A BAN ON BLOGGERS PICTURES

I left a land base to have a life of relative freedom from the pressures of councils and government bodies but it seems i am being hastled even when cruising the canals and passing on a few details and pictures of life afloat.
It has just been announced that British Waterways are claiming copyright on pictures taken along their waterway system. WHAT!!!!! Yes it seems that in a bid to raise funds following a large redution in funding from DEFRA they propose to charge a fee for photographs of their system.
I have seen in the past in places like Biminghams Gas St basin that permission to film professionaly must be obtained from BW but i assumed this was more a safety thing than revenue raising.
Don`t know how they are going to charge you people out there who take snaps on a visit to the canals but it seems they are aware of just how many boaters do blogs and publish pictures and i suppose that like the poor old motorist the boaters blog will be easy pickings.
Can you imagine a group of BW employees will be tasked with reading blogs all day and producing a bill to send to us with our annual licence demand, lets face it like the car owner being identified by his registration plates we boaters also have a licence plate.
Well i`ve never been a one to get up a petition but this has got me wild so please click on the comments button below and back us bloggers. PLEASE

ALONG THE WAY

Still waiting on John on board `TUI` to catch up so we spent some time in Braunston and then decided to visit friends at Calcutt and that was when we had those couple of very windy days. The Wind generator really got a chance to show what it was made of and it wasn`t to long before the batteries were fully charged in fact i took advantage of all this free power and washed the boat curtains plus ironed them and within an hour the batteries were again fully charged. Normally the engine would have had to be running to cope with the power demand of both washer and iron but the wind genny coped very well.
After a couple of days at Calcutt we decided to drop down through one lock to access the marina`s diesel pump as we had noticed the price at a very reasonable 56p a litre but when we went to fill up it had risen to 66p......such is life but compared to the litres i used in my van back in my other life i am happy that these days a litre of fuel gives me so much happiness cruising through England`s green and pleasant land instead of driving across factory estates.
Talking of fuel it`s just been announced that the duty will rise approx 47p in November but Customs&Excise will allow boaters to pay a reduced tax on fuel used for heating and electric generation but the full duty on fuel used to move the boat. OK before anyone starts hitting the comments button remember on your fuel bills at home the tax if i remember correctly is 5% so it`s only fair that our heat/electric bills are not taxed at the VAT rate of 17.5% So be nice if you comment and as long as the comment is clean i will publish and answer. I say that because some comments have been not worthy of publishing and as i decide what you get to see i am able to spare you.
What else along the way? Ah yes Keith&Jo on HADAR passed by and as there were no moorings nearby it was a quick hello but they did pop back later and over coffee we had a nice chat. I first met Jo last year at Stone and just managed a quick hello then so it was nice to meet Keith this time. Tried to get a picture of their newly built boat but my camera told me to change the batteries or it wasn`t playing the game. Visit the site it`s a lovely boat.
Came across a boat Electro Fishing, they were removing Zander from the canal using an electrical current that stuns mainly larger fish that are netted and put in a tank to recover and all but the Zander are returned to the canal. It appears the Zander are eating to many of our native fish which is not on as they shouldn`t be here anyway even though they were introduced in the East Anglian drains some years ago.
Just cruising away from a lock rounded the bend and there it was NO PROBLEM
the home of Sue&Vic. I first met them July 2005 when i was looking for a boat and had been a keen follower of their blog, click on it for a good read and then follow the links to other boaters blogs and you will see many styles of blog. We bloggers publish in so many formats some you`ll like some you won`t but that`s blogging folks. Since i`ve had the boat we have met up every now and then but it`s ALWAYS good to see these 2 lovely people. Well Sue i know i thanked you but i now do it publicly or should that be Bloggerly, that was a smashing dinner and a nice evening together with Chas/Anne from More2life see you on the road, be safe.



Seems to be more and more damaged bridges on the system and a lot of them still the same condition 2 years on.

This is Napton Jct. where the Gd. Union meets the Oxford and as you can see on the sign Braunston, Oxford or Warwick are your choices plus you could pass behind the sign into Wigrams Marina.

