A wet Bank Holiday Monday

Monday was wet for most of the day and we cruised and locked substantially in the rain, but it didn’t matter at all. 

It was very misty, wet and  atmospheric

And you'll notice we were not alone - there were more boats moving on the Monday than we had seen all weekend. We must be mad - as I said to one guy we went past 'we wouldn't be out in this at home!'

I kept warm and dry - David's hat to keep the rain off my head and neck, my silk scarf and fleecy, Kathmandu jacket, fleecy-lined leather gloves and my boots with gortex. And I can see as I am standing on my neat little stool!

Hard to see, but Barry and Pauline did the locks and I steered. Barry was a star - he had no jacket, but his Kathmandu fleecy seemed to keep him reasonably dry. Come to think of it, I am not sure what David did ...

We had one mishap before the Ivy House Lift Bridge which David had been told was under repair. We moored up temporarily in a dodgy place using pins, while David walked ahead to check out the state of play at the bridge. While we were there, a couple of boats came past and when I looked out the stern doors from the galley (taking advantage of the pause to start making lunch – leftovers of chicken curry and cassoulet) I saw that we were spread-eagled across the cut with the stern rope in the water and the pin gone – dammit!

The lift bridge was already fixed so we came on, abandoned lunch until after the bridge and then moored up to eat and for Barry to get some photos of the amazing bottle kilns that remain. One entranced me as it now has a house built around it, incorporating it into the roofline and I assume the body of the house.  I wonder what room it is?

David took this standing on the seat in the stern deck so he could get above the fence. It was still misty and raining.

Barry took this one of us approaching the bridge he was on. One of the two bottle kilns in the photo above is showing. Really lovely re-development of the canalside here in Hanley with new housing and great towpath and mooring - rings all the way.

We  had planned to moor up at Hanley Park and send B&P from there directly down to the station. However some locals walking by told us, when asked, that it was a bit dodgy at night. So on we went down to and through the staircase locks and on to the exit from the Caldon.

I think this is the top lock of the pair of staircase locks. A bit leaky! But now I know what David did for part of the day - he stayed on board to let Barry and Pauline have the fun of the locks

The bottom lock of the staircase pair - it is rather deep and we are nowhere near the bottom yet - time for a cuddle

There was a couple waiting across from the Caldon junction for a boat coming up to exit the lock – the woman was very concerned we were going to steal it from them and told Pauline and Barry first (they were already there waiting as they had walked on from doing the staircase locks) and then came back and told David, who was clearly dragging the rubbish bags from the gas locker while I was clearly hovering at the junction. I spent the waiting time trying to lift a 4 inch thick 6 foot long tree branch out of the water but was not successful. I tried to co-opt a young guy biking past to help me but he was wearing new clothes and didn’t want to get them dirty. I could understand that, but I was already messy and wet so it didn’t matter to me – lying down on the towpath reaching into the cut didn’t seem at all strange ….

Down the 5 Stoke locks we went and then moored up on a couple of rings under Bridge 113A which leads to the railway station. As a mooring, its only saving grace was that it was out of the rain! After cheese on toast for a light snack, B&P departed for their train. In 3.5 hours they’d be back in London. 

We moved on out of Stoke. It was interesting that neither of us wanted to moor on the long straight stretches where no one else was moored up. I posted on one of the forums recently about people’s need for proximity – that is how we felt that night. We ended up mooring outside Trentham, and enjoyed listening to 3 kids playing in the field opposite – they were doing that thing kids are so good at ‘I’m going to be x and I’m going to do this, you be y and you do this, …’ Creative play which is so neat to see. It was all the more neat because it was raining and still they were outside happily having fun.

We lit the bubble stove to warm up and decided after an hour that we do need to ditch it and get Ed to hook up the Webasto to the radiators (to hell with the expense) and maybe next year we will put in a solid fuel stove. One of the key problems with the bubble stove is that it requires its waterpump to be on all the time and that is so damned whiny that the sound goes through your head in a most annoying way. Until Ed comes and sorts it, we will resort to an extra jersey or two, blankies over our knees and snuggling in bed under the feather duvet - what else is required?

