Tara is tested and enjoyed at Hungerford

Moored Hungerford – trip to Dun Mill and back, K&A Canal, 2.5 miles 2 locks

We spent much of the weekend doing odds and ends on No Problem, basically tidying up and finding spaces for tools for ongoing fit out.  Planning the utility room to take the washing machine and also Vic’s tools.  We have decided not to have a huge kitchen worktop in there now, going for maybe a chest of drawers or something like that so that we can get his tool box to sit on the top.. it is very heavy, you see, and I really don’t want him to have to scramble on the floor looking for spanners and the like.. Can’t put it on a worktop, tis far too heavy, so might be able to kill two birds etc and get a chest of drawers to put it on.. more storage that way.. ah plans, plans, plans, all good fun though.

Today we welcomed some visitors who came to look over Tara (NP1) with a view to buying her.. in fact we have three appointments this week for viewing.. we need to be at Kintbury on Wednesday for the next one, so will be on the move tomorrow I guess.. but for today, a very nice chap from close to the Welsh border came visiting.. and he handled No Problem very gently as he took her for a trial run to Dun Mill Lock and back.. He enjoyed.. well most folk will, she is a lovely boat to handle and seems to enjoy any outing she is given!

Lucy didn’t get much of a walk today.. had to wait in this morning, plus there was not much time this evening for walking.. and evening snap from me.. very late this one.. I realised I didn’t have any pics of today in the camera for the blog, so here is one of Hungerford swing bridge.. the church to the right, and Lucy’s favourite walk to the left over the bridge…

I like it here in Hungerford, spose I could call it my home mooring, has always been good to us.  Here is were we first moored NP1 when I first retired some 3+ years ago while we prepared to sell our house and deal with 20 odd years of living there with a growing family… gawd, it was amazing how much junk we had accumulated!!..  But here we are again today.. ah memories..

I am a bit late posting this blog… I have been looking on ebay trying to look to replace all the stuff I am going to lose when we sell Tara with all the bits that I have grown used to having around me!!

Jet propelled to Hungerford.. once I found the keys!!

Yesterday and today – Wootton Rivers to Hungerford, Kennet & Avon Canal, 10 miles 23 locks

With the gear lever now fixed and Paul Balmer (NB Waterway Routes) fast approaching on his magical bike from Pewsey Train Station, it was time to think about pulling the pins to make our way towards the Thames.

Vic is still suffering very badly with his back, having damaged that last week when showing young Jamie how to swing a sledge hammer.. so he was not going to be able to do much at all let alone working through locks, so Paul offered to give us a hand for a couple of days before he is off himself with his narrowboat from Fenny Compton to his new moorings at Birmingham.

But I could not locate the keys for No Problem!!

Too many keys I have at the moment that is the trouble.. so I had to really, really think what I had done the previous evening once we had moored up.. then I remembered, I was dying for the loo.. and dived in the one on No Problem.. teehee, yep there they were on the shelf in the loo!!

Just the 4 locks at Wootton Rivers, all uphill ones, and I took No Problem while Vic steered Tara.. Paul lock wheeled and made ready, and we climbed quite quickly to the summit level of the K&A… Then Bruce Tunnel.. EEK!  I had forgotten the tunnel, and here I was on a new narrowboat for me with nobody aboard by myself.. Paul was on Tara (NP1), and so was Vic and Lucy!!  My heart fluttered a bit, but was reassured once I got the angle right and could see right to the end..

Out the other side just as two narrowboats were coming in.. and so then almost bumped into NB Crofton from Reading Marine, onboard blog readers Larry, Donna, Jim and Jan from America .. I do hope that is right.. they caught me at the right moment coming out of a tunnel, but was nice to shout out a quick hello.. have a great holiday you guys and might catch you again on your way back from Bath if we are not beyond Aldermaston.

