I sold two bags of coal to friends of Charles and Ann on NB Moore2Life and then we actually passed Charles and Ann. The Watford Locks decent did not happen until after some lunch, because we had to wait for six boats coming up the flight. Whilst we waited I made us something to eat and a coffee. Today was much colder day than of late, but at least it was dry, if windy, but with a load of coal in the hold the wind doesn't affect Hadar so much. The new prop is performing well, we can certainly stop a lot quicker, and have been running at lower engine revs for the same ground speed. At 2.30pm we left the Leicester Line at Norton junction and into the deeper water of the Grand Union Main line we really noticed the difference, she motors along quite nicely now. I got to take the tiller to Braunston Tunnel and loved the way she now moves through the water. We had thought of stopping just after Norton junction, but the ringed moorings were all taken, so we carried on to the top of Braunston locks cruising through Braunston Tunnel.

Now I am going to have a moan. I so wish people would have a stern light on when going through tunnels. So many people seem to think that anyone following them must have night vision. They think nothing of putting their tunnel light on at the bow, but no thought for anyone following them. We struggled to see the boat in front of us, thankfully he exited the tunnel before we actually caught him up completely. If people would just put a back cabin light on it would help. A stern navigation light would be even better though. The thing I have noticed more and more, is that the cruiser stern boats are fitting skirts around their sterns which when blocks off any light from a back cabin, which means they cannot be seen in a tunnel from the stern. Ok moan over.

Having come out of the tunnel, we moored up at the top of Braunston Locks and this is where we will stay for the rest of the weekend. The TV signal is not great, but at least we have channels 1, 2 and 4. I am however very unlikely to be watching the Eurovision Song Contest, with Jedward involved. I can see Ireland get nil points, although someone said they were second favourite to win behind France arghhhhhhhhh.

Ok off now to do some dinner.

Chat soon xx

Bridge 103 to The Boat House, Braunston.

Hi Friends.

I hope you all enjoyed your extended weekend, we certainly did. But it was time to think about moving. We had thought of staying put until tomorrow, but then had a change of heart as we were going to head for Rugby, but like with all good plans it soon got changed when we saw that the wind was still blowing a gale. So plan B was put into place.

We would be leaving out lovely picturesque weekend mooring and heading back to Braunston, where we would catch a bus into Daventry to do a shop at Tesco, well that was plan B.Plan B very soon got turned into Plan C, when we decided that by the time we pay for bus fares it would be cheaper to shop in the village, so we would moor at Braunston and walk to the local Co-Op and Butcher for supplies.

Because it was blowing a hooley, it made it a bit interesting travelling and was made worse by the fact that we met a boat at every bridge 'ole. There was some sideways boating going on at times. Keith is convinced that these strong winds will remain with us until we load with coal on the 14th May. At the moment the bow is light and vulnerable to wind and the sheeting is operating like a sail. So fun time ahead if this wind continues. As we made out way to Braunston the spire of Braunston Church came into view. This often operates as a beacon of hope for many a boater, as does the Windmill next door.

We arrived in Braunston and hoped that we would find a mooring, thankfully we were able to moor at The Boathouse, where we had a nice lunch and a pint of beer each. Before lunch though we visited Midland Chandlers for some bits. We returned to the boat and then had lunch at The Boathouse, before returning to Midland Chandlers for some other bits, which we needed to take measurments on the boat for. So we now have some LED bulbs for our saloon and galley lights, we also have some sound proofing board for our generator wooo hoo. During our first visit to MC, we noticed Narrowboat "Boston" moored on the towpath opposite, so on our 2nd visit we decided to return via the towpath to see how Bruce was doing. He was looking very good and back to his old self, thank goodness. We took a long time to get back to Hadar.Having finished chatting with Bruce, we then chatted to and had coffee with Anne & Keith on "Oakfield" (CLICK ME), it was lovely to see them both again and as you do, we ended up chatting about all things boaty including the old boaters topic toilets. We finally left them in peace and found ourselves chatting to Tim & Jo on their historic butty Hampton. We had seen them at Crick a few days a go and I knew, I knew the boat from somewhere, but could not picture it but soon realised that it moors at Cowroast with Historic Working Boat Owl, which belongs to Tim's Dad. The photo below was taken at Crick.

We finally made it back on board Hadar and had another coffee. I replaced the bulbs in the saloon and galley for the halogen bulbs to the new super duper LED ones, so tonight we will see if they make a difference. I am told that once we have the LED ones we will then change all of our bulbs over to them, they are supposed to be that good.

We will not get a TV signal here, so not sure what we will do this evening, twiddle my thumbs probably ;0) I have really enjoyed today and look forward to tomorrow, when plan A is to go shopping in the morning and then to head off up the locks. So we will see if we stick to Plan A or it changes to something else.

Chat soon xx

Back to Braunston.

Good morning.

When I say good. It was more like morning all, because no sooner had we left our overnight mooring, the rain began to fall. So I had to don my waterproofs quick smart. Not that rain particularly bothers me much. When the weather is warm, a drop of rain is really quite refreshing.

Yesterday I spent most of the morning moping out the front locker. There was an inch of water in there and I wanted it out. I then moved some coal around in the hold, to get things a little tidier. After lunch I got the camera and tripod out to try and take some photographs of a Kestral which kept hovering near the boat, but would'nt you just know it, no sooner the camera was on display, the Kestral stopped coming by. But I did take some photos of a Brambling and a Yellow Hammer.