Bank Holiday Sunday

On Sunday which was a lovely fine day, we set off a bit later than the day before, and I showered while Barry steered. After dire warnings to be careful and not tip me over while in my naked and vulnerable state, he immediately crashed into a metal rotunda in the middle of the cut (well signposted, mind) – it had been part of a swing bridge. His saving grace was that he got Pauline to come and yell to me to hold on as he was going to hit it. My question is tho: how come he had time to send her to do that but not time to avoid it?

We stopped for water at the services which had 3 water taps – the most I’ve seen in one place. Barry showered there, perhaps to make sure I couldn’t get my revenge.

The first lock of the day - Hazlehurst Locks. You'll notice I am wearing the same clothes as yesterday. I have changed from my sneakers to my boots while waiting for the lock to fill

The lock cottage garden.

David makes his way to the next lock. But it was Pauline and me who cleared as many reeds as possible from in the locks, and put them over into fields to fertilise the ground.

Reflections in beautifully still water

Hard to see but these guys were practising for the Tug of War World Champs - they are leaving on Thursday this week for the States

The aqueduct on the Caldon with the Leek Arm above, I think

Quiet and peaceful, although I think that tree on the right may have claimed a glass from the stern deck side

We moored here just through Bridge 38 to go walking

Waka Huia moored in the middle distance - snapped by Barry while waiting for Pauline and I to make lunch for the walk

By 3.30 we had got to the winding hole at Cheddleton. That may not seem very far, but at lunchtime we had set off from Bridge 39 for a six mile walk on the Staffordshire Way, across the Caldon and the Leek, on the edge of Hollinhay Wood where we found a stone wall to sit on and eat our sandwiches, through Longsdon and through the Ladderedge Country Park to the top end of the Leek branch, back along its towpath to cross at its Bridge 6 and over the Caldon’s Bridge 39 again and back to the boat. It was a lovely walk with some wonderful vistas - a mere stroll for Barry and Pauline, but more of a trek for David and (particularly) me.

Lunching on the wall on the edge of Hollinhay Wood

David being snapped taking photos by Barry - Pauline and Marilyn just keep on walking

A stop for oranges at half time in Ladderedge Country Park - too many horseflies around to stay seated for long!

On the Leek Arm

The narrow tunnel

Pauline and Marilyn on the Leek towpath - peaceful, calm and very warm

Barry then steered us to Cheddleton to turn the boat, however the winding hole is deceptive and we had to reverse out and try again, this time with me at the helm and Barry with the back rope in case I needed to be hauled around. I made it without such rough treatment, but did have to get as far into the right hand ‘corner’ of the winding hole as possible to be able to fit the length of the boat across the cut. I found it a strange winding hole as it’s on a bend in the cut.

Barry and Pauline scooted into the Cheddleton Flint Mill for a quick look before it shut and David and I stayed with the boat and debated whether to stay there overnight or move back to Stanley Moss.

Cheddleton Mill Museum

The wheel and chimney

I think there is housing in the midst of the museum complex

Isn't this a bit 'Bridges of Madison County'? I expected to see Meryl Streep coming along the towpath ...

Consultation with B&P resulted in our moving back to Stanley Moss to allow more time on Monday for faffing about taking photos of things we’d missed on the way up. No sitting on the towpath on Sunday evening – it had cooled down by the time we arrived, so we stayed inside and had cassoulet with rice for dinner and blackberry crumble for dessert – truly the fruits of our labours, as on Saturday B, P and I spent some time moored before the Ivy House Lift Bridge picking blackberries. We also saw later that, on the offside, there were masses of berries near Bridge 14. If you are on the Caldon and can get your boat over to the offside, hover there and pick them – they were big beauties and it was a shame to let them sit there unpicked but B&P were heading back to NZ for a fortnight  and David doesn’t really like them that much, so we didn’t stop for them on our way back.

Bank Holiday Saturday

The Bank Holiday weekend weather was like the parson’s egg – good in parts. But that didn’t stop us much at all.

Barry and Pauline (aka Wind Me Up B*^ch as that is what she has done to David from the first time she met him in Tuscany back in about 2006) are intrepid travellers who have travelled with a group on a truck/bus from the UK to Thailand, I think, across some pretty dodgy places politically and geographically; so a bit of rain on the cut wasn’t going to stop them.

