Out and About

It's getting near to the end of my holiday period now and the time has just flown. Germany was lovely, I visited Cologne, Bonn and Aachen and met up with old friends which was a joy.

Wildlife news on the marina is that the attentive mother who had the late brood of ducklings continues to look after her brood despite losing two to predators. One of these is our local heron and I watched a tremendous battle of wills on the towpath a few days ago as she faced him off:

Her little ducklings seemed quite oblivious to the danger they were in:

 

Amazingly she managed to chase him off despite him being much bigger and she looks quite rightly

very proud of herself:                                                                                                                              

News on the Marina is that quite a number of people have left, or will be leaving soon, for a variety of reasons, ranging from the increased expense of residential status, to being too old and infirm to carry on. This latter reason applies to our lovely neighbours who have reluctantly decided to throw in the towel as they are just not fit enough to take the boat out any more. We will miss them a great deal as they are lovely people, generous, open and sincere, but we will keep in touch with them. We have offered to take their boat up to the sea basin this week where it can be lifted out of the water and loaded onto a lorry to be taken to the Midlands to be sold. They can't bear to see it coming out of the water, because it would be so emotional for them, and we fully understand that sentiment.

All the new people seem to be fitting in well and we have just tidied up the communal area of the marina and bought a new Chiminea and Barbecue, so we will be having a party on the bank holiday weekend and hopefully that will enable us to get to know the new people better.

We took the opportunity of some fine weather to have a few days out on the water this last week and managed to explore as far north as you can go.

We travelled over the huge Lune Aquaduct for the first time:



There was a spectacular view of the city castle from half way across:
















The views across Morecambe bay and the Lake District were lovely:

We saw a wide variety of wildlife .....


Here are some fledgling Martins just 'branching out':

 

 

 

On our first morning two swans came to visit at the duck hatch.

 

 



 On giving them some bread, they invited the rest of the family for breakfast!

We saw lots of youngsters out with mum, including this moorhen .....









......... and these geese

 

 

This teenager looks a bit gangly!





                                                                            




At last I got my picture of a Kingfisher. He was sitting on this post as we approached in the boat, so I managed to get this picture, but it was from quite far away.







This was the early morning view out of our window after a night on the tow path. The morning light was beautiful:

We had to travel under the motorway here:

 

 

but otherwise it was a peaceful and enjoyable jaunt out.

More news soon.......

Al :)

Summer Holidays!

Finally I have finished a long work stint, travelling all over the UK with very few actual days off, (when I wasn't working I was travelling). I love my job, but it is very intense and I have little time for anything else during those 6-8 weeks periods.

However, once they are over I do get a long period of time off and I'm not due to start work again now until September, so hopefully I shall have time to give regular updates on my boating life.

It was an absolute joy to wake up on my first morning back at the boat to this lovely view from our bedroom window:

Here is the same view with the sun setting behind it:






















I sat out on the stern with a glass of wine the other night until quite late and it was lovely to sit and be so close to nature. The moon was quite magnificent:

Having neglected the boat over the past few weeks, we set to and washed her down on one side and then decided to take her out to the nearest turning point (winding hole) and bring her back in to the mooring the other way, so that we could wash the other side. The weather has been on our side with glorious sunshine every day for two weeks now. We had a difficult job getting the boat off our mooring as the canal is so shallow with all the hot weather that we were stuck to the bottom which is very silted up at the best of times. Dredging the marina and the canal costs money, which in the current economic climate is scarce, so maintenance jobs just get ignored. Consequently everybody who has tried to take their boat out this week, (6 of us in total) have had to enlist the collective muscle on the marina, to manually pull the boats out into the swim. That has not done my back any good at all!

