Only 3 miles from home

I cruised for almost 7 hours today - 8 locks and 15 miles and Blisworth Tunnel. I thought I might make it back to Olivia's mooring but at 7.30pm I ran out of steam and decided to moor up. I am going home tomorrow by public transport. It will take about 4 hours, needs 3 buses andwill cost around £10. So tonight I'll be sorting out my washing and my perishable food, etc. I'll not be cruising again until the end of the month when I'm off to Cropredy for the Fairport Convention festival.

Two good cruising days

The last two days (Saturday and Sunday) have been productive and I am now through Milton Keynes and about two days from home. Nothing exciting happened but I shared locks with various people and we exchanged stories. Following a quite windy day, this evening is beautiful: warm and calm. I had a little walk and then sat on the deck with a nice glass of cider.

A beautiful spot

After 12 locks and 6 miles I have moored at a really nice place in the midst of the Chiltern Hills. Rose you might remember it as the place where there were peacocks. Although you might not, as you were in agony with your foot at the time. I had to go through a manual swing bridge on my own today. What a laugh. Up until now I have always had help. The usual drill is to send your crew over the bridge where they swing it around to let the boat pass. The mechanism is on the offside so the only way over is to cross the bridge. Obviously this means the bridge operator is on the offside and the boat is on the towpath side. I've read about how you do this when you are single handed, so I took my bow rope across the bridge with me and operated the bridge. So far so good. I pulled the boat through but then realised that the bow rope was too short and I needed a longer one so that I could keep hold of Olivia (remember she weighs many tons). I had to devise a creative way of stretching back onto Olivia to get the centre rope without falling in. By now the bow was in the bushes off side and I had run out of bow rope so had to let it go. Luckily the centre rope was fine, I pulled her through on it, shut the bridge, crossed back over, pulled her back to me using the longer rope and off we went. All the time I was doing this there was an angler sitting RIGHT NEXT to the bridge on the off side. He didn't look at me nor speak a word. By the way, those bloody peacocks are still at it.

Remember that black cat....

It did take three hours to get to Berko - 8 locks and 3 miles. I moored up to get some bread and wandered into a charity shop. There was Charlie having a banter with the assistants. I set out to do the next 6 locks and I got caught up by Charlie, he was with Valerie :~( . But what a lovely guy he is. Very personable. If only I was 20 years younger!! Whilst sharing locks we also shared some organic cider. How very civilised. I said I'd see him again in 3 years time!!!!!! I'm now at a place called Cowroast. Not very vegetarian-friendly. It signals the start of more spaced out locks (although there is a flight of 7 not far away). Thank goodness for that.

My lucky black cat?

Last night, after I'd moored up, I felt a "presence" on the boat. I had a look round and got the fright of my life when a little black cat stuck it's head out of my "cubby hole". It was from the neighbouring boat and found it's way onto mine three or four times. He was a little, lucky black cat. Today I didn't get soaked. That's not to say that it didn't rain but I just seemed better prepared! I did 9 locks, 1 swing bridge of the type where you get to stop the traffic and covered the grand distance of about 3 and a half miles. As I was going through one lock, a rather nice looking guy says "It's Sheila, isn't it?"to which my response was "Charlie?!". I met him three years ago (he has a mooring here) and he actually remembered my name (It's not so amazing that I rememberedhis ;~) ). Amazing. This evening I walked up to Berko and had a drink in one of the several canalside pubs. It took me just over half an hour to walk but tomorrow it will take close to 3 hours to cruise. Isn't it mad?

Despite heavy rain, thunder and lightning...

I cruised for 6 hours today. Going through 13 locks and covering 8 miles. I'm not far from Hemel Hempstead so covering reasonable ground. Met some nice people today who I shared locks with. While moored for lunch a narrowboat drifted past me going backwards quite fast. There was no-one on board and it had pulled its pins (or someone had pulled the pins). I tried to rescue it but it was too heavy for me so I just watched her drift out of sight. That will be a surprise for someone when they come home from work tonight! I tried to moor near my friends from the locks but it was a bit shallow for me - Olivia has what is known as a deep draft. However, I was pleased as they moored next to a boat with a very noisy generator. I moved a bit further on, near a railway line but at least the noise isn't constant. Got soaked twice today so am contemplating lighting a fire to dry out a few items. Think it might be a nice thing to do tonight. hoping for better weather tomorrow :~)

Just a quick note...

I have moored just before Batchworth Lock. Had a pretty good morning but when I stopped for lunch it got quite windy and showers on and off, so decided to stay put. Tomorrow's weather will be similar to today but much less windy than originally forecast so should be able to catch up a bit then. This is as good a place as any as there is a Tesco nearby if I run short of anything.

