Briefly back home

Another hard but interesting work tour, with Phil with me which makes all the difference.

It was a hard slog driving up to the highlands of Scotland but so worth it. We were passing the famous Cairngorm Mountain range so had to pay them a visit. I ended up yomping up Cairngorm mountain - Phil has pulled a tendon so had to make do with taking the ski lift up and waiting for me in the cafe.



Near the summit



The summit cairn

We then carried on to Inverness where the bottle nosed dolphins are renowned for popping up to say hello! I had long days of work there, but it stays light until quite late so far north, so Phil picked me up one evening from work and took me straight to where they are to be found. It was an hours drive and when we arrived we were told we had just missed them, but we wandered along the beach anyway and just as we got to the bay they appeared. There were about ten of them and they seemed to be performing just for us!! It was magical - they leapt and dived while I took 'photos. We were completely bowled over by it:

Mother and Baby

Following Inverness, we fetched up in Fort William. We have both always wanted to climb 'The Ben' but haven't managed to get the opportunity yet and as we were only passing through and I had an afternoons work, it wasn't to be. We will be back though ....

Then it was on to Skye. WOW what a place! The Cuillin Hills looked spectacular:

 

 

But they are mountaineers hills, not for us, we could only walk up to The Old Man of Storr:

Being in Scotland and having stayed in Stirling (William Wallace country), passed through Glen Coe and Glen Shiels, (both scenes of dreadful massacres) and having been on the Isle of Skye (escape route for Bonnie Prince Charlie) made me think about being an English Protestant and how much devastation William of Orange and his wife Mary caused to our History. Having also visited India last year and witnessed how negatively the British Empire impacted on their lifestyle, has made me feel quite ashamed to be English.

Thank goodness my next work stints are in Birmingham and  ........ Yorkshire ...... Oh No I come from Lancashire and I'm going to Yorkshire ! I think the Wars of the Roses could be an issue .............

We arrived back at the boat this afternoon and were pleased that when we opened the hatch we were greeted by a pleasant smell! There were no sooty, damp smells which characterise the boat sometimes in the winter. However when I opened the wardrobes in the bedroom it was the same dampness I have become accustomed to. I examined all the damp collecters and they were full of water. I was amazed - I know we have had the wettest June this century but this was ridiculous! I need to get some more of these, as clearly they are working. They are not expensive so it is fine to just keep replacing them. I spoke to our neighbours who own the yacht at the end of the jetty and they said that the rain had been unbelievable at the weekend - they had never seen so much. This explained why my school records which I had left in the bow deck, as there was no room on the boat, were soaking wet. We have a sturdy waterproof cover covering the deck, but even this had not kept the rain out and protected my bag with the paper work in, it was all soaking. I had to get it all out and lay it in the sun to dry.

Luckily it has been sunny today and in fact it is a beautiful evening. I cooked a meal which was so good as we have been living off hotel food for the past few weeks and then I took a glass of wine and sat on the roof. It is magical up here, because we are the only narrow boat on the jetty and are a long way from anyone - I love that solitude. The basin was like a mill pond and I sat in the warm sun and just chilled! It has been a strenuous work stint and I have a couple more weeks to go (I travel back up to Scotland tomorrow before going to Yorkshire and Birmingham) and I needed the peace of the boat. I can't explain just how important it is to have this little haven to come back to. I love it and everything about it despite the odd problem (damp etc) and long may it continue! 

Al :)

God Save Our Queen

We had fantastic news this morning - my brother has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's birthday honours list. I am so proud! I am not really into the Monarchy but I am prepared to make an exception in this case to say 'Thank you Ma'am' !!

I have spent the day finalising plans for the next work 'slog'. I am just about there now and just have to pack for our long drive up to Scotland tomorrow.

We did something rash today!! We have always said that we needed a second car, because Phil is stuck when I am working at school or away, especially when we are moored in remote places. I mentioned a small smart car like T's. It is cheap on petrol and tax and is ideal as a runabout.

