Hinckley looks a little drab..

Bridge 13 to Bridge 19, Hinckley, Ashby Canal, 2 miles 0 locks

Only just able to move today.  Luckily a narrowboat had come past mid morning to break up yet another layer of ice formed over night.  Just about ready to move up to meet up with Ann and Chas on NB Moore2Life when it started raining!  Already having experienced problems, like visiting offside vegetation with the rain spots giving poor visibility through the back canopy, I has second thoughts!

Ah what the heck.. just two miles to catch up with our winter companions, and we pulled the pins trying to follow the track through the ice that the earlier boat had made.  First stop though was Limekiln Bridge for some well needed water….

An interesting ‘mile post’ here showing just 5 miles from the start of the Ashby at Nuneaton and another 25 miles to go to the end. 

 

Well the ‘end’ is not 30 miles from Nuneaton, well not yet anyway.  The furthest point that can be reached is Snarestone, some 22 miles from Nuneaton.  The last 8 miles to Moira are in the process of being restored, although this is going to be an awesome job.  Coal mining subsidence caused the abandonment of the canal between Snarestone and Moira.. There was some talk about using a disused railway line to perhaps re-cut some of the canal.. anyway I ramble, but then I do like this canal!.. A link then to the Ashby Canal Association will show progress on the restoration.

The Limekilns Pub looks sad and neglected from the water.. such a shame, it really doesn’t need to be like that…

Half rubbed out on a blackboard outside is a note that it is a wifi hot spot.. but we didn’t stop to check that out.. far too much rubbish strewn around the place.. shame.

Oh, and with the canopy up, we only just got under that bridge in the pic by the way, tis very low that one!

Wasn’t long before we pulling in behind Moore2Life.  Although we had only been apart for two or three days, Lucy and Molly, the mutts, were really pleased to be back in each other’s company.  It’s nice to be back in convoy again!

A Boaters Bloggers First!!

Well I have to report this as a first!

At the moment three boats are communicating via windows messenger or msn, both are the same really.. so we have..

Les and Sue of the up and coming NB Valerie.. hope that is right Les? and Chas and Anne of NB Moore2Life all talking together!

Any other blogger with msn to join us in a narrowboat chat?

Update.. Les informs me that the new boat may well be called Seleus

Trinity Marina on the Ashby is a surprise!

Moored Nr Bridge 13, Ashby Canal

We had hoped to move on up the Ashby Canal today, but opening the curtains this morning could see that there would be no chance of that.. but a photo opportunity that all the family love.. one of those wintery scenes… here you go then!

It was cold today, but as you can see the sun was shining which made everything more pleasant.  Pleasant enough, in fact, to walk and to go visit Ann and Chas on NB Moore2Life moored 2 miles ahead of us.  I managed to drag Vic away from his book late morning planning to be with Ann and Chas at lunch time.  I didn’t phone to say we were coming, thought we would surprise them, and we sure did!!

Told them we had visited them for lunch! Sandwiches were quickly made.. very nice too!  Thanks to you both .

I was surprised to see Trinity Marina at Hinckley.  You know, I never even knew it existed.  I had heard people talk of Trinity Marina, but didn’t know it was actually on the Ashby Canal!!   In fact, it must have been seven years not the four that I thought since we last cruised this canal.  In fact all I can remember at that point is the garage.  There is now quite an industrial estate plus a nice beafeater type pub there as well as the Marina!

Big place that is.. and lots of boats.  I was there today you see.. well rubbish disposal is a problem on the Ashby, I had a rucksack full of errrrrrr rubbish!  I thought “Ah, a marina, must have a rubbish disposal”.  I talked to some boaters who were doing some winter type bits and pieces to their boats and they pointed me in the direction of the bins… great!

Just listening to the weather forecast while writing this blog… grrrr more ice tomorrow by the look of it, but rain and wind and possible floods for the end of the week… sheeeeesh!!!!

Hinckley, and its all bit white!

Weekend and today – Moored close Br 13 Hinckley, Ashby Canal

Walking has been very much on the agenda the last three days, back to my old self again after the recent virus really made me feel low.  I guess about 18 miles trapsed all around this lovely area..

Burton Fields is just off the Ashby Canal, a small village with just a post box, but also a large church with rather a lovely sundial on the main wall.  It was almost surrounded by bridges crossing the Ashby Canal, in fact we have been under 13 of them in just four and half miles.  Not much in the way of facilities on this canal though, rubbish is a problem to dispose of.  I am surprised there is no-where to dump that at the main bridges at Hinckley.  British Waterways do have a waterpoint there, so really there should be a rubbish disposal too, there is plenty of room to put a couple of wheelie bins!

