NarrowBoat 'QUIDDITCH'

Update

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:52:53 -0500

Hi everyone, I'll have to stop leaving our blog updates for so long but because we're not out and about this summer there really isn't that much to report.

Our little mini tour ended up at Somerton deep lock on the Oxford Canal before we turned and headed back. The weather wasn't friendly to us at all! We took a couple of disposable BBQ's with us and there still in the locker. In fact we got wet every day of our trip and came extremely close to turning the heating on on a couple of occasions. I'm not going to complain about the weather at all though because the sheer fact that we were back out on the 'cut' was in itself fantastic. I think the most difficult part of the trip was getting Dee to go back into the marina :) As she always says to me "Better a bad day on the river than a good day in the office"

Did any of you remember to take a quick peek at the eclipse on Friday? unfortunately only a slight chunk out of the corner for us in the UK but nevertheless always fascinating to see. A quick rumble through our cupboards and I was able to retrieve my total eclipse glasses from the 1999 event here in UK.

In the evening we took one of Dee's colleagues Laura and her sister Zoe and mum Mandy out for a quick jaunt to Braunston and back. It always fascinates me to see the reaction on peoples faces when they climb aboard Quidditch for the first time. To discover we actually have hot and cold running water aboard always comes as a bit of shock!! When we do the tour and they also see SkyTV, broadband and central heating, they get a better picture of what todays narrow boating is all about.

We must also say congratulations to our friends Julian, my old boss and Katherine who's wedding we attended in Burnham on Saturday, a great time was had by all and it was good to see a lot of my old colleagues again and for Dee to meet up with them for the first time.

Pictured .... Laura, Zoe, Mandy & Me!

Summer my Arse!

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:56:07 -0500

Ahoy everyone! Well we’re now 5 days into our mini voyage and amazingly have reached Somerton.

32 miles from Napton and 27 locks later, not bad considering the appalling weather, summed up well I thing by our post title!
I’m a great advocate of global warming but I’m beginning to believe the so-called experts have got it the wrong way around. I seem to remember the treat of bone dry summers, crop failures and people falling like flies from heat exhaustion. All we can say is we’re glad we live on a boat.
Having got all that out of the way it’s just fantastic to be out once again on the system. The South Oxford Canal still remains one of our favourites, it’s just unfortunate that this year we haven’t got time to go any further South. Today we’re moored up for the day in heavy rain just short of Somerton Deep Lock and will make the turn for home tomorrow. Mind you with all the rain forecast over the coming days it’s probably just as well we’re not proceeding any further. When we were here last year in August the River Cherwell, which forms part of the canal further down, was close to flood and the Thames was on the red.
The canal is surprisingly busy for this time of year we think, considering the school holidays are not yet upon us. Another surprise considering the recent rainfall is that the canal appears to be at least 6 to 8 inches below it’s normal level which can quite clearly be seen by the water mark along the Armco. I also notice that when moored waiting for the locks our gunwalls seem to be below the metal which has resulted in some nasty scratches.
We’ve noticed on our journey a marked increase in the Moorhen population with birds and there young suddenly appearing out of the undergrowth, Dee feeding them furiously as we go. I can't think of any reason for the increase in numbers but we still think they make the best mothers around. Unlike last year, due to a poor Vole population, Barn Owls seem to be doing better. Whilst moored up at Cropready on Monday we were treated to some excellent views of one hunting in the field opposite.
We've also noticed with interest that British Waterways still seem to be cutting back on tow path maintenance as we have passed some seriously overgrown moorings on our short trip. One mooring just after Aynho Weir Lock where we moored for a couple of days last year had a least 6ft of growth! Another bone of contention for us and indeed all legitimate boaters is the several unlicensed boats we’ve also passed on our route, one of which we clearly remember from last year. We're glad Kevin's not with us from NBEnigma as he would be furiously noting all the offenders and phoning in to BW!! :)
Anyway guys that’s our news for now and so tomorrow we begin our return trip. Oh! and thanks to the guys who have posted on our notice board and emailed, it’s good to here from you all. K&D

Were Back!!!

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:10:04 -0500

Ahoy family & friends, thanks for all the emails asking how we are and where we are?

The fact is we haven't been anywhere! Well, not on the canals and rivers anyway. As you will probably know this year is our year off the system, due to certain commitments and my writing of Johhny Monarch's memoirs, he knows who he is!! We're not even spending our annual month in Dubai with Davey boy to add to our utter frustration!
For Dee, International Jet setter that she is, work is a terrible bind, (he says tongue in cheek) Portugal and a Cruise Liner to name but two distractions for her. We did to be honest get to spend an excellent weekend in France recently enjoying some superb weather, home cooked food and excellent French wines.
Having said that the summer so far hasn't been much to write about, although today is probably the hottest day so far with the current temperature a balmy 24C.

I must say Hi also to Carl and Carla who we met on the Llangollen Canal last year and according to your email guys you had an excellent holiday this year too, completing the Four Counties, anti-clockwise. Sounds like you've also mastered a few difficult locks as well.
Now to our good news....
We've managed to scrape together 10 days on the system from this coming Saturday. WooHoo. The plan is to venture as far south down the Oxford Canal as a leisurely cruise will allow. So naturally I'm spending the best part of this week preparing Quidditch for her departure.