On Saturday we set off quite early from a Black Prince mooring in Festival Park Marina as the hire boats were due back at 9.30 and we wanted to be well out of the way before then.

Within a few minutes we were on the Caldon. 

This is not far from the entrance to the Caldon Canal

While we were at Festival Park on the Friday I asked a guy just back from the Leek and Caldon how they had enjoyed it: they hadn’t - too narrow and too many corners. It is 8 or 9 years since we were last on it and I had forgotten much of it so I was a bit concerned, esp given it was a Bank Holiday. I did wonder if it would be heaving with boats. But no, it was pretty empty. And it was just lovely. It didn’t seem as narrow as parts of the Maccie or Peak Forest and nowhere near as shallow. And there has been (and continues to be) a lot of work being done on establishing very well paved towpaths with heavily compacted grit of some sort and lots of armco to moor against.

Just moored up for lunch. I was drenched!

It persisted down with rain on Saturday morning for a time so we stopped for lunch while the worst of it precipitated, and then moved on in increasingly fine, sunny and warm weather. Barry and I shared the steering and I took the opportunity to have some time off the stern by doing locks. It is fun!!! And in the rain it certainly keeps you warmer than steering does. I am going to need to get David doing the steering somehow … 

It  got very warm and sunny in the afternoon, and I am happy Barry was steering!

The only trouble with doing the locks is that sometimes ...

... it's a long walk to where you can be picked up (esp if you forget to ask the steerer to hover in the lock exit for you). By the way, I cannot seem to find a photo of me that does not show either my big bum or my big tum!!!

In one of the lock cottage gardens

Barry happily leaving us behind, the b*stard

This pony previously belonged to gypsies. Her mane has been trimmed and is growing back very slowly.

We moored about 4pm next to a small field with horses and ponies in it across the cut from Stanley Moss in a lovely spot that had room for our table and chairs, wine/beer/cider and nibbles – the latter attracted the attention of a number of dogs walking their owners in the sun. It is lovely chatting with the owners and making a fuss of the dogs – and it isn’t hard to keep them away from our food!

A very peaceful spot, and I am in one of my favourite poses ...

Standards are slipping - biscuits in the packs rather than on a plate

David setting up the pram cover for the night while Pauline and I finish getting dinner ready

Isn't that a lovely photo?

Why don't men die in their sleep?

They can’t do two things at once, of course. Keep reading below ...

Across the canal from our mooring at Westport Lake

He only started to move when David went up on deck to photograph him - you can see ripples in this photo but not in the one above

 

Now, I give you fair warning: much of today’s post is going to be wifely complaints about a husband – mine, in point of fact. So if you don’t think you can cope, please stop reading now. As they (sort of) say on TV, this article contains scenes that readers may find distressing. (By the way, the heron pics above were just to lull you ...)

Episode One: I may not have told you before, that the stern bay cover which allows access to the weedhatch has the screechiest hinges. Instead of fixing our horn, we could have just opened and closed the cover a few times and it would have been ten times louder than the strangled goose imitation that our horn used to do. I had tried WD40 without much success, so Ed suggested we use some engine oil if we didn’t have 3 in 1 onboard. We didn’t, so David helped me by opening the 5L container of oil and I carefully (there is a clue here) tilted it and got a wee dab on to a paper towel. Then I applied said paper towel to the hinges, top and bottom. The screech lessened but was still present.

So David, bless his heart, decided on Wednesday evening, to finish the job, and what’s more, to remedy the screechy hinges on the gas locker. I am not sure how he did it, because I was not nearby (truth to tell, I was drinking chardonnay down in the saloon), but he managed to spill oil over the engine bay cover, the stern bay cover and the gas locker cover. He swears he didn’t actually pour it on, but it sure looks like he stood up with the container, tilted it at 45 degrees and instead of applying the paper towel to the neck of the container, he must have let rip with a gap between them and turned around a couple of times as well ... (What was it Joan Rivers says about men and toilet seats?? It must be on youtube somewhere.) To be fair, he has cured the screeching hinges. He has also traipsed oil on to the carpet on the steps leading down into the galley and into the boat.