Never mind that ... Phil had seen a nice sports car for sale in our area a few weeks ago and has been dropping it into conversation persistently over the last few weeks. I have been pretending to be deaf or thick and have ignored the hints! Today he couldn't stand it any longer and since we have been married for so many years, he knew exactly when to go in for the kill !! Taking advantage of my elation at my brother's news he stopped at the garage on our way to the supermarket and showed me the car with the explanation that 'it seemed a shame not to as we were passing' - crafty ......

It is a sporty number and he said 'just right for an attractive blonde like you' !! Even more subtle blackmail as a chap on the marina who owns a big yacht had described me as such only this week and it had made me feel very puffed up !!!  Oh yes..... flattery gets him everywhere. He was on a roll and he knew it so we ended up buying it - a Mercedes 230 SLK with a retractable hard top.

Well, I suppose that is why we bought the boat - to allow us to indulge and not worry about money, but I bet I don't get to drive the sports car very often, I think he bought it for himself really!!

I am away now for a few weeks, but will try and post when I can.

Al :)

Stormy Weather

I got up yesterday morning at 6.15 am. Another early start, one of three this week and I am getting very tired of getting up so early! Because we have moved up to the basin it takes me longer to get to school in the morning, so I have to leave at 7.15 in order to get there to start at 8.30.

Having said that, I don't really have a problem with getting up for work, because I enjoy my job so much. What is really wonderful about being up here is that I walk down the boat as soon as I get up and because we are not overlooked we have all our curtains open and I look out over a fantastic scene:

The next few weeks though I am working away (all in the UK though), so I am spending time on preparation and packing etc.  I have the next few days to sort all that out and will enjoy spending some time chilling and looking at the bird life. We have a lovely fledgling pied wagtail who bobs down our jetty and looks in the window to say 'hello':

 

The mallards are very lazy and just seem to spend their lives kipping:

There is only one on the jetty at the moment but often there are as many as 10 or 12!

There is a really sweet tufted duck who swims near to the boat, but never comes really near:

A moorhen has decided to nest on our friend's boat. They are only there at weekends but have to get in and out, so disturb her every time they get on their boat, but she seems to have got used to them and is quite content. She is sitting on eight eggs! I took this 'photo from several jetties away with a big lense so as not to disturb her:

I am travelling on Sunday, so may post before then. There are a pair of Grebes on the water  and I am hoping to get a photo of them. It is so wild and 'people free'up here that the wild life is much more relaxed. The ducks sleep on the roof of our boat at night, which is fine, but they get up as soon as it is light and walk up and down the roof which is quite loud when you are trying to get some sleep!

Last night it was very stormy up here and it has rained nearly all day today. It was so windy last night that the boat was bouncing up and down on the mooring and we kept waking up with the violent movement. On the marina it is sheltered, but up in the basin it is very exposed, lovely in good weather, but a bit grim when the weather turns.

It still doesn't put me off though. I love it up here.

We are looking after Jack for the night as his Mum has gone down to London for the weekend to help her son move house. I took him for a long walk and we somehow managed to dodge the showers. he is now looking very contented in his basket:

Al :)

Happy Birthday Dear Boat

Today is the boat's second birthday. This time two years ago the boat was loaded onto a trailer, dropped in the water at a nearby marina and sailed down to our mooring.

Yesterday reminded me of why we moved to the boat! We had a fantastic day! The marina can get a bit claustrophobic depending on your personality. I don't like being too close to people all the time, so I occasionally have to go somewhere quiet and have some 'me' time. The best place for that is the sea basin at the end of one arm of the canal. You have to go through six locks which tends to put a lot of people off.

We had a great trip down. We hooked up with some holiday boaters and shared the locks. They asked us if we had been down these locks before and were very relieved when we said we had. They deferred to us as experienced boaters and that made me feel a little nervous.I assured them that we weren't that experienced, but we did seem to do pretty well!!

The way we do the locks is that one of us takes the bike and sets the locks while the other steers the boat and this works really well for a seamless flow through:

I think we appeared on lots of photos as it was a Sunday and a nice day and lots of people were out walking.




Half way through we swopped and it was my turn to sail the boat.

