It is not compulsory

to get oil in your hair or on your jeans when doing an engine service but it all adds to the fun.

My python drive has gone away for a while to be either reconditioned or replaced.  Ouch.

I thought that not having it in the way would make this service the best ever.  How wrong can a girl be.

In the process of taking the oil out of the engine via glass jug poured into funnel and thence into the old oil container I decided it was more comfortable to move the old oil container from the step to outside on the front (back) deck.  I did not wait for the funnel to clear before moving the contraption and of course it 'burped' oil all over me.  Not the hair that came later.  I cured the burping by wrapping a bit of wire around the oil can and having one end dipping into the filler.  This meant there was a tiny air gap around the bottom of the funnel.

No more burping.

Leaning down to remove the container full of the old gearbox oil from under the gearbox my hair brushed against the tap on the lift pump for the engine oil and well you can guess the rest.

Once I had finally put everything back together I started the engine which then stopped.  I had forgotten to prime the fuel filter after replacing it.  I played the girl card and asked for help.

Dave who took the python away has just shouted across the canal that I should turn a little knob under the fuel filter and then push the knob on the top of the filter and hey presto the engine runs again.  Purely as a generator for now as we are not attached to the propeller.

We live and learn.

An eventful day followed by an interesting night

After my not so brilliant backwards escapade I moved through the lock and stopped again.

Not long after the heavens opened and we had lightening as promised.

Through this came a load of canoeists looking like drowned rats.

In the night I kept nearly falling out of bed and the doors were operating opposite to normal ie those that like to remain open closed and those that like to remain closed were open.

At 2 am I tried to loosen the ropes but was far too late because my short rope was almost at singing tautness

At 6am the water had risen a little but I still couldn't move the boat.or release the blue line.

I haven't seen so much rudder since November when it came out for blacking.

This was AFTER the water had come up a little.

Apparently someone had deliberately lifted all four paddles at Colwich Lock.

Now for those in the know Colwich is a bit of a shitty lock and not somewhere you would want to lurk.

It is in the middle of nowhere, it is a wet muddy lock at the best of times and the cows cross the bridge bringing the rest.

We (that were affected) think it might have been the canoeists getting their own back and they might be from the camp at Shugborough.

The others have abandoned me as they do not want to spend another night like that one.

I like to live dangerously.

Still I left the boat at the angle and cycled back to Fradley for the car.  Google said I could do it by bicycle in one hour 14mins.

They do not know me.

It took me 2 and a half hours precisely.

When I returned the boat was level again.

Result.

what a pigs ear I made of that then ...

So I wanted to go back to the water point at Great Haywood and there were three boats behind me.

a boat (presumably from the Staffs and Worcs) came backwards past me just as I was about to set off to moor ahead of me.  He did it beautifully in a lovely straight line so I thought I would be fine going the other way.

So in the wind and the rain I go backwards.  The wind is pushing my bows towards the towpath so I am in danger of dragging my bows on the boats behind. I have successfully missed boat number one.

I straighten up - yeah right - I get wedged (gently) with my bows resting on the bows of the middle boat and my stern in the reeds.  Man off said boat kindly pushes my bows off his boat for me so I can release the back button.  I straighten up but slightly over do it - now the wind is pushing my bows away from the towpath so my backside is now heading towards the same middle boat.  Man kindly comes to the back of his boat and takes my middle rope in an attempt to assist.  Finally we manage to get my backside next to the bows of boat number three (last one) and nice man gets on to the towpath and together with the umbilical cord we negotiate the obstacles on the roof of boat number three.  Bobcat is now going backwards in a straight line.  Of course it is!  Having past boat number three man gives me back my middle rope so I can simply reverse past the entrance to the Staffs and Worcs and arrive at the completely empty water point.  As it is raining boater off boat number one who has been watching avidly goes into his boat.  Helpful man off boat number two also goes into his boat.

I am once more alone.

Wind immediately takes the bows  and wafts it off away from the towpath.  I am in danger of reversing down the Staffs and Worcs.

I do not want to turn around, so I have to keep putting them there bows all the way across the winding hole on the offside at an angle in amongst the sheep and gradually try and get the boat back far enough so that when I finally do get my backside at the water point the boat won't suddenly change direction.

Man on boat number three can't bear it any longer and crosses the bridge to assist in the mooring up.  I give him my middle rope and together we finish the job.  He returns to his boat having said 'what you need is a man'  I replied 'I have one but I sent him home'.

I set off at 10.30 and arrived at the water point at 11.20 approximately 5 boat lengths away.  Is that a record?

Can you get a van on a narrowboat?

You can if it is a van van 

We moored in Rugeley and this cat came straight out of his catflap on the boat behind to say hello and jumped up on to the roof of Bobcat.  So confident - lovely.