Some of the bridges are a bit worse for wear, like bridge 9..

Seems this is held up with odd bits of bricks from some broken down building to me.  Towpaths too are in a poor state, with heavy tractor type wheels having dug in where the towpath hedge has been cut, and still the mini motor bikes speed up and down not giving a care about the mess they make or the danger to both humans and animals as they come screaming by the mooring.

It snowed quiet heavily early this afternoon bringing me back to the boat earlier than I had wanted, and by 3.45pm it dark enough to have to put the lights on.  More snow this evening too, and I am wondering if I will have my first ‘white winter’ pics to take in the morning.  Chas and Ann went on ahead this morning to collect post, they are moored about a mile further along the Ashby.. Hopefully we will join them tomorrow weather permitting!

All the Christmas shopping is done now on the internet, even purchasing the Christmas paper to wrap them all in!  

And so to the Ashby Canal..

Griff Lane Bridge 17(Coventry Canal) to Goodacres Bridge 13 (Ashby Canal), 5 miles 0 locks

It must have been 5 years ago that I ventured up the Ashby canal the last time.. I remember it well.  We had hired a boat from Calcutt Boats and had been out a week.. I decided I wanted another week away from the hectic family business, and with my daughters’ consent, took that next week on the Ashby Canal.

The first time I visited the Ashby was way back in 1976, and fell in love with it then.  We were planning to spend some of winter on this canal last year, but ended up on the southern part of the Grand Union.. but we are here now!

Having stored away plenty of groceries from the Tesco Home Delivery van, we pulled the pins and set off behind Chas and Ann of Moore2Life to turn left where the Ashby Canal greeted us with a layer of ice..

Brrrr it sure was cold today, but our back canopy freshly made at the end of last month by Staffordshire Canopies did us proud, and with the sun shining through the back window, it was really quite pleasant.. no freezing cold hands either, in fact we didn’t even need to wear gloves!  I did however miss the left turn into the Ashby, well over running it.. still not used to the fact that the tiller is restricted by the canopy as to how much I can push it over.  No worry, I will soon get used to that.

The Ashby Canal is very riverlike.. maybe that’s why I like it so much..

Russets and golds today in the sunshine, it was a delightful couple of hours, but I did wonder how long the leaves will cling to the trees. 

We will stay here this weekend, the walks in the area look excellent and I have already been out and about with Lucy.  Leicestershire is a lovely county, and I shall be inspecting some of it over the next few days.  Looking at the forecast we might be lucky and not be iced in, although there was quite a lot about on the canal when I looked out at last light this evening, it wasn’t too thick though.

I need to finish my Christmas shopping too.. just one or two bits and pieces to get.  One of the joys of a good internet connection.. everything can be bought online and sent ‘dan saff’ ready for me to wrap up when I arrive there a couple of days before Xmas!

 

Through Nuneaton and troubles ahead!

Wood Bridge 27 to Griff Lane Bridge 17, Coventry Canal, 3.5 miles 0 locks

Reluctantly leaving the lovely mooring by Bridge 27, we used the services at the marina opposite before setting off to Nuneaton with the roof absolutely covered in long pieces of wood ready for chopping with the chainsaw later.

I simply hate Nuneaton, sorry if you are reading this and live there, but the town is full of litter, the canal is full of rubbish .. nobody, it seems, cares about the town they live in.

Anyway it started to rain not long after leaving the marina.. that caused me real problems, not only could I not see over the top of all the wood on the roof, but the rain spots were covering the canopy windscreen.  It was my decision to not put the canopy down this morning.. I was OK with the wood restricting my view, but when the rain came down it was too much, and I ended up in the offside vegetation!!

Asking Vic to get the pole out to push us away, he reluctantly did so, only to get the pole stuck in the mud… I thought he was going be a gonna for sure.. but he hung on well in the squally weather..

Topped up the freezer compartment with some really good looking meat from the butcher at Bridge 23 before setting off again to pick the post up at Bridge 21.. couldn’t wait to get away from there.  A chip shop close by has two huge litter bins outside, and all along the street are fish and chip paper, chips, half eaten other bits and pieces etc.. To walk along this street I had to watch the ground, not look ahead of me.. I have never seen so much dirt and rubbish in any town I have been in.