Soon Crofton loomed up, and then it was downhill which is much easier as I can get off and help with working the  lock once inside .. downhill now all the way to the Thames

No pics yesterday, every single battery had run out.. too much going on!  Paul and I swapped and he took No Problem down a few locks while I reminded myself how to ride a bike.. I wobbled a bit at first and suddenly realised it has been over 2 years since I have been on one.. Lucy is now totally confused.. two boats a bike.. nothing is normal for her!

Settled between Great and Little Bedwyn last night on a nice quiet mooring in the middle of nowhere.. in fact no phones.. reception was nil with both Orange and T Mobile… so no internet connection either.

Pins pulled fairly early this morning and away..

Bit colder today, but we worked down through the locks from there to Hungerford in about 3 and half hours which wasn't bad really.  Here Paul lock wheeling and Vic steering Tara close to Froxfield Lock..

Oh yes, at one lock a butcher parked his van close by and came and helped Paul with the lock.. even winding up the paddles.. It was the most amazing sight, he had his long butchers apron on!  I said to Paul.. “Paul I never seen a butcher do a lock before!”.. “Sue, he said that in 63 years of living close by, he had never helped with a lock before”.. Said Paul..  Well I never!!

Passing one of my favourite moorings at Picketsfield Lock, some goslings were exploring under the guidance of their very vocal Mum and Dad..

And so to Hungerford, and plenty of mooring space today.  I was surprised we had done so much in two days considering Vic was not able to do anything.. so a big huge thanks to Paul for helping us along.. Lunch then for all before Paul said his farewells to catch his train back to the Bristol area and back to reality!.. We really did enjoy your company Paul for a couple of days.. and of course many thanks!..

Relaxed this afternoon before going into the town for bread and milk and good ‘ol fish and chips.. I know, I know I am on a diet, but I promised myself that if we got to Hungerford by today I would defo have fish and chips this evening.. corrrrr they were yummy too.. Ah well back to the diet tomorrow!

Bluebells and Grey Furgies.. Convoy ahoy through Pewsey!!

Devizes to Nr Wootton Rivers Bottom Lock, Kennet and Avon Canal, 13 miles 0 locks

All great plans are meant to be broken.. for better of course!

Richard Poole of Devizes Marina did his last job for us today and fitted the cratch frame to the front of No Problem.. all we need now is Tim Salt of Staffordshire Canopies to cover it.. must contact him soon to arrange that..

With fond farewells to the team there, hugs all round even for the lads Jamie who did the main paint job on No Problem and Ray, who did the dirty work of welding and blackening both boats, and for Debbie too who works tirelessly in reception.. “Are you off then?” She greeted me with this morning.. “Hey Debbie, I will be out of your hair in about 10 minutes” Says I.. Great gal is Debbie, always cheerie whatever.. and a hand shake for ‘the boss’.. Thanks Richard you did us proud..

So pins were pulled and we strapped both boats together to travel along upsides.. errrrrr until the first bridge when we realised it just wasn’t going to work.. too slow.. No Problem is looking to be a slower boat than Tara (NP1), not that I am bothered.. “She is like a bloomin’ donkey compared to the greyhound of Tara” retorted Vic.. OK, OK, so at the bridge decisions were made, and Vic felt able enough to captain No Problem for the day while I took ‘the greyhound’.  I nipped inside to make him a sandwich and cuppa which would have to last him most of the day.. so here we are in convoy at the first swing bridge..

You can see the the new cratch boarding for the first time.. tis a nice one, and when the covers are done we will be able to see even out of the ikkly side windows.  I want to have the cover so it rolls right over the top of the bit of wood that comes from the roof if you see what I mean..

Anyway….

The day was pleasant enough, although we missed each other…. awwwwww!

We had some fun, and chatted on our radios pointing out buzzards, house martins, swallows and even a lovely grey massey ferguson mowing a field..

We have a grey fergie.. well Wendie does now.. and when the kids were really young I remember Vic towing them around with it when the snow was down as they sat on the toboggan!