In addition to the problem of the shallowness of the water, we soon realised that we were making very little progress. We are now experienced enough to recognise the cause of many problems and we diagnosed a snarled propeller. As soon as we found a clear stretch of towpath, we moored up and opened up the weed hatch. There, completely clogging the prop, was an old rug that had been on the stern deck which had mysteriously gone missing during the winter gales. I had not believed at the time, that it could possibly have been blown into the canal from inside our canopy, but that is clearly what had happened and it took us a good hour of cutting and pulling to get all the entangled material out and to free up the prop. Having done this, all was so much easier and we cruised up to the winding hole and I did a text book turn, despite there being a boat moored up in the hole which partially blocked my access. This should never happen and I gave the owner a very dirty look! We cruised back and again, smoothly and effortlessly slipped into our mooring, which pleased me because I had made a terrible fist of getting out, due to the snarled prop and had felt the eyes of half the marina and moored up boaters opposite, on me. I could almost feel them thinking 'she doesn't know what she's doing'!

People are starting to complain that it is too hot, but I love it! On some days last week it was too hot to touch the outside of the boat. I put some tomatoes on a baking tray on the roof and by the end of the day they were dried! (Home made sundried tomatoes are the best!).

There has been a proliferation of wild life recently with a moor hen enjoying taking a rest on a weed island in the middle of the canal:

A heron is a regular visitor:

A duck has given birth quite late in the year to a brood of ducklings:

She is a very attentive mother and watches over them all the time:

 

 
 

You may be able to see the chicks underneath her:

 

We had some excitement a few days ago when a cow escaped out of the field opposite and started wandering down the tow path:

I am going to Cologne next week for a short holiday and to meet up with an old friend from Japan, who I was at college with in Detmold. She speaks very little English and I don't speak Japanese, so we meet in Germany because that is a common language in which we can converse.

When I return we are hoping to do a lot of cruising, going north over the Viaduct and up to the furthest corner of the canal and also travelling up to the sea basin, where we love to spend at least a few weeks of the year.

There is also much news on the status of the marina and a great deal of movement of boats coming and going, so more news when I return from my travels in a weeks time.

Al :)

 

Chopin and Choppin'

Over the last few weeks I have been really busy as I have had work commitments in various parts of the country. When we moved to the boat, the idea was to wind down and semi-retire and yet I seem to be busier than ever! In fairness, because I am self employed, I now only do the work I want to do, but I did fully expect it to gradually dry up. Instead, in some areas it has increased. I'm not complaining, as I enjoy my work very much!

What I have been pleased about is the greater amount of time I have to play my piano. I usually go every day to the University, who look after it in exchange for the use of it. Over the last few weeks I have been revisiting old repertoire, especially the romantic pieces that I played with such passion and zeal in my youth. It has been an interesting exercise, because there are all sorts of cautionary notes on the music, in my teachers handwriting, imploring me not to get too carried away and of course I now realise that I probably bashed them out at full volume with all the intensity of youth. I have spent the last few days reinventing my interpretation of the Chopin Ballades with the result that they now sound so much more lyrical! Old age and maturity is not all bad!!

With the weather improving, the bike is being pressed into service and since the University is on the cycle path and halfway into town, I will often make a trip to the shops after practising. This works well, because the cycle path on the way back to the boat from town follows the tow path and at the moment there is plenty of foraging to be done. The banks are full of wild garlic and yesterday I picked some lovely young leaves and put them in a salad which spiced it up beautifully. There is still lots of tree felling going on and the logs fit very well into the front basket of the bike. I will often bump into friends who are moored up at various points along the tow path and stop for a coffee. The trouble with this and indeed with life on the Marina now, is that the weather is getting better and everybody is surfacing. This inevitably this leads to long chats while we chew the fat and nothing ever gets done, including this blog! I wouldn't want it any other way though!

One major success story recently is the massive stockpile of wood we now have. We have collected so much that Phil has had to build another wood store. Everytime I go out on the tow path, either walking Jack the Whippet or on my bike, I have come back with some wood. I have spent the last few weeks busily sawing and chopping up wood and here is the result, two full stores:

 

 

They are now situated behind the brand new Bicycle shed which is one of the improvements promised when we moved to residential status as a marina. This has had a huge impact on the place which is looking smarter and tidier and we have just had delivered some really big storage boxes which look great:

 

The shift to residential status and the added expense of a mooring as a result, has kept out the people who just move to a boat because they think it is cheaper. The marina is now populated with like minded people who love the boating life for the sake of it and consequently there is a friendly and warm atmosphere about the place, which there didn't used to be.

