Keeping Up with Keeping Up again

[Keeping Up]

We came down the lift on Saturday. Spent all day Sunday tied up (it was raining and there was a Grand Prix to watch) then we've been down the Weaver (as far as Marsh Lock - it was blowing a gale on the exposed section near the Ship Canal so we turned round there) and now we're spending a couple of days in Northwich. By the beginning of next week we hope to be round near the Llangollen.

 

It looks as if we'll have been on nearly every major canal this summer. Grand Union, Oxford, Stratford, Gloucester & Sharpness, Staffs & Worcester, Trent & Mersey, Huddersfield Narrow, Ashton, Rochdale, Bridgewater, Leeds & Liverpool so far. Next we'll take in the Llangollen, Monty, and Shroppie.

[Naughty Cal]

Time to do the rivers?

[Bones]

I think Pingu needs to have a fine supply of trifle to help recover from the locks!

[Keeping Up]

Time to do the rivers?

Well we've been on the Avon, the Severn, and the Weaver. It was last year when we were on the Trent, Soar and Witham so we won't be there again this year. And we're saving the Thames and the Nene (and maybe the Great Ouse) until next year when we plan to get a Gold Licence.

 

I think Pingu needs to have a fine supply of trifle to help recover from the locks!

Both trifle and Vodka have been administered in copious quantities. She's fine now.

[Debby]

It looks as if we'll have been on nearly every major canal this summer. Grand Union, Oxford, Stratford, Gloucester & Sharpness, Staffs & Worcester, Trent & Mersey, Huddersfield Narrow, Ashton, Rochdale, Bridgewater, Leeds & Liverpool so far. Next we'll take in the Llangollen, Monty, and Shroppie.

 

Haven't you missed one off the list?

[Keeping Up]

Haven't you missed one off the list?

Oops you're right. Well spotted. I forgot to include the Macclesfield and Peak Forest too. Maybe being in a Wetherspoons from 9.00 am drains the memory

[Keeping Up]

Met another Forum member (MikeVye, is that how it's spelled?) at Grindley Brook. Expected to find chaos there but it wasn't too bad at all. And now we're at Llangollen (in the library - well us, not the boat), and heading down the Monty at the end of the week.

 

We'll probably go back rounnd Stoke on Trent to go home, because we want them to check over our rudder (that got a bit bent on the Rochdale).

[Debby]

We'll probably go back rounnd Stoke on Trent to go home, because we want them to check over our rudder (that got a bit bent on the Rochdale).

 

Hmmmm. We might have to pay Stoke another visit then - depending on when you're going to be there.......

[Keeping Up]

We may be reverting to plan A and going down the Shroppie to Birmingham after all. With a couple of days in Llangollen, with plenty of time and clear waters to see what was going on, a little "gentle persuasion" using our mooring pin as a lever has freed up the rudder slightly, and we may be able to continue without any further attention until our next scheduled docking. We'll let you know.

 

Meanwhile we're heading back down towards the Monty for a few days. At this moment we're at Lion Quays (nice jetties shame about the depth) and meeting various of Pingu's relations.

[Keeping Up]

Yes we've decided we can do without any immediate repairs (so what if the rudder is still a bit bent?) so we're heading down the Shroppie, after a couiple of days on the Monty. We're now at the Bridge at Audlem, having passed Hairy Neil at Nantwich this morning, and are heading towards Birmingham.

 

Do say hello if you see us ...

[Bob the welder]

Yes we've decided we can do without any immediate repairs (so what if the rudder is still a bit bent?) so we're heading down the Shroppie, after a couiple of days on the Monty. We're now at the Bridge at Audlem, having passed Hairy Neil at Nantwich this morning, and are heading towards Birmingham.

 

Do say hello if you see us ...

we saw you at Llangollen on wednesday .have a good trip .BOB

[alan_fincher]

Yes we've decided we can do without any immediate repairs (so what if the rudder is still a bit bent?) so we're heading down the Shroppie, after a couiple of days on the Monty. We're now at the Bridge at Audlem, having passed Hairy Neil at Nantwich this morning, and are heading towards Birmingham.

 

Do say hello if you see us ...

We are ahead of you, Allan, currently at Wheaton Aston, having also passed Neil.

 

We are heading to Brum too, but I suspect will stay ahead of you, unless something important breaks.

 

Nick Atty's CanalPLanAC reckons over 14 hours to the head of Farmers Bridge, but I think we intend to try for it today.

[paddy r]

sorry Alan keep missing you...now on the T&M going to willington for a few days(runing repairs)then up the erewash.

[casper ghost]

I'll turn onto the Shroppie from the Staffs and Worcs tomorrow morning sometime..

[BlueStringPudding]

Just planned a mini-banter-ette with Messrs Jones, Jones, Jones & Jones.

 

Monday evening in Lapworth. Hoorah!

 

[alan_fincher]

Just planned a mini-banter-ette with Messrs Jones, Jones, Jones & Jones.

 

Monday evening in Lapworth. Hoorah!

 

Monday ?!?

 

We'll be there tonight, I think .......

[Keeping Up]

I think I saw Casper as we passed ...

 

We met Odana in Birmingham this morning. We sem to have missed everyone else - although which way are you heading next Alan?

 

We're definitely going to get to Lapworth on Monday night - and then we hope to come back up Knowle and spend a week exploring the northern reaches of the BCN. It's over 20 years since we visited the Western half of the Curly-Wyrley so I wonder if it's changed much? We didn't even have a map that covered it back then.

 

So who should we look out for in those parts?

[Yoda]

Yoda next week escaping his outlaws!

[paulcatchpole]

Just planned a mini-banter-ette with Messrs Jones, Jones, Jones & Jones.

