And this weekends boating update........

Well, static boating that is.

Due to family committments we arrived at Waterlily at just before 10 on a lovely winter morning

We could not stay as we had to be back in Derby for a family get together, but we were due back on the boat later that same day. I am not sure if being 20 milesish from the boat is a good or bad thing under these circumstances. Anyhow our plans were to unpack and move the boat up to Shadehouse, clearing the five Fradley locks and spend some time in the sticks - anywhere between Fradley and Great Haywood.

The best laid plans of mice and men - picking up the mice thread again here. When we started to unpack we found out two 'guests' had crapped in the fridge as well as some of the cupboards. This is just not neighbourly I say. The end result was a boat spring clean - generator out, Dyson on , cupboard empty etc etc. By now I was not feeling any guilt about the way our antisocial friends had been removed from the boat.

So it was clean of boat, A38, eat, socialise, A38, on boat - we arrived back at 5pm and then I let my mobile phone have a swim - all in all a mixed day. Good old alcohol came to the rescue and we dozed our way into the late evening.......

I have a new gadget, an essential for all boaters, a digital multi meter, and it records temperatures. It got down to -4c overnight but Waterlily was a nice warm cacoon as I perfected the trick of keeping the fire in all night (another first and part of my apprenticeship in the way of canals) The next morning the cut was well frozen and looked like a winter wonderland. It was so much the better for being a Monday morning and we were on the boat and the rest of the world was at work.

Another first (hopefully) for the blog is my YouTube video of the morning from the counter of Waterlily on her moorings. I hope you can see what we were so keen to get the mooring we have?

As no boats were moving, and we did not want to loose out newly acquired blacking by ice breaking we decided this trip would be static and opted for a lazy day, reading and relaxing then some lunch and a trip to the BW shop at Fradley for some local walk details.

As I do, I opted for the longest walk which took us away from Fradley across fields and brought us out past Kings Bromley Marina. It was a great walk (we did get a little lost) We saw a woodpecker and a large bird of prey that we could not identify - (Note to self - I will buy myself a bird spotters handbook)

As we returned we enjoyed a fantastic sunset, and played with the camera to improve it.

This picture was taken from the bow of the boat as the sun had set - stunning sky and a warning for another -7c cold night.

Tuesday was a very grey and damp cold start. Once again the canal was iced up and no boats were moving first thing so we walked into Alrewas. I think this may be a village we eventually retire to. It is a lovely place with some nice old houses. Not yet, but did I mention my planning habits......;-)

We walked to the Trent and back which time a couple of Shakespeare boats were cracking their way through Alrewas.

All in all a perfectly relaxing and enjoyable couple of days. One thing we know for sure it Waterlily is a boat for all season as she kept us warm and dry even down to -7c

Roll on summer....................