The evenings are getting lighter and we are getting some amazing sunsets, the light at times is quite special. Phil looked out of the window the other night and remarked on the amazing colours. I managed to get out and take some photos before it disappeared. The trees appeared a bright red in the glow:

Spring really is here and there are some beautiful flowers coming out:

We are hoping to go for a long walk in the Lake District or the Trough of Bowland this week and I am hoping to see some bluebells. We will see ....

A :)



Spring on the Marina

We have had some lovely warm sunny, dry days recently and everybody has been out pottering and working on outside jobs. There is a lovely relaxed atmosphere on the Marina, but the downside is that everyone stops to chat for hours and nothing gets done!

What is really special about the Marina at the moment is that everybody gets on really well. In the past there have been boats which have caused trouble and upset the balance, but at the moment it is blissfully peaceful. This is especially good for us, because as from the 1st April, our status changed to residential berth holders, which makes us legally entitled to live on our boat. It is much more expensive because we pay more mooring fees and also are now liable for council tax. We are very comfortable with that, but in paying that price, we want to have a peaceful existence, which in the past has been jeopardised by difficult people, who have now left.

Even the animals on the marina seemed to be in lively spirits. One of the boaters was playing with an electronic car and their dog was determined to stop it in its tracks!

Spring is also evident in the wild life which all seem to be on the move:



curlew



moorhen pottering about

 

 

 

It's also lovely to see the lambs in the fields.

 

 

 

 

 

 ....... and Jack enjoyed a walk.

 

Mind you, it is still snowy on the hill tops. A couple of days ago we had a pub lunch at a riverside pub with a view of Ingleborough in the distance:

 

 

The snow can be clearly seen covering the mountain in the distance.

 

 





 

 

The pub is right on the riverside and often the front entrance is inaccessible when the tide is high. It's local name is 'snatchems' because, in the 17th century trade ships used to come up to the port and on going back out to sea again were often short of crew, so would stop at this pub and 'snatch' drunk men before setting sail across the Atlantic. These men would then be pressed into service. Poor chaps, imagine going to the pub for a nice drink one evening and waking up the next morning on board a ship far out to sea and being told you were now employed by the merchant navy!

 

We are travelling south tomorrow to visit my Mother for a few days, so I won't be posting until I get back. 

 

Al :)

Marina Life

We woke up this morning to another beautiful day of sunshine. We had loads to do, so set about divvying up the chores. Phil drew the short straw - he had to drive out to a local village where our son is buying a flat, to take all the documentation for the mortgage. I was left on the boat to just tidy up.

Jack the Whippet came to see me very early on and ended up staying, as T his owner wanted to go into town. As soon as I started to tidy and wash up, Jack wanted a walk and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, so I ended up on the towpath and of course at this time of year many boats are out and about and I know most of them. By the time I had passed the time of day with the owners of several boats, it was mid morning and I knew I had to crack on.

Our neighbours had arrived at their boat for the day, when I got back to our boat and there were also many other weekend boaters about. To cut a long story short there were all sorts of groups of people on the marina chatting in the sunshine and I just couldn't resist joining them for a good old catch up. Before I knew it, Phil was back and I had done nothing! But there is nothing better than standing around chatting about boats with like minded people over a cup of tea and currently on the Marina there is not a single person who I don't enjoy socialising with - they are a great bunch.

All this is very good because as from 1st April we are officially classed as residential and therefore legal 'liveaboards'. This costs us more, but the advantages outweigh the extra cost. We have a post code exclusive to our boat, we can now install a landline for phone calls and we contribute to the local community by paying council tax, so no one can accuse us of not paying our way!

The day was finished off in perfect style by a visit from both our sons together! We are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday and it was so satisfying to spend a happy lunchtime together as a family because we are all so close, in sharp contrast to my memories of my childhood.

We hope to have a walk soon, but due to the Lake District showing warnings of snow and high winds, we are having to look elsewhere and everywhere else nearby is boring by comparison!

Will keep you posted

Al :)

Snow at Easter and boat maintenance

We woke up this morning to ice on the canal, covered in a light dusting of snow.

