Hot loaf at Croxton

This morning was wonderfully fresh after a hot and sticky night. It’s a good job we don’t have Sally with us yet, she’d have been miserable trying to share the bed with us, though Elanor reckons she would probably have spent the night in the saloon lying on the cool(ish) floor.

We did another trip to Morrisons just on nine: still cool, but the morning rush had abated. Indeed, the place had far more staff around than punters. Apparently the store only opened in January, which explains a) why we didn’t notice it before and b) why it still feels very shiny and new.

Back at the boat we frankly just loafed after putting the stuff away; it was already getting hot again and was soon too hot to contemplate boat washing activities. This cunning plan for avoiding  excessive exertion came slightly unstuck with the discovery at lunchtime that the iceberg lettuce that looked OK from the outside was an oozing black mess within.

Since the menu calls for salad tonight, there was nothing for it but for me to make yet another trip, this time to Lidl where I got some Spitfire ale at 4x500ml bottles for a fiver as recompense for slogging it through the heat of the day.

We’ve been doing some more loafing this afternoon; I also did some Googling about the expected battery life of a Kindle. We got our two at the same time in September 2010, so they are just under three years old. We seem to need to recharge them every couple of days these days, and it’s a bit premature for the batteries to be ageing it seems to me, a view largely supported by discussion on the MobileRead Forum.

Suggestions are: 1) search for a meaningless string like zzxxk in My Items; the search will come up blank, but will also report if the Kindle is still trying to index one or more books. This didn’t find anything on ours; if it had, the answer is to delete the problem book and reload it.

2) Recharge the Kindle for a long time, like overnight. This is tricky for us until we’re back on shore power as we turn the inverter off overnight; I’ll try a charge tomorrow while we’re cruising.

3) Call Amazon customer services and ask about it; they may well just replace the Kindle if its battery has failed too soon.

Tomorrow, we’ll set off reasonably early, water below the Big Lock and then press on to Wheelock

Hot boating for a little while

We did a short run in very warm conditions this morning, just as far as the towpath before Croxton Aqueduct. Starting at eight, we’d finished boating by nine. It’s very pleasant indeed here, far enough out of Middlewich to be peaceful, but within walking distance of the shops.

As soon as we’d got the boat secured, we went into town. The best route is onto the road by the recycling centre, turn right and walk up the road until you come to the side gate into the cemetery. Walk through the cemetery, bearing right when you get to the twin chapels and out at the main gate.

There’s a Lidl to the left and a brand new large Morrisons across the road. On this first visit we went round the latter, getting perishables and stuff for lunch and for dinner tonight.

After lunch we went to Lidl and stocked up on fruit juice, UHT milk and the like. This will save us having to organise an Ocado delivery until we’re at Poynton.

We’ll sit tight here tomorrow and do a bit more shopping; if the weather cools down without turning wet, we may even wash the side of the boat…

/blur

Croxton to Church Minshull

2nd & 3rd February

We woke yesterday to find that it had been snowing overnight, and the boat was covered with a light coat of the stuff, now frozen on. However, we wanted to take advantage of the break in the bad weather, so made an effort and were away just after nine.

First stop was the water point below Big Lock, where we refilled the tank whilst running a washload. Then we worked up the lock and stopped again at the town mooring to shop and have a cup of coffee.

Next, up the Middlewich three we went. If the Anglo Welsh yard had been open, we'd have refilled the fuel tank, but since they weren't, and the alternative source at Kings Lock Chandlery was surrounded by boats, we didn't bother – I estimate we'd have taken on about 70 litres into a 200 litre tank, so we're a long way from desperate.

As I made the turn into the arm (technically the Wardle Canal) a couple of kids on the road above tried throwing snowballs at me, but without much success. It was the usual fiddle to get round into the arm – it's not the turn itself, but the very deep bridge 'ole over it that makes it fun – but the lock was empty and open, so I was able to go straight in.

As Sanity rose in the lock, Maureen came out of the lock cottage for a chat. Maureen is a bona fide boatwoman, born on a boat, and now living in the cottage so as to keep in touch with the cut. She's a great old girl, always full of anecdotes and advice.

