Looking Back On Winter

Well, we can hope, anyway! As we begin to plan to get moving again, there are some highlights from our 5-month stay in Blisworth that we would like to share with you . . .

First things first, and very good news, is that all the medics seem very happy with Val's first replacement knee operation. She had the 'op' on 28th January, a little earlier than expected, and just managed to get out of the hospital in Barnstaple before it was snowed in on 2nd February. Here she is, about 3 weeks later, already down to a single crutch, and stepping out along the road in Lapford. Since then, she was signed off by both the physio and the surgeon, then swapped the crutch for a walking stick, and now doesn't even use that!

We had to stay with Colin and Jan in Lapford a little longer than we had expected, as the physios insisted that Val had to straighten her leg a bit more – 2 weeks turned into 4! We had a little drama on 14th February, as Colin and Jan went off for a week's holiday (leaving us in residence) – there was an electrical fault and small fire which brought out three fire engines and the electricity board and left us without power for two days. The fact that we were there meant that Colin and Jan didn't need to come back home for the emergency, and may have helped to ensure that the fire didn't spread. Our candlelit supper wasn't just romantic but necessary!

The weather was wintry, of course, but that gave us some great views, especially in the early morning sunshine. It also meant that the birds visited the bird table in good numbers! Here's a blackbird on Colin & Jan's patio.

Back in January, we had our share of snow and ice on the canal at Blisworth. The canal was frozen over for several days and the nearby flight of locks down to Northampton seemed to be preserved in a coating of snow. Sometimes friends ask us how we get on in the cold weather; it's much the same as being in a house, just get inside, shut the door and enjoy the central heating and the solid fuel fire! Outside DIY jobs have to be left until the warmer and drier weather, so we got on with some of the inside ones.

Recent new features inside Zindagi include a wooden shoe rack near the back door (needed this for a long time!) and lining the metal window surrounds with wooden mouldings. Although the end result does look better than the original metal surfaces, the main purpose was to reduce the condensation, and it seems to be working.

A more major task was to change our composting toilet. Without going into the details too much, we found that our 'Envirolet' never seemed to dry out as much as it should, so we have replaced it with a 'Nature's Head' model (another composting one), which separates liquids and solids 'at source'! Having successfully removed the old one and thoroughly cleaned it, the new one was a doddle to install, and we have even managed to sell the old one on eBay.

The 'Nature's Head' looks good, but the real test will be as we leave the land-based facilities of the marina and start travelling again. We'll spare you any pictures of this operation – just enjoy the winter canal scenery around Blisworth!

Having spent so long in Lapford after Val's op, we only had about 2 weeks back here in Blisworth before she was due to see the surgeon for her 6-week check up, so we were back to Devon again on 11th March and, as we said at the top of this, the surgeon was very pleased with her progress. We asked about a date for the second knee, hoping that the original estimate of 'about 3 months later' would be confirmed. Unfortunately, Val was told that she would be back on the waiting list, which means probably at least 3 to 4 months wait from mid-March. Ah well, more recovery time, and more time to cruise down the Nene, the Great Ouse and the Cam!

While down in Devon last time, Val had arranged for a medication review and had been told beforehand that no blood tests would be necessary. Then, at the review, she was told that she would need them! Too late, we were going back to Blisworth, so she arranged to have them done this time – which meant waiting about a week for the results.

Instead of imposing on Colin and Jan again (plus they were getting on with major decorating!), we went and stayed with David and Mary in Okehampton, and so had the opportunity to spend time with them and get some more tastes of Dartmoor again. The gorse was coming into prolific bloom, with its characteristic 'coconutty' smell, and the East Okement river caught its sparkles, even in its deep shady valley. One morning, Dave was surprised to get quite close to a roe buck!

The blood tests were OK, – no need to change any of Val's medication – so we could head back to Blisworth, but we didn't . . . we set off for Shrewsbury instead!

We'll tell you about that very soon . . .

