September 17 Part 1 on the Ashby Canal

September Blog Pt 1

Someone once said...’Be careful what you wish for because . . . You might get it!!’

I can’t find out who was the first who quoted it but how true it is.

I always wanted to live at the seaside...permanently on holiday, (I thought.)

In the early 90’s we were offered a business opportunity in Great Yarmouth, within 2 weeks we had moved.. lock, stock, and barrel. After a few months, when the petrol station was up and running we had more time, I realised all the problems with ‘being on holiday all the time. It was NOT idyllic.

Holiday makers…. always in the way, parking outside of our apartment, taking my favourite seat in our local, Yarmouth always seems to have rough people there...broken noses, cauliflower ears, tattoos, beer bellies !!. . . ‘an the men are worse!!! However that is another story.

We had a holiday in 1988 on a narrow boat...The Shrewley Tunnel …..from Blisworth tunnel boats.

The love affair with the canals had begun. It took us 25 years plus too obtain our dream.

Had we made a mistake ?, Moving on to a narrow boat, I was the same age my parents were when they moved into the old folks home !! Complete change of life style, my health not perfect as we would like but life is for living .. not sitting ‘waiting for God’ !!

Too say the first year was a big learning curve is an understatement !! We lost a lot of money by lack of knowledge, and people taking advantage of our ignorance.

A lovely friend this week commented about our wonderful peaceful way of living. However as with all of life there is always stuff to do to make life happen. More about that later.

At the end of last months blog we were at Fazeley Junction waiting for Tim Davis from ‘Onboard Solar’ to fit the solar panels. Eight thirty the phone rang, it was Tim struggling to find a place to park his large motor home , but Jenny soon showed him where, and all his kit was soon on the tow path ready to start work by 9.00am. True to form and being a true English work man, a cup of tea was needed before starting (we also threw in an egg and bacon roll) we know how to treat our work men !! But, by 1.30 it was all done...panels fitted.. meters, control panels,etc. all mounted, all the fitting debris cleared away, but the best thing, the batteries were being charged without the engine running !! Starting to save money already.

2 solar panels 330w total.

Fazeley junction is where three canals meet, We have travelled down the Shropshire Union turning left onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal one goes to Birmingham the other to Stoke heading north. We are heading back along the Coventry Canal again, then turning right onto the Ashby canal. We have passed it a few times but we intend to spend a few weeks here and see the countryside in all its beauty.

Near Nuneaton, rain then rainbow.

The Ashby canal ……...It was originally built around 1790,s to join the Coventry canal and the River Trent, carrying coal from the coal mines in Leicester to wherever it was needed. Sadly it was never completed and doesn’t run though to the river, ending nowadays at Shackerstone. It used to continue a bit further but, it was closed down due to subsidence, ironically, caused by the coal mining tunnels..

Turn onto Ashby Canal

The canal is very rural, lovely open fields and the luxury of ...no locks. It is a very shallow canal and the books advise that mooring at night can be difficult due to shallow waters at the edge.

I can’t get over the amount of fields which look as if they are not being used..laying fallow is part of the farm cycle but there are no animals or crops on a lot ..why ??

Mind you, if you can claim subsidises from the government / EU do some farmers need to work ??

I wonder. 

Ashby canal pictures.....

For people who wouldn’t know canals are only about 4ft deep in the middle, and are U shaped. Tapering out to less than 2ft. on the bank side. With ‘sludge’ building up it often won’t allow you to moor. Using the visitor mooring is advised.

A lovely story on the cut is told of a holiday maker who for some reason fell off the hire boat they were on .

Splashing about in the water he was heard to be shouting out … Help!!... Help!!...I can’t swim !!

an onlooker on another boat shouted too him...’Just stand up’ !!! …..Over coming his panic, he managed to do as advised..Standing on the bottom, the water came just up to his rib cage...The look of relief, I believe, was classic.

