Of blue skies and hail...

This particular cruising week started with a view out the back cabin doors like this! That should keep all the boaters at home, as unlike the hot sun - not even mad dogs and Englishmen would go out in that, Surely?

Thankfully, the sun worked very hard and eventually prevailed and the hotest bank holiday I can remember won through - with the resulting rush out of every marina in the land, and the North Oxford becoming the summer style thoroughfare that it is.

And so it was, that K2 joined the thronging masses, and queued up for the head South - well South East. In this picture are 6 boats - and that doesn't include the 2 behind me. Of course it might have helped, if the hire boat in front, had remembered to throttle up after the moored boats! Maybe a sign is needed - "you can speed up now, thank you for driving slowly past our village"

However, we were in no hurry. A fact illustrated by the few hours on the mid-line just before the tunnel. Drinking up the sunshine, drying the washing, and supping champagne with a strawberry following!!

In fact, that's where we should have stopped. Good company, a pub that was eager to serve us food - promising anything on or off the menu, sunny mooring, and a chilled out afternoon. But -

the girls wanted a play park, so they, could run off some energy, and they had their hearts set on going to the Bulls Head - knowing it to have an indoor, soft play area. So reluctantly we cast off and chugged off, where the afore said Bulls Head was found and food ordered.

It has to be said - the menu was hugely restricted - and the staff totally unwilling - or unable - to supply around the edges of the menu. So Fish, Chips and Peas - couldn't be "and beans", even though beans were elsewhere on the menu. Childs' omelette, couldn't become adults omelette - a fact that bothered me about the quality of the food. Surely if you are breaking one egg for an omelette, it isn't that much of a problem to break 2?

I'll let you decide on the food quality, by the left-overs here!!

That's my chicken curry, served in the dog bowl - It tasted of bits of chicken chopped into a curry sauce from the local chippy! And the historically "safe", Ham, eggs and chips, was .......

left for the dogs!!

Well congratulations - it was probably one of the most unpleasant gastronomic experiences I've ever had, and not even lifted by the attitude of the staff. We were just very pleased not to have dressed for dinner!!

Just to be clear...

...and to answer all those questions and emails - thank you !! - I love Coventry basin - it seems a waste only because no-one goes there. What would be great is a rally of some sort, it is pretty, lots of potential, but empty.

Oh probably working boats would fight for the dredging to get there - K2 did!!!

Sent to Coventry - but came back again!!

I like Coventry Basin. I was there a couple of years ago, and then considered it a waste of a basin, so I sent the boys trip to Coventry. Well, via the Greyhound. We had the choice of a run to Atherstone, or Coventry, and chose the later!!

It was a quick stop - long enough for a coffee and cake, then nosied back into the canal again.

The canal from bridge 5 down to the basin is very shallow, with black mud swirling under our counter all the way, and the engine fighting for every yard. On the way back Ivor set his satnav up, showing a grand 2 mph at 950rpm. The same engine on the North Oxford saw us running at an eye watering 4mph. Prooving K2 isn't the slowest boat on the cut, but also that she prefers clear water under her keel (if she had one!)

I love bridge 1 - There is enough air draft by 2mm, and plenty of evidence that some boats didn't quite make it!

So an uneventful trip, passing the Ricoh arena; Tesco's; Chris and Yvonne on their lovely 70foot live aboard that they had built especially for them; a natter at Rose on the way through; and NB Clarence on their way out for a drink at the Greyhound, and in to an empty pontoon.

Gleemaiden has gone to Banbury, and Nerus left after us to head for Napton. So it was a quiet night, just like the old days, with just us! In fact we were the only pontoon to be totally empty for a night - good cruising guys us lot!!

We had a rush off to Southampton, and managed to sneak off K2 just before the rain started!!

My final picture is the inaugeral new lighting of the old oil lamp that I have spent 2 years cleaning!! Now installed in the saloon, it throws a lovely light, and plenty of warmth too, and looks fantastic.

It's hard work...

...this boat upkeep thing. Spent all day yesterday polishing up the three brass rings on each of K2's 3 chimneys. (well 2 chimneys and an exhaust!)









Here's the before and after shots of the exhaust stack...
Elbow grease, as my Mum used to say, and the effects are being felt today - still looks much better.

Finally finished polishing the vintage brass oil lamp as well. That's a milestone, as I bought the lamp way back before I got K2, and have only now finished it.

Now the question is - where to hang it?