A Winter Excursion

Jeremy had a week off at the end of December and the weather forecast was reasonable, so we thought we would take a short trip.
Taking the boat out of the marina for the first time in several weeks, we turned left and headed northwest through Buckby Locks towards Norton Junction. Then right onto the Leicester Section and up the Watford Locks, a flight of 7 narrow locks, including a 'staircase' of 4, rapidly climbing the hill next to Watford Gap services on the M1. Then the canal turned under the motorway and away from it. By the time we had emerged from Crick Tunnel, we were in quiet countryside and enjoying the winter scenery.
We had arranged to meet Adam and Rachel at North Kilworth but got there a bit early. All the same, we had a reception committee waiting for us. No sooner had we stopped and moored up than the local swans spotted our open hatch and decided that we really needed to feed them! Perhaps due to the general lack of visiting boats, but we have never had swans quite THIS insistent!
We wondered whether we would be able to make it down Foxton Locks that day, but the evening was drawing in and we had to moor above them. A walk down to the pub at the bottom disappointed us, as they were not serving evening meals on Boxing Day, so we went back and ate on board instead.
A fairly early start the next morning, as we wanted to go down the locks, turn around nearby and then come straight back up! In the busy summer season, this would be frowned on by the overworked lock-keepers, but there was no problem this time! There were a few other boats around but boaters were easily outnumbered by sightseers. We always enjoy this dramatic flight of ten locks (2 'staircases' of 5) and were soon into the rhythm of working them!
We dropped Adam and Rachel off back at North Kilworth, headed on to Welford Junction and turned down the Welford Arm, just getting to the moorings and turning round before it got too dark. Welford's village shop proved very useful, especially with its very early opening hours and tasty local bread, and we set off again the next day after filling up with water.
Retracing our route back to Blisworth via Watford and Buckby Locks, we found that quite a few other boats were out on the canal – we shared locks down Buckby and even found ourselves in a 'queue' as we headed south! We decided to get right back to the marina on 30th afternoon, only just having enough light to moor up, but were glad to have done so – the next morning the canal was frozen over!

Settling In

As we said before, it was rather strange to stop travelling and move into winter moorings here in Blisworth Marina but, one month on, we have already got quite used to it. Ironically, we had no sooner become static than we became more mobile by borrowing our car back from Adam. Dave got a bus into Northampton and caught a train over to Wolverhampton, where Adam's partner Rachel works, picked up the car from her and drove back. You can just see Zindagi's wind turbine on the left, and the car is parked up behind that to the left. The brick building has loos, showers and washing machine, with rubbish disposal skips next to it. All very well laid out and kept in sparkling order!

Just outside the marina entrance is Gayton Junction, where the Northampton Arm branches north-east off the main line of the Grand Union. You may remember that we went down that way last year, travelling down the River Nene to Peterborough. We didn't have enough time to go any further then, but we are provisionally planning to travel down the Nene again next year and go on through the 'Middle Level' of the Fens to join the Great Ouse and the River Cam. We have the map and guide books and have been looking at the possibilities – all part of the fun of the longer winter evenings, all snug in our little living room and making plans for more cruising!

Back in September, we kick-started the process for Val's knees to get some proper attention, getting X-rays and a referral to the consultant in Barnstaple (North Devon Hospital). Just nicely timed, Val was able to get an appointment to see him on 14th November. So we drove down, spent two nights with Joe and Wendy in Barnstaple and saw the consultant. He was very straightforward and told us that Val definitely needed replacement knee joints. In order to comply with their 'waiting list' rules, she would have to have the first one done by mid-February, so that is all due to happen – Hallelujah! Assuming all goes OK with the first one, then the second one should be scheduled for about 3 months later.

Obviously, our cruising plans will have to fit around these dates, so it probably means that we shall be here into February at least, then maybe away for a bit before mooring up for a while (here again? – who knows?). All being well, by some time in the summer we may well be able to get really mobile on the water again – great!

Meanwhile, as you will have guessed from the pictures, we have been down to see Shireen and Thor in London. As we are so close to the M1 here, it only took us just over 2 hours to get there, and less to get back. Thor is certainly growing, toddling around everywhere and 'talking' in his own language with the occasional English word thrown in! Shireen's friend Chesca has been staying with them and has become part of the family – Thor really loves her! We were with them a few days after his first birthday, and hope we might see them again sometime soon before Shireen and Frankie take off back to Scotland in the New Year. They are planning to move back there long-term, so no doubt we shall be making a few trips north before too long!

Adam went to Australia in early November for work and Rachel joined him a few days ago so that they could enjoy some holiday before flying back together in about a week. Plans include hiring a VW camper (home from home!) and doing some diving near the Great Barrier Reef. Sounds great – hope we see some photos!

Jeremy went off to Chad again today and is due back in about 3 weeks. He will probably come and spend a few days with us after that and we are provisionally planning to go for a little cruise together if the weather permits!

