Wonderful Weekend

I went to pick up my canoe on Saturday Morning from Desperate Measures in Nottingham. The staff were lovely and made me a cup of tea and everything. One of the lads was designated official photographer and he took some wonderful shots. I know cos I vetted them!

Unfortunately I have since been told that his camera was stolen. They caught it all on cctv so hopefully they get it back. Upshot is you may or may not get a photograph of me receiving said item. The alternative is one I sent to them of me in the canoe taken by Rob on our maiden voyage. To keep you in suspenders I will not upload that photo onto the blog!

As I realised the logistics of carrying a 16foot rigid canoe on top of a 12foot Fiat Panda were not good I asked for an inflatable one as an alternative.

So I now know that my tender does not want to be called Skidoo as it has a perfectly good name of its own...


Please meet Tomcat, Bobcat's little friend.

We took our maiden voyage on the Cromford Canal and as a Derbyshire Ranger caught us setting off we were given instructions to go all the way to High Peak and speak to the lady in the information centre who would take our money off us. As it is an area of scientific whatsit you have to book apparently. Well we know for next time.

It was all going swimmingly until just before High Peak when we met this. It was a toss up whether we turned around or not but being an honest soul we kept going intrepid explorers that we are.

This is Rob doing his Shallow Hal impersonation when I got out to fetch icecreams and pay our £1.50. We have since moved his seat further forward so hopefully in future we will not pull weed in through the back self bailing holes! Yeuch.

It is tough paddling when you are unfit and your partner insists on doing manly paddling on his side of the canoe. You can imagine our track was not a straight line.

So it was a relief to see Cromford in the distance. Back to base, brilliant.

Then on Sunday we went on his BMW (no squealing at all even though he did creep up to over 60mph) to the trotting races.


We were doing well on picking horses with a vaguely watery theme but by the end of our sixth race we were down our original bet each of £1. We would have done better but when it was Rob's turn he couldn't see a watery theme so chose Best Mate which came in second to last whilst Reed Lark came in first - I ask you!

Slightly different view

Courtesy of my Mikuni Man I now have two holes in my roof. As we leapt into this event without thinking things through we discovered that the vents did not come with seals. Sealant was required and none to be found and it was threatening rain!

Steve came to the rescue with a roll of adhesive sealent from seals+direct that he luckily had left over from fitting his portholes! I was then sent out on an errand to get the correct bolts to fix the vents to the roof and also a tap and die set as Mikuni Man does not do self tapping screws.

I visited Screwfix in Mansfield but no joy on the M4's (admittedly didn't check on the tap and die) so went to nearest B&Q. Got the M4 bolts but only bigger stores do the tap and die set. I misheard and went across town to the other B&Q on my way back to boat and they too were a small store but there was a mega store in Sutton in Ashfield. Of course there was - idiot girl - that was where I was told to go in the first place if only ears and brain had been in the same gear. In my defence I was now starving hungry and rapidly losing the will to live.

So I complete the triangle of Mansfield located the tap and die set and drill bits etc etc and also a Bakewell tart that was like sawdust but saved the day.

I now have two solar vents that are wurring away nicely. The starboard one is for the Compost Toilet the port side one for the gas hob. I don't actually need them for ventilation purposes as the vents on the pigeon boxes are more than adequate. They are an active element to compliment the passive.


And here is my current oiling joy.








Isn't it the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?

I may or may not have mentioned earlier but my Dad picked up a bit of Greenheart whilst doing his early morning beach combing ten years ago. He still had some left over and did I want it? Yes I did and we discovered that there was enough to make my four sills for the hatches. Which is ideal as any condensation dripping onto them will have no effect whatsoever. If Greenheart is what they make piers out of ...

This one is for the front hatch in the office/bedroom.

I brought it home to finish the oiling and can't bear to part with it. I think it now has at least six layers of oil on. Really must let it dry so that Bryan can fit it. I look forward to nurturing the other three once he has made them look pretty.

Come to me my precious ...

On a lighter note I go to pick up my canoe on Saturday.

Stonewalling ...

Stone walling

and studiously ignoring one another.

Rob got a chance to learn how to stonewall. So I very kindly brought him a picnic and watched them work in the broiling sunshine for a bit.

A long slog

but worth it.

Left home at 8.25am and arrived at Kiveton Park at 9.25am exactly. Would have been a little bit quicker but I did help a single handed boater by shutting some gates after him. Put the push bike on top of Phoenix and the rest of the convoy set off down the locks. Took us 5 hours to get the boats to Shireoaks Marina. (30 minutes by bike!) I then had to remount my trusty steed and return home. My legs are tired.

I took a slightly different route home as I wanted to avoid the three stiles and the railway line that I had negotiated on the way down. I struggled this morning and felt I really wouldn't be able to lift the bike over my head by the end of the day. There really shouldn't be stiles on a bridle way !!!

Emily Anne was about 5 boats back from us. Managed to time it right to go back and get a photo of her at Turnerwood but the funnel was down, so took this one at the lock after he had put it up for me. Should have asked before. Ho hum.

Kiveton Park Festival day 3

Another full day helping out at the Festival today. The weather once more was kind. Footfall I believe was around 7000 by the end of day three. Certainly in the morning one poor lady was pounced upon as the 5000 person to enter the site. There is a distinct possibility that I am also in the picture gurneying in the background!

She is quite pleased as she won a book of short circular walks around the Chesterfield Canal and membership of the Trust.

There are already some pictures on the Festival Website of Day one and presumably Day's Two and Three will follow in due course.

See www.kiveton2009.com

I am now looking forward to Wednesday as I have offered to help move three boats down to Shireoaks. It is such a hardship! Which reminds me must go and check that the tyres on the bicycle are up to the trip.

Kiveton Park Festival day 2

Woke up in the morning and it was so sunny I went back to help out at the Festival. My job for the morning was helping to man the 'James Brindley'. This is the name for the fancy promotions trailer. I did my best 'welcoming people to my world'.

Had a trip on the Seth Ellis so have got my narrowboat fix for 2009 at last.

Met Daniel and discussed schilling rudders. His top plate (what we could see of it in the murky waters) looks a lot wider then mine and presumably his fish tail is as well. Daniel did say that there appeared to be no exact 'best' ratio of fish tail etc so hopefully my rudder will perform once it is in the water. I asked his opinion on the Axiom and he wasn't convinced enough data was in to support their claim. Anyone had one fitted?

Left in the afternoon to fetch small boy from university.

Saturday we had had over 2000 footfalls in and by 11.30 Sunday we had had 700. The site was heaving when I left at 2.30 so I imagine even more people turned up on the Sunny Day despite the first train not coming through until about 2pm.

Right back once more unto the breach.

Kiveton Park Festival day 1

I arrived at the site about 9.45 and was given my job as greeter off the park and ride bus on the road.

at 12pm I drove up to North Anston and was given my second job as a 'take their money and make them take the bus' person this I found somewhat embarrassing as bus no 1 had broken down on it's first trip so we were down to only 2 vintage buses which meant some long waits for the punters.

at 2.30pm I was relieved and finally made my way down to the site and it appeared to be heaving which was good cos it had been quiet up in the field!

I saw Emily Anne. Daniel was not on board but I spoke to his parents and grandfather. I may call in again tomorrow to talk to Daniel because I have put a schilling rudder on my boat after he posted about the one he made for Emily Anne on the canal forum.


This is the trip boat heading for the tunnel. Bobcat should have been moored somewhere up here. Sniff.



Some interesting exhibitors.

and these two are ready to go home now please.