And so on through Pewsey, and a wood absolutely covered in bluebells, I have never seen so many in one wood, awesome.. I don’t think this pic really does it justice, but it will remind me..

No Problem was turning heads in her new paint job around Pewsey.. being well admired, and so she should be!..

Tara (Np1) has not done so many miles for ages, and as the day got later she decided she had had enough…. off came the gear lever in my hand, and with all the tools now on the new No Problem I had no alternative but to try steer for the bank, leap off and pull her in.. no radio in hand so frantically waving to Vic behind to stop also!..

So here we stayed.. another day tomorrow..

I'm happy enough with my lot at Devizes

STILL moored at Devizes, Kennet and Avon Canal

But won’t be moored here tomorrow night unless global/unforeseen/supernatural/unintentional/intentional disasters stop me, I shall be away!

Well, phewwwww, we did do well Danny and me.. and with thanks to my son-in-law who very kindly gave me two days of his precious time we managed to lay the flooring to the saloon, corridors and back cabin of No Problem.  Pictures to follow once I have cleared the rubbish! The galley I will leave to later as I am still a bit undecided what to do about that area.  At 67ft ‘tis a long narrowboat to floor out..

But we did that, plus onboard came the Candy washing machine that was delivered ‘dan saff’ and a bike.. well it’s granddaughter Kiera’s bike I have on loan for a month or so.  I mentioned on a blog not long ago how annoying it was to change the simplest item.. an hours round trip walking to change a waste pipe.. but no more will I have to do that, a quick bike ride… and get on with the refit.

Logistically, fitting out a narrowboat as a continuous cruiser is a nightmare.. I remember going to B&Q in Swindon and being extremely well organised in ordering the wooden flooring for the saloon and the laminate flooring for the back cabin, other laminated type flooring for the galley (that’s the bit I am not sure about).

These had to be delivered from three different places.. trying to co-ordinate those to Deliver to the “Car Park please at Devizes Wharf”…. “Oh we can’t do that”… “Why not?” … “Because we have to deliver to a house or post code that’s why”.. “But I don’t live in a house”.. “Well we can’t deliver it then”.. “Why not, I have a post code”…… sheesh.. Anyway I did it, and three different vans arrived in the car park within a couple of hours one Tuesday afternoon last month!

I don’t know how long it will be till I return to Devizes by narrowboat.. I do like points west from here a lot, and we only had a very short brief visit of one of my most favourite of all locations on the canal system, Dundas..  But for now freedom calls and we will take No Problem and former NP1 Tara eastwards and off the Kennet and Avon.. I am looking forward to that very much indeed… but how soon will I be moaning about queue, queue… waiting for my turn at locks?!

While we work away, some of the crew are chilling out!!

Still moored Devizes, Kennet and Avon Canal

Dan arrived early this morning catching me unaware!.. Noticing my phone wasn’t on the table, I realised I left it in my rucksack from the day before.. went to grab it and found two missed calls from him.. so I phoned.. “Hi, have you just left Dan?”.. “Err I am in Devizes Marina car park looking at you across the canal”!!  Sheeeeeeesh.. so a quick pull of NP1’s pins to go across to pick him up and it wasn't long before we were on the floor of NP2 putting the flooring in the saloon.  So no time for pictures today from my camera.. but here I have a series of photos of the last few days from the camera of Annie of NB Moore2Life.. Thanks Annie, good job somebody is recording all this!!  

“Ummmm.. I think he is doing it right me thinks!!”  Meanwhile outside our canine crew member is chilling out, enjoying the Easter sunshine and keeping out of the way of the walkway!….

Yep, I think we have this bit about right…

And, well for today.. hey look at this.. a will it or won’t it fit.. errrrrrrrrrrrrrr……

Oh, of course it will.. so bums away lets do it!….

And so to the colours of No Problem 2… There is uncertainty among you all as to the colours.. just to let you know the colours are Donegal Green and a Navy blue.. the exact colour eludes me this evening.. but here are a couple more pics.  It is definitely blue, I had a second look this morning!!

