I do hope it’s worth the hassle.

The saga of the mattress continued on Wednesday, after being told on Tuesday that I would get a phone call from the dispatch department Wednesday I waited with anticipation, by 4pm it hadn’t happened so I rang them again and of course the answer was ‘the dispatch department closes at 4, you’ve missed them by a couple of minutes’, a brief but lively exchange took place where I gave them my opinion of their procedures. Thursday morning the phone call came through, and after checking all the details with them they have assured me that all the information will being given to the driver and delivery will be some time after 9am on Tuesday, hmmm I hope so.

So once again I am passing the time with a few small jobs, I finished the bits of painting in the bedroom and decorated the boat pole with some blue bands and varnish, the idea is to protect it from the elements but in doing so and making it look attractive it can become a target for the lowlifes that are the scourge of modern life, it’s on the roof now and hopefully will stay there.

Contain your excitement, my painted and varnished boat pole drying out before going on the roof

Phil on fuel boat Hyperion came along as arranged Thursday afternoon; good timing as I had just burnt the last of my waste wood and coal, the warmer weather should be here soon so I just took another 2 bags of smokeless, 1 bottle of gas and a small diesel top up.

Yesterday I walked into the shopping precinct at Warners End, about a mile away, a very useful little place with a small Tesco, Co-Op, butchers and greengrocers as well as a few other shops including a DIY/Ironmongers and a launderette which I didn’t know was there, I had used my washing machine on Wednesday and would not have done so had I known.

Today (Sunday)  I watched the Formula 1, a bit of a dull race but a good result for Valteri Bottas, 1^st ever Grand Prix win, and the championship is looking like it could be a bit more exciting this year with Ferrari joining the Mercedes party this year.

Let’s see if Tuesday brings joy or sadness, I hope it brings a mattress! 

A move backwards.........

......before going forward.

Yesterday was moving day, before I could head off properly I needed to reverse back to the service point and fill the water tank etc. My boat doesn’t like going backwards, (none do) I like it even less, but it was only about five boat lengths and there was no wind so it went ok. While I was on the water point my neighbours walked past and said cheerio so that was good timing.

On the service point.

Once filled and emptied I set off through Apsley top lock (65), another leaky lock requiring the bottom paddles to be raised on exit to leave the lock empty, it was only a very short ½ mile to my first stop opposite B&Q and Travis Perkins where I bought some primer and a length of mopstick handrail to use as a boat pole, when I last used my pole it creaked badly and sounded like it was about to split and the sun on its very old surface has distorted its shape so it needed to go.

Convenient but still a bit of a walk to get to Travis Perkins by road.

Having got those things sorted I was off again through Boxmoor lock (64) passing St John the Evangelist Church sandwiched on the green between Hemel Hempstead and Boxmoor’s cricket grounds.

I was then on the lookout for a suitable mooring to try for my mattress delivery again, I had two places in mind and the first wasn’t far away, although I wasn’t optimistic about there being a space I was pleased to see plenty of room when I arrived, opposite The Fishery Inn, with its car park directly opposite the moorings and a road bridge just ahead it should do nicely, so I pulled in and moored up. I’ve probably not moved far enough to satisfy the Canal and River Trust’s ‘rules’ but on this occasion I don’t care, I want my mattress!

Current mooring:

Totals : 1½ miles : 2 locks

Having moored up I phoned the supplier again, I spoke to the same girl who had taken the original order and delivery instructions and she could not understand how it had gone wrong, nor could I! Anyway I have given the new address etc. and been told to expect a call today to confirm everything...we’ll see.

I did a few bits of painting preparation on the bed base and the boat pole and then settled down to read on the Kindle. Thai green chicken curry (home made) for dinner, a bit of telly and another day passes.

Project complete ?

I began the alterations to give me a better wardrobe and shower on 3rd November last year.

I knew it would take some time, the main reason being sourcing materials for collection or delivery, it’s not always easy.

Last Monday I placed the order, on the telephone, for delivery of the mattress, it was a long call, to keep the story short, the outcome of which was delivery would be delayed until today (7 days instead of 3days) to allow the supplier to use their own van and not the courier company Yodel who were likely to mess it up as I am on a boat.

So it wasn’t really a surprise to me that it did indeed get messed up. My somewhat irate call today resulted in me being told Yodel had lost the mattress in transit? Hang on, I’ve waited an extra 4 days so as not to use Yodel, “unfortunately it was given to Yodel”, at least that’s what they told me, looking at the Yodel tracking site tells me they are waiting for it to arrive from the supplier!

I reckon the supplier thought they had sent it to Yodel (the normal method) and so nobody put it on their own van today, bloody incompetent whatever happened. I was quite proud of my restraint though, no ‘f’ words left my lips, just a couple of bloody's.

So I have to move tomorrow, my 14 days are up, then find a new mooring spot with suitable access for the delivery and give them a second chance to get it right.

I don’t think I can call the project complete until I can sleep in the bedroom again.

And breathe.

Bed frame.......

.....tick.