This is the view from the bottom of a lock!







I tried to take an 'arty'picture of our chimney in the foreground with our now local pub in the background, from lock number 5:

I was quite nervous about taking over the helm as I haven't sailed for many months, but I soon got into my stride and negotiated a bridge with perfect space each side of the boat.

I was approaching lock 6, when I saw Phil cycling madly towards me. The lock gates were still shut and I thought he was coming to give me some guidance, but he cycled past at speed muttering something about leaving the keys to the gates at the last lock. I realised that he would be gone a while and that I would have to bring the boat into the side and moor up - all on my own!! This time last year I would have paniced, but this year I just gently brought her alongside the bank, stepped off, got hold of the central line and pulled her over. I then tied off at bow and stern - WOW! I was impressed with myself! Building on that success, we brought her into the jetty like pros! We are a good team! I brought her alongside which involved a 90 degree turn into the space and Phil stepped off the bow and tied up while I brought the stern round. We felt quite proud, since this time two years ago we wouldn't have had a clue how to do these kind of manoeuvres.

This is now the view from our galley window:

And out of the open duck hatch:

And here we are moored up:



The jetty feels quite exposed though!

I sat out on the stern and put my feet up in the sun, because we have now taken the canopy down.

The swans and their cygnets soon found us and blagged some bread off us:

We have both caught the sun, my face is now bright red! We were also very tired, it is such a workout shifting lock gates and raising and lowering paddles.

It is very fresh up here, being so near to the sea, so I opened all doors and windows and let the air through the boat. While I was at work today, Phil swept through, dusted and cleaned the fire and chimney and the boat is now lovely and fresh and clean, even the wardrobes!

I was a bit stiff at work today, especially climbing the stairs but it was lovely to be back after so many weeks away doing other work. I would however like to have some more time to enjoy our new position on the canal. I could sit on the stern all day and just relax and watch the wild life.

I am away again next week for a few weeks and we really should get down to the allotment and weed it so that it is not too bad after another 3-4 weeks away. We will see how we get on. I was hoping to do something with it on my one free day (Wednesday), but I had a call from an ex-pupil. He has been made redundant, at a moments notice from his job and wants to come and talk through his future, so I must make time for him. What an awful thing to happen, but it seems to be happening to more and more young people in this economic climate.

It is now 8.45pm and the sun is shining brightly throughout the boat. An early night for me and it is very strange to be going to bed with the sun still shining!

:)

On the move

The weather has been so awful today that we lit the fire again. It did mean that I stayed in this morning to do some much needed paper work.

The rain started to clear away at lunchtime and we have heard that the weather is supposed to be okay tomorrow, so we are going to move the boat down to our favourite place on the canal, at the basin by the sea lock.

There are six locks to negotiate and we normally divide the tasks between us with one on the bike and cycling ahead to set the locks while the other steers the boat. The locks are very heavy and we usually get one of our lads to help us, but they are both working tomorrow, so we know we are in for a bit of a work out!

With that in mind we decided to move the car up to the new location today so that when we arrive we don't have to worry about going to get it, as we will probably be too tired!

I drove it via the back lanes which is always risky as it is a single track road, but I didn't meet anything coming the other way. I stopped at the farm to get some eggs, so that was an added bonus. I decided to walk the 4 or so miles back to our marina along the tow path as I really needed the exercise.

One of the advantages of all the rain is that everything is so green and lush and this is where we will be sailing to tomorrow:

There are several pairs of swans with cygnets on the canal:

I followed a heron down the cut:



I passed this field which I was quite cross about - it is a public right of way but the farmer has put a bull in the field:

Here is one of the locks we will be going through tomorrow:

Here is home ... for now, but soon to change for a few weeks!



More tomorrow when we finally arrive at our new mooring!

Al :)

Return of the wanderer

I am finally home after a very heavy work stint away.

Portugal was georgous, the weather was great and the people lovely. I ate at the roof top restaurant every night looking out over the atlantic.

My one day off was spent taking three flights to finally arrive in Ireland. The work there was good too and again the people I was working with were so friendly. I had one day off and Phil flew over to see me for the weekend as it is only an hours flight from Manchester.