Back here in Blisworth, we have picked up with the friends we made in the local church, and are gradually getting more involved. We are glad we decided to be based here for the winter this year, and have been made really welcome. Hopefully we can make a useful contribution to the fellowship while we are here.

Blog entries will probably be a little sparse for a while as we are not travelling, but we shall try to update you with any important news as it happens.

A Long Short Cut

Our route out of the east side of Birmingham started to veer northwards and we were soon heading almost due north towards Tamworth. Why were we going this way on our way south? As you know, we usually add together locks and miles and calculate our journeys in 'lock-miles'. If we had gone straight through Birmingham and down the Grand Union, we would have been going down the 21 broad locks at Hatton (near Warwick) and then up 20-odd locks a few miles later. The longer route, north via Tamworth and then south near Coventry and Rugby, certainly had more miles but also substantially less locks, so the 'lock-mile' total was lower. Added to that was the opportunity to explore in Birmingham and revisit parts of the Birmingham & Fazeley and Coventry Canals that we had not visited since 1986, plus all the locks were narrow ones. A detour? Not really – more of a short cut!

Our entry to Fazeley was under the curiously mediæval-looking footbridge – spiral staicases each side, a simple walkway across. Next to it is a swing bridge which seems little used; probably only for access to the farmer's fields.

In the next few days, we (like most others in the UK) suffered a blast of wintry weather, when it was a real joy to get into the warmth after the afternoon's cruising had deteriorated into sleet and cold winds. We still enjoy the crisp winter light, especially in the mornings, but setting up the wind turbine and the TV aerial as the light begins to fail and in freezing conditions makes the boat's central heating and coal fire really welcoming!

Past the Alvecote boatyard where we hired a boat back in 1986 (now much expanded!) and on up the Atherstone locks – surprisingly attractive – before plodding through the edges of Nuneaton and Bedworth, where we found ourselves back on familiar territory again as we came to Marston Junction, where the pretty Ashby Canal branches off north-east.

The landscape round here tends to be a mixture of semi-industrial and nondescript edges of housing estates, but there were occasional highlights, especially as we approached Hawkesbury Junction with its iron bridges and quirky layout. Even Hawkesbury is surrounded by electricity stations, but we had a pleasant surprise to find 'Edna May' there with Steve and Lindsay on board. Since meeting them last year on the Stratford-on-Avon Canal, we seem to see each other quite often. The last time had been on the Llangollen only a few weeks ago. So, a slightly longer stop for a cuppa and chat before having lunch and heading south on the Oxford Canal.

Jeremy cycled out to see us at 'Stretton Stop' near Brinklow, stayed the night and cycled straight into work in Leamington the next morning. Good to see him and have the usual long chat into the night!

Only three locks between Hawkesbury and Braunston, then Braunston's own flight of six before plunging through the tunnel to Norton Junction, where we stopped for the night before going down the seven Buckby locks – the last ones before we reached Blisworth! Since Braunston, we were back in broad locks again, and some of those larger lock-gates were certainly heavy after the lighter ones on narrow locks! Coming down Buckby, it was good to be able to share locks with another boat – saves water and shares the work!

About 9 or 10 more miles brought us to Gayton Junction and Blisworth Marina. We had made informal arrangements by phone and email to stay here for 2 or 3 months this winter. When we arrived there was no-one around, so we moored up opposite the entrance ready to make contact the next day.

So here we are, static for the next couple of months, though we may take a few trips out and about. Quite strange not to be moving on – we are starting to get used to it!

The 'Curly Wyrley' Way Round Birmingham

Coming up the 21 Wolverhampton locks was not too bad at all! Last time we came this way was in April last year, when we came up the 21, stopped for lunch and then carried on right into Birmingham until eight at night! Needless to say, we took it a bit more leisurely this time, and simply stopped overnight in the pleasant little basin at the top of the locks. It looks idyllic and was really very quiet and secure, but is actually within easy walking distance of the city centre.

Besides, we had other ideas . . . we were not going to just plunge straight through on one of the 'main lines' from Wolverhampton to Birmingham. We had done that on our last two visits this way. This was time for a little more exploration.

The maps of the BCN (Birmingham Canal Navigations) show miles of little-used waterways in all directions around the city, and one that had taken our interest was the 'Wyrley and Essington' going around the north-east. Affectionately known as the 'Curly Wyrley', this has a reputation for being shallow and weedy but certainly not impassable, so we thought we would try it out!

