For the record

So I can refer back to it

We have 134 hours on the electronic hours counter I fitted at the early part of 2008.

I checked the batteries yesterday

After standing for several week

Starter 12.5 volts
Leisure 12.1 volts

On charging

Starter 14.4 volts
Leisure 14.25 volts

After 2 hours under charge

Starter 13.84 volts
Leisure 13.67 volts

Unclean unclean.......

So the last time I was on Waterlily with my wife Rachel I discovered I had shingles. We got on board yesterday and last night I had a temperature and started some kind of cold, some might say man flu......

What a bugger, we were thinking of going for a short cruise today but I really don't feel up to it. It gives us a good excuse to just kick back and relax, something we do not do a lot of. I have even finished my latest book, and I take a long time to read a book !

Nev

All over bar the shouting....

Christmas day was spent in the evening with my lot - all but one (niece) was there 19 in total, and today we hosted the in laws, 22 in total including my lads girlfriends, so a very large family Christmas was the rule of thumb for this year. Tomorrow if all goes to plan we should get aboard Waterlily - the perfect antidote to a Christmas of excesses,

Nev

I'm not dead yet.......

Despite two of my family dreaming of my untimely demise (nice). The lack of postings is commensurate with a busy existence in all things non canal related. For the last three weekends the intention has been to visit Waterlily but events have kept us land bound.

We will get on board (I just hope all will be well when we get to her) just after Christmas and I'll let you have some pics them.

I the mean time 'Happy Christmas' I hope it is peaceful and accompanied by good health and family contentment.

Take care

Nev

Excitement at Fradley

Bruce from Sanity commented about a car in the canal at Fradley junction. The story has appeared on the local papers web site. The driver must have felt like a real spanner, good job it was in late November on a wet Sunday rather than the middle of August. for sure the audience would have been a lot bigger.

The pictures give a good impression of the depth of the canal at the junction. There was no stoppage notice so I presume it was navigable

Fradley had a sunken boat last year about the same time - I only remember as the boat yard were supposed to be working on Waterlily's blacking and got delayed by having to re float a boat in Keepers lock.

Nev

Sky +

OK, so not many canal CC'ers will have a sky plus box. My Sky + box is one (if not the best) bit of gadgetry I own. So how annoyed am I that Sky decided to upgrade my box the other weekend and now it is having problems seeing my hard drive (upgraded) when coming out of standby. For the record the upgrade seems to be affecting pace v2 boxes that have been upgraded (HD)

How do I know all this - there are many like me posting on the internet

So now my box is on all the time, so whatever Sky were trying to do with the upgrade for the standby function - it has not worked and has had the opposite effect as a lot of us Sky + users are leaving their boxes on 24/7

Rant over

Leaves

I think leaves would make a great secret weapon, they seem to have the ability to totally disrupt forward movement of trains and boats very well.

On our trip back from Great Haywood we were having to put Waterlily in reverse every few hundred yards to clear the leaves. It is amazing how they can interfere with such power and normal reliable forward progress. As we passed the entrance to Kings Bromley marina another boater told us it was like canal soup near Woodend lock.....she was not wrong

There was no drive out of the lock so we had to bow haul Waterlily from the lock. Even after we were clear our progress was very slow due to leaves just after the lock. It made for good spectator sport for the boaters who were aboard their moored boats just after the lock.

The sun was setting as we went through Fradley - anyone who knows Fradley Junction will be aware of the popularity of the moorings opposite the cafe... this was the view as we came down junction lock. Just one boat moored up which was a Shakespeare hire boat.

These are some of the sunset photo's I just cannot resist.



I know these photo's are not in a sequence time or location wise, but this couple are of some of my favorites parts of the canal just after Rugely overlooking Cannock chase.

It is said........

.......that when group of women work or live together they all start menstruating at the same time !! I can confirm that when a group of blokes inhabit a canal boat for a period of time they all go ferrel, eat lots of steak, fart a lot, drink an unhealthy amount of Guinness and stop shaving ;-)

So yesterday we ended our cruise with a fantastic run back from bridge 70 mooring back to Hunts lock in just under five and a half hours.

But the leaves..........

Nev

Just so quiet

I am on the Waterlily with a couple of friend for a few days. We loaded up on Friday and winded before waiting at Fradly or our last crew member. When we winded at Alrewas I hailed Bruce and Sheila on NB Sanity and had a pleasant chat before catching Waterlily back up. What a nice couple.