So that's our quick update guys, keep tuned in for our updates whilst were out cruising. Oh and P.S. we look forward to seeing Johhny & Pat tomorrow for Pat's big 70. Pictures to follow :)

Heartbeat & Steam

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:30:51 -0500

I thought this would be a good opportunity to post, not having done so for some time!

As a birthday treat for this year Dee took me up to the North Yorkshire Moors for a nostalgic look back at the sixties.
For those who know the popular TV series Heartbeat, Goathland is the real name of the village where the series is filmed. We stayed in an excellent B&B which was actually used as the doctors surgery in the early series.
What was a bonus for me also was the LNER Festival 2008 taking place on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway over the same weekend. This was also the first ever line-up of all 3 working LNER -built, Gresley designed A4 Pacific's in preservation, Bittern, Sir Nigel Gresley and Union of South Africa. Among the other highlights was the unique Green Arrow in what is expected to be it's last working gala for the foreseeable future, as the loco's boiler certificate will expire at the end of April.
A further bonus, being Harry Potter fans, is the fact that Goathland Station was also used as Hogwarts Station in the Harry Potter movies. Pictured above is me standing outside Berny Scripps garage. Below are some of the scenes over the weekend.
We spent all of Sunday with the other anoraks travelling on the various services terminating at Pickering, Whitby and Battersby. On our final journey of the day back from Pickering the snow had really hit hard and coming up the final embankment as we neared Goathland the old loco was really struggling. I have to say that snow falling heavily over the moors and the sounds and sites of a steam engine as we approached our destination was an incredible experience. The village was actually snowed in for a short while later in the evening.
Despite the appalling weather over the entire weekend, around 3 to 4 inches of snow we had a great time and once again I find myself congratulating Dee on another one of her brilliant ideas!

News on Electra...

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:22:29 -0600

Hi again... For those of you who remember the post from our Isle of Mull camping expedition you'll remember that during our stay we discovered and rescued an injured Golden Eagle.

While out in the early evening on a search for Golden and Sea Eagles up at Glengorm Castle we watched in horror as a Golden Eagle, being stalked by a group of Crows and Raven, was unceremoniously blown by strong winds into high voltage power cables! Having rescued her around an hour later along with Dave Sexton the Islands RSPB warden she was delivered by Dave and the local police to the 'Wings over Mull' sanctuary where it was discovered that she had some serious eye injuries. Not good as you can imagine for a hunting Eagle! The sanctuary which is run by Sue & Richard Dewar looks after numerous raptors and Dee and I visited the following day and met up with Richard to check on her progress. Unfortunately we were unable to see Electra as Sue had taken her immediately to the mainland for assessment.
The Island takes her Eagle population very seriously and a few days after our return to Napton I was contacted and asked to provide my personal details to DEFRA. Any person handling an Eagle is required by law to have a licence which I naturally didn’t possess.
Having kept in close touch with Dave as to the welfare of our Eagle now called Electra we were given some excellent news yesterday as was reported on the BBC news last night. Although Electra will never be released back into the wild her quality of life at the sanctuary has been greatly improved by some ground breaking eye surgery. When we visited the sanctuary at the time we were introduced to another male resident Golden Eagle called Laggan who we are now informed has taken a strong liking to Electra and so what the future brings for her, who knows?
We also received an email from Dave last night informing us that by a coincidence today he watched what he believes to be her old mate with a new love! They were nest building at their old site - just in time for Valentines Day. Life goes on and both seem content with their new arrangements.
We look forward to visiting Electra ourselves in the near future.

Oh and by the way with reference to my previous post (Technically Stressed) my attempts to have my permanent weather station linked to this blog have been abandoned. Until microsoft sort out thier rubbish operating system Vista from all the bugs I've given up trying :)

Technically Stressed

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:20:31 -0600

Well it's been one of 'THOSE' weeks technically speaking!

Finally we've got the Mikuni Central Heating back on line after purchasing a new Electronics Box for a staggering £300. I could probably have made one for £10.
My advice to anyone thinking of buying diesel central heating is to steer well clear of Mikuni. The unit was only purchased in 2006 and although it worked perfectly well after I fitted it for the first year, it's been nothing but trouble ever since! Good job we have the Kabola to fall back on plus shoreline hook-up!
On another technical note my attempts to have our on-board weather station linked to this blog showing up to date weather information, similar to the picture above, have been somewhat thwarted by difficulties with Windows Vista. If you've read the previous post you will know that the station will only link to a computer by Serial Port. Our on-board system is brand new and only supports USB connection. So firstly I purchased a Serial Port/USB adaptor which when connected only crashed the computer. Secondly I installed a Serial Port PCI Card and have literally spent the first half of the week trying to configure it. Plug and Play my arse!! Still not to be defeated I continue my attemps to get the damn thing working.
Wish me luck....

Weather Aboard!

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:21:10 -0600

Ahoy everyone and a Happy New Year to you all! It's a good while since our last post, in fact we haven't done much on the blog since our return from France.