So we turned off the main line at Horseley Fields Junction and set off northeasterly along the W & E. First stop was to find a Sainsburys to stock up on supplies. Fortunately our trusty 'First Mate Guides' cover even the deeper recesses of the BCN, so we knew there was one coming soon! We moored carefully out of the way of a bridge, so as not to block any other boats. No worries there, but we did find the 'weedy' reputation fulfilled very soon – here is a lump of floating pennywort AFTER we had got through it, and there were more. One disused side arm looked like a very lush field, no water visible! But the most it needed was Dave up the front with a boathook, pushing the thicker bits aside while Val revved the engine a little – being sure to slip into neutral when the propeller was near the weed, to avoid getting tangles! We plodded on . . .

We didn't see any other moving boats and hardly any boats at all until we arrived at Sneyd Junction, where we were made very welcome by Ralph who lives on board his boat there and acts as the warden of the mooring site. Like so much of this canal, here was a quiet little backwater, between the M6 motorway and Bloxwich suburbs, probably unknown to many people who live in the immediate area.

While we were up in this forgotten corner, there were two diversions to explore as well. The first was a dead straight canal known as the Cannock Extension which once connected with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. We went up it, turned around, had lunch and came back down. Not exciting, perhaps, but interesting. Like this, the Anglesey branch once linked to working coalfields but now comes to a very scenic end at the foot of the Chasewater reservoir. Only the (fairly muffled) hum of the M6 Toll reminds you that you are not miles from anywhere! If you look carefully, you may just see Zindagi in front of the houses.

By the way, did you know that you can 'explore' our route (and any other part of the waterways system) by going to the map via the 'Where Zindagi is now' link and then just moving around on that. Don't be content with seeing where we are; you can look around the whole network!

From the northeasterly corner of the BCN, it was time to start heading south, so we left the Anglesey Branch and took the Daw End Branch to Longwood Junction. We were going to go on, but decided to stay there overnight as the rain was lashing down! So the next day (having passed through no locks since Wolverhampton) we started down the 9 locks of the Rushall Canal, cruised through leafy Walsall suburbs, joined the Tame Valley Canal, had lunch on a high embankment near Perry Barr, then down the 13 Perry Barr locks to Salford Junction, where two canals join from central Birmingham.

The whole junction is totally dwarfed by the whirling concrete lanes of 'Spaghetti Junction' above. Very few motorists will be aware of the canals below and, to the canal boater, the hectic rush of vehicles seems like a different world. The canal seems to slip quietly unnoticed below and gradually leaves the noise behind. By the time we reached Minworth, Birmingham was receding into the distance, though we still had a busy road beside us.

'Up South' towards Birmingham

From Middlewich southwards to Wolverhampton, the countryside climbs up out of the Cheshire plains but it is a slow rise, so we were a couple of miles south of Nantwich before we came to the first two locks on the 'main line' of the 'Shroppie'. Another 3 miles brought us to Audlem, where we stopped for the night and took a little longer to enjoy the village and the picturesque flight of 15 locks. Last time we came through here was as we travelled down south (rather more quickly!) in April last year. The trees were bare then; this time they were just beginning to turn to autumn colours.

As we went on south, we stayed with the seam of red sandstone rock which extends right up to Chester and down towards Stourport on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal. Seeing this rock last year started us comparing the Shroppie with the 'Staffs. and Worcs.' Since then, of course, we have refreshed our memories of the Staffs. and Worcs. by going down to Stourport and back, and there certainly ARE some similarities. Here is 'Zindagi' approaching the bottom lock at Tyrley and you can see the sandstone on the right.

This canal was built by Thomas Telford and one of the things that we have discovered about him is that he preferred to go straight if he could! Not for him the winding, contour-hugging canals by Brindley and others so, when there was no need to do otherwise, he would build a long embankment or cut through a hill. Or rather he would plan the canal that way and his army of 'navigators' (navvies) would shift the vast amounts of rock and earth, mainly using hand tools. At least this red sandstone is fairly soft, but that takes nothing away from their amazing feats! The Shroppie looks very straight on the map, but the frequent change between high embankments and deep wooded cuttings makes it far from monotonous. Just try to imagine the work involved in sinking a cutting like this one through solid rock – and there are several of them!

