lack of internet

is very liberating

t'internet

Have had a long chat with technician at 3.  God knows what that will cost me.  Hopefully it has cured my connection problems.  Heres hoping.

Cropredy 2011

Been there done that.  I feel not quite as good as last year but we had better weather this year so that must count for something.

Boat adjustments

I have removed the bathroom door and Dearly Beloved has taken it away in his car today.  I bought a bed spread/table cloth (large) from the festival that is now hanging in the door way in it's place.  Looks brilliant and access to the basin is instant. With the idea that everything on a boat should have two uses it also provides storage for the pin that we need for the motorbike ramp that up to now has just been lieing around looking untidy.  With the help of two cup hooks it now plays the role of curtain rail!

As the cloth is so large I also don't need to do any sewing.  I have just folded it in half lengthways and then draped over the rail with the extra overhang being about 2 foot so no danger of it falling down mid shower!!!

We also have music on board as the speakers etc are now connected to the cd/radio.  Woo Hoo

Storage in the boat is gradually starting to make sense and items never used are being disposed of. 

All in all today has been very productive and I am now about 6th in the queue to go up the Claydon Locks tomorrow after a gentle cruise up from Cropredy.

Monday 9 to 5

But even so better than a normal 9 to 5.  Napton Locks were slow, but made a joy by the people on the boats fore and aft.  Help with the locks and cups of coffee.

BW came to close the flight at 4pm but let the four or five boats waiting in the last pound through.  They are all racing (I use the term very loosely) to be in the queue at Claydon Locks for when they open between 10 and 2pm tomorrow.

I have managed to get to where I intended to today so I am happy with that.

Not saying the summit pound is low but the towpath is level with my portholes!

I think I may be cured of my earwig habit.  I was down to one live one indoors day before yesterday and one live one in my mop yesterday.  I will not put out any bunting just yet.

So nb. Balmaha have them as well I wonder if we have both been on the same canal.  Llangollen or Shroppie are the ones I am blaming.  I will go and check out their blog!

Well I do declare

The absolute injustice.  Now I may have been sharing my bed with him all night but there was absolutely no need for him to nip me because I had the audacity to turnover in the morning to read my book.

Now I thought I had got the upper hand in the earwig fiasco and had stopped the 'treatment' as I felt the aged p's might kark it if they inhaled too deeply!!!  So to be nipped by one on Thursday morning was not the way I had planned on getting up that day.  All squeally and flappy all over the place.  Most embarrassing.

After two very hot days on the boat the day of the trip into Coventry was wet and miserable so I was alone at the helm most of the time.  We arrived in the basin around 2.15pm and set off into town with their bags intending for them to treat me to a slap up lunch and a wander around the cathedral perhaps after having ascertained the time of the coach to London.  Next thing I know they buy me an egg mayonnaise sandwich, a cup of coffee and they are on the coach and gone by 3pm.  Rats off a sinking ship have nothing on them.  Fair weather boaters!!!

Today the weather was lovely again and I think I can add to my boat blogger spotting list that I have passed Adam and Adrian off Briar Rose unless it was a different Briar Rose of course and just someone who looked a lot like Adam.

After mooring up I rescued a boat that had come completely adrift with the help of passing boaters.  One lot pushed it over so I could grab the bow line which still had the pin attached but had disappeared leaving the boat attached at one end.  The centre line was too short (also with pin attached)  for me to grab and get back on land so I had to wait for another passing boat to finish the job.  Between us we managed it.  Wonder if the owner will even notice?

Relax

I gave in and on Saturday instead of boating I took the wrong sofa back to Ikea and got the correct sofabed -  it fits perfectly.  Due to this unforeseen hiccup in my boating schedule I was unable to go to the IWA festival on the Sunday.

Still I managed to join the convoy today coming away from said Festival and hang around Glascote Locks for over an hour.  I was lucky in that by the time I caught them all up there were only six in front of me.

So where do I get boric acid powder?  Or flea foggers?  According to t'internet they are what I need to get rid of these pesky earwigs once and for all that I appear to have picked up on the way back from Wales.  Now I am not blaming the welsh you understand but no one else I speak to seems to be having a problem with the little darlings.

I am developing a nervous twitch and am possibly overdosing on cockroach spray, fly spray and any other toxic thing I can get hold of.  Do not light a match in my boat.  In fact I have set the fire alarm off twice with the fumes.

Hic

they are coming to take me away ho ho he he ha ha those nice young men in those clean white coats they are coming to take me away.

Boat spotting - managed a quick hello to Wand'ring Bark.