Pre Christmas is the time to enjoy 'quite times' on the Ashby Canal

13th December to Today - 'Pottering', 10.25 miles 0 locks, Ashby Canal

It's sort of like a hibernation really, it's winter, the days are short of light and the must do's are many during that time.

We have been doing some serious 'pottering' since the Works Xmas Do, and haven't I just loved it.

The Ashby Canal is shut I think, just ahead of us for some work to be done on the embankment near Market Bosworth, but that doesn’t bother me too much, there is plenty to fit in during the daylight hours without moving No Problem….

Like lots of walking in the glorious winter sun, with the leaves now on the ground and the air as fresh as it can be for the colder months of the year… Oh not forgetting keeping ourselves warm at this time of year…..

To supplement our coal supply… but then there is also that lovely festivity of Christmas, only a couple of days away now, and it isn’t forgotten on the Ashby…

To all my family and friends, and to all others that read my blog, have yourselves a lovely Christmas, recover well then have a great New Year. 

I shall be back writing on the blog here sometime the first week of January….

A Very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year to you all xx

Party Time!!

Weekend and Today – Moored Nr Stoke Golding

A very hectic weekend by our standards saw us doing serious party time ‘dan saff’.  The family works Xmas Do is one ‘do’ I really enjoy.  But not only party time on Saturday night till 3.30am, but a more informal party time at the family home on the Sunday ‘till 1am!

Yes, I am a tad tired tonight.. but well worth it.  Stayed overnight in Portsmouth on Saturday, and enjoyed a walk along the prom and beach on Sunday morning.. the sea air was wonderful, and hey look at this…

Well this was taken in Portsmouth, the sea was extremely calm on Sunday morning… but so was Canoe Lake, the venue, for as many years as I can remember every Sunday morning, of the gathering of model boat enthusiasts!!

On the way back today we saw a glimpse of that awful pillar of smoke from the Hertfordshire oil depot, here I was lucky to get a reasonable pic from a virgin train doing a good 120mph!..

Many, many thanks to all those that left a comment from the last blog about about the satellite TV.. I didn’t actually mean to post that blog, had already having done so quite some time ago.  I just meant to edit the old one, but it’s great to see that it actually was helpful for some.  I’ll comment on that tomorrow.

I did have a quick look round the blogs a bit earlier, and loved Nick's latest pics on Huddersfield Narrow Canalcam Blog..

Alas. the old towpath surface was burried earlier this year, not quite six feet under, more like about half an inch actually.
The old surface did have its puddles and was fun to negotiate in the damp, but it also had something that the new surface is sadly lacking - puddles.

 

  Here a superb ‘puddle’ picture!
  If you click on the image a bigger pic will appear!
  There are more ‘puddle’ pics on the blog, do have a look

 

 
I would guess that Nick is not over happy about BW upgrading the towpath!!  

Sky Satellite TV with No Problem

I have been asked by many people how Satellite tele works on a narrowboat, so I have put together some tips..

I would not be without my Sky TV now. Have had it since August 2004, and in all that time I could count on one hand the number of times that the ‘dot in the sky’ (satellite) could not be found through line of sight, due to buildings or trees.

Items needed

All that is needed is a mini dish plus the cable to connect to a sky digital receiver. From there a scart lead will be needed to connect to the TV. A compass is handy but not necessary, and as for a signal finder, don’t bother with one of those, you will never use it, an expense you can do without. You will also need a ‘flag staff’ holder on the top of the boat, and a piece of steel tube to fix in that (with a self tapping screw to hold it tight) about 12” high with brackets and bolts with wing nuts (if they are not supplied with the dish) so you can swing the dish around, and then tighten when in the right place.

What you get

That set up will let you receive FTA (Free to Air) channels without the need of a sky viewing card. Not to be confused with FTV (Free to View) which is a different system using a normal TV aerial for digital pictures. Here, a list of FTA Channels You will notice that there is no Channel Four or Channel 5. To get these you will have to have a sky card, and these cost £20, hopefully a one off lifetime payment to Sky. To obtain one phone 0870 606 1111 and ask for a Freesat Card, pay over the phone and give your home address, or the address where you collect your mail, not a Post Office address though.