Hope your Christmas and New Year were as pleasant as ours. We spent our Christmas in a lovely wooden chalet in Wales as has become our routine now for the past few years, picking my lovely mum up from Liverpool enroute who spent the week with us.
Our New Year was spent for the 3rd year in a row with our dear friends Johnny and Pat, NB-Hoddydod, (now on the French canals). We took Quidditch along the Oxford Canal for the night mooring at bridge 100 a short distance from Braunston. Fireworks at midnight, champagne on the tow path and an excellent meal cooked by Dee, so a good night was had by all. I myself cooked a Full English Breakfast on New Years Day morning which is a tradition of ours, sending Johnny and Pat home deleriously happy!
It's always been a plan of mine to extend my hobbies of meteorology and astronomy and to have an external weather station aboard Quidditch and this Christmas I was granted my wish, thanks to Dee x
Having now set my new La Crosse WS3600 station up with Wind Meter etc via the excellent base station I then proceeded to install the software to my new vista desktop computer. One of the reasons I'd like a weather station aboard is to be able to show live data through this blog, thus having Wigram's Marina's very own weather station. That unfortunaley is when my problems began.
The station comes with a serial port lead for connection to your PC, the problem is that new computers now only use USB leads and not serial ports. No worries I thought so off I trot to Maplins in Banbury and pick up a Serial/USB adaptor. Upon my return I install the driver and reload the software for the station. Success!! But only for a matter of seconds as immediately the computer communicates with the base station I get the dreaded Blue Screen and my PC completely crashes!! Well having trolled the forums and the La Crosse website, which offered no advice whatsoever I eventually got answers to my quest from the excellent MidlandsWeather.Org. Turns out it's known issue as data is currupted when it passes through the USB adaptor. So the next option left now, as Dee bought the unit off eBay and as ever I've thrown the box etc away, is to install a serial port to my computer. So in conclusion I'm awaiting delivery of said item and hopefully we'll have weather aboard Quidditch come midweek!

Happy New Year.

Pictured above:- Tornado over West Midlands taken last year!

French Odyssey

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:00:19 -0500

Hi everyone, we’re now back
aboard Quidditch after our mini French Odyssey and we had a fantastic time.

Arriving by speed ferry, only 1 hour from Dover to Boulogne, we drove to our overnight destination at Reims.
The following morning we set off to pick up with John & Pat and their narrowboat Hoddydod, which was moored awaiting our arrival at Paray Le Monial on the Canal du Centre. We arrived mid afternoon (Sept 13th) in beautiful sunshine and temperatures in the mid 20C.
Hoddydod has been completely repainted and refurbished since we last saw her on the UK waterways in 2005 and she looked an absolute dream in her new blue and cream livery!
On the Friday morning (Sept 14th), with Monsieur Keithy at the helm we set off for our first destination of Palinges. Arriving at our first French lock immediately after the start was an interesting experience. Communication with the VNF (Voies Navigable de France), the French equivalent of BW, was one of the interesting aspects of the holiday. As Johhny will tell you 'Your never alone with the VNF'.
All locks (Ecluse) on the French system are either manned, and by manned I mean someone will drive out to meet you and complete the lock for you, or automatic, so you never get that feeling of being entirely alone and fending for yourself on the French system. Furthermore, your not permitted to work any lock unauthorised but they don't mind you lending a hand. You'll find that the VNF know exactly where you are at any time and indeed you are asked as to what day and time your likely to depart. The latter I suspect is for your convenience as much as theirs because if you approach an automatic lock which is against you, certainly on the Canal du Centre, you have to communicate with VNF via a telephone link at each lock for them to come and reset it to your favour. When this happens they appear to materialise out of thin air in their
unmistakable white Peugeot's within minutes. Once secured and inside the automatic locks are activated by a rope pulley within the chamber and you just sit back and take in the scenery. Another thing to bare in mind is that in France most things still stop for lunch between 12noon and 1pm. I have to say though that during our visit we found the VNF to be very efficient and flexible, albeit with the odd miserable Eclussier (lock-keeper).
On our second day we moved through to the town of Montceau-les-Mines. Unlike our canal system most canal and river towns in France supply mains hook up electricity and water on floating pontoons in what is known as Port-de-Plaisance and is under the local mayor's control. Prices vary from 6euro upwards, however, many are actually free.
We spent the evening at Montceau and had dinner in an excellent French Brassiere just next to our moorings.
On the Sunday morning we continued our navigation north east arriving at Montchanin, where we moored outside of the local VNF office in the early afternoon just in time for Johhny to tune in and catch his beloved F1 Grand Prix.
Monday afternoon (Sept 17th) we moved to Saint-Leger-sur-Dheune, a lovely little town which has excellent Port-de-Plaisance and is located in an area famous for its fine wines. Amazingly I spotted a Black Redstart singing from atop someones TV aerial, quite a rarity in the UK.
In the evening we were treated to an excellent thunderstorm which seemed to depict the arrival of Autumn as the weather, although still sunny, became decidedly chilly from here on.
Tuesday was our final navigation and by far our longest day continuing on past many vineyards to our destination of Chalon-sur-Saone on the beautiful river Saone. As we arrived at the junction of the canal and river we were greeted by a huge 10 meter plus lock, certainly the deepest we've ever been in! Turning onto the Saone you have to have your wits about you and be aware of the gigantic commercial barges which suddenly appear in your rear view mirror, fortunately our transition was un-eventful!
Upon our arrival in the early evening the Port moorings were totally full so we moored for the night precariously on the river edge just off the pontoons, we secured a port mooring the following day.
On the Wednesday we drove out to John and Pat's winter mooring at Saint-Jean-de-Losne located on the River Soane and later had a farewell dinner back in Chalon, where we sampled the escargot and some fine wine. We left Pattie, Johhny and NB-Hoddydod at Chalon on the Thursday afternoon after lunch and having stocked up fully on wines and cheeses made our way to Saint Quentin for an overnight stay before departing back on the speed ferry from Boulogne on the Friday morning.
During our fantastic week on the French system we probably only passed around 3 dozen boats on the move. The scenery was stunning and the people friendly. The majority of boats we encountered where in fact holiday boats but we passed many beautiful Dutch Barge's and the inevitable Monaco style Gin Palaces. During our stay we were never far from the Italian and Swiss borders and saw many different national flags flying from craft but the majority I have to say are British who seem to have taken the French Waterways to heart! We saw no other narrowboats during our stay and despite all the superb Barge's and leisure craft Hoddydod got ALL the attention and she certainly deserved it.
John and Pattie as ever were excellent hosts and we arrive back to the UK bowled over by there summer lifestyle, thoroughly enjoying our stay. The food, wine, weather and perfect company made it a visit to remember.

