Down the road apiece

We haven't gone far, just a couple of hours down the canal, but we are glad to be out of the marina and out into the countryside.We were starting to get cabin fever, locked in between other boats. Here we can see the sky and the fields and only just hear the traffic on a distant road. it will quieten down once everyone has got home from work. We are heading northwards towards Stoke on Trent, formerly centre of the English pottery industry. But that's for tomorrow, tonight we are just enjoying being out on the water again.

Nearly ready for the off..

Yesterday we had a productive day finishing off our tasks.Sweeping the boat chimney was fun and cleaning out and wire brushing the stove produced equal amounts of soot, rust and dust. When all was cleaned up I set about painting it with stove blacking. I've got to say it looks splendid and black, as did I by the time I'd finished. Mike, meanwhile, was performing engine room and gas locker gymnastics which involved hanging over the engine upside down to paint the floor beneath and he has the bruises to prove it! We finished off the day with a sweet and sour stir fry which is a favourite boat meal, as neither of our sons will eat it at home!   Today began with dramatic thunderstorms and torrential rain with huge amounts of water falling on us for a couple of hours.. apparently some areas suffered flash floods and not too far from here a poor man was washed away when he tried to walk along a flooded road when his car became engulfed in the flood waters.      In the circumstances we decided it was not the best day to be boating. This proved a good decision when  Ned from Cabincare called to say our flyscreen was ready for the side hatch and he could come and fit it at five o'clock. We only ordered it on Monday. That's what I call service! So now we can have the hatch open in the evening without getting eaten by mozzies! Tomorrow for the off!

The other side of boat ownership

We are back at the Great Escape for the delivery of a sofa bed tomorrow and later in the week to head of  for a while to enjoy the canals before the school holidays begin and they become busy with hire boats. Nothing wrong with hire boats, that's how we started on our road to boat ownership nearly twenty years ago. In fact there's a lot to be said for being a hirer. You pick up the boat, all nicely cleaned, fueled and ready to go. You head off for a week or two and then you bring it back reasonably cleaned and tidied but someone else makes sure it's all ship shape and Bristol fashion! You get in your car and drive away (providing your battery has gone flat!) and there your responsibility ends.


With your own boat it's different. You do all the cleaning, empty the toilet tank, fill up the water tank, re-fuel, check the oil and make sure everything is ok. Which also includes keeping on top of rust and painting bits that get clunked, and painting the floor in the engine compartment and gas locker and re-blacking the wood burner and chimney.! So those are our jobs to be completed before we head off as our reward! 
But taking care of the boat and each other is what it's all about. And on a beautiful sunny evening we just watched an air balloon float past on a sunset flight from Shugborough Hall. A fitting end to a good day!

Crew member down.

We're feeling so sad at the loss of our very dear friend and co-conspirator, Steve Murray who let go and slipped very gently away on Thursday morning. It is only six short months since he was first taken ill and later it was discovered that the operation to remove a melanoma  from his arm had not done the trick. The wretched disease had spread and slowly stripped him of his strength, his speech and finally his dignity.We feel the loss of the strong , funny, capable, can-do man he was. Remembering so many  good times with him and Judit, and their children Danny, Robin and Nyasha, who are devastated by his passing. But at least for Steve the suffering is over. You deserved better.
                R.I.P.         Stephen Richard Murray  14.02.1951-14.06.2012

Back in the Smoke

Reluctantly,we had to come home on Wednesday  as I had a check up at The Royal London hospital to see if my knee replacement , done last April, was still ticketty boo. After an x-ray, I went in to see the doctor and was pronounced AOK. I then spoke to him about my OTHER dodgy knee, another x-ray ensued and I have gone on the waiting list for that to be similarly replaced. He could not say exactly how long, but guessed around three months time. I told him later rather than sooner would suit me better. I don't want to miss too much of the best boating  months! But thank God for the NHS! Long may it endure, so hands off Mr Cameron and pals!

Bank holiday...how can you tell?

It's barely stopped raining all day today. A few boats went by this morning decked out with flags and balloons but looking rather bedraggled, and the steerers looking less than happy, with water dripping off their noses! Several hire boats rattled by, some at high  speed, determined to make the most of their time afloat, weather or no! We decided to stay where we are, so we've had a lazy day reading, cooking, playing the guitar and recorder, listening to the radio and playing games online. The wind is buffeting us about and it's tipping down, as we sit recovering from "toad in the hole", roast and mashed potatoes, carrots, peas , green beans and gravy, followed by a slice of Mike's home made chocolate cake. I hope tomorrow is better, my waistline can't take much more of this!

Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Today is the first day of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. We only  boated for about 3 hours today , including 5 locks, but there were many boats dashing around early all in a rush to get somewhere.We don't have to be anywhere, so we are moored up in a quiet place with only one other boat in view. Mike lit the stove as it was  a bit chilly and I set about making dinner. It's cosy in our little boat when the stove is lit and before long it began to rain. In the distance we can hear the sound of a Jubilee firework display going on somewhere, but far more important , we can hear the sound of rain pitter pattering on the canopy and the screech of an owl in the trees outside. I know where I'd rather be.