An added advantage on getting this card, is that you can update your subscription to one of their packages with films, sports, discovery etc. Sky customer services can be difficult if you do not have a BT landline, but if you just insist that you do not use landline phones anymore, only mobile numbers they will go ahead and let you have a Freestat card, and even let you upgrade to a subscription if you wish. Tell them you have all your own equipment or they will want to come and install theirs for £150!

Equipment

Equipment needed then…. well I have a Pace sky minibox for the receiver. Mine is 12v, and plugs into the 12v system through a car lighter attatchment thing. But you can get them with adapters to go in the AC system. Unfortunately they are not made any longer, and the only place to obtain them is from ebay.. I like it very much because it is so small….. But any sky digital receiver will suffice.

Our dish is a kerstan dish (on the left). These come in various colours, are extremely small, and work wonderfully well. However any mini dish will do the job… again you can purchase what you need from ebay for a tenner if you are lucky. Some dishes come with the correct angle set from the vertical…. (25 to 27 degrees upwards from the horizon)… the first time you set up will take a little patience, but once that angle is set you will never have to change it again.

So that’s it then… when it is all set up, call Sky on the number on the paperwork, or the number above, and they will register your Freesat Card. The biggest problem is that Sky program the digibox with the regional programs that are at the address where you had the card sent to!!

This is no problem though for BBC regional…. All the BBC Regional Channels are on the Channel List…. right down the bottom, and you can start a ‘Favourites List’ and add the ones you want. Not so with the regional ITV Channels, and I have written a page explaining how to get those here. Handy for watching regional footy?

Finding the dot in the sky

So, all ready to go then, all you need now is to find the satellite!

The biggest asset us narrowboaters have is good ol’ Nicholsons Guides (A compass is handy, but not necessary). North is always at the top of the page, so when thinking about your mooring, check the book and make sure there are no trees or buildings in the line of SEish. Having moored send someone out ready to swing the dish. Point the dish to the east before switching on the tele and digibox, so it won’t pick up the wrong satellite as you swing the dish round.

Press ‘Services’on the remote, then select (4) System Set Up, then (6) Signal Test. OK now you need whoever is on aerial duty to swing the dish from the easterly direction very slowly to the South East ( 28.2 degrees east to be exact). If you start from a Southerly direction you will get the wrong satellite (there are a lot going around!) The Lock Indicator will say ‘not locked’ and the two bits below that will say 00 at this stage. Turn the dish a couple of inches to the South East, wait for a count of 3, then turn again, and continue doing this until…

Lock Indicator – ‘OK’ Network ID – 0002 Transport Stream – 07d4

(Any other ‘Network or Transport Stream’ and you have got the wrong satellite! . In this case, switch the box off, then disconnect from the wall. Wait 30 secs and start all over again. After a few goes at doing this you will become very quick at finding it.

You should also have signal and quality strength. If it’s the right satellite, thats it! Tighten everything up, and press the TV Guide on the remote and sit back and enjoy

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Walking around Market Bosworth, Bloomin Chimney and News on Diesel

Moored Ashby Canal

A beautiful day today full of lovely warm winter sunshine, and no wind…

Just perfect for a rather lengthy walk around the area from Daddlington through Sutton Cheney and Market Bosworth also taking in Shenton Station, the southern most point of the Battlefield Line Steam Railway, which is part of the original Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway opened firstly in 1873.

It is obvious that not many people walk in this area, at times very difficult to find the correct footpaths through the fields.  Sometimes today it was very hard going crossing soaking wet loose tilled fields.  My boots grew not only upwards but all around!  Looked like I was sporting a sort of huge snow shoe, except it was mud!!