Summer 07 Tour Begins

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Tue, 29 May 2007 05:23:47 -0500

It’s almost a feeling of Déjà vu but I seem to remember that last year when we set off it was also in wet and windy conditions!
However, this time we delayed our departure by 24Hrs until today Tuesday May 29th giving the low pressure system currently dominating the UK time to move on.
This year to begin our tour we’re heading straight for the Llangollen Canal. Over previous years we’ve planned to complete the Montgomery and Llangollen but have always left it too late in the season, (late July/August, too many hire boats on that stretch).
So that’s it! Our Summer 07 Tour is underway.
Our family, friends and anyone else for that matter can keep up to date with our travels by clicking the main link or HERE to access our Travel-Diary. We will be posting regularly on our Travel-Diary from aboard Quidditch using our new T-Mobile 3G so stay tuned!

Anyway, that's it for now, remember keep an eye on our 'Travel-Diary' and we'll see you all when we return in October........

Isle of Mull

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Tue, 22 May 2007 04:01:27 -0500

Well having pitched on the Wednesday in pouring rain we awoke on Thursday morning to more downpours, the remainder of the holiday was certainly an adventure.

Securing the tent we set off for our first destination of Tobermory stopping en route to walk a local nature trail where we saw Otter and nesting Terns. Tobermory is the islands largest town and where the children's television series Balamory is filmed. It's true to life too! All the houses and shops in the town are painted in different colours of the rainbow. In the late evening we took a stroll along the coastline where the campsite is situated and looks across to the mainland and Oban. During our walk we encountered a huge Stag Deer which we estimated was at least a 10 pointer. We also spotted Shag, Red Breasted Merganser and had a great opportunity to see a Sea Otter at close range.
The one thing that was becoming noticeable was the increase of the wind speed. Having checked the web before bed it was apparent that we were in for some stormy weather and when we were woken at 7.30am by our tent wanting to become a kite and torrential rain, our fears were recognised! We immediately broke camp, fortunately during a break in the rain and set off for breakfast and in search of a decent B&B, our camping was over for the remaining 2 days.
We took the scenic route which took us through the centre of the Island and up towards the North-Western tip at Calgary where we had tea. We then arrived at Dervaig a small village next to Loch Cuin and were fortunate enough to find a an excellent B&B called Tigh-Na-Mara, our room had spectacular views over the Loch. After settling in we decided to drive the 8 miles to Tobermory where we planned to search for Golden & Sea Eagle at Glengorm Castle and then on into the town to enjoy some local fish & chips. Our search was to have an unexpected outcome! When we were a few miles from the castle we came across our Golden Eagle. Unfortunately while being stalked by a couple of Ravens she was blown by the extremely strong winds into a nearby power cable and hit the ground with a powerful crash. Stunned she sat on the roadside and although she flew around 20 yards it was quite clear she was injured. We managed to obtain the phone number for the Islands RSPB officer Dave Sexton who amazingly arrived within 30 minutes of our call. Fifteen minutes later we had managed to capture her and she was en route to the Islands Eagle hospital at Wings Over Mull. A fantastic yet sad experience. The following day Dave telephoned and we discovered that she had been taken over to Oban by ferry and operated on. As I post she is now back at the hospital and fortunately having no broken bones is making steady progress in her recovery although it is very early days. Having had our fish & chips later than expected we spent out penultimate night on the Island in our B&B haven listening to what turned out to be storm force winds.
On our last day on the Island we visited Wings Over Mull, had an afternoon walk around Loch Cuin and ended with a fantastic dinner in the The Bellachroy Inn, the oldest inn on Mull.
Almost 2000 miles later we arrived back at the marina having had a wonderful fortnight in Scotland and having seen some spectacular scenery, weather and most of all wildlife, this was certainly a holiday to remember.
I have posted a small selection of pictures taken during our visit into the side-bar....To see more go to our main Photo-Album..

Ben Nevis to Mull

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Wed, 16 May 2007 13:05:17 -0500

We raised camp in dry conditions and left Glen Nevis camp site at Fort William at around 10.30am this morning bound for our 50 minute ferry trip over to the Isle of Mull via Oban.