 

Monday evening in Lapworth. Hoorah!

 

 

Eh up, BSP...

 

Where're you planning to be moored?

 

We'll be around post tea-time, and there's four pubs within walking distance of the basin.

 

Punch Bowl is a favourite, although slightly further away than the others!

 

Junction of Mill Lane and Rising Road:

 

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sour...mp;t=h&z=15

 

 

PC

[Michele]

in Birmingham this morning.......

 

We passed you this morning in Brum, but very confused (which aye difficult to be honest!) when we saw your boat and another 'Keeping up' (with the Cheshire Jones') within a few meters of each other! Any relation?

Did look for anyone aboard as we passed - but no sign of life.

Michele

[alan_fincher]

We passed you this morning in Brum, but very confused (which aye difficult to be honest!) when we saw your boat and another 'Keeping up' (with the Cheshire Jones') within a few meters of each other! Any relation?

Not as confused as we are now.....

 

We passed "Keeping Up" (Cheshire Version) in Stoke Bruerne locks yesterday (Sunday) morning, so it seems not possible for them to have been in Brum only a day later.

 

Are there more than one set of Cheshire Joneses with a "Keeping Up", (or are you sure !!)

 

EDIT (CORRECTION)

 

Cath has just remembered....

 

The Cheshire Joneses had a first boat called "Keeping Up", which they said is now in Brum - no doubt what you saw.

 

They now have a REPLACEMENT "Keeping Up" - Which is what we saw them in................

 

Confusing, isn't it!

 

You have seen the Cheshire Joneses OLD "Keeping Up" near the Milton Keynes Joneses "Keeping Up". The cheshire Joneses are still elsewhere.

 

Are you keeping up ?

Edited August 17, 2009 by alan_fincher

[Michele]

Not as confused as we are now.....

 

We passed "Keeping Up" (Cheshire Version) in Stoke Bruerne locks yesterday (Sunday) morning, so it seems not possible for them to have been in Brum only a day later.

 

Are there more than one set of Cheshire Joneses with a "Keeping Up", (or are you sure !!)

 

Well that's what it said on the side.......unless.......maybe they've mastered teleportation or maybe there's more than one.............? Entering the Twilight zone?

 

keeping up with you Alan.........eeeerrrrr, no!

All I know is that I saw two boats called Keeping up in Brum today and one had the Cheshire Jones' on it.

Don't confuse me any more, please!

 

 

Seems to me there's far too many Jones' 'Keeping Up' for me to keep up!!

Edited August 17, 2009 by Michele

[Keeping Up]

Well here we are in Birmingham again!

 

Ours was the original "Keeping Up", named by us at her launch in 1991.

 

The Cheshire Joneses bought and named their boat "Keeping Up" about 4 years later, shortly after we passed near their home (although they say it's pure coincidence). They sold it a year or two back, to a guy who lives in Birmingham but isn't called Jones. The boat is indeed moored at Sherborne Street Wharf; when we saw him last week we asked if he was going to change the name; he pointed out that it could be difficult to perform the necessary rituals as they involve sacrificing a few virgins and we are in Birmingham after all.

 

The Cheshire Joneses new boat is called "Keeping Up Too" so it must have been that one which Alan saw at Stoke Bruerne.

 

Sorry we didn't meet you Michelle, we could have explained it all over a drink or two.

 

Meanwhile, since our last posting we've been all around Birmingham. We set off for Lapworth, only to have our ageing alternator die again, so we moored at Hockley Port for a couple of days (thanks Odana!) while we got a brand new one. Not as simple as it sounds, our old one was a bit odd and to change it we also had to get the polarity of our Adverc changed. Full marks to Adverc themselves who couldn't have been more helpful, sourcing the replacement alternator and loaning us a new controller while they work on changing the polarity of the old one.

 

Charging happily again we did indeed conclude a mini-banter with BSP at Lapworth. before heading up Knowle and Perry Barr. The mooring at the top of Perry Bar is a lot more inviting than it was when we used it many years ago, and the pub near there did steaks at excellent prices (and cheap beer). We then ventured up to Anglesey Basin before travelling the length of the Curly Wyrley, and had no problems at all even though we went through the more "disreputable" stretches near Goscote in the middle of the day. We visited the "United Kingdom" pub, almost exactly 20 years since our last visit; the area has changed (with an excellent mooring now) and the pub has grown a new restaurant out the back (magnificent food there!) but is otherwise much as we remembered it.

 

Last time we were there, a few minutes after setting off we were halted by a vacuum-cleaner hose on the prop. This time, only the second time we've been there and 20 years later, a few minutes after setting off we were halted by a vacuum-cleaner hose on the prop. What is it about vacuun cleaners around there?

 

Without having seen a single other boat anywhere on the Curly-Wyrley, we made our way back via the Old main line to the centre of Birmingham and here I am in the library again. We'll be returning via Farmers Bridge and Fazeley before heading southwards again.

[alan_fincher]

Last time we were there, a few minutes after setting off we were halted by a vacuum-cleaner hose on the prop. This time, only the second time we've been there and 20 years later, a few minutes after setting off we were halted by a vacuum-cleaner hose on the prop. What is it about vacuun cleaners around there.

Most people clear their props with bread-knives, Stanley knives, hacksaws, wire cutters, bolt-croppers, etc.

 

I can't hope feeling you are being optimistic that any fouling will come off just with a Hoover - even a "wet 'n dry" one.

 

If you must use that method, I suggest you pull the hose fully back in before popping the weed hatch back on, and restarting the engine.

[RLWP]

Hi Allan.

 

Did you have to fill the Perry Barr flight before you could use it?

 

Richard