NB No Problem and as always Lucy posing on the towpath.

A lot of hedge laying is being down along the canals, the hedges are cut part way through and
laid over to form a neat hedge that will carry on growing. The pic above of the finished
product doesn`t show the full height as i snapped it to close up but perhaps the horse

gives an idea of height.

Sad to see an old working boat burnt out, i`m sure someone was at one time living on it.

Electro fishing comingand going

ON THE MOVE

It`s nice to hear from readers and among several E-Mails of late was one from Bente in Norway who with his wife is shortly coming over for a 2 week canal boat holiday. Hi Bente hope you enjoy your trip .
We have been hanging around the Foxton area for some time and after attending the music night and boater Lynne`s birthday party so it was nice to move again.
The weather has been very varied lately with high winds, sunny days and the canal frozen over for 3 days. I think it was Wednesday just gone i was sitting out on the front deck reading in warm sunshine and as i type this the wind is really blowing and the wind genny is going crazy so i don`t think i will be running the engine for long this evening if at all.
Along the stretch i am moored at the moment are several boats on reserved winter moorings that will be home to them for maybe 3/4 months paying rent to BW on top of their boat licence fee, not my idea of boating but each to their own i say.
So plans have been made and we have all decided to go to York, Andy/Tina on Ytene and John on Tui. At the moment John is stuck at a stoppage north of Milton Keynes and as of this week he will be further delayed by the 2 week extension at the Buckby flight. The flight should have re-opened the same day as the Milton Keynes stoppage but upon draining the canal(pic lower down) further problems were found. Still John will put in some long days cruising and catch us up along the way.
Well my big 60 arrives in March and i will be going down south for a few days so that should give him time to catch up. SIXTY, where did the time go
In the days when young and bold
never a thought of growing old
looking back on times good and bad
things i should have done, people no longer here
makes me feel sad
but hey chin up life goes on for us still here
the grandchildren are smashing and get my vote
I`ll cruise with Valerie the rest of my days
growing old gracefully
on our boat.

The Market Harborough Arm stretches for 6 miles from the basin at the bottom of Foxton locks. Around 1809 the idea was for this arm to reach Northampton but it never materialised and it now finishes just on the edge of the town and the basin was once a busy industrial site with boatbuilding being just part of the scene. Today it`s mostly flats with one old canal building being used as offices and a restaurant.
Mid 18c Harborough was well placed for the industrial revolution being on the coaching routes of London to Nottingham and London to Derby. These routes were established well before the canal and railways came this way.
In 1889 the Symington Bros. built a corset factory in the town and this was the home of the Liberty Bodice. In 1935 they erected a building opposite for their employees bicycles and as in 1930s they employed 25% of the towns people i expect a small shed would not have been sufficient. The buildings are still there today with the factory being home to the public library and council offices while the bike shed is the M. Harborough theatre.

On the way down the Leicester Arm we stopped off at Welford Wharf the end of navigation on the Welford Arm. The arm when first built in 1813 went only as far as Welford Mill. Shortly after the one and only lock on the arm was built together with the Wharf itself and the George Inn now re-named the Wharf Inn, a lot of trading in coal, salt, granite and lime took place here.
Lime kilns were built at the Wharf the remains of which can still be seen. Limestone and coal for the kilns arrived by boat and return loads of lime would leave.

Above is the now open extension to Crick Marina adding 80 moorings. Back last year (see Sept 17th blog) they had just started digging it out. With all these new marinas being built i don`t understand why they don`t include residential berths, so many people are now coming on to the canals that can`t afford to buy bricks & mortar surely it would help them if some moorings were residential.

The swingbridge on the M. Harborough arm that carries one of the roads through Foxton village.

St. Dionysius` church in M. Harborough, the white fronted building alongside is the old grammar school built in 1614 below which a butter market was held. Behind these 2 buildings can be found the Symington Bros. corset factory and bike store.

The canal frozen over with some bread i threw out for the ducks and moorhens but also many other birds flew down to feed.