Our four days in Fort William were fantastic. We awoke each morning to Cuckoo's calling, Woodpeckers drumming and the sounds of a Capercaillie from Glen Nevis beyond. The weather has been a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers with very cold nights, making our decision to book a pitch with electric hook up even more worthwhile. On the Monday evening the peaks of some of the range caught a dusting of snow. Yesterday (Tuesday) we were bathed in spring sunshine for the whole day and took full advantage by taking a five mile hike around Ben Nevis where we were lucky enough to see Red Squirrel. In the afternoon we watched a real life mountain rescue by a navy helicopter and watched in ore as RAF Tornado jets cut through the valley.
Being Harry Potter fans we took the opportunity to visit Glenfinnan where some of the movies where filmed. This included great views of the famous viaduct that the Hogwart's Express is seen steaming over and great views of Loch Sheil where other scenes were filmed.
On the Monday we drove through the highlands across to Glen Borrowdale RSPB reserve and took a 3 mile walk through the RSPB's most westerly site on the UK mainland. During the walk we spotted Ravens and Buzzards nesting plus Wood Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher to name a few.
As I write this entry at our new campsite on Mull which overlooks the sea to the East and across to where we can still see Ben Nevis in the distance the rain is literally teeming down and were both drying out. We pitched in heavy rain, one of the less enjoyable moments of the visit so far.

Week Ends

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Fri, 11 May 2007 12:10:26 -0500

Friday evening and week 1 of our trip comes to an end. Tomorrow it's off back to Aberdeen to drop Dee's Gran and then we make our way Westward across to Fort William and our week camping.

Just in time for the weather to turn that little bit colder!

The last week we've spent our time taking days out with Dee's Gran visiting Stonehaven, Montrose, Banchory and Balmoral. Enjoyable but due to Gran's age we haven't been able to take time walking the wonderful countryside. Next week though that all changes.
Our first stop is 4 days at Glen Nevis camp site, 3 miles from Fort William near the base of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. From there we move south down the coast and then take the ferry on Wednesday afternoon from Oban across to the Isle of Mull, around a 40 minute trip. We plan lots of walking and birding and have come well prepared.
I know that I keep posting pictures of the bird life around here but the picture on display above just had to be shown. While travelling on the lower coast road yesterday enroute to Montrose Dee suddenly spotted this Tawny Owl sitting proudly on a post right next to the road. Having made a u-turn, amazingly I snapped this picture from the drivers seat just before he took flight into the woods opposite. It turned out really well. Here's to more birdie pictures next week.

Scotland Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Thu, 10 May 2007 17:25:56 -0500

Well we are now 5 days into our annual Scotland visit and so far the weather has held out nicely, although a bit chilly & showery.

After a stopover at mums in Liverpool on the Thursday night and a further stopover in Dunfermline on Friday to visit Dee's brother we arrived at our 1st weeks accommodation at 4.30pm Saturday. The first week we can relax here but next week we camp on the west coast which includes Fort William & the Isle of Mull, that should be interesting!
Our accommodation this year is situated on the east coast about 15 miles inland and approx. 30 miles south-west of Aberdeen in a village called Auchenblae. The house itself is the whole east wing of a large estate which is surrounded by a small forest. We're also in easy reach of Cairngorm National Park.
As has become custom, Dee's Gran stays for our first week and this is taken up by visits from Dee's other relations. Yesterday we visited Banchory and today was a treat for me as we visited the RSPB reserve at Fowlsheugh.
The spectacular cliffs of Fowlsheugh reserve are packed with 130,000 breeding seabirds in the spring and summer. Guillemots (pictured above), Razorbills and Kittiwakes breed in large numbers, with smaller numbers of Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Puffins and Shags. Although we spotted all of the above with the exception of Puffins we did see several Artic Skuas which made up for it.
Grey and Common Seals, bottlenose and common Dolphins can also be regularly seen offshore. Harbour Porpoises, white-beaked Dolphins and Minke whales are seen occasionally too. Unfortunately perhaps we are a little too early in the season to view a lot of these woderful creatures as we didn't spot any. On the subject of birds we are also in the company of a small group of Tree Sparrows which reside where we are staying. It's not commonly known that these birds have been on the decrease over recent years are not often seen in England (mostly mistaken for the common House Sparrow).
Tomorrow we visit Balmoral. Maybe we'll be invited in for tea!

Early Arrival

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 05:21:31 -0500

Like most things occurring in this age of Global Warming we were not surprised yesterday evening when we heard the familiar sound of a Cuckoo.
Another Dee top birding spot.

Photographing him proved more difficult but we got there in the end!

Having already recorded early arrivals like Swallows & Martins but no Swift as yet, our Cuckoo, not really due until early May, had obviously took it upon himself to return early to our warmer climbs.
April is shaping up to be one of the warmest on record. At the time of publication of this post, the current CET (Central England Temperature) for April is running at +10.3C, that's an incredible +2.4C above what should be expected at this time of year. In essence the mean temperatures for April at the moment would be more applicable to May or June.
The past winter was very mild and sea temperatures in and around the UK are between 1.5C and 2.5C above average. The near continent is warming quickly in association with plenty of high pressure dominated weather and a lack of rain. Could these and other variables lead to the potential for a hot summer? The answer to that is yes, it is a possibility. This weekend would seem to prove a point as high pressure is set to return to the UK. Which for us is good news as we're taking friends out on their 1st trip aboard Quidditch.

(Weather Stats taken from Metcheck.com.)

1st Half Century

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 17:51:36 -0500

Hi.. Well as you regulars can see I've reverted back to my old blog template. Since blogger changed their styles I've struggled to find a decent 3-column template that actually adds value to my blog, not to mention works. So I've adjusted my old original design and will stick with that.

