NarrowBoat Bones

John Wonfor

2013-05-17T22:13:00.000+01:00

Raising money for macmillan and travelling the canals. He is heading towards Oxford and was last heard of at Upper Heyford. Give him a wave and support if you see him!

Boating Kit

2013-05-14T13:11:00.001+01:00

Visit

2013-05-12T04:55:00.000+01:00

I love it when my Pa comes to visit.

Whisper in the grave.

2013-05-11T04:51:00.000+01:00

There is something magical about churchyards; the way the flowers are undisturbed and the old trees bend over to whisper their stories. They are stunningly peaceful and recently I stumbled over a beautiful one with a bench in the shade. Wonderful.

Little Venice

2013-05-10T15:45:00.001+01:00

Now I have got over the ‘lav’ incident last Saturday, here are some pictures from Little Venice. A great day out!

Cheek!!!

2013-05-04T20:35:00.000+01:00

As I made my way in to the ladies lavatory the person on the door told me the mens lavatory was next door.

Pah.

Finding Libby–Oxford and London

2013-05-03T15:17:00.001+01:00

OVERVIEW

When dowdy Pauline allows her bossy neighbour to talk her into a holiday on a hotel boat, she isn’t expecting to revisit her past. Or to find a new future. A warm and witty look at what happens when a waterways holiday takes an unexpected turn… back to carefully forgotten memories of stifling respectability, young love, and the sixties that didn’t swing for everyone....

Performing her own script, Kate Saffin is natural… Her warm portrayal… allows the audience to laugh at [Pauline’s] fusty foibles… creating a genuine affection for the central character. FringeGuru (original title: Memories of Water)

TICKETS

Oxford: The Theatre at the Old Fire Station May 9^th and 10^th 7.30pm (55 min)
Tickets £10/£8
http://www.oldfirestation.org.uk/event/
Tickets Oxford: http://bit.ly/14Y3FCL
Box office: 01865 305305
Or on the door from 19:00
London: Pleasance Theatre Islington May 14^th 7.45pm
Tickets £10/£8
http://www.pleasance.co.uk/islington/events/finding-libby

Somerton Deep on a windy day

2013-04-24T10:25:00.001+01:00

Ouch

2013-04-24T00:06:00.000+01:00

I have been moping around feeling rather sorry for myself for a few days. I wondered what on earth could be wrong until it came to me in the middle of the night. My teeth hurt, my face hurt, my ear hurt....TOOTH ACHE!

I ventured to the dentist this morning hoping for some antibiotics to clear the infection up only to discover I had an infection in two teeth....no wonder I felt a little under the weather.

The dentist didn't give me antibiotics, instead she gave me a root canal. Apparently the antibiotics would make me feel better but wouldn't solve the problem in the long term....and despite me being totally unmoved about the long term the dentist gave me the first stage of a root canal. It isn't actually *that* bad until they hit the nerve.

Apparently I will begin to feel better quite soon....that is if it is the tooth she did the root canal on was the right tooth to do it on....the one next door may need doing too. Aggggghhhrrrrrr

Oh, my friend. Goodbye

2013-04-22T19:59:00.000+01:00

So my friend, you are gone. It got too much and for you the sun never shone. Oh my friend if only.....if only......but it was never to be.
You stamped out you life. Never to be free in this world.
Oh my friend.

But i was not your friend, and nor you mine. If only my finger tips had reached through my world in to your world, maybe, just maybe it would have changed. It didn't. It hasn't. It probably wouldn't. There are so many different lives we can all live, if only. If only. If only my friend, you had chosen to live.

Your corpse redundant, no more to breath. All potential for laughter gone.
Pleasure snuffed out.
The pain too much.

Oh my friend. You needed a friend and you had plenty....but you hadn't met them yet. Now you never will.

Rest in peace my friend.
Oh, my friend.

Covered up

2013-04-19T04:50:00.000+01:00

I have seen this boat over the years sitting at the end of the garden covered up and I wonder what it’s story is.

I suppose covering up the boat is in order to protect the paint work – I wonder if it actually works.

Dog Collar

2013-04-18T11:58:00.001+01:00

Did I show you this? Boots’ collar made by Sally. Gorgeous isn’t it!

Leaving Banbury

2013-04-16T04:33:00.000+01:00

An evening potter through the evening light was a delightful way to spend some time heading southwards.

Caravan lift Bridge

2013-04-15T10:28:00.001+01:00

With such a name because of the caravan that used to be there, now only the wheels remain

The bridge has had some orange mesh around it for quite some time now.

The collapse is getting worse and I am amazed that the whole lot hasn’t fallen in and blocked navigation. I wonder what will happen here.

Narrow Boat or Ambulance Boat?

2013-03-25T11:50:00.001Z

After a LONG TIME my engine finally fired into action and I set sail for the north in the pouring rain. I continued the following day in the snow.