Above Chas on Moore2life passes by during the thaw.

The boat above chose to break through the ice risking the ice cutting into the blacking at the waterline that would allow rust to form. Not a good idea as it can`t be touched up easily while still in the water.
Above and below the whole of the Buckby lock flight has been drained for maintenance. Myself and Andy/Tina went prospecting along the drained canal and came back with fenders, 2 windlass (lock operating handles) and a coolie hat, it fits on top of the boat chimney to stop rain and wind blowing down it


This boat belongs to the house owner and is moored at the bottom of his garden on the non towpath side.

FOXTON

Well i have just put a large jacket potato in the oven and as i sit here typing the mist is closing in fast. The last few days have been very sunny but the nights have been cold, well outside it has but i am very snug and warm inside the boat thanks to the log burner. Had some heavy frosts the last few mornings and this morning the canal was covered in ice.
I have just recently changed my internet access from Orange to T-Mobile. The problem with Orange was the amount i could up/download was limited to 65MB per mth and this meant i had pictures dis-abled on my laptop and auto system updates restricted as these ate into my MB allowance dramatically.
Now with T-Mobile Web & Walk my allowance is 3 GB, that`s about 3000MB i think so as you can imagine i can now have the pictures & updates on all the time. Hope this is clear to you all as to me all this technology surrounds me like the mist outside that is by the way getting thicker as i type.
So the deal i got via Carphone Warehouse means i pay £15 per month on a 2yr contract, the Orange package was £23.50 for a lot less access. When i phoned Orange to cancel i wasn`t asked why i was cancelling, so much for customer service, but i guess they know the rates of other companys and i would not be surprised to see Orange change their rates soon. Apart from the money aspect the signal is better therefor faster surfing of the net is achieved.


Having left Braunston we travelled to Foxton stopping here and there as time was on our side.We wanted to be in Foxton for Saturday the 9th to attend a music night that was put on in aid of the East Midlands Air Ambulance. Tickets were £3 each and included sandwiches and hot dogs, as it was going to be a ticket only function owing to the limited space of the Bridge 61 pub we had phoned ahead to reserve our tickets.

So with this new internet deal i have emerged from the technology mist and experimented with putting video on the blog. The quality is not good as i used a basic digital camera and the lighting in the pub was low so i have included some photos as well. As you can see the musicians were on 2 sides of the room owing to lack of space. In the lower picture the 2 on the left came over from the west of Ireland just to play this one night.

Hope the video plays ok once i publish this blog and if all is ok i might do a daytime cruising video sometime.
Recently met up with 2 fellow travellers and bloggers, Chas&Ann on More2life & Mo&Vanessa on Balmaha and mo kindly told me how to do links. IF i have got it right you should be able to click on Balmaha above and go to their blog, I`m sure it will work when i publish my blog so thanks Mo/Vanessa and it was nice meeting you both for the first time.

Well i published but the video seems not to be there, all i can see is a square box when i view the blog as you would yet when i composed the blog the video was there. Sorry about that and i will try to find out what went wrong but in the meantime if anyone could put me right i would be grateful.

All is now ok on my PC see comments

BRAUNSTON

After exiting the tunnel and descending the flight of 6 locks the first building to be seen is the old water pumping station.

Just past the entrance to Braunston Marina stands the Stop House now a BW office but when built in 1796 by the Oxford canal company it was a main office and was where tolls were collected from boats using the companys routes.

Braunston village sits upon a hill overlooking the canal and like all villages it has a fine looking church. Braunston has had a church on this site since Norman times. The present church was built in 1848 at a cost of £6ooo and parts of the previous church that had stood for 500 yrs were used in its construction. The church was known as the boatmens Cathedral and many boat people are buried here. The name Nurser rang a bell as i walked around the graves as the Nurser family had a yard in Braunston. So many headstones were un-readable but i did see one dated 1672, as they say your a long time dead so make the most of life.

Next to the church is this old Windmill now a private residence.