Closer look?…

You gotta believe it, tis blue, green and a cream trim!! Promise!

Thanks for all those Annie.. Your camera isn’t a bad one!!

Our beloved Narrowboat is for Sale

Well time moves on and our family gets bigger.. they love to visit and we love to see them, so our old No Problem is now officially for sale.  For those who have always wanted to see what she is like inside, now is your opportunity to have a good look with a series of pictures on the listing here on ebay to start off with.

I will put her on Apollo Duck over the weekend as well as a full page feature here on the blog during the next week or so.. and if any of my blogging friends have room to mention she is for sale on their blogs I would be grateful for the promotion.

I am sure whoever buys her will enjoy her as much as we have done over the last three years.

 

Left a bit, right a bit.. slowly getting there in Devizes

Since last blog moored Devizes Kennet & Avon Canal

Oh it is such slow going at the moment.  Very frustrating as tiny things hold us up.. wrong fittings for sinks, slightly out with the oven housing etc etc etc.  Each ‘wrong’ thing is a nightmare as it means a long walk of an hour’s round trip to get the right bits!

But we are getting there slowly…..

And no that isn’t a hammer Vic has in his hand!.. In goes the cooker, but it just doesn’t quite fit, so a discussion is going on as to how to get round this one.. but in the end..

It’s in!

The gap you can see close to the sink drainer is for another cupboard which is very late arriving with some drawers in.  Hopefully that will be here in a couple of days , then it is just a matter of the backspashes to do.  I have yet to decide on kitchen cupboards for the walls.. I might not bother as I have a huge larder, might just have shelves where those lights are.  I want to change the lights too, they are not exactly galley lights are they?!

We might even get going again next week making our way eastwards along the K&A.  The gas is all connected now, all the electrics are working, just the water to do over the weekend.. want to sanitize the system before filling the tanks.. and if I can move all the ‘might use’ bits of wood off the bed, we might even be able to sleep on her!!

No Problem comes out of the paint shop in Devizes

Since last blog, moored Devizes

Well I was away unfortunately at the end of last week when NP2 emerged from the paint shop.. I am so pleased Ann of NB Moore2Life was on hand with the camera.  She wasn’t the only one with a camera, there were a few shots taken of this..

Lucy seems to be attentively inspecting her new to home to be!

So now you can see the colours.. she will be sign written in the back panel and also on the front at a later date..

We are over the moon with the paint job that Devizes Marina has done, it has taken them around three weeks to complete starting with sand blasting right back to bear metal followed by coats of primer and undercoats before layering the blues and greens on the top.  All the windows were removed to check for rust etc, and the whole narrowboat was checked for any areas that needed filling.. The decks and roof have anti slip on them as well as the gunnels.

While she was out of the water we renamed her No Problem and registered her as that with British Waterways. 

While NP1 (this is now getting confusing!) was getting her bottom blacked we got the rudder and back bits checked which I wanted doing before she was sold after having got her partly stuck on a sill back in the summer on the River Great Ouse.. just wanted to double check that was all OK..

She has also been renamed while out of the water ready for her sale … Teehee we have had lots of renaming ceremonies.. good excuses for midday parties!!

Swip swapping narrowboats in Devizes Marina

Moored Devizes Marina, K&Q Canal

It’s really been a matter of swapping narrowboats from one dock to another, so not a lot else to write about over the last few days.. apart from the mundane stuff like shopping and generally living and eating..

But NP1 has had her two yearly bottom blacked and inspected, and hey doesn’t she look a treat!!  …

Many will notice that she has now lost her ‘No Problem’ name.. well she is to be sold soon and we are taking her name with us to our new narrowboat.  She will be re-sign written shortly with a new name, and I have no doubt at all that whoever buys her will have the opportunity to purchase a narrowboat that they will really enjoy and will do them proud.

