BIRTHDAY BOY

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y

J A C K

THE MILLS OF HEMEL

A typical view of a retail park that could be anywhere in the country but up until the 1990`s you would have been looking at the John Dickinson paper mill. In the early 1800`s John Dickinson (1782-1869) acquired Apsley, Nash and Croxley mills.
The main site here at Apsley, Hemel Hempstead had in 1809 no trains, buses or cars but what it did have was a wet motorway system of the 1800`s called the Grand Jct. Canal. The London & Nth. Western Railway came along in the 1830`s but it was not until 1938 that Apsley station was built because of the paper mills. It was about this time the railways played a big part in the transport of the mills products.
Up to the railway era and for a long time after the canal played a big part in distribution of the mills paper products and in fact J. Dickinson`s had its own fleet of steam powered narrowboats bringing in coal and raw materials and re-loading paper and stationery for shipment not just in the UK but across the world.
Esparato Grass was a raw material used in paper making and came from Africa never touching dry land until being unloaded at Apsley having been transshipped onto narrowboats in London.

In 1818 Mr Dickinson had negotiated with the canal company to re route the canal closer to his mills (must try and find some evidence of the old route sometime) which i suppose must have been the reason boats played a big part in the daily life at the mills for so long.
Workers at the mills were treated fairly well and in the late 1800`s a whole train would be hired to take workers to the south coast. The 1904 centenary saw every worker getting an extra weeks pay and many workers were in the company Silver Band that often played to radio audiences.
Well before the NHS came about Dickinson maintained a ward at the local hospital for his workers.

The Basildon Bond brand was established in 1911.

No Mr Bond we don`t expect you to talk we expect you to make paper (sorry couldn`t resist)

Other than this clock and 2 small buildings nothing else remains.

The mills closed in the late 1990`s and having lived myself in Watford for 12 years i remember in the early 70`s the site was a landmark along the original A41 to Aylesbury before the new by-pass was built. Nowadays just a retail park, housing and a hotel line the route past this once magnificent group of buildings.

What started me off looking into the John Dickinson site was the need to satisfy my lust of knowing whats around that corner or where does that lead to. Having always had this desire and i think that`s how i learnt my way around London & the home counties when driving it was on

this my 6th time cruising through the lock pictured above that being moored here for 2 weeks it was time to find the answer. Where does that bit to the left of the lock go?. So i set off wandering around the streets at the side of the canal until i traced the end and it turned out that it lead to Frogmore Mill. The mill wasn`t part of the JD site but they did do business with each other.

This is the basin by the mill that is behind me and here boats would un-load coal used to power the steam driven paper making machines.

The mill is owned and operated, yes still making paper today, by Apsley Paper Trail Charitable Trust- http://www.thepapertrail.org.uk/ using machinery a 100yrs+ in age.

In 1803 the first commercial paper making machine was developed here. The mill is open during the year giving guided tours and boat trips during the warmer weather.

The trust has recently been awarded a £1 million lottery grant to preserve the site and hopefully re-instate the mills waterwheel.

So i`ve enjoyed my myself delving into a bit of history and if you would like to read more try http://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/ scroll down the page almost to the bottom to" Local History "and click on" Hemels Mills " Happy reading.
Red text added Thursday-must employ a proof reader.

WOW!! I`M GOBSMACKED

Well don`t quite know what to say to you wonderful pep es out there. Just thought i would leave it for a few days to see IF any body replied and holy narrow boats did the replies come in, not just via comments but e mail also. Thank you all.

All the replies were fantastic but one that sums it up for me was posted on "Black Weekend" from Lesley K.

enjoys daily updates but pops in to NB VALERIE to see if i have posted

If not what the heck............keep family informed but allows others to peek in

Now that Lesley is what i call Blog Hopping and i do it all the time it`s good fun.

I suppose for you ladies it`s a bit like shopping you wander shop to shop just checking if anything knew has arrived.

You know folks what surprised me was the new names that came up amongst the comments, it just goes to show how many people read the blog but exercise their right on weather or not to post comments.

Anyway i will keep blogging so pop in now and again.

Had a nice walk the other day to check something out and i was not disapointed. Will tell you what i found soon but for now what have Sainsburys, Currys, Argos, Comet and a few others all got in common in Hemel Hempstead.

Again thankyou all very much for your support and may i wish you all the very best of health.

