A nice easy slow start.

For a pleasant change I woke up this morning at 7:45am, a leisurely hour or two getting ready for my day before going into town and then back to Tesco to replenish the perishables, before leaving the boat I texted Phil on fuel boat Hyperion and as luck would have it he was due here today.

I pondered making a start on the bedroom and decided I would.

This is a picture of the bedroom from the sale brochure, I think the boat was actually new at this stage, a bit cheeky using it it the brochure, it certainly didn’t look like that when I viewed it, the old wardrobe is on the left.

This is as it was this morning, a bit more weathered and the wardrobe and bed have gone.

I started by taking down everything to enable me to get the ceiling panel down to get access to the old roof TV ariel.

This is what happens when you use MDF around windows and have condensation leaking onto/into it, it started as 12mm thick but by now is about 24mm, so all the window ‘architraves’ will have to be renewed.

Bottom left corner of the window frame, the two screws were my early attempt
to reduce the swelling temporarily.

With the cupboard out and wall panels down I was able to remove the first ceiling panel.

My suspicions were born out, the ariel had been leaking and rust was forming along with damp/damage to the back of the ceiling panel. I treated the rust with Owatrol oil and will fill the holes in the roof tomorrow.

Looking up at the roof, the hole where the ariel cable entered the bedroom.

I have also put two coats of primer/undercoat on the back of the ceiling panel in an attempt to prevent damp from condensation being absorbed into the wood.

The three small holes are ceiling lights and the large one is a speaker, the condensation will have to go somewhere, hopefully just evaporate but I suspect it may appear around these holes, I cannot see a solution to that, hopefully it won’t!

Phil turned up late afternoon and I took on some diesel and just one bag of smokeless, I am trying to persuade the summer to arrive J

I am staying here tomorrow to get some of this refixed before making a decision on moving.

And I'm off again

I woke this morning at 6:30, a chilly morning but bright and soon the sun was putting in an appearance.

At 9am I walked to the marina office to pay for my four night stay, it was cheaper to pay for a week (madness) so I told him to charge me for that instead, after walking back and sorting myself out I reversed out of my berth, winded, and was on my way again, the decision to go to Uxbridge for wood had been decided against when I checked online and found the store was out of stock, so it was a right turn and head for Rickmansworth again.

I picked up a hitch hiker as I left the marina and she hopped off when I pulled on to the lock landing.

Not much to say really, a pleasant warm trip so just a few pictures.

Nice empty canal, apart from the idiot jogger.

Nice Garden

Nice lock in my favour with a gate open

Nice little boat

Another nice boat, I like this style, I want one!

I arrived at ‘Ricky’ around 12:30, plenty of space so I moored just before Tesco, and once I had sorted myself I walked to Mount Vernon Hospital, to the minor injuries unit (for a sore lumpy tight knuckle joint in my left hand), it was further than I thought and up a very long steep hill to begin with, by the time I had reached the top I was regretting not hopping in a taxi, oh well only 1.6miles not too bad !

I waited just over two hours to be seen, so that was a pleasant surprise, the BBC would have us believe it’s worth allowing at least 5 hours. Anyway I was told my problem was that I had worked too hard all my life J (I am really sure that's what she said) and the ligament/tendon is damaged, with calcium building up along it, in a few years the finger will curl up (and possibly others either side of it) and be unusable, nice, they can operate but will not until it gets worse, nothing like a good bit of prevention eh! Just have to add it to the list, sore knee, sore hip, sore back, sore shoulder, at least this is one the left, all the others are on the right! So I trudged back to the boat feeling it was an afternoon wasted.

Shopping tomorrow to stock up again and then decide what I want to do for the next few weeks.

Mooring:

Totals this post: 4.5 miles : 5 locks

A car trip.....

.....then back to the boat.

Friday I left Rickmansworth early at 8am, breezy and chilly but dry, it was a short-ish run to my destination at Harefield marina, a boat passed me before I was ready to set off, it was a young lady cruising and she had about 30 minutes head start on me, a shame because we could have shared the locks and made life a little easier for both.

A fairly uneventful cruising and just the odd distraction.

If I owned this one I would paint it matt black, a stealth cruiser!