Insult to injury, he left me to do a clean up job on the rear deck yesterday while he watched the news … Today we bought some 3 in 1 oil, so at least if he decides to remedy anything screeching (not me, by the way) he will be unable to spread oil far and wide.

 

A brief respite: Yesterday, before we moved off from Westport Lakes we walked to Argos and purchased a topper pad to make the dinette double squabs more comfortable. The topper pad we chose came with 4 microfibre pillows which we didn’t need and don’t have room for. So from Argos we went to a charity shop on the Tunstall High St and off-loaded the pillows. Result – less for David to carry and less to have to find room for on the boat. (This afternoon though David discovered we only have two spare pillows … AARRGGHH!!!)

We thought Tunstall was interesting (in an NZ way), as it shows the changes wrought with so-called progress - outsourcing of industry and big chain stores moving in are a recipe for dereliction of the centre of towns, I think.

Tunstall High Street obviously had a more affluent past - look at those rooflines and chimneys.

Now with more of the street level view - apart from charity shops, I notice there are a lot of nail salons in high streets that are heading downwards. Not surprising that formerly successful small businesses close though - one block off this street is a retail park: Asda, Matalan, Argos, Next, Harveys, etc. Shops that rip the heart out of small towns.

Buildings at the bottom of the High St

I liked these places though - walls between the footpath and the small front 'gardens'. At home we would not appreciate the samey samey nature of these homes, but here they seem to fit.

I decided not to walk around the lake when I smelled the water as we headed for Tunstall, and when I saw this rancid mess

 

Episode Two: Then last night, the true ‘not being able to do two things at once’ reared its ugly head. I had cooked tuna mousse for dinner and when it was ready, I opened the oven door, turned the oven off and left the mousse in to cool with the door open. I have to take some responsibility for what followed, as I am usually vigilant about where David is when the oven door is open – it’s his cataract, you know. So he came past me and I wasn’t watching. He went up the stairs to check something – maybe how clean I had got the rear deck (GGGRRR!!!), and then stepped back down without looking or thinking or remembering (ooh, that’s 4 things – so no wonder!) – right on to the open oven door. ###@*^@##%++@#^ or AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

So the hinges are a bit fubarred. The door closes but the hinges have to be pushed in to shut it. Fortunately for him, the oven still heats up well – I cooked braised steak and onions for tonight’s dinner and I have just cooked a curry for tomorrow night. I am not sure if it will be effective for things that require even heat, like Yorkshire puddings/toad in the hole or cakes, so it will have to be tested further. (By the way, Wednesday’s toad in the hole was lovely, as was the brown onion gravy that I made. I think toad in the hole is one of my favourite foods, esp with brown onion gravy, potatoes, peas and carrots – total yum! I will be very distressed if the oven no longer cooks toad in the hole properly - a 40 year marriage could be on the rocks ...)

I will get Barry, who is a DIYer of a high standard, unlike David and me, to have a look at it tomorrow, and see if anything can be done.

The Toby Carvery across the marina from us at Black Prince/Festival Marina

Today we have had a cleaning and shopping day. Firstly we went supermarketing and purchased matching granny shopping trolleys at Argos on our way. They worked a treat carrying back all the shopping which included wine, cider, beer, cans of beans, etc. 

Our two granny shopping trolleys - 'next stop: the home' we think we can hear our lovely but harsh daughter saying ... Must take after her dad. In fact it was her dad who said we should pose under the sign ...

Then we did the cleaning: the boat looks spic and span, vacuumed, swept, floors washed. I went off to the Wedgewood and Royal Doulton outlet shop and managed to buy 7 plates, and only paid full price for one of them. Cheapest one was £1.50. Others ranged between £3 and £6. Total spend £39. David went off to PC World (after I returned – I think he thought my spending gave him permission to go shopping for a 3rd radio for the boat, not counting the iphone and the ipad– does he not think he may have to put his pension towards a new stove at some point soon?) and spent £39.99 on a digital radio that he got cheap because its volume button was missing. Maybe we could scrape up the oil from the gas locker hatch and process it to make a plastic replacement … 

Forgot to say we met some more NZers today, in the Festival Park Marina. They are from Raumati South. It is truly clear that antipodeans are colonising the cut.

