3 2 4 G EE What a view, Kestrel and Osprey

How do you like the blog title?
About 3 weeks ago my phone contract ended on what was my first smart phone the Samsung. Now my usage allowance included bonus loyalty minutes and just a very small data package as my use of apps for Facebook, games or anything other than incoming E Mail or a little bit of web browsing is almost zero. My last upgrade brought me into the smart phone world with a decent camera and wireless technology that enabled me to connect to the boats wi-fi.

Most recent on the right. I did like the flip phones as I had a tendency to squash screens in my pocket against lock beams. Now I just buy a leather flip case.

This time it was the attraction of upgrading from 3G to all the bells and whistles of 4G. The phone company EE, running Orange and T-Mobile, attempted on the phone to sell me a fancy expensive package. Jaq had picked up a catalogue in the high street branch of EE and it contained a 4G smart phone with more usage allowances than my so called loyalty package so this was my choice. Oh! plus it was 20% less per month. Morale is always check what they are offering to anyone on the high street and don`t bank on loyalty for the best deal.

Less than 3 weeks later and our mobile Internet wi-fi contract ended and another decision to be made. Our contract with T-Mobile was for 5GB which we found to be inefficient as we both had laptops and Jaq also used hers for work. Some months ago we had trouble with being charged a lot when we went over our allowance. This I sorted out and had the charges squashed and the fair use policy re-instated. The last 3 months we have gone over the allowance but have not been cut off but just been restricted to not downloading films and music.

Starting on the left the first two connected to the laptop. Then came two upgrades to mi-fi, wi-fi, horse fly, now we have the 4G all singing and dancing Osprey Internet.

So this time we decided to pay a bit more and triple our allowance to 15GB and get the new 4G wi-fi box of tricks. The extra allowance will allow catching up on some missed TV via the net. We now have a much better phone/Internet deal  for a very small, £1.42 ($2.30) monthly increase.

I have been using Orange for about 20 years and T-Mobile perhaps 8years. Important thing is they have been the two used on the boat since my beginning life afloat. Coverage has been good with very few places nationwide on the canal system that the signal has been painful. Now the two company`s are one (EE) the extra masts might make even those painful times better.
I did do some research with a view to changing the Internet provider and learnt about deals tethering, sim only and various other ways but decided to stick with that which I have proved works for us.

The phone is a Kestrel 4G on the £13.99 ($22) package.
The Internet is Osprey 4G+ on the 15GB £20 ($32) package.

I remember well before 4G surfaced in the UK I saw it advertised in the U.S. Deals in the states will probably differ to here and if any U.S. readers want to share their deals, anonymously, with folk here please let me know and I will blog the figures. The deals I have listed include the phone and wi-fi equipment hence my collection of gadgets. Terrible throwaway society we have become.
For the first time I am seeing 3G/3G+ on my phone signal. Is this a result of the introduction of 4G?

So to the last part of the blog title, the view from our current mooring. Please don`t complain you can`t see a Kestrel or Osprey in the picture.

Every time Nb Valerie has passed this spot it has been taken. Above to the left and below to the right. Just a pity we have to move tomorrow as Mr. Tesco will be delivering to the boat and we need to get near a road.

Just came across this in the picture folders. Remember the houses being put up at Marsworth the start of the Aylesbury arm. I commented on the metal framework looking like some industrial units. Well now the brickwork has started the style can be seen. The inner white blocks are within the frame and the dark brickwork forms the outer skin. The gap will be filled by the insulation that can be seen at the back of the site. I wonder why this framework is used instead of the traditional brick built walls.

A look around Marsworth

Two or three days here is like being on holiday. Not new walks but certainly ones we have not walked for quite some time. We have this stretch almost to ourselves with just one other boat out of sight around the bend. The reservoir on the right is almost full and plenty of water is passing down the lock flight via the old side ponds. Tring high street is a 40 minute walk between two reservoirs and along the roads one of which passes over the Wendover Arm.

Behind me as I take the above picture is the bottom lock of the Marsworth flight. The old working boaters called it `Mappers`. Below is a picture of it in about 1900. The White Lion pub, still empty, has lost a couple of chimneys on the right but gained a window top left. Developers are trying to turn it into residential units but a recent application has failed.


http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/places/BUCKINGHAMSHIRE/marsworth.htm  about 1900

What else is different in the picture?. Jaq is in the lower picture but there is no sign of the horse and cart that is in the older version. More trees? No telegraph wires?  You can`t miss the difference, follow the bridge across. Yep you got it, the traffic light outside the pub, not in the old picture is it!

 Anyway enough of the spot the difference quiz it`s history time. At one time there was a single lock here built in addition to the original double locks. Sorry if you spotted that difference but you must shout louder. In 1838 it was decided to install an extra single boat lock from here as far north as Stoke Hammond. Six bridges had to have an extra arch and a total of 23 extra locks were installed. The idea was to speed up the single boat traffic as the large number of these boats passing through was such that they were made to wait for a boat to share the double locks so as not to waste water. Remember this is now a downhill section and most of the water comes from the reservoirs and the summit level.
 Extra reservoir capacity, pumps at some locks and the change to boats working as pairs put an end to the single locks.
A lot of the extra lock locations are easily spotted and of course the bridges are still there.

Further along the development on the old British waterways yard at the Aylesbury arm junction has not progressed. More about the proposals on an earlier blog post HERE. It all looks just the same with the exception of the road bridge that will be the main access to the site. Contractors are strengthening it with reinforced concrete. Now I am not sure but seeing as there is not one piece of construction material on site I can only assume they have to do the bridge work as part of planning permission before work starts.
As I took the picture all I hoped was the guys with their pneumatic drills know something about working on 200 year old bridges. Looking from below my feelings are mixed, did they cause that crack or at least are they aware of it, for sure the drilling caused dust to fall into the water and for me to move away real quick. Perhaps my next blog will feature a canal stoppage and the rescue of 3 men and accompanying machinery. If you look at the picture over on the right you will see that the original stonework has no depth in the middle. The newer brickwork in both pictures gives an idea of how deep they are drilling. Where they are drilling is just left of the centre of the arch, fingers crossed they don`t go to deep.

 Above two pictures of the Old manor in church lane just up from the bridge. It is listed and the original house dates back to the 1500`s. Later additions were made in the 17th and 18th century's. I did submit my photos but not sure how long it takes for them to be checked. I have in the past had photos published of other listed buildings so perhaps they will appear sometime.



All Saints church in the village has a modern day connection with the canal when it`s bells were transported by canal. Click on the pictures in this LINK to enlarge them and you will see the loading was done at Marsworth yard. It looks like a fuel boat was perhaps used as a large amount of coal is in the hold.