Coots

just a quick note today...we've been busy getting the boat back to house mode, and being as poor as church mice, staying in and being frugal. So no real site seeing or hanging out in the park at the beer and cider festival...just watching the birds and the snooker on the BBC, cleaning and cooking and laughing at each other. All very good things

We were so excited about having a nesting coot next door. We decided to turn the boat around so that instead of having to spy on the nest from our bedroom, we could watch them from our favourite spot, sitting in the well deck. Far enough away so as not to spook them and close enough to see all the action.

We'd seen Lady Cootly obsessively nest building and sitting on a clutch of about 6 eggs. Poor Mr Cootly spent his days bringing her ladyship nesting material and food...working his poor beak to the bone. She would call imperiously and he would come a swimming back with an offering. This went on for about a week. Then hurrah! Sounds of peeping and eggshell in the water! Dave and I were so pleased and watched the nest so carefully. But what's this? Only one hatchling to be seen...what had happened? Mother and father were so engrossed in the chick, feeding and preening, the little bald creature had only to open it's tiny beak to be fed and snuggled. We were sure that the other chicks would have been just as tenderly reared. Apparently not the case.

The RSPB has a marvelous website and is very informative when I want to identify a bird, or compare kinds of ducks and geese I see here at the marina. However when it comes to animal behaviour...not so much . So Google further afield...found two articles and a blog about coots.

Apparently when mother coot is egg heavy, if she is unhappy with her own nest, she will lay eggs in any other coot nest that she deems worthy. She will only lay in her nest when she thinks it's perfect. So...most coot nests contain between 6 and 9 eggs, of which only one or two might be hers. Now mother knows that she is harboring cuckoos but she'll sit on the eggs until they hatch, then one of two things will happen. Lady Cootly will either kill any chicks that she believes aren't hers, or she will starve the babies she believes are cuckoos. Lady and Mister killed their cuckoos rather than starving them...

Bastard baby killers I cry!!!
Nature heh!

The surviving chick is thriving and has a great deal of ugly charm. I am finding it difficult to be quite as enamored with the coot family as I had once been.

First Impressions and Yet More Expense

Well....here we are then. Mooring ropes tightened, the skies been mostly blue and the birds are singing and squawking. Nary a discouraging noise, just the occasional plane and a train in the distance. Sigh. So far so good. Oh and the view ain't bad either.

The promised excellent Wi-Fi however...is plops! They are mid upgrade...run through a web proxy...it hates our iPad's and our Apple T.V....no Netflix for us for a bit, unless we watch on the phone. At least the upgrade is happening...asap I hope. Davey is quite clever at these things and I have all the confidence in the world in my I.T. Guru husbands  ability to make something happen in the interim.

There's a book swap next to the laundry room!!! OMG! We have a lovely wee washing machine but no dryer...so we used the dryers there last night. What a joyous discovery to find books for the taking!  Today I read Room, by Emma Donoghue after swapping it for a copy of Narrowboat to Carcassonne (we somehow have three copies of that book), and can't wait to browse some more. Blessed are the reading boat folk.

The marina has it's own pub/cafe that at least three passersby have recommended. Apparently there's often music and it's a great way to meet our neighbours. So we are both looking forward to checking it out in the next few weeks.

All our neighbours have been friendly and helpful so far. The boat moored next to us with the coot nest in his prop has been quiet and just as anxious as we to not disturb lady cootly, as Dave calls her.
Neighbours on the other side are very pleasant and have two dogs...sort of beagle looking. Friendly as their owners. There's a black long haired cat that comes in to say hello, as well as the standard swans and ducks looking for a handout.

Okay....now for the expensive bit. Our poor car had been sitting in the car park here at the marina since we left Milton Keynes. So 23 days idle. I was certain that it would have a flat battery at the least. Dave was very grateful that it did start...and drove at least far enough to return the generator that we had hired. Threading his way through Reading...a quite old town....having had a settlement here since the 8th century, so narrow winding streets and a big town, so lots of traffic...guess who suddenly had no brakes! A shiny black Mercedes directly in front of him and only a handbrake to work with...Dave managed to get himself into a side street safely! Thank all the gods! After sitting in the car for a few minutes calming down, probably swearing, and pondering his next move...he got out of the car and was met by the people who live in the house he had pulled up in front of...l am very sorry to have parked here, but my car has broken down.." The woman was so kind and went back inside to get Dave a parking sticker so he wouldn't get a ticket and her husband was most sympathetic. Again the kindness of strangers!
The marina had recommended a mechanic to us already, the car being due for a MOT soon, and Dave had a card. They recommended a tow truck and in only a few hours, the car was delivered to the garage.
The money is still leaking away faster than Dave can earn.
Now....taxis are his option to get to the train station and home again...each way being around 10 pounds. He's been contemplating a hire bycyle. Brompton bike hire service is available, but the hiring machine doesn't seem to work and the help phone number just says that the inbox is full and to call again! So frustrating.

