Mid week funny

I'm going to London for a few days so thought I'd do a load of washing, clean out the solid fuel stove, take the rubbish to the bins, and refill the water tank.  I started the washing machine going while I cleaned out the stove.  I'd deliberately let it go out overnight so I could clean the glass and make a fresh start.  Once the water tank was getting low I put on boots and coat and took out the hose reel to connect to our tap.  No sooner did I get outside with it and it started snowing.  Not those large floaty, pretty flakes but the little ones that hit hard when it's windy... which of course it was.  I couldn't change my mind then as I'd have no water so I unwound the hose and dragged it down the length of the pontoon to the cratch.

Mick and I have been sharing a very inelegant pair of boots that I bought very cheap on the internet.  They have the foot section made of rubber like wellies and the top part is padded and warm. I didn't realize that English shoe sizes are different to ours so these boots are too big for both of us.  They are useful for around the marina as we can slip our feet into them without having to pull them on and our pants.... sorry, our trousers (pants over here are knickers!).... tuck into them because they're so big.  They are excellent on the slippery pontoons  and they even have a lovely fleecy trim around the top which is a fantastic snow collector.

I huddled in the cratch while the tank filled and did our usual trick of bending the end of the hose over to stop the flow of water while walking the hose back down the pontoon to the tap.  I just can't get used to remembering to take gloves every time I go outside and my hands were freezing by then.  It was the coldest day we've had in quite a while and I was feeling it.

Despite my best efforts to keep the hose on the narrow pontoon it kept slipping off and hanging in the water underneath.  I had snow blowing hard in my face and the wind kept blowing the hood of my coat off my head.  In one attempt to flip the hose back out of the water when I was almost back at the tap, my frozen hand lost grip of the end of the hose that I'd folded over to stop the water and it landed... gushing water.... in the top of my boot!!!  Yes.... I did laugh.

Another blog to read...

When we were back in Australia dreaming about owning a narrowboat I was obsessed with reading blogs.  I'd find a new one and go right back to the start and read the entire thing!  Admittedly some people write better than others but at the time I didn't really care.  I read so many that I totally lost track of who was who and what their boats were called and what sort of dog they had.

Since being here ourselves I've has much less time... or maybe it's that living the dream has made me a little less obsessed with everyone elses!  I do keep an eye on the blogs of those we've met or the blogs I've particularly enjoyed reading but there just isn't enough hours in the day for them all.  I did, however, stumble across one I hadn't read before and I've enjoyed the few entries I've read so far.  Maybe I'll have to go back to the beginning of this one as it's not been around all that long.  The title of this blog caught my eye because it so accurately sums up our experience to date!  Blog : One thing after another

As for today, I had work to do.  In between times there were other things to occupy my time.

I've ordered a service kit for the loo and arranged for someone to come out and replace the necessary parts.  Mick had intended to do this before we headed out of the marina but by the time he comes back from Australia I suspect we'll be itching to go.  Ordering the right thing wasn't so easy.  I rifled through the boat bible to try and determine what model of Vacuflush we had.  The reference numbers covered by the booklet didn't seem to match with anything on Leesan's website.  The booklet did mention the part number for a maintenance kit (not quite the same thing as a service kit) and I managed to find that on the website.  It was 2" pipework.  So can I assume that I need a service kit that uses 2" fittings?  I decided to be sure I should ring Leesan and check with them.  The fellow said if the boat was less than about 4 years old it would be the 2" and if it was more than that then the 1 1/2".

I sat back down at my computer to order the kit but still something held me back.  I emailed Roger from Crown who built the boat to ask if he knew off hand which one was correct.  He emailed me two pictures of the "old" and the "new" type pump.  To identify which we had means grovelling under the mattress of the bed with a torch in hand to look underneath.  Oh dear!  I've had the extendable bed pushed back in since Mick's been gone (now I don't have to walk like a crab through the bedroom) so the slats of the pull out extension fill in the gaps of the slats under the bed.  Also, the drawer under the bed needs to be pulled out to easily shine a torch between the slats.  There I was with the mattress resting on my head, the drawer pulled out, the pullout extension out (very awkward) and shining the torch at just the right angle to see which picture matched our loo pump.  I'm so glad I went to the trouble as my first conclusion had been correct.  Lucky I didn't just go ahead and order after the phone call.  The parts are on their way.

At lunch I joined Roly and Bev (nb Klara) and Rob... hmmm don't think I know the name of Rob's boat and Sally and her friend up at the bistro.  They're having a special crepes week.  Delicious.