No sooner left after collecting the post when the rain came down again along with high winds.. grrrrrrrr so difficult.  I should have stopped earlier to get that wood on the roof chopped so it could be stored away, but no I carried on planning on doing that job when we had moored up for the day.

But not only did I have problems, so did British Waterways once again at the same spot as Chas and Ann reported about on their blog when a car had been found in the canal Here another car at the very same place….

But hey, look at the pic Ann took last month….

It looks to me like the very same car!!!

But the car in Ann’s picture was actually hauled out and left on the towpath.. silly that, cos they came back the next evening and set fire to it, so it wasn’t the same car!!

Settled tonight, and with the wood all chopped up now, and the roof cleared, hopefully tomorrow I will have a happier day as skipper on the tiller as we make our way up the Ashby Canal after picking up our groceries from Mr Tesco in the morning.

A Happy Birthday day today!

Moored Br 27, Springwood Haven, Coventry Canal

Well I got my wish and we stayed here today.. and I also managed to fit in a wonderful walk across the countryside here covering two counties, Warwickshire and Leicestershire..

One sign on the way amused me.. I didn’t really know what it meant such was the ambiguity of it.. for sure there didn’t seem to be any reason why cyclists would want to wait at the side of this lane, nor any reason for cars to park to wait for cyclists to pass!!.. the mind boggles!

After returning and grabbing a late lunch, next was to collect some wood from the copse alongside the towpath where we are moored.  I had enquired locally this morning as to who owned it, and was lucky to stop a van right by the bridge, the driver of which happened to own half of it “The canal owns the bit I don’t own”.  I asked if we could take some dead wood.. and the chap said he didn’t see why not as long as we didn’t use a chain saw.. Darn.. Oh well, so we have piled a load of lengths on No Problem’s roof and will find a quiet place tomorrow to kick the chainsaw into work.

It’s Vic’s birthday today.. another year has gone round so fast!  Annie on NB Moore2Life made a cake with a single candle so Vic could have a wish, and we had a mini birthday party aboard NP late this afternoon.

Tomorrow it’s across the canal to Springwood Haven to top up with water.. empty the cassettes and dump the rubbish before calling into Nuneaton to the butchers and Post Office.  Friday morning we have that nice Mr Tesco delivering to No Problem with groceries.. so if the weekend is as bad as the forecast says we can just stoke the fire up and keep ourselves cosy for a few days with all the services done and a full larder.

British Waterways publishes it's consultation results

It’s Official, No Problem will be licenced at the lower rate!

Following the shocking revelation that continuous cruisers might be put into a higher rate licencing bracket back in July, today British Waterways have published their results of the lengthy consultation.  The have admitted several mistakes that they feel they have made in the run up to this threat..

We acknowledge that this consultation was controversial. We could have done more to reduce the controversy by having earlier discussions with user groups.

Continuous cruisers were the largest group to respond to the topic proposal from British Waterways over the higher licence rate changes..

Continuous Cruisers –This topic attracted the overwhelming majority of the total response.

Well with only 1359 continuous cruisers according to British Waterways, there really must not have been much of a response from other user groups it seems.

There then follows a couple of pages of quoted responses from this group.  There are 12 pages to read through, interesting stuff.. click here to have a read

I have had a quick look through, obviously we are both very happy that our licence for next year will rise not by 147%, but by a very much smaller amount.

On the move from Hartshill while the ice is clear..

Hartshill to Br 27, Springwood, Coventry Canal, 1.25 miles 0 locks

Opening the curtains this morning showed that the ice had disappeared.. hooray now we could move the short distance to the water point and fill up our now very low tank of water…

A huge British Waterways yard here at Hartshill, but all that is available in the way of services is water!  There is nowhere to dump the rubbish and nowhere to do the loo cassettes.  It’s not that it’s miles from anywhere either, there is a main road runs right past.  I suppose BW will argue that it is a maintenance yard..

I chose today to stop at Bridge 27, Ann and Chas our winter companions on NB Moore2Life, were happy with that.  Bridge 27 is opposite the very quiet Springwood Haven Marina.. there are some lovely walks around here, but wood has been spied in the copse alongside the towpath, so tomorrow will be a toss up as to whether we stock up on wood or whether I can go enjoy a few miles across country..

I walked to Nuneaton today with Annie to collect the post.. was important you see to get that, it’s Vic's birthday tomorrow, and there were loads of cards to pick up… more tomorrow apparently!

