Shiralee: Crick Marina # 1

 

1^st November to

 Saturday 2^nd November

 After walking to the Health Centre on Thursday; which we figure to be about 1½ mile round trip; I swore I would not do so again. However, since I really do need the exercise, I recanted that decision and walked there again yesterday morning in order to collect my medication, and I’m glad I did because I felt all the better for it.

 This also means that, at Sunday lunchtime, assuming it’s not peeing with rain, we’ll be able to walk to the pub. Now that I think about it though, the walk from Mercia marina into Willington would have been no longer and it’s flat for the most part.

 Carrying Rusty out to the car park is OK at present, but I dread to think what it will be like in icy conditions. She’s not a heavy dog by any means, but it only needs one slip and we’ll both suffer. So, we’ve either got to ask Noel for a move to a different pontoon; one that’s nearer to some grass; or I’ve got to buy a decent pair of boots, before that icy stuff turns up.

 Actually, the boaters in this small marina are really friendly, so I’m really not that keen on moving. Watch this space!!

 We had a chat with our neighbour yesterday and discussed the problem we’ve been having with our water pump. Now, since the expansion tank sits over the hot water tank, (Clorifier, in boating terms), we didn’t consider that the pressure there could possibly affect the cold tap. However, for some complicated reason that I have now forgotten, Martin suggested that we check this out and, lo and behold, the pump now works perfectly.

 We have suffered that problem ever since we left Mercia, and it’s been getting worse, so, why did we not think of that earlier? Dumb and dumber!!

 Andy will be returning the car on Sunday morning and, while he’s here he’ll be removing our water filter and inserting a length of pipe. We don’t want a recurrence of the broken filter any time soon. He was also going to sort out our batteries for us, but he’s going straight to his sister’s place after fitting the pipe. This is not a problem since we are now on mains power, but it will have to be sorted out before we go cruising again.

 Talking about mains power, we have now rescued our toaster from the bowels of our cupboard and, having bought some of those lovely square toasting crumpets from Asda, I’m quite looking forward to seeing how they turn out. Sadly, our electric kettle packed up just before we left Mercia, so we’ve got to buy a new one. There are plenty of them about, but they all seem to be 1.7 litre capacity, whereas my awkward wife wants a 1.0 litre one. Go figure!

 Sunday 3^rd November

 Joy, oh, joy, only very distant sounds of fireworks last night, unlike Mercia, where they usually hold their own display and we have to suffer the smoke next morning. I guess I’m getting old!!

 Well, the one thing I had hoped would be OK, isn’t. I’m having problems with the Internet. OK, we had a problem when we were moored up a couple of days ago, but we expected that but, we didn’t anticipate problems here in the marina. Indeed, not only does our signal from ‘Three’ drop out, but the local, free WiFi signal is even weaker than ‘Three’.

 This morning I tried sending an attachment to Emma in NZ, but it simply wouldn’t go out. Looking at the icon in the System Tray, I noticed it had been crossed out, meaning ‘No Signal’. So, after re-positioning the unit, I tried again. Still no joy. So, I then rebooted the unit and the laptop and, hey presto, the message went out, along with the attachment. This kind of situation really does become quite tiresome. I might have to put the WiFi unit into its little box and screw it to the Topbox on the roof and then plug it into the laptop. What a palaver!!

 Monday 4^th November

 Andy and Sandy popped in yesterday, on their way to Andy’s sister in Cambridge, and brought the Alfa with them. We had a real good chat, catching up with the gossip and our separate escapades on the cut.

 The car is running well, she’s old but happy; a bit like me really; so I suppose, after all the money we’ve spent on her since we bought it about three years ago, we had better keep her for a while longer. Besides which, we’re not yet in a position to trade up; or down as the case may be!!

 We popped into The Wheatsheaf pub at lunchtime and, whilst it wasn’t as busy as the Red Lion, it seems like a friendly enough pub; parent’s with kids and football kit etc.

 Tuesday 5^th November

 We’ve discovered something else about Crick, that’s just a wee bit disagreeable, and that’s getting our cassette to the disposal point. As I mentioned before, at the end of the pontoons and through to the car park the pathway is all loose gravel, which makes it pretty difficult when wheeling a sack barrow. Then, having driven up to the disposal point, we have to drag the barrow around the office block, or heft it out of the car and carry it there, which is no mean feat considering the full-up weight of the thing.

 As an aside, I do hope the management here are not like Paul Lilley at Pillings Lock, who trawls the Internet for signs of adverse comments about his beloved marina.

 Today we’re taking the bus into Rugby for our big shop. From what our neighbour, Martin tells us, Daventry is well worth a visit for small shopping expeditions, so we’ll probably give that town a try later in the week.

 Friday 8^th November

 Yesterday was one of those days where we didn’t do much of anything. Well, after the excitement of Wednesday we thought we’d take it easy.

 I think I’m getting the hang of this pastel painting, and it’s taken me long enough, I have to say. I don’t plan on posting everything I do, but I thought you might be interested in this latest offering.

 

 This is of Cheddar Gorge and is taken from a photochrome photo from about 1900. When I showed the photo to Wifey, she assured me that, apart from the road now being paved, the scene will be pretty much as shown. At least, the cottages are still there. I can’t be sure about this because, although we have visited Cheddar and other parts of Somerset, any photos we took at the time seem to have been mislaid.