So today Dave walked into Reading to grocery shop and caught a taxi back. Again my "fine and sturdy fellow " of a husband is my everyday hero.

Now he is pricing folding bikes, hopefully for under a thousand pounds.

So not quite the idyllic beginning we were hoping for, but not entirely awful either.

My job tomorrow is cleaning our poor Augusta and hunting for a new GP

From Shillingford to Home...Augusta and Dave save the day

 Nice and early today after a solid quiet nights sleep, Augusta started first try, and we were off down the river hopefully getting to Reading today. More lovely lock keepers...through Benson lock and headed to Wallingford.
I've been looking forward to seeing Wallingford, medieval bridge, and the site of a ruined castle. I have always been fascinated by Empress Maude and her war with King Stephen in the 11 hundreds...Wallingford Castle was held for Maude first built in 1071, the town was chartered in 1155 ...dead impressive to a history geek like me. Impressive it was indeed. Then just past Wallingford is the home of Jethro Tull ( mechanised farming pioneer in the late 1600's, not the band...though Thick as a Brick and Songs from the wood featured in the playlist).

Down a wide stretch of the Thames now headed for Moulsford. Under a Brunel designed skewed railway bridge and past a stunning pub called The Beetle and Wedge Boathouse. An ex manor house turned pub famous for H.G. Wells staying there while writing "Mr Polly".

Goring next...again history for me...a Neolithic Ford across the Thames that linked the Icknield Way with the Ridgeway. Oooh. Then under another Brunel bridge, past some gorgeous countryside ducking rowers again. Past Pangbourne where Kenneth Grahame wrote " The Wind in the Willows "  headed to Mapledurham...Toad Hall. Mapledurham House is still occupied by the family that bought it in 1490 then restored in 1874. Most posh. More literary connections, besides being Toad Hall, Alexander Pope wrote there and it is mentioned in Galsworthy's "Forsythe Saga". More recently Inspector Morse.

Now for the excitement of the day.
Just past toad hall, a boat broadside across the river! Master and Commander Dave to the rescue. Poor people had a dead engine and were at the mercy of the current. They had been passed already by a couple of white boats (aka entitled wankers), who declined to help and abused them for being in the way!!!
Dave and Augusta offered to tow them to the next lock where they could tie up and wait for River Rescue. He caught the bow line and pulled them into the current, then rafted them alongside. Augusta was a trooper and never missed a beat. They were so grateful for the assistance that the woman cried and hugged Dave. Hero!!!

Before we knew it....there was Reading Bridge and the mouth of the Kennet...and the turn into our marina.

Home

So quiet and peaceful. Oh the birds! Chatty neighbours and Dave's been talking to every dog and cat.

So we're popping a cork as the sun sets and feeling quite pleased with ourselves. A bit sad that our 8 days cruise, which became 23 days of travel, is over. Still there are more adventures to be had...Windsor is just down the way, the Kennet and Avon within cooee...much to see and do.

Till then
Cheers

Kahloo kullay...after 11 days marooned in Oxford, running perilously close to running out of water and diesel, we are finally cruising again!
The current is still fairly strong...but no crazy stuff like the day we came down the Sheepwash Channel. So we're making fairly good time. Huzzah! (Dave had seen a duck paddling for all it was worth while staying in the same spot...so today the current is slower than a duck ).

Oxford is pretty as a picture from the water...Christchurch meadows and Folly Bridge...just lovely.
A glorious stretch of canal....urban and quite magnificent. Dave did well to avoid the rowers below the City. Gorgeous Iffley lock, balustrated bridge and white pub...like a postcard. After this the canal keeps its distance from the town and is gradually surrounded by field and farmland.

