Teeth and resprays

Nothing canal related. Having checked my extensive list of RSS feeds for canal updates and there not being many I thought I'd at least post something (even if its drivel)

So the aching tooth is no more. I had it taken out today. Dentist got a right sweat on getting it out as its roots were twice as big as he expected so I have a large hole in my gums now :-(

I am hoping for a bigger than normal payout from the tooth fairy based on its size (yes i did bring it home) Remember the Brompton - still very much enjoying riding it. Here is the link to the 'converters'. I used it to get across Derby to the dentist today in just 11 minutes, I'm sure I could not have done it quicker in the car.

I am thinking of getting my Ducati resprayed. The tail cowling fell of it the other day and is now nicely scratched to bits so rather than just get that resprayed back to blue I fancy a proper red Ducati - like this ......

Anyway, no more drivel - I'll get onto the collection of Waterlily next.....

Mercia Marina update

True to his word Robert Neff the new marina manager sent the information pack for the new marina. I think the costs are too high for us and the thought of being in such a large community, albeit of boaters, does not appeal. So for now we will stay put on our very rural home moorings.

There is an open day over the May bank holiday weekend. Also Robert has invited me down at any time to meet him, which I intend to do.

I still have reservations about the number of marina being built on the T&M see my post about it earlier Not so much about marina as I think they are better than long lines of moored boats. I do enjoy boats moored on the cut as I am very nosey and I also think they maintain the character of the canal, but they should be less long lines - anyone doing the Shroppie north of Market Drayton will know what I mean.

I just hope the proliferation of marinas on the T&M and BW's one in ten rule don't impact on my mooring - I hate the sight of blood, no so bad when its not my own !

Nev

Unexpected blast.....

As I arrived home last night my next door neighbour was doing the same and suggested it was a fine evening for a ride out on the bikes (Motorbikes that is) So as he had not seen my boat we decided a run to Fradley was in order.

We went via Ashbourne and the A515. He had new tyres on his bike so we took it relatively slowly (Ha) It was a fine run. When we got to Fradley Junction the pound above Hunts lock was about half full and emptying. Some prat had left the bottom gates open and not fully shut the top paddles. In fact they had left the lock in as bigger mess as you might imagine, gates open and paddles up, just thoughtless and dangerous for the fish in the pound above the lock. We sorted it with the help of another boater on the moorings.

A faster blast back down the A38 saw a new record of boat to house set........

These unexpected visits are great - we had a coffee on the boat and a walk up to the Swan - no beer as we were on the bikes. Fradley was superb, just as I like it, all the excitement of the day lost and a few gongoozlers left, people drinking at the pub tables and a few boats on the moorings cooking their tea. (I still have breakfast, dinner and tea) All in all a very tranquil and relaxed scene, only problem was I had to leave the boat. No Problem as I intend to commute from the boat a few times over the summer to enable me to drink in the atmosphere of a Fradley Junction evening........

So, just need a summer now?

Nev

Posting from the canal

Yep, we are out on Waterlily this weekend. As she was facing south and we arrived a little later than expected on Friday, we ambled down to Branston waterpark on Friday afternoon. we were mainly headlong into a very brisk and cold easterly wind. It made boat handling tricky but we managed ok until mooring when I got the boat across the cut after changing my mind about mooring locations at the last minute. Two guys came off their boats and helped pull her in against the wind - much appreciated.


Last time we tried the bridge pub at Branston it was empty and not serving food. This time it was the opposite - full, very full. We then realised the menu was pizza or pasta. we stuck it out only to be given a table (6 seater) with four guys out for a loud Friday night drink. we advised our hosts that it was just too noisy and left. The landlady was very nice about it. The pub is very small and needs to segregate its eating and drinking......

we retired back to the boat and ate..............pasta and drank our own wine, much better atmosphere and much cheaper. We tried to watch a DVD but we were both worn out - some late nights earlier in the week.

Today (Saturday) we were planning a trip to Willington, but further cold wind changed our mind. We winded at Jannell boat yard and took on some diesel 68p per litre and coal £7.85 per 25kg bag ( have put these in to remind me what I paid in time to come....)

There is very little moving on the cut - passing Barton turns I counted 9 Shakespeare boats moored up, another boater told me there would be 4 more near the new pub. To contradict myself we then met three boats at Wychnor. Rachel took the tiller for the river section back to Alrewas and skippered excellently in the wind.

We are now moored up just after bridge 46 in Alrewas, the boat is toasty warm and we are about to enjoy a veg curry with beer/wine. No TV tonight as I couldn't be bothered with setting the satellite dish up so its Classic FM on the DAB and a book or maybe a DVD later...... I'll read this at work next week and wonder why I haven't retired (very early) yet.

nev

Mercia Marina

I recently left a post on Andrew Denny's Grannybuttons blog criticising Mercia Marina for not following up on my requests for an information pack about their new marina in Willington.