If you stand on the bridge -built by Telford in 1834- next to the Stop House the view is the original line of the Oxford Canal that arrived in Braunston around 1774. At the far end a boat builders shed covers the last part of the canal. Standing here it`s hard to imagine the activity of boats loading and transhipping cargoes, Pickfords, Barlowes and Willow Wren being just some of the canal carriers who had premises here. Now the warehouses have given way to flats. Just behind the block of flats on the left horizon stood Braunston rail station now sadly no more although i did walk the trackbed to a point where it crossed another train line because at one time Braunston had 2 stations although the second was closer to Willoughby than Braunston

Across the road from the Boatbuilders shed the canal continued just behind the white wall and curved around the back of the houses one of which was once a pub "The Champion Inn"

Going behind the houses all that remains here is a large pond where once the Oxford flowed.
As it was a bright sunny day, what i hear you say, well it was a couple of weeks ago when i was here i spent 3 hours walking through fields tracing the old route still visable in places right upto the point it became the present route of the canal. It actually turned away from Braunston its twisting route coming back across the present line and ending up at the pond.

When you are trying to trace an old canal route it`s best to ask anyone you meet along the way if they can help but this lot either didn`t know or wouldn`t say.

The driver of this wasn`t around to ask so just keep walking someone will help

Ahh! a chance here but all she said was "I`m to busy looking after the little ones to help you"

Born the last week of January i hope they stay close to mum for warmth.

STOKE BRUERNE TO BRAUNSTON

Up through 7 locks brings us to Stoke Bruerne and what was an old 19c mill building is now the Stoke Bruerne canal museum, the cottages alongside the museum were once used to house the mill workers.

The canal museum at Stoke Bruerne

Also here at Stoke Bruerne lived Sister Mary Ward (1885-1972) daughter of a rope maker. Although not qualified as a nurse Sister Mary had spent 10 yrs as a nursing sister in convents across Europe and upon returning home to nurse her sick father she became the boat peoples nurse giving them much needed medical help long before the NHS started.

Sister Mary married and her husband Charlie Ward took over the family business that moved to a shed by lock 15 that was once occupied by a stone mason and this also became her surgery.

Until the late 1930`s she financed herself in the caring of boaters when the canal companies appointed her consultant sister to the boatmen and their families.

Boats coming up through the locks would know that upon seeing other boats moored up that someone was ill or that one of the boaters wives was about to give birth.

In 1951 Sister Mary was awarded the British Empire Medal and in 1959 was the subject of a "This is your life " programme. She retired in 1965 and passed away 7 yrs later.

Through Blisworth tunnel (3057yds long) on past Gayton Jct. where you can branch off to Northampton & the River Nene the next flight of locks is at Buckby and just before the flight I

Noticed this cruiser still half submerged as it was a year ago. Climbing 63` through 7 locks brings us to Norton Jct. where the Leicester Arm leaves the main line but we are carrying on to Braunston.

The tunnel is 2042yds long and as i travelled through i remembered the landslide that had occurred last year restricting the canal width and view from both directions and in fact closing the canal for a short time so that emergency dredging could take place.

So having slowed down i was pleased to see that all the trees and vegetation had been cleared but still some dredging was needed to restore the canal to it`s full width but at least you can now see a boat approaching. You can see in the picture below I took last year the angle I had to steer around the slip to enter the tunnel.

Trees now cleared giving a better view to boaters

So as the sun sets over the bottom lock at Braunston I`ll say goodnight.

SUMMIT LEVEL

The Grand Union Canal leaves it`s jct. with the River Thames and ascends 380` through 56 locks on its 36 mile journey to its summit level at Tring. Completed in 1797 the summit level is 2 1/2 miles long stretching from Cow Roast lock just south of Tring in Hertfordshire to Bulbourne lock at the jct. of the Wendover Arm.
The Wendover Arm, the arch to the left in the above picture, was built in 1797 for the purpose of feeding water to the summit level from local springs and as its name suggests went into the village of Wendover. Sadly little of the arm is in water but work has been going on since the late 80`s by the Wendover Trust WWW.WENDOVERARMTRUST.CO.UK to once again make it navigable for its entire length.
Eventually the arm began to leak and instead of it had the opposite effect. In the dry summer months working boats would queue for days to cross the summit level so in the early 1800`s the canal co. built tring reservoir to feed a pumping station on the Wendover Arm.