MY BLOG

Before you read this post maybe you should read the comments left on the "Black Weekend" entry.


First and most important is my Grandson Jack who is upset by the picture of the truck pulling the boat out for blacking. Well Jack as grandad explained Friday when you visited me i did not look closely at the picture when i put it on the blog and yes you are right it `s not very nice little fella, and i am glad you are being brought up by parents who are teaching you the rights and wrongs of the world.

Thanks to JO, yes be nice to meet you again and hope you get going soon. Also LES D i am sure we will meet i estimate early next year.

The longest comment from "annon" is the one that caught my eye and yes i agree that from your side of the fence the blog would appear to be going downhill. It would seem you have been reading the blog for sometime weather you have commented in the past i don`t know as you remain "annon". That of course is your right.

Have you read the lines at the top of the page that state i do not blog daily but as and when etc.

When travelling far and wide during the summer i see and do many things and just a few i decide to blog, i decide being the words i would like you to appreciate. I would also like you to remember i am retired and after 45 years of working the last thing i want is to be tied to any routine even one as small as doing a blog.

I don`t know who the other bloggers are who agree with you to the extent they don`t read the blog anymore but by the phone calls and e mails i recieve from blogger friends i know it is still read by many people.

The decline in comments you mention is correct but it doesn`t worry me as i also get e mails re many of the blogs and in fact got 3 e mails on the blacking blog.

You mention the "Non important" blogs, by this do you mean things like power saving and the wind genny? If so then i must tell you i recieve e mails asking for more info from fellow boaters and people who are thinking of starting a new life afloat so although these blogs are of no importance to you personally some people take an interest.

So summing up, i am sorry you have been dissapointed of late but please take in what i have said above and by all means comment on this blog or e mail me if you prefer.



This years plans have been spoilt by the summer flooding and i have spent longer moored in places than normal. The boat blacking at Cow Roast Marina meant being tied to a timetable and in fact i arrived 2 weeks before hand. Now i am in the Hemel area and have been for the last 12 days. This time of year always brings me south as i spend christmas with family in Herts/Beds.

Plan at the moment is go into London and back to this area for the Christmas hols.

Some of my blogger friends moor up and travel to family for this time of year but as i can travel by boat near to mine it does mean this bit of canal becomes very familiar.

Next years thoughts, not plans, are maybe to travel across East Anglia through N` hampton, Peterborough, St Ives but at the moment just thoughts as with this life you can decide on the spur of the moment.
So should i keep blogging. Tell me what you think.

A BLACK WEEKEND

Well Friday morning arrived and it was time to caste off and head round to the marina to watch my baby being dragged from the water so i could spend the weekend blacking the bottom.

A narrowboat should be blacked every 2/3 years as rust is the biggest enemy of a boater. As this was the first time the boat had been blacked other than the coat it had when new i was keen to do it myself so i could prepare the hull properly and make sure every nook and cranny (wonder where that expression originated) was well coated with the bitumastic.

I have heard stories of boatyards just jet washing off the slime and then painting on the blacking with no regard to treating any rust that might be present. Do the job yourself and you know its done proper is my philosphy. With this in mind after jet washing the whole surface was sanded down using some heavy duty sanding discs. This was followed by 2 coats of black and a 3rd 6" each side of the waterline as this is the spot where a combination of air and water is a recipe for rust to form.

So this is where i need to go and you can see the trolleys just entering the water. The boat will be floated over the trolleys and the tractor unit will pull her out. Hope it doesn`t hurt her.

The tractor unit is ready.

The front rises up like a plane taking off

and of course the back follows.

Well she seems to have survived being pulled out and i am just holding her to reassure her.

Plenty of room in the shed so on with the washing.


Back

and front.

Here`s the finished product

That ladder was my means of getting aboard.


So job done back in she goes




Don`t know how she feels as she slides back in but i miss the feel of water under foot with that little movement as you walk around inside.

FIREWORKS

Hope you all enjoyed the fireworks. These were some i pictured from the towpath that were part of a display by boaters on the long term moorings opposite my present mooring.

Had a nice surprise yesterday when a chap walked by and introduced himself as Les and just for a moment i was puzzled and then realised he was a member of the canal forum (link on right above) Les will soon be afloat as his boat is nearing completion. So the kettle went on and we had a nice chat.

NB VALERIE comes out of the water Friday morning and i will have the w`end to black the bottom, must get some pics. Luckily the boat will be under cover so the rain and wind forcast for the w`end won`t have to much effect on my work schedule.