In the meantime.. Thistle, the narrowboat that caught fire at Honey Street earlier in the year, is moored here outside the Marina.  But nothing can be done because of.. would you believe.. nature! …..

Spy behind the burnt out cooker a duck in anticipation!! ….

Talking about Eye Spy..

I spy Fiona of NB Epiphany working hard polishing waiting for John to arrive from Cornwall before they set off for the Easter weekend to Croften and back..

Continuous, continuously!

A continuous cruiser…

A continuous moorer….

And two continous dockers taking up all of Devizes Marinas working areas……

1 ……….

And right next door ..

2……

 

 

One, two, three... how many at Devizes?

Today – Moored around Devizes, Kennet and Avon Canal

We moved up from the Black Horse pub this morning to above the last of the Caen Hill flight of 26 locks.. We were not the only new arrivals to the area..

How on earth this duck managed to sit on 13 eggs I will never know!!

Returning up the Caen Hill Flight to Devizes

Thursday 5^th April – Caen Hill Bottom to Black Horse (Prison Br) Devizes, K&A Canal, 1.5 miles 19 or so locks

Walked the towpath a short way with Lucy before pulling the pins to climb the flight yesterday.  First boats up today were No Problem and Moore2Life.  The lock keepers always leave a bottom paddle up on the Caen Hill Flight so there is no build up of water from leaking gates to overflow the side pounds, so every lock was set perfectly.

Paul Balmer arrived just as we got started.  We were all very appreciative of his help today, it sure does make things a long quicker if you have three people on the lockside working the two boats through.  Two to work the paddles and gates that the narrowboats are entering and leaving and one crew member going ahead to open the gates on the next lock..

A beautiful day once again just as it was when we went down the locks a couple of weeks ago, and it wasn’t long before we were at the top with not one boat having been passed nor one behind us..

Again we had the place to ourselves.. very surprising actually given that it was the hottest and sunniest day of the year.

We stopped short of Devizes last night.  We enjoyed a rather nice pub meal at the Black Horse pub at Prison Bridge.. we moored on the opposite side as you can see British Waterways are putting in piling outside the pub, it will make it an ideal mooring.  We enjoyed a rather nice pub meal.  There was plenty on the menu at very reasonable prices, I’ll report that the food is good too!

Right then, I am off to the Garden Centre just over the road now.. they have some very good quality young plants on their shelves, but once planted I will have to take care that the frost doesn’t get them.. I can’t believe that we will not be getting one last freeze up before the winter is truly over.. but for now we will enjoy being in our shirt sleeves enjoying the warm sunshine..

Waterway Routes takes her maiden voyage..

 

NB Waterway Routes

Paul Balmer and his family have had built the most unique narrowboat.. diesel and electric combined power for the engine.  Today they are off for a weeks maiden cruise along the Southern Oxford Canal.  It has been extremely interesting reading his blog over the year, and perhaps this is the narrowboat for the future what with the costs of diesel about to go sky high.  So from ‘the build of Waterways Routes’ to the travel blog.

I know Paul has purchased a mobile internet connection, so hopefully this week he will try waterway blogging.. he will find the speed of that more in keeping with the speed he travels along the Oxford Canal, but with a huge difference from normal boating, he will be travelling along in almost complete silence except for the sound of water around the prop.. wonderful!

On the move, but at a sedate pace of course to Caen Hill

Last couple of days – Dundas Wharf to Caen Hill Bottom (of main flight), K&A Canal, 12.5 miles 15 locks

WOW that’s a lot for us..

But really enjoyable.. it’s better now the weather is dryer.. no more having to wash Lucy’s legs down and clearing mud from my boots.  We are in no hurry though, and locking through with NB Moore2Life is easy.. we all know what each other is doing, and using just the one gate to enter and exit both boats, both Chas and I are getting really proficient at entering locks and moving over for the other boat to come aside.

It means that on these locks where there is only a short distance between them, Vic can go on to the next one while Annie can effortlessly use just the one gate to let us both in and out, saving her keep on walking round and round the locks.  Skippers help by dropping paddles on the top gates before leaving as we climb up the locks.