One of the reservoirs at Tring

Today there are 4 reservoirs at Tring feeding the Gd. Union. The reservoirs are lower than the canal so Tringford pumping stn. on the Wendover Arm was used to pump water from deep wells created below the pumping stn. into the W Arm and thence by gravity water entered the summit level. The water travelled from the reservoirs underground through brick lined tunnels into the wells.
At the height of summer 4 million galls are pumped into the canal. As a lock is used 50,000 galls will drain from the summit level.
So after that long climb up to the summit we start to descend 42` down the Marsworth flight of 7 locks using water from the summit level to lower us down. Anyone coming the other way would use water from the summit to fill the same lock to raise them up.

A festive cottage half way down Marsworth flight

Nice to satisfy your curiosity and not just accept that the locks take you up and down. How? Why? When? didn`t seem to important in my working life perhaps the rat race didn`t allow time to stop and think but just get on with it. Nice now to have that time and to pass on to you all what i have found so interesting.

2008 - THE CRUISE GOES ON

Hello everyone Happy New Year to you all.

Well hands up who`s started a diet or joined a gym, maybe you have started chewing the gum as one of your new year resolutions. I`ve made a new yr resolution that i intend to keep in that i will never be late for work and i won`t pull a sicky. Sorry to all of you now back at work and the only advice i can give is make a plan for retirement and try to make it work. Life afloat wasn`t the plan of my late wife Valerie and i, in fact it was to buy a place near to the Norfolk Broads a place we had many boating holidays. But then life is like a game of cards and you never know your hand till dealt and you then have to play it the best you can so here i am on a boat named Valerie so we sort of retired together. Anyway don`t know why i started off the blog in this way maybe the time of year, thoughts etc.

So after leaving Uxbridge i made my way through dozens of locks sometimes on my own and some locks shared with others. One couple were heading to Warwick for christmas and another to Peterborough, hope they all made it in time.

My destination was Cow Roast summit level of the Gd. Union Canal but more of that in the next blog as it got me thinking while there over Christmas why? when? and how? so i went looking for answers.

Leaving Watford after my daughter in law Bev`s visit the canal passes beneath the M25 near to

Kings Langley and the Wind Turbine pictured above can be seen from the canal. If you have travelled on the M25 between say the M1 and Heathrow you might have noticed it. The wind turbine is located at Beaufort Court, http://www.beaufortcourt.com/ which is the head office of Renewable Energy Systems a very `green` company that claims zero emissions from it`s HQ that is actually sited on the old Ovaltine egg farm part of the Ovaltine factory now gone to be replaced by canal side housing. Ovaltine had their own narrow boats for shipping coal and goods in and out of the factory.

Cruising along at a slow pace gives time to view the your surroundings and some of the wildlife

don`t seem to disturbed by your presence.

In the last blog i mentioned the cupboard i intended to build and i managed to do this after returning from Christmas at Luton with son Kev and his partner Joanne. Below you have the before and after pictures. In the lower pic the CD`s are sitting on the shelf as i have yet to decide exactly where to fit them. Being able now to hang my coats up is wonderful and the space below is very handy.

Earlier on this evening i was watching the new series of Waterworld all about canals, now this programme is on Central tv but with technology being what it is i was able to tune my Sky-Box and add Central tv as a channel i could watch whenever. This was something i was not aware of and learnt it from my friend and fellow blogger Sue on NB No Problem ( link to her blog is above to the right) so if you want to add other channels to your Sky box at home or on your boat then go to Sue`s blog and follow her link.

CHRISTMAS 2007

Have now turned myself around and i am heading away from London. Having taken on water and emptied the loo i set off on Monday leaving my good friends and travelling companions Andy/Tina & John. Ahead of me about 20 hrs and 40 odd locks.