But by this afternoon, tilled fields seem to give way to pasture, and the going got good…

I felt a bit guilty when I got back five hours later… Vic had been working hard on No Problem.  Still we have the problem with the chimney, still we have tar spilling down the side of the boat.  Doesn’t matter what we seem to do we can’t cure it.  It’s to do with the tar from the wood we burn going up the chimney, cooling then spilling out and running down the side of the chimney pot.  There are sort of two chimneys, an plain inner one, and a pretty outer one.  What is spose to happen is that when the tar reaches the top of the inner chimney it’s suppose to fall back down into the chimney, but it just won’t do that, no matter what we seem to do it spills out and down the outer chimney.  Anyway today, he has the inner chimney just poking out above the outer one to see if that will do the trick!  Hard to explain to those who do not have a narrowboat!!   Anyway, I hope tomorrow not to see any tar running down the side!

He also waxed the outside paintwork.  It really could do with a repaint to be honest, but he has done a grand job today.

Some good news on the diesel front.  In 2006 we have been threatened with an increase of probably 3 times the cost of our diesel as the UK may loose its exemption that enables the duty on it to be reduced for certain uses.  Narrowboats and leisure cruising happens to be one of those uses.

In Gordon Brown’s pre budget speech…

“The UK has a number of exemptions from the Energy Products Directive that enable duty to be charged at a reduced rate on oils where they are put to certain uses. These exemptions are due to expire at the end of 2006.

While more information will be required to inform the case the UK makes to the European Commission, the Government is minded to apply for an extension of the derogations for fuel used in private air and pleasure craft navigation, liquified petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas (NG) used as motor fuel, and waste oils reused as fuel.

The Government will issue an initial regulatory impact assessment on the effects of ending the derogation for private pleasure craft early next year. This document will then be used as the basis for further information gathering and discussions."

This is very good news to our ears indeed.. trouble is, that although we do travel along the canal, I guess two-thirds of the time our engine is running and using diesel, it is used not for leisure but for heating or for charging our batteries.. so different duties are used by the same tankful!  It would be impossible for us to have constructed one tank for ‘pink’ diesel for heating and power and one for ‘white’ diesel for our leisure cruising, and anyway if the boatyards had to stock just white diesel the cost of it would be huge.. no match for Tesco and Asda! 

Serious Pollution from Hinckley to Stoke Golding

Stoke Golding  to Sutton Wharf Bridge to Wooden Top Bridge, Ashby Canal, 3.5 miles 0 locks

I unloaded the pics from my camera this evening and had forgotten that I had taken some pictures of some serious pollution.  I phoned EA about it as it had been drifting up the Ashby Canal past us as where we were moored for three days, but seemingly because I did not have a post code of the exact place it was going to be difficult for them to find out where I meant.  Look at this lot… 

And again..

It was only when we pulled the pins at Hinckley that I realised how serious this pollution was.  It had spread all the way to Stoke Golding.. and it smelt horrid too.  I think I know where it has come from, and took a picture of the place just before we left Hinckley, which I will now pass on to the Environment Agency and hopefully they will deal with it.  Tis a pity that they need to know a Post Code to be able to act though I thought.

Cruising around the system all year round has great advantages for the different authorities, such as what I have seen above, which will hopefully be cleaned up before any fish or wild foul are killed.  Much is the same with locks, fallen trees, and even stolen cars that disappear into the canal, being on the waterways all through the winter keeps the authorities aware of anything out in the ordinary in the places we travel.