 The next pastel I do will be something of a surprise for my mentor, Emma. I’m not even going to show here what it’s of until it’s finished.

 This afternoon I will be obliged to undergo a New Patient Review at my local Medical Centre. That should be fun. Hopefully they will leave my medication as is, rather than behave like a new broom.

 Saturday 9^th November

 Yesterday became rather tyersome. No, I haven’t misspelled that last word. Tyresome is what I said and tyresome is what I meant.

 We drove up to the Co-op yesterday morning, rather than walk, which was when we encountered our slice of bad luck. In order to pull into the lay bye outside the shop, it was necessary for me to mount the pavement, but when I did so I put the front wheel over the storm drain and down went the tyre.

 Naturally I panicked at this, simply because the changing of car wheels is not at all easy for me, since I can’t kneel down on the new knees, and that’s when our slice of good luck turned up, in the shape of two young Latvian lads.

 I once possessed a spider tyre iron, but that seems to have disappeared. I also should have had a straight one with the jack, but no such thing abides in my boot. Then along comes my second slice of luck, this time in the shape of a local mum, who loaned us hers.

 Those two lads eventually managed to change the wheel but, even though I didn’t want to embarrass them, I felt I should at least offer them some recompense for their trouble, but they wouldn’t take it and the elder of these two; brothers as it turned out; had already said goodbye and walked off.

 Believe me I’m not usually that lucky. Having a flat tyre would normally occur on an open road, miles from the nearest habitation so, hallelujah for those two Latvians.

The new tyre, incidentally, meant a drive over to Daventry and cost me £48. And, that’s not the end of it either, because I know we need to change the two back ones before the car will pass its MOT.

 Monday 11 November

 I paid a visit to Alan on Saturday and tried to do some shopping. I need a pair of boots, I also need pastel paper and a few pencils and I wanted an in-car t.v. arial. After much fighting through traffic, which can be rather horrendous on a Saturday, we managed to find most of the pastel stuff we needed, but not the boots or the aerial.

 Hobby Craft supplied the pastel stuff and, since Alan also wants to give pastels a try, he bought loads of stuff. Unfortunately, as with many big stores, they all stock the same stuff, so I couldn’t get the individual pastel pencils that I want.

 We called into Maplin’s too but, when I asked a staff member about the aerial, he looked at me as if I was potty. However, when I mentioned that it runs on 12 volts, he pointed to just one of them and walked away. In the event we found about five of this type of aerial, so I have to wonder what sort of training these stores give.

 The evening, as you would expect, was spent supping pints at The White Admiral, which was followed by a very pleasant repast of chicken and chips. We then watched some drivellish film about a disastrous flood, followed by some great Status Quo and retired quite late, by which time we were all quite knackered.

 The trip to Harlow took 1¾ hours and, by the time I arrived back at the marina, I still had more than half a tank of juice, so moving to Crick is saving quite a bit of dosh.

 My next trip to Harlow will be on Alan’s birthday on 13^th December, so I guess I’d better buy a card and pressy.

 Today we have a trip to the vet, which we’re not really looking forward to.

 Tuesday 12^th November            

 Well, the visit to the Vet was not a happy one. Our wee pooch has been diagnosed with a Lymphoma, which accounts for the lumps we have found under her neck and the other lumps elsewhere. She doesn’t seem to be in pain, although she is rather shaky on her legs. The Vet has given us Steroid pills and we have to take her back next week, to see how they are working. At the age of 17, whatever the Vet does for her will only be for short term relief. He said, she could live another four months, or four years with the condition, although the latter is most unlikely. Still, we’ve enjoyed her company for the past 11 years and are most grateful for that. Whatever happens during the immediate future, you may be certain that we won’t let her suffer.

 As for the weather today, well, after a miserable day yesterday and rain overnight, the sky is now clear and the sun is shining.

 Now, at six pages long I suppose I really ought to post this blog.

 Enjoy the rest of your week.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

 

 

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 35

Braunston to Crick Marina

 Sunday 27^th October

 Well, our 2013 cruise is all but over. We now have about 10 miles and two tunnels to go before our new, winter moorings. I, for one, am quite looking forward to settling in and exploring the surrounding area. I’m especially looking forward to investigating the town of Northampton, which we’ll be able to visit by bus.

 All in all we’ve had a very successful seven months. We now need to decide what we’ll be doing for 2014.

 Monday 28^th October

 That storm arrived last night and, this morning we have a flooded towpath, something I’ve never seen before. Really, the water is about ½ inch deep all along the towpath. I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of it yet either as this is suppose to continue well into the rush hour, and it’s only 6.30 right now.

 We’re on 48 hour moorings too but, if any jumped up CRT man comes along and orders us to move, he’s in for a shock. We ain’t going anywhere in this. Full Stop! The double locks would be a nightmare for Wifey and I don’t relish getting drenched through, so there!

 Actually, we had hoped to at least get through the locks today, because that would leave us with an early start through the tunnel tomorrow morning. Still, we’re only 10 miles from Crick now, which will only take a couple of days. Then we can settle in for the winter.

 I started a new pastel painting yesterday morning and immediately messed it up. Great, just great! For some reason I simply couldn’t get the colour right on the roof of a house. Still, it’s just as well it went wrong at the start and not half way through.