Well events in our lives have taken on a different meaning. We spent last week visiting Belgium and took in Gent and Brugge, travelling by the channel-tunnel on Eurostar which I have to say was a very pleasant experience. Our reason for the break was to celebrate my 50th birthday. Dee got more than she expected when we arrived back engaged! Yes I can't believe that I've reached 50 and finally done it! Dee and I have been together for 7 wonderful years now and as I've remained officially single for the 1st half century then way not try something different for the second.
On Easter Sunday my birthday celebrations continued when Dee booked Sunday lunch at the Severn Valley Railway. The whole experience was superb. Travelling by steam train from Kidderminster to Brignorth while being served a three-course lunch in an original 1st class Great Western Railways carriage was nostalgic to say the least. I'd recommend it if you ever get the opportunity. We we're looked after brilliantly by the staff who are ALL volunteers. A great day out

Well as the month of May approaches I've already started to prepare Quidditch for her Summer 07 tour. If recent weather is anything to go by then we're in for a treat this year. Before we set sail this time we'll be travelling up to Scotland for 3 weeks camping and visits to some of Dee's relatives. Because of work commitments, (my 3 year break comes to an end), this year will be our last full summer out for a while so we intend to make the most of it!

Still Here!!!

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 07:09:24 -0600

Hi Everyone. Yes were still alive!! Once again thanks to everyone who's emailed us asking if everything is ok.

The fact is that when we're moored for the winter months nothing much worth posting occurs. Still a few things to report. Firstly, the marina is once again looking for a new manager. Things here seem a little uncertain and a good few moorer's are in the process of moving to either Calcutt or Ventnor Marina's, both having been extended and it turns out cheaper too. Dee and I love it down here and as we're out for the summer anyway don't get much involved with the politics. Still if the new owners do read our blog can I request a simple newsletter to let us know what's happening here?
Anyway, the winter for most part has been exceptionally mild, with a tiny cold snap recently when we had snow. However, the one item of note has been the wind strength. I can't remember a winter when we've had as many storms with exceptionally high winds. We registered a gust aboard Quidditch of 77 MPH during one of them. A few plant pots & chimneys went overboard that night!

John and Pat our boaty friends joined us once again for New Years Eve and in fact we've just spent the weekend in Wixoe visting them.
This coming week we'll be visiting the Birmingham Outdoor & Boat Show at the NEC. Dee is keen to stock up on the camping equipment for what now seems to be our annual visit to Scotland in May.

The birding has'nt produced much of a surprise this winter but we do have a resident Kingfisher on the marina which we see quite often and we're often treated to a show from Don's, (Marina Harbour Master), Barn Owl.

The visitor numbers to our blog always amaze me and as you can see from our visitor check-list we've been seen in over 70 countries!!!

Well that's about it really but I will report back from the NEC.

The above picture is of an amazing recent sunset over the Marina

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:47:34 -0600

Hi everyone. Well it's over a month since our last post so I thought I'd get 1 more in before the year ends just a few hours from now!

We had a nice quiet Christmas as planned in lovely wood built chalet in Shropshire. Like home from home really as we were surrounded by a large lake. The weather was'nt that spectacular with low cloud and fog the main feature. The town of Ludlow is well worth a visit and is one of the most beautiful in England. It's got it all. Nice shops, a river and a castle to explore.
For New Years Eve we plan another quiet one, well until midnight when we have a megga firework to explode! Our plans have changed from the orginal. As a predicted storm approaches with high winds forecast we've abandoned our trip to moor at bridge 103 on the Oxford Canal for the more comfortable surroundings of the marina. Our friends Pat & Johhny, (NBHoddy-Dod, now on the French canals), are arriving later and we'll be enjoying some great company, food & wine. Thank you to all those who have emailed and posted in our guest-book over the past year and here's to a fantastic 2007.

Ahoy!!

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 04:29:32 -0600

Hi everyone.... Thanks for the emails asking where we'd got to but the truth is we havent been anywhere! We just gave the blogging a well earned rest.

Also not that much has been happening in our lives the last few weeks! What's that you say... a quiet time aboard 'Quidditch', unheard of..
Well winter has arrived and as usual we've entered into our winter routines. Dee has started her usual 6 month contract as a travel agent and I've been doing some on-board maintenance.
We've also been purchasing camping equipment for our trip to the Scottish Islands in May. A lot of eyebrows were raised at the marina when Dee and I put our new tent up on the field to test it out. As I explained we'd had a row and I'd booted her out to live a nomadic life :)
Dee has also celebrated her **th birthday and as usual was showered with riches beyond her dreams. The marina seems as busy as ever with boats coming and going as though it was the summer.
Amazingly Christmas is just around the corner! This year were taking mum to a cottage in Shropshire and for new years eve were taking Quidditch along to bridge 103 our favourite local spot, hopefully joined once again by our dear friends Patty & John who now boat in France. Lucky devils!
Well thats the news folks, not much to report I know but it's nice to have some down time in our lives.

Pontoon News

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 04:35:57 -0600

Well we've been back aboard Quidditch for over a week now and finally caught up on the 'Pontoon News'! Always a treat to here the boaty gossip.