We had planned to go for a walk in the Lake District, but following an avalanche warning on the news, we decided not to risk it and stayed on the boat to do some spring cleaning. This has involved, not only wiping down the whole boat inside to clean off sooty deposits from the fire which have built up all winter, but also taking out the windows and double glazing to wash the gap between the windows. No sooner had we taken out our first window, (and been met by an icy blast of cold air!) than it started to snow! Only light billows which wouldn't settle, but still amazing that it is so cold at this time of year!

On venturing outside, I bumped into one of the weekend boaters down at the end of the jetty. It is quiet down there because nobody lives aboard. There is also a small patch of land next to the end boat and he mentioned that he had seen a mink scratting around a few minutes ago. We crept around the end boat and managed to see it, but it spotted us and took off along the ice on the canal at a rate of knots!

The spring cleaning is just one of the regular maintenance jobs we need to do on the boat. There are other more vital things which must be done for the boat to run smoothly, for example the yearly water filter change and the bi-annual chemical clean of the toilet cassettes. Water purification tablets need to be dropped into the water tank also on a regular basis and at this time of year the chimney has to be swept at least every few weeks.

There are less frequent but more important things that we also need to do such as actually getting into the water tank and cleaning it out by hand every two or three years. We will do this next year when we lift the boat out of the water to clean and black the bottom. Our boat safety certificate is due next year and we will not be allowed to use the boat, let alone live on it without this vital document, so all these maintenance chores must be done.

Well, there is a bit of useful information for anyone who is thinking of buying a boat!

I'm on holiday for two weeks now, so hope to post again soon.

Al :)

Wildlife

Although it is still very cold and the canal is frozen every morning when we get up, there is a real feel of spring in the air and we have had some lovely bright, fresh days.

I always know we have turned the corner from those dark, depressing winter days when I hear the first song thrush. It's not much of a song at the moment, it's all a bit croaky as he practises his scales ready for a full recital in a couple of months time, but that performance is well worth waiting for!

I took Jack for a walk a few days ago in my ongoing pursuit of wood and the male mallards on the canal are starting to look extremely handsome as their plumage becomes bright and gleaming ready to attract the females. The sap is definitely rising!

We have experienced some amazing wildlife sightings recently, although since we put up the Kingfisher stick there has been no sign of it. However yesterday I was cooking tea and just happened to look out of the kitchen window as an otter surfaced under the jetty and started munching on a fish he had caught. He was no more than 3 feet from me and I shouted to Phil who also managed to see him before he dived and swam away. What was really sensational about it was that the sun was setting and there was a beautiful red light on the canal. The otter was silhouetted  against a really gorgeous backdrop with the sun a ball of red fire in the sky. If I had had the camera handy I think it would probably have been an award winning picture!! As usual though I never seem to have it there when I need it.

Here are some of the stunning sunsets we have had recently:



 I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

There seems to be a lot of tree felling going on at the moment and I often come across wood by chance! Yesterday I was at a house near the power station giving a one off consultation lesson and afterwards Phil and I decided to take the opportunity to have a short bird watching walk while we were there, as the bird life is usually interesting so near the estuary. We came across piles of gorse and willow which had been cut into manageable logs, so having been given the go ahead by the local wildlife ranger to take some home, we threw a few logs into the back of the car and I'm now pleased to say that the wood store is finally full again:

We won't be able to use any of this wood until next year as it will take months to season and dry out, especially the willow which is a very wet wood. We are particularly looking forward to burning the gorse, as it apparently burns very hot so we will get a cracking heat from it.

I have been really busy in the last few weeks and have an exceptionally busy period coming up, with lots of new music to learn because I'm playing the piano for kids who are taking their exams. I'm also working away soon for a couple of weeks, so posts will probably be few and far between, but I will try and post more frequently than I have been, even if it's very short snippets of boating life.

We are rapidly moving towards residential status and there is going to be a lot of work done on the Marina to improve the facilities, so I will be posting about progress on that front. From April we will be paying more for our mooring as a result, but it will be worth it to be legitimate (we are not supposed to live on our boats here).

I will keep you posted ....

Al :)