Miles, smiles and more miles

Friday 12th December to Sunday 14th December 2014

It was a quite early start - even for us - with a doctor's appointment in Watford at just after 11am - we needed to be on the road around 7am.
Fortunately we seem to have in-built alarms and after finishing breakfast, completing the packing and locking the boat, we were in the car and moving by 6:45am.

We knew that it would take a bit over 3 hours of actual travel and these days on these roads we like to have a bit of a break along the way, so a need to build that into the calculations.
Traffic was reasonable and as has been our custom we take the M6 tollway - simply because there is always roadworks on the M6; always traffic congestion; always speed restrictions, and; invariably an accident. We were correct on the first 3 and not on the last one.

The interchange from the M6 to the M1 is creating it's own disruption and scheduled to last another 2 years, but we did get through there without too many problems, although it was slow at times.
All-in-all we were about an hour early, but Diane always has a list of things that we need to take care of when we have a car, and when we are in Watford there are things that we can't do elsewhere.
So we used up some of that time to cross a few items off the list.

For once Diane was called in to see the doctor on time and was out unusually early. However, there was a need for a blood test and so we raced off to Watford General to get that all seen to.

After all of this and filling the car with petrol, it was then time visit Maggie and Paddy (Diane's aunt and uncle) - our mail collectors. Time to catch up on the family news, and pass on stories of our travels as well as pictures from home. Maggie is Diane's dad's (Terry or Fil) only sister, and so photo's of his 80th birthday were shown.
 

There's nothing under the tree yet for your dear!

A cuppa for all occassions

Later on we all decided to venture out - on a Friday night - for a meal - this being decided to be at the local Toby Carvery - as usual the meal was very good and we all stuffed ourselves with too much - they shouldn't allow us to do that - Diane would have loved dessert - anything at all so long as it came with gallons of hot custard - alas it was not to be.
 

Maggie, Paddy and David

We stayed the night as it had been a while since we had been down and gave us a better chance to see them; also it is such a time of the year that with darkness descending so early and it being so cold, the inside of a nice warm house is more appealing than the long drive back in the dark and eventual chill of the late night.
 

Patchy the hampster

A friendly little thing she is

The following day was a different matter and we did have to head back again, unfortunately; we did however decide to break up the journey with a visit to Kedleston Hall near Derby.

Part of our plans for the coming year are that each time we hire a car we would make a concerted effort to see a National Trust property not near to a canal. So armed with our new NT members cards (which had come in the mail that had come to Watford) we drove on - arriving just in time for a satisfying lunch in what used to be the kitchen of the house.
Christmas time was in the air and a very nice touch was the arrival of carolers singing from a balcony crossing over this area. Entertainment at lunch time, and well appreciated by all who heard.
 

Kitchen and lunch...

and the carolers

The tour around the house was limited to the main central area and a number of rooms off on one wing - much of the remainder of the house is still being refurbished in the style of the mid to late 18th century - but what was available was well presented and as is usual with these properties you have to really wonder about the concentration of wealth in the hands of so few.

Time did not quite get away, as there was still the matter of getting back to the boat without being too late.
 

The church

Lovely inside, but still cold

The Vicar of  Drivel maybe

There is always a point where you can see what is about to happen, and for us on this day it took a couple more hours for that to happen.

Diane had a thought and I didn't disagree with it at all - It would be really nice to catch up with Paul and Elaine, who were making their way to Stone for the night -indeed for a couple of nights in preparation for a Xmas dinner with all of us who had been co-horts in drinking so much last year - a boater's reunion.
It was planned for the Sunday and we would be there, but it would be nice to get a head start and we would drive home a little later.

In such a short time we arrived; Diane had messaged ahead; we were all sitting down in the bar area of the hotel in comfortable chairs - in the warmth. Before Diane even had a chance to say it, I had thought of it; a check at reception and that lead to the next beer.
Funny thing was, Diane was able to book a room cheaper over the internet than I could persuade the person on reception to give it to us for.
With that done, it was only a matter of a couple of photos and messages to go with them and we had another four with us - Sue and Andy along with Dot and Gordon.
Were we really ever apart? It seemed not!