On this occasion, she told us about some kids who'd come banging on her cottage door late one evening last autumn. A group of three, a 16 year old and two younger lads, they'd kept ringing her bell and banging the knockers on the door, occasionally stopping to shout through the letter box "Are you frightened yet?"

Maureen was, a bit, but that didn't stop her arming herself with a windlass and coming through a side door at them. A couple of dog walkers saw what was happening and came to her aid, and between them they restrained the three and marched them back to their parents. The ringleader, when confronted with the police, could only say in aggrieved tones "She hit me, but I'm not telling you where."

Maureen said "my old Dad always said, 'Hit 'em where it hurts'" and she made gestures of a rising blow between the knees. "I bet he was bruised the next day". The school had followed up the incident, and as a result there's been less trouble with kids around Middlewich since.

Maureen also said "If you see Water Rat on your way, tell him I've got a parcel for him" Later on, we did indeed see Water Rat tied on one of the excellent Shropshire Union Canal Society moorings, and passed on the message – a classic example of the towpath telegraph at work.

Before that, we'd stopped on the visitor moorings above the lock for lunch, it being 12.30 or so. Setting off again, we passed Nackered Navvy, Sue and Roger Burchett's boat. Roger was steering, and after exchanging greetings said that Sue was off in Reading, where they have a house.

We moored in Church Minshull by around 2.30. Church Minshull used to have a full range of amenities, and is where Tom and Angela Rolt spent part of the Second World War whilst Tom was writing the seminal classic Narrowboat and working at an aircraft engine factory nearby.

Now it doesn't even have a pub, and is a pretty lifeless place from our point of view. But the moorings are good, and it makes a useful half way point on the Middlewich Arm. It was still very pleasant winter weather, sunny but cold, so we spent a bit of time cutting wood before retreating into the boat.

This morning the weather was back to wet and windy, so we had another seriously late start. At least here we are tied to rings, and can set out a spring at the stern, so the boat is bouncing about a lot less.

We've spent the day cleaning the boat, baking bread from a kit, and I cut Sheila's hair. Tomorrow we hope that things will be a bit easier weather wise, and we can move on to Barbridge, then Nantwich on Tuesday.

Windbound at Croxton

31st January & 1st February

I forgot to mention last time, Sheila says, that on Wednesday she spotted an unusual couple of birds over the field alongside the mooring. After careful inspection through the binoculars, and cross checking our bird book, she concluded that they were redwings. These are a winter visitor in these parts, and also a class of restricted design sailing dinghies formerly popular at Fishguard Bay Yacht Club.

Yesterday morning we made what can only be described as a seriously lazy start. The weather was sounding awful, we had no plans to go anywhere by boat, so we stayed put in bed until thirst for tea drove me forth to make some.

My main worry was the sound of the mooring lines creaking as the boat was blown about by the wind. I knew after our encounters with Cat Flap and Tinky Mac's yesterday that they weren't gripping the ever soggier mud desperately well. Checking after breakfast, however, confirmed that they were still hanging in there.

When we came back from a shopping trip into Middlewich, I set out the centre line as additional security. At first I just used one pin, but this immediately started to pull out (the wind was still blasting away something fierce) so I resorted to multi pinning, driving another through the eye on the top of the first one, and a third through the eye of the second, so that there is a splayed trident of pins holding the line down.

As may be imagined, the afternoon was spent in the boat: knitting, watching a DVD with a claim to have the daftest plot of anything Audrey Hepburn ever made (Paris when it sizzles) (both Sheila) and playing around with alternative ways of making web photo albums (me). I have three alternative strategies, using iPhoto, PhotoShop and Dreamweaver (which actually borrows Fireworks for the job)

The first is the simplest, but as iPhoto has only limited editing options, it means exporting the images, cleaning them up in PhotoShop and then reimporting them to iPhoto to make the album. As I've commented before, PhotoShop itself produces a very bloated set of files, much of them unnecessary since I'm adding my own templates in Dreamweaver.

