Shiralee: Crick Marina # 5

 

13^th December to 31^st December 2013

Sunday 15^th December

A good time was had by all on Friday, although Alan was in some discomfort with his knee. I got to meet most of the girls and I have to say, they are a disparate bunch, which is always a good thing for workmates. Sadly there was no one there that I recognised, which means that, apart from Alan, they’ve had a complete turnover of staff since my last visit.

The celebration was held at The Marquis of Granby pub in Harlow which, most fortuitously, is just across the road from the University Campus. Ooh, that does sound posh, doesn’t it?

Anyway, after the cebrelations (hic), it was back to Alan’s house and a rather tasty stew for dinner and off to bed early. 9.30 pm is early, even for me.

I can’t say I enjoyed the drive down in the morning though, because the traffic was rather heavy. Coming back on Saturday morning was also pretty busy but, once past Milton Keynes the traffic eased off and I was home by about 09.30, to a warm welcome by Wifey and an equally welcome cup of tea.

Tuesday 17^th December

Over the past couple of years I have put together a recipe book, comprised entirely of English recipes from around the Counties and Shires. Last year I listed the book on eBay but, since I had no response, I shelved it and thought no more about it.

Last week I copied the book to a CD and gave it to Nikki when I met her on Friday afternoon. She had shown an interest in it when Alan mentioned it to her. In a follow-up email to me she was so enthusiastic in her praise for the book that I’ve decided to have another stab at selling it. However, after reading what Debbie Henry had to say about eBay and their new rules regarding listings, I’m going to try listing it on Etsy instead.

The book has about 470 recipes in it and comes in three volumes. I’ve had to do this because the programme I’ve compiled it in – eBook Starter – does not allow for a huge number of pages. It doesn’t allow for Mac computers either but, since it is fairly secure against plagiarism, this is a small price to pay.

I haven’t decided on a price yet, but then I’m not quite ready to post it on Etsy yet either, because I need to buy some CD labels, or find the ones that I think we have somewhere on the boat.

Today we are driving to Northampton and the Hobby Craft store. Wifey has decided to while away her spare time with knitting, and possibly crocheting, whilst I need some more pastel pencils.

Wednesday 18^th December

Yesterday morning we took the bus into Northampton, initially for the buying of Christmas Presents for each other. The bus was about 10 minutes early, or so we thought, which is probably why our passes wouldn’t work in the machine. We later discovered that it was late and that the bus had broken down on the way. This therefore gave us an extra 10 minutes in town.

Anyway, when we arrived, we wandered around the town and walked through a few shops, then had a coffee and sticky bun in one of the shop café’s. At the end of an hour of just strolling about, we managed to find a decent sized biscuit tin, a present to us both. After which we decided to catch the bus home. We were not inspired and didn’t find anything we really wanted as a present.

Any other year we would have gone our separate ways and ended up with several presents for each other, I can’t imagine what the problem is this year. Not to worry though, I’ve ordered something online for Wifey, but it won’t arrive until after Christmas. That’ll be a nice surprise, won’t it? I’ll have a look around in Harlow on Sunday instead. I’ve got to go down in any case, if only to collect our turkey breast, and have a Sunday lunchtime drink with Alan of course.

Friday 20^th December

 At the moment, what with it being so close to Christmas, we don’t seem to be doing much. I’m carrying on with my painting of Rusty first thing in the morning, and I’m also converting my recipe books to PDF. Other than that life plods along as usual, with nothing much to write home about.

 I suppose I could chunter on about all the mushy rubbish that’s been spoken about Nelson Mandela, but my views on that man aren’t really printable, and besides I was always told not to speak ill of the dead. Nuff said!!

 On Sunday I’ll be driving down to Harlow, my main reason being to collect a turkey crown but, if you believe that then you need to change your name to Harry Gullible. Let’s just say that I won’t need my arm twisting to pay a visit to the White Admiral for a few sherbets.