So a few more drinks were consumed; Sue was the nominated driver. A great many laughs and stories were shared and without warning it was getting late.
We had had a great night - another impromptu one at that - the first time we had all been together for quite some time - probably since last winter.
So we said our goodbyes and headed to our room with our cases - Diane always packs for one extra day, so we were covered - only problem was our room had not been made-up - back down to reception - were they annoyed that we had used the internet for a better rate? - I doubt it.
New room - this one was all ready - but we only had eyes for the bed and sleep - too many miles driving; too many things bunched into two days.

The bathroom did have a rather large bath and Diane made good use of it - coffee was provided on demand - at least I was able to catch MOTD replay.

Breakfast time had been compromised on - 9am - Paul and Elaine were looking a bit tired - this was too early in the day.
No cereal for them, but we needed our porridge starter - the hot breakfast orders had been taken.
There was a high occupancy in the hotel overnight, but this didn't account for the slow arrival of the porridge and slower removal of the bowls and then even slower showing of the cooked portion of the meal.

Here they are after waking up - but still waiting for breakfast

Their excuse - "We don't start on the eggs until the bowls come back".
We managed to stay calm, but the clock had dragged on for 90 minutes from the time we sat down until we finished.
I think that they knew we didn't believe the excuse that it was entirely the fault of the "bl___dy porridge".

By this stage we did however need to get back to the boat as there were things that we wanted to collect for the Xmas dinner; Elaine and Paul needed to walk the dogs.

A pleasant 45 minute drive toward Crewe and a little beyond; the boat was still afloat; the batteries were in reasonable shape after 2 days on their own; the solar panels had trickled in a bit of power to top them up; we added a bit from the engine and cranked up the Mykuni for a bit of heat.

In all we were back for less than 2 hours before we headed right back to where we had just left - this time however there were 17 of us in total - almost all had been party to the great times shared last Xmas - just Richard (and unfortunately not Sharon who was ill) off OakApple being the sole new comer, but we had met them during the year at Lapworth.
 

Roly - unhand that lady, you don't
know where she has been or what
she has been up to

Jim (impersonating a wide-mouthed frog) and the ever-lovely Joan

Bev, Roly, Paul, and Sally (hiding Rob)

Too much fun being had

Oh what a joyous reunion it was - with Roly and Bev, Joan and Jim as well as Rob and Sally; Phil was there sporting a new goatee and his much better half Lynn; Richard and us eight from last night completed the gathering.

Lynn, Phil and interloper

Elaine

Dorothea

Gordon

We all were chatting away; the meals arrived; we sat and ate and chatted and it really was just like we had not been apart.

Most of us moved on to The Royal Exchange - our haunt from last winter - Michelle the landlady had a night off; our usual window seat was occupied by another but that didn't change the fact that we all start doing silly things when we get together.
 

The hats were being passed around - Phil bears a resemblance
to Leonard Cohen

Andy suddenly remembered where he had left his lost camera

At last it was time to leave, so we left six at the tables as we did really need to get back to the boat and make her ready to move on - we have an appointment with a tunnel to meet.

No travel

Do you have that sinking feeling?

Thursday 11th December 2014

The wind and then the rain continued throughout the night, with the wind predominating; so much so that Diane actually questioned was the water coming into the engine bay - I have to admit that the water was being lashed against the stern - seemingly 3m waves crashing over the back deck - I say seemingly, as we were both still inside, it was still quite dark, and it sounded a lot worse than either of us thought it might have been.
True enough, as when light did finally make an appearance, the biggest of the waves was barely 5cm.
On top of all of that, if there had been water in the engine bay, the automatic bilge pump would have started up - no such sound.

The previous night I had a disastrous event occur - I was not able to save any of the work that I wanted to do - no amount of frustration would help the situation. Even the backup laptop had developed the same problem - there is an uncanny bond between them and some things are changed on one and then they appear on the other.
Whenever I have computer problems that I cannot resolve, it is generally a restless night - partially so for last night.

