A WEEKEND AWAY

Left Berko on Friday lunchtime in search of somewhere, not strictly true i knew my destination, quiet for the weekend. Fri/Sat nights can as in any town be busy and the local beer saturated residents noisily making their way home via the towpath sometimes using a line of moored boats as objects of fun can be annoying. Being set adrift or having them banging on the roof as they pass is not for me.

As i left i passed this Aluminium (A loom num to you Jaq) boat. having spent some time talking to the owner it transpired it, the hull that is, started life as a ships lifeboat. He has added the cabin with the intention of bringing another craft to the canal in the form of Stained glass windows and intends to have people aboard on one day tuition sessions.

This old canal building is the most interesting canalside structure in Berko. That open door is the security guards office, close up in the picture below.

A before and after now in the next 2 pics. Above is a picture i took in Dec. 2008 and below the Bridgewater Hire base has gone. There has been a big battle to save this site but it seems the builders are having their way although i`m sure i`ve read that they didn`t get their original big planning application approved, must have a google and see what the story is.

So below is where i spent the weekend in company with 6 horses, 14 geese, 2 swans, some Coots,  

5 ducklings and a Heron that spent a lot of time patrolling the field. Old Mac Les had a farm e i e i  Ok   i`ll shut up. Peaceful and sunny sitting on the front deck with a book or walking the fields and lanes, oh how i miss work, oh how i miss the hustle and bustle, oh how i lie.

SOUTH TO BERKHAMSTED

Time to move on and following my stay in Marsworth i went up through the flight of 6 locks to spend some time at Cowroast on the summit level, now it`s downhill through 34 locks to Cassio Bridge where i shall meet Jaq in just 2weeks and 3 days.
It`s been a slow journey down with plenty of longer than usual stops which makes finding something to blog difficult but no doubt when Jaq comes aboard her new home before we fly back to the States to marry there might be a lot more blogs.

This boat on the Wendover Arm has ended up on the bottom. Once somebody`s home it`s now i would guess a removal problem for BW.

My daughter in law Ozlem looking very relaxed on her visit

 

because son Steve is keeping an eye on Teo and Batu.

The water tank has taken a beating with so many visitors so top up before leaving Cowroast.



Into Berkhamsted for a few days gives me a chance to stock up the galley and find a laundrette to give the Duvet a wash as for sure it won`t fit my machine on board.

The old Town hall in Berko is now a coffee bar/restaurant.

Friday will probably be my moving on day as i know of a quiet little spot just before Winkwell that will be good for the w`end.

Next week i will start the spring clean of the boat before Jaq arrives which includes washing the ceiling and walls, drastic?  No the reason is i`ve decided that Jaq`s arrival will signify the start of my being a non smoker as the confines of a narrow boat will not be a healthy environment for the two of us. I have done a test wipe over on the ceiling and although the stove contributes to the muck up above my smoking must be the main cause. So it`s a case of will power or patches but i think will power and the the love of my life being on board that will win.

I must say i enjoyed smoking, but now have to consider Jaq`s health, and when flying out to the states have gone without  a smoke for 20+ hours so i think it will be easy. Of the 2 drugs (love & nicotine) my money is on love.

MARSWORTH enjoying the sunshine

Hope everyone`s enjoying the early summer, long may it last, and having a chance to chill out like me with an extended stay at Marsworth topping up my tan. With the weather being so good Marsworth has been very busy with the flight of locks an boat movements through them giving both young and old the chance to see how the canals work. The usual comments by the children as i sit on the front deck, "mummy do people really live in boats" or "look dad that one has a windmill on the roof" or "mum they have a sink, why don`t they use a dishwasher" plus lots more the boaters amongst you have heard no doubt

Plenty of interest from the adult males about the wind genny and the solar panel which is by the way giving out a steady 5.4amps. The genny has now taken over as i write with the wind being the main food for my batteries and is giving a 2 amp boost to the weakened sun but together i still get 3/4 amps. 

The long stay as i travel slowly south into Jaq`s arms, just 3weeks 3days now, gives me time to carry on with prepping the our boat with the fridge now boxed in and the shelf in place above the washing machine behind those little doors.

Another job i`ve been meaning to do is the non slip rubber on the back deck which for some time has slowly been winning the battle with the glue holding it down. I mentioned this to Jaq saying i would try and find something to smarten it up once it was re-glued and she had the brilliant idea of using the tyre black paint used on car tyres. Well i must say it has been a success although i will say try and give it a long drying time so it soaks in and hardens.