Comments yesterday about how we manage when the canal freezes.. well to be honest we just chance our arm a bit, although I do look at the 5 day forecast to get some idea of when a freeze is likely, and move accordingly to top up with water and empty the loos.  Diesel for us is about every 6 weeks, so that is not so critical really, although we will top up when we get down to the half mark.  Water can be well saved, and we have managed on a tankful of water for 3 weeks when we were not able to move once.. it’s just a way of life on a narrowboat really, you get used to it, and get used to ‘managing systems’ during the freezing weather!

It’s nice here at this mooring, I wouldn’t mind staying a while… mind you I don’t really fancy another 4 mile hike to the post office, but the mooring is nice! 

Chilly days at Hartshill ..........

Weekend and Today – Moored Hartshill, Coventry Canal

Iced in here at the moment at Hartshill, but the days have been crisp and full of sunshine…

I don’t mind being iced in here, I like it a lot.  I have enjoyed walking around here.. the frosty weather has been great for walking over those ploughed fields too.. 

Definitely fancied Sunday Roast this week, so plodded on down to the Anchor pub a couple of bridges away.. here a solitary scene along the canal on Sunday morning..

Chas and Ann joined us for lunch.  It was a good job that I phoned them the day before because by the time we had walked down there we noticed a sign saying that they were ‘fully booked for lunch today’.  Well recommended for a roast the Anchor is.. yum it was good, and very good value too at £7.95 for an ‘all you could eat’ carvery.  Mind you if you are walking along the towpath then do do this…

One of the downsides of living on a narrowboat this is… muddy towpaths mean changing into more errrrrr ‘city’ like attire!  I say muddy towpaths, this is due to a number of those stupid little motor bikes whizzing up and down at ridiculous speeds.  They were being ridden not by young tearaways, but by men who should know better.. what a mess they are making round here on the towpath..

A trip for me to Braunston today to help a friend out with a new computer.. it wasn’t so cold there and the canal was free of ice.. juggling with timetables to make that trip from here involved 4 changes of transport.. thankfully worked out OK apart from one mad rush to get from one to the other before it left.

Post to collect from Nuneaton tomorrow.. doubt if I will be collecting it while cruising through.. need an ice breaker me thinks to do that, so might have a long walk in the morning…

The Duckings are saved at Atherstone!

Yesterday and Today – Moored Hartshill

Well Furbs commented about the ducks..

I liked the picture of the ducklings, it is so sad for them.

Ah, not so sad after all.. On Midlands Today last night there were pictures of them happily floating in the local Lock Keeper’s bathtub in luke warm water!  Then today a piece in the icCoventry pages..

Global warming has sent ducklings quackers, says Tony

Lock Keeper Tony Wright has taken a clutch of ducklings under his wing - after they hatched in freezing November.

Global warming was blamed today for the out-of-season hatching of the ducklings on a stretch of the Coventry Canal at Atherstone.

Well the day before there were 10 when I walked Lucy during the morning, but when we passed them on the way to Hartshill there were only nine of them… yesterday that obviously went down to eight by the time Tony had rescued them.  I was amazed to read that the mother had abandoned them, as you can see in the pic I took, mum was doing a grand job, and earlier I had spied her with all the ducklings under her wing!  Still, at least the ducklings will survive now for sure!

Oooo there was a sharp frost over night last night, but this morning the sun was beautiful.. still very cold though, and the steam was rising from the narrowboats along the visitor moorings here as the sun melted off the white bits..

A trip to Nuneaton today for me… I had purchased a 3g phone from Orange a week ago, but… as is my luck at the moment, it was broken!!

But today I now have one that actually works… my internet connection is flying, my computer is perfect, I am feeling great.. surely nothing else can go wrong for me!!

The meeting of the bloggers at Hartshill..

Atherstone to Hartshill, Coventry Canal, 2 miles 0 locks

It was lunchtime by the time we had pulled the pins at Atherstone today, the weather was really lovely, in fact for one moment I wondered if spring had come round already!…

Well you can forgive me when I say that when you look at the piccy above… these 9 youngsters will need some spring like weather to survive me thinks.. I hope they will be OK tonight, the temperature at the moment is below 0 here in Hartshill.

Only two miles today then, but a very pleasant and pretty two miles that is between Atherstone and the small village of Hartshill.  Tree lined in many places and in others ‘hills’ that have been grassed over from old mining slag heaps..

I am always pleased to see the true countryside ‘put back’ after the resources from the earth have been taken.. along the River Nene it has been done quickly and beautifully after the extraction of sand and gravel, plentiful in that area.  I wish they would do something about the next town that we will shortly be cruising through, Nuneaton.  Here the slag heaps have been left to grow weeds with no care or thought to put back the scaring of the landscape for the future enjoyment of all.