Well top marks for the new marina manager Robert Neff (the same Robert Neff who left Priory marina) who picked up on the comment and made contact - a pack is in the post.

This bodes well for Mercia as Robert comes with a pedigree - not least someone who uses the internet to communicate. I am sure Andrew will be impressed.

Good luck Robert, now lets just see if the pack arrives and how competitive the berth prices are......

The Whilton experience

Whilton is the subject of a discussion on Canal World discussion forum at the moment. We purchased Waterlily from them. I would say that at all times they were friendly and professional.

Anyhow, we had sold Comet and sold our share in Sylph and were very keen on Waterlily. I had sorted out the funding for the purchase - it was just down to the survey. At this time we had done some haggling on the price and got a couple of thousand off the boat subject to survey - that is what I had thought.

We got in touch with Balliol Fowden who did the survey on Comet and between us we arranged for a date to get the survey done.

I was a little annoyed when I turned up at Whilton to be told the boat had already been out of the water. This frustration was tempered a little by the news the base plate was actually 10mm not the 8mm Whilton were quoting. Balliol spent some time taking me through the issues with the boat and spent some time discussing the issues around the engine.

A few days later we received the survey. Main problem was the gas installation was poor - would not pass the BSC and the stove has a superficial crack in the back edge. There was also some surface rusting on some of the cabin welds. Not a bad survey, basically a sound boat.

This is when I had some disagreement with the salesman at Whilton. I went back and offered a lower amount based on the works being needed. Whilton man said he had told me that the offer they had accepted was final and they would not take a lesser offer post survey - he suggested this had been explained to me, something I certainly did not recall.

The boat was for sale due to the death of her owner and his widow was selling it. Whilton told me they has taken a hit on their commission in order to accept the lower offer I had made. I would like to think this was the case as I did not wish to take advantage of the position. I eventually took a pragmatic view and went through with the purchase of the boat and arranged for Whilton to fix the gas installation prior to collection.

Waterlily was ours

Owning a narrowboat was a long term plan, we had achieved it much earlier than expected. I picked up a chronic condition a few years ago that changed my outlook on life. Nothing life threatening but life changing. I made my mind up to live as much for today without impacting on other family lives too much. I have never regretted buying Waterlily early. She is expensive to own and a large depreciating asset, but the enjoyment we get owning her is bigger than any monetary value.

So we started to plan the collection, little did we know we were going to collect her in the middle of one of the worst storms in recent memory.........

It was an Abbott self propelled gun actually

It was still a buzz to drive.


We spent a few days at our friends (John and Carrie) farm house in Scotland. On the Monday we drove over to Galloway tanks and took the Abbott self propelled gun for a spin.

We all had a go. For our sins Carrie and me were passengers when Tom, our eldest son, had his go. He was encouraged to give it some and we got roundly bounced around as a result.

Tom in action below.....

We went for a lovely walk on the Tuesday - about 6 miles from Portpatrick. This part of southwest Scotland is very remote and does not get many visitors - so its very attractive for people like me, who like nothing more than empty roads and friendly but limited people contact.

A few pics from the walk on the Tuesday....

It was so sunny we all got a little burnt - roll on the summer.

Now Waterlily and the Whilton experience........

No boats but tanks today......

Seriously.............

I'll give a much fuller account later, but today I was mostly driving this bad boy......

Anyone care to guess what it actually is?

Nev

No boats but bikes today

Can't get much more of a contrast than bikes and boats. Four MPH against a lot more MPH. As we were at a 'dedication' (the pre curser to a baptism) in the afternoon, I took advantage of some un -forecasted sunshine and took my Ducati out for a run, and so much the better I felt for it afterwards.

My Ducati 750 is quite the perfect motorbike for what I want. its V twin engine is soooo torquey lot of grunt and plenty of engine breaking makes for a easy smooth ride.

Its not the rocket ship that my other bikes have been but on today's road there is less opportunity of enjoying the performance of such bikes.

So today was bikes not boats.

Now on to the purchase of Waterlily.........

More boat time

The plan was a nice early start out of Fradley for a couple of days in the sticks, only number two sons social life saw us getting to bed at 3.30 am so our early start went out of the window.

Those of you who know Fradley might imagine lunchtime on a bank holiday (even one when the brass monkeys were carrying their own welding kits) and so it was a tad busy as we set off towards Shadehouse woods. Luckily we were only a couple of boats per lock, and that was because we were not prepared to 'nip out' of our moorings in front of other boaters. It was busier southbound with fun and games at Junction lock with the usual issues of boats coming down the T&M working into a queue with those boats coming off the Coventry going south.