 Tuesday 29^th October

 Yesterday morning was pretty grim weather wise, loads of rain and the towpath flooded, so we stayed put for a couple of hours and then, once the rain had stopped, we followed another boat to the locks. It’s really great when you can double up when negotiating double locks. Going it alone can be something of a trial, especially if it’s at all windy, when you usually find the boat drifting inside the lock.

 The boater that I accompanied through the locks was a Yorkshireman, but living in Clacton. His boat is stored at Crick marina, so I daresay we’ll meet up with him and his family from time to time.

 When we finally passed through the six Braunston locks, we moored up and left the other boaters to go on through the tunnel and on to Crick. Apart from the odd boat that pulled in preparatory to passing down the locks, or going through the tunnel, we were left on our own and had a pretty quiet night. However, the silence was shattered early this morning, by the sound of some small animal in mortal terror, possibly caught by some carnivore or other, maybe an owl. It’s a pretty grim sound, but that’s nature in the raw.

 This morning we left Braunston and passed through the tunnel, which is 2042 yards long and can accommodate two boats passing each other. Fortunately nothing was coming the other way and we made it to Welton Hythe marina within an hour and moored up opposite.

 Prior to entering the tunnel, I set the ‘speedo’ to 1200 rpm and kept it there right through to the end. Then, after a wee bit of calculation I figure that 1200 revs equals about 3½ mph. Some years ago, on a straight mile of canal, 1200 rpm equated to just over 4mph. I wonder how that can be!! Perhaps it has something to do with the new gearbox that Andy fitted earlier in the year. Anyway, it now means I can cruise at about 1300 rpm without breaking the speed limit. How great is that??

 Tomorrow morning all being well with the weather we’ll pass through the seven Watford locks and be in Crick, just in time for a nice cup of coffee. If we can get moored up along the towpath, we will do so and then take up our moorings in Crick Marina on Friday 1^st November. This will give us time to pay a visit to the local surgery and book ourselves in.

 Wednesday 30^th October

 Alan and Chris returned to Germany yesterday morning, so perhaps we’ll start receiving some jokes. It seems Alan’s normal UK supply has dried up, so I’ve had nothing to send on whilst they’ve been over here. Shame on you!!!

 Anyway, today we make our way to Crick, which entails about five miles, Crick tunnel and seven locks. The weather is calm and bright, so it should be an easy trip. Mind you, it’s good to see an early sunrise now that the clocks have gone back.

 We stopped at Welton Hythe Marina yesterday morning and, later in the afternoon a holiday boat moored in front of us. I’m hoping we can get away before they do this morning, because I would rather be ahead of them at the locks. Some holiday boaters can be a bit slow at locks and they can be less than helpful also, standing around by their boat, instead of helping with the lock paddles and gates.

 So, Crick here we come.

 Thursday 31^st October

 For our final day of cruising, yesterday morning could not have been bettered, bright sunshine and calm conditions all the way to Crick. We left Welton Hythe well before eight and, thankfully, well ahead of the holiday boat. It wasn’t until about 20 minutes after we arrived at the bottom of Watford locks that they turned up.

 Watford Locks, as any boater will know, consist of a set of staircase, which are overseen by a lock keeper, to whom boaters must report before entering the locks. From leaving Welton Hythe to exiting the top of the seven locks, took us just 1½ hours, which is not bad going. We even managed to dispose of our rubbish and top up with water before the holiday boat entered the last of the seven locks, and we were then on our way to Crick.

 Our first port of call, after our coffee of course, was the local Co-op and to find out where the local Medical Centre was located. The walk up to the Co-op is enough of a slog for me. For Sheila it’s a simple, leisurely stroll. However, from the Co-op to the Medical Centre is, according to the roadside map of the village, another slog.

 So, why am I telling you all this? Well, Andy won’t be bringing the car over until Sunday morning but, at about 3pm today I have an appointment with a doctor, which wouldn’t have been necessary if I had enough medication to see me through until Monday. Thankfully, Wifey walked to the Centre twice for me, just in order to get my appointment.

 When she returned the first time, it was to tell me we had to first book in to the marina and get an invoice proving we were actually going there. So, off we marched to the marina office to sign in. We then had to fill in some forms along with which she took that invoice back to the centre. Only then was she able to make an appointment.

 What a palaver!! I now have to slog along to the centre this afternoon, discuss my needs with a doctor and, with a bit of luck be issued with the necessary medication.

 Yesterday we had trouble with the mobile signal, and this morning I’ve had problems with the Internet. So, there’s a pretty good chance we’ll move onto the marina this morning, assuming this rain stops later on.

 All in all today promises to be a busy one!

 Friday 1^st November

 Yesterday, straight after Wifey returned from the doctor’s, we moved the boat into Crick Marina but, almost immediately, we discovered that we have no mobile signal inside the boat. That’s a great start to our stay here and it means we’ll have to take the phone outside to make and receive calls. This applies to O2, Orange and Vodaphone.

 This morning I discovered problems with the Internet. After three attempts I did manage to download my emails and check online for the nearest vets. But now, as I look at the System Tray, I see the Internet icon is blanked out, meaning I have now lost the signal. They do have their own WiFi system here, but, from where we are sitting, that signal is even poorer. I guess I’ll have to try to reposition our WiFi unit to see if I can get a more permanent signal. Failing that, up on the roof it goes.

 Now, as to future blogs while we’re at Crick, well, as with last year at Mercia, I’ll probably keep it going, but only if something other than the boring day to day living crops up.