We arrived at the visitor moorings at Hartshill, just a couple of spots left here today, it was full to be sure.. and within 3 minutes of arriving NB Moore2Life came into view from the other direction and moored on the only mooring left behind us.. Molly, their energetic mutt remembered me OK.. going mental with her greeting to the point of totally covering me in mud!!.. Once Lucy had done much the same to Annie, it was time for the humans to greet each other… it is nice to be back in their company, and hopefully we will stay together for the rest of the winter months..

A knock on the door this evening just after dark.. “Would you be interested in some life insurance?” said the voice as I went to open the front cover… “Heh, I know who THAT is”  thought I!!…  Andrew Denny!

Lovely to see him on his way back to Norfolk after having Granny Buttons hauled out of the water for a blackening of her bottom at Streethay Wharf, not that far away from here.. Enquiring whether Moore2Life was also here.. “Yep”, and I introduced him to Chas and Ann.. tea and biscuits all round then!

Website of the Month, no less, for Granny Buttons in the December issue of Waterways World.. great stuff.  First time I think that a blog has been made website of the month.. I spose a blog is a website?

The delightful Atherstone Flight

Bradley Green to Atherstone, Coventry Canal, 2.5 miles 11 locks

I have always loved the Atherstone flight of locks.  First visited back in 1975 with eldest daughter Wendie on the back in a lobsterpot playpen.  Today I enjoyed as much as I did all those years ago.. I captured a moment today that says it all..

A still November day, when the canals are quiet, just us…. no rush, although by the look on both Lucy’s face and that of Vic seems maybe that I should have been in more hurry.. but no.. I wanted to enjoy one of my favorite flights.

We passed just the one boat on the way up..

I was pleased to be able to make a cuppa while waiting for this narrowboat to lock through.. Vic had closed the gates behind me on each of the locks and going ahead to set the next one while I waited for the lock to fill before opening the gates myself, lowering the paddles, exiting the lock.. then shutting the gate before moving No Problem to the next one.. shere delight!

But in 2 and threequarter hours it was all over… It hadn’t been slow enough.. If it was 5 hours I would have been happier.. But post to pick up today, lots of it, and the lovely lady at the Coleshill Post Office is an absolute gem.. “No I couldn’t keep all your post in my special draw” says she.. too much of it today!..

A trip to town this afternoon.. I really wanted to do that, I have never actually visited Atherstone.. what a lovely place it is too.  We settled down to the most fantastic fish and chip supper this evening.. all freshly made from the chippy opposite the Post Office..

Tomorrow we move to Hartshill to wait the arrival of Chas and Ann on NB Moore2Life, that is if they aren’t already there!!

A Spring in my step again on the way to Atherstone

Today - Alvecote to Bradley Green, Coventry Canal, 5 miles 0 locks
9th-13th November – Moored Alvecote

At last the virus that had been keeping very much down has just suddenly disappeared.. the very few walks with Lucy that I had done over the last two weeks have been draining although I had only gone less than a mile on each occasion.  Vic let me sleep until I we ready each morning, sometimes as late as 11.30am, but it was obviously needed.  It has been one of the worse and longest lasting virus type illness that I can ever remember having, and it has kept me from having the energy for doing anything, even to the point of ‘can’t be bothered’ even thinking of doing a blog.  Tonight though I feel completely revived.. Lucy is happy to see ‘Mum’ back to her normal self..

Yesterday, the first day without feeling awful, I cleaned the whole boat through.. sorted out a load of brasses to put on ebay that have been hanging about since I bought some a while ago just to get the canal theme ones.. they came with others you see, so I don’t want those, also on the list was to clean all the brass on the boat and to wash the windows and the slashes of mud gained from Lucy hopping on and off during the rain.. but Vic put a stop to most.. pose he was right..

But today has been better.. we set off from Alvecote, our home for a week, and collected a Tesco order from the road that leads to the Canaltime Hire Base, then topped up with coal from the huge Simpsons coal yard in the same place.. In fact I shoved 5 bags on their trolly and happily wheeled them about 100yds to No Problem.. see, feeling good now I am!

Leaving Alvecote spied Banstead and Naples the two boats that used to trade coal. ha they were moored right outside the coal yard, so if someone wants to start a new narrowboat coal business buy the two boats, Banstead might have been sold though, it was up for sale for a whopping £75,000!! Now off the market from Boats and Outboards.  Naples is still for sale on My Appolo Duck for a more modest £26,000.