The only place where we could get water and diesel was Abingdon. Now Abingdon is gorgeous, postcard pretty. However I was more excited about getting water...3 days without a shower makes me very cranky. There's a wee shop at the services there...time for a very cold drink...Aussie mates will be astounded, 27 degrees and blue skies...just the ticket.

Down the Thames we go, passing mute swans, gray geese, and teal ducks, through culhams cut to the next lock. A word about Thames locks...wide and deep...equipped with lock keepers! No more windlass for me! Even when they are unattended these locks are push button operated. We stay onboard and gossip with the lock keepers...(yes we did sing "well met again lock keepers"), find out what the river is like further down, and talk about the weather...this is England chaps.

We cruised gently through the countryside and saw our first real manors on the water. Large homes with enormous backyards that gently slope down to the river. Boathouse and manicured lawn party for the course. My my my...how the wealthy people live. PFTT! Richer are we, each other and Augusta and the whole world is our oyster.

However speaking of wealth...our 8 days cruise is now into it's third week, and the money is leaking out of our pockets at an alarming rate. Between generator and petrol, a rental car for one day, paying for bike hire, and the only supermarket close enough to ride to, was a Waitrose...people go to Waitrose for the experience, darling...well most things are quite expensive, yummy, but expensive. Oxford is not cheap. Sigh. Budget wise, Dave was going to be a week without pay...now...he has worked 2 or 3 days each week that we have been stranded...but oh dear, "poverty knock ". Beans on toast for us for a week or so. Just lucky we have a well stocked pantry.

We had started early in the morning today, so a reasonably early stop. Very pretty spot at Shillingford, outside a pub. Happy we are, mooring on the Thames can be a tricky thing. Lots of private moorings, lots of nowhere to put a pin in the bank, and lots of...that'll be 10 pounds for the night. Shillingford pub makes us pay for the mooring, however if you spend 20 pounds in the pub the mooring is free....oh and it has mains electricity! Woohoo! So dinner and a drink for us tonight.

Names that make me giggle...Little Wittington...New Hinksey....imagine Rowan Atkinson saying that 😂

Boat name today was...Shippish...with a few bashful sheep illustrations.

Cheers lovely people.

Update

Just a quick note today to let you know how we are doing.
Still flooded and stuck in Oxford.
Lovely young man from River, Canal Rescue  came to see us yesterday. Apparently Augusta had an air bubble in her fuel injector. He bled the fuel line, cleaned the injectors, tightened some bits and pieces and she chugged happily. He was very happy to be working on such a grand old engine. We were very relieved that it was something small. Hooray for RCR!
We continue to be quiet and sleepy.
Dave works away from the back cabin. We use the wee generator to top up our batteries. I am reading my way through a stack of novels and learning lyrics to songs I keep meaning to learn. I watch the birds through the window. A chaffinch came to visit as did a flash of blue that might have been a kingfisher. I am amused by the squirrel and am keeping my eye on the building effort of the tiny wren.
Tomorrow is my birthday.
I am making a cake.
Might have lunch at the pub.
We shall see what happens.
More tales to come...

Flooded in Oxford

Well here we are again...moored in an odd spot...relying on the kindness of strangers. The man from the Environmental Agency drops past to check we're okay when he starts work in the morning and has been helpful in pointing out shops and the laundromat, suggestions for power and water and fuel. 

Dave has organised to hire a small generator so he will have enough electricity to work from the boat, and to power our devices...phew...I would miss my ipad...not only for the internet but also for the stack of novels I have saved to it's memory. My kindle is out of battery. The weather is very conducive to drinking tea and reading books. In other words the sky is leaden and leaking rain
There's a marina fairly close by...they will deliver some coal this afternoon...so we'll have heat and power. At least we are comfortable and are still laughing.

Outside the window is a bit of a hedge, so I've been watching a sweet blue tit hopping around, a tiny tinywren  building her nest, and watching a blackbird wash himself in the rain. Amazing the range of songs he is capable of singing and he makes a lovely counterpoint to the sound of the water rushing over the weir.

The Environmental Agency man thinks that we'll be here most of the week, so I'm not worried about taking today as a reading books and drinking tea day. Plenty of time to explore this bit of Oxford. Osney is apparently an island joined to Oxford by various footbridges. There's a very interesting pub, called the Punter, and we are on Botley road near the train...so plenty of options for roaming and exploration. I'm sure Dave will appreciate me out of the boat while he's working😘

Feeling quite grateful to Dave for being so organised and such a do-er. I am blessed to have him in my life.

