Narrowboat Visit

                                                          I had the pleasure of visiting Bottle and Wozie's narrowboat Oakfield today and had a good old chinwag about their travels over the past year.Thank you for the boat cake and the Inland Narrowboat Owners book, that was a lovely supprise.No I didn't wear my new boots as I knew the towpath was in good condition along that part of the canal.As you can see I would have trouble steering but at least I have been aboard and seen what a nice boat it is.One day I will have my own but I am sure it will be a red Tug with a green roof, and I will have a traders license.Yes I have plans for the future as life is too short to worry.See you both again sometime and have a safe winter.

Footwear On The Cut

After reading many blogs and noticing the type of  footwear  boaters have  I decided to purchase some suitable boots to wear on the towpath and hopefully to clamber aboard to look at many narrowboats when I can get away from my caring duty.
I had to take the car into Luton for it's annual service so I went to Millets where I purchased the boots shown below.

Fasthike is a fully waterproof boot that is built using Hi-Tec's V-Lite design and technology so it weighs in at just 422g. The waterproof suede and nubuck upper is teamed with a lightweight CMEVA midsole, Stabila-Flex bi-fit board and a durable carbon rubber outsole. The toe bumper offers protection on rough terrain.

Hopefully these will last for a good while.Nothing like slowly working towards a dream eh!

Proposed colour of my dream narrowboat

This is just a note to myself of the colour scheme I would like when I get my narrowboat.

Working narrowboat Hadar

Managed to get away and see Jo and Keith on working narrowboat Hadar today and had a good old chinwag about their life aboard this great working boat.
Being fully loaded with coal in the summer makes handling easier in the windy conditions that we have been having,the only draw back is the boat sits low in the water and with low water levels it makes mooring difficult in certain places.

Jo enjoys cooking and I had a sample of her delicious cake,thanks Jo

Paddy the dog keeps a watchful eye on proceedings and is tolerant of other dogs that pass by.

Thanks for your hospitality both and hope to see you soon.

One day I will be a customer of yours and maybe you be one of mine :-)

A Journey Along the Grand Union Canal

Just completed looking through the above titled book written and photographed by John Bishop with paintings by Barbara Bishop published by Bright Pen.
What a nice large paperback with every page having a picture of narrowboats or views of the canal system.
John walked the selected canals in both directions covering over 750 miles after having to retire in 1998 due to chronic back pain.The programme of pain management included 2 hours of walking per day and regular long-distance treks.
For those of us that can only get to a local canal on the odd occasion and dream of living on a narrowboat, this book fills the gap between those visits,bringing the thoughts of spring to the fore in these cold and snowy days.

Sinking Narrowboats

Reading in the Canal World discussion Forum about a narrowboat in danger of sinking and the owner away in Australia.
I do understand that people sometimes take advantage of others but some of the negative comments from some boat owners i.e."It's his own fault as he's done this before so if it sinks tough" I think are unjustified.
I would be the first one to offer help if I found that a boat was in trouble.
It's strange but I find that boats have some sort of soul,an individual character that proudly shines through as they glide majestically past and to see one sink is very sad.To stand by and watch it happen is unforgivable whatever you think of the owner.

All electric NB

Thinking about an all electric NB.
I don't know if this would work but to save on battery usage,switch the fridge off at night,put the food under the cratch cover and put ice from the canal in a sealed plastic bag inside the fridge.This would keep the fridge cold enough to stop it using extra battery power in the morning.Just a thought :-)