Triumph over adversity and antipodean meetings

This morning at 7.45am we got ourselves and the boat ready to depart the Macclesfield Canal after about 7 weeks. Well, when I say got the boat ready, I mean everything from pulling in the fenders, opening the cratch, taking down the pram cover, putting on the tiller. As it was before 8am, I didn’t want to start the engine right next to the boat behind us. I shouldn’t have worried as the damn thing didn’t start. It turned over fine but wouldn’t fire. We did some problem identification ourselves first. David is keen on problems being connected with the batteries – he understands that stuff more than he is comfortable with the engine (he hates cars, by the way, and wouldn’t have one given the choice). But it couldn’t be the starter battery as the engine was turning over. I remembered we had the same hassle back some weeks ago (more than 7 as it occurred at Alrewas) and we called out the RCR guys. After the engineer identified it was a starter motor problem, he checked its connectivity all the way from the control panel back to the starter motor itself – all fine. Then he noticed that the wee nut that pushed the rod back into the solenoid was extremely loose. He tightened that, and hey presto, after a couple of goes, the engine started. So, I got down into the engine bay, found the nut and it was so loose it was nearly off. I could tighten it by hand very easily, so I did, and then I tightened it a wee bit more with the crescent. Attempted to start it. No dice.

OK, which set of ghost busters were we going to call? RCR or Ed. OK, in true project management style, we covered all options and called both and left messages. Ed, the champion, called back first and did some diagnosis over the phone. We followed his instructions, still no dice, so he said he would call in on his way to his first job of the day. While I was standing on the engine, I reached over and gave it one more try. Whammo, it started!!! Yay, and loud noises of triumph!! (It feels rather strange to be standing on a motor when it starts, by the way. Very vibratory. David had a rude comment about that which shall not be repeated.) However, as we were heading through the tunnel, we spoke with Ed and agreed he would still come to check things out. So I cooked and we ate breakfast while we waited. When he arrived he was certain that the issue was the nut and he further tightened it. Checking its drunkenness (is it tight or not) is now down to be part of my weekly routine – before we start the motor as I couldn’t do it when the engine is hot. David has eschewed it as anything to do with him for some reason. I think maybe it’s to do with engines being Booth territory and electrics being McDonald territory.

So we were ready for the off, and as I was undoing the stern rope, the phone rang and it was the RCR people 3 hours after I had called. I'm not complaining at all, but that did seem a long time since the original call. I was pleased to be able to tell them we were sorted - if it had taken that long for them to call back, they must have been pretty busy on other calls.

We set off down to the junction of the Macclesfield and Trent and Mersey, a right turn (or 90 degrees to starboard, I should say) and on towards the tunnel. We had expected that there would be a long queue but we were boat number 4, and arrived as boat 2 was entering the portal. There was a delay of a few minutes after boat 3 as we needed to register with the tunnel keepers. I sounded the horn and they were suitably startled. No danger it won’t be heard then – thanks, Steve!

In we went, and I still don’t like it but it seemed easier this time as most of the low headroom parts are at the northern end and once past them it feels much more spacious. I was pleased as I didn’t touch the sides at all – came close once, but stayed off them.

When we came out we pulled over to get water and were hailed by Ray and Leonie on nb FireflyNZ. They had been hoping they would see us on the other side of the tunnel this morning as they had read the post saying we were moored at the bottom of the Maccie. We managed a quick chat before they were on their way through the tunnel, and while we could have met on the other side by our walking over the top, they were keen to keep moving as the weather was fine. So next time!

As we had moored up just after the water point we chatted with a family who were on one of the lovely Aqua narrowboats for a fortnight doing the Four Counties Ring. Then we saw the boat Macter’s Filia, and knew we had seen it before. Then the penny dropped. We had met Jennifer and Peter at Middlewich, we think, when they were in their second summer on the boat. They come over from Tasmania and boat about 4 months of the year. We found them very encouraging as they were doing what we wanted to do, and they showed us over their boat which was the first reverse layout we’d seen. Waka Huia has the same configuration – with, from the stern, galley, dinette, bathroom (off the corridor), bedroom and then saloon.