Then, this evening I had dinner on nb Ferndale with Ray and Diane.  It was a lovely dinner and we had a great chat.

So I've not been lonely and I'm very grateful for all the offers of help.  Thanks very much guys!

Mondayitis

Having decided to try and get back to my early mornings, this morning I made an early start on work so I'd have time for a walk into Stone and the boaters tea party.  I met Diane (nb Ferndale) about 10.30 and we headed off.  First a quick shop at Morrisons, then collecting some mail from the post office (gotta love Post Restante!), then coffee at Costa where we bumped into Dot (nb Ewn Ha Cul) and finally "the chippy" where I had a giggle at them rattling off Diane's order as soon as we walked in the door.  Bit of a regular I think!  The weather held out for the walk back and there was just time for a few chores before afternoon tea. 

Photos :
1. Jim (nb Two Jays), me with my eyes shut (blame Dot - she took the photo), and Diane (nb Ferndale)
2. Ray (nb Ferndale), Sue (nb Cockney Sparra), Dot (nb Ewn Ha Cul)
3. Gordon (nb Ewn Ha Cul, Joan (nb Two Jays), Paul (nb Caxton) 
After the camera went away, we also had Elaine (nb Caxton), Julie (nb Dampervan) and Andy (nb Josephine)

Work and weather

Yesterday I unpacked the entire cratch in search of a few bits and pieces and then put it all back in again.  I'm thinking we're going to need the roof box Mick wanted to make.... and why is it when you need something it will always be in the last place you look!  Between that, a short walk and work the day was gone.

The snow hasn't eventuated and today has just been a rainy day.... all day.  The wind has been rocking the boat too and fro all day as well.  There's very few people walking around the marina when it's like this.


Mick's been finding the heat a bit difficult at home.  What a shock to to be having 30 degrees higher every day!

Weather for Stone, UK

Sun : Cloudy, Max 4° Min 0°

Mon : Cloudy, Max 2° Min -2°

Tue : Partly sunny, Max 2° Min -7°

Wed : Chance of rain, Max 3° Min 1°

Thu : Partly sunny, Max 6° Min 0°

Fri : Partly sunny, Max 7° Min 3°

Sat : Chance of rain, Max 6° Min 1°

Sun : Clear, Max 4° Min 0°

Weather for Bendigo, Australia

Sun : Partly sunny, Max 28° Min 12°

Mon : Clear, Max 30° Min 12°

Tue : Clear, Max 29° Min 14°

Wed : Clear, Max 34° Min 18°

Thu : Partly sunny, Max 34° Min 19°

Fri : Partly sunny, Max 33° Min 19°

Sat : Partly sunny, Max 33° Min 19°

Sun : Chance of rain, Max 35° Min 19°

Aussie nb planners

I was just thinking the other day that it's been quite a while since we discovered anybody new planning on a narrowboat adventure from Australia or New Zealand.  No sooner did I have the thought and I had an email from Lesley, a lady from Victoria who had been in touch early last year.  It seems she and her husband have advanced their plans since we were last in touch and they've now booked their tickets for April and are even in the process of having a boat surveyed.  Hope to meet up with you on the cut one day Lesley!

If there is anybody else reading who is planning to come to England and buy a narrowboat do leave a comment and say hello!

It was a chilly morning yesterday with a thin layer of ice on the marina and the boat next door sparkling in the sunlight from the frost.  I had a bit of a false start with getting the fire going again.  I put some coal on the red coals leftover but ended up having to start afresh.

I still had some catching up to do with chores and then a few hours work which took a little longer than expected.  It was 9.30pm by the time I packed up.  I did have a break in between for a coffee with Jim and Joan on nb Two Jays.

This morning was a little less cold and I did a better job of the fire.  The coal is a messy business and now I know why it's Mick's job.  I'm so glad of the stove though, it feels so much cosier.  I had another big day of work ahead and also trying to catch up on missed time due to my unexpected trip back to Heathrow.

The big excitement of the day was having our pram cover installed.  I felt the telltale rocking of the boat which warns of a visitor and when I pulled back the rear hatch I got a face full of rain and a voice saying "That'll be covered in a minute!".  It was a little more than a minute but it seemed that in the time it took the boys from Kinver Canopies to drink their cup of tea the canopy was up.  They also replaced a couple of the straps on the cratch cover that they'd installed a couple of weeks ago as it was a struggle to roll up the sides and tie the straps around... in fact I just couldn't do it.  All's good now and I've had a little lesson in rolling up the side flaps.  Thanks guys!