Ooooooh!Aaaaaaar!
Whooooooosh!
Yes very nice but it`s chilly and the pubs open.

POWER SAVING

P0wer is one of the most important things to be aware of when living afloat and just lately i have been giving the subject a lot of thought. As you have read already the wind generator is up and running and helps to top up the batteries but whatever way you charge those batteries it`s the way you make use of the stored power that is the important bit.
Onboard i have mains power that is obtained via an inverter from the battery bank but the problem is it`s capacity is large at 3000w which is fine to run the washing machine, although i usually do the washing when cruising, but when all you want to do is use the laptop or watch TV running a 3000w inverter for 40w-60w is a waste. As far as the laptop is concerned i bought a


small 100w inverter from Maplins that as you can see in the picture above plugs into a cigarette plug to which i have connected a 12v plug and the laptop now gets its power from an 100w inverter as against 3000w. A small saving power wise but every little helps those batteries last longer.
Another thing I previously used the 3000w inverter for was watching TV and the 15" flatscreen i bought in Asda works on 240v but the current is stepped down to 12v and in the pic below the
lower box connected to the mains plug is what came with the set and the box above it is the replacement. What it actually does is accepts a 12v input and gives out a stablised 12v. This is important as although the TV will run straight from 12v these flatscreens are very fussy and a rise in voltage input can render the TV dead.
So TV is now watched direct from 12v and as the Sky box also works from 12v there is no need to run the 3000w inverter. Since doing these changes i have noticed a higher battery reading in the mornings which means less engine running to charge batteries.

Right where am i ? Not saying exactly but have moved from Stoke Bruerne through Milton Keynes and L. Buzzard and am at the moment passing some time, before the boat comes out of the water so i can black the bottom, altering the locker at the rear of the boat to make it bigger to accomodate the water hose amongst other things.
Cruising along you see many things and in the pictures below is a boat that appears to have a tent pitched on the front and a summerhouse on the back.

Oh well must go now as i am off to a firework display so i leave you with this sunset a couple of days ago.

Goodnight and take care with the fireworks.

BACK ONTO THE MAIN LINE

The Leicester Section joins the main Gd. Union Canal at Norton Jct. so we have to go up through the Foxton flight of locks and down the flight at Watford. Both flights are staircase locks and are both supervised by lockeepers as they use side pounds to save water and if the ground paddles are not opened in the correct sequence a lot of water is wasted. It`s fine for the experienced crews but some of the holiday boaters get it wrong, still we all have to learn and it wasn`t so long ago i didn`t have a clue and needed the lockies help and guidance.
After coming out at the bottom of the Watford flight you pass by the service area of Watford Gap on the M1, so close in fact it`s only 3 steps off the towpath and you could be flattened by a jaggernaught.
At Norton jct. instead of turning south we instead went up to Braunston so that Andys mum&dad could visit. While here i took advantage of the fact that a company called Roadpro were based nearby and decided to get a new skybox as the old one didn`t want to work anymore. I did enquire through another company for a repair to be carried out but as they quoted a price 70% of a new one i decided to buy new. Funny old world we live in everything seems to be to expensive to repair so it gets scrapped.
Anyway that was sorted and worked fine and all i needed to do was phone sky and get my card matched to the new box, easy?. After 5 calls and trying all the tests they said were needed all i had to do was wait for the card to be upgraded so that among the freeby channels i would also get 4&5. So after 5 calls and 5 waits for the sattalite to beam the upgrade to my card they eventually decided to send me a new card as that was the only thing they couldn`t test. One new card and hey presto 4/5 are included in my package.
With the sky box you can view a lot of freebie channels but not 4/5, but you can pay £20 for a card that gives you 4/5. card will last 3 yrs at least. If you want to know more about sky on a boat read Sue`s blog "No Problem" via the link from this page.
So after leaving Braunston and going down through flight of 6 locks it was back on route south for christmas, yes i know it`s only October but it takes a while to meander along and we`re in no hurry and the boat is coming out of the water in November so i can black below the waterline.
Down through Weedon & Bugbrooke stopping off here and there we came to Blisworth where a 10 minute bus ride brings you to a large tesco on the outskirts of Northampton just the job to re-stock the galley. On through Blisworth Tunnel emerging at Stoke Bruerne for a few days rest, well it`s hard work being retired and dragging yourself out of bed each morning and thats just the start, the kettle has to be filled, the bacon taken out of the fridge............PHEW.
In the picture below are a pair of Hotel boats Oak & Ash stopped as i was to take on water. Usually they have a crew of 3 and have 6 guests on board. They are booked up untill the end of October. Now getting further south means i get more visits from the family and this time it was Sons

Steve & Kev with their partners and grandchildren Teo at the top and below him Keirnan sitting next to his little sis Keira. Nice pic this i might print it off and put it on my photo pin board.