Cruised through ice at Harefield for about 1 1/2miles but this was no surprise as the canal at this point is very open and surrounded by lakes. So far have managed to team up with other boaters to share some of the locks but still have ben on my own through some.

At Watford my daughter in law stopped by on her way to work to drop off prezzies and surprised me by her having a non work day that meant we had a nice cuppa well 2 actually and a natter. Thanks Bev i enjoyed your company.

Two more stops on the way as i met people i know but as i`ve got plenty of time it was nice to stop.

This time last year i had on board some veneered panels to make my Dinette and again i have more panels this time to add a floor to ceiling cuboard near the front doors to hang coats and for extra storage. This time of year well just after christmas anyway is a good time to do a few jobs while waiting for all the winter stoppages to finish and when i have finished the alterations i will blog some pics.

Well i`m looking forward to seeing some of the G`children open their prezzies and all that remians to do is wish you all a very happy christmas and most important a very healthy new year. Thankyou all for your support and kind comments And "Annon" if you do happen to still read my lifeless blog my good wishes also go to you, i bear you no malice.

Working boats outside the Shroppie Fly on the Audlem Flight of locks

DON`T GET GASSED

A few months ago i fitted a smoke alarm and a Carbon Monoxide alarm. Just as with many insurances you have them and hopefully never need to claim but god help you if something happens and you are not covered.
Well sitting here yesterday evening doing the blog the C. Monoxide alarm suddenly went off and after recovering from a near heart attack, boy is it LOUD, i silenced it and first went out and pushed the brush down the chimney thinking the logs i have been burning lately had caused tar to form on the inside and cause a blockage. Having satisfied myself all was ok i then checked around the joint where the chimney enters the top of the stove, i had at the beginning of winter renewed the fire cement here but worth checking i thought but no all was ok. Next the door seal, not easy to check other than looking for any breaks or overly compressed sections that might allow fumes to seep out. By now i`m mystified no explanation so i decided to shut the front doors, these were thrown open before i even silenced the alarm-- fresh air first sort it second, after 2 hours the alarm was still silent but just in case i decided to leave the fire out.
This morning after a nights sleep a closer look at the problem revealed the glass in the door had cracked and because the heat tends to craze the glass it is not as obvious as say in the clear boat windows.
Luckily i managed to get a new glass today from a boat chandlers.
I blog this not to you at home although fitting alarms is a good idea because your central heating boiler can emit C. Monoxide if not in good order, no it`s to other boaters i appeal to. Our small living space can quickly fill with fumes so please check your stove door glass carefully and fit an alarm. If mine had not been there it is a very real possibility i could have been poisoned while i slept that night.

I`ve been asked how i manage to travel the canals without the help of a crew. Well the same tasks have to be undertaken ie mooring the boat and operating the lock but obviously being on your own it takes longer but hey time is on my side and if i don`t get there today then tomorrow will do.
Mostly i have been travelling with friends Andy/Tina and John and between us we get into a routine. With 3 boats going through wide locks as here on the Gd. Union we usually take any 2 through the lock first and 1 of the 2 will go ahead and prepare the next lock while the other helps the 3rd through. If i go ahead i might have the lock ready with the gate open so that the following 2 can go straight in and i then become the 3rd boat and the sequence carries on with one of the others going ahead. Sometimes the boat going ahead will have the kettle on and by the time we lock 2 boats through everyone has a cuppa.
So cruising alone and no one to brew up so my first task before setting off is make up a flask, very handy when winter cruising.
Lets say i`m going uphill and as i approach the lock and from a distance my first hope is i see another boat coming down towards me in which case i stop mid stream and wait for them to exit the lock and i can go straight in without having done a thing.
In the absence of another boat coming through my next hope is can i see a slight gap between the gates showing the lock is empty. If no gap can be seen then all i can do is moor up and walk upto the lock to prepare it. Another alternative is to put the bow against the gate leave the engine in gear slightly and step off the back with a rope, empty the lock and the boat will gently drift in as you open the gate. I`ve given up doing this for many reasons the main one being that the boat usually pushes the opposite gate open and you then have to go all round the lock to shut it.
Right there is a slight gap so i edge the bow upto the gate and gently repeat gently nudge the gate open. Now remember i`m going uphill and if i stay on board and take the boat into the lock i then have to climb up onto the roof walk along and then climb the lock ladder to get upto the lockside. All movements on /off and around a boat in a lock can result in an accident the least being a slight tumble and the worst falling in and either side of the boat will find you not only in deep water but also the sandwich filling between a brick wall and 17 tons of steele boat.
My way no matter if i`ve nudged the gate open or opened it by hand is to slowly bring the boat in and as i pass the steps as pictured below i take a centre rope, i have one each side of the boat coming from a roof fixing half way down the boat to within easy reach of the tiller,
and step off not jump as these steps can be slimy and walk up to the top of the lock lifting the rope over the lock gate i then take the rope around a bollard to bring the boat to a standstill before it hits the top gate. Just a small bump on the gate can be enough to empty a book shelf or a worktop of whatever you might have left out.

