Foxglove Narrowboat

Yesterday ended at Tyrley Wharf where we met with our friend Gloria. We had yet another glorious day of weather and seen some beautiful scenery. I spoiled the best photo moment ever by getting so excited what I had seen that I frightened it away. It was a Kingfisher. The second one I had ever seen in my life. It was sitting on an overhanging branch on the canal just ready to be photographed. I turned round to Roy and shouted look there’s a Kingfisher, look, look, nearly crashed the boat trying to get my camera out and in the commotion I frightened it off. It flew off into the bushes and I thought I could still see it and I did…….this is all I managed to capture:

Passed a few boats that we recognised from Aston Marina, Pied a Terre, Grey Nomad and Gloria on her boat Genevieve. She helped us through the 5 locks at Tyrley after a nice cup of tea and a catch up with her and Louis, her dog. Lovely to see her again. The last time we saw her Foxglove had just arrive at the marina in the sorry state it was in so it was nice to show her all inside completed.

We also passed our first boat ‘Clare Louise’
just outside Gnosall. Still looking good after hours of painstaking sanding and painting back in 2009.

Exhausted last night that I was far too tired to blog. I actually went to bed around 9pm and woke up at 8am this morning. All the fresh air and exercise must have caught up with me.

We set off this morning from Market Drayton knowing that we had 5 locks to start with at Adderley before the flight of 15 locks at Audlem. A day of locks……wonderful!! That is sarcasm by the way, not enjoyment!

We needed to fill up with water again at some point today and also meet with our joiner, Rob Shone as he has a few more jobs to do while Foxglove is being painted so we planned to moor right outside the Shroppie Fly and Audlem Mill late afternoon today.

Called in at Audlem Mill just before it closed……oh my goodness…..we should never have gone in there!! Two more plates for the cabin, a book, a cross-stitch of Audlem, Shropshire Union Canal (that will keep me busy for a while) and another rag rug!! I knew we shouldn’t have gone in 😉 Oh and a Magnum ice cream each……very enjoyable.

We are staying here overnight as Rob is now meeting us first thing in the morning. We have only 4 more locks to do tomorrow then we will almost have reached Overwater Marina. I think we are going to travel past it though tomorrow just to see what the canals are like on the other side and then make our way back on Sunday. This week has gone far too quick. Only 2 days left 😦

Wish has had a great time again today. She has loved doing all the locks with us. She has been very good today. She was even very friendly with a little Westie dog whose owners stopped to chat with us as we were filling up with water. For some reason, Westie’s are the only dogs that Wish seems to like……..we find this very strange……..she must think they are a sheep or something!! Hi Vivien & Alan if you are reading. Bit of a coincidence really as they are at Overwater Marina but in their caravan. They said they will get to see Foxglove being taken out of the water on Tuesday as they will still be there. If you have a camera it would be great if you could take a photo for us. We wish we could really be there to watch but unfortunately we have to go back to work. Work??? That has been a sore subject this week……I do not want to go back, I am enjoying being out on the canals so much that I just do not want it to end. Time will tell 🙂

I cannot believe how lucky we have been with the weather. We have had glorious sunshine every single day. Just as we were mooring up this afternoon around 4.30 there were a few hailstones, and I mean a few, then it stopped, then 5 minutes later it rained. I didn’t care as we were moored up now for the rest of the day. The rain did not last for long and it is still gloriously sunny. Lets hope it lasts for out final 2 days.

Going to have some tea now and then watch a film. Here are some various photos taken from the last couple of days.

Today was a little cooler than yesterday which was good as we both woke up with extremely sunburnt noses and cheeks. They were burning so much last night I had to put Germolene on them to numb the pain. Not funny! I have quite a glow today to say the least. Who would think you could get sunburnt in the middle of April??

We travelled for about 30 minutes this morning before we decided to moor up at a little village called Brewood. It was deserted. It was very quaint, no big shops at all, sounded more and more appealing by the moment. There were quaint little houses and  pretty front terraced gardens all out in bloom. Visited the local butcher who was very friendly who embarrassed one of customers talking about her bunions!! Apparently he can be over friendly as the girl in the village bakery asked if he tried to snog me?? No, thank goodness. The girl in the bakery was also very friendly and she had a little song that she does if she asks if you want salad cream or mayo!! Something to do with the J -Lo song. Friendly little village although it was just so unbelievably quiet. We only saw 2 cars and 4 people walking about. Where had everyone gone? We arrived back at the boat with a homemade Steak pie from the butchers and 2 filled baps and 2 of the most yummiest cream cakes from the bakery. Enjoyed with a cup of tea and a sit down. Heavenly! Have you noticed how well my diet is going???

