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.

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 31

Atherstone to Handsacre

 Saturday 21^st September (Crumpet Day)

 Well, we got through the four locks without incident yesterday, and dry too. We moored up between locks, so to speak, although the next lock can’t be seen from here.

 Today we have just two more locks to do, and then we’ll be in Polesworth. This is the place where we spent Sunday lunchtime in a local pub, only to discover that it was the manager’s last day there, and it showed. The walls had been virtually stripped of pictures and there were no ornaments or other items on display. Hopefully the new owners have made substantial changes because, despite there being another pub closer to the canal, we do prefer this one. Watch this space!

 Sunday 22^nd September

 It only took just over an hour to reach Polesworth and, much to our surprise there were no other boats moored there. We didn’t give that much thought until later in the afternoon, when another boat pulled in, stopped long enough to do some shopping and then moved on, leaving us the only ones there.

 Now, we love the peace and quiet of being on our own, but not in a town the size of Polesworth, and especially not on a Saturday night, and definitely not when two ne pathways have been constructed to allow foot traffic onto the canal from the nearby park. So, around about 4pm Sheila took a walk through the next three bridges, to see if there was room at the other end, which there was, so we moved the boat and joined three boats already there.

It’s strange the way the mind works, you know there’s nothing to worry about, but your instinct tells you otherwise, and we tend to run with our instincts in these matters. Better safe than sorry, eh?

 Now, a matter of some importance to eBay users. The following comes from an American lady called Debbie Henry who, as anybody who has seen her blogs will know, is a stay-at-home-mom who earns her living mostly on eBay and is recognised as an expert in all things eBay.

You can read the full item here: http://donebydeb.com/blog/reselling/service-not-as-described/

 ===========================================

“Updates to listing conditions. To further create a marketplace where buyers find what they want and drive positive user experience, we updated the provision regarding listing conditions to recognise the appearance and placement of listings in search and browse results will depend on a variety of factors. So, in some situations a listing may not appear in some search and browse results of sort order.”

 Deb: But wait, there’s more!!

 “We strive to create a marketplace where buyers find what they are looking for. Therefore, the appearance or placement of listings in search and browse results will depend on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

 1/ buyer’s location, search query, browsing site, and history;

2/ item’s location, listing format, price and shipping cost, terms of service, end time, history, and relevance to the user query;
3/ seller’s history, Detailed Seller Ratings, and Feedback; and
4/ number of listings matching the buyer’s query

 Accordingly, to drive a positive user experience, a listing may not appear in some search and browse results regardless of the sort order chosen by the buyer.”

Deb: Did they just do what you think they did???

Yep.

They just gave themselves permission to STEAL from their sellers – outright.

Make of this what you will, but I for one am now rather cagey about selling on eBay. They seem to be suggesting that, regardless of the fact that you are paying listing fees, your item may not even show up anywhere on their listings!! In fact, depending on eBay’s discretionary powers, your listing may not appear at all, and yet you still pay fees. Way to go!!

Today we’ll be staying here at Polesworth and using a different pub to the one we would have used. This is because another pub, one that we didn’t know even existed, has come to our attention. When we were moored at the other end of town yesterday, Wifey noticed so writing on the side of the nearby bridge that read, ‘Pub’, with an arrow pointing left. So, after lunch we took a walk in that direction and, sure enough there’s a pub a short way up the road, called The Royal Oak. It’s not even listed in the Nicholson’s Guide, despite being so close to the canal, which would account for us not noticing it before.

 Monday 23^rd September

 The Royal Oak pub at Polesworth is a man’s pub, well, it is at Sunday Lunchtime. We arrived there at about 12.15 and there were a few blokes standing at the bar. Within half an hour several more came in, still no females. Towards about 1pm a few footballers came in, accompanied by one girl, and that was it.

 Obviously this pub does like to look after its regulars because, on the bar was a tray of snacks; lumps of cheese, slices of pork pies, cocktail sausage rolls and biscuits; that kind of thing. On a separate table sat an electrically powered, stainless steel cooker which, when opened by one of the footballers, appeared to contain chicken stew, or some such.

