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 :)