On the way into Marsworth a film crew were busy making a TV advert for the O2 phone company. I later learnt from other boaters in Marsworth they had also been filming at the locks with the involvement of a horse. One of the film crew said the ad is due to be screened in May  so watch your screens.

 Below NB Valerie moored right beside the reservoir, the Red boat is selling Canal ware and was doing a good trade selling amongst other wares painted horseshoes with your name added while u wait.

This proud mum came along with her brood of 13 but over 3 days the numbers reduced to 12 then down to 8. Not her being a bad mother but Mother Nature at work with either Pike, Heron or Crow or possibly all three enjoying a meal, sad yes but that`s the way life is.

Just a few steps from the boat just one of 4 Reservoirs in the area all built by the canal company back in the early 1800`s to supply water to the canal. The 3 mile summit level between Cow Roast and Bulborne needs a healthy supply of water with boats coming up to or leaving the summit using many thousands of galls of water to do so.

The trip boat was a regular operating cruises from Pitstone turning halfway up the Marsworth locks. This one was hosting a 60th birthday and the w`end night time trips were disco themed.

Plenty of good walks around the reservoirs with good paths a nice way to spend an hour or so away from the crowds.
One walk took me across to the Wendover Arm basin and across fields to see how the renovation of this 6 mile or so canal was progressing. Some parts are in water but this section has been cleared to allow access for work parties and equipment.

Swans on the runway

Swans overhead waiting to land.

2 NEW CREW Plus good cruising companions

Half term and two of my grandchildren Keirnan and Jack have joined me for the week. The first few hours went fine but Keirnan being the youngest decided after being put to bed that he missed mum, cuddles and bribery had no effect and so Kiernan jumped ship when mum arrived.

Jack(left) and Keirnan

Do you all agree with Jack, it weighs at least 10lb

Now young Jack has been aboard a few times over the years so he was just fine doing locks, tying up the boat, fishing and washing the boat again and again and again........when he wasn`t eating that is.

Jack making up for eating all but one of the cakes

Moored up near Slapton village Jack and i went for a walk across the fields in amongst the grazing cows and walking back along the towpath came across George and Carol on Rock `n` Roll moored about a mile ahead of us. This morning we travelled down to Marsworth sharing the locks and jack was in his element walking the towpath either with George or Molly the dog.

Valerie & Rock `n` Roll in a lock

Rock `n` Roll entering a lock thru a bridge hole

George & Jack on swing bridge duty

Molly looks on hopeful as George plays Chef

Upon reaching Marsworth George and Carol kindly invited us to their BBQ..................many thanks to you both.

COSGROVE and Nb Valerie is in print

I set off through Blisworth Tunnel which as usual was a very wet journey with water dripping from the roof and at one point cascading down one of the ventilation shafts. After mooring at Stoke Bruerne for a cuppa i decided to go down the lock flight and moor below the bottom lock just for one night as i wanted to reach a point of easy access to visit the Grandchildren over the weekend. One more short hop to Cosgrove picking up diesel and gas on the way and a night stop gave the chance for a walk along the Great Ouse.

The canal crossing the river here at Cosgrove started in 1800 with 4 locks descending down to the river and the same number bringing the canal back up by the lock at Cosgrove. The river flooding was a cause of delay here and in 1805 an Aqueduct came into use and the 8 locks became redundant.

Luckily the locks were left in situ because in 1808 the Aqueduct collapsed and the locks once again were pressed into service until a temporary wooden structure once again carried the canal across the river.

The present iron trough Aqueduct opened in 1811 and has given good service with minimal maintenance to the present day.

Although the bed of the canal can be plainly seen on both sides of the river no trace of the locks remain and the modern style lock is just in place to show visitors how it looked. Going down the steps by the Aqueduct you can walk along the river into Stony Stratford taking about 30 minutes.


When i took on diesel at Yardley Gobion i picked up a copy of the April issue of Towpath Talk and while at Cosgrove sitting in the sunshine, cup of tea, piece of cake, with my feet up not a care in the world, sorry non

boaters but it`s part of the hardship we boaters suffer on a daily basis. Where was i, ok i opened the paper and there was a picture of NB Valerie featuring in an article on `How green can i be afloat` . Page 89 is the page you need to read the article using the.............you`ll work it out. NB Valerie is the right hand picture.

BLISWORTH TUNNEL a canal builders nightmare

As i cruise around i find the history of what is now my home absolutely fascinating. The present day world is there to see but a 200year old canal system that i now live on hides it`s past be it because of mother nature or more often human intervention.  It is there to research and as others like to follow other pastimes in retirement i have chosen the history. I hope others get some enjoyment from my blog that tends to be different to other boating blogs. Don`t get me wrong, i enjoy a huge number of  boaters blogs for their content and style of writing and hope we can all blog as one big happy family.