I am going to consult the 'experts' and find out the peaks for the Canal time and Shakespere boats from Sawley and Barton Turns respectively. They will come out of their bases at set time of the day and week and therefore arrive at fradley at roughly the same time each week ? (I'll let you know, so you and we may be aware of the times to avoid)

Due to the slow progress through Fradley we were hungry as we exited Shadehouse lock, so as we could, we cruised up towards canal turn (where the T&M stops its South westerly direction to that of North westerly that it maintains to its end) We moored up and decided that this was good enough, far enough from others and away from the gongoozlers of Fradley.

Good food, nice warm boat, a good book and a satellite signal was all that is needed in life - a few fish would have been nice but it was very cold and there were still a fair few boats on the move. Rachel modelling the inside of our boat while I slave away on the stove (we do take it in turns really !)

Monday saw the wind a little easier but still as cold. We had a very lazy start (managed to keep the fire in all night, I have the mastery of the squirrel now) We set off to wind at either Kings Bromley marina or Handsacre. The snow and cold wind made the decision for us and we winded at Kings Bromley.

Canal turn going back towards Shadehouse lock, you can just see flecks of snow encouraging us home.

We were back at Fradley early in the afternoon and had an uncontested trip through the locks until we stopped just after Junction lock at the 48 hour moorings for food and rest. There were fewer boats moving today and the majority we private, confirming my thinking the hire boats arrive with some degree to a timetable (to be avoided in the future).

We ended out little jaunt by mooring up and departing just after 5pm, with a return trip by yours truly to do a good vac out and some odd jobs tomorrow.

I like our boat, fairly simple but comfortable. She's not the prettiest, or the most technological, but she is simply ours.....

Nev

On board blog

Not since this post have we been on board Waterlily. As I have said before I get restless if I do not get on the canal regularly. So as we had a spare half day we have popped over for a fix.

Fire on, soup in our belly and the first blog from the boat - makes me a halfway liveabord blogger.

That's it.

Nev

So Comet goes......

I like trust, when realised it give you a real lift and makes the world seem just a little better.

I had only met Josie on one occasion - when she brought my boat. I gave her my bank details, a receipt for £100 she transferred lots of money to me.

We arranged to meet at Comet 2pm and once again is was a fantastically sunny Saturday. We were still emptying personal things when Josie arrived. She turned up with her fella, who was a nice Polish chap with limited English, but he certainly beat me compared to my Polish.

We chatted and I asked how much experience they had of boats and what were their plans. Josie happily told me this was the second time she had been on a narrowboat - the first time being when she viewed Comet. She then said they needed to be in Tamworth before the shops shut as they had no bedding and were living on the boat from today !!

Can't fault that approach and in some ways I admired and envied the unconcerned, "take it as it comes" attitude.

So we agreed to help them through the three locks to the junction and get them onto the Coventry. I took them through the basics of the boat - it is/was a basic boat anyhow. The polish lad (can't remember his name) was very good and took the tiller straight away. We got them pointing to Tamworth, shook their hands, wished them luck and stepped off Comet, with a little sadness as we knew she was a good little boat.

So now no boat, just some work with the brokers to try and get Waterlily....... another story.

Comet - Owned by us January - June 2007

Bones for sale

If you want to get Bones something for Christmas........

shop here

Human skulls $500 - cheap as chips (nearly)

Nev

Bones on Bones

This is a Bones challenge - see here for some background.

So over to you Ms Bones.... any idea what I found?

A video to help the identification

A big thank you to John for indulging me in the weired request - hey John, can you photograph the skull I left behind on your bathroom window and email it over to me......

Nev

The sale of Comet.....

So to catch up, I had to sell Comet. I had sold our share in Sylph and registered my interest in Waterlily - so I decided, as I spent a great deal of my time on Apollo duck, (daft name, only I remember it !) it might be worth a go. At this time I really did not think it would all fall together.

I recall it did not take me too long to write up some text and add in some photo's I had taken while I was waiting for the Whilton chap to value Comet.

Looking at these again she was (is) a nice boat inside. We had spent a long weekend getting her clean inside ..

Anyhow I could not believe the number of 'hits' the advert got within the first 48 hours - well over a thousand, and then the emails and telephone calls started. I think at the height I had 10 interested parties (even after she was sold I got people emailing asking to be 'first reserve' if the sale fell through) I think boats at this price with a tidy interior and good recent survey are fast sellers and so it was with Comet.

I think it was a Thursday afternoon after the ad had been in the previous weekend I got a call from a guy who was very interested and wanted to view. We arranged 4pm as he was travelling from Stockport. 2.30 pm I got another call from a lady who said she was interested. I explained about the guy from Stockport. She told me she was standing opposite and was very interested and could she view asap. So with a little reservation I upped and drove over a little earlier than planned to meet her.

I recall them crossing Hunts lock to the gate to meet me, two ladies an older gent and a young lad - not what I was expecting. They were all very friendly and the guy knowledgeable - he was a friend who had been brought along to check the boat over.

