The winter season is here and I find myself mooring up longer as i travel but after spending 11 days in one place while I helped Andy/Tina black their boat the urge to move overcome me and i took a short trip up to the Wendover Arm to check out the restoration progress but more on this on another blog.
One thing I have learnt since taking up this life and in fact the lesson was learnt the first winter was no way could I take a winter mooring and stay like some boaters do in one place for up to 3 months but as is said each to there own. A bit windy and none to warm as I set off but with the right clothing a couple of hours on the tiller is wonderful the trees are shedding there leaves after a dramatic colour change and the wildlife is still there with birds easier to spot in the almost bare trees and best of all the smoke rising from my chimney as a log slowly burns telling me the boat will be nice and cosy when i do decide to moor up. Yes there is a lot to be said for moving about in the winter.
It`s during this slower period i have decided to sort out my teeth and those that know me will be aware this was no easy decision as i have a real fear not of the dentist but the needle piercing my skin but the appointment is made for a full MOT that will for sure be a failure and will probably end up costing and arm & leg or maybe that should be tooth & gum.
Heavy frost last night so the central heating went on this morning and although the fire was still sleeping it wasn`t cold on board and it`s nice to get out of the shower into a warm boat.
The picture below is Bulbourne and the old BW workshops where lock gates were once made can be seen through the bridge arch.
The last two occasions I have cruised have been rewarded by the finding of some wood and after
using the chainsaw the logs are ready for splitting to provide some cheap heat. The ones below are i believe pine. Also in the pic can be seen my log storage box i made to keep the roof tidy.





The following 3 pictures were taken at Cassiobury park when the younger members of the family took the old boy out and i just happened across them on the camera.



The pictures below show carp in the canal at Cow Roast lock and although it`s not to clear in the pictures the water here is very clean and in fact closer to the lock the canal bed can be seen some 4` down. the reason for this is the pumping station next to the lock that pumps water up from the chalk beds or Aquifers to use the correct word. So maybe the carp hang around here in large numbers for the clean water.