I really enjoyed the few miles we did today, we decided to put the back canopy down to get some good fresh air into our lungs after being moored for quite a few days.. there are a few trees left with leaves on, and the trip was pleasant behind a very slow boat who we learned later the skipper of which was on just his second trip ever… so he can be forgiven for being slow.. anyway I was in no rush..

Now I have no idea whatsoever about this yard..

It was so busy, with Canaltime Narrowboats four abreast across the canal, and in the dry dock there were another three of four, plus more hanging around the place.. it was very busy indeed with the workforce happily working away on them with radios on at full blast above the welders, grinders and other high pitched heavy duty tools.. someone will know where this is I am sure!

Spose all their boats are getting a once over now the season is over.. I am amazed how many of their boats are at Alvecote, one morning I counted 28.. then there are this lot, and of course there are still a few about cruising!

One boat that isn’t cruising is this one spotted some 200 yards from the canal!!

Gawd knows how it got there or why…

I am really looking forward to the Atherstone Flight tomorrow, the weather is going to be good apparently..

Oh before I finish, I must point you in the direction of the Moore2Life blog.. in fact I am going to put an extra picture on here today.. pinched it from you Chas! (f)

Chas and Ann came through Newbold Tunnel with the festival lights on a day or so ago but didn’t take any pictures, but I persuaded Annie to go back along the towpath with the camera.. hey what a superb pics she got too, there are more on their blog!

Slow boat through Tamworth

Thurs Nov 3rd to today – Whittington to Alvecote, Coventry Canal, 9 miles 2 locks

This virus has taken a long time to clear off..

I have been trying to replace the broken computer too.  A one and half mile walk to Comet at Tamworth ended up with a fight with the customer services to try and get a computer with the same spec as the one I had only just bought some two weeks before, the cd drive stopped working on that.

I ended up accepting much the same, an Acer but with 20GB less hard disc space than what I had.  Acer had discontinued the model number of the old one, and there were none to be had anywhere in any Comet shop, so had to accept a lesser spec.

When I got back to No Problem I realised that I had been cheated…. the battery charge was dreadfully low.. just 1 hour and 40 minutes on the battery pack instead of the 5 hours and 20 minutes from my new old computer.

Comet didn’t want to know when I phoned them, they were very rude and said that I had made my choice and could not have my money back nor exchange it for anything else.

Phoning Acer yesterday their customer service people were exceptional.. I told them of my 40 minute upsetting session with Comet.. and they had some sympathy with me.  In the end they have agreed to send me a free battery which will give me the same 5 hours plus battery power.  I had originally bought their discontinued computer for this very reason.

I don’t have any pictures to put on yet.. once again I have had to set up the computer again, although I am nearly finished now.. I really do hope this is the last time.  It takes ages to set it just the way I want, with all the programs to install that I use.  I suppose I have owned a computer for far too long now, back in  days before windows in fact.. so you can imagine all the settings I have learned to love have to be set all over again..

I ramble.. but I will be back to proper blogging once I feel better and get this computer back to the work horse that I am used to!

Many thanks for all your good wishes..

Confidence grows, but we need to be at Hopwas.

Today – Whittington to Hopwas, Coventry Canal, 3 miles 0 locks
Yesterday – Fradley to Whittington, Coventry Canal, 4.5 miles 0 locks

Confidence has grown remarkably quickly steering with the back canopy in position.  Yesterday was fine and sunny and we stopped nr Brookhay Bridge to load NP up with as much wood as we could from the stash left in Mr H’s field by British Waterways, who in their wisdom, had felled Grey Poplar trees without poor Mr H knowing.  Locals say that BW thought them unsafe for passing narrowboats.. so down they came.. Anyway, good for us I suppose.. and with Mr H’s permission we got rid of a bit from his land.

Having loaded all the big ‘rounds’ of wood on the back deck we moved over to the towpath side and off they came again to be chopped in half so they would sit neatly on the roof.. couldnt do it on the other side.. could only get the boat in enough for the long plank just to make contact with the bank and back deck..

Settled last night near Whittington.. We didn’t move this morning.. I have some sort of cold or block sinuses.. my eyes refused to accept the light this morning.. I was quite anxious to be nearer Hopwas and roads just in case I need to see the doc… we were moored rather remotely last night as is usual for us..

Anyway by mid afternoon today,  I felt OKish to travel.. and we moved to Hopwas to be nearer facilities if needed.. Not much of a blog tonight.. I’m stuggling a bit, but I do like to try keep up!..