Back to the novel.

Day 4 being stuck in Oxford. It's still raining cats and dogs. I haven't really been outside the boat. Too miserable for wandering around...even wandering around somewhere as glorious as Oxford. Beyond a coffee shop and the pub I have been nowhere and done almost nothing. Dave is working from the back cabin of the boat and wishing for the water levels to drop. We are so close to Reading, Google maps says he could cycle there in a bit over 2 hours. It will take Augusta about 2 days.

Meanwhile, Augusta is refusing to start. No matter how much we implore the goddess of the engine. So thank goodness for the generator that we hired...or there would be no power at all. We have membership in the River Canal Rescue...sort of like a breakdown service like you get with cars. I think we shall have to call them to come out and see what is wrong with our Russell Newbury DM2 engine. I would hate to have the go ahead to move forward with our journey only to have no engine with which to travel. Sigh...

Dave looks exhausted and quite grim. Doesn't help that his work space on the boat is not particularly comfortable and not very warm. He is enjoying biking to the shops with easy bike hiring schemes in Oxford. About 50p a day...you find a bike...leave it where you finish...they are GPS tagged and the app shows where the bikes are at any given time. Clever eh!.

Boat name for the day...Clary Grundy...fans of the Archers will understand. 

Like a cork out of a bottle

Oxford...moored in a quiet spot near Aristotle Bridge...once darkness fell and the children went home. Such a peaceful night. First night since last November without a fire, pleasant and mild. We slept like logs.

Up early, excited to get going, I was watching the birds and squirrels when a couch quietly sailed past! The things that you see!
Augusta took her time to warm up again...poor darling. Again we begged our engine goddess for her largesse and were rewarded by Augusta's reassuring chug chug chug.
We cruised fairly gently down the canal past very nice housing, under a few charming bridges, past the Jericho canal development, to arrive at Isis Lock. Pretty as a picture. From this lock you turn into the Sheepwash Channel past the very very low Osney Railway Bridge and the equally low Osney Bridge before another turn onto the Thames proper.

We hit the current and Augusta zoomed through the Sheepwash Channel, scraping the tiller pin under the railway bridge, under Osney Bridge then left onto the Thames. Oh My God!!!
We were like a cork out of a bottle. Scary fast. Shot from a cannon, we were flotsam swept along with the current.
Thank goodness for Osney Lock! Augusta's nose button fender slammed into the lock doors and we heaved a huge sigh of relief. There was no way we wanted to go any further. Two environmental agency chaps arrived..."what are you thinking?!? You can't be thinking of traveling down stream! The Thames is flooding and we have every gate and weir open. No way are you going anywhere!" Thank you fellas we had just figured that out! I was so relieved, that I didn't even mind being scolded.
With their generous help, they dragged us backwards to the mooring pontoon. No way could we reverse to a real mooring. So here we are. Flooded and stuck again, this time in Oxford.

So here we will stay until the river is passable. Dave will work from the boat. I might get to wander the City while we're here...how marvelous. If it ever stops raining.

Boat name of the day....the Mrs Miggins...complete with pie illustrations.

As usual wish us luck.

From Lower Heyford to Oxford...almost

A nice early start for Dave's and I this morning...out in the middle of nowhere but oh so many trains...all night. Augusta had other ideas. She was cold and didn't want to start. We created a new goddess for us to pray to...Thumper the goddess of the engine. She's a large and bonny girl, with smoky eyes and holds a drum...engine oil is her preferred libation. We exaggerate of course...Augusta started after only 10 minutes or so. But we had a grand time imagining our new goddess.

We cruised gently through open farmland and a few scattered locks. Hardly any other boats in sight until we got to Enslow. Oh so many boats moored between Enslow and Thrupp. Passing moored boats requires that we go very very slowly so as not to disturb the boats and bash them onto the banks of the canal. Felt like we crept along for ages.

Then a bit of excitement....between Baker's Lock and Shipton Weir Lock the canal is the river Cherwell! Flooded and full with a strong current...it felt like we flew...maybe we were going 4 miles an hour. If we hadn't been headed in the same direction as the flow...we would have struggled to make headway.
The stretch of canal around Thrupp (snigger), is very very pretty...little canal villages with pubs on the towpath, pots of spring flowers and benches in the sunshine. All a bit idyllic really. I enjoyed it while I could as we were coming into Kidlington...burbs and industrial parks.

