A bit of local history

The weather has finally changed for the better. Although we still have had some rain, we are now getting cold, crisp bright days. The mornings in particular are icy underfoot, so extra care has to be taken on the jetties.

We have been trying to keep the fire in overnight. We have a slight dilemma here, because coke throws out a lot of heat and warms the boat up effectively, but it burns itself out very quickly. Large lumps of coal in the form of Ovoids are much slower to burn and usually will last the night, if we bank the fire up. This means that we can rescue it in the morning, without having to relight it. However, they do not provide the same intense heat as Coke, which we now need with the very cold weather. Wood is great for bringing the fire on, but as a source of heat it is not enough at the moment.

So it was an icy start this morning. I dont think the kingfisher will be fishing off the perch we put up for him!

There was a thin layer of ice on the canal

The cold mornings have woken me up earlier and so I have been rising early and taking the opportunity to get up to the University where my piano is and doing a few hours of practice, without being disturbed. I have a concert coming up, so am spending several hours a day practising and rehearsing.

The roads tend to be icy early in the day, so I'm reluctant to cycle at this time of year. It takes about 30 minutes to walk the two miles and it is a lovely and interesting walk, so I thought I would share it here.


I walk down the lane past the old mill cottages.

They were built in 1676

It wasn't far for the mill workers to walk the short distance to work

The old mill is now disused and is a listed building. Quite right too as it is the oldest surviving mill in England. It was a silk mill and was in operation from 1739 until 1971.

The church just in front on the Mill. A big church for such a small village

The Graveyard with the hills of Bowland in the background

So sad, so young.

I have only found two casualties of WW1 from the village so far

The River Condor which runs through the village

When I returned from my mornings practice I walked to the end of the jetty to check our mooring ropes and I startled the kingfisher which flew across the jetty and off under the bridge. It had been fishing off our perch, so now that I know that it likes it, I shall sit by the window in the comfort of our bedroom and be ready with the camera! As a friend of ours said the other day, our boats double up as a warm and cosy 'hide'. Perfect for nature watching.

I shall leave you with a picture of a beautiful sunset we had two evenings ago.

Al :)

Gales and missed opportunities

Typically, the weather improved just as we were flying out to Madeira for our holiday. We had a few days of crisp cold bright weather before we left, but as soon as we returned, the weather reverted to wet and windy conditions and it hasn't changed since! I am currently sitting on a rocking boat with storm Henry beginning to build up around me! Apparently the wind will increase as the day goes on and will reach 60 miles per hour by this evening.

Madeira was wonderful. The weather was warm and sunny, the hotel was first class and the people were so hospitable, as we find all over the world. We explored most of the island, especially the hills and mountains. Here is a picture of Phil at the summit of their highest mountain Pico do Arieiro. At 1818 metres it is the highest we have ever climbed.

Before we went away I had set up the Otter camera on the video setting, but when I came back there was only one video and it was too dark to see anything. All that could be seen was some movement and splashing under a jetty by the end boat, but it was inconclusive. I have reset it on picture mode now and have put it on the bow of the boat next door.

 This will hopefully serve a dual purpose of capturing the otter and the Kingfisher. I brought back a stick from our allotment yesterday and have tied it to the front of the boat to encourage the kingfisher to perch on it.





















NEWS FLASH!

As I was sitting writing this I heard a splash just under the boat where I am sitting. I looked out of the window and there was the otter! It was so close I could have touched it, its head was out of the water and it was eating a fish. I was mesmorised! Too late to reach for the camera. I watched it for about 30 seconds and then ran to get the camera, but it was too late, it had disappeared. I rushed off the boat and could see it splashing under the jetty two boats down, but it was not fully in sight. Lesson learnt ..... always have the camera to hand! The kingfisher also flew off a boat as I was making my way to the laundry block this morning, so two sightings in one day. I told a fellow boater I bumped into and she said that it often fishes off the end boat where I saw it. I told her about the stick we had set up and she said it would perhaps be too rough there for it and it would prefer fishing in the quieter empty berth by the end boat. This made perfect sense, so I am going to move it from its current position to that jetty. One day I WILL get pictures!!! I am feeling extremely frustrated at the moment!

We are now completely out of wood, both wood stores are empty.

However, it is the time of year when trees are being pruned and felled and I always keep my ears open for the sound of a chain saw.  I intend to have a few long walks down the tow path over the next few weeks in the hope that The Canal and River Trust will have been out, tidying up trees adjacent to the towpath. Of course any wood that I collect now will not be burnt until next year as it will need to season. I will simply fill the wood stores and leave it for a year.

I am beginning to get a small collection together and we will need to spend an afternoon chopping it up.

We will still need wood for burning now though, but this is easily obtained after a high tide on the Esturary. We collect wood washed up on the bank and this is always seasoned by the sea. I love foraging for wood and it really does save us a lot of money. We recently calculated our fuels costs for the past year and the total was about £600 for the whole year. This covers coal, gas for cooking and diesel for our central heating and propulsion when we take trips out. It also includes electricty for lighting and appliances.

However, although wood burners are wonderful and cosy and are a cheap source of heating they do have occasional downsides. Because the wind has been gale force, it has blown down our chimney on several occasions, pushing smoke through the vents and into the boat. At its worst it completely fills the boat with smoke and I have to open all hatches and doors and put the fire out.

I will leave you with some pictures of the sun setting over our boat the other evening when the weather was a bit calmer.

I am now even more determined not to miss any more opportunities to capture the wild life on camera. Watch this space!

Al :)