Saw some amazing countryside today and some wonderful parts of the canal. One part where we travelled just looked like an enchanted wood. It was lovely.

Also saw many narrowboats today moored up that have just been left there and neglected. It is very sad to see. One of them had so much greenery, moss and dirt on it that it will soon start to look like a tree. It is such a shame to see them lined up in a row as if they have just been forgotten about and I am sure they had as some of the licenses expired in 2009.

Arrived in Gnosall late afternoon today where we have stopped and done a few jobs. Roy has actually put up a couple of those plaques I bought yesterday. He must have taken the hint from reading the blog!!  He has also finished putting all the plates up that he has bought from e-bay. He has had some good bargains. I polished up the copper kettle and also the claxon. Kept rubbing so hard that I thought a genie might appear at any minute.

Anyway, whilst I was polishing away Roy heard a knocking noise…..quite a fast tapping. Wasn’t someone with a hammer kind of noise because it was going so fast it would have been impossible to do………stick with me here…….I am trying to describe the noise………like a pneumatic drill but quieter???………..Can’t think how else to describe it so I will just have to tell you……. it was a Woodepecker. Never seen one in my entire life before. Got my camera out, nearly fell over Roy and all his toolboxes he had got out just so I could get a photo. The bloody thing kept running up the tree every time I tried to zoom in on him. Anyway, eventually I got myself an amazing photo…….

And another…..

We will be passing by Norbury Junction tomorrow. That will be so weird as we have been there so many times by car and watched the boats go by that to actually see it from a boaters perspective will be fantastic.

I wonder what  surprises tomorrow will bring?

You can always count on me to do something embarrassing, well today was one of those days. Met a couple having tuition at one of the locks and “I thought” she was French.  Never being afraid to saying anything or listening in to other people’s conversation I recognised that she had a “French” accent…..well at least I thought she did. “Bonjour” I said…..just about to reel off a bit more French….”Comment avez vous?” when the woman looked at me strange not really understanding me…..I then asked if she was French which she understood as she was from the Ukraine but understoodEnglish!! “Have a nice day” I said as I carried on cruising with total embarrassment. Roy was laughing……not funny though!

Today has been gorgeous and I have got a bit sunburnt today on my face as the sun has been on me the whole of the journey. It felt like the middle of summer and we made the most of the day as we set off just turned 8 am today.

Roy “drove” through a lock today…..I normally go through them whilst he opens them. It will continue this way as I just got the whole lock opening thing completely wrong and a woman called Julie came and helped me. I am sure she thought I was new to narrowboating as I did not have a clue what to do. Didn’t like to say that we had been doing it for almost 4 years! I just explained that I don’t normally do the locks because of my back but I thought I would give it a go. She was very helpful. THanks Julie! Gave a wave to her husband Nigel as we passed him on their boat Dorothy Goodbody……great name.

Filled up with water and got rid of our rubbish at Gailey. Called in at the little shop for some souvenirs without Roy……a little spending went on!! Ha ha Roy. Bought 3 plaques, one which says “Boots off here please” , another that says ” Please mind your head” and the last one which was “The Round House at Gailey.” I have lots of these plaques to put up, should I say for Roy to put up, but we have yet decided where they can all go.

Going to cook a stir fry tonight with some noodles. Looking forward to it because I am starving. Might even open a bottle of wine because it is a lovely evening to sit outside and enjoy a glass, or perhaps even two 😉

Heading towards Gnosall tomorrow. We are making good time. Don’t want to get to Audlem to early, although we will definitely be there by Friday and we are going to have a cruise around Audlem to see what the canals are like there should we decide to move marinas. One week today and Foxglove will be taken out of the water for her new coat of paint. Time is going far too quick! I am really enjoying this lifestyle…..work and home seem a distant memory at the moment. Don’t want to go back to it…..today has just been so idyllic out on the canals. Perfect!!

Well what a busy few days it has been and I haven’t had a chance to write.

Friday night was excellent as we went out for a meal with my daughter and we also got to show her the boat. The boatman’s cabin now has a new name…..according Jessica it is now called “The Nerd ‘Ole”. Hilarious! I don’t think she had seen so much lace, ribbon plates, brass and knitted cushions all together in one place in all her life. She liked it though which was good.