There has been a lot of boats on the move today.  There must have been half a dozen come in the marina entry.  Curiosity always sends me to the front to look out and see who it is.

The weather outlook for the week.   It isn't looking too bad overall.

 

Weather for Stone, UK

Fri : Chance of rain, Max 6° Min 03°

Sati : Chance of rain, Max 7° Min 1°

Sun : Snow, Max 6° Min -3°

Mon : Snow, Max 2° Min -2°

Tue : Partly sunny, Max 3° Min 4°

Wed : Partly sunny, Max 1° Min 0°

Thu : Snow, Max 5° Min -1°

Fri : Fog, Max 10° Min 1°

Photos :
1. A helicopter flew into the marina for lunch
2. Scott showing Mick the new canopy

Back on the boat

It was a huge relief to be back on the boat.  It truly did feel like coming home after a stressful couple of days.  You know when you're tired or sick or miserable or stressed and you just want to go home... well the home I wanted to go to was the boat!

I reached Stone about 10.45am and did a quick shop at Morrisons before coming back to the boat to drop of the shopping and my stuff from the car and collect Barry and Carol.  We had a quick coffee before leaving so they could tell me about their own tale of woe... which involved a leak from their hot water tank and an emergency call out last night to have it looked at.

After delivering them to the station I returned the hire car and the friendly Enterprise folk drove me back to the marina.  Such an awesome service it is.  The rest of the day went in a blur of unpacking my bag, putting away all the stray "stuff" (involving pulling the dinette seat apart to put things underneath), doing a couple of loads of washing and taking them up to the marina laundry to dry, re-filling the water tank, having a quick coffee with Ray and Diane (nb Ferndale) to check out their new oven and wallpaper, wrestling a new coal bag to bring in a bucketful, and lighting the Aarrow stove.  I also had a bit of a re-arrange of the things stored in the cratch.... lucky Mick doesn't use a computer so will probably never read this.... it drives me nuts that we can never properly open the door on the pontoon side of the cratch.  It makes getting in and out a downright pain.  So I've put all his pots and bits and bobs over the other side and I now have good access on that side.... until he gets back anyway.  Sorry Mick!

I spoke to Mick last night and he's settling back in at the shed and caravan.  He went to visit the tenants in our house and he has a couple of maintenance jobs to do.  It seems there's a small leak in a septic tank pipe.  It's a dead giveaway when there's green grass at this time of year.  One green patch among a sea of dry brown grass.  There's a "big fella" of a kangaroo that lives nearby.  We saw him several times while renovating that house and when the front fence was pulled down he was often in the front yard.  He's been jumping the front fence to eat the green grass and has broken the top wire on the wire fence - not good when the tenants have a large dog.  So there's the leak to repair and the fence to repair.

Thanks very much to our new boater friends who have called or sent texts or emails after reading my tale of woe.  I very much appreciate your thoughts and offers of help.  It's a couple of days I won't forget in a hurry!

Catch up of some photos :
1. Saying farewell to Barry and Carol
2. - 6. Our visit to Broadway
7. - 8. For Kevin, our Volkswagen friend (we bought the Veedub Parking sign and Mick took it home to Kevin)
9. - 10. A couple of lovely houses I passed on my travels

A sorry tale

Well.... Mick's back home in Australia.  That bit went according to plan.

We headed off Sunday late morning to drive to Heathrow.  On the way we checked out a Cotswold village that we hadn't visited before - Broadway.  It was lovely.  It was an easy drive and we arrived at the hotel near the airport where we've stayed several times before.  With Mick's flight leaving at 10.30pm we thought it better to book the hotel so he could have a shower, we could have a last dinner together, and I wouldn't have to drive anywhere in the dark.

I waved him off and went to bed at the hotel feeling a little sorry for myself.  In the morning while I was in the bathroom someone tried to open the hotel room door!  I had the latch on so it only opened an inch and then closed again but it freaked me out a bit.  When I was going out for breakfast I thought I should hide my laptop just in case someone did come in.  I tucked it into a drawer beneath the tv and left my packed bag by the door.  I hurried back to the room after breakfast, grabbed my bag and left.

I was looking forward to a visit to Lois, our home exchange friend.  I was almost at her place when I remembered my laptop... still in the drawer at the hotel!  I pulled over at the first opportunity and called the hotel.  They assured me they'd go and look for it and ring me back.  I decided to drive the final 15 minutes to Lois's house and maybe she'd like a drive to Heathrow and back.

