Getting water?? Should be easy shouldn't it?

For those out on the canals and having to put up with being frozen in, getting water is hard enough. For those in a marina or basin with water at hand it should be easy (that is unless the tap freezes). With us in the Great Northern basin water is available but on the other side. A previous post showed how we rigged up a rope and pulley system. This has worked extremely well until today, and what a day for it to go wrong. Six nations Rugby is on and Ian is an ardent viewer. In fact it is the only program he will sit glued to shouting 'Knock On' on a regular basis. So when I realised our tank gauge showed nearly empty, and wanting a shower, I persuaded Ian, before the Ireland v Italy game started, to walk over the road bridge, onto the moorings across the basin, attach the hose to the pulley and then for me to pull it across to fill the tank. The fill went as planned, it was when Ian was trying to pull the hose back that the problem arose. Half way across the pulley jammed. Ian tried to get it going again but it was having none of it. So I tried pulling the hose back. Not a hope. Ian then got cross and gave it an almighty heave. The inevitable happened. The hose came away from the pulley and very luckily stuck on the bow of Dave and Heathers boat Nb Vixen. If the hose had gone into the canal an awful lot of sterilizing would have had to be done before I allowed it back in the tank!  So with a lot of cussing and with the Six Nations game about to begin he decided to wait until the half time whistle before doing something about it.  During the match he came up with a eureka moment. Attach the rope to a ball and throw that across, so at half time this is exactly what he did.

Canal is still frozen which does help somewhat. This is Ians first attempt. Rope was to short.

 
 By now the second half was about to start so he sat down with coffee (to early for a beer) and continued his 'Knock On' shouts. When the whistle blew at full time, his mood was much improved. Ireland had won but he would so have loved Italy to have been allowed that last try in the dying minutes.  Anyway back to getting the rope across. This time with a much longer rope he launched the ball and it ended up against Nb Vixen. With the ECP&DA's keb, picked up the ball and rope and fastened it back to the fence. So job done and now all ready for our next fill in about a week. Just hope we don't have to go through that whole rigmarole again. 

 

Last of the wildlife from across the waters

Egyptian fly. Look the same as UKs

Busy Bee