The Fireworks/Dreamweaver bit has its own problems – the original images aren't rescaled, so you have to save them in web format in PhotoShop first, and then the result still needs faffing about with after the event. On the whole, I suspect iPhoto has it for simplicity of result, leaving me with plenty of options to play around with things in Dreamweaver afterwards.

The only other distraction yesterday was a stoppage notice from Waterscape.com which referred to the boating season (as opposed to the stoppage season, presumably). I sent an email back asking if, as we weren't in the boating season this month, I could have a refund on my licence.

This morning saw much of the same, really. Another seriously lazy start, on the same excuse, followed by a quick trip into Middlewich and then mucking about on the boat. The weather forecast is better for tomorrow, which is probably just as well, as we're getting short of water, and beginning to feel just a touch of cabin fever.

While I was off the boat, Sheila took a call from Karen at BW as a result of my email yesterday. I think they may have missed the point, as it was to reassure us that the stoppage referred to was coming off by the end of next week. Oh well, at least they're listening, all we have to do now is make them understand...

Marbury to Croxton

29th & 30th January

It was a pleasant, unexciting but classic boating day yesterday. We made an average start, getting away from Marbury at around 9.30, and with Sheila at the helm, chugged steadily past Marston, Wincham Wharf, Broken Cross and Billinge Green.

There were as many continuous moorers at Marston as ever – I counted ten actually by the pub, and another half dozen within half a mile either side. Near Billinge Green, Up Spirits, Braidbar 102, came past in the opposite direction. Bob and Shirley said they were on their way to Northwich, so we should see them on their return.

We've moored at Croxton again, between the flash and the aqueduct. It's quiet here, yet within walking distance of the shops in Middlewich. After lunch we went there, getting as far as the Lidl, where we started to restock after the comparative famine of Barnton and Anderton.

We got back to the boat just as it started to rain, so had a quiet afternoon on board. It's a slow internet connection here, but adequate for email and relaxed web browsing.

This morning we made a very lazy start, and weren't really properly on deck before 9.30. After breakfast. two boats that have been leap frogging with us came past. These were Cat Flap and Tinky Mac's, and for the third time in as many passages they half pulled our mooring stakes out zooming past at cruising speed. Thanks guys.

I do aim to moor such that the pins will hold in almost anything, driving them well in and tying the lines as near as possible to the ground, but it was no good. Admittedly the ground is a bit soggy, but one of the pins is two foot long and an inch in diameter, for Pete's sake.

Apart from the irritation caused by these folks' thoughtlessness, it's been another tranquil day. We made another trip into Middlewich, going right into town this time to shop at Somerfield and Bargain Booze. After lunch I went and took some photos of the aqueduct and of the long term moorings by the council tip, sorry, household refuse site.

These used to be absolutely full of slightly dilapidated boats*, one of which was always covered in fender making stuff, but they've almost all gone. Possibly BW have moved them on for not paying mooring fees, but if so, they've not managed to relet the moorings.

Despite the presence of the tip, it's not a bad site – there's a handy road, the tip isn't obtrusive, and passing boats have to slow down because of the aqueduct at one end of the site. I guess the infamous trial of sealed bid tendering for moorings, rather than using a waiting list, means that it takes that much longer to relet the moorings. It must involve a loss of revenue for BW, as well as making less efficient use of the available mooring locations.

We plan to sit tight here for another couple of days, as the weather forecast is none too good for tomorrow and Friday – rain and gales, then snow.

*No, Elanor, the moorings were full of boats, not the council tip.

Boating in the wet and the wind

9th & 10th January

With no plans to move and after a night punctuated by the noise of strong winds, we made a lazy start to the day. On the way down the towpath to the road at Wheelock, going to buy a paper, we found a tree down, almost but not quite blocking the path. It had also stopped just short of hitting the boat moored there.

When we got back to Sanity, I phoned the BW Wales and Border Counties office and reported it, having a very pleasant conversation with the woman who answered the phone. A bit later in the day it was gone, though we never spotted the blokes doing it.

