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Starting out again

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Im not sure if this will work but Im gonna try and do a Blog on another site, Not that I have anything at all against this site, far from it, I just feel it might make it a little more personal to Laura and myself.   The Canal World Blog is very simple and easy to use and has been a great start for me but now, Im gonna spend hours struggling with links and fings and then give up and come back to this blog!!!!!! see given up already.     If you enjoy what you have read here maybe you

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Endurance

Ernest Shackleton wouldve been proud of us.   We decided to try again and get up to the winding hole to turn Lady Elgar round. With Laura on the bow with the pole swishing as much weed away from us a poss, we managed to get half way along the moorings before we came to a dead stop with the prop choked with weed. This time we both plonked ourselves on the bow and pulled over alongside the moored boats. While I poled us punt style Laura kept us from touching the boats. We made slow but stea

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Flob a lob, little weed

Sunday morning saw me up at half 8 to get ready to poodle up the arm to the winding hole and let Herbie go off for her 2 week cruise to the River Wey.   I met Neil at the stern as he was just prepering Herbies weed hatch, we both fired up the engines and I set off for the Windly windly hole. Within 30 seconds it was obvious i had some serious weed on the prop as there was a fair amount either side of the apparantly clear channel. Within 100 yards from the mooring I had come to a standstill

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Roy Orbison

Day 21   ITS OVER.   Our original plan for this day was to cruise down to Denham Country Park and find a little spot for 1 last barbie before doing the last 3 and a bit hours back to base camp. The day dawned overcast and very breezey and a few showers accompanied our meanderings through the locks. At Batchworth we were aided by orange lifejacketed children who were visiting the canal centre and getting instruction on locks and boats....Geoff, one of the staff was telling Nora that wh

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Peter Sellars and Sophia Loren

Day 20   The morning broke dry and lovely. Following a couple of brews we fired up and cast off, Nora working the swing bridge and 1st lock while we kept looking behind us in the hope of seeing a boat coming down behind us who we might share with.   Its wasnt to be so we slowly dropped down the heavily locked Hemel Hempstead section and arrived at the santary station at Apsley to take on and drop off fluids. A bot had decided to chain themselves up to a large protion of the services mo

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Adam Ant

Day 19   According to the Log we started up the Perkins at 11.30am after I had cleaned away the BBQ from the night before and taken down the Sky dish. The weather didnt look at all promising and there were spots of rain in the air.   Sure enough within 10 mins of setting off a couple of very heavy squalls washed everything down and blew everything about. Then out came the sun for a bit and all was calm again. Just after passing the flour mill a heavy squall hit us again at the same poi

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ABBA

Day 18   We departed the Globe in lovely sunshine and in anticipation of the 18 locks ahead of us. A planned short stop at Tesco in Leighton Buzzard refilled some cupboards and fluid cabinet however the waterpoint proved to be defective. It doesn't take long to leave the town behind and after Grove lock the rolling hills and fields open up again giving excellent veiws over towards Woburn. We filled the water tank at the top of slapton lock and noticed a boat just entering the lock behind us

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Bucks Fizz

Day 17   Late start today as we only planned to go as far as the Globe. Hadn't topped up the fuel tank since Reading and knowing hard we had been forced to punch the flow of the Thames I was keen to top up again and see what we had used.   Milton Keynes marina was the first services so we turned in and approached the fuel landing. It all seemed very quiet. I had managed to get far enough into the marina to make getting out awkward when a chap called out from a boat that they were shut

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Electric Light Orchestra

SUMMER AND LIGHTNING, all around us.   I think it mustve been about midnight that the electric show began in the sky followed by loud rumblings of thunder across the valley. The rain was so heavy that the plants on the roof took quite a battering so when we woke this morning to blue skies and sunshine evrything seemed so much better, except that is for the howling gale blowing from the sou'west.   The plant pots didnt stand a chance and after the 2nd time of putting them back in plac

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Supertramp

Day 15   Opening the blinds this morning revealed drizzle and then some more drizzle. It was morning as well, about 6am. We knew we might get a bit of noise from the mainline railway nearby but hadn't bargained for the sheep with megaphones. Actually we did manage to drop off again and evenually arose about 10am....still drizzling...so a couple of cups of coffee and watched Takeshi's Castle.....Love the High Rollers.   We cast off around about 11am with yours truly fully decked out

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The Beatles

Day 13+14   YESTERDAY saw us moored at Braunston and no phone signal and no Web an Walk signal for the first time this trip so no post was possible.   We cast off from Fenny Compton and negotiated the lovely summit level of the Oxford winding around the hills and farms. Saw loads of young lambs and hundreds of tiny Moorhen chicks all along the level. Finally Napton windmill came into view in the distance and we started the descent at Marston Doles. Ive always enjoyed doing the Napto

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The Beach Boys

Day 12   Fired up the engine by 10.30am and toddled up towards the windly windly hole cum water point at Cropredy. While I held Lady Elgar into the side waiting in the queue, Nora plodded over to the Bridge Stores for some supplies. I was still queue waiting when she returned, Her bags seemed rather light. She was outraged! " they hardly have anything" said she......No bread, no veg, no potatos.......I sent her back with instructions for more Coke and Tobacco. She returned heavily laden and sh