Saturday was the day we were supposed to set off but that didn’t happen. There was so much to do at home first. Roy needed to do all his invoicing as he is a little late getting it all sent out. One months worth!! Took him ages to do and then we ran out of envelopes and stamps so it was a trip to post office. Even managed to strip all the bed at home and wash it before we headed off to Overwater Marina in Audlem to drop one of the cars off ready for the end of our trip. 2 hours later as we got chatting and also looked at alternative moorings for when Foxglove has been painted, we then headed back home, bit more housework, empty bins, pack some clothes and off we went.

One of the blogs I have been following is about Narrowboat Hadar. Well we knew they were moored up at Stone on Saturday and I was so excited about meeting them that on our way to the marina we decided to call in on Jo & Keith (Hadar) to say hello. It was like meeting 2 celebrities as I have been following their blog for 6 months. They are like the “Posh & Becks” of the waterways. It was great to finally meet them. Wish embarrassed the life out of me as she decided to have a go at their dog Paddy who I have to admit was gorgeous and so friendly. We also met their cat Marmite. I really was quite “star struck” to meet them all. We bought some coal off them and also made Roy empty his wallet…..ha ha ha as we bought a rag rug from them which is gorgeous by the way. Thanks Keith, it is gorgeous and it looks fantastic in the “Nerd ‘Ole”.

Finally arrived on Foxglove around 7pm! Had a quick bowl of soup as we were both starving and headed off to Morrisons to do the weeks shop.

We were shattered by the end of the evening that we stayed at Aston Marina for the night. We slept really well.

Sunday morning, what a way to start the day with one of my cooked breakfasts. The diet has gone out of the window. Got ourselves a spare gas bottle , some kindling and finally around 11 am we set off for our trip. Gorgeous day. The sun was out and we were relieved to finally be making our way.

We moored up at TixallWide which is one of our favourite places to moor and stayed there for the night.

Off we set this morning to yet another sunny day but perhaps a little windy. Wish is becoming more and more confident now on the boat which is great. She is shattered today after all the walking. She never used to leave me and when Roy goes to open a lock she would not go with him or she would jump off the boat with me and as soon as I got back on she would follow but now she is great. All I have to say is “off you go” and she jumps off the boat and follows Roy to open the locks. I have a special tune that I whistle to Wish to call her back and she is so much fun because when she is at the lock I whistle her back and then when she gets back to me I give her a big cuddle then say off you go and she goes straight back to Roy. There was also a point today that we decided to let her off the boat on her own whilst Roy & I stayed on the boat and cruised along. She was so obedient and kept checking we were there. This is the first time we have done this with her. She is absolutely shattered tonight.

We called in at Midlands Chandlery on the way as we have lost our BW key and we will be needing it tomorrow. We have travelled through Penkridge for the second time ever. The first time was on our first boat Clare-Louise which was 3 years ago. We are now moored up at Otherton. This is new Waterways territory for us and it is really nice. I love looking at all the gardens and at this time of year everywhere looks very pretty.

Cooked chicken kievs tonight with home-made potato wedges and lots of salad. It was yummy and we were both starving so it was enjoyed even more. Had a lovely bath, washed my hair and now going to relax for the evening and watch a film. Wish (the dog) is fast asleep and so all in all it has been a great day.

Roy is unbelievable as he can be only person who can manage to get sunburn in this weather! As I mentioned earlier even though it has been a bit windy we have had lots of sun all day. If we both go home with a sun tan that will be quite funny! English weather. So unpredictable!!

Yes that’s me. It’s my Birthday today and what a great day it has been. Finished work today and I was given some lovely presents from the girls at work. Thanks again Rachel , Lynn & Angie. I treated everyone to cakes and fish and chips as that is what we tend to have on Fridays. Good atmosphere at work today and now I can relax ready for our week away on Foxglove.

Tonight has been lovely. I have been out with Roy & Jessica for a meal. Dropped Jess back at home and she had got me the most fantastic cake. I had to blow 41 candles out! It’s a wonder we didn’t need the fire brigade. It was great. Thanks Jessica and also for the lovely thoughts behind each present you gave me. I was really touched. Love you lots. Xxxxxxx

Well tomorrow morning we will be making our way out on Foxglove. just want a really relaxing and enjoyable week. That’s all I ask for.

