Waterways to get £110m boost.

It is nice to hear some good news for a change,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13053394

Damp Wednesday.

Hi Folks.

A chilly, dull start to Wednesday, things could only improve. I had a somewhat restless night and woke up aching all over. Having got up my joints woke up and thankfully I stopped aching. I think old age is creeping up on me ha ha ha !!!. Well I am crawling slowly to 50 with my 49th birthday coming up very soon arghhhhhhhh. I honestly believe age is all in the mind, I still feel as if I am in my Twenties, but someone needs to tell my body that.
Paddy got his walk along the towpath, which was very uneventful. When we got back to the boat, Keith had laid up breakfast and made me a cup of tea, so that was a good start. I put a load of washing on whilst the generator was on and kept my fingers crossed that the machine behaved itself, which thankfully it did. Yesterday whilst visiting Viv, she had prepared a Lasagna for their dinner and it made me want to make one, so I have made on for tonight’s dinner, which we will have with some Salad and Garlic Bread.


The weather did improve unfortunately because it began to rain. I had hung the washing in the hold and Keith had gone off to get rid of rubbish and empty both our toilet cassettes, on his return the rain came. It was not a lot, but enough to make it look very miserable outside. There was nothing for it but to do some baking, so I made some Lemon Drizzle Muffins. I do love the smell of home baking and hope that anyone passing the boat would be made hungry by the smell coming from the oven. The smell was to get even yummier when I put some bacon on for bacon sandwiches which we enjoyed for lunch.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could have a smell button on here?
Mind you that would probably make you feel even hungrier.

I was listening to the local radio station Hfm and on the news they talked about a Billboard poster on the side of a funeral palour. An advertising company had plastered a poster for the Channel 5 series "The Walking Dead" on the side of the funeral palour building in Consett, County Durham. Now I know it is no laughing matter, but I did see the funny side and it bought to mind Kenny Everett catch phrase "It's all done in the best possible taste". I can of course see that it would be very upsetting to some and was pleased to see that the company were quick to remove it. (CLICK).

What has tickled your funny bone, even though it is a little close to the bone????

Lunch over and I am now waiting for my Tesco food delivery to arrive, then I will have a full fridge, freezer and cupboard. I have planned it this way because we are leaving the Leicester Line on Saturday morning to head for pastures new for a few weeks. Then we have to come back to black the hull of the boat before heading off once again. So exciting times ahead.

Chat soon xx

Auctions and accidents.

Hi Friends. This morning we had a rather chilly start and I should have known it was going to be so because in the early hours of the morning, I had a visitor lying on my pillow purring in my ear. Yes Marmite was feel the chill, so she crept on to my pillow and snuggled up. There was one slight problem with her choice of bed, I had no pillow to put my head on. I laid there for a while so as not to disturb her and then decided that I needed my sleep, so shifted my pillow to where I wanted it, this made Marmite move, she moved to the bottom of our bed and on to my legs, where she stayed until it was time for us to get up. This morning we went to the auction at Gildings and where Keith bid on and bought a set of 3 original graduated Measham jugs, all in excellent condition.I was unfortunately less successful with my choice of lot. I spotted a large box of lace tablecloths and various bits and pieces of lace, along with a lacemakers cushion and all the bobbins. The estimate was £50 to £70, but I set herself a limit of £40, sadly I was completely outbid as they went for £250, a tad more than I was prepared to pay. Whilst we waited for our lots to come up, I had a nice nose around and found this fine rocking horse. Yes I know it is in poor condition, but with lots of TLC it could be absolutely stunning. I hope it found a wonderful home. With my washing machine playing up, I was drawn to this Jiffy washing machine. I have never personally seen one before. There were also wringers, which reminded me of my Granny and getting my thumb stuck in her wringer. Apparently the "Jiffy" washing machine was introduced in the 1920s as an upgrade from the wooden tub machine. We really do not know how lucky we are to have the machines we have now, but on the otherhand I bet the Jiffy never broke down.Upon returning to the basin, we stopped off to chat with Viv on NB First Fruits. David was playing at a wedding, so we sat down with a coffee and nattered with Viv. We will not see them again until October. On returning to our boat we decided to wind in the basin and moor on the towpath, ready for our Tesco delivery tomorrow. Moored up we unpacked the 3 Measham jugs and sorted out the back cabin cupboard to find a home for the new additions. I then committed a cardinal sin. As I passed one of the jugs to Keith, it hit the handle on our Measham Kettle, which broke the handle in 3 places. I was mortified, I burst into tears mainly with shock at what had happened. Keith was somewhat calmer and told me to get the superglue. He has glued the handle back together, and it is holding fast, but we will have to be very careful with it. I am so annoyed with myself and will never forgive myself for what happened. Keith put the kettle in the cupboard and that is where it will stay with our other pieces. I know at the end of the day it is just a piece of pottery and worse things are happening in the world, but the Measham means a lot to us both as we love it. It was an accident, so I will have to get over it. So today has had its up's and down's, but on the whole it has been a good day. Chat soon xx