 And if I owned this one, I would paint it any other colour but pink, but I expect the owner loves it J

Entering Springwell Lock (83)

 Arriving at Copper Mill Lock I could see the young lady cruiser just leaving, so I had caught her up and at the next lock she was just opening the gates as I arrived so I cruised straight in and we shared that lock and the final lock before the marina, she was heading into London and had been living aboard for a year, she said she was still learning and I told her we all are! She left the last lock first as the marina entrance is immediately after the lock, and I needed a bit of room to make the sharp left turn, having started the turn I could see the service area was full so I reversed back onto the lock landing and waited.

Waiting on the lock landing for the projecting boat to move off the
service area.

Once the boat on the service area had finished his business I pulled on to it and took aboard the harbour master who directed me to my berth.

Having just tied up my phone rang and Peter, my sister’s partner, told me he was in the car park ready to kindly take me back to Weybridge, so a quick cuppa and a chat and we were soon on our way.

A lovely weekend was spent visiting my children and of course my granddaughter, a family Chinese meal on Saturday as a sort of joint birthday celebration for myself and my granddaughter (our birthdays are 3 days apart) and a pleasant Sunday afternoon at my grand niece’s house before returning back to the boat this morning.

Thanks due again to my sister Carol and Peter for putting up with me and running me around while I was down there.

Back at the boat today to find the batteries at 99% and a chilly boat, but within an hour the sun had come out, the solar panel had boosted the batteries to full charge and it has turned into a very pleasant afternoon, catching up with a few small chores before I re-light the stove later this evening, soon that will be no longer required but not just yet!

 I will be moving tomorrow if the weather is settled but if not I will stay and move on Wednesday, time to re-start on the bedroom and try to get it finished J

Totals this post: 4.5 miles : 5 locks

A leisurely 3 hours.

I woke up this morning to find a nice bright dry day, after breakfast I went on deck to survey my surroundings and saw that the boat behind me had come adrift at the bow and was about four feet off the bank held only at the stern, I could see it’s pin, attached to the mooring line, hanging in the water, the ground along the towpath is soft here, so I went and put my boots on pulled the boat to the side and began hammering the pin back in when a voice said “thank you”, I hadn’t thought there was anyone aboard but there was, I had a quick chat with the young lady who was pleased I had re-secured her boat before heading back to my boat and preparing myself to move on.

It was lovely and sunny but quite chilly in the wind as I cruised up to the first of the two Cassiobury Park locks (75 & 76) and whilst setting it I was happy to see a boat just going into the second lock, heading my way, that meant we could both leave the gates open for each other and pass in the pound between the locks, a good start.

Swapping locks, I am just going in the lock he vacated.

As I was dealing with the second lock I noticed another boat entering the first going my way, so I thought I would wait for it at the next lock and share, however as I was cruising along a holiday boat moved off in front of me so I was able to share with them instead.

Following the hire boat, my lock partners for the trip.

From then on life was easy, not only did the hirer’s set the locks and tell me to stay aboard but the crew from the boat behind arrived at each lock just as we were ready to leave and opened both bottom gates for us, and that meant I didn't have to do the usual closing of the gates either, ‘twas a doddle J

Gates opening, time to leave.

Passing the permit holder moorings at Batchworth this boat had more water inside than anyone wants, I expect the next course of action will either be re-float it or remove it depending on the ownership and licensing situation.

Rather forlorn looking vessel.

As we entered Batchworth lock (81) the hirer’s told me they were stopping at Tesco just ahead and I said I was stopping to moor up myself , so that’s what happened, the vsitor moorings were quite busy but I found one space so I am back in Rickmansworth opposite Tesco probably using the same mooring rings as I did last time I was here just facing the other way!

Mooring:

Totals:  4.5 miles : 7 locks

I am staying here until Friday to sort out a few things before moving on and putting the boat back into the marina at Harefield for a few nights again.

Just when you think you've met them all.

Before leaving my mooring on Saturday I hung the doors to the wardrobe, so that’s finished apart from finding handles.

I did one of my shortest ever cruises which was about ½ mile and one lock.

Apsley top lock

mooring up just before the services at Apsley, convenient for Sainsbury for some grocery shopping and Dunelm for curtain or blind shopping (turned out to be blinds).

Saturday's Mooring:

I watched the last game of the Six Nations rugby, a disappointing performance from England but never mind.

Sunday saw me do the shop visits and continue with little bits of preparation in the bedroom, the next phase is to take down the ceiling panels which I will paint on the reverse side to hopefully prevent condensation leeching through, I also intend to take down the redundant TV ariel from the roof  which is only accessible above the ceiling, obviously it’s not that easy! to get the ceiling panels down I have to strip down the wall panels, so that means taking off the window surrounds....well stripping out most of the room including the corner cupboard, ho hum, it will be worth it! I am not going to start in earnest until after my trip to Surrey.