 For example, with our wee pooch being rather wobbly on her pins now, and the pontoons here being covered in chicken wire, to make it safer for us humans to walk along in bad weather, she does tend to get her claws caught occasionally. So, rather than have her injure herself, we carry her out to the car park when she needs a call of nature. We’ll have to see what happens when the snows come!!

 I had hoped to post this now, but even though I am able to access the Internet, Blogger is very slow. It may be that I’ll have to put the Wi Fi unit in a box and put it on the roof then connect it to the laptop. I tried this at Mercia, but that was no better. In the end we found the best place in the boat and managed with that. I didn’t have this much trouble with Blogger though.

 Right, that’s it, I’ve moved the WiFi to a different window and accessed Blogger almost immediately.

 So, now we post.

 Take care all.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty

 

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 34

Atherstone to Braunston

 Saturday 19^th October

 So, what do you think of that photo? To look at it you wouldn’t think the Avon was in flood, but it was, but only in a small way. Unfortunately, just a short way further on from there, is a bridge which, even under normal conditions can be a tricky one to pass under, or so we are told. So, after spending three days at Luddington, we thought it best to return to Stratford, rather than risk being stuck on the Avon for too long.

 The pastel painting will probably take me a couple of weeks to complete and, when finished it will replace the one on our wall.

 From Atherstone yesterday we climbed the five locks and cruised to Springwood Haven Marina, where we bought a bottle of gas, then moved along about 200 yards and moored up. Apart from distant trains, this is another of our favourite mooring spots for the peace and quiet. It seems other folks find it so also, because we had three neighbours at close of play.

 Today, assuming Rebecca at the BBC is correct, the weather will stay dry enough for us to travel the seven miles to Hawkesbury Junction, where we’ll spend the weekend.

 Later:

 Sadly the seven mile trip to Hawkesbury Junction was not an altogether dry one. In fact we took a bit of a soaking, if truth be told. Under normal – lucky – circumstances, we leave our moorings in dry weather and arrive at our destination, also in dry weather and, after a short amount of time, down comes the rain. This morning however, no sooner had we set off than it started to drizzle. The, after another half an hour or so, down came the rain and up went the brolly.

 Two hours after leaving Springwood Haven, and looking like a couple of drowned rats, we arrived at Hawkesbury Junction, with the rain behind us by about half an hour. The sun even came out for a while but, at 5pm we now have very dark clouds and thunder, so I dare say the heavens will open up any minute now.

 Tomorrow lunchtime we will spend in The Greyhound.

 Monday 21^st October

 Sunday conformed to our usual activity, am reading the paper, lunchtime The Greyhound, pm loafing about. Considering that all of our days are Sundays, I suppose we should do the same every day but, with beer at more than £3 per pint, perhaps not such a good idea.

 There was one article in yesterday’s paper that grabbed my attention though. Everybody knows Cilla Black, that Scouse singer from the 60s. Incidentally, did you know that the word scouse comes from a dish enjoyed by Dutch sailors? Lobskouse, I believe it was called. There, you learn something new every day, don’t you?

 Anyway, Cilla. She had a song called Liverpool Lullaby, which starts off as follows:

 ‘Oh you are a mucky kid, dirty as a dustbin lid,

When he hears the things that you did, you’ll ger a belt from yer Da’

 All in a Liverpool accent, of course.

 This was a song of its time and was meant to convey the hardships of the Liverpool poor. No hope, husband in a dead end job. You get the picture!

 So, why change the words now? Because, that’s what our Cilla intends to do, saying, “It’s not suitable for this day and age. Well, it was never intended for this day and age; it was intended for the 60s or, perhaps, even earlier. I don’t know just when it was actually written.

 The point is, why, oh why; must these people ruin a song, just because it doesn’t please the PC brigade? At her age I would have thought Cilla would have had more sense. But that’s just my opinion.

 Today, if the weather sets fair, we’ll be trotting off to somewhere out in the boonies. I have no idea exactly where, that’s Wifey’s domain. I don’t even know where we are some days!

Tuesday 22^nd October

 Well, we didn’t manage to get away yesterday and the weather looks set to keep us here today as well. We’ll just have to wait and see.

 As a consequence of the nasties yesterday, we couldn’t do much of anything. To be honest, it was no fun to even take the dog out, that’s how bad the weather was. Heavy rain for most of the day.

 Now, that pastel of Shiralee, well, I’ve practically finished it and am awaiting advice from my expert in New Zealand. Like most beginners in any form of art, I’m my own worst critic, but I can’t always see what’s wrong and, thanks to Emma, who finds stuff that needs improving; albeit from a photo sent over the Internet; I can usually finish a painting off to my own satisfaction. Only then will I sign it.

 This one, when it’s finished and signed, will replace the abomination that currently sits on our wall.

 C’mon weather, let’s get out of here today!!

 Wednesday 23^rd October

 Rather than wait until we get to Newbold to do our shopping, we took the bus into Nuneaton yesterday morning. For the rest of the day we watched the bad weather come and go. Unfortunately it didn’t go often enough, or for long enough, for us to move along. So, another day spent at Hawkesbury Junction.

 Today; according to the rule of Wifey; we’re moving along to bridge 26 on the North Oxford, and that’s that. I suppose this means digging out my waterproof trousers and keeping the brolly handy.

 Including today, we now have nine days in which to travel 30 miles and about 15 locks, to Crick marina.

