Marmaduke escapes, and Cannock Chase is a delight

Today, Moored Milford, Staff & Worc
Monday Tixall to Milford, 1.5 miles 1 lock, Staff & Worc Canal
Weekend Moored Tixall Wide, Staff & Worcs Canal

While we have been enjoying No Problem, our blogging mates John and Cathy with their new build narrowboat Marmaduke have had the ultimate fright when their builders went into liquidation.  Thankfully, as John reports, they have their boat and it is not being snatched by the liquidators, now though, they have to fund up front to get her finished.  I am sure John and Cathy will be getting all the help and support they need from the boating fraternity, who tend to pull together hard when this sort of thing happens as can be seen on various websites on the internet that John links to.  Good luck John and Cathy

I suppose everyone who has a new build must have some worries about this happening to them.  I know it did happen to Chas and Ann with their earlier boat Moore To Life. It is documented by Chas in his book in chapter 5..

“….By the end of February work had stopped and the proprietor had left the business. Aynho Wharf Boat Builders was no more…”

Like John and Cathy, Chas and Ann managed to get the fitters and workers from the boatyard to finish their build.

We were lucky enough to find the type of boat we wanted, not particularly liking the new almost white timber now put into boats, we like the older type of boat design, and therefore have gone for second hand on both occasions that we have purchased…

We pulled the pins on Monday morning from Tixall Wide.. I couldn’t believe it, it was so calm after the last week’s wind and rain.. but we had to move on to get some water and a Tesco order from Milford about a mile and half away..

Ha more molehills to count.. (see my last blog), these beside of Tixall Lock!  I wonder how many moles are under that lot..

It didn’t take too long to get to Milford, but we stopped for timber on the way.. a huge fallen branch that we cut into large rounds.  That’s the way I like to collect the wood.. we can split them as we need them later.. and so to Milford..

Tim Salt of Staffordshire Canopies came over today, well we are moored just along from him at the moment, and he replaced a tiny strap that we use to hold the screen back while going along.. Lucy chewed it would you believe!.. Well she goes mad when I go to start the engine, a collie moment I think and she grabs what she can to bit on.. usually it is one of the ropes!

He also put on a couple of turn clips instead of the poppers that are on one bit of the canopy.  For the life of me, I can’t seem to get the strength in my thumbs to close those poppers, so that will make things much easier when I go to close the boat up.

I have been walking the countryside all around this area, and since Friday I have walked 23 plus miles with the two collies Lucy and Meg.  Today it was over to Cannock Chase, a fantastic area.. But I have put on a pound this week.. gawd knows why, I have been sticking to my 1000 calories a day and lots of walking.. ah well as my old teachers used to say to me “Must try harder”

Oh, and I still don’t have a British Waterways Gold Licence disc.. I sent off well before Christmas, in fact it was about the 19th.. I did phone last week after reading that Bones had not received hers and they told her they had not had the application form.. Well they told me that they had mine OK, “It is being processed at the moment.. it takes up to 15 working days from receiving the forms..” Ho Hum, I wonder then, how many days they had off not working since I sent my form!? ..