Saw some grand boat names today...Clancy of the overflow being my favorite...driven by a bearded man in a drizabone...fab! Many Greek and Roman names today, Hector, Lysander, Persephone, Helene of Troy, Posideon (l have my doubts about that name), Marc Antony. Oh and we saw 4 Serenity (Joss Whedon obviously had an impact he he he), 3 reflections, and 2 Drift Aways.

The closer we got to Oxford the more holiday boats we saw...cockwomble, was the mildest of Dave's epithets. He taught a family how to use a lock after watching them pfaff about for an age. Oh and I felt much less useless handling the tiller in and out of locks.

I dithered about whether or not to take Duke's Cut, which bypasses Oxford proper, but we decided that going through the City tomorrow would be lovely and we did want to see Isis lock, which is a bit famous, before we move onto the Sheepwash Channel and onto the Thames..

A good day.
The sun came out to play
Moored up near Aristotle Bridge just above Oxford proper
Dave is beer hunting
Listening to children play

Bye bye Banbury...hooray for traveling

And the rain did stop. And the sun did shine. And finally we are traveling again. Hooray!
We left Banbury, later than we would have liked, but the kind people at Tooleys Yard offered to let us fill our water tank...and you don't say no to filling her up...water points on the canal can be a waiting game...other boats filling up and finding one when you want one can also be tricky. So we didn't get away until after 10. I didn't want to wake up anyway...folk club Wednesday night had been late. Thanks Banbury folkies for a fine fun night and for allowing Dave and I to have a good sing. 👍

So in the bright sunshine...off we went down the canal.
We were still quite nervous about getting through the floodwaters...one particular lock and bridge were a worry. Nells bridge is low and narrow anyway without the river being in spate. Dave took everything off the roof, including chimneys and lowered the solar panels, and we squeaked through with Dave ducking his head. Phew...such a relief! Aynho lock and weir were also a squeeze...and pushy...the River crosses the canal and is strong enough to move our tonnes of boat from side to side.
Finally we passed into pleasant countryside and farmland. Long rural stretches with the canal winding it's peaceful way alone, even the locks are generally remote and set among trees. Toasties and miso soup...crackers and dip, pate and camembert...what are the poor people doing?

Dave finally moored up near Lower Heyford Wharf at around 7.30, and we are done for the day.

Updated list of things that the canal has eaten....Dave's mobile phone..😩...not a happy monkey.

Today's silly place name...Scrooby bridge...

Wish us luck for tomorrow and fair weather

Banbury shuffle and the waiting

Well we are still in Banbury and still waiting for the floodwaters to subside. Nells bridge is still impassable, but at least we saw some decent sun this afternoon . We just need to be patient...sigh.
We were starting to get worried about electricity.
Augusta has a 12volt system that runs off a bank of batteries which are charged and kept topped up by the engine and our solar panels. Running the engine in the middle of town is a bit antisocial and just sitting and idling wasn't going to get the batteries charged in a hurry. We've had very little sun for the panels to do much either. So Dave had a brainwave. He spoke to Tooleys Yard and arranged, for a small fee, an extension cord and we have plugged into the mains electricity which should also keep the batteries topped up and allows us to use the toaster, microwave and washing machine ❤. Yay!
We just had to get ourselves to the Tooleys side of the canal.

I have christened the daily manoeuvring of boats in and out, side to side and back and forth " the Banbury Shuffle ". Boats go out to see if they can pass, come back when they can't, and new boats come in from the north looking for a mooring. We asked around and found that a boat was leaving soon that was about the same length as Augusta. So we staked out the spot and waited. Within an hour or so we had moved across the canal and hooked up to the power. Huzzah! One worry gone.

My other worry is Dave getting back to work next week. He seems quite sanguine about the delay and perhaps working from the boat...especially now that we have power for Wi-Fi and computers. Still we can't stay here indefinitely. Canal and River Trust designation for Banbury is 48 hours mooring. They do allow longer for closures and flooding of course...thank goodness...otherwise it's 25pounds per extra day!! Good encouragement to move through.

Okay...so today in Banbury we found the museum and had a real coffee and a Banbury cake, which I had never heard of, but apparently are quite famous. They are sort of scone shaped made from puff pastry and filled with a spicy fruit mince and dusted with sugar. Yum! We'll get more tomorrow and try them hot with cream which we are told is the thing.