 The pub will be under refurbishment from this morning and will be closed for two weeks. It will be interesting to see what they do to the place by the time we return.

 And that was our excitement for Sunday. This morning we’ll be off to Fazeley Junction, where we’ll catch the bus to Ventura Park, an out-of-town shopping precinct, where I’ll be able to get some more art materials.

 Tuesday 24^th September

 Rusty had us up at 1am this morning. She was obviously busting to go out and this is the 2^nd time in just a few days. We’re assuming that she’s either picked something up on her walks, or it’s just old age, We’re scrupulous with the cleanliness of her bowls and her food is always from fresh sachets or tubs and, more importantly, we never give her our scraps. We really don’t know what to make of it.

 Autumn is here, though you wouldn’t think so with this warm spell. We lit the fire again just a few days ago, but only because it was chilly in the mornings. Right now, despite having the side hatch and the front doors open, I’m fairly sweltering.

 Yesterday, more in hope than expectation, we visited that arts and crafts shop in Ventura Park again and, would you believe it, they didn’t have any of the white watercolour paper that I bought last time. I did find a pad of lightweight pastel paper though, this time in 3 shades of white. Well, they’re supposed to be white, but all I see is 3 shades of pale yellow. But, it will do until we get to Crick Marina, when I’ll be able to shop online at Turner’s in Stockport. This is a family business and, if they don’t stock what you need, they’ll order it in.

 I’ve been gradually persevering with pastels and, despite a few that I’ve thrown out, I do believe I’m slowly improving. When I finish one that I’m ‘really’ happy with, I’ll see what I can do about posting it, along with the original photo.

 This morning we’ll be off to Whittington.

 Wednesday 25^th September

 We had a really good day yesterday. After Wifey walked off for the paper and milk, we disposed of rubbish and topped up with water, then took a slow meander to Whittington, passing right through the village and mooring up between two open fields. After the initial drabness of the morning, the sun eventually came out and gave us a pretty warm day.

 The temperature remained quite high throughout the day and way into the evening, so much so that we decided to let the fire go out, rather than suffer the heat first thing this morning.

 In actual fact, when I got up at about 5.30 it was quite chilly in here, so, having first checked that we had sufficient voltage in the batteries; 12.5 as it happens; I switched the heating on and, nothing, zilch, nada!!

 Now, back at the end of last month – was it really only a month ago? – we called into a Marina, initially to take a look to see if we wanted to winter over there, but also to have our heater checked out. We had to call back a few days later for this, but their engineer assured us that, contrary to what we thought, the burner only needed cleaning out, rather than replacing. This was excellent news to us and so was the £50 bill. We suspect now that we met with an engineer who didn’t want to go through the process of ordering a new burner and settled for the easy option. Needless to say I have complained to the marina people, but I’m not holding my breath for a refund. Equally needless to say, as you already know, we won’t be going there for the winter and, although our decision had nothing to do with our present heater situation, we’re even happier that we’re going to Crick, where they have more than one engineer to call upon, should we have problems during the winter months.

 Today has dawned misty and drizzly, but it’s not windy and so we’ll probably go on to Fradley Junction this morning.

 Thursday 26^th September

 Just a small amount of rain on the way to Fradley, but nothing to worry about or get us soaked. We were pretty lucky to find a big enough spot to moor in but, soon after we did so the boat in front moved off.

 Later on, after lunch we took a walk to buy our pudding, which came in the shape of a chocolate lolly, followed by a pint of Murphy’s at the White Swan. The amount of boat traffic passing through was quite amazing, considering the time of year. At one point there were four boats queuing up to go through one of the locks, only one of which was a holiday boat.

 I received an email from the marina re-the repair to our heater. Of course, as I expected, they have placed the onus on us, either to take the boat back for another look; as if; or give them a call, and also suggested we may have other electrical problems, which we don’t believe for one minute, considering the fact that we now have six new batteries and the new Alternator to battery Charger. As far as we are concerned, all that really needed doing in the first place, was to replace the burner.