We set off Saturday lunch time (cards till 2am and some beer). Rachel did a sterling job of bringing those items I forgot to me before we got past Shadehouse lock. The weather was really nice until mid afternoon wen it started a fine drizzle. We moored up at Bridge 70 and went to the Wolsey pub for a good meal.

Another latish start after another late night 2.30 .... saw up take a wise decision to wind just before Weston on Trent and walk up to the Saracens head for some beer and a pub quiz. The days cruising was notable for the amount of leaves in the cut and how they slow the boat down until a blast of reverse clears them from the swim. We got back to the boat and drank some beer and went through one of those 'topics' card blocks - 5.30 am saw us to bed !!

Today was cold and damp - a big fry up got us sorted for the trip back to bridge 70 after watering at Great Heywood. There is hardly anything moving on the cut, mainly ownerships boats and some private boats - maybe half a dozen all day? All the favorite moorings in this area are free - just 3 boats above the lock at Great Heywood and four below the lock. There is only us and one other private boat on the bridge 70 moorings.

Tomorrow will be a cruise back to Fradley - five hours or so.

For the record Swanline at Fradley are asking for the split when diesel is brought. The guy has a very realistic approach, he knows he will miss other sales (pump outs and gas) if he forces people to falsely declare.

I see many are talking about buying white diesel from forecourts and filling themselves - I fear more pollution will be the inevitable consequence of this, but if it is cheaper?

Nev

Mac Update

I have been using it for a few weeks now- all ok.

However to put it into perspective I have used my windows laptop today, boy does it feel top heavy and slow in comparison. I do like vista - I like the look and functionality, but the only time I have felt comfortable with it was when it was running on my (now sold on) quad core desktop pc. To to get the best out of a standard Vista install - just boot it and go and make a cup of tea !!

So in fact rather than OK above I really rate the Mac, I will keep with it and teach myself more about it as I have done with the many flavours of Windows.

Nev

For Uncle Ho.....

My favourite.....

Question is, - Decker was he a replicant??

Many thanks for your excellent hospitality, the boat is ready when you are.....

Nev

You have got to be joking....

Woke up to howling wind and driving rain - so no trip to Waterlily today. One of the benefits of owning her - we decide when we visit. I will go over one day in the week.

I enjoy boating in all weathers, but driving rain and high winds are the combination that makes it the most challenging and least rewarding.

Sanctuary ;-)

We are back from our New York trip. It was an experience, something I am glad I have done, but it does concern me over the ease of travel and the sprawling conurbation that makes up this part of America. When we were travelling to the airport it was light factories and cars as far as the eye could see. It reminded me of 'Blade Runner' very dark indeed. But non the less there was a lot of good things we saw and did.

Also I'm still running on New York time - quarter to two in the morning as I type this

But now its back to normality, work on Monday etc etc. Before that we are going to the boat to check her out and turn her around ready for my three men in a boat trip..... next weekend. Its good she is serviced and has a nice new boat safety certifcate. I am glad I did this before the trip abroad

For the weekender we will head up the Trent and Mersey, look out Sanity !!

Nev

So where were you when America voted for its first Black president

We were in Times square



It was pretty amazing - 80% of New Yorkers voted for Obama. We cam out of The Phantom of the Opera to the above. The show was also fantastic.

Today has been trips on the river, had some sad reflection at Ground zero and up all 86 floors of the Empire state building.

New York is a place like no other !


From 86 floors up the Empire State building


Like the title of my blog says - not all canal related but good for the record.....

New York welcomes the Wells's

Sue on NB No Problem has a view to die for we have a different view today


This is from our hotel room - the Chrysler building and 26 floors up.....

Times square

Central park

The Rockefeller centre, ll lit up waiting for the result of the USA presidential election.

We are at a Broadway show tomorrow night and expect to come out to some celebration !

For all of this I'd still prefer the View Sue has

Nev

Good Broadband at our hotel !

I really am getting younger

Clocks went back in the UK last week
Four hours gained by coming to the USA
Last night the US eastern time clocks went back a hour

So today I am 6 hours younger than I was last Saturday ;-)

Nev

Sooooo very far away from the canal

Where......well New York to be precise. We have come over to visit friends and see the big Apple. It all very surreal, starting with the flight. We sat in the middle seat so no window view, we were fed and entertained, slept a little and then got up at we were in America !

We are in Hopewell NJ at the moment , Princeton later today for a look around then New York its self on Monday.

I am feeling a little guilty typing this as I'm piggybacking of someones broadband.....

It is a very nice areas and all the people we have met to date have been very friendly.