I  found the folk club...they are having a sing, listen, and play night (they call it a Slap night), on Wednesday...l believe that we'll still be here...so why not sing.

So...talk to you all tomorrow

Banbury and the rest day

Overnight in Banbury, almost in the middle of town...if it wasn't for the ambient light, we would have thought we were in the middle of nowhere, the place was as quiet as a couple of mice. Knowing that we were forced to have a rest day...we slept and slept.
We started out the day with a cooked breakfast and a list of jobs. Laundry...done. New allen keys...done. Fixed throttle...done. Top up groceries...done. Dave even had time for a massage...the ouchiest ever he tells me. Now he smells like tiger balm while he's cooking one of his famous chillis for our dinner. But a happier badger all in all.
Banbury is an interesting town. I only had a brief wander. Just up to the cross and back. I wanted a day with a novel and iPod in my ears. So I had a lazy lazy day...yay!

So, of course what do you blog about when you've done nothing to blog about?

Dave will tell you that I can always find something to talk about so here goes.

Okay firstly a few general boaty things.
Most people we meet on the canal are lovely. They are helpful and generous to strangers. Knowing that they may be in need of help and generosity at some point the future. Dave leant a spanner to a passing boat whose tiller screw had come loose and was given a beer in thanks ( a butty bach...very yummy apparently). Most folk slow down to pass moored boats, even to pass while cruising, and take great care to share the canal with respect to all.
However, there's always one or two who make us growl. Two boats had decided to moor at the approach to a lock...making people moor up further away than needful and lengthening the locking process for everyone. Yes it's nice to have rings or bollards to moor on...but they are on the approach to the lock for a reason and not to moor at overnight! Grrr
Don't moor right next to a bridge, most especially if the bridge is on a turn in the canal.
Be patient. Nothing happens quickly on the canal. No point in getting impatient, locks fill and empty at their own pace , boats move at two miles an hour, so slow down and enjoy the process. Take a stroll and look at the scenery, feed the ducks and swans, don't rev your motor and scowl at the boat in the lock...go and help or smile and wave...makes for a much better day.
I can't emphasize enough however how many good people there are on the canal. While being flooded and stuck in Banbury, a small community is developing with boaters sharing the latest news and passing it down the towpath. Reminds me a little of a festival campsite.There's a chap moored near Kings Sutton who is using YouTube and Twitter to keep us updated on conditions.
I've always relied on the kindness of strangers.

Boat names
We have been fascinated by the imagination and range of names that adorn narrowboats.
All manner of birds and flowers and herbs become quite elegant boat names, heron,fern and thyme, women's names, especially Emily and Sarah and Jane and for some reason cartoon characters like Marmaduke and Scooby doo. So many names like driftaway floating around, and long weekend. Oh and bad puns as well...we met a lovely couple who named their boat Gibson Beans....give it some beans...oh dear. I will let you know about any truly dreadful puns we see.

Lastly
Things the canal has eaten....continuing count
One windlass
One mooring pin
One mug

Wish us a fine evening

Quiet morning, Augusta has a hiccup, and flooding down the way.

 Our overnight mooring was so peaceful and quiet that the dawn chorus felt incredibly loud. Through the clouds there was blue! Just enough blue to patch a Dutchmans trousers, as a friend of ours would say. But a joy to see some sunshine for a change.
We got away early from our isolated spot and meandered down the canal. The Oxford is what is known as a contour canal, so it follows the contours of the countryside. In other words, it curves and winds and wiggles it's own merry way. Charming, but extravagantly indirect. We went through our first lift bridge of the journey...kind of exciting to do something new.
Claydon locks are the next stage. Five locks that take us down into the Cherwell Valley. Many hands about to make light work...thank goodness, for my hands have the strength of a two year old today.
All was going quite well until we reached the bottom of the flight. Augusta decided to hiccup.
Dave tells me...the throttle linkage became disconnected from the engine, inside the lock! So no umph to move her. A hex bolt needed to be tightened and of course the only allen key missing from the set was the one needed. With the help of the boat that wanted to enter the lock we towed Augusta by her centre line and moored up. Dave was so apologetic and embarrassed. Naughty Augusta.
Today I name Dave "Heath Robinson" with a screwdriver and grub screws he fixed her throttle until we have time and a chandlers to buy a replacement.


