May 5th--11th

We've had another rather scrappy week.
We ended up staying in Packet Boat Marina until Tuesday morning, May 11th.
This was because we had to go back up to Warwick for a special social event.
If the weather had been better, we would have gone on down to Little Venice
and left the boat there whilst we went up to Warwick, but as it happened,
the weather wasn't much good and so we decided to stay put.
We had the car with us still, so we could get out and about.

On Wednesday, we retraced our steps, and took the boat back up the Grand Union
to a marina where they sold diesel.
There is only one place between Packet Boat Marina and Little Venice where we can buy diesel,
and there it costs 45p per litre,
whereas the other marina is selling it for 29p per litre,
providing one has at least 100 litres. We shall need at least that much.
So off we set, on a rather cold and windy day.
It was a couple of miles and one lock, so it took about an hour.
However, the heavens opened, and Trev got wet--I stayed inside
on the pretext of sorting out the laundry and making sandwiches!
We arrived at the marina--the access was rather awkward and we had to reverse in,
not an easy operation with a narrowboat, as there is no steering when reversing.
Though, of course, this was no problem for Captain Trev!
We bought 148 litres, so we saved GBP8.82. Well worth the outing!



A UNIQUE PADDLE DRIVEN NARROWBOAT

On the way back, as we were coming out of Cowley Peachey Lock,
another boat was waiting to come in.
It was pouring with rain and we were wrapped up to the eyeballs in waterproofs,
as were the people on the other boat, so it took some time to realise that
the boat was none other than "Bett & Rowl on Misty Blue" as it says on the side of their boat.
The last time we had seen them was just after we had moved on to our boat.
We were on The Ashby Canal, undergoing "sea trials"!
They had moved on to their boat just a week before and so we felt like kindred spirits.
We hadn't seen them since, so we stood in the pouring rain for about fifteen minutes, swopping stories.
We reluctantly moved on when another boat arrived, wanting to use the lock.
We hope to see them in the autumn, when we're back in The Midlands,
as they moor at Hawkesbury Junction, north of Coventry.

Another place we visited was Hughenden Manor, a National Trust property.
It was the home of Disraeli, and was a warm and cosy place,
the sort of house one could live in oneself, not like, for example,
Blenheim Palace, which is palatial and awe inspiring, but not home.
Uxbridge is a good shopping centre and we visited there a couple of times.
I used the internet at the library there a couple of times.

Since we've been on the canal, I have acquired a clutch of library cards;
I am the proud member of Derbyshire library, also Cheshire, Staffordshire,
Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, the London Borough of Hounslow
and now the London Borough of Hillingdon!

Another exciting and totally unwelcome event was when the electricity supply on the boat packed up.
When we're moored in a marina, we can usually hook up to an electric supply, for a fee.
We had done this, but the "meter" ran out and so the boat reverted to its own supply.
That is exactly what it's supposed to do.
The batteries are charged either by the shore line electricity supply or by our own generator.
But when the shore line meter ran out, and the boat reverted to its own supply,
we soon drained the batteries and the generator didn't kick in. So we had no power whatsoever.
There was also a rather worrying and unpleasant smell of something HOT!

A quick dash to the marina office for a new electric card cured the problem of lack of power for now,
but not long term as we would need our own supply when we started off.
Trev tried various things to no avail,
so in the end it was a 'phone call to the ever patient Dave at Braunston.
He suggested several things for Trev to try, but nothing happened, and for once even Dave was stumped.
As we were OK in the short term, he said he'd sleep on it
and see if he could come up with an answer in the morning.
Fortunately, the smell dissipated.
We think it might have been the generator trying to start and not being able to.

True to form, Dave rang just after 8.00 a.m., with a suggestion that maybe the isolator switch had blown.
So Trev removed it, took it to a marina, bought another one the same, fitted it,
and Bob's your uncle, we had power again.
Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief, not least Dave,
who was going to have to come out to us if we couldn't fix it.
Well done Dave, what would we have done without you and Lyn to hold our hands?