The Journey North

I returned to Olivia on Friday night and left London next morning. Got to Cowley lock, after just a short stop at Greenford. Met Jackie and Phil who are on their way to London Town. They insisted on feeding me even though they had had their meal. Phil made a very nice cheese omelette which was washed down by a nice red wine. We caught up on all the towpath gossip :~). Today I took it easy only getting as far as Harefield. Looking at the next couple of days weather forecast, maybe I should have pushed myself more today. No worries. I'll just take a bit longer if the weather turns bad. Made myself a nice pasta with mushrooms and mussels. Yum.

Back to work

Had to train & bus back to Northants in order to go into work and sort out results for tomorrow's exam board. Hundreds of emails even though I have been checking them fairly regularly.

The Hyde Park concert was absolutely fabulous, not least because of the great weather. Big black clouds did gang up on us but we only had a short shower which didn't dampen any spirits. What a line-up: Pretenders, Seasick Steve, Ben Harper, Fleet Foxes and the man himself, joined for the encore by Sir Paul McCartney. Really nice atmosphere all day.

The following days, I went over to the East End; to the portrait gallery and the the RA Summer Exhibition. Looking forward to the return journey and just sad I can't stay longer.

Where does time go?

The last 4 days have flown. Here's a quick synopsis:

Tuesday
Walked down Portobello Road. One of the street pianos was getting some good use. What a lovely atmosphere. Everyone laughing and having fun. How talented people are. All sorts of people having a little go - we had classical, blues, chopsticks. I'll go back before I start back for home. Met Luke and we went for supper at The Crypt at St Martins. Healthy veggie option for both of us.

Wednesday
Took bus to Limehouse and walked along the canal (can't leave it alone!). Called in at the Ragged School Museum - small but good to see it. Had lunch in Broadway Market, London Fields - part of London I had never been to. As time was getting on I went to meet Luke out of school. I am not joking, I was waiting for him to come out of school (the sixth form college where he works) and it was just like 30 years ago!!!!! We were going to go to a gig in Leytonstone but it was going to be a nightmare of a journey - 3 buses - to travel about 2 miles. So we went for a meal at Stoke newington. We went to a vegetarian Kerala "Indian". The food was superb, so different from the norm. Well done, Luke's friend, Olivia, for the recommendation.

Thursday
Having seen what Luke has done to his boat yesterday (new paint job), I stayed home and started sanding and priming Olivia. She's like the Forth Bridge though - will I ever finish it?

Friday
Cruised to Little Venice and back to use their boat facilities. Then did a bit more sanding, etc. Neil Young tomorrow. Should be a lovely day.

Summer in the City

Walked down to Paddington this morning. It's a half hour stroll. Then over to Courtaulds gallery as they have an exhibition on the Bloomsbury Group. It was quite a small exhibition but, luckily, I'm a member of the Art Fund and don't have to pay admission! Browsed the bookshops of Charing X Road which took me back to the Sixties. I'm glad some things don't change. Met Pat for afternoon tea at Browns. It was okay but not as good as their meals. if you are going to do tea I think you really have to go to the Dorchester or equivalent. Anyway it's all very nice. Am loving the weather (albeit humid). Meeting Luke tonight. Don't know whether we will find a gig to go to or just chill out.

Moored in the metropolis

Left Uxbridge before 9am and motored down to meet Pat at Hayes. An hour later I was off to meet Rose at Greenford with a tentative arrangement to meet Tom somewhere along the route. In the end Tom also made it to Greenford and we had a quick meal before starting out. Coming into London by the back door is so different and so much nicer. No traffic jams. Rose took delight in taking a photograph of all those poor snarled up drivers on the North Circular while we cruised quietly over the aquaduct. Moored up and the first "significant" event was when Rose says "Did you see who that was?" as a jogger passed. It was David Cameron. A flotilla of boats moored behind me partied into the early hours. I wouldn't mind but it was that electronica music, where you are waiting for the next missed beat and are lucky not to have a heart attack! On Sunday morning I had a quick walk around Kensal Green cemetery which is huge. Didn't spot any famous names but some of the memorial stones are spectacular. Then I hopped on a passing bus to meet up with Tom. We went to 2 free music events: One Taste at Kensington Gardens which was very chilled; good sound system. Then to Leicester Square to catch a couple of blues bands who were finishing off West End Live. Humid today. (Mustn't complain though). We went for a very nice curry near Covent Garden then I hopped on a bus back.

