A Green String Theory night and moving Crested Lark

A night without any mishaps, No one fell in the canal or lost their way to the loo (needed after all those pea's!)  and apart from the guitar strings pinking off one by one when one of the entertaining group, Green Strings Theory, played with a bit more gusto then usual, all went swimmingly well.

Green String Theory.

Some arrived early to grab a good seat

Enjoying the music

This band was excellent and well worth thinking about if ever wanting a good entertainment group for a 'do'. This is their link.  The music begun at 8pm and after singing and playing to us for 45 minutes it was time for the much awaited Pie and Pea. Margaret was in charge in the kitchen heating the mushy peas and keeping me supplied with the stuff ready to dollop a ladle full onto the steak pies. We had Jill turning the pies out on the plates and Izzy pouring the gravy. Heather took the tickets at the door and sent a steady stream of folk to the tables to get their supper. All in all it ran like a well oiled cog, sure and steady, and thankfully we didnt run out of pies or peas. Well done to Carole for working the numbers out so well.

Kept warm in the hot cupboard

Ready to serve.

 After feeding the band, they returned for another hours play. By 11pm those less hardy started to depart leaving about 20 of us to enjoy the rest of the evening. Bed finally called to us by 1.30am.

We were up by 9am this morning to help clean the cottage and get it set up in readiness for the next ECP&DA meeting. Once that  was completed we only had one other task to do. Move Crested Lark from across the canal back to join us in the arm. So here is that story. Anthony pays for mooring Crested Lark on the stretch of concrete nearly exactly where we had moored. When we arrived last Wednesday it was a real bonus to see the boat gone. It meant more boats could be fitted in the Arm. So by Friday, as a previous photo shows, we were filled to capacity. So imagine our surprise when Crested Lark was seen to be ascending Sandiacre Lock. Now this caused us some dilemma. How do we get him back to his mooring. It would have meant a  major boat shuffle and one none of us relished. Ian was sent to negotiate with Anthony to see what could be sorted out. Thankfully he's a really good guy and agreed to go over on towpath side as long as the boat was returned to it's mooring when all the others had left. So Ian, Dennis and Tim took it upon themselves to bring it back across.

Tim doing his 'It's one Cornetto' impression

Brilliant rope throwing skill. Mind you he was the lock keeper on one of the River Trent locks.

That job successfully completed is was time for us all to chill out and enjoy a nice cup of tea.


And finally:-

Opps. Missed the boat.

It was an evening to remember in more ways then one. First the games night was a roaring success. Dominoes seemed the most popular but Mexican Train came a close second. Strange but the Rumikub box never got opened. Could be that everyone thought it was a too serious game and only for intellectuals.

Mexican Train being played by Izzie, Margaret, Carole,Tim and Jules.

Ian, Leslie, Marleen, Michael and John

Leslie, J.B, Marleen and Margaret only just in the picture.

 Loads more boaters turned up bringing their own drinks and before we knew it both rooms were heaving. So the party continued well into the night. By Midnight most had departed but a few of us stayed playing Mexican Train until after one. By now we had about exhausted the game so it was time to pack up and make for the boats. Now this is where the second part of the fun started.

It was dark. We had no torch. Ian was in front and I brought up the rear clutching the game boxes and my camera. We got to the boat, Ian stepped off the bank and onto the back deck and suddenly he'd gone! Disappeared from sight!. I heard the splash and, looking down, could just make out Ian's head and shoulders sticking out of the water. Even now Ian is unsure of what happened. All he knew was his foot slipped as he placed it on the back deck and then felt the ice cold water engulf his body.

Mind the gap!

Having managed to haul himself out (I tried to help but was more of a hindrance) the first thing was to check his phone. Great relieve when he found it to be working. As for his wallet, I'm now drying the one £20 note, driving licence and receipts! Anyway he stripped off on the back deck (good job there wasn't a moon............. apart from Ian of course) and bundled his clothes straight into the washing machine. After giving him a rum and coke ( just for the shock mind) and getting him showered, I then had to dress a very nasty wound on his shin. Still we did have a laugh and he was ever so glad no one was around to see his embarrassment. (:

Somehow today the news of Ian's misfortune spread amongst the boaters. I wonder who told them? Who me???? Never!! Anyway we have spent the day getting the cottage ready for tonight's entertainment, the meat pies are in the cottage (all 50 of them) and 2 huge catering tins of mushy peas are ready to be opened. We have seen another 4 boats through the lock, including the widebeam. Somehow we have managed to find them all a mooring, although several had to moor below Sandiacre lock. Looking forward to tonight do but I'm going to keep a very close eye on Ian when the evening is over.