Open Letter.

Open letter from Ms Peggy Legg. This is an explanation to those friends and family who have experienced mysterious switches of their body parts. This effect is especially noticeable in January. You may have read of the scare story about the man whose kidneys were stolen while he was passed out. Well, read on. While the kidney story was an urban myth, my story is true - it occurs to me practically every day. Will and Guy's Humour - Warning for Women. My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. It was just that quick. I went to sleep in my body and woke up with someone else's thighs. The new ones had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Who would have done such a cruel thing to legs that had been mine for years? Whose thighs were these and what happened to mine? I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs. Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans and Sheer Energy pantyhose. Will and Guy's Humour - Women's body parts move. Then, just when my guard was down, the thieves struck again. My butt was next. I know it was the same gang, because they took pains to match my new rear end (although badly attached at least three inches lower than my original) to the thighs they stuck me with earlier. Now, my rear end complimented my legs, lump for lump. Frantic, I prayed that long skirts would stay in fashion. It was two years ago when I realized my arms had been switched. One morning I was fixing my hair and I watched horrified but fascinated as the flesh of my upper arms swung to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush. This was really getting scary. My body was being replaced one section at a time. How clever and fiendish. Age? Age had nothing to do with it. Age is supposed to reap, unnoticed, something like maturity. NO, I was being attacked repeatedly and without warning. In despair I gave up my T-shirts. What could they do to me next? My poor neck disappeared more quickly than the Thanksgiving turkey it now resembled. That's why I decided to tell my story. I can't take on the medical profession by myself. Will and Guy's Humour - Warning for Women move your parts. Women of the world, wake up and smell the coffee. That really isn't plastic that those surgeons are using. You KNOW where they are getting those replacement part, don't you? The next time you suspect someone has had a face ' lifted' , look again. Was it lifted from you? I think I finally found my thighs...and I hope Cindy Crawford paid a really good price for them! This is not a hoax. This is happening to women in every town every night. WARN YOUR FRIENDS women's body parts move.take heed ladies!lolYours alarmed Peggy Legg

Productive time was had.

