On our way at last.

 Dec 17th

A sunset and sunrise 12 hours apart! 

Sunset 16th Dec

Sunrise 17th Dec

 Pretty spectacular and not something seen together. I took this from the web

A red sunset followed by a very red sunrise (about 12 hours later) often means lots of dust/particles in the air, indicating approaching fair weather from the west (red sunset = good weather ahead) but potentially messy weather coming (red sunrise = warning) or just the same atmospheric conditions persisting, often linked to high pressure or wildfire smoke, scattering blue light to reveal reds and oranges. The key is light scattering through more atmosphere and particles like dust, pollution, or moisture, making longer-wavelength reds visible.  

So now I've given you all a bit of this extremely useful bit of information, back to the blog.

15th December

We left the next day, the noise of the trains were tolerable but getting slightly further from the railway seemed like a good idea, especially as wherever we stopped would be our home for the next 5 or 6 days. Our destination, then, was Nether Heyford, ideal for the small 'One Stop' grocery store and the butchers a short walk down a country lane and best of all, no noise from the trains at all. The weather was also iffy, rain, torrential at times came and went throughout our stay, but that was nothing to the constant wind gusts making FS a rock and a roll and the sleepless nights it caused of an unwelcome rattling coming from 'we knew not where! We just hunkered down, stoked up the fire, found a jigsaw to do and sat it out for 5 days.

 

It was today, Saturday 20th, when we pulled pins and left for Long Buckby. Our delay of a day was because we re-read the CRT stoppage notice of when the locks opened and realised that, although they were due to complete the stoppage on the 19th, the locks wouldn't reopen until 4 pm that day. Fully expecting a long queue, we deemed it best to delay getting to the bottom of Long Buckby flight until later in the day. So it was 9 am when we left, stopped for diesel at Rugby boats and a few yards further on, a water stop to fill the tank.

 

Arrived at the bottom lock a tad too late to buddy up with an ascending boat, we saw them in the distance and did wonder if they had seen us.  But no, resigned ourselves to be by ourselves going up the flight but then, coming out of the marina, another boat. Yea...we had a buddy after all. 

On the approach to the lock. Dark Blue boat was mooring.

Bless, he admitted he was 78, had only just bought the boat (in fact tonight would be his first night on board) and although he had been boating before, was no longer the agile person he used to be (Amen to that! How many of us are!!) Ian helped as much as he could, we made sure to allow him to go on the side where the ladder was nearest to the stern (yep he said he would do his bit by climbing the ladder and pulling paddles) and I suggested we go through one gate to save him from stopping to close his gate. Such a nice chap and, although we took longer to ascend the flight than normal, enjoyed his company immensely. 

 Moorings were hard to find once we left the top lock. Our locking buddy found one soon after Norton Junction, and I managed to get FS at the end of a long line of boats right by the bridge. Thankfully, plenty of room for boats to came past.

Top lock Long Buckby

 

 

Tomorrow will be an early start. We want to make either Mkt Bosworth or Shackerstone on the Ashby by the 24th, in time for our son-in-law to pick us up Christmas evening. There is still a long way to go! 

And the reason for the stoppage, 

New lock gates top lock, Long Buckby

 

How many times can FS get stuck and who Is that at the end of the tunnel?

 Dec 14th

This morning we decided to do the rest of the Stoke Bruerne flight. The water levels in the long pound had stayed very low, which caused FS to tilt slightly during our stay. FS just needed a good shove to right herself, and she came away from the side with ease. Ian had already got the lock gate open, and once I was in, lifted a paddle and walked on to get the top lock ready. On his return I was informed that the pound above was very low, definitely not enough water to float FS across, so he had lifted a paddle to run water down. It took an age before Ian came back to let me out, and FS was still way below where the water level should be.  Crikey, I wondered if FS would even get over the cill! Anyway, into gear and then knocked it out by the cill to coast over. That didn't work, I came to a stop and power had to be applied. Then a cringing moment when scraping was heard as FS went over the cill, but I made it into the pound. 

