Blacking

Bobcat was due into the workshop on Monday.  Unfortunately the chain on this broke

Apparently just as Bobcat was coming to rest on it.  Ooer - still could have been worse it could have broken whilst being halfway up the ramp which would have complicated things mightly.

As it was they first had to go out to the trolley in waders to attach ropes (which they did on Monday afternoon) to haul it out laboriously by hand.

I arrived Tuesday morning thinking it was a quick job and that they would have fixed it.  Yeah right that was as far as they had managed to get it by about 11am!

By lunchtime they had got the trolley out of the water they then had to ascertain where (and it turns out in how many places) it had broken.  Tuesday afternoon they went off to buy new 'chain'

They then had to get the day boat out and go 'fishing' for the end in the Marina that should have been attached.

Fit said new chain

Then run the trolley into the workshop and take out the excess links at the dry end so that the 'chain' lies tight to the groove.  Imagine if there had been a boat on it!  He would have had to be lying down in order to hold the chain tight.  :)

Still patiently waiting possibly until Wed morning.

But no 

last link removed and Bobcat was at last fetched in - in the gloaming

and into the shed for the night.

Difficult to tell but the blacking was in very good condition and on this side only about 5 snails lurking under the swim - if that.

Anodes good for another year but as it will be 5 years before she next comes out I might as well put new ones on now.  They have been on since November 2009 so assuming the next set last as well that should see me safely to 2018.

Absolutely perfick

We both woke up to sunshine so decided to move the boat on Wednesday together.  So 8 locks, 3 with the help of a lovely volunteer lockkeeper at Fradley Junction, 4 or 5 miles and the Alrewas river section on Amber, we boated in glorious technicolour.

We also managed to get into the Marina 2 days early so that is officially it for this year.

What a lovely finish to my 2013 journey around the Northern system.

See you all in 2014.

Wanted

A friend of mine would like to buy a narrowboat of between 50 to 60 feet, spacious and airy in feeling (I know reality doesn't allow it to be actually spacious and airy!) not Rosie and Jimified.  Price around £30,000 anyone know of one?  Must have solid fuel stove.

Views and effects

We had fun with effects.

Breakfast with a view.

Compost loo with a view.

The Harley with view and effects!

Mount Robson through an old Ford

Making Pasta for supper.  

Ok neither a view nor an effect but it links to the next photo.

Eolian with Impressive Art effect.

Nice!

Family

On Thursday my Uncle and Aunt from South Africa were over and desperate to have a go on my 'yacht'.

The weather held off until the last hour then it siled it down.  I think they still enjoyed themselves.

I have today redone most of the route we took - this time in the sunshine.  I am a lucky girl!

Yeeeee Ha !

Achieved a life long ambition to ride in the Rockies.  This was my (official) photo taken on the 3rd ride in the Canadian Desert on a First Nations Reserve.

It was amazing - the whole trip.  This ride we saw herds of wild horses - I felt so like the Sundance Kid.

It started in Niagara Falls.

We then flew to Calgary and picked up our RV.

We rode horses in the foothills of the Rockies at Moose Mountain (we heard but didn't see a moose)

We cycled at Lake Louise

We saw a black bear at Lake Maligne

We saw an elk in the campsite at Jasper

I rode a horse at Jasper (proper rockies)

He rode a mountain bike at Jasper

We hired an Harley Davison at Jasper and rode it to some Hot Springs and bathed our tired limbs overlooking scenery to die for.

We saw deer and mountain sheep.

We did canoeing on Lake Pyramid

We did a river float to check on wildlife on the Mighty Fraser River and saw too many bald headed and other eagles to mention.  Spawning Salmon etc.

I saw a coyote (thought it was a wolf)

We rode horses in Oliver.

We left the RV in Vancouver and crossed to Vancouver Island to spend the night with his relatives then we ...

crossed into the USA via the back door.  

Ferry to Anacortes.

and were met by the very fine people who have been stalking my blog for ever.  

We spent the night at their log cabin on Camano Island and were right royally entertained.  Including the freshest pasta ever which I was allowed to 'help' with.

The next morning we were transferred to their boat Eolian for lunch then they very kindly took us to the airport in Seattle.

http://windborneinpugetsound.blogspot.co.uk/

Bob puts it all so much better than I do.

Not quite sure how we can match their level of hosting when it is our turn but we will do our best.

A couple of days in Iceland to recover including bathing in the same hot springs as Bjork.  

She wasn't there.

and back home again home again jiggity jig

First day in the RV

We went riding in them there mountains.

Yeeee Ha !

Oh dear

I left the boat tied once at the front and sprung at the back using an old piece of spare rope attached to a 'nappy pin' and the back rope to a chain.

I returned to the boat to move it into Aston Marina for a month and found ...

the chain in two pieces on the back deck of the boat with the spare piece of rope in two parts.  The boat tied up securely once more via the back rope attached to a fairly bent 'nappy pin'.

(So the weakest link were the old rope - saving the nappy pin and a link on the chain - saving the back rope)

The boat moored in front of us had found my boat attached only by the front rope when they moored up so they very kindly found all the bits and were able to retie the boat for me.  As far as I can tell the rudder is okay but so far not given it a thorough check over and there are no obvious new dents down the side of the boat.  The only scenario we can come up with is someone drove their boat at some speed into the ropes themselves between the boat and the bank.

No note of apology from the perpetrators who must have skeddadled sharpish from the scene of their hit and run!