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The Specials

Day 11   We had cast off by about eleven and chugged through the lovely winding countryside hoping to arrive at Banbury in order to stock up at the supermarket. The sun was out but a bit of a breeze kept the heat down as we passed through familiar places to me from 15 yrs ago.   Laura decided there was no way she was going to steer in Somerton Deep Lock so that honour was left to me. Its still a great feeling going into that narrow chasm and seeing that huge slab of wood close behind yo

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Make and Model

Day 10   I was up and about by 8am and following the first brew of the day, left Nora sleeping and I set off down the Botley Road to find Halfords armed with my electrical componant complete with box and Lucas part number. I passed a cycle shop on the way and looked longingly at a smashing little folding pushbike in the window but payday is still to far away for toys like that plus the car needs MOT'ing when we get home.   Found Halfords and presented me at the parts desk. I showed t

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Hangover

I think we eventually got to bed about 2am. So this morning when the church bells of Abingdon rang out it was a bit of a shock. They wont continue for long thought I, just calling the faithful to worship, but no, It was obviously a campanology convention calling the faithful who had quaffed a skinfull the night before to clamber out of bed and put the kettle on.   Maffi and Bones where already up and about and after the frist brew we were ready for the last haul to oxford. So we waved farew

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Slug speed

What is the differece between slug speed and snail speed? Are slugs faster because they dont carry a shell on their backs?     Today saw us awake at just before midday thanks to our evening with Kath and Neil in Goring......mmmmmmm sleeeeep. So when Nora got up amnd asked the time and she said quarter to 12. I said...."no its not" she said " yes it is" I said "no its not" and so we continued for a couple of mins but yes it was indeed nearly midday and we had 8 hours cruising ahead of us

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Snail Speed

No photo's tonight as we only have snail speed connection which kinda matches our snail speed while under way.   We had probably the quietest ever night at Henley, you know, its so quiet that you cant hear anything at all except the noise from your ears.   We woke to spanking sunshine and clear blue sky, By 8am the Henley rowers where out and about practising for next week's ladies Regatta and the Cox's were being rather vociferous....Typical small person syndrome lol.   We Cast off and

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Its a contact sport Part 2

9.30am saw us under way from Windsor and within minutes the rain was pelting down. In fact it had been raining most of the night and now I was concerned that river levels were going to rise again and see us stranded waiting for them to fall.   I was seriously considering turning round and heading back to Brentford, However just after Boveney lock the rain dried up and we had a mixture of sun and cloud, and the very occaisional light shower.   The river was still flowing rather fast and

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A Slopey Start

Day Five     We were up by half eight for an early start to give us a full day in Windsor stocking up the larder and visiting the Castle. We were at an alarming angle despite leaving slack ropes and it appears we had settled on some mud. No real problem coz when I pushed at the bank, both the stern and bow began to slip away from the edge.   Following the first coffee and cough and a drag of the day I did the usual engine checks and prep ready for the off.   With some trepidation I

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The sound of silence

Day four       Our evening with Phil alongside Hampton Court turned into a very early morning. I think we eventually retired about 5am.   By the time we woke up and set off it was 1pm. Phill decamped at Moseley lock for his return home.   We have still been having trouble with the starter and having to resort to the magic wire which engages the solenoid prior to turning the starter. Our progress was very slow as there is still a tremendous amount of water coming down the rive

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Its a contact sport

Day three.   Teddington took most of our day. I went over to the lock at 10am and enquired about the state of the river prior to handing over my £115 for the 15 day visitor license. They expected to be on yellow boards by some time in the after noon.   We also where holding position as we were waiting for our friend and guest Phil, bless he had finished nights this morning and was obviously sleeping, so we tootled around the boat, reading, relaxing and Nora nursing her sunburn....

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Lobsters

Day 2     Set off from our mooring at Hanwell by about 11.30am and finished off the flight in Blazing sunshine. Nora steered us into the first lock....a first, and she intended to do the next few as part of her helm training but then a boat hove into view behind us and we held the lock for them. Not wishing to have to try to many odd manouvers she decided to hand back to me...at least she is getting there and proving very good at the attempts she makes.   We enjoyed the flight in c

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Ignoramuses

Day one of our Grand June Cruise.   Cast off from Iver just before midday having spent the last couple of days revising and reviewing routes due to the Thames being on Red Boards for the last week, But after a drive down to Chertsy last night to view the river conditions I decided we would have a slow run to Brentford and hit the Thames sunday eve rather than today to give the river further opotunity to calm itself.   Glourious sunshine was the order of the day and a Big thanks to Kath

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Weather

Its currently 4.30am and its been lashing it down since i retired to my berth at 1am   Not looking good for the Thames circle if this rain continues. We have the option of turning left at The junction and heading north on the Grand Onion and then making a descision to do the circle when we get to braunston, The down side to that is, if we do head down to oxford and the rain returns we will be hard pushed to get back to base using the long route.   There are other circles such as the

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Nearly hols time

Only six days to go before we cast off and head down to Brentford for our grand cruise of the thames ring.   We finished work saturday morning and that was my last day at work till 3rd July...yipeee, Unless of course you count my long service ceremony next friday. (its only a year late)   I wasnt initially going to bother going but then i read the small print and noticed that it was treated as a 'tour of duty' so I emailed em and let em know Salty, Nora and mumsie would be attending

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