I arrived at Lois's in a bit of a state and after not hearing from them for half an hour I called again.  Same story... security will go and look.  Another 45 minutes and I called again.  This time the fellow who answered said they couldn't find my laptop and I mustn't have left it there.  I was beside myself!  I asked to speak to the manager and they said they'd get him to call me.  Another half an hour passed and I called a fourth time.  The manager said he'd sent his security people to check the room and it was empty.  Each phone call I had described exactly where I'd put the laptop case and the manager said he had told the security people this.  If it wasn't in the drawer then someone had stolen it but he wasn't happy when I said this.  I asked if he'd humour me and go himself and check the drawer.  He willingly agreed because he could tell I wasn't happy.  Ten minutes later he called saying he had it!  By now it was much too late to drive down there to get it.  We'd have been caught in the peak hour traffic out of London.

So, this morning I left Lois's just before 9am to drive down there, detouring for petrol before hitting the motorway.  It would mean the 1 1/2 hour drive to Heathrow and then a 2 1/2 hour drive back to the marina.... and that was if the traffic was nice to me.  I had visions of stopping somewhere nice for some lunch and shopping to break up the drive.

I was all of 20 minutes from Lois's place and the traffic was very heavy on the motorway.  I pulled out into the far right lane to overtake a truck and there was the unmistakable sound and feel of a very flat tire.  There were so many large trucks, and not too willing to let me in, that it took me a mile or more to get across to the left where I could stop on the hard shoulder.  Goodness they drive fast on the motorways here.  By the time I got out of the car the tyre was ruined.

I got out my mobile phone - almost flat because my phone charger was in my laptop case - and decided to use Mick's UK mobile to call the car hire company who called the AA.  A lovely lady from the AA called me back saying they'd send out a truck.  The hire car had no spare tyre, just a repair kit which was useless on the tyre in the state it was in.  She insisted I get out of the car and stand well away from the traffic.  Well, that was just lovely.  I was beside a huge steep grassy embankment with absolutely nothing else around except a few bare trees.  I stood out there for 2 hours in the wind and freezing cold!!  Twice I got back in the car to defrost but with so many huge trucks whizzing by and rocking the car I could see the reason you shouldn't stay in the car and got back out.  Lois later told me a couple of stories of people being killed after stopping on the motorway and their car being hit by a fast moving vehicle.

Finally the truck arrived (the AA lady called me 4 times during that 2 hours to make sure I was ok and apoligizing) and took me and the car to Banbury to a tyre place.  It took time for the tyre to be replaced and by the time I was finally back on the road it was a total of 4 hours later.  I reached Heathrow at about 2.30pm!  I didn't mess around, just raced in to get my laptop back and jumped back in the car to head back.  I wasn't looking forward to reaching Birmingham as the M6 motorway can be horrid at the best of times but I was inline to meet it after 4pm which would surely be very busy.  I stopped for a rest soon after the spot where the whole sorry tale began and called Carol (nb Winton's Folly) as I'd arranged to drive them to the station in the morning.  I still thought I'd get back there tonight but when I got back onto the motorway the snow started - big flakes being blown hard by the wind.  The sky had darkened and the traffic had increased.  I made a snap decision to get off again at the next exit and take refuge for the night back at Lois's.

All I can say is thank goodness for Lois.  I had a pounding headache and I was exhausted by the time I got there. But, I've got a warm comfy bed to sleep in, she even shared her dinner with me, and in the morning I'll head off again to get to the marina in time to take Carol and Barry to the station in Stafford and then return the hire car.  I think I'll be glad to be rid of it!

Mick had called me while I was filling in time waiting for them to replace the tyre at Banbury and I didn't talk for long as I didn't want to tell him the whole story until I was all sorted out.  So I called him back tonight (morning for him).  I could feel him rolling his eyes... I swear I could!

A little cooler the week ahead :

Weather for Stone, UK

Tue : Chance of rain, Max 5° Min 2°

Wed : Chance of rain, Max 6° Min 0°

Thu : Chance of rain, Max 5° Min -2°

Fri : Chance of rain, Max 7° Min -3°

Sat : Partly sunny, Max 7° Min -3°

Sun : Snow, Max 3° Min 2°

Mon : Chance of rain, Max 5° Min 0°

Tue : Partly sunny, Max 8° Min -1°

Big day out

That's what it felt like!  We decided to make the most of having a car and went for a drive in the Peak District.  It was a stunning day.