There were no overnight miracles this morning when I turned them both on - still the same as last night.
I had contacted Australia and they asked the fellow in India to come online and have a look - it is a marvellous system - he resolved it in barely a minute; showed me how to fix it, so the second laptop was also fixed.
It seems that when I changed from a 12-hour based time to the 24-hour version, the system mode didn't translate properly to the program - go back and redefine it and that was that.
A day to celebrate!!

No cruising today as we were due to pick up a hire car - we really do like all of the people who work at Enterprise - the pick up service is fantastic - and everyone is ready for a bit of laugh.

Exterminate, exterminate - a dalek made from haybales

So we have spent most of the free time today visiting Chester (again) - mainly because we were not going to make it down to there in the boat.

and carollers as well

This year they have some Christmas markets - we think that they must be English or even Welsh - the items for sale and the food is not German and not the same as those in Birmingham. It was all quite interesting - it would have been nice to sample some of the products except for the fact that we were on our fasting day - trying to undo some of the excesses of our 3 months away.

We made use of the Park and Ride parking and bus at Boughton Heath, so it was really quite easy all round.

With the cold biting wind I was more than eager to be inside and out of it, so Diane had a good enough chance to look at more shops than I might otherwise have submitted to.

A visit to the Cathedral for our first look in 6 years and as is usual (almost) custom we lit a candle for Lauren back in Australia - Lauren who is only 28, suffered a stroke over 2 years ago and is making remarkable progress in her struggle to lead as normal a life as possible.
 

A candle for Lauren

We noticed this lovely mosaic and observed...

...the strategic placement of the hands of the infant

Just a little more time left before we were ready to come back - bus to the car and then car to the boat - back on board; fuel tanks checked; mykuni ignited to heat the boat - all is well with the world and a vast improvement on how were felt in the morning.

No travel today

Way Ho - change of plans

Wednesday 10th December 2014

Some very precise planning has been going on, about which I was on the periphery - it involved a tunnel, a car hire, a xmas luncheon and a dwarf.

Ok, I may have just added the dwarf in for effect, but there were a few other people involved in all of this, but essentially one master (or should that be mistress) planner.

The "Mistress of the Blue Horizon" had calculated when we need to get through Harecastle Tunnel; the trip into Chester and fortunately the result came through just before we reached the winding hole above Bunbury staircase locks.
Hard about turn and the lengthy cruising day that we had ahead turned out to be a mile long cruise to turn the boat around.
 

A short but chilly cruise

We moored up just a bit further back than where we were earlier on.

So no cruising and too cold and windy to go out just yet - we settled in for a while.
 

The waves were getting bigger

Whilst not doing much at all, we needed to sort out a hire car, and during that process we needed a pick-up point - it has been our experience that in the absence of anywhere else of any prominence, it is usually a pub that makes a great point of reference.
Once you start talking about pubs on this boat, it usually comes around to food, and what do you know - we were heading towards The Tollemarche Arms for lunch since The Daevnport was now closed.

It could have been that it was mid-week; could have been that we were late for the normal lunch time; or it could have been that we were quite observant, but we did notice that the management had changed.

playing with her wooden soldiers again!

and Santa made a visit as well

There was, however, no change in the quality of the food or drink available and we were pretty well pleased with our 2-course lunch; so much so that dinner has been cancelled on the boat.

Lunch was very nice indeed

The only dicey part of the outing was walk to and from along the narrow but safe path - which did happen to be alongside the busy A51 - trucks and everything.

It is still getting dark around 4pm but the boat is cosy and comfortable - the Reflecs heater performing very well indeed. So here we will be until the morning.

1 Mile


Totals: 2854 Miles, 2071 Locks, 97 Tunnels, 34 Lift Bridges, 151 Swing Bridges

And then we were stopped - just for an extra day

Monday 8th December to Tuesday 9th December 2014

After all of the excitement of finally getting back to cruising we needed to stay where we were - we didn't know why but we couldn't use our debit cards - it could have been quite embarassing when we were shopping, but the credit card still had some life left in it.
So we needed to see the back - they couldn't help as Lloyd's has split from TSB and the bank in Nantwich is TSB.

But not to be beaten, Diane had a sudden brainwave - check the expiry date - sure enough they had passed their "best before" date - at least that answered that.
So we will need to see if new ones have been sent toWatford.