So we had a quick chat with them while they filled with water and before they received their instructions for the tunnel.

It was lovely to meet two sets of antipodeans in rapid succession. It feels as though we may be taking over the waterways …

We then looked for the pathway over the hill to the other side of the tunnel. We found it, but the weather looked very threatening, so we returned to the boat, cast off and moved to the visitor moorings at Westport Lake. We have the first spot at the northern end of the moorings and still have the engine running to do a decent charge of the batteries, given we have been snails who’ve not moved far or fast for the last several days. 

David has just come through and has turned off the engine – suddenly it has gone quiet!! Do I hear the sound of the chardonnay o’clock call? I shall ignore it temporarily till I’ve made the batter for the toad in the hole I’ve planned for tonight’s dinner. It’ll be my first attempt at Yorkshire puddings in this oven, so I will report back tomorrow.

Ah, too late to avoid the chardonnay o'clock call - David has poured one for me. Best I get into the kitchen quickly and get that batter made!

We done a runner!

Yesterday, after patchy heavy rain early on, we moved on in light drizzle. Alison and Mick went off ahead of us, and we caught them up again at the water point near the Hall Green stop lock. We had discussed gingernuts before they left, so at the waterpoint, we had a cup of tea and said gingernuts (Alison is definitely a fan), and we left them with the remains of the pack we started. Sorry, Lesley …

As we were all preparing to leave a small boat came down the cut with an inexperienced steerer who, when told by the woman on board to slow down, increased speed and steered directly for the pristine sides of 3 No Trumps. Aaarrrggghhh!!! Mick and the woman on board managed to fend him off, and Alison went ahead and opened the lock for them. The decision was it was far better to have them out of the way before they could cause any more mayhem! Just as we were undoing to follow Mick and Alison into the lock a few minutes later, a boat appeared around the corner. As they were underway and we weren’t, we sat back. Then another one appeared so I signalled them to pull in behind us. I don’t think they were too pleased but they thawed. The woman came to tell us that Heartbreak Hill was a bit of a mess at the moment with limited navigation allowed. David checked with CRT and found out that one lock, well up the flight, is being closed for repairs and part of the flight was being closed off.

So we decided to moor up at the bottom of the Maccie on the aqueduct and instead of doing part of Heartbreak Hill, we’ll head back through the tunnel earlier than planned. We thought it was possible that there could be an influx of people changing their minds once through Harecastle and coming up the Maccie instead of continuing up the Trent and Mersey down the locks. So we moored up tight to the boat behind us to maximise the number of mooring spots available. I hung up the washing then we set off to get some shopping in (a very English way of putting it, yes? Or should I say, innit?) We decided to find the CRT building on our way but came up off the cut a few yards before it, as it turns out, and walked into Kidsgrove’s main street through the station carpark where we stopped and chatted with the people who had warned us of the lock closure. They had done their shopping and were heading for the tunnel straightaway. It was well after 2pm by this time – where does the time go? Holidaying uses up time very quickly we are finding. So finding something to eat was a priority. We found a quaint (as in slightly strange) café called the Shaky Bean so in we went and ordered good basic English caf food, chatted with the grandmother and her daughter, ate and left having been given directions to Aldi. We headed there up hill but decided, that loaded up with groceries it would be too far to walk back to the boat, so retraced our steps to go to Tesco’s (don’t tell Mick). As we crossed the road, the café grandmother was waiting for us. I thought she was checking to make sure we had found Aldi. But no!! We had not paid for our lunch and she was coming to get us. Given we were the ones who’d walked out without paying, it was interesting that she was so embarrassed. Bloody hell, I hope they don’t think we’d done it deliberately. Now that does make me blush. I thought David had paid when he ordered for us, and as I was already sitting down I wasn’t looking. He thought he’d asked me if I’d paid and we had to agree that it was a silent question that never left the confines of his head. And it was unlikely I’d paid as I don’t carry cash or cards – I’m like the queen in that way…