South of Watford

I have reached Uxbridge. I know that I am back in the metropolis because we are now having hourly police/ambulance sirens. I got back to Olivia via public transport - bus, train, tube, walk. The weakest link was my home town of Thrapston with its two-hourly bus which meant I had to hang around Kettering for almost 2 hours! Couldn't even shop as I had 2 big bags with me.Have done 10 locks and 9 miles today BUT only one more lock all the way into town. The promised breeze was not too bad at all, although I had a short walk and when I got back, Olivia was broadside across the cut, as her pin had pulled out and the wind had caught her bow. Better the bow than the stern as it meant I could hop on, get the centre rope and pull her back. While I was so doing, a gallant gentleman stopped to help me. Thank you.
If any of my "followers" - that's all 3 of you - can be at Greenford tomorrow (Saturday) about 3pm, we can have a nice little cruise into London. It's a brilliant way to arrive - through the back door.

End of Phase 1

I have moored up at Watford and returned home to finish some marking! Pat came out to help but we only did a very short trip as I needed to find somewhere decent to moor for a period of time and preferred not to be on mooring pins, as boats passing too fast easily pull them out leaving the boat drifting aimlessly mid-canal. Hopefully I will be back in a week or so to take Olivia into London. I have some Annual Leave coming up so should be able to stay for a fortnight without travelling back and forth.

Inside the M25 orbital

I guess you could say that I have reached London. Actually moored at a little place called Hunton Bridge about a mile North of Watford. I had to moor up here as a storm was brewing. I had a pretty good day with much better weather than originally forecast. I asked my neighbours on Ashworth to see me through the swingbridge as it is much quicker and, therefore, less frustrating for the cars, if someone other than the helmsman can operate the bridge. Then it was through 4 more locks to moor near Hemel Hempstead. I wanted to get some work gloves as all these locks are giving me dishpan hands. It's all the pulling on ropes that does it. Got 2 cheap but functional pairs at Robert Dyas. Also bought myself some new plimsolls as my current pair have no sole left. So started out in the afternoon fully kitted up and ready for another 8 locks. I got some help through 2 locks by a lad who was out for a walk but was obviously a canal enthusiast (or nerd). His contribution was gratefully received. On the whole though there was not much canal traffic today. I think the weather forecast must have put them off. I managed to get stuck on some shallows at Kings langley. i thought it would be a nice place to moor but, alas, it wasn't. I was struggling to pole off when a passing family stopped to help and successfully pushed the bow out far enough for me to get going again. You do meet some nice people out on the canals. Seriously though the further South I get, the fewer people bother to say "Hello". Some look positively miserable. One funny sight today was a great big fish hanging off a lock gate (It was dead). I guess the strong flow from last night's rain had washed it up and it had got stranded. It was one of those things I just should have taken a photo of.....but didn't. I also saw a boat with two huge solar panels fixed upright to catch any rays. Nothing unusual about that except that one of them had a big round tank on it. Apparently it is to heat water. I've never seen one of those on a boat before.

At the swingbridge

Had quite a productive day once the weather cleared. Went through 10 locks and covered about 4 miles!! A friendly waterways worker helped me with a couple of the locks in berkhamsted and then I met a lovely couple who helped me through the last 2 locks. I went and had a drink with them. Also another boater joined us. He has qualified as a microlight pilot and is taking his boat up The Grand Union all the way round the Nene and the Great Ouse to Bedford. It's a fair old trek. In the morning I start with a swingbridge where I have to stop the traffic with a traffic control until I'm through. Cold again tonight so have lit the fire again.

Well it had to rain sometime

Here I am sitting in the rain (not literally - I am in the boat) close to Berkhamsted, awaiting a break in the weather. I have made good progress since Friday and, as promised, things have got more interesting. My gas bottle ran out and I couldn't work out why the next bottle wouldn't work. No gas was coming through so I couldn't light the gas. Anyway after a bit of head scratching, a very "dry" day and a text request to Rick for help, I was able to suss that there is a valve which needs turning to the left for one gas bottle and right for the other two, so all that I needed to do was switch the valve. Dur. While waiting for a lock to fill for me, I decided to have a long awaited cup of tea, so switched off Olivia's engine. Then she wouldn't start again!! I called out RCR (the AA of the canals) who couldn't come until this morning and we discovered that a cable had not gone "home" properly so a little fiddling got it where it should be and she started perfectly. At least I now know what I need to do should it happen again. One good side effect of he rain is that I am getting on quite well with my marking!