 I’m still awaiting a reply from Emma regarding improvements to my pastel painting. But, since I only emailed her yesterday and, knowing she’s a busy lady at times, I have no doubt she’ll reply soon enough.

 Thursday 24^th October

Yesterday, come hell or high water, we were determined to move along to bridge 26 on the North Oxford canal. Once again we were lucky and only had to suffer a couple of short, light showers along the way. The weather stayed pretty much the same throughout the rest of the day and, come nightfall we had clear skies, which remain with us this morning. Hopefully it will stay that way whilst we wend our merry way to Newbold, where, if the forecasters are right, we’ll probably spend a couple of days. Either today or, if we don’t feel like it, we’ll take the bus into Rugby.

 The Shiralee pastel is done and, with the full approval of my mentor in New Zealand, I will now sign it and offer it up for your perusal and criticism. Meanwhile, I’m staring on another one, this time of Tattenhall Lock on the Trent and Mersey canal.

 Friday 25^th October

 We are now at Newbold after a most enjoyable cruise from bridge 26 yesterday. We took the bus into Rugby yesterday morning and today, if this pesky rain stops, we’ll make our way towards Braunston. Whether we’ll make it all the way is somewhat debatable.

 What’s troubling us; and has been for some time now; is the state of our batteries. We’re still experiencing low power first thing in the mornings. So much so that even the radio stops working. With some decent weather I would have made an effort to sort it out, but I’m reluctant to mess with electrics in bad weather and, since we are only a short distance from Crick, we’ll hang on until we see Andy. Although we are supposed to be taking up our moorings from 1^st November, we’ll get there earlier if we can and plug into the mains.

 Even as I type this, the rain is bucketing down and Rusty hasn’t been out yet. She must be crossing all four legs right now.

 Saturday 26^th October

 Once again we were lucky with the weather yesterday and spent a very pleasant three hours, wending our way to bridge 78. Later in the day though, the wind really strengthened and, but the rain didn’t appear until later in the evening. The forecast is for heavy rain and high winds today, which may be a problem for our intended trip to Braunston. Sunday is supposed to be even worse, so we’re on the horns of a dilemma. We’ll see.

 The clocks go back tonight and we can enjoy an extra hour in bed tomorrow morning.

 Meanwhile, I’ve mounted and framed the finished ‘Shiralee’ pastel and, once I’ve taken a photo of it in daylight, I’ll post it in this blog. But, before I do that, a little explanation about the photo which, I think was taken during our first year of cruising. That would be 2007.

 That’s the year we also became stuck in Kegworth Lock for 10 days. Anyway, we were three miles along the River Avon, out of Stratford, when the river went into a light flood. By this time we had arrived at the moorings at Luddington and, having been advised of a low bridge further upstream; which can be a tight squeeze in abnormal conditions; we decided to stay put. As you can see from the photo, the weather was perfect and we took quite a few photos during our three days there.

 We also witnessed the misfortunes of a bunch of holiday boaters who, by dint of colliding with the lock wall, almost put their boat over the adjacent weir. Fortunately the river wasn’t in full spate and the boat came to rest on top of the rocks and the hire company towed them off with two Land Rovers.

 Eventually, rather than risk being caught out by further flooding, we returned to Stratford and saved the Avon for another year.

 So, here’s the finished painting. I do hope you like it.

 

 Sunday 27^th October

 Yesterday, full of trepidation at the expected rain and high winds, we made our way to Braunston. Much to our surprise, nothing bad materialised and we did the four miles in less than two hours. What’s more, we found a mooring spot without a problem.

 We’ll stay here today and visit the local watering hole at lunchtime.

 That storm, that’s supposed to be making its way across the Atlantic, is supposed to hit us later today, or tomorrow morning and, since we’re on 48 hour moorings, that’s just when we’re supposed to leave here. If we do so we’ll only be going through a few locks, then mooring up just before Braunston tunnel, which we’ll pass through early Tuesday morning.

 With a bit of luck we’ll be at our moorings in Crick marina by next weekend. Funnily enough we met a lady yesterday who moors in the same section as we’ll be doing, so we already know somebody there. We didn’t get her name yet, but she works in the local chandlery, here at Braunston, so I daresay we’ll be seeing more of her and her husband.

 This will be my penultimate blog for this year. So I'll wish you a good week and post this blog.

 

Dave, Sheila and Rusty

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 33

 

Weston to Atherstone

 Saturday 5^th October

 Something I forgot to mention in the previous blog. As you all know by now, we’ve been concerned by the state of our batteries for quite some time. Despite the addition of that Alternator to Battery Charger, they still don’t seem able to hold a charge overnight.

 Yesterday morning, for instance, despite running the engine for two hours the night before, we had barely the 12 volts showing on our panel. And this was with just the one set of lights switched on, those in the dinette.

 When I switched the radio on all I could see was the facia light, but no sound came through. When Wifey checked the voltage we had 10.4 volts showing. 10.4? What the hell is going on here?

 Now, with six 110Ah batteries down there in the engine bay, fitted up to a 90Ah Alternator running without the ATB unit, I would expect a far better result. However, although the power in the batteries is maintained for a longer period, the system is still not quite right.

 I’m wondering if we might not be better off with just four batteries, rather than six. With that ATB in place they would come up to full charge much quicker and, maybe they would hold that charge for longer. I guess we’ll just have to take expert advice.