This morning saw me head up to the service point to do a fill and empty before heading through the first lock of the day which went smoothly enough, another explanation to another passerby as to what Quinquireme meant but it’s good to have some human interaction.

Now the title of this post, try to picture the scene the next lock is against me, empty, I am going downhill, so I tie up on the lock landing and walk up to the lock, check no-one is approaching check the bottom gate paddles are down and then open all the paddles on the top gates to fill the lock, I then sit on the balance beam and wait for it to fill.

It’s about ¾ full when ‘Mr Bean’ arrives on his bike, glances around and then begins to open the paddles on the bottom gate, my flabber is well and truly gasted, I shout at him and on the third shout he looks at me as if I am a tutu wearing pink elephant, “Are you going through?” he says, “ummm..... YES!!!” says I, “where’s your boat?” he says, “it would be that 55ft blue thing on the lock landing” says I, “Oh sorry” he says.

So not only did he not notice my boat on the lock landing, he never noticed all 6 sluice racks sticking 2 ft up in the air, he also never noticed the water swirling around as it filled the lock, and he never noticed a 6 foot man sitting on the balance beam with a windlass in his hand looking very puzzled as to what the bloody hell he was doing! But he did phone his wife (twice) who was heading towards the lock to warn her I was descending J it takes all sorts, thankfully, otherwise life could become very dull.

'Mr Bean' opening the gate to let me out !

The remainder of the cruise was not such fun, the weather  became gloomy, and drizzly.

This boat has its own parking platform for the family bikes with rack to lock them to.

I passed Phil on fuel boat Hyperion who shouted "You are going the wrong way!", the last time I saw him I had said I was heading off north probably to Leicester for my summer cruise, but things have changed.

Anyway I carried on until the wind began to get quite strong and the rain got heavier and decided to call it a day after Lady Capel's lock (74)

Lady Capel's lock

I moored up opposite Grove Mill between bridges 164 and 165.

Mooring:

Totals this post: 6 miles : 11 locks

I will probably move tomorrow as the internet signal is pathetic and the phone almost non-existent, I haven't bothered with the TV so tonight will be Kindle and maybe a celebratory brandy as today is my birthday :-)

From Listing.........

......to dredging.

My second night at the mooring was uneventful, due to the listing problem the night before I had slackened my mooring lines and put a tire fender at the stern to keep it slightly off the bank, and I woke to find the boat level.

Yesterday however it was listing again, it makes moving around on the boat quite awkward although it does't show hugely in the photo.

The reason I mention it again is because casting off was difficult, normally a shove is enough to 'slide' the boat off the canal bed when the water levels have dropped and you are sitting on the bottom, but it took me a good 15 minutes with a lot of pushing and resorting to use the pole until I finally got the boat into deeper water about 4 feet from the bank, by the time I reached the lock just ahead I was worn out!

The first two locks were dealt with slowly while I recovered from my exertions.

Lock 51 in the distance behind while I am in lock 52.

It was then a pleasant cruise through Berkhamstead again dealing with lock as I went, no pictures this time as I have photographed just about everything on my previous 3 passages.

At lock 57 I caught up with a couple of boats just leaving the lock, and I passed one of them, who had moored up, on my way to the next lock, the other boat had waited in lock 58 for my arrival, very kindly, they were an early holidaying couple and very friendly too.

I explained my method of getting through the lock using only one gate to exit, them leaving first and me following and closing, allowing them to go ahead and set the next lock. They were very surprised and curious as to how I was able to maneuver my boat across the lock to get out the same gate as them without the use of a bow thruster, but then again I  often am as well!

My locking partners just ahead.

We dealt with the next few locks the same way and then the electric swing bridge at Winkwell, they had never operated one of these so I advised them on the method and it went without a hitch.

After the next lock (61) they winded (turned around) and headed back, time was up for them and the husband wanted to stop for a days fishing.

I continued on through the next three locks to moor where I had previously after lock 64, which gives easy access to Hemel Hempstead for some shopping.