Can you believe we had another sunny weekend

I picked the boat up at MK. I swapped it for the car. I cruised up beyond Stoke Hammond - 2 locks and 7 miles. At Stoke H the lock was set for boats coming down and 2 boats entered while I was hanging around there. On one, a hire boat, were at least 6 burly beer swilling rugby types. While I set one side, the mother and small son of the second boat set the other. Throughout the whole process the beer swillers did not lift a finger to help - they didn't even get off their boat! Laughable. You meet all sorts on the canals. On the Saturday morning I set off for the 3 locks at Soulbury. The IWA were out in force helping all boats through the flight. Most of the helpers were dressed as boaters from the past and this time I didn't have to lift a finger. I did put some small change in their collecting bucket at the end though. So you see, you lose some but then you win some. At Leighton Linslade I tied up opposite a guy and his gang of charges who were learning kayak suvival skills. They must be mad voluntarily falling into that murky water. I went into the town to get a bus back to MK for the car. I parked up an hour's walk ahead of the boat so that the next day I would be cruising towards the car instead of away from it. Started out again that evening but only moved up to a less lonely mooring for the night as by that time there was quite a crosswind and it was catching Olvia's bow. On Sunday I started out early through 2 locks with "Tartan Rose" but left them to carry on while I moored up near the car, in order to pick up and drop off some of my kit. I carried on to the spot I call Peacock Place because you can hear peacocks calling. We stopped there for the night when I last went down to London. It was somewere on this stretch that Rose hurt her foot so I will have to be careful. After a short break I went through the next three Seabrook locks and a swing bridge. I went through 2 locks on my own absolutely perfectly but at the third lock there was quite an audience so of course that is the one where I slipped and fell over. It's one way to get some help but is not the recommended approach. Luckily I didn't break anything fo a change :~). At the swing bridge a chap who was out for a relaxing Sunday afternoon with his lady friend, helped open the bridge and as I ran back for the boat, I fell down a hole. Silly place to put one, I say. Recall earlier I decided I must be careful on this stretch! Still not hurt but one very wet leg, sock and plimsoll! After mooring up at Marsworth I walked back the 3 miles for the car and then went for drink in the Red Lion. Felt I had earned it.

Here I am at Milton Keynes

What a fabulous weekend. The weather has been just right. I have cruised about 25 miles, walked 18 of them (to go back for the car) and gone through 8 locks. That's about 11 hours cruising to you landlubbers. Car hopping is my least favourite thing because it means there is not much time to actually relax and enjoy the places where I stop. Today I was able to get a bus back to the car. The driver clocked the colour of my hair and ran off a FREE ticket but I had to tell him I wasn't ready for a bus pass yet so I had to pay £3.30! Going to see The Strawbs tomorrow night. I wonder what they will be like after all these years. Will they do "The man who called himself Jesus"? Today is the first chance I've had to log onto the machine and I have got a good signal. Have to go back to work for a few days this week but hope to be back on board next weekend for Phase 2. Nothing amusing has happened (yet) this trip but I'm sure there will be some items to report somewhere along the journey.

Plumbing completed

Yesterday James, the plumber, fitted an accumulator tank to try to stop the fluctuations in water pressure. By itself, it didn't seem to make a difference so he fitted a valve to reduce the flow of cold water which was dominating the hot. Anyway the shower now seems to run hot without the boiler constantly cutting in and out, so let's hope this has solved the problem. I hope to be starting out for Milton Keynes on Saturday and the weather is looking kind for the weekend. Just need to finish this work and do some packing....

A new season

I unwrapped Olivia about mid-February and, so far, have done about 3, or maybe 4, short local cruises. Up to Whilton, turn round, come back or down to Gayton (empty loo), turn round and back.

I allowed my hot water boiler to freeze over Winter. I knew I had to drain it down and I honestly thought I had but, hey, I hadn't. I am, therefore, getting to know some of the local plumbers. The first came to fix the boiler which is an obsolete model (of course) but he was able to solder it and get it going. However, my shower is still not getting hot and the boiler is cutting in and out. I've been told it is pulsating water pressure. So I am now talking to another plumber about something called an accumulator which is supposed to rectify the pulsating. . .more later.

I am busy making plans for this year's cruising which include London, where I am going to see Neil Young at Hyde Park (via Milton Keynes where Luke and I are going to see The Strawbs) and Cropredy, where we are going to see Fairport Convention. All of this while fulfilling Summer work commitments which will involve quite a lot of to-ing and fro-ing via public transport. It seems that my philosophy for this year is a slow boat to various gigs and festivals.

Last year's blog is available to view at http://www.nb-olivia-2008.blogspot.com/