 Friday 27^th September

 I think I may have stirred up a hornets nest with my email to the marina yesterday, although not in a bad way. I received another email back from them this morning, this time from the owner of the marina, who has asked me to give him a call because he thinks he knows what the problem is. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, because we really don’t want to be buying a new burner every time we have a problem.

 We moved on to Handsacre yesterday morning and managed to keep dry whilst doing so. What with this being the tail end of our annual cruise, we now spend most of our time simply lazing around and taking short walks. Today will be similar in that respect, as we’ll be moving on to Rugely for shopping and then, since we don’t feel comfortable staying there overnight, we’ll move a couple of miles further on and spend the night opposite the pig farm.

 So, let’s get this thing posted. Have a good weekend.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty

 

 

 

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 30

Market Bosworth to Atherstone

 Saturday 14^th September

 Yesterday was a lot of fun! We left Market Bosworth at about 8am and, after a stop at Sutton Wharf took a slow crawl down to Bridge 23, where there’s a Farm Shop that we wanted to visit. Getting ourselves moored up was not easy, simply because a small stretch of the moorings is silted up, but we managed it eventually, after which we paid a visit to the shop. The beef was recommended by a customer but, when we think of the price it makes us shudder. But, we bought a couple of items, including ice cream tubs –yummee!- and a chicken and mushroom pie, which came in the same casing as your average pork pie, so we’re looking forward to that with a bit of salad.

 Yesterday evening, well, no actually, more like from yesterday afternoon, we were inundated with flies. Of course, we do get the odd one or two, like most folks, but this lot were really annoying. I put it down to the slight drop in temperature, encouraging the little blighters to seek refuge in our nice, warm boat. The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about, they could be breeding in some secret cranny within the boat. Yeuk!

 Anyway, we couldn’t move on yet because it was raining quite heavily, so we had to stick it out and kill as many of them as possible. So far this morning I’ve killed about half a dozen, but they are still whizzing around. Hopefully they will disappear once we move off later this morning. Can’t come soon enough for me. Hinkley Wharf and the nearby Tavern of the same name, look out ‘cos here we come.

 Saturday 15^th September

Just to be sure of a mooring at Hinkley Wharf; there’s only space for about three boats; we waited until 9am before leaving our mooring at bridge 23. Even so, when we arrived just after 10am, there was still one boat there but, since it was one that actually ‘lives’ on the Ashby, we figured it would probably move on later, which it did. This boat was moored at the furthest point from the bridge, so we moved back to that point as soon as they moved on. This was just as well, because two more boats came through the bridge and moored up in front of us. Luckily the people on the first boat realised what we were trying to do and held off until we’d finished.

 Apart from walking to the paper shop, we did nothing special for the rest of the day, unless you count killing flies as special. However, having found the hidden can of fly spray, we were free of the little blighters by the evening, and there’s no sign of them this morning. Job done!

 Today we’ll visit Hinkley Wharf Tavern at lunchtime, simply because we haven’t tried it before. I do hope we’re not disappointed. More about that later.

 Monday 16^th September

 Yesterday was a pretty mixed bag of weather but, since we’re usually pretty fortunate in that regard, it stayed dry whilst we visited The Wharf Inn, where we found snacks on the bar and a friendly barmaid. I suppose the snacks and smiling barmaid were there to offset the exorbitant price if the Guinness which, at £3.70 per pint, ranks as the record high price now. So, on this trip we have gone as low as £2.90 and as high as £3.70 and for no particular reason that I can see.

 On the walls of the Wharf are black and white 1960s photos of the pub and some of the places in Hinkley. The photo of the pub; taken from a turning across the main road; shows two, Mark II Jaguars which, at that time were pretty expensive cars, so I suspect that the brewers, in their infinite wisdom, still deem the area to be rather salubrious, else, why charge so much for booze. Consider this, Guinness per pint is even more expensive than petrol per litre at that place!!

 Anyway, back to the boat and, yep the heavens opened up. But, that’s OK, we had no plans for long walks, or anything like that. However, by the time Wifey took Rusty out for her evening constitutional, the rain had stopped and we had a clear sky and, although it came as something of a surprise, we still have a clear sky this morning. I’m hopeful it will stay that way, because after taking the bus into Nuneaton, we’re moving along to bridge three in readiness for leaving the Ashby.