One of the problems I faced when moving the wardrobe was that I needed access to the new one, I needed to be able to stand in front of it to get stuff in and out, but in getting that space I would have to lose the space needed to enter or leave through the bow doors because the bed would be there, with limited room I decided to have a moveable bed.

The main central support base is fixed and offers simple open storage beneath, the two drawers that were beneath the original base were not very practical as to get to the space behind them you had to remove the drawers, this meant removing the front half mattress and collapsing the bed frame towards the wall, it was tedious, so I have opted for practicality, open space with more room available and easier access.

The normal sleeping position will, I think, be with the bed against the bow (first picture), giving access to the wardrobe, when required the mattress support frame is on rollers, so it will slide back against the wardrobe giving access to the bow doors (second picture), if I find after living with it for a while that it would be better the other way around it’s no problem to reverse the sleeping position, time will tell.

So two days of carpentry, with decisions being made on the hoof and this is the result.

The original design was simplified quite a lot, an upstand frame around the mattress was binned to save a couple of inches in both width and length, space is a major factor and I can live without fancy bits, it was also less work and less expense, that might have been a decider as well.

There is some painting to be done, but I am out of primer and the Wickes store here only sell big tins, so it will wait until I can source a smaller amount.

A new memory foam mattress is on order for delivery here Monday, maybe I will have a restful weekend, yeah right, I own a narrow boat, there is always something to do!

The reason......

...... I haven't posted lately.

I have been busy changing this,

To this.

If I had a bed in there I'd sleep for a couple of days, but I have to build it first.

Two moves.........

.......are sometimes better than one.

I quite enjoyed my time at Croxley, although I never met any of the boat owners moored by me but I did chat to a couple of the regular dog walkers, it was quiet, a sunny spot with good TV and reasonable phone and Wi-Fi signals. I got a few jobs done and managed to watch the F1 highlights on Sunday, I will stop there again in the future.

Having got about as far as I could with the bedroom I needed to purchase more materials, Apsley seemed like a sensible next stop so yesterday I set off around 9am for what looked like a fairly long day.

Cassio Bridge lock was the first hurdle, it presented no problems and as the water point was  clear I decided to top up there.

On the water point

Bright sunlight as can be seen by the glare in the picture.

My timing was good and as I was about to set off again another boat cruised along wanting to go through the lock, it’s a shared landing for both water and lock use, so I was able to clear away just as he arrived.

A fairly uneventful cruise passing through the next six locks ( 77-72) without incident or meeting another boat.

Cassiobury Park lock was open and ready for me, nice.

But the weather begun to get chilly and I begun to get weary, so I decided to stop somewhere around Hunton Bridge, it’s not my favourite place as it is very shallow at the edge and it took me three attempts to find a suitable spot where I managed to get the boat to within a foot of the bank.

Last nights mooring:

The main rail line runs quite close through here as well but the noise doesn’t bother me being half deaf!

I did put up the ariel and got TV ok, although I don’t know why I bother really, I watched the news at six and nothing else interested me.

So this morning I set off again to complete the trip to Apsley.

I saw my first ducklings of the year, there were about eight in all but they were scattered and I only managed to get mum with three of them.

Aaaawww.

A new wide beam, who was moored behind me, had set off before me, the couple were doing a fit out judging by the wood on view and the fact that it was very unfinished, I think they were new to boating, certainly new to this boat, I had given them a half hour head start but I caught up with them at the first lock, they were just about ready to leave as I arrived, I turned the lock and then saw another boat approaching so I waved them in first and then followed them in.

A nice couple with some children hidden below decks and bored according to mum, I left the lock first and went ahead to set the next one, arriving there the wide beam was still in it, so I helped them through and the girl said they were mooring up so I wouldn’t have to take pity on them, by helping, anymore, but I wasn’t bothered I enjoy helping others, anyway they did moor up, probably with lots of work to get on with.

My locking buddies said they would leave first this time and go ahead to set the next lock while I closed up, fine with me.

Locking buddies entering Kings Langley lock.

We shared the next lock at Kings Langley (69a) and they went ahead again to set the next one, however when I arrived they had joined a holiday boat in the lock, so I was alone again, not a problem though.

I carried on to Apsley and at lock 67 three young children, with mum and dad, asked if they could help, I said they could as long as they had eaten a big breakfast because it is hard work, they loved helping and did well too, as they were only little!

Just after the lock I saw a gap in the moorings that I thought ‘might’ be big enough, I attempted to squeeze the boat in but it was about a foot too long, so I reversed back out and headed off again, just as I was passing the boat at the front of the gap the chap stuck his head out and asked if I wanted him to move back, too little too late! I had tried and failed and couldn’t be bothered to try again, so I went through the next Apsley lock (66) and found a spot after that, seems like deja vue again, I am almost in exactly the same spot as last time I was here.

Current mooring:

Totals this post: 8 miles : 14 locks

I will see how things work out re materials and if possible do some more work while I am here.

Early mornings.......

........my favourite time.

No much happening here, I am happy with the mooring though, although it's not rural it is fairly quiet and the only foot traffic seems to be the usual mix of cyclists, dog walkers and joggers.