Cor never done so much typing lets take a christmas ad break and put the kettle on.
Des Lynam is dressed up as santa with a very pretty Mrs Santa selling something but all the bloke wants for christmas is some puppies?

Some jeweller is selling diamonds so bright they leave a trail of light behind as you walk, bit like the vapour trail behind a plane in the sky.

Woolworth are doing some deals on DVDs that have been out for ever, never the latest ones are they.

Oh and all hurry down to Tesco and you might bump into the Spice Girls.

But wait a minute, Phil Collins music now they`ve got my attention...........chocolate! Mr Cadbury i`m your best customer but please please tell me .. HOW on earth did you teach that Gorrilla to play the drums.

Right i`ve got me cup of tea and put another log on the fire so i leave the rope around the bollard so i `ve always got contact with the boat and i shut the gate. The ground paddle has to be raised to fill the lock and lift the boat to the next level. On single locks both paddles can be raised as the boat has very little space to move around in but on these double locks the sudden inflow of water can cause the boat to be thrown around not a problem if 2 boats are using a double lock but i am here on my own so i just half raise the paddle on the same side as the boat and the water will sweep in under the boat to the rear and hold the boat to the side of the lock as the lock fills i can fully raise the paddle and can then cross the lock to raise the other paddle as by this time the lock has filled to such a degree that incoming water will not have a dramatic effect as when the lock was empty.
Now this tip i learnt from a lady when i first started life on board, she was waiting to lock her boat through from the other direction why in 90% of couples on a boat is it the lady doing the locks? We`ve got lady bus drivers and pilots so what makes it a must for the bloke to stand on the back of the boat and watch the ladies struggle with lock gates. That little tip would have come in handy on one of the first trips out when i opened both paddles and the boat went diagonally across the lock and one of the single steps fitted at the eachside on the curved part of the stern became caught in a gap between the bricks of the lock wall, as the water went down one side of the boat didn`t and it tipped at an alarming rate but because of another tip i learnt i was standing next to the gate paddle watching the boat( never take your eyes off a boat in a lock) as i dropped the paddle down to stop the water draining and the boat tipping anymore it slid out of the gap in the brickwork Phew could have been nasty.
With the lock full i open one gate and slowly exit as i clear the gate a little reverse will stop the boat as i step off with a stern rope, no the ropes not stern just plain rope thats attached to the back, shut the gate step back on and away i go.
So thats going uphill, going down is much the same but as the boat enters the lock i am already level with the lockside so no walking up the steps with a rope this bit is done as i exit and shut the gate but the rope i use is the stern one.
Swingbridges are a pain thats the hand operated ones as opposed to electric key operated. The problem is they always pivot on the non towpath side with no where to moor because of bushes etc, goes back to the horse drawn boat days when the horse can walk past without the tow rope coming in contact with the bridge. What i do is get close to the bridge and take the front rope with me across the bridge open same and pull the boat through grabbing the stern rope as the boat passes close the bridge walk back across and pull the boat towards the towpath and away you go. With electric operation it`s a case of mooring and keeping traffic waiting while you open the bridge and walk back to get the boat moor again and close the bridge.
There`s lots of little things to help a solo boater on his way but with time being no matter you just accept that it will take longer A to B but it`s not impossible.