Today Vic and I exchanged roles.. I fancied some time on the towpath walking ahead to set the next lock, while Annie locked the boats through.  It is a wonderful pastime, never worrying about hire boats who want to empty or fill locks ahead of you trying to ‘judge’ whether they can just about ‘pinch’ the lock before we start frowning.. but hey they are on holiday, and want to see and do as much as possible.. I am happy to wait.. I have all the time in the world.

It gives me time to count the number of eggs in the nests along the fringes for example .. 6 moorhen eggs in one nest.. that made me sigh.  Only 2 will survive that, max me thinks.  I have only ever seen 2 moorhen chicks.. normally it is one.  There are too many mink.. say no more..

I note there have been some comments of late.. I will comment further on those this weekend.. but at the bottom of this flight I find my internet connection is difficult, posting this blog is a nightmare, but I will keep on trying to post it, don’t think I can do much all else this evening.. probably be better up the top tomorrow…

Around Dundas Wharf.. and the effects of losing red diesel

We have to hot foot it.. or more appropriately speed boat it back to Devizes.  The sign writer is visiting NP2 on Friday next and wants to talk about how we would like her errrr sign written!.. and all at 8.30 in the morning.. but hey I don’t do 8.30 in the morning any more!  Don’t these people realise I am retired!!

What a glorious day today though, and while we waited and filled with water I went off with the camera to take some pics of Dundas Wharf and Aqueduct and around about it..

This the Somerset Coal Canal which goes off some 100 yards right by the wharf..

The wharf itself..

The Aqueduct

The view from the Aqueduct looking east..

And looking West..

You can see why I like this area now.. and it was such a lovely day I thought I would give you a series of pics.

Continuing on retracing our steps of last week, it is hard to imagine that we are on our way back, and on our way out of winter mode too.. a very significant turn marking the furthest point that we would be travelling along this canal this year.  This is the embankment between Dundas Aqueduct and Avoncliffe Aqueduct that I spoke of the other day in a blog.. through the woodland, high on the hillside with a rock ‘cliff face’ on one side and a sheer drop on the other to the River Avon a long, long way below..

A quick stop today then at Bradford-on-Avon for fresh vegetables, bread and milk and we were on our way again.. well we had enjoyed a few days here last week, and as the weather was so nice we just had to carry on and enjoy.

Stopping at the huge hire base Alvechurch at Hilperton for diesel, I nipped in to see what they thought about the loss of the derogation on fuel duty for our diesel, now to be happening in November 2008.  What I was told scared me somewhat and it was a view that I thought might be on the cards to be honest.

It was thought, at this hire base, that because of the very much higher price of diesel, maybe 3 times the amount we are paying now, they might only supply their own hire fleet with diesel, and not the general public.  “Our accountants probably won’t want us to store any more than is necessary because of the high price.  We will not be able to make any profit on it, so why store it for anyone other than ourselves?”

He was not being obstructive to us, but they have a business to run, and businesses on the canal system will all have to pay for ‘non red’ diesel.  The only concessions that may happen is working boats that are actually contributing to maintaining the system such as dredges and the like.. I wonder if transportation of goods along the canals might be able to use the red stuff as an incentive to get lorries off the roads..

But for sure, it is a worrying fact.   We, like many liveaboards, use our engine more for charging batteries and heating than for cruising along.. we don’t need to do a 10 hour day chasing pubs and waterway rings.. being retired gives us an opportunity to slow down in life and enjoy what is around us.. but we will have to pay a high price for doing that soon.. 2/3 of our diesel is for ‘heat ‘n light’ 1/3 for fuel for travel.

I paid for our 74.5 litres today.. £42.47… in 2008 that may cost me £90 in todays money, oh if we can find a boatyard willing to serve us of course!.. You know, that is going to put a lot of boats in severe trouble… I wonder if this one will survive..