The first place of interest we passed was Froghall.  We saw a canal as we approached a bridge.  We quickly turned off the road and parked the car to check it out....  the end of the Caldon Canal.  It was a fascinating little stretch we walked with a massive old industrial site full of ruins on one side and a rather steep slope on the other with a derelict building which we'd love to turn into our own "grand design". 

Next came Hartington, a very picturesque little village that is obviously a favoured weekend getaway for many people.  It was buzzing with folk checking out the shops, and ramblers walking through.  There was a lovely little cheese shop and the buildings were amazing.  We ate our lunch sitting on a bench beside the village pond. 

We were aiming for Chatsworth which we'd discovered the day before wouldn't be open but thought it might be worth a drive anyway.  On the way we passed a sign for Arbour Low - a 6000 stone circle.  We turned off to check it out.  The circle was on private land and it was strange for us to walk through someone's farm to visit it.  Perched up on a hill it was incredibly windy and bitterly cold.  Back in the car it took a while to defrost!

We visited the Chatsworth farm shop and bought a few goodies for dinner and then drove on.  The first sighting of Chatsworth was amazing.  What an enormous building it is and what a setting!  Absolutely stunning.  Unfortunately the only parking anywhere near was in a carpark charging 3 quid but with the day wearing on we decided not to pay to park for such a short visit.  We took a few photos from the side of the road, negotiated the sheep that were wandering freely all over the place, and cheekily parked the car at the village of Edensor for a quick wander around the village.  It was like a picture perfect postcard.

We drove back to the marina with our spirits lifted.  Driving around such beautiful countryside on a crisp sunny day was just what we needed. 

We packed up some more things that Mick would take back home and then Carol and Barry came over to share our cheese and cracker dinner.  We'll miss them when we all move on.  With Mick going back to Australia for 7 weeks, then Barry and Carol going to Thailand on Wednesday for a month and planning to set out cruising when they return, we won't all be together again unless... until.... we meet up on "the cut".

 

Hire car

We had a great evening last night playing canasta with Barry and Carol.  It was midnight by the time we came home... we needed to play a tie breaker.  Barry and I won!

This morning was my first morning in ages that I didn't have work hanging over my head.  Excellent.  I took the opportunity to start digging out the suitcase and other things Mick will need to take home with him.  With all the extras now packed in the suitcase (now taking up half our dressing area at the end of the bed) the dinette is in far better shape.  No more stuff stored on the floor underneath, just the 2 sets of plastic drawers.  It also made reality start to set in... he's deserting me for 7 weeks!!

We also had to dig out the navigator, Mick's passport plus our keys for the caravan and shed.  Surprisingly I was able to locate them all straight away.  The storage system is obviously working well.  I also made copies of some documents showing addresses for picking up the hire car.

Not long after midday we had a call from Enterprise to say they were leaving their office to come and collect us.  The service is just fantastic.  They have a couple of other cars out to boaters from Aston Marina - Jim and Joan have gone away for a week or two and Ray and Diane took off in their hire car this morning.

We headed off in the direction of Penkridge to see if they had a locking diesel cap to suit.  On the way we stopped at the Seven Stars for lunch.  There was no luck with the diesel cap, they were all the wrong size.  Back to the drawing board on that one.  Penkridge is a lovely little place and we went for a walk around to check out the shops.

We did a top up shop at Tesco on the way back to Stone, and then checked out the antique store we'd seen on our bus trips.  Tomorrow we'll make the most of our only full day together with the hire car and have a day out driving.

Counting days again

We are back to counting days.... this time to when Mick leaves for his 7 weeks back in Australia.

This morning Mick went for a walk to Stone to take a bag of clothes to the charity shop and replace the ash bucket.  We arranged to meet at the Three Crowns for lunch as we had a discount voucher for 25% off.  Meanwhile I had work to do.  I spent another few hours when we got back

As the light began to fade I finished up my work for the day and we headed out for a walk.  First we helped nb Winton's Folly into their mooring as they were on their way back in from Stone. On our way down the pontoon we found Ray and Diane from nb Ferndale on their way back in from a day out in a hire car. They will be out cruising by the time Mick returns from Oz so we had a chat and farewell and took Banjo with us on our walk.

We arranged an evening of canasta with Barry and Carol so will have a light dinner before heading over there later. Another enjoyable evening ahead!