Leaving the lock and heading for the bank there was suddenly a graunching sound and the back of the boat lifted up as I rode over something, I had my suspicions as to what it was.
Once moored and letting the water settle I walked back and had a look, I had struck my first shopping trolley! I've seen plenty of them submerged but this was the first one I had hit, it had been placed well just by the lock landing to catch unwary boaters.
I got my boat hook and after a struggle pulled it out from the water, I was then left with what to do with it? I decided leaving it on the bank would only result in it being returned to the canal, I didn't want it on my roof, so I threw it onto a hedge, climbed over the fence and tucked it out of view in the bushes, ok not a great place for it, but better than in the canal.

Offending trolley

If I can pluck up the courage my arm will be going down the weed hatch later today to check the prop for possible damage, hopefully nothing!

Totals this post : 4.5 miles : 14 locks : 1 moveable bridge

Throw away times........

......and painting.

Ok so the laptop problem is a pain the neck, it freezes on the splash (startup) screen, it has done it for a long while now but it is intermittent. I phoned a 'specialist' laptop repairer a while back and his soloution was " if it's over five years old, throw it away and buy a new one" Well I don't happen to like that idea, my workaround discovered after many hours of googling and experimenting is a long winded affair that usually works, eventually.

Skip if you are bored already!

1: Remove battery and power cable
2: Hold power button down for 30 secs
3: Remove back panel and disconnect hard drive
4: Hold power button down for 30 seconds:
5: Plug in power cable and reboot
6: Ignore message that says 'hard drive not found' power down, remove power cable
7: Hold power button down for 30 secs
8: Refit hard drive
9: Hold power button down for 30 secs
10: Reconnect power cable and reboot
11: Pray to the laptop gods
12: If successful refit back panel

If it doesn't restart curse a few times then repeat all the above, this time using the 'recovery' key to enter Bios and reset all defaults, then pray again, it usually works by now!

And back to the blog!

So last night I poured a glass of wine instead of doing any of the above and used the tablet instead, but I have no way of getting images from my camera onto the tablet, isn't life wonderful :-)

So..... this morning I put a second undercoat on the doors to the wardrobe and glossed one of them, not enough room to gloss them both!

Just so this post has some pictures here's as far as I've got, yippee clothes are back hanging up !

Empty but all painted inside. The pipes are the hot and cold to the shower mixer
and the waste pump is in the brown box on the floor.

Door-less for now

The doors are fitted and will go on once the second one is glossed and they are both dry, moving on tomorrow though so not fitting them quite yet.

Progress......

....of the materials gathering kind.

Edited : pictures now added.

I'm having problems with the laptop again so no pictures at the moment, I may add them later if I remember.

I had ordered some bits and pieces from Screwfix in Berkhamstead so before I left my mooring yesterday I rang Jewson, who are both near the canal and Screwfix, and inquired if they offered a ‘cut to size' service, they did so my plan of action was sorted.

Leaving Bulbourne I intended to stop at the water point to top up, there are signs stating no mooring at either end of the length of bank where the tap is located, not 1, nor 2, but 3 boats were moored between the signs, access to the tap was not available given the length of my boat, it didn’t matter much as I was not desperate and knew there was another water point ahead at Cowroast, but why when there was a perfectly clear section of visitor mooring, with rings to tie up, about 300 yards ahead, why would they choose to moor where they shouldn’t? It’s funny how some people think or possibly don’t think.

All three of these are between the 'No Mooring' signs
The gaps not quite big enough for me to get in.

The main offender, if he had been a narrow boat I would have tied up alongside
him, the tap is just in line with his bow railing.

Anyway I carried on along the Tring summit,which is 39ft above sea level, having reached the highest point in this section of the canal, the sun was shining but hidden from me cruising through the deep shaded cutting, it’s not nice unless you like looking up steep banks!

When I reached Cowroast I used the water point which was clear of moored boats and topped up.

On the water point at Cowroast

It was then an uneventful cruise through the next five locks, although following a wide beam, to reach my intended stop just beyond bridge 140 which offered easy access to Jewson, and then the fun began, 3 failed attempts to get to the bank because it was too shallow saw me reverse back through the bridge to try the other side, it was deep enough, just, but about 6 attempts to drive a mooring pin in saw me again give up and move forward to just before the next lock (51), success this time and only a short walk to Jewson so I settled for that.

Current Mooring:

Totals : 5 miles : 5 locks

I walked back to Jewson and collected the MDF that will become my wardrobe sliding doors, two trips as it’s heavy stuff, I wasn’t too happy to see little hidey holes along the bank hedgerows with discarded beer cans, obviously a favourite section for the secret drinkers but as it was only for a few nights maximum, my Screwfix delivery was due today, and it is still cold at night I decided I’d be ok.