Seems to have misjudged the bend

Busy busy day

The boats kept coming and the arm filled up. Six arrived this morning and more turned up this afternoon.Tomorrow we expect another 3, one of which is a widebeam.. This year the number of boats have surpassed all our hopes. If you think back a year ago we were in freezing conditions and snow was laying. We were lucky if 6 boats turned up and the games evening was a bit of a disaster. Only the brave ventured out.

By 11am and this now.

Today has been all about getting the cottage ready. Margaret and I have been moving tables and chairs, we have washed floors, cleaned work surfaces and hoovered. Then the games were laid out onto the tables ( Rummikub, Mexican Train, Uno, Dominoes etc ) whilst the men have been tidying the grounds and laying the fires. Soon it will be time to order the 17 portions of fish and chips that will start our evening off. Oh happy days.

Jade enjoying the river Erewash this morning. Nice to see it at normal levels

And finally:-

Reply from Derbyshire Police

Message from PC Laura Buchanan 

Today at 10:49 AM

Thank you for the photos, they have been most useful in linking the offender we caught to the crime. An officer may need to visit to obtain a statement, we will give you a call to arrange, this will most likely be Monday.

 

Thanks again

Kind regards

Hope this isn't going to be another ongoing saga. Click here and here and here and here  and here  and finally here.  We had enough of that with the friendly con man Jason!  Note to oneself. Stop getting involved in Police crimes!

More boats have turned up today in readiness for the games night tomorrow. The Pie and Pea event on Saturday has always been well attended. It usually coincides with the start of the cruising season so the Erewash may get quite busy for a change.

Involved with the police yet again!

Yippee away we go. No more sitting in the Great Northern Basin as we have done for the past 4 months. How great to be free to cruise the system once again. Yesterday was all about getting the boat ready. You wouldn't believe the muck that had accumulated on the super structure during our time at Langley. As for the roof.....well......4 months of road dust as well as leaves, small branches, ash seeds, a mountain of sawdust from when the tree gang came and chopped 3 trees down overlooking the basin the clean up task was daunting. We pulled out of the basin to make it easier for ourselves and within 3 hours had cleaned the roof, washed and polished both sides and loaded the top boxes with all that was needed for the nexrt 7 months cruising.

First side done

This fab tool takes all the hard work out of buffing after the polish had been put on.

No point in moving back to our mooring so thought we may as well stay there for the night.

Jade watching us from the swing bridge.

So today, after the final loo emptying and watering, we pulled into Langley Bridge lock and awaited our locking buddies Michael and Carole on Electra.I decided to walk on to set Eastwood and Shipley locks, both needed filling and Eastwood had bottom gates open which didnt bode well for the rest of the locks down to Sandiacre. We needn't have worried because most of the locks were full and only the last 3 had to be filled. Waiting an age for them to turn up at Shipley, I heard the thundering of hooves and wandered what had spooked them.

 

Could it have been this?

Finally the wait was over as Ian arrived at Shipley with Electra bringing up the rear.

Michael and Carol just entering Shipley lock

 Soon Stenson lock came into view. With it being in our favour it wasn't long before we had descended and making our way toward Ilkeston.

 Going past the council estate, 3 lads were fiddling with a red scooter and trying desperately to get it started. Ian reckoned it was all a bit suspicious and suggested that it may have been stolen. I reckoned that if the lads did manage to start it we would be seeing it along the tow path very shortly. Sure enough, not many minutes later, the roar of the engine alerted us to the scooter. All three lads were on the back, no helmets and all wearing hoodies. I managed to get this photo.

Note the footwear on the one at the back.

You can make out the three hoodies

As they raced off into the distance scattering all the unaware public along the way, a cat leapt from the far bank and into a reed bed. There it sat intent on something and judging by this nest nearby assumed it was the Moorhens.