So christmas looms and this year i am spending the festive period with another of my offspring so i will be heading back away from the London to Herts / Beds area anyone seeing me if i pass your way is welcome to a mince pie and a cuppa.
I hope to post a Christmas card for you all in the next few days.

DAY TRIP TO LONDON ON A TRAIN---YUK!

Coming south from Hemel i spotted this widebeam ahead and my first thought was shiny new


boat it must be Les D & Heidi on their newly launched "BLUE PEARL". No sign of you two being on board so we will have to meet another time. By the way Les the e mail is on the comments box & mine is 15a.


Further along whilst moored at Croxley i caught site of this narrowboat on the back of a lorry

crossing the canal. One place for sure it wasn`t heading was the Earls Court Boat Show because as you can see in the picture below it consisted mainly of high priced yachts.

I decided to have a day out in London to visit the show so clutching my off peak travel card, off peak? even insisting i was in the peak of condition it was still £7.80, i bravely ventured onto the train. Now the first part of the journey to Baker St. was fine although part of the underground system the trains are quite large but changing onto other lines in particular the piccadilly the tunnells are smaller so of course are the trains, height wise that is. Noisy and stuffy with people sitting with faces like you get at the dentist, not used to this i`m a fresh air man. Did you know boaters do it breathing in fresh air.

Anyway i knew knew in my heart of hearts there wouldn`t be much in the way of canal boats and i was right, in fact just 5 inland waterway boats. One was a Hoeseasons holiday boat another a Trail-boat ( can be towed on a trailer waterway to waterway) so that left just 3 builders showing their wares. Disapointed but not surprised the idea was to have a day out so i had a good walk around and at least there were some sales people on stands such as Solar to chat to.
Now this event is publisised as a Boat Show so can anyone tell me why Bentley had 2 of their cars there and hot tubs were on display next to Armchairs that gave you a massage!

Anyway i met Tony Brooks who answers technical boat questions in Canal Boat magazine and made a good usefull contact on a Vetus dealer stand. NB Valerie has a Vetus engine below decks.

So all in all not a wasted day.

Anyone been watching the BBC programme £800 million station recently concluded on BBC2.
Having watched and enjoyed the story of how St Pancras Stn. was restored and transformed into the new terminus for Eurostar trains i couldn`t miss out on a visit on the way back to the boat.
St. Pancras Stn. was designed by William Barlow and building started in 1866. It has a roof of 689` in length, although this has now been extended in glass to accomadate the Eurostar trains, the height was 100` and the 243`span made it the largest enclosed space in the world, a record held for many years.
The basement of the station was opened up and now contains many big name retailers, M&S,

and Hamleys being two that spring to mind. Upstairs at platform level following Wm. Barlows

record largest enclosed space another record has been set by way of Europes longest Champagne bar. Above not a clear picture but if you enlarge it just above the escalator rail on the left part of it can be seen separated from the Eurostar train by a tall glass panel.

On Dec 9th First Capital Connect are relocating from Kings X Thameslink stn so St Pancras station looks to be very much a major London Termini.



This 9 metre high bronze of a couple embracing is by sculptor Paul Day and its siting at the end

of the platforms is meant to become a meeting place for travellers, bit like `meet me under the clock at Victoria i`ll be wearing a carnation` well for a so called meeting place it`s a bit short of some comfortable seats in fact any seating would be nice.

Sir John Betjeman was mostly responsible for saving St. Pancras from demolition in the 1960`s and personally i`m glad because i think the new mixes in with the old very well.

So London-Paris 2hrs 15mins. I wonder how far the steam trains of the late 1800`s would have travelled in that time.

BIRTHDAY BOY

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

J A C K