No rollercoaster but brass instead

Forgoing the opportunity to go to Alton Towers for an adrenalin filled rush, I toottled over to K2 instead! So what to do? Lovely sunny Saturday, I could go out, and join the "M north oxford cut", with the hoarding masses, or stay put and enjoy the sunshine.

I stayed in -

And washed bedding, starting sorting the saloon, and polished all the brass on the Ol' Donkey till he gleamed. Cleaned off all the oil as well so that he came back to the condition he was in in when I got him.

A sparkling engine in the sunshine was a great sight, but sadly he wasn't turned over.

Stories abounded in the marina of heroism and rescue, of daring exploites and battling with the wind,

Then the pontoon shuddered, and a new boat, blew straight onto it, and off fell the lady from the back counter! Early bath - we told her it was the initiation rite, and she had passed with flying colours. Apparantly the water here is not warmer than the cut - but I don't intend to test it myself!

Bugsworth Basin

Ok, so I cheated. Wanted in Sale, Manchester, a lovely drive across the Peak national park was called for, and a small deviation from the return route saw me in this delightful spot. Steeped in history of lime kilns and working boats, it was a lovely place to wander for an hour. I loved the "weigh bridge" more accurately known as " the guaging stop place". A stop lock, with calibrated sides, designed to measure the boats cargo weight, and therefore set the approporiate toll for traffic. The Eureka moment in real application!

Spurred on by pictures like this -

of K2 before she was K2, I think I need a major declutter. Julie has something to do with it too, not the clutter, but the declutter - if you follow me. Emptying a 4 bedroom house into K2 has taken its toll, and she isn't quite as sparkly as the picture shows. It won't take a lot to regain that early day lustre, but I need to be a little more ruthless in what I hoard.

If you're in a hurry, you have the wrong hobby.

So there we were again, rushing to meet the 2100hrs end of food time . K2's 1954 engine pounding away at a full 1100rpm! But we headed for a fantastic place, and the staff are so accomodating they made sure we had food and drink even though we arrived bang on 2100! Thanks Guys - couldn't recommend you enough.

Of course the weather forecast was so wrong all week, predicting rain when glorious sunshine occured. That is untill K2 pulled off the moorings, then the predicted rain came in torrents! So after a couple of days that was it, back on the wood again, so everything can dry out.

Come on sun - where are you? Still a little fun was had on the inflatable kayak!!

Old friends and little trips!

So business colleague and friend of around 20 years arrived on Friday for a meet up and chew the cud session! (Actually I think it was an excuse to get his motorbike out, and have a couple of hours run!)

Despite the wind of 25mph, that some say render boats tricky - we pushed out for a short run . Ian took to it like a duck to water, once he realised that you didn't steer K2 like a motorbike! Next time Ian - locks....
It always amazes me how quickly a day goes by at 3mph - and as usual we were back too quickly, and another day on the water had passed by!
Still - as Ian spends his spare time racing track days on his bike, to slow him down, and have him enjoy it, was a big result!! But then who can't sit in the spring sunshine on the water and not enjoy it?

The sun is shining

and K2 shimmers in the early morning light. Soon be time to lose the coal and peat from the tug deck, so the patio can be used again! Have to dig down in the garage to find the chairs and patio heater!!

Actually just trying out the new camera - It's a Canon IXUS 8515 and is brilliant. It does all I need and more- "quick, point and shoot"

That's it - candid and not so candid, I will get used to it. Actually the real benefit is that it has a rechargeble battery, my previous cameras (plural) ate batteries like they were going out of fashion, meaning I never had a charge when I wanted it - so this should be a lot better. I'll let you know!!

Cabin Crazy!

I know, I know - but the promise of a sunny day, plus the lure of cheap diesel , where you can self declare the tax meant a trip out was a must! But now the pontoon is full, and I have 2 boats to squeeze between. Luckily, we are blessed with more space between boats than many marinas I've seen.

Once out, the cut was fantastic - sunny spring day, with warmth and blue skies, and the hour out and the hour back, went by way too quickly.

Diesel was the usual busyness, as the hire boats had all been painted and were moored up on the wharf, waiting the first customers of the year. They do look great boats, (if you look past the red and green!!) and they seem to look after them very well. - K2 just about squeezed in for diesel, as you can see, and just about turned in the arm without touching either boat or bank, before heading back for home.

It's about now, I envy the CC'ers - and get the "outdoor lust" back.