Bob and Jenny Narrowboat Infinity: June 2017

June 2017.

Well it’s Monday the 5^th of June,….. Weather forecast ….Wet and windy, so, we are having a day off. It’s not good travelling in a wind. The boat is 62ft long and is affected quite badly if the wind catches you, you loose control and clip someone, its not good.

The Erewash canal must be, for me, the best canal we’ve been on so far.

Built in1777 ‘ish at a cost of £21000 to carry coal, it linked 3 canals the Nottingham, Comberford and the Erewash at Eastwood. The local pub The Great Northern is named after the managing company who built and ran the canal. The other 2 canals have sadly been built over or collapsed hence the dead end.

start of the Erewash Canal

We popped in the pub with Ashley and co. for lunch, only to be informed…..we were too late for lunchtime food. Doh!!

Sods law, just our luck. Food stops 3 till 5pm ...but...the lovely barmaid came over a few minutes later and told us her Dad would make us some baguettes if we wanted...too right. 10 min’s later some toasted chicken, bacon and cheese arrived on our table.

They were lovely.

For people who don’t know, Ashley Chapman is my ‘adopted’ daughter 2.. We met when she was 7 years old at the holiday park in Norwich.

We are not sure if she adopted me, or I adopted her, but she is much loved and was a big part of my life in the time living in Norwich. Ash is 24 now and a mum in her own right..I’m now granddad 2 as well. We still keep in touch a couple of times a week on facebook . Also meet up when we can.

Going up or down the locks it’s always best to link up with other canal users. The locks being wide can take 2 narrow boats and we steady each other as the water comes in or out to raise or lower the levels. You can meet some great people, some out going, some very quiet, some quite strange..well, … enough about us …hee hee...

While waiting for a lock we noticed some local lads in a very, very old cabin cruiser.

To describe them ...They were a cross between Sam Dingle of Emmerdale fame and the family at the gas stallion in Deliverance….. We had the misfortune to share a lock with them. We also had a lovely couple in a Narrow boat called ‘Rosemary’. She was a 45 footer which left enough room for their short boat in front. Talk about all fun and games, they hadn’t a clue what they were doing, how they got out without damage to their craft was a wonder. How I stopped myself from whistling ‘Duelling Banjos’…. I don’t know. Looking back it was funny.

Most of the canal is adjoined by housing. It links or runs between Sandiacre, Ilkeston, and Long Eaton, some modern houses and some council. In between a small bit of rural land farms bits, also golf clubs and recreation areas. Have seen a lovely old folks home which backs right on to a lock...so knows in the future ??…Also an old lace factory which had been redeveloped into flats. So good to see a beautiful piece of architecture preserved.

The water here it fairly clean and you can see the bottom, but going past one housing estate I looked down and there on the side, below the water level...a complete motor bike. Looked like an old Honda Super-dream 250.

Well enough for now, we turned right after the Trent lock onto the Trent and Mersey canal heading towards Burton upon Trent so a lazy day .. a rest . . then move on tomorrow.

Spring is a great time on the water, ducks and other water birds have their seasons, for a while there are both male and female duck swimming about, then the females disappear for a few weeks then suddenly re-appear with lots of little followers. The babies are lovely but its a dangerous time, the have predators and only a few make it to adulthood. Big fish and rats being their main predators. A pike will see off many ducks and signets in the swan breeding season.

The trip down to here has been fairly uneventful. Had a few days at Atherstone where we did a monster shop at the local Aldi’s (twice) topped up just after pension day, plenty of wine and food enough for a couple of weeks. While we were there Fred Hands came to see us and was a bearer of something we are partial to ...a bottle or rather two bottles of red wine. A lovely man who we became friends with on facebook. We met his son and daughter in law Sinead and Matthew last year and its now good to put a face and personality to a name on our friends list. It was good just sitting in the sun, drinking tea and putting the world to rights, had a few laughs and learned a bit about each other.

We had to move on the next day as we have to get back nearer Northampton as we have been summoned for granddaughter sitting duties. So the next stop was Sutton Stop or to use its other name Hawksbury Junction.

It’s the joining place of two Canals, the Coventry canal and the Oxford Canal. There is a good pub there, The Greyhound and as it was fathers day on the Sunday, Kylie came over and we went for lunch after turning the boat around ready for the last rush into boatyard on the Monday. It was a lovely afternoon, hot sun, the food although basic was excellent, also a good duo singing most of the songs they did . . . I do in my act.

We now are moored in Lime Farm Marina for a few days while John does a couple of things on the boat. A small water leak on the heating system.

The fan belt is still being a bit of a pig !! For some reason unknown to us it keeps loosening off. So I need to re adjust it. A two minute job. . If I can get to it !!!

The alternator is on the front of the engine which is under the rear decking

Getting into the engine room is easy...if I was a still the slim figure I used to be when 21.. and 10 stone...However now I’m 67 and 15 and a half stone, its a bit different.

The easiest way to do it is, remove the steps on the back decking and there is plenty of room. The problem is they weigh about one and a half hundredweight, they are a tight fit. Puts a bit of a strain on my somewhat weakened heart so...we are having a new set made out of aluminium, so it’s lighter and easier. The old ones are very rusty and past just a repaint.

Jenny has been very busy repainting the new cratch area and re-varnishing the wood work, I’m saving my energy for when I’m back in home port next week. I have a bit of wood work to finish and the much awaited rear fencing on the cruiser stern. It was fenced off with plastic netting to keep the dogs from falling/getting off the back as a temporary measure 3 years ago. Finally found the metal panels I need at Homebase in the local store, so no excuses ..they will be done before we leave for North Wales in July.

Enough of my waffle ...Now I’ll hand over to Jenny to add photos..this is out of my understanding being a complete luddite regarding the computer ..

Love to all our readers...XXX