 Tuesday 24^th December

 Well, Christmas Day is almost here and the weather is atrocious. So, what’s new about that? Well, I only mention it because I went down to Harlow on Sunday which, as days in Harlow go was pretty good. I joined Alan and his mob for breakfast in The Stow – although since I had already had mine, I simply settled for a cup of tea, and sat back to watched them all gorge themselves.

 By the time they had finished eating, the pubs were open, so it was straight down to the Admiral, where Val, joined us later.

 So, what does the weather have to do with all this? Well, now that you ask, the run back to Crick yesterday was not pleasant. What with everybody making a mad dash to go away for Christmas, the rain and spray, especially from lorry tyres, did not make for a good journey.

 All lanes were full and, at some points, we were lucky to exceed 50mph. I suppose I should consider myself fortunate, because I got home well before the heavy rain and high winds began.

 Today there’s a good chance we’ll take the bus into Rugby, just for something to do.

 Thursday 26^th December (Boxing Day)

 Crick Marina is pretty much deserted at Christmas, or so it seems, because there are very few cars in the car parks and we’ve only seen a few boaters around. So, apart from spending a very pleasant hour or so at the club, Christmas day passed quietly for us. Looking on the bright side, we received quite a few cards and I actually got to speak to Alan for a few minutes.

 Today, I have no doubt will be just as quiet, but at least the Co-op is open for the Daily Mail. We’ll walk up there later this morning. We had thought to take one of the local, village walks, but we’ve had so much rain of late, that we think it prudent to avoid muddy footpaths.

 Boxing Day is one of my favourites where food is concerned, because we’ll probably have boiled eggs and toast for breakfast and then, at lunchtime it will be cold meat, mashed potato and pickles. We will also have enough turkey and ham left over for Wifey to make a pie. Great stuff!

 Saturday 28^th December

 Well, the festivities are over and thank goodness for that. We enjoyed our usual ‘Sunday’ walk to the club on Christmas Day and a really tasty dinner. The turkey crown cooked up really well and we had enough left over for cold meat and pickle on Boxing Day, plus a turkey and leek pie yesterday. The rest will go in a sandwich today, then it’s all back to normal.

 We didn’t hear from many people over the Christmas, but I did get to speak with my siblings on a couple of occasions. I can only assume everybody else is fine. If we missed any phone calls, it’s because the signal here is so poor, that the mobile doesn’t even get to ring. However, for some odd reason text messages do seem to get through.

 And that’s it for today. Not much point in posting yet, as I only have four pages of text.

 Tuesday 31^st December

 

Well, the New Year is almost upon us and we can now look forward to our next cruise. We both hope you all had a fun filled 2013 and wish you a very happy and prosperous 2014.

 For us 2013 was a pretty mixed bag, but at least we had good weather whilst cruising, which is more than can be said for the previous year.

 This winter has given us very little cause for concern, except, of course, the loss of our wee pooch, Rusty. That was a very sad couple of weeks for us, as anyone who has lost a pet will know. Whether or not we’ll get another dog is still undecided. Given the opportunity I’d start looking right away, but Wifey is unsure and it needs us both to agree. We’ll see.

 We haven’t planned our route for 2014 yet, but we still have three months in which to do so. As soon as we know, then so will you.

 And that’s just about it for this year.

 Take care folks and have a drink for us this evening if you intend seeing the New Year in. Personally I’ll be in bed and asleep long before midnight.

 Cheers folks.

 Dave and Sheila.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiralee: Crick Marina # 4

 

29^th November to

Saturday 30^th November

Yesterday was quite a busy day, although we didn’t get everything done that we wanted to.

We first had to parcel up our Toshiba laptop for my sister Carole. I had thought to post it on eBay but it occurred to me that, since Carole is studying for a degree in Archaeology, she might know someone who needs one. She did, her son Ashley. So, having agreed a price we set to and parcelled it up. Fortunately I had kept the box that the VAIO came in, so no scrambling around for cardboard.