We have had a nasty incident on the visitor moorings on the first evening. We had just moored up and a hire boat came past at full throttle...and then immediately threw it into reverse. The wash caused, moved our boat quite violently. When this happens it bangs against the armco which we are tied too. This is the only thing our dogs can’t cope with. They get frightened by the bang ...which is very loud. I went out to have a word with the driver of the boat only to see he was stuck across the canal. His nose was stuck nearly on the bow of the boat moored behind us. His stern was on the bank the other side, or rather stuck on the ‘sludge’ on the other side. He was revving the engine at virtually full throttle. I enquired if it was the first time they had driven a narrow boat ??

to which I had the retort ...what do it look like !! YES..

I commented it was canal courtesy to ‘slow down passing moored craft, because they had moved stuff about on our shelves….However ...would they like a hand to moor.??

NO THANK YOU ….glare.

So we went back into Infinity and just watched them…..Struggle. Didn’t smile, . . .Honestly !!

well not looking out of the window.

The driving of a narrow boat is totally not logical...To go right...you steer the tiller . . Left.

To go left you steer ..Right…..To move off the bank ...you drive into it (start with) before straightening up. There are other things which aren’t logical but, after a while like driving anything it comes with practise.

One member of the crew was on the bank pulling the boat (about 17 + tonnes) while the member on the back driving was reving the boll…., sorry heart out of the engine, max rev’s..with the tiller in the wrong direction ..actually pushing the boat on to the bank !!

If they had just listened, it would have been so much easier, they would have been down the pub a lot quicker. In a situation like that its logical to use the power ..wrong !! less revs is the best way, I did go out again and explained

They came over as not very nice people, very noisy on returning to their boat.. but

When Jenny took the ‘furry kids’ out for a leg lift and squat before bed, it was a good job she noticed some one had untied the bow rope. It was totally impossible for it to have come loose on its own account because I use a double clove hitch over the front mooring pillar held in place. If it had come off we would have drifted across the cut and blocked it off. I managed to re-tie before any damage was done.

There were only 2 sets of people around, one of them being us. They came back passed the next day and gave us ‘that look’ ...you know the one ?? and started laughing.

Luckily people like this a very few and far between on the cut.

We have survived hurricane ‘Aileen’ but its very windy today. The solar panels are working brilliantly. Rough working out we should recoup the investment within a year, with the saving on diesel and engine servicing costs. Well lunch time now. A cuppa soup and a cheese sandwich will keep us going till tonight. Cottage pie ..beans and a glass of red with onion gravy..loverrrly !!

Jenny has had a busy morning repainting the engine room, one of the jobs she has chosen to do while out of port. I’m doing this then I’m going to replace the wood behind the lock on the front door (which is at the back) ..or rather re-stick it as it’s fell apart, been held together with duct tape for 6 months

Part of Bilge or engine room before

and after, still got another weeks work in it....

Handing over to Jenny to put the photos on and edit before posting

TTFN

Another bit of waffle later in Sept..towards the end. We should be back in the Rugby area as I’m entertaining at a wedding at . . The Barley Mow . . Newbold -on – Avon ..

Simon and Kelly the landlord and landlady are getting married. All welcome at the pub in afternoon.

August   second blog.

One of my first remembrances was as a child, about 5 years old, asking my dad if I could have a comic. It was a periodical called Jack and Jill that was ordered. However I soon grew out of looking at the pictures and needed something more intellectual and subsequently turned to a more educational comic ….The Beano.

One of my favourite characters was . . Jimmy and his magic patch.

It was a story about a lad who was out playing one day, he rescued a gypsy ladies cat from a dog during which it ripped the bottom out of his trousers. The lady offered to repair them, with a patch using a piece from a carpet...the patch was from a magic carpet.

Jimmy soon found he could just think about a period of history and the patch would take him back to different eras and he would have some wonderful adventures with the people of the time.

At 67 I quite often say to Jenny ...I wish I believed in magic, I would love a patch like Jimmy’s, and go back in time. Wanna be a time traveller.

While sailing the canals we often come across old warehouses in the middle of nowhere now, but years ago they would have been a hub of activity. One such building we passed was once a distribution depot for Cadbury’s and was still being used until the late 60’s.