The great spring cruise continued on Saturday and I was rather amazed when all four of my crew stepped off the train wrapped up like northern explorers.

All the enthusiasm lasted until we met the first hurdle 10minutes into the journey. We couldn’t lift the lift bridge at Heyford. Our crew tried various things before they could jump ship and get back on the train station to go home I whizzed up the road and found a willing volunteer in one of the houses. In no time we were through the bridge and back under way.

It was going well as we cruised through the snow. It was actually quite picturesque until an unfortunate incident at Somerton Deep lock.

Joy stood up just as the boat banged and she fell over and broke her arm. Fortunately the front doors opened and we were able to see that she was wounded. We stopped everything and went straight to her side which must have felt like AGES to her, but it wasn’t. Despite being in terrible pain she was frightfully brave. We wrapped her up, stuck her in a chair and started to head off to get her to civilisation as soon as possible. We weren’t sure how badly her arm was hurt but it seemed clear she would be scooped into a taxi and taken to the hospital as soon as it was possible.

I was rather worried as shock was setting in for Joy. I am sure you can imagine the relief when I discovered that the towing pair ahead had left two of their crew to open the lift bridge for me. The two were just about to give up holding the bridge when we came around the corner. I briefed them shovelled them in the front door, did a quick introduction and left them to it. Now with two nurses on board to take charge and keep Joy safe I couldn’t believe our good fortune! It was a great blessing because Joy was getting even colder. They grabbed more blankets and wrapped her up even more.

On arriving at Aynho the Good Dr Saffin, another nurse, was there to greet us and had arranged for her friend Martin (aka knight in shining armour) to pick Joy up and take her off to the hospital. Joy was wrapped up, scooped up and sent to hospital. That left 5 of us to get the three boats, one without an engine, up to Banbury. Amazingly we made it! Alec cycled down the towpath to greet us at Grants just as we were flaking and Peter (NB Futurest) was there to lock us through Banbury lock and through the lift bridge – both baring fresh smiles and good cheer.

What a trip. It was epic. We were exhausted. On Sunday the exhaustion completely overtook me and I was shovelled off in a proverbial wheel barrow out of the supermarket and in to bed. I am still fuzzy around the edges. As I imagine, are the others!

Joy has been checked out and has a broken shoulder and some unhelpful bruises. She was frightfully brave, didn’t create a fuss and was very sweet about the whole injury. She is bandaged up and is now instructed to get well soon.

GET WELL SOON JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The wetlands of Lower Heyford

2013-03-19T10:59:00.001Z

Normally, as I walk along the towpath, I peer through the hedges and see the fields and cows with the river Cherwell chasing through the countryside. This time the view has changed.

More Ice Crocus’ and co.

2013-03-14T11:03:00.001Z

In the evening icicles had formed

and the following morning after another cold night it was looking even better!

Strange ice whatsits at the weir

2013-03-11T12:51:00.001Z

I looked up the towpath towards the wee weir and spotted some white on the path.

I wondered whether there had been some localised snow and went to investigate. I was rather surprised at what I found. Here are some pictures if the ice.

I have never seen anything like it before

Winter Fun of never ending proportions

2013-03-08T12:04:00.001Z

Fun? Did I say fun?

The small job I started on the boat and several months later I thought it was all coming to an end. The end, as usual, is a rather tenuous relation to finished, but it was the end for now. The end being enough that I can move off the mooring I am on and sail off into pastures new.

I sat in my arm chair dreaming of misty mornings standing at the tiller cruising along the waterways. I had already decided that I would stop in various places and do a ‘little bit more’, but the major deconstruction and reassembly was just about done. The vast improvement was brilliant. All I had to do was put the calorifier back into place, plumb it in and be gone.

Oh no. This is not how it has worked out at all. It seems that my aged calorifier didn’t like being unplugged and has decided to leak. I have peered poked and prodded but it is looking increasingly like I will need a new one.

sigh.

Beautiful Tug for sale

2013-03-01T12:53:00.001Z

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/advert.phtml?id=290774

2013-02-28T10:05:00.000Z

Pottering along the Oxford Canal is it not unusual to see a heron along the way. Sometimes they skip along in front doing heron things. This one was particularly sporting as it wended it's way in front of me as a moustache. I like that.

CRT consultation

2013-02-26T16:23:00.001Z

The deadline to get your views in is looming. You can look at it here

http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/consultations/current-consultations

They are proposing changing the maximum stay time at 22 of the most popular locations along the South East Region including several around The southern Oxford.

Boring Blogging

2013-02-26T16:18:00.001Z

Interesting dog

Conversations from the larder

2013-02-23T19:00:00.002Z

Me: Dad, why are you limping?
Dad: I am wearing Mums shoes.

One of those glorious mornings

2013-02-19T12:43:00.001Z