 Ian had the top lock gate open, I could see water from the top paddle rushing into the lock and decided to have a go getting in. Ian, thinking all was now okay, dropped the top paddle to stop the flow of water and that's when it went horribly wrong! Something quite substantial had been thrown in from the bridge, and of course FS found it! She first rocked a bit, then rose out of the water and tilted to one side. OMG, I was pivoting on that object and the bow was now facing the closed gate. 

 

Into reverse, well that was a waste of time. Thankfully, we had gongoozlers who I think must have told Ian about my plight and the top paddle was once again raised. FS came off, Ian opened the second gate and I again tried to inch forward. And inch FS did, got most of her into the lock, but the stern rolled over another obstacle, and I was once again stuck fast!

 

 

Ian continued to run water in until I felt FS beginning to move. This time more power was needed, but thankfully, in she went. The gongoozlers had already started closing the gates, I couldn't thank them enough, and they laughingly said it made their Sunday watching my predicament and how I handled it.  

No more dramas as I ascended the lock and once up, one of the chaps from the trip boat came to see me. Asked if we could hang fire because he was taking the boat full of passengers through the tunnel, winding after the North portal and then picking up a very special person. We were happy to oblige, but then he said we could go first, so long as we didn't hang around! 

 Gosh, I thought we were fast. I could almost feel his breath on my back, and we weren't hanging around. In fact, on exit Ian said it was the fastest we have ever gone through Blisworth Tunnel, taking just 28 minutes! Nearing the end, I spied a colourful character. Ah, now I know who his special passenger was! 

 Santa was bemused by us coming out first. Thought we were the trip boat, which literally popped out from the dark 30 seconds later. 

Talk about breathing down my neck!

I wondered where it would turn

 The wind had picked up, crikey was it icy! I wanted to stop sooner rather than later, but Ian mentioned getting to Gayton to empty the cassette and then find a spot. At Gayton junction, (where the Northampton Arm joins) were the facilities. With only the cassette to empty, I held FS by the bridge 'ole while Ian did the biz.  Within 10 minutes of leaving, a mooring was found, right by a 16-mile to Braunston marker post and, unfortunately, an unseen railway over the hill. Only when a train came past did we realise how near it was! Could be a tad noisy tomorrow morning, and we had hoped to stay for a few days, but will probably now move on.

 

A Magic Roundabout find.

 Dec 12th

I'm losing track of time, could it be put down to the brain not functioning properly due to old age? Or just because one lazy day runs into another with only the TV to keep one occupied. I'm writing this because I really can't remember the day we left Campbell Park, I know it was a lovely winter's morning with the sun very low in the sky, a right B when trying to cruise looking directly into it. Although the sun was at our rear when we left, the canals meander quite a bit which meant and at one point the sun was directly in front of me and I nearly ran into the towpath at a bridge 'ole because the glare was so great. Anyway, no doubt I can find out the date from when the photo below was taken, if I can be bothered that is!

 

We have a new dog! It came floating past us at Campbell Park and of course we had to rescue it. It now has pride of place on our roof!

Dougal from Magic Roundabout (first aired on BBC in 1968)

 From Campbell Park, our first stop was a food shop at Wolverton. We struggled to moor, the wind trying to blow FS away from the bank, Ian managed to get off with the centre rope but was unable to bring FS in. The bow was almost across the canal, I managed to get the stern near enough to the bank so I could jump off (something I could never have done pre knee op!) and grabbed hold of the centre rope with Ian still hanging on for grim death. With our combined effort got FS back to the bank.... Phew! Leaving was easy though, release lines and let the wind take us off.

Mooring at Wolverton

 Cosgrove was our hoped for destination. I say hoped for because it is always busy there, and fingers were crossed as we came through the bridge by the Galleon Inn. As luck would have it, a space was found right on the 2-day mooring section by the Inn. Not knowing if there was anything beyond the Iron Trunk Aqueduct, decided that would do for the night. It was the ideal mooring for us to wash the starboard side of FS, not so ideal was the dog dirt we both nearly trod in as we made our way along FS's length! It's our pet hate... folk not picking up after their dog!

Iron Trunk Aqueduct in the distance.