I imagine the old barges being loaded and unloaded. So many of these locks must have so many stories to tell. It would be great to go back in time to experience the atmosphere. Sadly ...no magic...just imagination. I’m sure a very hard time for the people but I’m fascinated by it.

We are returning back down the Shroppie and the next stop is Norbury Junction where we refuelled at a very reasonable price. There is a pub there called ..the Junction Inn the first evening we had a pint in the evening, and a good (to use a good old Norfolk word) mardel...with the local characters.

All of a sudden a guy came around the corner with a barn owl on his shoulder. It was so tame, just sat there and watched the world go by. It was then put on the hand rail, people were patting and stroking its head. It was wonderful. Such a beautiful creature, so wise looking. A wonderful experience. ...

As related in another earlier blog, we had a new fire flue fitted a few weeks ago, we didn’t change the chimney at the time, however while we were moored at the junction we were passed by a canal trading boat ..The little chimney boat who makes stainless steel chimneys on the boat.

Next day we caught up and he made us a new one ..made to measure. Roughly half the price of an inferior standard steel one you would get in a chandlers. Well chuffed with the result. Many thanks to Kim and Tracy of The little chimney Co. 

On the late bank holiday weekend we decided to lay up for the week end, thus avoiding the week end sailors. It so happened the local canal side pub were having a Monday funday..we thought a good ‘early doors’ pint on the Friday evening would be an idea, just to test the local ale..we arrived about 5.30 ish. All was going well, until a guy came in and sat on the next table...a fellow boater...narrowboat ..’Wind and Waves’, as the pub filled up he came to our table and joined us..He was in for a quick one...was going to text his wife to put the Fray Bentos pie in the oven as he was leaving...sadly all our weeks beer money was blown on the Friday night ...Thanks Eddie...great company, hope the misses didn’t give you to much stick , as you wobbled home at 9.30pm …

On the Monday we had a look at the Funday, the usual raffles, tables selling local produce, and the main morning event ….a fun dog show...as they were calling out the category..(shouldn’t that be a dogegory?.) we asked if there was a chance of a late entry ? They accepted and Jake and Carly went into show mode..they came 2^nd and won a rosette and a load of doggies treats and some food.

We seem to be playing leap frog with other boats, we moor up and they come past...only for us to pass again a few hours/ days later. One lovely lady is on a boat called Suzie Q..she is a ‘single hander, appears she has two companions..2 chickens, which, when she is moored up they are in a pen on the bank. After a while you get to know the people around you, sometimes just a friendly. wave or a chat when the evening comes.

Its been a bit of a sad week, it is often you come across animals who have perished in the waters The most upsetting was a deer we found in a lock outside London last year, must have fell in during the night and couldn’t get out. It drowned.

Sheep often float past. We’ve had 3 rabbits, two dogs, and a first for me a hamster in a lock.

Dogs should not be allowed to run by canals, if they fall in it’s very difficult to get out.

We are on our way to Fazeley Junction by Wednesday the 6^th of Sept to have the solar panels fitted. The last major job on our home, Which will (hopefully) save us a bit of money and help keep us topped up with electric power. We have just had a facebook message from a couple of friends from Yelvertoft marina who appear to be just behind us and will be joining us here hopefully soon. It will be good to have a natter with Chris and Gail and there dog ...Mabel..(who I wind up.. calling her Gladys) there is a dog friendly local here..a real pub !!….beer only !! No food.

Well that’s the news so far for the second chomp of the August blog. When the panels are fitted we will be heading off to the Ashby Canal...A dead end canal which we have passed a few times but this time we will have a look. Should take a couple of days up and a couple back but there is no rush. We are aiming to be back at Newbold on Avon by the 7^th October for the wedding of Simon and Kelly the landlord and lady of the Barley Mow pub. I’ve been asked to play as The Busking Bargee in the afternoon before the evening disco.

TTFN…..If you have any questions about our life or lifestyle and our travels, please ask in comments section ... we will be more than happy to answer if we can.

Another short video, they cant be to long as takes a lot of data to upload.