Thank you to everyone for all the messages that I have received. It really has made today a great day 😊

Exciting day tomorrow not only because I will reach the grand old age of 41 but because it is my last day of work then we are off on the canals for a whole 9 days!! Waited for this moment for 6 months as it is the week we take Foxglove for her new paint job and bring her back to the beautiful boat she once was. Lots to do before we set off and I am looking forward to tomorrow evening as I am hopefully going out for a meal with Roy and Jessica, ( hubby and daughter). Going to be a nice way to end the working week and celebrate my Birthday. Lots of photos going to be posted this coming week. Lets hope for nice weather and hopefully the wind will calm down. Fingers crossed 🙂

I am always far too tired to blog at night. It has been a busy week this week. So I am going to back track over the last few days.

Catching up with Jessica has been lovely this week. My beautiful baby girl is so grown up. She will be 21 this year. Meeting up with Jess and her friend Becky was great. I let her have a drive of my car. She did really good considering she has only had 3 lessons. Perhaps one day Jess you will be able to drive me and your Dad about 😉 Lots of love to you xxxxxxx

Friday night we met up with good friends Nancy & Roger. Looking fantastic as always you guys! They took me out for a meal as an early Birthday present. Thank you so much to both of you as it had been almost 6 months since I had seen them last. In fact last time we saw them we had not long bought the boat and we were planning to do all the inside. It was lovely to catch up with them both.

Saturday was an experience in itself. My washing machine at home has broken down and it isn’t even a year old. The guy who came on Friday to fix it could not do it so someone else is coming out on Wednesday! The washing machine on the boat is not working properly either because the water does not get up to temperature but at least it rinses out and spins. So the plan was to take all the washing over to the boat, hand wash it all and rinse and spin it in the machine on the boat. Oh my goodness what a chore it was but I did actually manage to get it all done. I cannot believe this has happened so close to us going away. This time next week we will be on our way to get the boat painted. How exciting!

Today we have been over to the boat to make sure everything is clean and tidy for when we go away next week. Roy bought me a new iron for the boat!! That is actually what he said: “I have bought you a new iron.” It was a joke…..sort of! Saying that he can stick to doing oil changes on the engine and I will stick to doing the ironing. He also bought a new Sat Nav today as someone has stolen it out of my car. Some people are unbelievable! This would have come in really handy last weekend when we were looking at other marinas. We kept getting so lost.

Another thing we have had stolen was Wish’s extending dog lead. We had only had it a few weeks and it cost £26.00 This was stolen off the boat a few months back. We are waiting for the people to own up who did it as we had security cameras so we know who took it.I cannot believe how dishonest some people are. It really annoys me.

We have left the boat tonight all clean and tidy ready for next weekend. Five days of work to go. I am so looking forward to having some time off work and spending it on the boat.

Had a surprise in the post, Birthday card and present from Davide & Claudia in Italy. I was not supposed to open it until the 19th April (very, very sorry) but I was so excited to get the card and I could hear something in there that I just had to open it. This blog is so good to confess things sometimes! Thank you so, so, so much Davide & Claudia for the present and the card. The bracelet is beautiful. I will treasure it forever. Love to you both xxxx

Can you believe it that we are just around 1 week away from the boat being painted. It has gone so fast. Where does the time go. We are going to do the Four Counties Ring. Half of it on the week we take the boat to be painted and the other half on the way back after the re-paint. Lets hope there is as much paint on it when we get back to the marina as there is after it has been re-painted. There are going to be a few subtle changes on Foxglove when we have her painted. I wonder if anyone will spot what they are. We will make sure there are lots of before and after photos taken. So excited. 🙂

Many things to look forward to, Birthday, week away on Foxglove, the re-paint, going to see Blood Brothers at the theatre, bringing the boat back and having another week off work and cannot wait to wash the boat after it has been re-painted. I used to love doing it on our old boat. I know, I am strange but if I enjoy it who cares! Wait till the wax comes out…..polishing it is great !!

Had a free night out tonight as my daughter invited
me to go out with her and her friend to Gala Bingo!

It was good fun. Thursday nights are free games so we must have played around 12 games each and neither of us won a penny. When I used to go play bingo with my grandparents when I was little , the number 88 used to be two fat ladies, nowadays it is known as ” wobble wobble”.

Quite funny. We had a good laugh.
Today has been a good day.