Unfortunately I forgot to include the mains lead, so we had to unwrap it and do it again. Then having done all that and transferred the VAIO to the bag Alan gave me, I spotted the Owner’s Manual, which I slipped into a Jiffy Bag and posted separately.

After dropping those to items off at the Post Office, off we went to Daventry for shopping. My Wifey, being the awkward so-and-so that she can be decided, after we had hiked half the length of the High Street and returned the kettle to Argos, that she wanted to pay a visit to Bon Marche, which she believed was further down.

So, having walked the whole length of the High Street without finding it, we continued up the next turning, which runs parallel to it and leads to main car park and Waitrose, which is where we found Bon Marche. There are times when I could cheerfully strangle that woman. However, since she actually found what she was looking for; a zip-up cardigan; I forgave her the sin of making me walk all that way. Goodness knows I need the exercise, but I’d rather do it in my own time and at my own pace.

On our way back from Daventry we were aiming to pay a visit to Watford Gap Services, which can be accessed via a side road off the A5. Sadly, instead of turning left onto the lane opposite the one that takes us back to Crick, we took the Crick road, which didn’t actually take us where we wanted to be.

Eventually, some time this winter, we will visit Watford Gap and buy me a pair of boots. Now, having checked with Google Maps, I know where we went wrong and, with a bit of luck and a tail wind, we might get there today.

Monday 2^nd December

Yesterday, just for a change, instead of visiting the Red Lion, we walked a bit further and called in at the ex-serviceman’s club. After sussing out the atmosphere and seeing it to our liking, we joined said club. In future our Sunday drinks will be a little cheaper, with the addition of raffles and such. Hopefully we’ll get to know some other members in due course.

Today, if the weather sets fair, we’ll trot off to an out of town shopping area, to see if we can find me a decent pair of waterproof boots.

Tuesday 3^rd December

Yeah! I finally got my boots, but not at Cotton Traders as intended. Oh no, we drove to Bloom’s garden Centre, which lies just outside Rugby and, as it happened, they had a sale on.

I was looking for the same type of boot that Wifey wears but, since they didn’t have my size in those and, since I was mainly concerned that they should be waterproof, I bought a pair that look more like trainers. They are a good, wide fit with thick soles, so they should last quite a while.

It was only after we had bought what we needed at Bloom’s that we noticed a Cotton Trader’s outlet. However, they didn’t have a sale on and we therefore saved quite a bit of cash.

Today I have another appointment with the nurse, this time for a proper check on my circulation.

Wednesday 4^th December

That circulation check was something I’d never come across before. My experience has been, the nurse tickling my feet and seeing if I react, then taking the pulses in both feet. This time around the nurse also used a blood pressure machine on my ankles, a most unusual feeling. I also had to lie flat for 15 minutes before she started.

I now have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow morning, probably to discuss being prescribed Statins, which I stopped taking due to adverse effects. Hmmm! Could be an interesting discussion. The problem is that the alternative to Statins is Ezetemibe, which is not as good, apparently.

One thing that surprised me is that even young children with Type 1 Diabetes are being prescribed Statins. The pharmaceutical companies must be rubbing their hands with glee.

Today is a chill out day, so we might just take the bus into Northampton. We’ve been told it’s not a nice town, by which I assume ‘not nice’ equates to ‘mucky’. We won’t know until we get there. You never know, it might have a lot more going for it than we’ve been led to believe.

Thursday 5^th December

A couple of days ago whilst walking into the village, we noticed a new bus stop outside the Post Office. How long it had been there is anybody’s guess, but since this is where passengers would stand if they were going into Rugby, we thought it was about time too.

As we neared the marina entrance on our return trip, lo and behold, we also had a new bus stop. What’s more, there was another one on the other side of the road. This was very good news, not least because it saved us a walk to the Post Office when we wanted to take the bus into town.

So, now that we had our very own bus stop, we could see no reason to avoid going to Northampton and so, at 09.35, or thereabouts, we climbed aboard the bus and arrived about an hour later. We spent a couple of hours there, during which time I had the face of the phone that Steve gave me replaced and bought a cover for it. All I have to do now is learn how to use it.