So we paid the huge bill (£7.50 for eggs and bacon on toast, steak and ale pie with chips and gravy, a scone and a pot of tea), and left again. Off to Tesco’s for a small shopping foray (essentials only: chardonnay, fruit, coriander, tomatoes and peppers, GF biccies and bread, mayo, passata and canned tomatoes – forgot coconut milk, dammit). And back to the boat. I needed to blob – white toast in the lunch had knocked me, so we had a lazy couple of hours in the welcome warmth of the sun. Then as I was thinking about starting dinner I could hear David moving things around outside. He was clearing the decks (literally) to be able to get down and remove water that the bilge pump won’t deal to as it’s not deep enough. He had scooped a fair amount out by the time I poked my head up out of the boat, so I helped with the dregs – holding the bucket low enough for the handpump to work. It is now pretty clear. We are going to find some of the stuff I’ve read about in a blog or on the forum that soaks up oil from the bilge. I would like it to be as clean as it was when we bought the boat.

David also had a sudden rush of blood to the head about power consumption on board. Ed had told us that the inverter itself is quite hungry and that we could turn it off when the 240v appliances are not in use (in our case: the washing machine, the TV and anything plugged in to charge on the 240v power points). So instead of turning it off at night or when we’re cruising and the washing machine isn’t in use, he started wanting it turned off at any possible opportunity. I started to feel like I was in Baghdad with severely rationed power. ‘Is the TV on while you are here in the galley cooking dinner?’ ‘Not anymore.’ The upshot was that I suggested we look for the next marina that had a place where items could be donated so we could get rid of the TV to reduce our power consumption. A rethink of the power regime ensued, and we are back to normal, ie careful but not obsessively so.

A peaceful night and the weather looks quite settled. We are going to head for the tunnel now and eat breakfast while in the queue. I will take magnesium to settle my nerves … More later.

I have seen snails that move faster

Ed came yesterday and made sure the engine and prop were behaving. We’d been experiencing the singing prop phenomenon at particular revs. We were pleased to see that, since exchanging the great big enormous humungous alternator for a small svelte slim one, the engine mounts have not loosened at all. I have said on the blog before that we’d had to have the engine mounts tightened 3 times in 6 weeks when the GBEHA was in place.

Ed also looked at how to hook up the radiators that are currently linked to the bubble stove to the Webasto. Unfortunately, without adding another couple of batteries, it’s not really viable. And adding batteries means building a place for them on the swim. So we are going to use the bubble stove with a couple of the radiators closed off and see if it is more efficient than with them all going – when we’ve used it previously, the stove has barely warmed the radiators. When we’ve used it over the coming  weeks or so and formed an opinion (or two knowing David and me), we will consider the options and costs while we are back in NZ and decide what to do. Ed did tell us that the bubble stove is designed to be left running all winter, so when it gets consistently colder we will set it going and see what it’s like. We only used it in short bursts back in June.

We have moved a HUGE distance in the last few days, not! We are now about 700 yards from where we moored on Saturday and Sunday, and we chose last night’s mooring because there is a pub close by where we went for dinner last night. We shared a table with Alison and Mick from nb 3 No Trumps who we are moored in front of on the 48 hour moorings – no gaps and we had a shorter boat come and moor up right in front of us late yesterday in the rain, so the whole of the mooring was used efficiently. I do like that!!

This morning the weather is changeable again but according to the hourly forecast it is meant to be cloudy but sunny this arvo. So we will probably move on down to the next waterpoint by Hall Green, fill up, pull back and moor up for the night. If we are feeling very energetic we will leave the Maccie by travelling through the stop lock (1 foot drop) and turn on to the Trent and Mersey again. It seems ages since we were on any canal but the Maccie or the Peak Forest. On looking back at previous posts, it seems we have been here since 4 July. I’ve just looked at the length of the Maccie and the Peak Forest, including down the Marple Locks. It’s 34.25 miles. In 46 days, if my maths is correct, we’ve puddled around on 34.25 miles of canal. Of course much of that has been traversed 4 times and we’ve had a two and a half week break away from the boat while David was in NZ and I was with Lesley in Essex Kent. But even so, our pace has been slower than many snails…

There are exactly 7 weeks till we leave the UK for this year, and probably only 6 of those we’ll be boating. So I wonder if our pace will pick up now?