So that was exciting.
Continuing on our merry way. The canal is narrow and winding as we head into Cropredy. A quiet pretty sort of place. Cropredy has a place in most folkies hearts, for its festival and for Fairport Convention. So, of course, we sang our way through our favourite album Leige and Leif.
According to the plan, we were to stop overnight in Banbury. Feeling pleased with ourselves we've moored across from the historic Tooleys Yard. This boatyard is the last remainder of the Banbury Canal terminus surviving since 1790. It still has a working blacksmith (offering courses), and a dry dock.
Dave went for a little walk around while I pottered in the galley. Coming back he announced "Lonnie, we now live in Banbury!" "oh really? Is it that lovely here?" "No dear...the canal is closed to the south of us, due to the Cherwell river flooding...they can't tell the canal from the river, and are turning boats back. Bugger
So here we are. Moored in the middle of Banbury and will be here for the foreseeable future.
We shall have to see what happens tomorrow.

Tunnels and locks and Dave is my hero

Away nice and early today...straight into the dark. Braunston tunnel opened in 1796 and is 2042 yards long, with a sort of an S bend in the middle. Long and damp, but at least not as drippy as Blissworth. Strange to start the morning in the depths, but how lovely to emerge into the light. ( Oh there was more singing...love the acoustics 😆). We emerge at Braunston top lock...6 locks in this flight. Happily there were many hands locking through and we had lots of assistance. The holiday boats are now in evidence. Luckily we only encountered the one boat full of drunken yahoos...gods help them not drown.
Through Braunston with its iron sided bridges and the 18C dry dock...pretty as a picture...and past a place I hold in high regard. A lovely boat called Gongoozerlers Rest which is fitted out as a Cafe. It holds my regard for two reasons. Firstly, when Dave and I were talking about buying a boat I found a series of books by Maree Brown about moving onto a narrowboat with her family...she mentioned this cafe and recommended the bacon butty (awesome!), And secondly, it was the first place I had heard the term gongoozerler. It means someone who watches canal boats...l think the term marvelous and such good fun to say.
We turned under one of the bridges onto the Braunston puddle banks...a later addition to the canal ...and headed to Napton Junction where we would say goodbye to the Grand Union Canal and Hello to the Oxford Canal.
He he he...today's giggle place name is Flecknoe...gonna use that one!

Heading to Napton are long stretches of countryside...quiet and beautiful...Augusta chugged away till lunchtime with nary a care, then Napton on the Hill came into view. So many boats, such big marinas! Then...another flight of locks.
The Napton locks are single locks...room for one boat...just. New for us and with me not on par Dave was about to become lock master. 9 single locks, managed singlehandedly and of course in the pouring rain...HERO!!!
Sidenote...arthritis has wrecked my hands today...can barely hold a cup of tea...so after the morning locks I was benched for being elderly. Which was fine with me until I saw the Napton locks. Guilt and Panadol weren't enough however....so three cheers for my badger husband!!!

A few bridges later and an isolated mooring for the night discovered, day 3 of the adventure ends. Hot shower, pasta for dinner, a beer or three, and an early night.

Tunnels and rain and the man who called me flower

Day 2 in our cruise began late. Not only because I'm still in the naughty corner, but because some other numpty ( not me), had left a lock open and drained the pound. So a nice man from Canal and River Trust was running water through the flight and we had to wait. Dave loves to wait. He did take some photos though and talked to dogs (which is one of his super powers). So we didn't get away until after 10. Still we got through the last couple of locks and headed to the Blissworth Tunnel.

The Blissworth Tunnel is 3057 yards long, the third longest, completed in 1805 and boats were legged through. There's just enough room for two narrowboats to pass...just. The acoustics are spectacular...we sang The Tunnel Tigers and Poison Train ( for the "there's a light" chorus goodness) a couple of times even.
 Tunnels are wet. This one is full of leaks, showers of pouring water at fairly regular intervals, cold and unexpected random water. Took us about half an hour to get to the other side. Very glad to see the light again.
Rural England loveliness followed...even lovely when damp and showery. More place names that tickled me...Bugbrooke, Netherlands Heyford, and Weedon Beck ....
A highlight for us was going past Rugby Boats. We spent months watching their video sales...drooling over narrowboats, deciding what we would buy. A bit surreal to see it in real life.

There was one more surreal moment for me today. For just a small section I could see the A5 (the old Roman road), then the train line, the canal and then the motorway...1800 years of transportation, all running together. I think we had the best bit.