Josie was very interested so I left them inside to discuss their position, a couple of minutes later the asked what I would take...... as I had the guy coming from Stockport I cheekily said I could only take the asking price, unless they wanted to wait to see what the Stockport guy though of it, if he offered me full price I'd take it, if not then they could make me an offer.

Bottom line - Josie paid the full price and brought it there and then with £100 deposit. I really felt bad when I phoned the Stockport guy back and said the boat was sold - especially as he was just pulling into Fradley - ouch !!

Just the small detail of getting the balance and we would be boatless ......... but was Waterlily still for sale and would she survey OK......

But before all that we had to send Comet on her way - another little story to be told.......

Nev

Most favouritist pub....

Sue comments that the Greyhound at Hawkesbury Junction is one of her favourite pubs on the system. You might imagine there a few nice ones around, and I'm sure I will find more. I do like the 'non chain' flavours. The chain pubs are ok if you want a guaranteed standard - we spent one week eating mainly Toby Carvery's as the lads (when they wanted to come with us) really liked the help yourself approach.

But nicest pub (to date ) is another Greyhound at Burston, between Weston on Trent and Stone. The walk through the village is a nice aperitif for the beer or meal. I do think that memories of a few nice times in the pub also help.

Good old beer.....

When Grandpa is away....... (on the toilet)

The Grandson and son in law come out to play.......

Spot the common theme..... ;-)

It is one we will be stopping at later this year when we head that way to do the Macclesfield

Nev

Bet you thought I had got bored with this blog......

No such luck.

I have been away visiting friends in Jockland - beer and computer gaming (we took our anoraks as well) a good change of scene, but I am starting to get withdrawal symptoms.

Not canal related but a fine view never the less.


Plus we found a message in a bottle - which I will scan in for you to share and a skull that I left in Scotland but will recover it for Bones, hopefully to provide an identification.

I will get back onto the sale of Comet soon....... promise

Nev

Bits and bobs.....

One of the benefits of where we keep Waterlily is the perfect distance she is from home. We can get to her and back in under an hour. But when we are at Fradley it feels far away enough to be different. So a trip out to Waterlily today was undertaken - mainly to collect the sky card I had left on board and Rachel's glasses.

When we were on waterlily last weekend I used the sky card, but found it would not let me view my package channels as it was in a different receiver. I spoke to sky today about this and they said if I wanted to use the card on another box I could do so but I would have to phone sky up every time. So I went Sue's way on Nb No problem and ordered a freesat card from sky (they are only valid for three years, I wonder if Sue is aware of this?)

This should be fine for when we are on the boat - we don't watch a lot of telly on the boat but when we do I prefer it to be clear rather than the grainy pictures we have had with the old aeriel.

I got my new phone yesterday - its the Tytn II which has built in GPS - excellent. I have loaded up windows live which uses the GPS to plot where you are using either road maps or satellite images. It is VERY impressive, I can't see me getting lost ever again - I just need to buy a waterproof bag for it when I am on the boat.

The Brompton continues to impress. On my extended trial I have taken to going a very long way to work. I do want to try and cycle back from Fradley, I'll just wait until the weather gets better for that test.

I have also ordered a pipe thermostat from ebay. I will be fitting it to the back boiler pump to make the central heating a little more efficient, especially at night when the fire is a little cooler - by lowering the stat temp it should pump every now and again during the night keeping the rads warmish in the bedroom. I also have a digital engine hours counter to fit - so roll on the clocks going forward when I can go to the boat after work. I may even move her to Willington for a week or so to enable me to get to her in the evenings to do these little jobs - plus a definite use for the Brompton.

When I was at the boat earlier I gave the stove a good clean - including the glass - anyone got advice on keeping it clean, our squirrel stove has the vent thing on the door but it still seems to soot up?

I'll get onto the next chapter of the sale of Comet next.....

Nev

Its a Brompton Jim, but not as we know it......

As folding bikes go the Brompton is one of the best. I have one, I brought it some while ago knowing that at some point in my life it would be a central point of my transport in association with a narrowboat.

I have used it already when dropping Comet off at Streehay to get back to Fradley and my car. All in all a very versatile bike.

One of the benefits of my job (the transport side) is getting involved in alternatives to the car. We have just brought a couple of Bromptons, nothing interesting about that other than these are electric Bromptons. We have tried a few electric bikes but I think these are the best so far. They are glorified prototypes but still for sale from a bike shop Oxford way. (Details can be supplied on request)

The biggest benefit as I see it is they only have minimal extra weight so should you want to ride them without the battery - just don't plug it in. The battery is carried in a modified front carrier. The bikes ride well and the motor does support the rider very well, if I get a chance I will give it a tow path test ride (the suppliers suggest 40 miles in assisted mode - I doubt that but half that would be good)

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....................