Diane had spotted just a couple of small spaces that needed a bit of filling, so Sainbury's saw us again; at least the trolley was left behind.

The sun had been replaced by intermittent showers, which we managed to dodge; made it back to the boat just in time as usual - another heavier shower as we made into the back conservatory.

The rest of the day was completed with some work (for me) and soup-making and reading (for Diane) - but eventually it was just relaxing.

So after a slightly longer stop than we would have originally planned we were going to head off again.

There was a brilliant sunrise this morning - not really a good sign for the weather ahead for the day, but a sight to enjoy whilst it lasted.
 

Really a superb sunrise.

The morning was not that bad at all - just like any other cold day that we could experience any other time of the year - the air was cold in itself, but without any breeze it didn't matter; unlike other days the sun was hidden behind the clouds and did not show itself at all.

I think we have been quite fortunate with the weather - we have read reports of ice on the canal at Braunston, Stone and Milton Keynes - but none where we are - yet!!
 

It really was not this cold - there were thermals
underneath and two pairs of gloves on the hands.

There were a few others around with their fleeces on
- keeping warm.

Our end plan is Chester but we are not exactly sure when that will be, but immediately it was to fill the water tank; rid ourselves of the rubbish and empty the cassette - the services block was barely 100m away so no sooner had we started than we moored up again.

The water tap at Nantwich services is notoriously slow - we weren't hugely surprised by this morning's effort, but with no time issues it didn't matter too much.

Finally with everything done we were off for a second time - today's little journey was not too far and certainly would be free from locks - surprised that Diane had failed to offer to do them all for today.

I was trying to remember the last time that we had headed directly north past Barbridge junction towards Chester and have to conclude that it was April 2008 when we had a hire boat - so it cannot be said that this is a water-road frequently travelled - we have been to Chester just twice by boat - the train seems to be our preferred form of transport to get there.

For now however we are only heading as far as Calveley where we have moored up in a stretch of moorings that I would like to say are extremely popular at the moment, but since we are on our own, that would be slightly incorrect.

Diane got on with putting a few Xmas decorations up, although her intention a few days ago was not to bother - I think she was influenced by Andy's efforts on Festina Lente.

The tree is up as the stocking...

...and the lights as well

For me, it was an afternoon of work - I am convinced that I had the better deal.

5 Miles

Totals: 2853 Miles, 2071 Locks, 97 Tunnels, 34 Lift Bridges, 151 Swing Bridges

We're off!

Saturday 6th December to Sunday 7th December 2014

It was a bit like waking upon Christmas morning, except that the presents were all to do with finally cruising again - Yippee!!

We just had the usual jobs to do before leaving - empty the toilet cassette; fill the water tank (two separate operations); use up as much of the electricity credit that we had; see Simon (the maintenance person) about the work done (we had no problems at all); defrost the ropes - yikes that's not usual, but we are talking about winter - guess we will just have to get used to that.
 

Morning has broken - and the frost along with it

In the process of using up electricity as well as a final clean, we managed to expunge the vacuum cleaner - the smell of burning electrics a dead giveaway. So that will be on the list of shopping to be done.

The weather was absolutely perfect for this time of year - very bright (and blinding) sunshine - where is the sunblock and sunglasses; cool air; no wind.

Set forth the ropes and a gentle push away from the pontoon - we were off - taking care not to touch either of the boats ahead of us; a gentle turn to starboard; get blinded by the sun; out through the exit and onto the Shroppie - heading northwards.

The sun on our backs was marvellous; clear skies - oh how we have missed this.

So confident were we that we knew where we were going that we left the Nicholsons inside.
 

Clear blue skies - perfect for cruising

and the countryside was wonderful

We were not expecting too many boats to be moving but sure enough at the second bridge there is a boat approaching us - fortunately for us (not so for them) they had the sun in their eyes and slowed right down - we would have been there first anyway but after passing them we looked back and could hardly see a thing - glad we didn't have that.

Diane had made the executive decision that she would be doing ALL of the locks today and as we approached Hach Green Locks she was off at the bridge and was striding out to get there before the boat did - the luck was with her and she only had to open the top gate.