Also later in the day, I was sitting working at the desk in the study bedroom when the boat started moving oddly – rocking and with odd noises from outside.

When I went out to investigate, there was a guy on the offside gunwale busy bow hauling the boat which had been moored behind us.

He apologised profusely, saying that he didn't realise there was anybody on the boat. This was perhaps a bit slow of him, since smoke was coming out of the chimney, but it seemed to be a genuine mistake.

He and his mate were moving the boat to Middlewich in this way. Apparently he'd been refitting it further up the canal when it sank – there was a small hole on the uxter plate (the bit of base plate under the counter), and the boat had slowly filled up and gone down.

He said in some surprise that they'd refloated it once already, but when they came back to it, blow me, it had sunk again. He didn't indicate whether he'd actually tried to close off the hole, saying "It's very small, only the size of a pencil".

I forbore to point out that even a small hole below the waterline, over a period of time, will let in enough water to sink the boat, steel not being famous for its buoyancy. The other sad thing is that it implies he bought the boat without a survey. It's very likely that, where there is one actual hole, there are many more potential ones, the steel having worn through over time (it was a pretty old looking boat).

The rest of the day was spent loafing, really, time being filled with internet activity, knitting, reading, and making a new ringtone for the phone.

Elanor had expressed some reservations about us using Waterloo as her personal ringtone, so I spent a bit of time in Sound Studio making a new 15 sec ringtone from the track Jose Cuervo, which Elanor likes for good reasons of her own. I did offer to use another Abba track, namely Knowing Me, Knowing You, in view of her recent break up, but I didn't happen to have it in iTunes, and it hardly seemed worthwhile buying it just for the sake of a joke in poor taste.

Today the weather looked distinctly dodgy, but the forecast was for an improvement, and I wanted to get down the rest of the locks to Middlewich – we are meeting Peter and Jan at the Salt Barge in Wincham on Saturday, and it's nice to have a day in hand for these things. I suspect that if it had been Sheila's turn to steer we wouldn't have gone, but there it was.

In the event, her scepticism was justified. It was really not a nice morning for boating, and we needed all the wet weather gear we had on. It rained fairly continuously, and from time to time it blew quite seriously as well.

We stopped on the water point to top up, and then it was the plod along the rather dismal pound that circumnavigates Sandbach without ever getting near enough to it to be useful.

Half way down Booth's Locks we crossed with an Elton Moss boat heading back to their base just above. This at least meant that all the locks would now be in our favour, which was particularly useful at Rumps. Sheila got off at the bridge well before and walked to it to get it open so that I could take Sanity straight in, despite the half gale that was by now blowing from behind me.

After that things weren't so bad, and Kings Lock was comparatively straightforward. The promised improvement in the weather was beginning to show up. Down the Middlewich Three we went, avoiding the broken down boat in the tight left hander pound between the top and middle locks. (OK, so you are broken down, but why not bow haul it up the last lock and get it out of everyone's way? You're almost certainly going to have to do that anyway.)

We stopped on the mooring beyond the Town Bridge, ate a belated lunch and then made a shopping raid on Somerfield, Bargain Booze and Rowland's the chemist.

Then we set off again, in pleasant sunshine now, and stopped briefly before Croxton Aqueduct to dispose of the old engine oil at the County Council tip there. Just across the aqueduct we finally stopped for the night. After I'd shut everything down, there was this persistent noise as of a pump or fan still running. It sounded as if the Eberspacher had tried to start itself up, and got stuck somewhere in its routine.

Sheila came and had a listen too, and we tried starting the Eberspacher in the ordinary way. This happened perfectly normally, and just as it was doing so, I realised that the manual override switch for the bilge pump was down. Sanity is such a dry boat, we never have occasion to use the bilge pump, and I just hadn't recognised the sound. A cheap disposable nappy (£2.50 for 20 from a supermarket) in the stern bilge is enough to absorb the bit of water that comes in past the stern greaser, being changed when I change the oil.

Just hope I haven't wrecked the impeller on the bilge pump running it dry for several minutes – better check it sometime, I suppose.