Today though a taste of Christmas, as we pass a very festive narrowboat at Sutton Wharf Bridge after topping up with water and turning back…

We are making our way back towards Nuneaton ready for Saturday when we will be traveling from Nuneaton station ‘dan saff’ for the annual works Xmas do! I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since the last one.  Can’t wait to see all the family, and of course all the staff in the family business that I tend only to meet on this occasion.. but a few days to go yet…

I enjoyed today.. maybe it was because the weather was so lovely with the winter sun causing me to have to shut the curtains while I worked a while on the computer this morning.. yes I do a bit of work here on No Problem, although retired, I have one or two tasks to help out with the running of the family business.. I like that, but never get involved in decision making, leaving that to the younger members of the family.. oh and washing today.. 4 loads done.  The services are not in abundance on the Ashby, and water has to be carefully used.  But today was services day, and I knew we would be filling with water.. Still managed to fit in a really nice short circular walk though at the end of the day

Village Bus is a bit different to Stoke Golding

Fri 2nd to Sun 4th – Moored Nr Br 19, Ashby Canal
Mon 5th – Nr Br 19 to Stoke Golding, Ashby Canal, 2.5 miles 0 locks

Well as you can see we are traveling along the Ashby Canal with our usual speed!!

Anyway, there is no rush.   But with the short daylight hours now, I am trying to fit everything in.  Walking has been top of the agenda… Here on my way through the lovely village of Higham on the Hill, which is to the east of the Ashby Canal.

Walking through the centre of the village I was very much tickled by the site of a row of seats facing the playground of the primary school there… they looked so odd facing away from the road.. but what a great idea for all the mums and dads to sit a while to maybe chat while they waited for their little ones to quit school for the day….

Talking of that, a trip to Nuneaton today for me on the local bus leaving Stoke Golding, found me in a village atmosphere even on a bus!  After the busy shopping centre of Nuneaton where everyone seemed intent on doing some fairly early Christmas shopping and people rushing about all over the place, very noticeable when living such a slow sedate life on a narrowboat, I caught the local bus back to Stoke Golding.

The large bus station was busy, but when the local bus arrived and I had boarded, all the people on it started chatting to one another.  Being brought up in a large city where people never spoke to one another on a bus, this was very different.  They even started chatting to me, spose they were trying to find out why a stranger in their eyes was on their bus.. Ah but soon they had it out of me.. and then became even more friendly as they all listened to my choice for retirement!

Oh yeah, the coal/diesel boat made a special trip to us on Sunday evening after I had phoned earlier in the week asking for diesel.  A new venture for Ian and Alison, their boat name alludes me at the moment, can’t put my hand on the bit of paper with it on, but he did a good trade with us needing 120 litres and Chas and Ann on NB Moore2Life also needing a good bit.  Price wasn’t too bad either at 49p ltr.. well it’s better than the 54p that Trinity Marina at Hinckley wanted.. Here Moore2Life about to get their fillup…

I think all narrowboats on the Ashby Canal should have the internet.. well the mobile phones don’t have any reception neither our one on Orange or the other one on O2!  But here I am using the internet posting a blog!

Stoke Golding, but not by canal..

Moored Nr Br 19, Hinckley, Ashby Canal

Post was arranged to be sent to Stoke Golding, some 2 and half miles further north.  I had to collect it today, I had planned to be at Stoke Golding to do so, but the ice covering the canal this week kept us just short.  The weather was not good this morning, and the towpath is totally trashed due to contractors going up and down with mini tractors cutting the hedges, so set off on the bus from Hinckley.

I have never been to Stoke Golding village before, least if I had I didn’t remember it.  Annie came with me today, and after collecting the post, we then had a 50 minute wait for the next bus back to Hinckley.  Ooo it was cold too in the wind.. but there was a pub there with a welcoming sign in the window “Bar open all day, everyday”..

OK two ladies going in to a pub might have surprised the locals, but they didn’t know the reason why we wanted not a pint of beer each, but a cup of coffee and some shelter from the wind while we waited!  Tried the door… Locked!!.. Ah well… I thought the new licensing laws had arrived at the little village of Stoke Golding for a minute, but not so!!

Being retired does not get me out of doing paperwork unfortunately.. and the rest of the afternoon and evening has been spent doing just that.. anyway, at last, my filing system looks a tad more like a filing system now rather than just a huge pile of papers!

It’s stormy out there tonight, Lucy is unsettled.. at least the ice has gone though..