WE SEE SOME INTERESTING THINGS ON THE CANAL!

We drove back up to Warwick on Saturday, and did a whirlwind tour of various friends.
My 'dear' friend Shelagh said that, although it wasn't my birthday, may be I'd like a bath!
What a mate--I didn't know it was so obvious!!!
Then in the evening we went to the party and stayed overnight--in a king size bed! Luxury.
On Sunday morning, we put the car back in to its garage on Kenilworth,
our friends took us to Warwick Parkway Station, and we were off for London.
Oh, we're such jetsetters!
We went in to Paddington, then out by tube to Uxbridge,
then on the bus to the lane at the end of Packet Boat Marina.

I had an optician's appointment on Tuesday, the 10th,
so we had to have yet another frustrating wait before we could get going.
On Monday we went in to Uxbridge and then got the boat ready to get going again.
We filled up with water, polished the brasses, did all the washing, ironed
and got generally shipshape.

On Tuesday morning, I got up early--well it was for me--8.30!
I went in to Uxbridge on the bus for the eye test and then, at last, we set off.
We paid our marina fees, said goodbye to the friends we had made in the marina
and pulled out with light hearts on to the Grand Union.

We both just love to set off, we feel free as birds, without a care in the world.
It must feel the same for Romanys, when they hitch up the horse and get going again.
It's a wonderful feeling of elation, of joy and freedom, quite emotional really.
We both consider ourselves so lucky to have such a wonderful lifestyle with no worries
and the whole canal system as our oyster.
The way of life on the canal is very relaxed.
We've met some lovely people, made some great new friends, and always encountered friendliness and courtesy.

Just after we'd pulled out on to the Grand Union from the marina,
we heard the evocative chug, chug of a 'proper' engine--
a vintage as opposed to our modern Beta engine.
A couple of blasts on a delightful old whistle alerted us to the fact
that this was no ordinary boat!
Indeed not, it was no less than the two narrowboats 'President' and 'Kildare'.
Aboard was a jolly looking bunch of scoundrels, all old enough to know better!
It looked as though they were having the greatest fun on a "boys' only" weekend.
We spotted Tim Coghlan aboard, owner of Braunston Marina, who gave us a cheery wave.



PRESIDENT & KILDARE

President is an ex Fellows, Moreton and Clayton steam narrow boat, now owned by the Black Country Living Museum at Dudley.
The museum is assisted in maintaining and operating the boat by the "Friends of President"
You can read all about it here:

Click here to read about the Narrowboat "President"

I think I've got this link right--please email me if it doesn't work!

Email me from here!

We continued along the Grand Union, to Bull's Bridge,
where we shopped at Tesco's, which is right alongside the canal.
Then we turned left on to the Paddington Branch of the Grand Union.
We had about thirteen miles to do, and this took us about four hours.
There were no locks and we pulled in to Little Venice at about 4.30 p.m.
The more observant of you might say that we'd been here before a couple of weeks ago?
Yes, we brought our friends Jane & Pete down for a weekend trip,
when we were moored at Packet Boat Marina, but now this was just the two of us
and it feels like part of our summer trip proper, rather than a weekend outing.
I steered the last few miles and even managed to get us in to the last available mooring spot,
which was quite a tight fit! So I felt pretty pleased with myself.

This is a delightful part of London, and we're pleased to be back.
It feels very special to have arrived here in our own boat, under our own 'steam'
and to be able to stay in London for free!
We can stay here for fourteen nights free of charge, after that we have to pay £25 per night.
The free mooring is part of the privilege of our licence fee.
In the evening we went for an excellent Thai meal at a local pub.
We've encountered quite a few pubs which have a Thai, Chinese or Indian restaurant attached.
We shall stay in Little Venice for a few days, until we're ready to move on on the next part of our trip.

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