Late 1793 a contract to build Blisworth tunnel at £10 per yard was negotiated. Within a year the contractor was failing miserably and the canal company took over but by 1796 so much water was entering the workings that work had to stop. It was recommended to carry the canal across the hill by lock flights, this was turned down and the solution was to start the tunnel more to the east at the Blisworth end. Perhaps this accounts for the curved approach we now have as we approach the tunnel entrance. (not seen in the above pic)



One of the ventilation shafts for the tunnel.

So again work started now at £16 per yd -- which reminds me that the original cost for a branch to Daventry was estimated at £6000 and i`m wondering IF they ever build a Daventry Arm what it will cost.--  but this soon all but stopped as it was felt work needed to be done elsewhere on the route. 1802 is the next significant date because a new lower priced contract at £15 was awarded (must be when compare the market.com started) and Blisworth Tunnel was finished in 1805.

Over the years a lot of repair work went on but in the 1980s the tunnel was closed for some years for massive work involving re-lining a large part of the tunnel with concrete rings. Click here.

One of the concrete rings used to re-line the Tunnel

Back to 1797 and a road was built over the hill to transship cargoes, this was soon followed by a Tramway that started at the wharf  next to the Mill at bridge 51 and ran to the bottom of the Stoke Bruerne locks. It was proposed to continue it to Cosgrove but the decision was made to finish the canal rather than have to long a Tramway. If you walk back from the tunnel on the non towpath side 2 GJCCo. markers can be seen and it`s
along here the Tramway ran.

Another marker bottom left surrounded by nettles Jaq.

  As for the rest of the route across the hill i`m not sure if any trace remains although it has been investigated in the past. Click here.

INTO BLISWORTH

Ok the blog editor is back after letting the sub-editor feel her feet. The fair sex have a better way of  making announcements than us blokes so i put the blog in the capable hands of Jaq, i won`t say just for one week as it won`t be to long before she will be blogging jointly with me fromNB Valerie.

So now everyone knows  the plans and all that is needed is for all the paperwork that the UK Border Agency need to process Jaq`s visa and we can both live happily ever after. The amount of paperwork is astounding plus the things they want to know even about me, finances,accommodation,proof of length of relationship, it goes on and on. We did get some good tips off the Internet from others having gone through the hoop and one was to present the paperwork in an indexed file to make it easy to process and hopefully add speed to the conclusion. So i`m having to obtain statements from Internet banks and spend ages photo copying (they want originals and copies) the dozens of other requested documents. All be worth it.

So the slow journey south continues and i`m taking the time to carry on with some alterations and boat maintenance.

The washing machine is working and i`ve utilised the space above

Extra cupboard space in the bedroom, just the door to finish it off.

This stretch of canal down to Blisworth opened late 1796 and is slightly longer(just under a mile) than originally planned owing to following the contour and avoiding more heavy earthworks as had been needed at Weedon & Bugbrooke. The biggest challenge was Blisworth tunnel that proved a costly long drawn out construction.

Nb Valerie ontop of the embankment at Weedon

Bloggers are still around and Ian and Karen on NB Tacet stopped the night at Weedon on their way to the Nene. It was a first time meet for us all so it was nice to be able to invite them aboard for a cuppa. Also George and Carol on NB Rock`n`Roll passed by today, probably see more of them as we head in the same direction.

International Wedding plans--Wiccan and British

American:

It is with great Joy 

we announce our 

upcoming nuptials:

Les C. Biggs

 & 

Jaqueline M. Almdale

will be handfasted

in an official 

Wiccan wedding ceremony

Saturday, June 18, 2011

10:00 am

Kamiak Butte

Pullman, WA USA

 Private luncheon 

to follow at the home 

of

Jim and Karen Barron

320 NW Joe Street.

An open reception 

will be held on

Saturday, July ninth, 2011

at

Keith and Chrisi Kincaid's farm

1251 Enman-Kincaid Rd. 

Living on a narrow boat 

means space is at a premium;

We ask guests to bring 

a pot luck dish to share 

in lieu of wedding gifts Please!

Join us for dinner, 

wedding cake, sparkling wine,

and dancing under 

the summer evening sky!

British: 

With joy and 

thanksgiving 

for having 

found each other,

Les & Jaqueline Biggs

will reaffirm 

their vows of marriage

in the presence 

of 

family and friends,

sometime in September, 2011

at a British church

to be announced. 