 Of course, with the ATB in place we haven’t availed ourselves of a marina hook-up to the mains this year. We would have thought that, by cruising for 2 to 3 hours and running the engine for another two hours in the evening, would have done the trick. Expert advice is most definitely needed here, and I know just the man to ask, Mike, from Debdale. We’ll be inviting him along when we get to Crick so, while he’s checking out the heating, perhaps he’ll be able to advise us on the electrics. If not, then perhaps he’ll know someone who can.

 Monday 7^th October

 On Saturday morning we upped sticks and headed for Great Haywood and pulled in before the bridge and water point. This spot is pretty shaded, with trees on both sides of the canal but at least we can get TV from here.

 At lunchtime on Sunday we strolled down to the local for a drink and sat outside in the sun. Lovely! The rest of the day was spent in the usual, lazy fashion.

 This morning we’ll head off to the pig farm, but first we’ll top up with water.

 Tuesday 8^th October

 Calm, but cloudy yesterday morning for our run through to the pig farm and, not wanting a boat covered with falling leaves, we moored just past one tree and in the open. This morning we are covered in leaves. They do seem to float a long way!!

 Apart from said pig farm across the other side of the cut, there’s nothing much of interest, just peace and quiet. We can just about hear the Virgin trains passing in the distance, but there’s nothing else to disturb the day or night. So, why did I have such an awful night’s sleep? The fact is, my legs and feet played me up for most of the evening and, since I can’t leave them behind when I go to bed, they continued to do so throughout the night.

 Today we’re off to Rugely for a bit of shopping, after which we’ll plough on to Handsacre.

 Wednesday 9^th October

 We made it to Handsacre in just two hours total cruising time, with an hour in between at Rugely. Unsurprisingly, considering the time of year, we haven’t been passing that many boats. There are still a few holiday boaters about and, of course, those hardy types who stay out all year. We’re somewhere in between, I suppose.

 Anyway, Handsacre, where we usually find a few boats already moored up, well, there were only a couple, so finding a spot was simple and, until we retired for the night, we still had only two neighbours. Yep, I do believe the 2013 season is all but over.

 Handsacre doesn’t have a lot going for it either, except perhaps a nearby pub, another one further up the hill and a couple of shops that are even further away. So, since we only normally sample pub stuff on Sundays and had already bought the paper at Rugely, there was no need to walk to the shops yesterday. Another chill out day!

 Today, all being well weather wise, we’ll be off to Fradley Junction.

 Now, my good friend Alan Oxley, left me some books to wade through, one of which is Zulu Rising by Ian Knight. This is a huge tome, running to over 700 pages of facts about the Zulu war of 1879. I can’t say it’s easy going, but it is certainly fascinating and all the info contained within it is from factual accounts and interviews from both the British and Zulu participants. But, what really comes home to the reader is the utter stupidity of the powers-that-be of the time. Suffice it to say that, thousands of people died, from both sides and all at the whim of one man, Sir Henry Bartle Frere who, without permission from HM Government, ordered the invasion of Zululand. Had it not been for the tosspot arrogance of Lord Chelmsord, who really believed he could contain and thrash 30,000 Zulus, the outcome could well have been far different.

 Ah well, I doubt that our lot would have acted differently today. They’re still a bunch of arrogant idiots!

 Friday 11^th October

 Yesterday we had a five mile trip to Whittington and were treated to some fairly strong followings winds along the way. But, despite the heavy clouds, we weren’t rained upon, thank goodness. However, after a visit to the shops; which is quite a long, uphill walk; the winds picked up and became much stronger as the day wore on. It all culminated in heavy rain overnight and, what with those noisy trains not that far away, sleep was not easy to come by.

 It was still raining quite heavily first thing this morning but, since Rusty didn’t seem in much of a hurry to spend a penny, I left her to sleep. Unsurprisingly, since she’s a canny pooch where the weather is concerned, she awoke just as the rain stopped. She’s pretty good to me sometimes.

This morning, if the weather holds, we’ll trot along to Fazely Junction.

 Sunday 13^th October

 We were most fortunate on Friday morning because, although the trip to Fazely Junction was OK; no serious rain or high winds; the situation changed quite dramatically later in the day. So much so that, when Saturday morning arrived we were in the midst of some pretty nasty weather. So, instead of moving on to Polesworth, which is where we wanted to be for the weekend, we were obliged to stay at Fazely.

 This morning is quite calm so far but, if the forecasters are to be believed, that will change later on and we’ll be in for more wind and rain. So, whether we get to Polesworth today, that’s in the lap of the gods, I’m afraid.

 Now, Friday afternoon was a time that restored my faith in human nature, and here’s why. Soon after we arrived at Fazely, a lady from across at the flats opposite asked if I had read the book, ‘The Shiralee’ which, as you all know, is where the name of our boat came from. I told her, no, I hadn’t read the book, but had seen the 50s film starring Peter Finch and that is why we gave that name to our boat.

 She then told me that she had recently found the book on Amazon and had quite enjoyed it. To which I replied that I would have to look out for it myself as I wasn’t aware that the film came about as a result of a book.

 Later in the afternoon this same lady came around to the towpath side walking her dog and, much to my surprise, handed me the book. She then said, “I’ve read it now and it’s only right that, since you have the boat named after the book, you should have it.” Now that is what I call generous. She had walked all that way around the houses, just to give us the book. I was quite taken aback, I really was.