Hi Friends. It was a chillier start to the day, after the last few hot days. When I stepped off of the boat to take Paddy for his walk there was a nip in the air. We set off from our Clarke's bridge mooring for Market Harborough at 8am. It was only a short jaunt byt very pleasant. We arrived at Bridge 14 and I stepped off of the boat to walk down to Logan Street Wharf to see if there was any room to moor. I rang Keith to let him know that there was room and so we are now moored at Logan Street Wharf just outside Union Wharf Basin. The reason for our early start was to get to Market Harborough for the inaugaral meeting of a volunteer group who have adopted the towpath from Union Wharf to Bridge 14 to keep it tidy, and to do some general maintenance. The adoption is being sponsered by Polly and Myles of Paws 4 Walking. Polly, Myles and their staff regularly use the canal towpath for their dog walking, and as a responsible company who like to look after the canal towpath, for all to enjoy, but regularly notice how many dog owners are not very caring about what their dogs do and where. But not just dog mess, general litter, etc. as of course the council are not responsible for maintaining the towpath in a clean condition, like they are wth the streets and pavements. There was an enthusiastic turnout upstairs at the Waterfront Restaurant with 20 people turning up for the first meeting. There were representatives from the local British Waterways land crew, whose responsibility for running such volunteer groups comes within their jurisdiction, as they will be supplying the hardware, any necessary training, and of course the necessary H&S regulations, they had quite a bit to say. I do realise that H&S has to be obeyed, but blimey it certainly bogs you down with all the do's and don'ts. The amount of hoops the British Waterways guys have to jump through is stupid. Whatever happened to common sense? There were many questions from the floor, and at the end of the meeting many of us set off down the towpath with the British Waterways staff, to look at what needed to be done initially and in the future. Some of the things on the to do list are painting of posts, bollards and waterpoints, which will brighten the moorings outside of the basin. In all it was a very productive morning, and a lot of enthusiasm was very noticable. Keith and myself of course are restricted to only being around during the winter, but I am sure our help will be most appreciated when we can offer it. The morning's meeting soon moved into the afternoon and before we knew it, it was 2pm and my stomach was screaming for something to eat. After such a productive morning, I am not doing anything for the rest of the afternoon. We will be moored at Logan Street Wharf until Saturday morning, as we have things to do. Chat soon xx.

Summer Curtains all done.

Hi Friends. For nearly 4 years now, ever since we moved onboard, I have been looking for the right material for a set of summer curtains for the boatman's cabin. Last week in Harborough I found what I have been looking for, and today I finished making them. Don't they look grand. Even Paddy seems impressed. For a Sunday it has been another busy day. Before finishing the curtains, I painted the front locker cover and the inside of the engine room hatches. Keith continued to touch up the coachlines and then he painted the cross beams in the hold. All the concentration and sun has given me a flippen headache so I am off to have some dinner and a lie down.

Chat soon xx

Swallow's, Housemartin's and more paintwork.

Hi Friends. I hope your Saturday has been a good one? Yesterday, I was so busy all day I did not have the time to post (My excuse). Yesterday more painting was done and I made a start on the back cabin, by varnishing the wall behind the stove, so the plates could go back up. Keith and I spent the evening re-arranging the ribbon and lace plates. I took the lace down washed and bleached it and hung it in the engine room to dry. By the time we finished it was getting dust and time to pack up for the day. This morning, and the sun was out again, so I was up early to get another early start on jobs to be done. The back cabin stove got painted black for the Summer and I polished the Copper Kettle now that it is not in use. It is lovely to have the back cabin all ship shape and bristol fashion for the Summer. I still have some lace to put up, but that can wait till another day. With the brass polished and the plates in place, the cabin is looking really nice although I say it myself.The back cabin step got a rub down, I then smoothered it with Teak Oil and left it to soak in. After 15 minutes I then wiped off the excess oil. I usually try to do this twice a year, so that it is protected from whatever we throw at it. With the sun out I thought I would rub down the cratch board and give it a couple of coats of Dark Blue. This will protect it against the weather for another year. At some point we will need to take it off completely and rub it down properly. Keith completed the water cans by finishing the sign writing, I then did a 2nd coat of Blue on the bucket. It is all looking very splendid. All the hard work has been worth it this past few days. Now we have completed one side of the boat, we have the other side to do now when we get a chance. The one thing about owning a boat is there is always something that has to be attended to. If you can do most of the work yourself, it does keep costs down. I am by no means a professional painter, but I do my best. A blind man would be pleased to see it. I am happy to turn my hand to anything. We have had another very busy and happy day and to finish it off we have seen the first Swallow's and Housemartin's, so Summer is on its ways. I am still amazed that these little birds fly back to Britain from wintering in Africa. As soon as I saw the first Swallow I felt like a little friend had returned. Time to now go and think of something for dinner tonight. I hope you have had a wonderful Saturday. Tomorrow we will tackle more boat jobs. Chat soon xx.