On Thursday late morning we set off for Stoke Bruerne, cruised along the aqueduct and would you believe, we could have stopped at the Cosgrove visitor moorings after all as there were loads of spaces to be had. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, don't you think? Anyway the lock was against so had to be emptied, wind was again an issue, so I held FS in the narrows while the lock was emptying. A gentleman came past asking if I was in trouble, thought I had got jammed and couldn't move. What a nice gesture, I thought, but laughingly put him straight by telling him I was waiting for the lock. It's people like him that makes cruising on a narrow boat a joy, there is always someone ready to give a helping hand if they think you are in trouble.

 I always find the next stretch of canal to Stoke Bruerne tedious! It's long, shallow in places, and plenty of continuous moorers to make the 5-mile-long pound slow going. But we did see Kingfishers, quite a few of them too. This year must have been a good breeding year and the GU an ideal fishing ground. This one may have bitten off more than it could swallow, though! 

 

Two hours 30 minutes later we reached the visitor moorings at the bottom of Stoke Bruerne flight. The light this time of year fades quickly, so decided not to go up the flight that day. Very surprised to see the moorings empty as it's also very near to the facilities and I would have thought continuous moorers would have found this attractive. Maybe CRT mooring enforcers check more often than in other places. Anyway, good for us, we had our pick and although there was quite a bit of road traffic, what with the wind blowing the sound in our direction, a peaceful night was had.

 

Today (12th) we went up the flight. The locks were all empty, great as we were locking up. But the pounds were very low! The last boat down had left paddles up on two of the locks in the flight, consequently Ian had to run water down so FS could get over the cill on exiting. We eventually stopped in the long pound and hope to stay over the weekend. Water level is still down a bit but with FS getting right into the side, thought we would risk getting stuck. Not a boat has been seen on the move these last two days, so we don't expect much boat traffic over the weekend. 

Leaving the second lock 

 

I stayed half in and half out of this lock. The wind was much gentler than the last few days but still strong enough to blow me off course if I had to hover in the pound, and the pound was much too low for FS not to stay in the middle.Until the gate was open in the next lock, I was going nowhere!

You can see how low the water was by looking at FS.

Moored in the long pound.

And seen on route

 

Flooding. A far cry from the drought conditions mid-September.

Not sure what these berries were. They were as big as crab apples.

Making very slow progress.

 December 6th

On the 26th November, we left the Peartree marina. Wind was still an issue and trying to get away from the pontoon definitely a bit of a B. Ian was at the bow with the pole to help me around, thankfully no boats were nudged. Not wanting to leave the area for another couple of weeks, we took a mooring across from the water point at Peartree, 2 day only April to September but deduced that after that date, the mooring would become a 14 day. We even had a CRT guy arrive taking boat licence numbers and nothing was said about us leaving so that was a relief. 

Not much was done during those two weeks, we did visit our son again and Ian had to drive up to our bungalow because of a problem with the utility room electrics. The distribution board had tripped, leaving our tenant with a rapidly defrosting freezer! Turned out to be water seeping in from the wall, and as we all know only too well, water and electrics don't mix! Ian did a temporary fix and a builder is coming next Monday (8th) to see how the moisture is getting in, although Ian thinks the wall needs re-pointing. Monday is also the day when he will deposit the car back to our garage, a National express bus has been booked for his return.

Today we moved off from Peartree mooring and made our way to Campbell Park.  Well, I took FS and Ian drove the car. A space was found near to the bridge, between two moored boats, would have been ideal for where Ian had parked the car, but although I breathed in, just couldn't get FS to fit. Nothing for it but to move on and eventually found a space right at the end of a long line of boats. Hey ho, further to walk, but at least we can stay for several more days. Not long after mooring, a flotilla of bodyboarders came past, dressed in elf costumes and Xmas trees. I asked if they were doing it in aid of a charity, but the reply came back as no, it just seemed a good plan at the time but now having second thoughts and think it was utter madness to even contemplate the idea. I wished them a Merry Christmas as they paddled on their way.

 

It's still another 13 days before we can get past the stoppage at Long Buckby so a very slow cruise in the weeks to come. We may try for Stoke Bruerne next weekend, weather dependent that is. Call us fair weather boaters if you like, but our days of travelling in rain and howling winds are long gone! 

 And seen by the mooring and on route,