Yesterday I took a walk into Croxley, handy shops at the top of another steep hill but only a few minutes walk, a pub, which looked ok, fish and chips, general stores, curry takeaway and lots of other little establishments, the underground station is close too in the centre of the area but nothing seemed worthy of a picture.

I have been doing a few jobs, getting the bedroom ready for decorating but to be honest I am tired still, I think my shoulder problem of a few years ago (compression of the ligaments) which I had an operation to fix, may be returning and it's a pain in the neck, literally, the almost constant ache is from the bicep up to my ear, the joys of having done a manual job for most of my working life!

But I get bored, yesterday I washed the roof, one side of the cabin and the bow, and today I am again paying for the exertion, enough complaining!

Every morning when I wake up I take my cup of tea onto the stern deck to survey my surroundings and view the day, unless it's raining, or if it's cold and the side hatch is facing the canal I open that and look out. The birdsong here is lovely and I thought I'd share 5:45am today with you, the picture's not great as it was dark still, the lights are on top of bollards all along the towpath in front of the fairly new housing development that was formerly Croxley paper mills. but ignore the image and turn up the volume.

I rarely opened the windows in the flat I occupied before the boat, the M25 was about a quarter mile away and the drone of traffic was constant especially late evenings and early mornings, I prefer the birdsong :-)

I am thinking I will stay here until Monday, the sun is on the solar panel charging the batteries by midday (most days) and I am in no rush to move, I might even try out the pub one lunchtime :-)

Change of scenery.

I did rest Sunday, just did a bit of filling and fixed a couple of missing cover fillets.

This morning I decided to move on, it was misty when I woke up but by about 9:30 it was clearing and looking as though it would be a lovely warm day.

I pulled across the canal to the Tesco shoppers moorings and bought some provisions, they did not have the wine or beer I like in stock, typical when the carry to the boat was about 50 yards!

I then moved up to the service point immediately in front of Batchworth lock (81) and did a fill and empty, the rubbish disposal is a bit of a walk away so I didn't bother with that.

When the water tank was full I moved forward into the lock which was already in my favour.

Batchworth lock looking North

and looking South towards Rickmansworth

 The pound between Batchworth lock and the next lock Lot Mead (80) is full the whole way with permit holder moorings so it's slow progress but you do get a chance to look at the boats.

Oh Yes You Have!

You try hard not to look inside the boats but sometimes you do :-) and as I passed by one I could see the chap inside still in bed, it was 11am, it reminded me of something someone once said to me, "Us boaters are a funny bunch, what we call breakfast, you call lunch" obviously this does not apply to me!

This one had a nice paint job around the name panel.

Lot Mead lock had a boat half on the landing, the chap was sitting on the roof and he told me he had broken down, there was still enough room to get in so no problem.

Cruising along the pound between Lot Mead and Common Moor locks a wide beam was approaching me and he was staying well over to his left, right in my way, he made no attempt to move although there was loads of room, I thought perhaps he is going to moor up, he offered no signal, I moved to my left and passed him on the left, (we should pass on the right), he said good morning and carried on, perhaps he didn't know the rule :-)

At Common Moor lock (79) a wide beam had just left going up ahead of me, he left both top gates open as they often do, lazy s*d's, so I closed the gates and set it in my favour and went in, just as I was about to leave another wide beam approached to go down, I was tempted to just leave the one gate I needed to leave through open, but I am too nice a fella, I opened both gates giving me extra work and a walk around the lock, so he could cruise straight in, do unto to others and all that, Karma will repay me, he did say thanks!

Just ahead of the lock was my intended stop, I have passed by here a few times and thought the moorings looked like quite a nice spot, so I stopped today.

Totals: 2 miles : 3 locks

Mooring:

I may have a walk about Croxley tomorrow as I haven't been there, and will stay a few days to get the bedroom as far forward as I can before moving on again (that's if I don't get bored)

Ahead of me is the nice little boat I passed by the other day.

I hope I see the owner to tell them I like their boat

Not moved.

I paid for my lay in on Wednesday by waking up at 4:30 on Thursday but it meant an early start on the work, although I did wait until 8am before making any noise.

I have spent the last 3 days working on the bedroom. I have taken down the remaining wall and ceiling panels and primed and undercoated the back of them before re-fixing. I realised I had a slight problem when I took down the second ceiling speaker and found the magnet was covered in rust particles.

For some reason the builder had not painted the underside of a whole bay of the roof, I hope it is the only one he missed although it's not really a major problem, surface rust always looks far worse than it actually is.

I cleaned it up and treated the whole area with Owatrol oil, hopefully that will stop it.

I have found numerous screws missing and a lot have been countersunk too deeply allowing the screws to pull through the plywood, must have been an over enthusiastic half blind 'chippy' on a Friday afternoon!

Anyway I sorted out all the problems I could and after refitting everything I washed all the woodwork down with Sugar soap and then sanded the whole room, it took a while and my shoulders no longer feel like they did before I started, but having finished about 3:30 today I had a cold beer, the sun is shining, the batteries are charged and tomorrow could well be a chill day!

The next job is to obtain some wood for the window 'architraves', so it will mean moving on, maybe Monday if I have recovered.