Now the bit of the day I wasn't looking forward to...Buckby locks climbing upward to Norton Junction. Of course now the damp and drizzle turned to heavy rain...of course it did. I  was let out of the boat briefly to assist with the locks (after a mobile and walkie talkie check). At the bottom lock we met a lovely couple who offered to lock through with us...half the wok...yes please. Oh youth and energy...vigour and vim...l was so happy to let you do the work.
"let me do that flower", "you all right there flower?". " Oh flower...why don't you get back on the boat and let me do this for you"
I love the man who called me flower. I got out of the pouring rain and muddy slippery towpath. I hope I meet another man who calls me something charmingly English. Preferably before Braunston locks in the morning but definitely before Napton locks in the evening.
Wish me luck

Dumb decision and a long wet walk

So...Day 1 of our travels started off with sunshine melting the frost from the jetty, and a good bump into the canal. It felt quite wonderful to be on our way nice and early.

We cruised gently through Milton Keynes, past Great Linford and Wolverton and names that make my Australian head giggle with delight, such as Thrupp and Yardley Gobion. Once past Cosgrove lock, the canal winds through pastures and fields....tiny lambs bleating, protesting the noise of our passing, and all manner of water birds gliding out of our path.the rain came 

However!

It was a day of distinct halves.

We got to our first flight of locks at Stoke Bruerne and I ended up on the wrong side of the towpath Now...instead of sensibly walking back to the bottom lock to cross to the side I needed to be on, I thought..."I will just keep walking ahead...they'll be a place further down" oh dear!

All of a sudden I am walking down the A508 and the canal is nowhere to be seen. I've already walked for half a mile and the sign says another half a mile to the top lock at Stoke Bruerne. Okay I thought...I'll get to the top and wait for Augusta and Dave. 

Oh so dumb

The rain buckets down

Soaked to the bone

I sit on a bench and wait.

And wait

And wait

Meanwhile poor Dave has not continued to lock through. I have disappeared. He goes walking trying to find me. Friendly boaters try to find me. I am lost. Dave is getting very worried and eventually tries calling the police.

By now the rain has stopped, I'm freezing and wet and getting worried myself. So I begin to walk back down the towpath to be met with "are you Lonnie? Your husband is very concerned " oh God's! I am so embarrassed and ashamed. What a dumb dumb move.

Dave only shouts for a little while.

I am grounded.

Not allowed off the boat without phone or walkie talkie...or perhaps a leash.

Still warm and dry now...tea and dinner in front of the fire.

Fingers crossed for a better day tomorrow.

Augusta Dave and Me

Today's the last day at Peartree Bridge Marina, where we have been moored since we bought our Narrowboat Augusta. Milton Keynes had been convenient, not ideal by any means, but easy. A good place to wait while we worked out visas and intentions. Now it's time to move forward and start our real adventure.

We chose Thames and Kennet marina outside Reading as our next home. Close enough to London for Dave's work but closer to friends and family. Surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary, close to lots of interesting boating destinations and most importantly away from the motorway and sirens of Milton Keynes.

Now to put our adventure into some context....
To drive from Milton Keynes to Reading is a journey of under two hours by car...by narrowboat we will cruise for about seven hours a day for eight days.
Augusta will cover 73 locks, 22 moveable bridges, 9 small aqueducts and 2 tunnels on the Grand Union Canal onto the Oxford Canal and from there onto the Thames.
Phew!

Now a little bit of information about Augusta
Augusta is a traditional stern, 62 foot long 7 foot wide narrowboat, built by Stoke on Trent with a Russell Newbury DM2 engine. She makes the most marvelous chugging sound as we cruise at around 2 miles an hour. She provides us with all the comforts of home but we haven't done much real boating beyond a few scattered weekends and the odd day trip. This adventure will be our first real journey.

Dave is excited to be cruising soon and is doing all the last minute running around. Not the least of which is moving the car to Reading today. It's raining here of course, so traffic will be an issue then he will train back to Milton Keynes. I expect to see him back by early evening.
I'm excited as well....new sights to be seen, new canals and more of the glory that is England in the Spring. I still have a few things to do to be ready...l want to be ship shape for travel...so more storing bits and bobs, sorting through odds and sods, and doing the last bits of shopping.
Fueled up and ready to go in the morning.
Let's hope that it stops raining.