At the bottom of Pasture Lock we came across a sunkun boat. C&RT had been aware of this boat for months. In fact it was sunk mid channel and dragged to the side by C&RT. Seems that the ropes holding it may have snapped or even been let loose. It's now become a bit of a hazard as the reed bed narrows the channel considerably and to get round the boom takes some skilful navigating. 

 It was also after the final lock at Pastures, and on the approach to Sandiacre, that we once again met the lads on the red scooter. This time there were only two of them and I again took a sneaky photo. As we got to the bridge our local police lady PC Laura Buchanan happened to ride over the bridge with her push bike. Seeing the lads disappear in the distance she did no more then peddle as fast as she could along the towpath after them. We did laugh at the idea that she was trying to catch them up but we very much doubted that her legs could peddle fast enough. Then we had only just finished mooring the boat in the Derby arm when she appeared from around the lock cottage. Recognizing our boat she caught us up and ask if we had any information. When I showed her the photos she was more then pleased and immediately gave me her email address so I could email the photos to her. She was especially pleased that I managed to get their faces. The third lad (the one at the back) was already in custody. He comprehended the youth earlier when he jumped off the back of the scooter. That's one lad that can't deny being part of the trio as he was still spouting a fashionable pair of plastic socks when he was caught (as my photo shows!)

 

I have cropped the photo

We are now back on the moorings by our bungalow. This weekend we have a games night and Pie and Pea to look forward to at the Lock Cottage and on Monday we take the boat to Sheet stores with the hope that Paul Barber will once and for all be able to sort out the rudder problems we have experienced since changing the prop.

And finally my macro photos taken yesterday:-

A trip on a Scots Guardsman

 Saturday 29th,  a day we had been looking forward to since booking the steam locomotive Hadrian. A return trip from Leicester to Carlisle on the LMS Royal Scot Class no. 6115 Scots Guardsman Locomotive. Now around these parts (Langley Mill) I am known as that paparazzi women. Why?? Because I never go anywhere without my camera. So imagine my distress at getting to Alfreton station at 6.50am and Ian asking me where the camera was. I just couldn't believe I had been so stupid as to leave it behind. All I had was my phone camera and Ian had his small Nexus i pad. I certainly got a lot of ribbing from the others in our party for forgetting it. So the photos wont be brilliant but at least I will have something to show for our trip.

For the first part of the journey our carriages were pulled by diesel train. We were due to change to the steam locomotive Hadrian at 10am so, although the scenery was lovely, the first part was a bit boring. The excitement for me would have started when Hadrian was hitched to the main carriages as I so wanted to watch this procedure. Unfortunately the change over happened at Hellfield goods yard so no platform and all we could do was watch Hadrian go flying past our window and then the feel  the clunk as she was coupled to the main carriages. 40 minutes after arriving at Hellfield  a loud Toot Toot heralded our departure and we were off on the final leg to Carlisle. Listening to the engine sound, the clattering of the wheels on the rails and the smell of the smoke and steam as it wafted past the window brought us right back to that of our childhood. It was such an adventure in those days to ride on a Loco. I used to hang my head out of the window and mum was forever wiping the soot from my face. Oh happy days and such a treat to experience this again.  It wasnt until we stopped for water at Appleby station at midday that we finally got off to look at the Locomotive.

The nearest carraige (H) was ours.

At Appleby Station.

Eventually we pulled into Carlisle station at 13.10 and here we had a three hour stop to wander about the place.

We made our way to Wetherspoon where another excellent meal was forthcoming. Then it was a walk to the River Edan before making our way back to the station to board Hadrian for the journey home. Going back along the Cambrian countryside was wonderful and a joy to behold. All to soon the we stopped at York where the diesel train was to take us back to Leicester. The change was only suppose to take 25 minutes but for some reason the diesel didn't get connected to the main carriages for another 15 minutes after that. It was here I finally got to watch the uncoupling of the Loco but with the delay on bringing the diesel round, I wandered back to the carriage instead. This was the first delay in the whole of the journey but once we got underway we flew along and made up the time. We arrived back at Alfreton dead on time at 22.30. We couldnt have asked for a better day. It was long old day having got up by 5. 45am and not returned to Free Spirit until 23.10. But what a fabulous day. The weather was warm, company great and the memories it brought back made the journey all the better.

Heather, Micheal, Dave and Carole

Michael feeling cold so Heather covered him in her scarf.

                            Dennis                                                                                        Margaret