We won’t be venturing very far today, just to the doctor’s and Co-op and, since the weather promises to worsen over the next few days, I don’t suppose we’ll go anywhere, other than Daventry for shopping.

Saturday 7^th December

Well, I’ve messed up another pastel of Rusty. I had intended to paint a profile shot of her on a lead, but getting rid of the lead was going to be a problem, so I changed to another profile shot, this time where she’s in her bed, and sitting on the bow of the boat. This was before we had the cratch cover fitted and when we were moored at the top of Buckby Locks. Alas, I’ve been unable to do justice to the parts of the boat that are showing.

So, what now? Well, I’ve been going through our photos, looking for a suitable background upon which to place her; something grassy with trees in the background. This is called ‘artistic licence’.

Sunday 8^th December

My sister Carole is studying Archaeology, as you may already know. Now and again; simply because I’m quicker at it; she asks me to find the necessary books on the subject. She has now completed her studies of Ancient Rome and has moved on to Ancient Greece and asked me to find three books for her.

I was very fortunate in this search because, having tracked the first one down at Addall; where it was listed on Amazon as the cheapest; the other two were thrown up by Amazon as books other people had also purchased. So, since they were also at reasonable prices, I ordered all three. So far, so good.

The last one to arrive didn’t have an Invoice with it and, since Carole claims some tuition costs from a bursary, this meant she wouldn’t get paid, as they do insist on Invoices as proof of purchase.

So, I emailed Thrift Books in the good old US of A and was told that they do not issue printed Invoices when sending out goods. The best they could offer was that I go to my Order Details and print that information off, which I have now done. Needless to say I will be avoiding Thrift Books in the future.

Yesterday, apart from walking up to the Co-op, we did absolutely nothing. Although, having said that, I did do some printing for my pastel painting. The latest attempt at my pastel of Rusty has been another disaster. It’s that one I mentioned earlier. I now have one of her sitting on the bow of the boat, but this time she has a towel underneath her. I think this will be much easier to paint.

Monday 9^th December

Today we’re off to Rugby.

Tuesday 10^th December

Yesterday we purchased some new casual shirts for me. These are much warmer than the T-shirts I usually wear and don’t sag at the neck.

Today we’ll be returning to Bloom’s Garden centre, where I’m hoping to add a new, waterproof jacket to my wardrobe. Since losing weight earlier in the year, my warmest jacket is now too big, making me feel like a bit of a ragbag, so I’m disposing of that one, at last.

Wednesday 11^th December

Yesterday, we drove over to Bloom’s and bought a new winter coat for me, and a top for Sheila.

Thursday 12^th December

On the spur of the moment we drove into Daventry yesterday for shopping. We called into Waitrose, which must be one of the most expensive of the big supermarkets. We then called into the local bakery,  also quite expensive. For example, £1 for one sausage roll. After that it was the butcher for bacon. On the shelf in front of us was a tray of bagged up pork scratchings, of which we bought two. Only whilst Wifey was paying for our goods did I notice the price, £1.91! Ye gods and little fishes, that’s more than double what we would normally pay. So, goodbye bakery and butcher. I’m all for supporting the local independents, but I won’t be stitched up by them.

Friday 13^th December

Alan’s birthday today, so I’ll be in Harlow to celebrate with him and the girls he works with.

My apologies to anybody who hasn’t received a reply to emails sent. Normally, if my Inbox at my server has gone over quota, they would inform me. In fact, they would do so before I had run over my quota. However, since I hadn’t received any messages during that time, I logged on and discovered I was well over quota. Well, thanks very much Absolute Email.

Now, with some of the rather large emails I receive from Sandra and Alan, I do tend to check back at the server from time to time. Obviously I haven’t checked often enough.

Now, let’s see if I can get onto my blog site and post this latest edition.

Cheers for now.

Dave and Sheila.