Its the New York Marathon this weekend so that is why we are out of New York, when we go in on Monday it should be long gone - jut the resuts of the presidential election to experience!!

I am missng the canals - Thanks Andy for my 'fix' of images from the autumn cut - loks like you had a good time, and Bruce on Sanity at one of my favourite places on the cut....

I'll drop in a some pics when have a fairer connection to the web,

Nev

A base to build a dream off

Narrowboat Oakfield is  - well I think so as the base plate is down so that means Oakfield has been born. Bottle and Wozie say they have been getting to this stage for the last three and a half years. Respect for that amount of determination. I could not do it, I have little patience but this means I work hard in many ways to get what I want. If I think about the relative timescales between buying a good second hand boat and having one built - the former would be  my route every time. But I can understand someone wanting to spec the boat themselves, because that would give them exactly what they wanted and they would be happy with it ?

So onto my second thought for the day. Contentment with stuff ! I think I am getting old - some know it - I am now thinking it. Why, because I am contented with my stuff - in general (the Mac was an exception)  

I like my Motorbike, I like my car I like my boat I like my dog I like my house and I even like my job (and the love for my wife goes without saying) I even like my lads.....well until the leave the house in a mess. 

I think lack of hankering is a sign of old age......discuss??

P.S. If any rather rich Philanthropists are reading this I could be persuaded to upgrade most of my list :-)

Trent and Mersey blocked

From my rather flippant post yesterday - an update

Text from the Derby Evening Telegraph

A 200-YEAR-OLD bridge could be demolished after a trailer smashed through it and plunged into the canal below.

And more than 50 holiday-makers face having to cancel their boat trips this weekend while the mess is cleaned up.

Fertiliser was dumped into the Trent and Mersey Canal at Stenson on Monday when a tractor and trailer tried to cross a brick bridge running over the waterway.

Part of the bridge, which is on a private road between two farmers' fields, collapsed as the vehicles passed over it.

This caused the trailer to swing down and disconnect from the tractor before crashing into the canal below at about 1.30pm.

The tractor driver, thought to be a contractor, jumped from his cab and was unhurt.

The canal was blocked and British Waterways lifted the trailer from the water yesterday with a crane.

A round-the-clock clean-up operation is under way to clear the fertiliser from the canal.

British Waterways said it did not how long this would take but it was hoped the waterway could reopen by the end of the week.

The organisation also fears the bridge, which is a listed structure, may have to be knocked down if re-building it will not make it safe.

When a structure is listed, it means it is protected and any alterations respect its character. Demolition is allowed only after very careful consideration.

Caroline Killeavy, general manager for British Waterways, said: "The bridge is a listed structure, so if repair work cannot reconstruct the bridge to a safe, usable standard it may have to be knocked down entirely."

Mrs Killeavy said the fertiliser posed little threat to wildlife.

She said: "We caught the spill early and have been monitoring the water and can say there's very little chance of any risk to wildlife."

British Waterways said it would conduct a full investigation into how the accident happened.

But it did say the cause of the collapse was "due to the vehicle colliding with the parapets on the side of the bridge and the excessive load of the vehicle."

The combined weight of the tractor and trailer was 18 tonnes.

Police are not investigating further.

Marion Baldwin, company secretary for Midland Canal Centre, which runs Stenson Marina, said holiday-makers would be affected..

She said: "We get between 30 and 40 boats coming through the canal most days, so already there is quite a pile-up either side of the bridge.

"Not only that, but it doesn't look like the canal will be opened for at least a few days.

"We have over 50 people booked to use boats on the canal at the weekend and many of those will have to cancel because they just won't be able to get through.

"There's also a child's birthday party booked on one of the boats and that won't be able to go ahead, which is a real shame."

Oh dear I do hope common sense prevails

Sue of NB No problem comments about a canal blockage quite near to where I live in Derby. Seems this farmer (or farm worker) took the bend on this notorious bit of canal too fast.

 One comment from the web pages of the Derbyshire evening telegraph read........

Can't read....can't wroight, but oi can droive a traaaac.... ARRRGHHHH!!! Splash! Glub! Glub!

Steve, Derby

commented on 20-Oct-2008 14:58

Made me laugh.....

There will no doubt be an H&S enquiry and follow up review - I hope they don't commit BW money (our money) on some expensive protection scheme for all canal bridges like they did after the rail crash when the Landrover driver fell asleep and crashed onto the train line?

For the full story and some video go to the BBC web site

Nev