Mad World....

....like the blog title says not all boating related but I needed to get it off my chest.

A Spanish footballer (Torres) comes to Liverpool and says he is for the club and will be staying for his full contract He has just moved to Chelsea for a yet undisclosed (it will be tens of millions) sum but for a reported £175,000 per WEEK Now consider that there will be some fans that will be paying to watch him and they will take maybe TEN YEARS to earn what this person does in a WEEK ...... Ten years work - one weeks pay mad mad mad

More contentious two blokes make a sexist comment and they both end up out of work mad mad mad

Common denominator - sky. Positive action taken, I have canceled my 10 year Sky subscription. I know a futile gesture but I feel a lot better for it.

Rant rant rant rant - feel better already as these greedy arses are not getting any more of my cash.

Normal boring blogging will resume tomorrow.

Nev

Nature, don't you just love it, her, him whatever !

Just a few weeks ago me and Leia were walking the edge of the field that runs from our moorings.


Yesterday it looked like this

I'm sure there was a little input from the farmer.

It was really busy at Fradley yesterday. We called in for a Sunday carvery at the Swan, very nice. I even helped shut the bottom gates as a boat went through, won't be long before they are pulsing past all day !

It was a really nice still late winters day with a dollop of Spring thrown in.

Nev

Something's missing

Can you spot it......



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The swan neck has gone.... its OK I asked Stuart from Mercia (he is freelancing now but I knew him from Aqua narrowboats) to sort out the bearings on the rudder post, they are shot and the tiller arm vibrates and sometimes resonates when the engine is a a ceetain revs. He has told me the old bearing needs to be ground off - eek I hope me paint holds up. I'll report back when its done.

A picture worth a thousand words

When we were in Egypt last year I took this photo.



I love it and when we had a equality and diversity photo competition at work I entered it with the following words....

Title - Contact

Children just stare.....

In certain cultures looking people in the eye is assumed to indicate honesty and straightforwardness; in others it is seen as challenging and rude. Arab cultures share a great deal of eye contact and may regard too little as disrespectful. In English culture, a certain amount of eye contact is required but too much makes many people uncomfortable. In South Asian and many other countries direct eye contact is generally regarded as aggressive and rude.

Some people with autistic disorders or social anxiety may find eye contact to be particularly unsettling.

Then again...children just stare.

A moment in time and this little girl will be my companion in my life to its completion.

What a year.... lots of photos but worth a read

I have been reviewing our year last year.

I think it was one of the busiest for a while. Photo's are a great way of reminding you what you did, so keep that camera handy, it is a great pictorial diary.

January

Egypt on the Nile

February

25th Wedding anniversary aboard Waterlily just below Kings Bromley marina

March

Sweep the roads clean first group ride out across Derbyshire

We had a lot of work done on our Garden to make it easier to use.maintain - this is a before shot


Last trip on Waterlily in her old colours. Second photo is her stripped ready to go into the dock !

April


The boat painting was well underway


We went to Scotland to stay with Friends in their lovely farm house over Easter

We did a couple of cycle rides over to the boat to check progress

May
First inaugural trip on our P&J newly painted, from Willington to Fradley


Started our summer cruise in May and my youngest had his 19th Birthday aboard so we go him drunk good times

Dropped off Callum in Stoke and John and Tony at Barbridge then it was just me Rachel and Leia for the remainder of the trip.

Just time to join the May Derbyshire Deauville rider annual ride out. Fantastic day covering some great roads

June

The annual Buxton to Derby cycle ride in perfect weather

July


A few more days on the boat - not moving anywhere just relaxing

Then a few days in North Wales with my Father in Law

August


Out with a mix of bikes for a great trip around the North Yorks Moors


First part (!) of my birthday celebrations was a trip out to our favourite short hop mooring just below Kings Bromley marina, we watched Chertsey chug by....


Then a real nostalgia trip to Sutton on Sea on the bike on my birthday (16th August for future info) It has not changed much at all. I used to go here with a good friends family when a young teenager

Back to the boat after the bike ride for some fishing.

At the end of August we (or it could have been just me) we aboard again I recall fishing at dawn which was beautiful.

September

Can you believe I have no photos for this month !!

October
Early October saw us out to Great Heywood for a long weekend. The early start was rewarded with a great sunrise. This was a sublime few days.


Mid October and I was out on the bike again - this time a 330 mile round trip to the North East with the highlight being a trip on the Middlesborough transported bridge.


Late October and we were back on the boat to get it topped up Diesel, coal, gas and a pump out, About £135 as I recall. It was a great trip with some very welcome late October sunshine.

We have a fancy to do the Sea2Sea this year and it will either be on Solo's or a tandem. So we went out one Sunday in late October to Waterhouses and hired a tandem. Good fun it was - however Rachel could not pilot it, no doubt not helped by me on the back trying to turn the fixed handlebars to get balance !!


I grew hair on the 30th October and drank loads of beer - can you tell !!

November

November saw us back in Scotland putting in the foundations for 2 wind turbines with my good friend John and a couple of others with Rachel being chief cook and cleanerupper. Much hard work beer and laughter was included.

I got my 'Ride to work' bike in late November and broke it in with a nice ride to Willington and back via Findern. It is the bike I hope to do the sea2sea and Lands end to John O'Groates this year for the former and next year before I am 50 for the latter - you have to have plans !

The frosts came in late November and the trips to the boat were frequent, not sure how many times we stopped over.

December



December took its toll !!
Many trip to the boat to light the fire and keep the frost damage at bay. Beer helped this was in the Swan at Fradley warming up with some Pedigree while the fire took the chill off the boat.


Even on the boat Christmas day to light the fire. Rachel was working so I took Leia for a Christmas walk up the canal - blimey it was cold !

Between Christmas and New Year we went for a walk from Willington to the Marina for afternoon tea. The ice looks like it is going but it is water on top that subsequently froze.
The 29th December saw me with Leia walking the canal again this time from Findern to to Stenson and back in a freezing fog, very eerie but quite enjoyable all the same.
We ended the year for an over-nighter on board, cosy and warm together just perfect !!

Well what a year, I can't believe we did so much. There were other work and personal things that went on that filled the gaps !!

Get out there and live this life.