Our home marina it appears is now under new ownership, we also have new management imminent and the place seems as busy as ever. Parking is fun!!
The canal system itself will be teeming with even more boats as the new extensions to Calcutt and Ventnor marina's are completed. Calcutt was in fact completed yesterday! Being on the junction of the Grand Union and Oxford canals I can't imagine what this already busy area will be like come the summer. I think I'm correct in saying that we now have 6 large marina's in the locality. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. The one positive for us of course is that we won't be around to see it. For most of the summer we're off sailing the system anyway.
This week Dee's been off to visit her mum and dad in France and upon her return we celebrated her **th birthday. I popped up to Liverpool as well this week to see my mummy too. She was in excellent form.
We've tasted the first signs of the coming winter with a couple of night frosts but this is well compensated by the beautiful sunny autumnal days. Lots of walking and cycling. Tonight is Bonfire Night and after last years aborted attempt to visit Kenilworth Castle fireworks display, (the traffic was horrendous), we'll be staying local and taking in the Southam display which in fact wasn't too bad last year!

Back in Blighty!

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 02:24:25 -0500

Well we arrived back at Heathrow from our annual visit to Dubai safe and sound on Thursday 26th, landing at around 8.45pm.

Slightly delayed by having to circle over the metropolis several times due to traffic. Looking out of the window I could see why. There were planes below us, above us and behind us!

The flight home with Emirates was made even more comfortable by an upgrade. Arriving at the airport check-in we were led by Dave to the business class section. "We're in the wrong place old boy says me! No your not says Dave I've upgraded you with some of the billion air-miles I've got saved". What can I say to that! Another example of this guys extraordinary capacity to surprise.

Our visit this year will be remembered for many things, not the very least our aborted trip to Oman, (see earlier post, Friday 13th).
Every time we visit the Emirates we're always taken aback by how much the landscape changes, new high-rise offices, houses, malls and even new mosques.
However, the one thing that hasn't changed is there multi-cultural society and there abilty to co-exist. People from all religions, nationalities and races working and living together as one and respecting each others culture and beliefs. I can't help but feel on our return to our small world aboard 'Quidditch' here in the U.K. there's a lesson to be learnt somewhere!!

Dubai Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 03:51:33 -0500

Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sancuary. Dee is pictured at the entrance to the sanctuary and to the right are 3 Cattle Egrets taken with my digiscope from one of the hides. A combination of Leica spotting scope and Contax U4R digital camera.

This morning (Sunday) we visted Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary. Ras Al Khor is a wetland reserve renowned for attracting migratory birds in large numbers. Covering 6.2 sq km and surrounded by a buffer zone, the Sanctuary has about 266 species of fauna, and 47 of flora. Its varied ecosystems support diverse plants, insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals. However, the majestic flamingos against a backdrop of dark mangroves are Ras Al Khor's most visible and attractive feature, about 1,000 of them drawing quite an interest from residents and tourists alike through the year. Migrants join resident flamingos during the winter season when 2,300 have been counted.
Our bird-count today of note included Crested Lark, Caspian Tern, Marsh Harrier, Red-Wattled Lapwing and Great White Egret.

Over the past 7 days our routine hasn't changed that much at all. By day we normally spend our time around the pool, then after a stroll along the beach at sunset, we either prepare a meal in or eat out in one of the numerous restaurants. Last night we barbequed.
The temperatures have stayed quite high and well into the mid 30's. However, over the past day or 2 the temperatures are dropping below 30C in the evenings.
Friday being the muslim holy day (thier weekend being Fri/Sat) we had 'Friday Brunch' at the Dubai Creek Yacht and Golf Club, a sort of tradition for us when we visit Dave.
Tonight or tomorrow, depending on whether the new moon is spotted, begins the Eid festival, the end of Ramadan.

Dubai Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 05:08:03 -0500

It's hard to believe it but were about to complete our second week in Dubai.

This years visit has been different for a number of reasons, not to mention our Oman excursion that never was! Dave, (pictured on the left of this photo) has now, you'l be pleased to know, renewed his Emirates residential permit. This is also the first time we've visited during Ramadan which finishes this coming Sunday. As I write this post the local mosque can be heard calling people to prayer.
Ramadan is the most important of the four months which are regarded as sacred in Islam. Although Muslims fast during other times of the year, Ramadan is the only time when fasting, or sawm, is obligatory during the entire month for every able Muslim.
Ramadan is intended to increase self-control in all areas, including food, sleeping, sex and the use of time. This obviously has an effect for restaurants, bars etc, most of which only open after sundown. Some nightclubs remain closed the whole time.
From Sunday comes the festival of Eid which were really looking forward to. There is no available accomodation to be found in the whole of Dubai during this time
The first Eid was celebrated in 624 CE by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) with his friends and relatives after the victory of the battle of Jang-e-Badar.
Muslims are not only celebrating the end of fasting, but thanking Allah for the help and strength that he gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control.
The festival begins when the first sight of the new moon is seen in the sky.
Muslims in most countries rely on news of an official sighting, rather than looking at the sky themselves.
The celebratory atmosphere is increased by everyone wearing best or new clothes, and decorating their homes.
There are special services out of doors and in Mosques, processions through the streets, and of course, a special celebratory meal - eaten during daytime, the first daytime meal Muslims will have had this month.
Eid is also a time of forgiveness, and making amends.
The temperature here has also been hotter than usual with 40C yesterday and the humidity is extraordinary. 15 minutes improving your tan results in a quick dash for the pool, an oasis where both Dee and I have spent a lot of time this visit.

Friday 13th Strikes!

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 08:59:05 -0500

Not being a very suspicious person I can only put yesterdays day of mishaps down to coincidence.