We are back at Braunston top lock again, 5.75 miles, 3hrs, with our friends David and Elaine on NB Patience. Yesterday afternoon David and Elaine moored behind us, which was fabulous, because it had been about year since we had seen them. Last year at this time we were cruising down to Stratford-Upon-Avon with them and a good time was most definitely had by us all. We spent yesterday afternoon catching up on all their news and of course telling them all ours. So this morning we thought we may as well travel up through the locks with them. We set off with them at 7.30am, after my alarm went off at 6am announcing it was time to crawl out of bed, after a disturbed night once more. I wish I could switch the dream button off sometimes. 7.30am on the dot we were all set to go. Engines fired up and tillers in place. Elaine and David went ahead and got to the bottom lock at Braunston, where a gentleman was waiting to go up, because he was using the dry dock. There were two boats coming down and we soon discovered they had taken the gentlemans lock. He was single handed and had set the lock and opened the gate. By the time he got back to his boat, the people on the boats above had closed the gate and started filling it with water.

Elaine asked them "Did you bother to look to see if anyone was coming up"

The reply from one woman was "Well there was no one here with a windlass, so we thought it was our lock".

Elaine said "The reason for that is because the man is single handed and had gone back to get his boat. You should always check to see if anyone is coming, before you turn around a lock".

The woman then said " Would you please say sorry to the gentleman for us".

Elaine said "Your going past him, you say sorry yourself, after all you took his lock".

With that both parties walked in different directions. The dry dock was by now also being filled to allow a boat out and a boat in, so the pound above the locks was extremely low, made worse by the stealing of the lock. Tim from the dry dock went up and let some water down as we were entering it and all seemed well. But would'nt you just know it. We got out of the Admiral Nelson Lock, and a pair of boats were coming down yayyyy. So they left the gates for us and us for them. On the towpath was a boat moored, which was not allowed as BW had asked the gentleman not to moor there, when the Rally was on over the weekend, but he was there and no sooner he saw us coming he said. "Your pinching my lock". We were'nt because he was still moored up on pins, no tiller in place or engine started. Both Elaine and I knew he was trying to pull a fast one, so just went on our way. As it turned out there was a single boat coming up behind us, and so he joined them. Some people are just so arghhhhhhhh. I have a new name for them all GOB's (Grumpy Old Boater's). Maybe they get out of the wrong side of the bed, I don't know. The locks were done and we are now moored up on the 48 hour moorings for the night. No sooner we had stopped the rain stopped and the sun came out. Elaine reckons everytime they do the Braunston Locks, it always rains, so we are blaming her for the wet start to the day. We do need the rain though, otherwise there are going to be stoppages on the system due to water shortages.

Would'nt it be fantastic if there was a weather switch. You switch it on at night for the rain and switch it off in the morning for the sunshine. That would be just perfect.

I have managed to get a half decent TV signal for the tennis later on. Andy Murray is playing, so want to see how he gets on against Rafael "Rafa" Nadal. I dare we will also be watching the football as well. After an eventful morning with the GOB's. I plan on having a quiet afternoon.

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.

Just when you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi folks.

Having enjoyed an up and down weekend with my shoulder. Here we are on a Monday and things are still not going right. Over the weekend, I think I told you on Saturday the Diclofenic was making me poorly, so I stopped them. This morning Keith and I both had appointments at the doctor's. Keith had good news, because he can start coming off of his pain killers. We will then really know if he is actually completely pain free. The doctor was pleased with his progress. There was nothing we did not already know in the letter to the doctor from the hospital, so we have to now wait for the biopsy results. Because we had over an hour to wait until my appointment, we decided to go and have a coffee in the town and to stroll around the Charity shops, as we always do. We then made it back to the surgery for my appointment with my doctor. I am to have some Physio, to see if they can free my shoulder up a little more. I could have a Cortisone , but the doctor who does them is stuck in Ireland, due to the Volcanic ash cloud. He has tried coming back by ferry, but they are booked solid. So my doctor is gonna ask him if I could benefit from having one. At the moment, it is fine if I do not move it quickly or at an odd angle. So there will be no swinging from the light fittings for me for a while. I will give the Physio a go and see if that helps. I also have some exercises I can try to see if that will release the joint. One good bit of news, was the fact that my blood pressure was down. The doctor had me lay back and think of peaceful things, which was more than the other doctor did. He had pulled my arm this way and that and then he took my BP, so no wonder it was high.
Having spent most of the morning down the town, we decided to have some lunch out, so went to the Waterfront, which is becoming our local for meal out of late. As always we both enjoyed our meals, before heading back to the boat. Keith decided that he was going to try and sort out the problem with the engine. When I say problem, I mean the problem with her only firing on one cylinder. We thought by having the fuel injector repaired all would be well, but oh no, nothing is ever that simple when it comes to us. So the new course of action was to strip the engine down again and remove the Copper washer, clean them, heat them up and put them back on the engine and hopefully that would do the job, as Keith reckoned we were getting air in somewhere.
Did it work??????????
No it did not. So we are still scratching our heads. The other thought that Keith has had, is that the Copper washers have had it and we need new ones, so this will mean limping to Braunston to Tony Redshaw's to get some replacements. None of this can happen until Keith gets the all clear for his biopsy results. So we put it all back together again and will leave it alone. Something is telling me that we are destined never to leave Market Harborough. I know that sounds stupid, but that is how it feels. Don't get me wrong I like Market Harborough, we have everything we need here, but Keith and I like to move as much as possible.
As the day draws to a close, I think I am going to be taking it easy and will see what tomorrow will bring. I hope your Monday has been a good one.