 Tuesday 17^th September

 Yesterday morning saw us taking the bus into Nuneaton for shopping, back to the boat by 11.30 and on to Lime Kilns by 12.30. The last bit was not much of an achievement since Lime Kilns is only about ½ a mile from Hinkley Wharf. Once again we were lucky and did all that without getting wet. No sooner had we tied up at Lime Kilns than the heavens opened up, then it was on and off rain for the rest of the day.

 Just by the bridge at Lime Kilns there is just one space for a boat of our size, after which is the water point, which is supposed to be free of overnight mooring. Not so yesterday because, yet again we have a boat there. We could just about get past it and top up with water, but the reason for restricting moorings on water points is to allow freedom of access. Still, if we give that boat a clout as we pass it and pull in, the owner has only himself to blame.

 We are almost at the end of the Ashby now and we should be back on the Coventry by tomorrow morning and settled in at Springwood haven Marina, but this does depend upon the weather which, according to the experts, is not looking good.

 Wednesday 18^th September

 After topping up with water yesterday morning and chatting to a boater who, with his info about a pub charging £4.00 for a pint of Guinness – he seemed genuine enough – we moved along to just half a mile from the end of the Ashby canal. It was dry, but quite cold; enough for me to dig out my winter coat; but an easy 1½ hours of steady cruising.

 This stretch of canal, whilst having the usual corrugated metal upon which to hang our mooring hooks, does have a lot of overhanging tufts of grass. As a consequence of and despite keeping Rusty on a fairly tight lead, she managed to slip over the edge and into the canal. One second she’s there and then ‘plop’, away she goes. Without the lead on her, I doubt very much if I could have kneeled down to pull her out. Wifey then has the job of rubbing her down with a bath towel, which our pooch seems to enjoy.

 This morning, possibly due to that dunking yesterday, Rusty now has an upset tummy, the growling of which can be heard from one end of the boat to the other. She hasn’t had a problem for about three weeks now, and we certainly haven’t given her anything different by way of food. Still, three weeks is pretty good, I have to say.

 This morning; assuming the rain doesn’t bucket down; we’ll be moving off and heading for Springwood Haven Marina for diesel and will moor up opposite. This is quite a small marina on the Coventry canal and is one of the places that we regularly top up and moor overnight.

 Thursday 19^th September

 Despite the promise of warmer weather to come, we suffered chilly winds and slight showers on our five mile trip to Springhaven Marina and moored up just a few hundred short of it. This morning we’ll call in for fuel and then go on to Atherstone, assuming the weather stays dry of course.

 Since there are no shops or anything like that near the marina, there’s not much to report, so I shan’t bother. Today’s another day…..!

 Friday 20^th September

 Yesterday was certainly another day, but it started out well and we had to suffer some light rain on the way to the locks at Atherstone. Most days we’re pretty lucky with the weather, but I suppose I’ve been bragging about that for too long, as I will now explain.

 Shortly before arriving at the top lock, we were treated to some heavier rain and Sheila suggested we might stop before the locks and go on in the morning. However, as we neared the moorings the rain stopped again and so we decided to go on.

 Now, once you are past the moorings there’s no turning back, but all seemed well at that point and we pulled in to top up with water and dispose of rubbish. Then, just as our water was gurgling to let us know the tank was almost full, along came a boat just exiting the lock. So, I backed off from the water point; just in case he needed to top up; and waited for him to come out.

Wouldn’t you know it, as he came out of the lock down came the rain, and pretty heavy too. We had five locks to do before the next line of moorings and, by the time we had tied up we were soaked and the rain had stopped. It seems our luck had run out!

 We are planning on being at Polesworth for the weekend, so, this morning after Wifey has walked into town for the paper, we’ll go down another three locks and moor up there ready for our run into Polesworth.

 Meanwhile, as this is getting rather long, I’ll post and wish you all a great weekend.

 All the best from Dave, Sheila and Rusty.