Thank you dear, push a gate open and bugger off!!

After that she deserted me - off to the next lock.

By the time she returned, I had the lock lowered; bottom gates open; and hauling the boat out - at least she closed the gates and lowered the paddles - in her defence the next lock was ready to go straight into.

One lock down...

Obviously she had completed her work for the day - I knew this because she hopped on the boat and left the lock to me to complete.

...next one, you're on your own

Once again there was a boat coming from the other direction so it was simple to leave the gates open and then hop on.
They, like the earlier boat crew, could not see anything in front, so were very grateful when we passed by and advised them that the lock was set for them and gates open.

We were heading for Nantwich for a few days, mainly for a full shop and fill the fridge and freezer as well as any spaces in the pantry - oh and of course there was a suggestion about Sunday lunch.

We moored up in one of the many spaces available and set everything up and off to Sainsbury. The trolley was full for the journey back and that meant carrying the new vacuum cleaner - just a short 2.7 km walk.

With early sunset it was starting to get dark when we got back and still a bit tired from the flights as well as all of the cruising and the couple of locks - we were tired and just flaked out.

Sunday was another glorious day - bright sunshine - and we still had other supermarkets to visits - it was almost as if they might have forgotten all about Diane if she didn't at least say hello to them all - so another trolley full, but this time the efforts from the day before had taken their toll and the blisters from Saturday when she wore her new boots (from Dallas) pretty much said to her to take it easy and let Ray take the shopping back to the boat and pack it away - which also meant solving the tetris puzzle that is packing all of the freezer food into the limited space left.

I returned to Diane about a half hour later to find her in The Cheshire Cat with the first glass of a lovely hot mulled wine well underway to being finished; her feet up and totally peaceful - it took a few seconds until she realised I was there - I did tread quietly so as to not wake her!

Lunch was lovely and we were a bit naughty - having all three courses on offer - something that we would know about for the journey back to the boat and for the evening.
 

Well cooked roast; fine glass of mulled wine - what else could
a girl want....

...Obviously dessert.
This was the naughty part - but it did taste lovely

Despite the sunshine which had put some power back into the batteries we still needed to run the engine for a couple of hours.

A light dinner was all we needed.

5 Miles, 2 Locks


Totals: 2848 Miles, 2071 Locks, 97 Tunnels, 34 Lift Bridges, 151 Swing Bridges

Getting ready to go!

Thursday 4th December to Friday 5th December 2014

After a huge, essentially unbroken sleep we woke up at a not too early time - back on our boat - and very happy to be here.
We have had a wonderful trip and been away for 3 months; finalised the situation at home in Melbourne; seen Bec in Auckland and had a fantastic time in Dallas, but there really is no better place to be than right here on the boat - well, at least for us it is the best place.

There was more washing to be done; time to go back to work; a marina invoice to sort out and pay; and Diane wanted to try the breakfast at the cafe.

Ever-ready for a cooked breakfast - 

the one at Overwater Cafe got the seal

of approval 

I spoke to the people at reception and they had our bill ready - I waited until we were seated until I opened it, but didn't need to worry - it was about what we had expected and considering the work that had been done and we were pleased with it, there were no problems.

The new wood work around the fire - a vast improvement on my
feeble efforts.

Now a bathroom down to just one toilet - we have removed the
pumpout tank and 'loo - cassette from now on

The only other thing to be done was sort out the extra few days of mooring that we had compared to what we had already paid for - almost a week.
The reply came back that there was no charge - we had had a lot of work done there; the boat had been off the mooring and out of the water for longer than that and they were happy to leave it at that - a far cry from what we could have expected at Aston Marina - if they could have been bothered to do the work in the first place.
At Overwater we have seen the better side of marina operations in all aspects and from our experiences we would definitely recommend them to anyone.

The Friday ritual of a happy Friday picture in the pub was re-activated, and so a leisurely walk into Audlem was the order of the day - we did however have to time it with the weather forecasts so as to miss the expected rain.

Outside - the smile is in anticipation of a drink

A order each at the chippy and after that was consumed we ducked into the Shroppie Fly for an ordinary mulled wine (not much better after it was warmed up) and a satisfying Guinness.

