Good boating but bad Vispa

26th & 27th February

Main theme for the last two days has been the continuing non-performance of my ISP and web host, Vispa. Having gone down early Sunday morning, an old version of the website finally came back at lunchtime today, and the email has only just (4.45) made it back.

Vispa have offered a lot of excuses about data corruption and cross contamination of the back up disks, but surely that's what we pay professionals to avoid? Anyway, like a lot of their clients, I suspect, it's finally prompted me to look elsewhere. Moving the registration of nbsanity.net was going to be a hassle, as it's a US domain, so I've registered a new one, nbsanity.me.uk, with my new web host provider, Dataflame.

It's going to be a lot cheaper, and unlike Vispa, they provide 24/7 support. I didn't just pick them out of the blue – they were recommended by my good friend Will Chapman.

For the time being, the nbsanity.net site and email will continue to work – there will be a substantial overlap period, and I'll announce the switch over both here and in my email signatures. Please don't adjust your sets yet! However, if anyone has emailed any of us at the nbsanity.net address in the last four days, it will have been lost, so please send it again.

The backup email address that some people use which ends @mac.com has not been affected.

Meanwhile, we've also been doing some serious boating. On a bright and breezy morning yesterday, we filled up with diesel at Wheaton Aston at 57.9 ppl, and also topped up the water tank. Then we boated off up the newly refurbished lock to Brewood, getting there in time for lunch. On the way we were startled to see a pair of mating frogs in the water just by the lock. I wouldn't have thought a canal a good place for frog spawn, but there you go.

BW had been doing some forestry on the bank of the cutting above the moorings at Brewood, and left the wood for all to take, so we loaded up the roof with some useful sized bits of branch, leaving the sections of trunk for those with chain saws to deal with.

Today we made a prompt start, heating on at seven and away just after eight. Before ten we were through Autherley Junction and on our way down the Staffs and Worcs. We got to Compton by 11, checked out Lime Kiln chandlery but didn't buy anything, and got some stores at the Spar in the village.

Moving on a bit to below Wightwick Lock, we stopped again for lunch, then boated on to the Bratch. It was still a fine day, so we've come down the flight and moored on the towpath below for the night.

It's more built up down here than we remembered, but all the walking traffic seems to be dog and push chair exercising, so hopefully we won't be disturbed in the night. Tomorrow we'll do another decent day to Kinver, ready to get the cratch cover repaired on Friday.