Painting and program issues.

Hi Friends. To say I am pooped is an understatement right now. But it has been a very satisfying day, because we have got lots of painting done. The sun shone this morning, so we were up early, Mushroom's on Toast for breakfast and a quick walk up the towpath with Paddy got me in the mood for some painting. What did not make me happy was a pair of Jack Russell's who were running a muck. one of the Jack Russell's was in a farmers field stuck behind a fence, whilst the other was running up and down the towpath, so as I passed a boat moored up, I enquired as to whether the lady owned the two Jack's, she replied she did, so I explained one was stuck behind a fence. She told me it would find its way back when it was ready, so I went on my way feeling a little annoyed at her response. I got back to the boat and began rubbing down the cabin side ready for its third coat of paint, when the lady from before asked. "Have you seen a Brown and White Jack Russell" I replied "Yes I told you, I saw it stuck behind a fence". Her reply was "Oh, it never came back to the boat and now I cannot find it" I said "Well it has not come this way". The woman went on her way, to look for her dog I thought. About 20 minutes later, I saw the Jack Russell down the towpath heading away from the boat, so called it and amazingly it came to me, so I quickly put Paddy's lead on it and marched it back to its boat, where the woman climbed out of the front, she hav obviously not been looking for her dog, but was sat in the front. I informed her it was heading to Foxton Village. She did at least thank me for finding it and offered me a coffee, but I was just about to begin painting, so politely turned the coffee down. This was a fine example why people should watch there dogs at all times and not let them just jump on and off of the boat when they feel like it. Back at the boat, the days painting began. I put a 3rd coat of Blue on the port cabinside, a 2nd coat of Blue on the frame of the starboard engine 'ole, a 1st coat of Blue on the top of the boatman's cabin slide, once the Blue was dry, I then painted a first coat of White, the second coat will go on tomorrow. Whilst I did that Keith painted the 3 white bands around the 2nd water can, and the White band around the pouring spout, and touched up the bucket with a bit of primer, ready to put some new Blue on. I then began rubbing down the bow ready for the Blue paint and for the Red when I have the undercoat. It is all looking fantastic. During the afternoon, I put the 1st coat of Blue on the bow, with a view to adding a 2nd coat tomorrow. So as you can see it has been a busy painting day. We did have a lunchtime break for half and hour, and there were coffee breaks as well. I love it when I productive days like today. I am now trying to decide what to have for dinner tonight. It will be something quick and easy I reckon. How has your day been?? Before I sign off today, I wanted to mention a couple of programs I watched last night. "The Boat that Guy built" (CLICK) has been showing on BBC1, actually it finished last night. Did anyone watch it?

What did you think about the series?

I had issues with the name of the show, they should have called it "The boat Guy refitted out", as he did not build the boat in the first place. But I guess my option is not as catchy. To read the story of the boat which was not neglected as was reported on the program was infact a project underway. Read Andrew's report from Granny Button's (CLICK).

There was a lot I did not like about the series, but we cannot all like everything.

My second program with issues is "Jamie's Dream School"(CLICK). The idea behind the series is fantastic and should work, the only problem are the young people they took on. I cannot believe that having been given such a fantastic opportunity, they go on national TV and behave as they do. This school has been set up to help these young people to turn their lives around. They are not doing themselves any favours with their behaviour. I am not someone who swears, I was bought up not too and see no need for it. So to hear these young people swearing not just in class at the teachers, but also at their own parents makes my blood boil. If I had sworn at school, I would have been up in front of the headmaster and if I had sworn at home I would have been given a good hiding by my father. This program really does show the worst in our young people. What is worse is they are what this country is going to depend on in the years to come. It does not bode well in my opinion. I do however realise that some of this may have been hyped up for the program, but you see this sort of behaviour so often in the street. I fear for this country if discipline is not bought back into the school and home.

Right time for me to put my thinking cap on, so I am off now.

Chat soon xx