January 2016

Well I have decided that I will attempt to write at least one post every month.  Then I looked back at last year and discovered that I had actually done that!  Except for January 2015.

Well what can I say.  I woke up this morning and there was frost on the ground and the cars.  Now this is my first frost of the winter and I liked the fact that it was also on the first day of 2016.  There may have been a frost in November as I believe there was also snow but I was in New Zealand enjoying the sunshine so as far as I am concerned it didn't happen.  Dearly beloved is still living it large in New Zealand and for once was one of those who get to see the New Year in first.

He had his birthday out there and we decided that he hadn't got a year older until his birthday had passed here in England.  The things we do to cling on to our Youf.

While I was down on the south coast and then in London over Christmas we enjoyed dry warm weather and I escaped on Christmas day morning and did a two hour walk up and down the Thames on both sides.  Up to Putney over on the footbridge and back on the South Side I got my narrowboat fix as there was one looking so tiddy tied to one of the enormous boats.  Just before Wandsworth Bridge I got a call from my mother to say hurry back we were due at my Brother's earlier than expected!  Needless to say I got back at 12pm (half an hour after the call and was washed and changed in 5 minutes) and we arrived on time.  Others arrived later.  So glad I had missed out on the kitchen dramas and my Dad whittling about when to leave.

It therefore came as a shock to read about the floods up north. 

A friend of mine is looking after a farmhouse up on the hills above Hebden Bridge - I don't know whether anyone has taken up her offer of a dry place to stay but as it is a bit awkward to get to probably not.

and York what a disaster.  So sad the Jorvik centre got flooded but glad they managed to hold off the water and save the precious artifacts.  I remember taking my son around it when he was little and finding the smell of the pigsty preferable to that of the hovel!

While in NZ we travelled around the treetops near Rotarua on zip wires.  Loved it.  Hopefully we will head to Wales and play on the one there sometime this year.

I don't often visit the canal forum website these days but I had a quick peak yesterday to see if there was anything about the floods and boats since the news don't really focus on that aspect and was very surprised to see a photograph of Bobcat so that a newby could see how to get a motorbike onto a narrowboat! 

I is famoose at last!

Hopefully since himself is finally retired he and I will travel together more this year and the motorbike will finally make itself useful.

So there we have it the first post for 2016

May it be a fun year all round.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

So Sad but this lovely boat is up for sale - not mine I hasten to add

I don't know how to do 'here' links so....

http://nb-windsong.blogspot.co.uk/


Beacon Boats do a lovely fit out and this is no exception.

End of 2015 boating season

has come early this year.  One month early to be precise.

On Saturday I biked to the boat from home on my lovely new proper electric bicycle.  N'elli.

39.78 miles (mostly downhill from home and the few uphills were no problem with the electric assistance) Still had two bars showing on the dial and 17 miles estimated further available cycling if I wanted !

Took 3 hours 50 minutes actual cycling.  5 hours including stops to read the map, take on food and water etc.  Very pleased with myself as not too knackered and the sun came out as I arrived back on the boat.  Glad it didn't come out any earlier or it would have been too hot with all my layers.

The charger on the boat doesn't work.  So luckily dearly beloved came and fetched me yesterday from the winter mooring in the van.

Sunday was a fabulous sunny day for the last hurrah and I barely left tickover all the way as I didn't want to get there too soon.  When I did get there it was almost impossible to moor.  At the second spot I at least managed to get both ends attached even if my back end was miles out.  After watching the horse whisperer at 7pm I went out again to try and get a little bit closer in.

Monday I put everything that was coming off ready at the front of the boat.  Switched off the water, removed the shower diverter and opened all the taps.  At 11am I went out and with each passing boat adjusted (heaved on) the ropes and got nearer to the side such that I could finally just take a large step (leap of faith) off the back.  The front being perfectly in.  When dearly beloved hove into view with the van I was pretty exhausted and a fellow moorer had said I might have better luck further up.  We loaded the van with bicycle etc before untying and moving further up.  Aargh worse than before ...

But the fellow off the boat we were trying to moor behind came out and with his knowledge and knowhow and muscle we edged the boat ever closer.  We tied the bows firmly and I had to use reverse and forwards gear to good effect.  Dearly beloved skimming the resultant silt build up away to the front of the boat with a shovel each time I neared the side. With each backwards and forwards manoeuvre we inched our way ever closer.  The boater also put his boat in reverse gear so that his boat was sucking the silt away from my location as well.  A bit of local knowledge is an amazing thing.  Took us exactly an hour to get the boat in but as he says the silt will now set like concrete under the boat so there will be no movement when other boats go past.

He said a previous boat was brought in fairly quickly by use of a landrover and winch.  The build up of silt from between the boat and side completely flooded the area.  CRT don't seem to want to dredge this location at Spode House even though they did the section at Fradley recently.  Maybe soon?

Over and Out for Another Year.

New puppies on the roof

So this weekend we were entertaining folk from across the water.

Day one at home
Day two on the boat.

And they both sat on the roof on the puppy pad as we moved the boat through two locks.

They were slightly better behaved than the Patterdales.

After being shown the ropes they have set off on their own hiring from Norbury Junction for the week on the Shroppie and so far not hit anyone nor crashed.  Which is always a good thing to hear.

I am exhausted

 But to be fair I think they are too!

My pedometer is off the scale and

their legs are getting shorter.

They might be pleased when their owners come back from holiday

Or they might miss having three to four walks a day.

Overstaying

So for the last month nearly my engine has looked like this

 

Last year I had the python drive sorted (new universal joint) which stopped most of the engine juddering but not all.  But it was a huge improvement on before.  So I bravely set off for the Thames and beyond.  As the juddering only happened in tickover the Thames and rivers generally were lovely.  Back on the Oxford and the long lines of moored boats were an annoyance.  So I resolved to have it looked at again.

 

For some reason on leaving Kings Bromley in February it wasn't doing it and so when it was removed from the water to check the propeller rudder etc at Shobnall Marina it was a mystery.

 

However the juddering came back in March and I returned the boat to Gareth in May and he still couldn't work out was wrong.

 

I brought it back to Dave Freeman who did the work last year and we decided that perhaps the original problem with the Python Drive had travelled further forwards and affected the gearbos and/or the drive plate.

 

When they removed the gearbox it was clear the drive plate was a little wobbly and probably on the way out.

 

It then turns out that I do not have a 'normal' drive plate.  Beta told him that that particular set up was for one specific client only.  I presumably got lumbered with it because I bought my engine at Crick at show prices. 

There is always a catch to a 'sale'! 

Beta searched the back room and found another one in a dusty recess somewhere and offered it up for the princely sum of £300 plus vat.  Dave said it was cheaper for RD (?) to make a replacement.

However cheaper still for him to remachine my engine to accept off the peg drive plates from Midland Chandlers at £90 plus vat a pop!

So he has future proofed my set up and on Saturday all was back together.

 

Yesterday I was a little concerned to come back to the boat and find these

 

 

I know when you take something apart and put it back together there is always some little piece left over but .....

 

 

I was fairly happy that I knew what the six bolts and washers were from

(new drive plate needed longer ones)

 

But the five washers and 1 spring washer I found right under the engine was a worry.

 

Turns out when he went to fix the oil lift pump back on there was a large gap. 

He used a large nut -

clearly in it's previous incarnation those washers had done the same job.

 

Well I am hoping that is indeed the case.

In the olden days

It was blue for a girl and pink/red for a boy.  

Something to do with scarlet uniforms I believe.

Anyway in Cannock Chase I am glad I opted to stay on the Blue for a Girl Route

If that is what happens when you take the Red for a Boy Route!!!