So come on you other G`kids grandad is heading south lets be having you.

Have now moored up for a while to paint the gunnels on the boat, there the bits just below the windows and they get scraped and scratched a lot and soon rust rears it`s ugly head so they need regular care. Where i am is handy to get a bus into milton Keynes where among others there was a Maplins store, more later.

Carol sent you e-mail hope you got it.

BIRTHDAY GIRL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEV

WIND POWER

Well i`ve got the wind generator up and running. The Rutland 913 will put a charge into the batteries with a modest wind speed of 5 knots, just under 6mph. With a wind of say 28mph it should put in about 9 amps.
So far since trying it out the winds have not been great blustery but not continuse but still the batteries have gained at the end of the day even after using power all day. Don`t forget on a boat all your power comes from the batteries and the worst power consumer is the 12volt fridge/freezer, then you pump your shower water then pump the waste water overboard. Your cuppa needs pumped water to fill the kettle. The loo uses electric to flush, the radio/stereo all these things are taken for granted on land but on board you have to be aware of a limited supply. Anyway with the wind so far the generator has ended up putting back what i have used during the daytime plus a small amount on top. All this adds upto less running of the engine to charge the batteries. Fine if the wind`s blowing i hear you say, true so my next thing is to do some research on solar panels. The control box i have fitted to the wind genny also allows connection of a 100watt solar panel so no wind means the slar panel will help things along and if i get wind as well so much the better.
In the picture above you can see the mast is held firmly by metal guy lines that go down to the roof and in the picture below you can see the mast is held in place by a heavy duty metal bracket that allows the whole thing to be folded down onto the roof after two of the guy lines have been released at roof level, all done in less than 5 mins.

I have to thank daughter in law Bevs dad Alan for making the bracket from a picture of something similar and a few rough measurements i supplied. Thanks Alan it works a treat.
All that needs doing now is to tidy the cable by putting it into some plastic pipe and fixing same to roof.

FOXTON

Foxton Locks are on the Leicester Arm of the Gd. Union Canal and consist of two lots of 5 staircase locks with a passing pound in between. The rise is 75 feet and as you can see in the
picture from the top you get a panoramic view of the countryside. The locks opened in 1814 and passing through the flight takes about 45mins. Behind me at the very top stands what was once the lockeepers cottage, now a coffee shop, and next to it the original stable that gave the boat horses a well earned rest for the night. Nowadays it is used for school visits when it has information boards and seating for visitors to eat their sarnies.
On the right of the picture can be seen the museum that once housed the old boilerhouse that provided power for the Inclined Plane Boat Lift.

In the picture above that i snapped in the museum you can see how the boat lift operated.

Two metal troughs each carrying 2 narrow boats counter balanced each other taking boats up and down the slope. the power was via a steam engine.

The lift opened in 1900 to help speed up passage through the locks so that canal companys could compete with the railways for cargoe carrying. Sadly in 1911 with road transport being a huge competitor the lift closed to save money and boats reverted to the lock flight.

Below is all that`s left, just some of the track bases that carried the rails. It is hoped that with

fund raising and Lottery grants the boat lift can once again operate. A lot has been done around the site including clearing the slope so the tracks can be seen and at the bottom all the trees have been cut down so now the canal can be seen.

So i leave you with this view of the Foxton Locks Inn. Behind me the canal goes to Leicester, to the left Market Harborough and to the right is the entrance to the lock flight. Below the same view at night. The boat on the left nearest camera used to give horse drawn boat trips at w`ends but now sadly only for private bookings.

Night all.

WHAT`S HAPPENING

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OZLEMOzlem is one of my 3 lovely daughters in law.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
After a wet summer and all the flooding that made our cruising plans change we now find ourselves to far south. The plan each year is to come south to Bedfordshire/Hertfordshire to see the family at christmas time plus i am getting the boat out of the water early November to black the bottom but this year having to change the route a bit some time had to be used up.
So having gone down the South Oxford canal to just below Banbury we winded (turned round)
and as we came back through Banbury i took the above picture as i saw this same scene in a newspaper showing flood water rushing past Woolies back in June/July. Can`t remember the exact date as time means nowt to me.