There are also some lovely villages strung along the canal. At one time, some of them would have been much more centred on the goods being transported along the water, and the pubs would have been vital stopping points for the boat crews. Many of them still do a good trade with the present-day boating crews, usually either families on a hired boat or private owners like us, afloat for anything from a week to several years! The Boat Inn at Gnosall is beautifully situated next to a stone bridge. We didn't stop here, though we normally aim to eat out once a week. (If we stopped at every picturesque canalside pub, we would not only be a lot poorer, but would make even slower progress than we already do!)

Just one solitary lock between Tyrley and the end of the Shropshire Union at Autherley Junction, where the owners of the 'Staffs. and Worcs.' insisted that a stop lock was built to prevent the Shroppie stealing all their water. The water level difference is about six inches, if that!

As we came out from the Shroppie onto the Staffs and Worcs, we kept an eye open for a miniature narrowboat which we had seen last time. Not just a short narrowboat – there are plenty of those around – but smaller and narrower and in proportion. Must be difficult for a normal-size adult to stand up inside!

And then for the really steep climb up into Wolverhampton. 21 locks, raising us 132 feet in 2 miles, right into the centre of the city . . .

'Pit Stop' at Middlewich

On our way up from Devon to Shrewsbury, we spent a very enjoyable day with Jonny and Sue, who were with us last year when we went up to Leicester and back. Their Somerset home was sort of on our way, so we made sure that Adam could do without the car for another day and stayed the night with them. Great to catch up a bit!

While we had been away, Adam and Rachel had been able to enjoy a weekend on the boat themselves, taking it down 3 locks and 2½ miles (as far as you can go at present), back almost as far as the junction with the Llangollen Canal and then down to Queen's Head again. So, there was 'Zindagi', in exactly the same spot, pointing the same way, but Adam and Rachel had already explored the remaining stretch of the Montgomery Canal. Now it was our turn . . .

The Montgomery Canal is being actively restored, but of course it is a long and costly process. The limit of navigation is currently at Gronwyn Wharf. If you look carefully, you may be able to see that the canal is fenced off under the bridge, though the towpath continues. It runs nearly all the way to Newtown, Powys, 32½ miles from Frankton Junction. The hope is that the whole length of the 'Monty' will eventually be re-opened, but there is a lot of very basic work to be done, as you can see in the picture of the canal bed a little further on from Gronwyn Bridge. Further on again, the canal was very overgrown – even more to be done!

On our way back up the Frankton locks, we found that there were 10 boats booked in to go up them and none to come down, so there was a bit of delay and Colin the lock-keeper was kept very busy. Back on the Llangollen Canal again, and finding our travel rather faster than on the way up, as the flow down from the River Dee makes a substantial difference.

We had originally expected to simply turn south on the Shropshire Union as soon as we left the Llangollen, but now we planned a diversion back to Middlewich to get some work done on the boat. You may remember our occasional battles with our diesel-fired cooker hob. As we have talked with the team at Middlewich Narrowboats since we called in there in April 2007, we knew that they had the same hobs and ovens installed on their hire boats and that they had experienced some similar problems with the hobs sooting up. Recently, though, they had found a solution – running the hobs and ovens on kerosene instead of marine (red) diesel. Their experience (with 18 boats) showed that there was no sooting-up and the units burned much cleaner – and hotter. So we decided to have a kerosene tank fitted and arranged to be back there on Wednesday 8th October to get things started.

Dave the tank maker came and had a look. Yes, he could make a tank to fit in a space next to the diesel tank, but he certainly couldn't find time to fit it. So Middlewich's father and son team, Dave and Joe, would be able to fit it in their own time, as Adam (the boss) simply couldn't spare any of their work time. To cut the story down a bit, the tank was ready by Friday but couldn't be fitted until Monday.

We had a few days to wait, so we headed out northwards on the Trent & Mersey to some 'flashes', where areas of land next to the canal have subsided and made wide lakes. A popular spot for water birds (including several hundred Canada Geese) and apparently also for many local boat owners who often pop out there for the weekend.

We were back in Middlewich on Sunday, ready for Dave (of Middlewich Narrowboats) to fit the tank the next day. He did a very neat job and initial impressions of running the hob on kerosene are certainly favourable – no smoke at all and very little smell, so hopefully no soot either.

So we were able to leave late on Monday afternoon, retracing our route back along the Middlewich arm towards the main line of the 'Shroppie' – heading south at last!