Reception after

also to be announced. 

We will be

in residence at home 

aboard NB Valerie, 

somewhere on the

canals of England!

Hi everyone, 

     It's me, Jaqueline--or Jaq. Les asked me to write this blog post--typical init? The wedding plans always fall to the Bride!! ;) 

     Given that we come from two different countries with different laws regarding marriage and immigration, we have an international wedding team!

     After a thorough perusal of the U.K. Border Agency web site we determined it is less time consuming, far less expensive ($2400.00 vs. $3600.00 and one less visa step) if we married here in the States and I applied for a Spouse Visa.

     In the United States one may get married literally anywhere. One goes to the county clerk's office in the county where one resides, pays a fee of $58.00, flashes one's birth certificates, tells the clerk names, dates of birth, and place of birth of one's parents, show a photo I.D, and the marriage certificate is issued. 

     The happy couple wait a minimum of three days, and then get hitched by the judge or clergy of their choice, in the presence of a minimum of two witnesses. A church wedding will have additional fees attached.

Kamiak Butte, Washington USA

We will be married in the morning on Kamiak Butte in a Wiccan handfast. My dear friend Patti Gora McRavin has gone and gotten herself ordained by the Church of Scientific and Spiritual Humanism, and the Right Reverend Patti will officiate at our ceremony. (For her inspiring love story which is intertwined with ours please continue to follow my blog.)   

     Since we will already be married when we return together in late August, we will arrange an affirmation of our wedding vows through the Church of England. These arrangements will be firmed up while I am over visiting from May 22nd-June 11th.

     While I may visit England on a visa waiver for a period of six months, Les may only visit America on a visa waiver for a period of three months. Les and I will fly back to Pullman together in June, get married, and begin the daunting Spouse Visa application process.

     There is only one shot at this--make a mistake or leave something out--the British Embassy issues an automatic denial and there is no appeal process.

     It can take up to three months--and sometimes longer for a Spouse visa to be issued, and if the British Embassy clerk in Los Angeles, California has any questions about my application they may request an in person interview at their convenience. 

     We must file a five page application, pay an initial $1200.00 fee, and include my passport, our birth certificates, Val's death certificate, my divorce decree, our marriage license, six months worth of our bank statements,  a year's phone records and any emails we have sent one another; a letter from my employer about telecommuting from the U.K., and I must have my biometrics taken at the Federal courthouse in Spokane, which will be kept on file for ten years. (And this is the easiest route for lovers from our respective countries to make legally abiding arrangements to live together until death us do part!)

     In the meantime I must find a good home for my feline friend Wee Man, who would never survive the six month quarantine required by the U.K., put my home up for sale, and winnow out most of my belongings, paring everything down to the essentials. While I am blessed with a home full of lovely things--they are only "things" and with very few exceptions, most of them are meaningless without Les.

      My deepest thanks to all who have offered their good wishes and blessings to us both. I look forward to meeting you all on the cut.
May you have joy in your journey!

My route is on the Gd. Union that started life as the Gd. Jct. Canal following the granting of an act of Parliament in 1793. The Oxford canal company`s route to London via the Thames was long and the Gd. Jct. was to be a much shorter and therefore more competitive.
Braunston Tunnel opened in 1796 was originally planned at 1,600yds long but ended up at 2000+ to reduce the long cuttings at each end. At the same time the canal opened to Weedon.

My first overnight stop is Norton Jct. at the top of the Buckby flight of  7 locks, take heart fellow boaters that if the original plans had stood this flight would have been 10 locks.
Down the Buckby flight and just a short distance brings me to the scene of much tree felling. The trees are on the

 Brockhall estate and are being commercially harvested and the site will be replanted soon after. Now the two men on site were not going to let me take any large pieces but were quite happy for me to remove small cuttings and my top box was soon full of a lot of good oak logs. Making them Coffee seemed to speed negotiations to the benefit of all.
I decided to stop the night at Weedon but so far this has stretched into 2 nights because of the lovely sunshine and the need to touch up the paintwork below the Gunnel's.

The mooring next to the church has it`s good and bad points, the bad being the close proximity of the railway and the bell practise in the church last night but the deciding factor was the very low concrete edging that made it 

easier to do the paintwork. The temptation now is to wind the boat and do the other side but i`ll wait and see how the weather is tomorrow. Time is on my side as i`m meeting Jaq at Heathrow in May so have plenty of time to get down to the Watford area which will be easier by cab when i pick her up. Together we have made plans for our future and i will reveal these perhaps in the next blog.

                                                        Signs of summer are all around.