He wanted to do the tourist thing and see The Giants Causeway. I had been there many times as a child, because my Grandfather was born near there and I have lots of second cousins who live all around the area, so we took the train on the Sunday and had a lovely walk along the cliffs, having spent a bit of time at the causeway.

 

We had a strange experience on the train. We got on the train bound for Londonderry, intending to change at Coleraine and get a bus up to the coast. We had been travelling for about 30 minutes when an announcment came over the tannoy that the train would not be going to Derry, but to Portrush instead. We asked the conductor what had happened and he told us that the majority of people on the train were bound for Portrush and would have had to have changed at Coleraine, so they decided to make the people bound for Derry change instead and to divert the train to Portrush!! We wondered if there was anywhere else in the world where a train timetable could just be changed on the spur of the moment at the whim of the driver and conductor!!

We had a lovely day out and I really needed the fresh air and sun, having been cooped up for days.

While in Belfast I stayed at the most bombed hotel in the world. It was always at the centre of 'The Troubles' but happily that has stopped now. On my last day my hosts drove me back to the hotel via the Shankhill Road. Because of the Queens Jubilee there was bunting and flags and orange Ulster flags everywhere. I felt quite uncomfortable as I passed murals celebrating soldiers of the UDF and memorials to Protestants killed in past bombings.

On my way to work in the mornings the taxi had often driven me through the catholic areas where the murals of the IRA celebrated hunger strikers, political prisoners and army officers from their ranks. I found it all very unsettling and although the talk is always of 'The Troubles' in the past, I still felt a fair degree of tension there.

It was lovely to get back to the Marina. I bumped into so many people who stopped to chat and said they were glad to see me back. I was given a 'Titanic' rubber duck when in Belfast - there is an exhibition on at the moment to celebrate the centenary of the Titanic and I got back one night to find that the cleaner had left a souvenir rubber duck in my bathroom. The only person I know who has a bath on her boat is T, so I gave it to her. Her engine has just packed up so I thought it was quite appropriate really.

It was a lovely day and I should have been doing paperwork but I have been so tired I decided to have a day off.

Then came the bad news..... Phil took me to the allotment. He had warned me that the weeds had taken over but I was shocked when I saw it:

Luckily son number 2 had volunteered to come down and help us clear the weeds, but I think even he was shocked at the state of it, he's looking kind of phased!:

We set to and after a couple of hours it was looking better:

We had to drag the lad away as he was really getting into it:

On arriving back at the marina, Jack came to see us. He had given me a great welcome earlier and he came in and rolled over and just wanted his tummy tickling! I gave him a tin of tuna, to say sorry for going off and leaving him for weeks. He's not really bothered as he does have his Mum, but it is lovely to have him turning up every so often. I then sat out in the sun and read the paper, something I haven't been able to do for weeks.

When I stepped on the boat for the first time in 3 weeks, I smelt that familar damp smell. Phil didn't seem to notice it, but he hadn't kept the wardrobe doors open like I do whenever I can and sure enough, when I looked inside, all my damp proofing things were full of water. Amazing at this time of year, but I do need to order some more and really get on top of this. The most effective are the ones that hang on the clothes rail at the same height as the clothes. As the weather was nice, I opened the doors at both ends of the boat and the duck hatch and left both wardrobe doors open and it was amazing how soon everything freshened up.

While I was away things had really kicked off on the marina. Many other people have been experiencing the same problems as us and it had come to the notice of the management who decided to take speedy action as quite a few berth holders were threatening to leave. They seem to have sort of addressed the problem, but there are still problems and I'm not sure things are going to really change until they remove the cause of the problem. We will see, but at least we now know that we are not alone.

Today, I have been doing lots of paper work and we had to light the fire as it was so cold (in JUNE!!!). We are going to take the boat up to our favourite mooring this week, but I still have work to do tomorrow and the few days after that are forecast as windy, which is not good boating weather, so it's looking like we won't be moving until Sunday, but I will post the adventure when it happens!

Al :)