The plan was to cross the Oman/Emirates border about 100 kilometers south and then continue on to Muscat another 350K. We'd abandoned the camping in favour of an air conditioned hotel due to the 36C temperature. Having left Dave's at around 7.30am we duly set off for the Omani border and our 2 day trip.
After about 20 minutes Dave realised that he'd left his mobile phone back at the villa so we turned around to retrieve it. Not a problem as we had'nt travelled that far. Re-starting and continuing on we progressed south with impunity passing the many sand dunes and the Hajaar mountains. However, about 10 kilometers from the check point another bigger problem presented itself! We'd left the car insurance behind, a document which is required by the Oman border checks. Our plans were scuppered. Feeling slightly deflated we continued on in thought. A petrol station appeared shortly after this dicovery, not unusual you'd think but amazingly an insurance office was right next door where we were able to purchase a 3 day cover. Fantastic! but probably the only good thing that happened all day.
Happily we continued to the border check point. On the Emirate side of the border we were cleared without problem and continued on in a sort of no-mans land until we reached the Omani check point some 5 minutes later. Here you leave your vehicle and present yourself at the passport office.
This is where the real problems began! On inspection of his passport by a cheerful Omani guard it appeared that Dave's Dubai residency was running out at midnight. Obviously a Shell oversight with which Dave was none too pleased. Being UK residents both Dee and I would have been cleared to pass into Oman and return to the Emirates no problem. However, due to Dave's Emirate residency, which comes with different regulations the fear was (from the Omani point of view) that because his residency would be expired by the time we returned he would not be allowed back in. After dicussions with the Omani guard our only option was to return to the Emirate check point and try to sort the issue. If the Emirates would contact the Omani guards and assure them there would not be an issue our problem was solved. After more discussions from very helpful border guards we were unable to resolve the problem. Thus we abandoned our trip. Leaving the check point behind we did get the opinion that relations between Oman and the U.A.E. were not as good as they could be, but thats only our opinion!!!
With a bit of luck we'll try again next week.

Dubai Overview

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 03:35:17 -0500

A train of camels ambles lazily beneath the sun, fiery red and ready to set behind the great dunes for the coming night.

Following the traveling queue of beasts is a young bearded man wearing a dishdash, the traditional white ankle-length gown with accompanying head covering. I wait for Lawrence of Arabia to appear on the horizon, the scene so perfect. This is the land of Arabs, Islam and desert.
Okay, so we didn't see that really, but we thought we'd give you an image of Dubai. Try this for size:
Mini-skirted Russian girls shopping in chic shopping centers that make Harrod's seem like its flirting with bankruptcy. Leather-clad Harley guys and gals of all nationalities roaring down super highways in gas guzzeling 4x4s, Porshe and Ferrari surrounded by forty-story glass and chrome skyscrapers. Young gorgeous Iranian women at supercharged nightclubs hanging on the arms of their American, British or Syrian boyfriends.
Set against the backdrop of sand and sea is a remarkable city. Dubai, once little more than a sleepy backwater town, has sprung magically out of this desert wilderness in the last thirty or so years to become a modern, cosmopolitan city whose inhabitants have arrived from the four corners of the globe to embrace a liberalism not enjoyed anywhere else in the Middle East. This odd hybrid of Baghdad, Bombay and Paris is the new Mecca for a host of nationalities: Arabs, Indians, Filipinos, Iranians, Russians, European and Americans.
Up until 1958, Dubai was a collection of buildings built alongside the 'creek', a natural sea inlet winding through the heart of the city. The settlement, visited by British trade ships on the way to India, earned money primarily through fishing and pearl diving. Throughout the Twentieth Century, because of the liberal attitudes of Dubai's rulers, Dubai prospered as a leading center of trade.
In 1958, black gold was discovered and the leaders here decided wisely to pump billions into infrastructure instead of lining their own pockets. The United Arab Emirates came into being in 1971 when the British pulled out of the region and several small 'states' joined into a federation under the able leadership of one man, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Well it's hard to believe we've already been here a week but they say time flys when your having fun. This coming weekend we're driving down to Oman and planning to camp! However, the camping part is a little in doubt, the temperature hasn't dropped below 30C all week. We shall see.

Greetings From Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (NARROWBOAT 'QUIDDITCH') — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 05:33:27 -0500

Well we arrived safe and sound at around 3am this morning (Oct6th) after our 6 hour 30 minute flight from Heathrow. The temperature a sultry 29C.

We'd decided to fly Emirates on this occasion, normally BA and have to say that the whole experience was superb. We were even treated to some Dom Perignon that some Sheik had obviously left over from 1st class. Our compliments to him!
Arriving back at Dave's at around 4am (just before sunrise) jet lagged and ready to crash the call to morning prayer began! It appears that the local Mosque have upgraded their PA system. I certainly don't remember it being that loud on our last visit. I always genuinely feel that I'm closer to god when I'm here in Dubai. The guy who does the calling has an excellent voice. It's also the only mosque in Dubai that preaches in English so you get the feel for the religion. It's a really facinating place to be, particularly during Ramadan.
We eventually dragged ourselves out of bed around 1pm and popped to Spinney's, the local supermarket for food. The temperature a lovely 35C. The supermarkets here put the UK to shame. The choice is extensive and the non EEC products endless. Meat and fish choice is second to none.
After a fry up at around 4pm and a swim around 6pm while listening to the evening call to prayer it'll soon be time for dinner!