 Incidentally, the book was dated 1957 and had come from Australia and still has the dust cover, even though a bit tatty after all these years. Sadly it’s a book club copy rather than an original which, since the film also came out in 1957, would have been written sometime earlier.

 Monday 14^th October

 We’re a little behind schedule, having spent the past three days at Fazely, when we should now be leaving Polesworth. And all because the rain just doesn’t want to stop. But, like it or not, we’ll have to make a move today as we’re running low on water. Fortunately, if the weather continues in the same vein, if push comes to shove we can always move along a couple of hundred yards and moor up again. There are plenty of moorings here at Fazely.

 We were fortunate yesterday when just as we were about to walk round the shops for a Sunday paper, we spotted the coal and diesel barge coming through. We would have topped up at Springwood Haven Marina, probably sometime this week or next, but the barge is cheaper and more convenient. Unfortunately we forgot to replace our empty gas bottle, so we’ll still have to stop at Springwood for that.

 Tuesday 15^th October

 After our four day, enforced stay at Fazely Junction, we are now well behind in our aim to be at Crick by 1^st November. Not that it matters when we get there and, if this milder weather continues, I’m all for staying out. But, for the sake of having the heating system sorted, the sooner the better.

 Now, yesterday morning; and what a morning it was; rain, rain and more rain. But, since it had been over a week since we had last topped up with water and, since the rubbish was piling up in two bags, we really did have to get a move on. So, with the rain chucking it down, off we went to the facilities point and did the necessary. After about half an hour there; water points are very slow along the cut; we moved on about 200 yards and moored up again.

 We don’t really mind cruising in light rain because, courtesy of our son David, we have a rather large brolly. However, what we don’t like is for Wifey to be clambering over locks in such weather. We have two locks between here and Polesworth where, much to our delight, there is an excellent butcher’s and, across the road, a greengrocer. There are also several pubs, but we won’t be bothering with those this time through.

 Fortunately it is calm and dry this morning, so we should get to Polesworth. Polesworth is always worth a visit, if only for the pork pies and fresh meat.

Wednesday 16^th October

 A much better day yesterday, with a pleasant cruise down to Polesworth where, of course, we visited aforementioned butcher and spent about £12. But all that is in our normal routine, we grab the goodies as and when we can and take advantage of the good shops.

 Thursday 17^th October

 From Polesworth yesterday we moved along about five miles, passing through two locks along the way. We were in the enviable position of having the place to ourselves, so we let the engine run for an hour extra so as to watch Hugh F-W at River Cottage. That man will do anything with anything, but he’s fun to watch. Yesterday he was extolling the virtues of fruit and the many ways it can be used in cooking.

 He also started a scheme, whereby schools are given fruit trees to grow and thus enjoy future crops. What a great idea!

 Today is supposed to be bright and sunny, at least for the early part, which is just as well as we want to get to Atherstone this morning and this involves four locks over about a mile, and I much prefer Wifey to tackle them in dry weather.

 Friday 18^th October

 Happily, we managed the one mile and four locks to Atherstone in an hour and without getting wet. Surprisingly enough we did have some rain, but it didn’t last long and we had done all our shopping by then.

 Today we are hoping to get to Springwood Have Marina,but only to stop for a gas bottle, then we’ll moor up a little further on. Tomorrow morning we’ll be heading for Hawkesbury Junction, where we’ll spend the weekend.

 Now, when I post this blog, in just a couple of minutes time, I’m hoping I will be able to include a photo of the latest pastel painting I’m attempting. As you may recall, from several months ago, when I tried this Blogger wouldn’t, or couldn’t accept it. Something to do with Internet Explorer, I think. So, be warned because, if that problem is still there, no photo.

 

 

This is the view at Luddington on the River Avon

Wish me luck!

Cheers for now

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 32

Handsacre to Stone and back to Weston

 Saturday 28^th September

 I received a most unexpected email from the marina yesterday; that’s the one that cleaned out the burner in our heater system. I was asked to give them a call, because since we seem to have had so much trouble with it and, more importantly, that we’ve had three new burners since we bought the boat, they think there is probably an underlying reason as to why the system won’t work within its own working voltage limits.

 So, straightway, as soon as we moored up at the pig farm yesterday morning, I gave them a call. Now, since the fuel pump is working properly and fuel is getting to the unit and, since the burner has now been cleaned, the nice man thinks there may be a problem with electrics , or there may even be a problem with the ‘brain’ of the unit. So, the upshot of our conversation was that, when we get to Crick he will be willing to come along and investigate. I suppose I must have placated them with my grovelling follow-up email.

 Now, the pig farm moorings. These are just a couple of miles outside Rugeley and are nice and peaceful. Of course, during high summer and with the wind in the wrong direction, the smell is something else again, but it’s the peace and quiet that we like.

 Talking about Rugeley; which is where we always stop for Morrison’s shopping; a couple of feet above the canal towpath, hidden behind a row of bushes, is another pathway. Behind that pathway was a huge hoarding, behind which some construction work was going on. Also, the bridge ahead of the moorings had single file traffic access. Well, the hoarding has gone and, in its place is a brand new Tesco store. And, on top of that surprise, we discovered that the bridge is now closed to traffic.

 We still used Morrison’s and Wifey overheard a couple of women talking about the new store and neither of them had yet tried it out. With a huge Morrison’s in town, you would think that there would be no need for a Tesco too, but how wrong can you be?