And I was ok last night, but this morning at 5:30 I woke up to find myself listing rather heavily, the pound I am in had drained to lower the water level by about 9 inches, I investigated once I was dressed and decided it was just due to the badly leaking lock ahead of me, not much I could do about that, hoping it would correct later, it did.

My delivery arrived just after lunch so I collected my bits from Screwfix and have spent the afternoon/evening hanging the doors and painting, I will stay here tomorrow in an effort to at least get my clothes put away!

Continuing South.....

...... and an unusual gongoozler.

With my engine charging situation remedied thanks to Ed Boden I set off on Thursday to continue  coddiwompling south at around 9:15, it was a beautiful bright morning as I passed through Leighton lock (27) and made for the Tesco moorings at Leighton Buzzard.

Two trips to the store to stock up with groceries and a trip to the petrol station for some fuel for my generator and I was heading off again.

Just before Grove lock who should poke his head up from an engine hole but Ed Boden, small world, he walked back to his van while I was dealing with the lock and asked if all was well, that’s not bad PR ;-)

Off again passing Grove lock Marina

At Church lock it looked as if a boat was ‘loose’ just ahead but when I got there it wasn’t, just moored on a bend the other side of the lock.

It was a lovely day to be cruising on the canal although I seemed to be alone, I didn’t pass another boat on the move at all.

The Whipsnade lion (on zoom) looked as though he could do with some attention, a coat of white paint, I only just spotted him in the distance as it almost blended into the surrounding greenery.

I was tempted to moor up between Slapton and Ivinghoe Locks, there was plenty of nice room but a fair bit of it was in the shade so I decided to press on.

More beautiful views

and just before the first Seabrook lock I spotted this chap having a good old look at what I was up to from his raised vantage point!

 I made the decision to stop where I was on the journey northwards, between lock 36 and the swing bridge but on arriving at the lock I could see the moorings ahead looked fairly busy so I backed up a bit and moored before the lock, a nice quiet spot with the sun on the solar panel and just me for company, lovely.

On Friday I emptied the wardrobe (again) and began priming the new wood and then undercoating all the inside which I think I will just paint in white gloss for brightness.

Today I was getting ready to move on and having a cuppa on the stern deck when a boat came through lock 36 ahead, they left a gate open for me assuming I was about to move off, so I thought I had better take advantage and set off, it was only 8:30 though!

So off through the ready lock and on to the swing bridge, I decided to try a new method as there were no pedestrians to open it for me, so  I edged into the towpath just before the bridge and tied the bow on a longish length of rope to the bridge railings nearest the towpath, I then crossed the bridge and pushed it open which pulled my bow over and forward with it and enabled me to hop back on at the bow, walk along the gunnel and cruise though (having untied my rope first ! ), I then reversed back to the offside past the bridge and hopped off and closed it, job done, it worked quite well, the only issue was keeping the bow from striking the bridge as it moved forward and over but with this bridge it was quite simple to fend the boat off, I will see if it works as well on other bridges.

Job done and I'm happy.

Past Cooks Wharf I was now heading for the Marsworth locks (37-45), nine in all, and as I was in no rush I was enjoying the calm before reaching them.

My luck was in at the first one, a boat was about to come down but seeing me and with the lock in my favour the crew waved me in and told me to stay aboard while they locked me through, lovely.

At the next lock a Canal & River trust employee was adjusting water levels so he set the lock for me and helped me through that one, what a nice start to the flight!

Arriving at bridge 130 just before Marsworth junction, I met Jules Fuels coming the other way, they came through the bridge first and left me plenty of room to slide past before moving across to service a boat with fuel.

I was through the junction and starting up the flight proper and at lock 40 a boat was just leaving so I slowed down and waited when who should poke his head up out of the boat alongside, yes Ed Boden again, no getting away from him now!

Ed's in the boat alongside me.

The locks came thick and fast.

With no other boats or help around it was just a steady relaxing climb up the locks, and by around midday I had reached the Top Lock.

My mooring awaited as I want to watch the Six Nations England game this afternoon, hope I have a signal or I may have to watch it in the pub L

A lovely end to a tiring but pleasant morning's cruise.

Totals this post: 10.5 miles : 19 locks : 1 moveable bridge