Autumn Cruising

I love cruising at this time of year. The scenery is lovely – especially when its not raining! There are no lock queues and the boaters that you do meet generally seem to know what they are doing. Moorings are plentiful and it is easier to get away from the crowd. It is, as they say, all good.

Here are examples of what I mean…

Autumn colours at G HaywoodMooring at Tixall WideA happy, off the lead cruising dog!

We are on the Shropshire Union now, on a lovely mooring near the Chillington Estate where there are beautiful woodland walks. We woke to our first rain today, since we came out so that has given us an excuse to light the first fire of the season and stay put. Tomorrow (Sunday) is forecast dry so we will stop briefly in Brewood for provisions, Wheaton Aston for rubbish and possibly the cheapest diesel in the country and then hopefully moor near the Cowley Tunnel where there are more lovely walks.

By the way, if anyone asks the difference between the Staffs and Worcester Canal and the Shropshire Union, here is one…

narrow S and W

Wide Shroppie

Google Gripe but happy holidays

I love my tablet and very rarely use my laptop any more. However I have had to dig it out to post anything at all on my blog. Google won't let me sign into my blog with the right email address. Instead it keeps reverting to a gmail address which I do have on the tablet (and can't get rid of) and of course my blog doesn't recognise the gmail address. Grrr. I have told Google to butt out but with no joy. Any advice would be welcome!

On a brighter note, my friends took my boat out, went all the way to the Peak Forest Canal and back in 9 days and brought  the boat in one piece. By the way, they met a lady on the Maccy with a broken arm who said she follows this blog. Hello, lady boater with broken arm. Hope you mend soon.

Meanwhile Stan and I visited the Rochdale Canal...

Then, after a night in the Forest of Dean, we went to my friends house in Devon and had a cracking time.

This is me at Hartland Quay

This is Bon hiding under an old bridge from the Bude Canal.

This is Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor where we simply had to talk like pirates. Aaarr!

Now I am home. I have been racing around doing chores before I embark on my next big adventure... a cruise up the Shroppie. Yes!! We leave on Sunday. I hope to keep you updated on our cruise if Google let me!

sensible madness?

Having a few days out cruising was a bit like giving just a tea spoon full of food to a starving person - it just reminds them how hungry they are!

So I mulled over my options and looked at how much work was going to be on offer in October. It turns out there is not much at all as there are very few events booked. So I asked my bosses if I could disappear for the month and they said yes!!

Deepest joy I can go for a proper cruise. Yes I'll be even poorer than a church mouse, but for a month I'll be free! The Shropshire Union Canal is calling to me, but I haven't made a final decision yet. I have a holiday booked in Devon first, with Stan, while my friends Roger and Shirleyann take my boat out. They are almost certainly going to my other favourite canal - the Macclesfield, so give them a wave if you see them.

For me, it is more important to grab life now than to save up for a secure future, because who knows how long I will live. Mind you I may regret it when I run out of money, but, hey ho, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Out at last

No, I haven’t discovered a new sexuality, I’m out on the boat! A whole four days to mooch about Handsacre and indulge Bonny after her operation.

She had two teeth removed under general anaesthetic on Tuesday and came back all dazed and drugged up. I carried her to her bed and popped outside to fetch something off the mooring. Being Bon, she hauled herself up the steps after me, somehow managed to jump out of the boat and then staggered up the mooring – mostly sideways – all because she hadn’t had her walk!

She was so much improved the next day, that I cast off our ropes and toddled up to Kings Bromley to do the usual pumping out and dieseling up. Then, instead of retracing our steps, we carried on to Handsacre where there is one of our favourite walks. We could have gone further, but with us both needing some recuperation time (I have had a stinky cold), I decided just to enjoy having a different view and still having time to rest.

I had forgotten again just how perfectly cruising suits both Bonny and me. We adore exploring new walks, having time to watch squirrels and to shelter from the rain when necessary. We don’t need to be near pubs or people. We don’t need any more entertainment than the hedgerows afford us and it has been such a joy having her all to myself after a long and busy working summer.

I was cleaning the outside of the boat a couple of hours ago when we were passed by a lovely shiny boat called ‘What a Lark’. The lady on board said she was a reader of my blog and really enjoyed it. What a lovely comment. So I thought I better blog immediately! Ahoy there to What a Lark.

I have also finally given in and joined the Facebook generation – it is amazing who has popped up so far. So many people from my various past lives!

To conclude, here are some pics of our mini trip:

Bonny recovering

Handsacre mooring

Bon much improved – in health and behaviour!

Our favourite circular walk

work work work

Since this is chiefly a boating, cruising type blog, I have an excuse for such a long gap between posts... I haven't been anywhere! Instead I have been working endlessly and have nothing very much to write about. However I didn't want people to think I have drowned so thought I better check in.

One new thing I have done in the last 24 hours is to join Facebook. Its amazing and I am bewildered by it.

Another new thing is that I have finally had my shaggy dog clipped. Before...

...and after!

The wedding season is in full swing, hence all the working, but I have two weeks holiday booked in September. Obviously my first choice would be to take the boat out, but my friend Stan has been a total star, looking after Bon while I've been working, so we are going on holiday on land instead. We are visiting the Rochdale canal, before going to Devon to stay in my friends Roger and Shirleyanns home while they take my boat out cruising!

Hopefully I will be able to write about taking my boat out sometime before the end of the year!

PS. Do visit me on my Facebook page. I haven't got the lingo yet but I think you need to 'like' me or something like that!

My Mooring in the Spring

I thought I would post some photos to show what a pretty place I live in.

This is my mooring with a garden that looks huge! I love it.

This is the view from my boat at present. Unfortunately Bonny ran away into the rape field and when she came out four hours later, the rape had irritated her eyes so much that she had rubbed all the hair off under both eyes! I tried to feel sorry for her and failed!

These are the anemones I planted and that flowered from February till just recently – good value!

home again

My pump out trip continued to be eventful. I tied up in the woods just prior to the marina and had a lovely relaxed afternoon, much needed after a really busy week at work and then the run in with the loon on the flight.

Bright and early the next morning I took the boat into the marina ready for my much needed pump out only to find their machine was broken! Fortunately the wharf close by is managed by Tom who did my blacking recently and he let me go there to be pumped out! However I had to manoeuvre into a very tight space at the wharf and then was told that in order to get diesel I needed to go back out and reverse in. I looked at the space available and the breeze blowing. I then dipped my diesel and decided I had enough to last me another month. What a coward!

My trip back down the flight made up for the trip up. I met boats at every lock and without exception their crews were friendly and helpful. One was also informative when she told me that the Napton flight of locks have just closed for 3 weeks due to 100 feet of bank falling into the canal! It has trapped boats within the flight and has caused particular problems for hireboaters as there is no road access.

I got back to my mooring by lunchtime and then went off to the supermarket as I needed a food shop before returning to work tomorrow. Tired now but happy.