She put on a brave face after the disappointment of the mulled wine

The trek back was in reasonable sunshine until we were about half a kilometre from the end of it and the clouds were getting darker overhead.
No sooner had we stepped inside the back covered deck area than the rain started.

Nothing more needed to be done on the boat for the rest of the day - I had a bit of work to finish off and Diane relaxed after all of the work that she had done over the two days.

We were ready to move into cruising mode without delay.

Farewell Dallas; hello Audlem

Tuesday 2nd December to Wednesday 3rd December 2014

Our flight was scheduled for 16:50 and with the need to be there 3 hours before, plus return of the rental car, shuttle bus to terminal and actually just getting to the airport environs - oh and make sure that we fill the tank, we really didn't have that much time in the morning - especially finishing off the packing.

So we just had a leisurely breakfast; then we packed the car; filled the tank; drove to Starbucks for coffee and watch the world go by with literally no cares in the world.

We drove carefully and sedately to the airport - it was very easy, especially after Mike explained it to us the previous night.

We have had an absolutely terrific time in Dallas and enjoyed meeting Sara's family - both DeDe and Mike are fabulous people; Faarn is a very lovely person when you get to know him a bit; we truly adore Dean and Jim - they are very lovely people; really the whole family that we have met have made us feel most welcome and just like part of the family.

Returning the car was simplicity in itself - just drive into the return lane; start unloading the bags; by the time the car is unladen, the return receipt is in your hand and the keys back with the car company - less than 60 seconds - I love it!

The trip on the shuttle bus; the check-in; passport control; security - no problems here at all - in an instant we were through.
Only problem was the plane was already scheduled to be taking off a half-hour late.

We had lunch and then waited in the gate lounge for the plane to arrive and then to board - it seemed to the uninitiated and just about anyone else, that they didin't have a clue - one person was announcing seat rows to board and being quite confusing about it and the ticket checkers had other row numbers in mind about who should go on - in the end we simply used the confusion to get through and onto the plane.

The plane was a probable 20-year old 747 - very dated and unappealing - I think we have been spoiled with the Airbus A380 and other Airbus planes.
It has been over 20 years since we have flown with British Airways - then it was very nice indeed; this was not a good re-introduction to them.

This was scheduled to be an 8.5 hour flight - overnight - taking off late - in the end it was over an hour late; but heading east meant that the night went faster than you would usually have happen and consequently when we landed at just after 8am was when I started feeling tired.

I/we couldn't believe the number of checks that we had to go through - as passengers for another service we expect to have to go through security again, but we also had two separate checks on our passport and three checks on our boarding pass - even before we got to the gate lounge.
Their was even a line/queue for which we could see no valid purpose and a check to see documentation which was barely glanced at - it turned out that they had a crowded area upstairs for the security check and just wanted to limit the numbers coming upstairs - give me strength - all of this for passengers coming off international flights - the last thing that tired passengers need is this type of treatment.
The last of all of our flights - number 9 by now - was a short one from Heathrow to Manchester and we were two very happy people to have our luggage come off quickly, pass through three sets of automatic doors and to see "mum and dad" (alias Sue and Andy) there to meet us.
What kind people they are - offering to come up to Manchester and drive us back to the boat in Audlem - two very tired people were very very pleased to see you both there and a huge thanks for the lift.

Especially thankful for dropping into Morrisons on the way to pick up some essentials - the couple of gallons of milk for Diane and some other bits and pieces.
We all had some lunch together in the cafe at Overwater Marina and after a look over the boat at how she was after the work, we said goobye to Sue and Andy.

Now came the work of putting her back together - cupboards in the kitchen had been moved to accommodate some work from inside; Diane was busy with unpacking cases and getting washing started; the Mykuni was started to make sure it worked (yippee, a first time ignition); the Reflecs was fired up; the boat was starting to thaw out, as were we.

After a couple of hours we had finished as much as we could be bothered with for now - we sat down with a cup of tea and attempted to stay awake a bit longer, but it was pointless and we finally succumbed at about 7:30 and we were fast asleep.