Back up the Sth Oxford to Braunston stopping off at some lovely villages,Cropedy and Fenny Compton to name just two, then through Braunston tunnell and up the Leicester arm where i

spotted this bridge in need of some TLC but i suppose after the 200 plus years some of these structures have been around they will fall apart eventually.
Carrying on past Crick you can see below the new marina extension for 80 berths is well under way. Pity they hadn`t dug it earlier in the year the weather might have helped fill it.

Carried on to the outskirts of Leicester before turning back to Foxton and at the bottom of the locks turned onto the Market Harborough Arm. Two hours of twisting and turning through some beautiful countryside brought us into M.Harb` basin and a chance to stock the galley from the supermarkets in the town.
So returning to Foxton we stayed about a week which gave me a chance to have a good look around and get the wind generator installed. I`ll get some pics done for next time.

Goodnight all, sleep well, i always do.

MUSEUM VISIT

The Bygones museum has been created by Andrew Fox at Butlin Farm Claydon. It is easily accesed from the South Oxford Canal at bridge 145 and a walk of just a mile into the village will take you back in time.
The museum overlooks adjoining farm land and the views are fantastic. Also on site is a gift shop and a licenced restaurant.
Andrew Fox has gathered this wonderful collection of items from our past, and i saw tools that my dad had when i was a boy, from towns and villages in scrapyards and old stables, barns, attics, cellars and what were once thriving tradesmens workshops that like so many of our past skills have gone to sleep and to the far east!

Above is the old Granary now home to amongst many things a large collection of old Typewriters and Telex machines, that hit a note as my late wife Valerie was a Telex operator for Kodak that also springs up in a picture below.

Above rows of old shops have been re-created in one building at the museum and the windows of each shop are filled with the goods they sold as in the photographers window below. Also in yet another building that was once a milking parlour for 16 cows several different scenes are created and below is a 1920`s kitchen/scullery and other rooms include a carpenters workshop, an electricians repair room with some wonderful old appliances you thought you would never see again. In all 6 scenes even a Boatbuilders workshop. In the Barn pictured below can be found a Traction engine, road roller and many farm tractors.
Next to the barn another building houses many stationery steam driven engines and a collection of old machinery of all types.Well i`m certainly glad i discovered the Bygones museum and it was well worth the £2.50 entrance and after a relaxing sit down with a coffee i was ready to walk back to the boat.

LITTLE PEOPLE

Well here they are my new crew for a week, Jordan and brother Jack seen here on one of our walks at the top of Cracks Hill in Crick. They arrived with mum&dad (Andy/Bev) at Braunston








with enough clothes for a week and a half (wise mum) plus computer games, DS i think there called but then gramps is old, isn`t he Jordan!, and so they might be make up cases for all i know. So below we have Jack helping move the boat along to a gap in the hedge where they can get into the field and old grandad can watch them while they bravely venture to within 1/2 mile of some cows. Wish i was young and brave.


The picture below came about when grandad told them about boats being pulled by horses but nowadays the boats had engines, my big mouth, so what do they want to see?, the engine and then what? yes to get in the engine bay.
I told Jack boats had to be washed every week, cruel i hear you say, rubbish he couldn`t get the bucket filled quick enough.

Now this thing about female drivers, i can tell you this young lady was a lot better than her brother. Jack tended to push the tiller one way or the other there didn`t seem to be an in between position but Jordan had that gentle bit at a time touch.
So off we went up the Braunston flight and through the tunnell heading for Crick. Jack loved the tunnell but Jordan after showing her face briefly went and played on her game machine inside. Anyway after stops on the way of our months of cruising, well at the end it felt like months ok i was just plain tired and as Jordan said old we arrived at Foxton where i was due to be relieved of duty by mum & dad well in about 24 hrs time.
So off we went to the canal museum that sensibly only charges adults and lets 3 children in for nowt. Jack enjoyed operating the model of the inclined boat lift and they both had fun on the
mock up of a butty boat and after the pair had run around the museum and had a go at getting the boat through the model lock we had lunch at the top of the flight in the old lockeepers cottage that has been turned into a cafe.