 Sunday 29^th September

On a rather dismal morning, we took a slow cruise down to Great Haywood and, with only two miles and one lock to go, we made it in less than two hours. Just as we were leaving the pig farm moorings, another boat passed by with a couple of guys on board and, as you do, we exchanged pleasantries. Shortly afterwards, another boat pulled out ahead of us and we thought, ‘here we go, another slow journey’. This was because, with two boats now in front, we weren’t going to get through that lock in a hurry.

 However, just a little way short of that lock, we passed the first boat, which had pulled in to the side of the canal. I asked, in passing, what the problem was and, wouldn’t you know it, they had a similar problem with their rudder as we did a couple of years ago, only their problem seemed much worse than ours. It seems they had hit something as they approached a lock earlier in the week, after which they were having serious problems keeping the boat in a straight line. Not only that, they still had a couple of days cruising before they could get it looked at back at base. I don’t feel quite so bad about our own problem now!

 The rest of yesterday went as normal, but with one difference from last time we were here we couldn’t get the TV to tune in properly. As it happens, there’s not much that we watch at weekends; except perhaps Countryfile on Sunday; so this was no great hardship. Amazingly though, the people on the boat in front of us had no such problem. Most boaters do experience problems with the TV down here, it all depends exactly where you are moored, just a few feet can make a big difference. Thankfully the phone and Internet are OK here.

 Later in the afternoon we took a walk around the village, via the boatyard where we bought ice creams. Well, as far as we are concerned, it’s still summer!

 We’ll stay here today and then make our way to Weston on Monday. Weston doesn’t have much by way of shops, just a small newsagents about half a mile along the main road. But it does have a pub close to the towpath and, just as you leave the canal, there’s a small field that has chickens in and, as you would expect, the owners do sell the eggs.

 Tuesday 1^st October

 Only a month to go now and we’ll be all set to while away the winter at Crick marina. Meanwhile we’ll get to Stone today, weather permitting.

Yesterday dawned grey and cold with a light breeze and, after three locks and three miles, we made it to Weston without incident. With the help of another boater, we just managed to squeeze ourselves into a spot.

 Later on I took the camera for a walk to see if the chickens were about. Well, they were, but the field they were in also boated a camper van and another car, so the pictures I took are really not much us. Other than that we simply chilled out for the day.

 Once again our pooch has an upset tummy and woke us up before 5am today. She seemed a bit off colour yesterday evening and spent a lot of time on her bed. This in itself is fair warning that we’re in for an early awakening. One of our first stops at Crick, will be the nearest vet. Hopefully they will be able to come up with something to alleviate the problem.

 Wednesday 2^nd October

 From Weston to Stone is about six miles and includes two locks, which makes it about a two hour trip. For no reason that I can fathom, it took us 2½ hours. Apart from a bit of a cross wind I can think of no reason for being that slow. Still, we made it without mishap and had no difficulty finding somewhere to moor up, unlike last time when we just managed to squeeze in at the top end of the moorings. This time we are on the five day moorings and, since we’re meeting Alan and Chris today, we’ll probably stay for Thursday and get some shopping in.

 Thursday 3^rd October

 Had a really good day yesterday, thanks mainly to Alan and Chris, who joined us at about 10.45 and, after a chat on the boat and lunch at Wetherspoon’s, kept us chatting until about 3pm. I now have a DVD of Zulu Dawn and another DVD of jokes and photos of Malta, where they spent about 10 weeks on holiday. The latter of the two brought back memories of my time there in the late 60s, but it has certainly become a lot more touristy. You never know, I might find one that I can paint. Alan also handed me a bunch of books, one of which, ‘Zulu Rising’, I started on yesterday. He’s given me a quite a lot to be getting on with, which will give Wifey a chance to catch up with the books sitting in the cupboard. Those are the books I have finished with and I suppose I’m just a faster reader.

 Talking of painting, the one I started recently, I also managed to mess up, so I’ll have to start it again. This time I’ll do a slightly different view of Wolverley.

 We’ll stay here at Stone for today and move on back to Weston tomorrow. We aim to be at Great Haywood again for the weekend and then make our way to Crick.

 Friday 4^th October

 Well, it’s just as well we’re on the five day moorings because, by the sound of that rain out there, we may not be going anywhere today. Our plan was to go back to Weston, which is about six miles and two locks, but if this weather keeps up we aint going nowhere.

 Yesterday was OK for the most part but, just as we had set out for the waste disposal point, which is two locks up from here, the heavens opened up and, by the time we got back we were both like drowned rats. My so-called ‘waterproof’ jacket is, once again, anything but. That’s another jacket that doesn’t live up to its claims.

 We have now discovered why there were so many boats moored here when we arrived on Wednesday, there’s a Food and Drink Festival on this weekend. It also explains the marquees that have been put up on the adjacent field. So, if this rain continues we just might take a gander at what’s on offer although, it won’t be long before that field is a quagmire. Ah well, we’ll just have to play it by ear.

 Saturday 5^th October

 It’s still very mild for this time of year and, despite my fears yesterday morning, we did indeed manage to get away and, surprise, surprise, we actually made it to Weston with a soaking. This time, rather than go through to the main moorings at Wston, we stopped short at bridge 81, which is far more open and quiet. The rest of the day was spent in the usual manner.

 Today, hopefully, we’ll go on to Great Haywood, where we’ll stay for the weekend.

 Meanwhile, all the best for the weekend.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.