Late tonight blogging as I have been out for tea with my daughter Jessica. It has been lovely to catch up with her. Last minute photo before she went taken with Dad E, grown up name for Daddy, family joke. As always Wish had to get in on the photo. Ate prawns and way too much lettuce, think I will choose the restaurant next time Jess! Perhaps a Mexican one eh?

Well it has been a busy weekend. First of all we went to meet Sally Tooze to discuss the paintwork on Foxglove. I am getting really excited now. Part of the name is going to change on the side of the boat, a few different colours here and there but it is going to look fab!

Quickly called in at Bridgemere Garden centre on the way back, unfortunately not for plants but to call in at the Lakeland Centre to get a clothes airer for the boat as I want to start really trying more at the whole living on the boat experience a bit more which means washing, drying and ironing the bedding on the boat rather than bringing it all home. Anyway, more about that later. We also called at the Hobby Craft store that is also there as we needed some new ribbon for the ribbon plates and Roy thought of the idea of me sewing little beads onto the lace as a bit of a hobby for me. Great idea, although I think Roy will soon regret the decision, you will find out why shortly.

Also took a look at some other moorings but we did not like them not because of the marinas but the canals are not really suitable for just weekend cruising because of all the locks. 16 locks at one marina if you took a right turn. No good for weekends. Anyway we really like Aston Marina and we love the canals where we go currently even if only a short trip out the scenary is great. I love it around Sandon area and Great Haywood, always lots of friendly people about. Shame the geese and ducks dont get along. Tried to get a photo of this one particular goose chasing off these ducks. Quite funny!

We rushed about all day and decided last minute to drive over to the marina and set off for the night. Think we moored up around 8 pm. We were both shattered. Slept the next morning until 9.30 am. Must have been tired as I had 12 hours sleep. Made pancakes again and then Roy and I set about doing a few jobs. He sorted out the ribbon plates and put everything up with proper fixing hooks and I started sorting out the 100’s of beads that I had bought ready for a bit of sewing.   I enjoyed making the little dangly beads so much I got a bit carried away and ending up doing 3 different lots of lace with beads. I then started thinking what could I sew all these beads onto or where else could I put some more lace with dangly beads. I can see me getting carried away. Thought they may look nice hanging from each point on the table cloth, what do you think? All I would need is a crystal ball to go with it! I am kidding. I do have an awful lot of beads left though. I will find some use for them. A new collar for Wish perhaps.

Managed to wash,dry and iron the bedding.
It was a beautiful day though as it dried very quickly.
It was good fun! Never thought I would say that about doing the laundry.

Lots of pictures taken. It was a really enjoyable and relaxing weekend.

Yes that is what Midlands Chandlers are calling today, Freaky Friday. 20 % everything in store so tonight we ventured off to Penkridge to get a few items for the boat.

The 2 guys who helped us out were very helpful. Hi Mez & Gary. I did promise I would mention them. Bought myself a copper cauldron/bucket. Wanted to get this every time I have seen it, but today it was half price as it was the last one, so I could not resist to buy it. Got a chimney brush, mooring hooks, oil, grease, toilet liquid and a few other bits and bobs. We have ordered 2 new chimneys and a spare toilet cassette as there was 20% off, so all in all it was a good saving. They are open on-line until midnight to get the 20%, so if anyone out there wants to save a few pennies now is the time to get all your boating requirements.

Big day tomorrow as we are meeting Sally Tooze  http://www.willowboats.co.uk our boat painter to go through everything that is going to be done on Foxglove. So excited. This week has flown by. Two more weeks and then Roy and I have finished work. Cannot wait!

Visiting a few marinas also this weekend just to have a look around to see if there is anywhere else we would prefer to moor. We have been at Aston Marina for 3.5 years and a change of scenary on the canals would be good, however I love the canals where we are and with a newly painted it might be better as we are used to them, so hopefully there won’t be too many bumps and scratches. Who knows what we might do. Good to keep your options open.

Given out 9 degrees for this weekend……….that is like a heat wave compared to the last few weekends. We will still be venturing off on Foxglove at some point this weekend.

Must take more photos…….I always forget to take it with me when we go out for walks, or keep it with me when I am steering the boat. I will try remember. Getting forgetful in my old age!! Not as old as Roy though (sorry Roy).

Off to the land of nod now…….I am shattered to be honest. Been a very busy week again at work. Up early in the morning, so I bid you all farewell. Goodnight!!