Retirement with No Problem

No Problem mooring in the rushes to visit Houghton

2008-08-07T23:05:00.001+01:00

Today Brampton Mill to Houghton Mill, River Great Ouse, 4.5 miles 2 locks
Yesterday – Moored Brampton Mill

We were going to move on to Godmanchester yesterday, but there were a few boats about and I wondered if we would get on the visitor moorings down the little arm that leads to the town.. so I suggested we stayed put, and I walked over there in the morning with Lucy and Meg to get some milk. The walk was across the huge meadow, in fact it is the biggest meadow in England.. ha it was quicker to walk across than it was to cruise from Brampton to Godmanchester!

Sure enough I was right, the visitor moorings were occupied.. NB Coleen and NB Kanbedun were there too, people that we have met over the last few months and I stopped to chat to both boat crews..

Time enough to return to No Problem, dump the milk, collect Vic and jump on a bus to Huntingdon for a browse round and lunch..

Pulled pins today late morning and cruised on to Houghton.. These guys had the right idea, the anchor was out and they were enjoying themselves fishing in the middle of the river..

Caught up again with Coleen, sharing Houghton Lock with them…

Before putting the pins in just a smidge after this lock on the right hand side in among the rushes. There are no perfect moorings here, although on the other side of the river EA have some 48 hour moorings, but they are on an island, and you cannot visit Houghton.. I wanted to!.. And I did…

Beautiful thatched housing on the little lane from the Mill to the centre of the village, and the square in the middle also contained the bus stop and village information…

Note the red phone box, and the Post Office, come village store, just the other side of the clock tower.. just to the right was the most amazing building…

And to my right from where I was taking this pic is the pub. Houghton is, and has everything that an English village should have, I am so pleased I managed to visit this place.. never managed it in 2005 or 2006..

But sitting in the rushes might not be everybody’s cup of tea… to me it was, No Problem was sort of hidden from view on the bank above, and with the glass out of the windows, I got a couple of nice pics… Here one of a damselfly…

And this lovely one of Meg looking to be mischievous on the river bank thinking I am not watching her!…

So being low in the rushes ain’t a bad thing at all!! . The sky in that pic is actually very black, not blue, but it passed over and not a drop of rain fell!

Pauline and Gerry from Lowestoft, if you are reading this, Brian who also has a narrowboat and who also lives in Lowestoft would like to make contact with you both, his email address is ditchcrawler(at)googlemail.com. Replace the (at) with an @

Tomorrow I shall hibernate, and try to do so for the next two weeks.. I need to plan when to pull the pins! Well the games only happen every 4 years don’t they!!

An Anniversary meal at Brampton Mill

2008-08-05T22:02:00.001+01:00

Mailers Meadow to Brampton Mill, River Great Ouse, Less than 1 mile. 1 lock

Lucy and Meg, the K9 girls, had a long walk this morning in the rain. I went back to the lakes that I saw last night, and sure enough a lone black swan was there along with three egrets. I did take some pics, but the light was not good this morning, and anyway, they were too far away..

Then I wandered further and had a look at the huge complex at Buckden Marina with its wooden lodges built on stilts overlooking both the Great Ouse and the huge lakes.. one of the lakes even has a ski water jump ramp.. but not much going on today, August it might be, but the weather is more like October!

So pins pulled after lunch today, well, we had hoped the rain would ease, but no luck so off we went to do the epic journey of just under a mile!

I went slow enough to make sure the whole trip took an hour.. we had a lock to go through too. I had a reason for that hour.. I have bought a new breadmaker which, on it’s turbo program, will bake a loaf of bread in just one hour!..

This is the only lock of the day, and you can see the extra bit that has been built into this lock, like many on the Gt Ouse they have been extended sideways…

To the right is the cut out bit, and on my left is Moore2Life, so you can fit in 2 narrowboats and a couple of cruiser boats all at the same time.

My hour was just about up as we put the pins in just the other side of Buckden Mill.. and I was delighted with the outcome…

Now that looks delicious.. not tried it yet as we went out for dinner this evening at the Buckden Mill Pub to celebrate 19 years of marriage.

I really do recommend this place. One of the best steak meals I have had in ages, and if you order the meal before 6.30 you get it as a very much reduced rate.. it went down well with a couple of pints of Abbots Ale too!

We've pounded Paxton and now moving north

2008-08-04T21:59:00.001+01:00

Paxton to Brampton, River Great Ouse, About 3 miles 1 lock

Well most of the walks around Paxton Nature Reserve were travelled since we moored there last Thursday and the few days we were here on our way south.. Something in the region of 45–50 miles in total. At least it is keeping my weight down, and the fitness up.. Yep still 9 stone 6/7lbs since I ended my diet last April after having achieved my New Year’s Resolution of loosing 2 stone by 31^st July, so I am really pleased, and now I can eat ‘normal’ food.. well within reason.. ish!

First and only lock of the day then was Offord…

Nice too that it was already open for us just to ‘sail’ in. On the River Gt Ouse you leave the locks as they are when you have finished using them, but making sure you shut all the slackers (paddles on the canal system). On the River Nene the guillotine gate has to be left open, so we could leave this lock with the bottom gates left open..

But they do take an age to work through, the guillotines are very very slow.. Here Vic is getting a very numb finger pressing on the down button..

Even the girls are getting bored!! I got the backend on the cill at this lock in 2006 trying to squeeze in behind a cruiser.. the white line for the cill is not in the right place, the cill is about 18inches further into the lock than marked. It didn’t do any harm, and the lock empties so slowly it didn’t take long to drop the front slacker and lift the guillotine to free ourselves.. Was in on my own this time and make sure I was well close to the front gates!

I had a wander around the internet on Saturday morning, well it was raining for most of the day, and I came across a rather good deal for mobile internet connection. It uses network provider 3 Mobile with a very fast internet connection that, at times and with good reception, can reach speeds as fast as normal broadband. I have T-Mobile on much the same type of system, and have had speeds of 2.1Mb/s.

Anyway, this deal is for unlimited (capped at 5GB) for £7.50 a month with a free dongle. To get this deal you need to go to this clicky at quidco and scroll down the right hand side where the special offers are, and click on 3 Mobile BB 5MB promotion. You can only get this promotion by clicking through quidco. (Unfortunately offer has now finished) If you have not already joined quidco do so, I have had so much money back by clicking through their site to buy stuff.. and they are offering £12.50 cash back on this deal too! I will let you browse to find out more about their cash back stuff..

There have been good reports on the 3 Mobile Network coverage, it seems they are really making an impact in the UK now with more and more of the country now covered by their network..

We are moored on the GOBA moorings at Mailers Meadow this evening. A lovely quiet mooring this and there are some lakes close by which I have enjoyed walking round this evening.. In fact I think I saw a black swan over there, but it was a bit on the dark side, I’ll take another look in the morning.. although it looks like swans are pretty well respected around here….

These young cows line up to watch a couple going by.. they just need some flags to wave now!!

Oh PS by the way, I have updated the July picture album..

Edit – Would you believe it, the offer from Quidco has been taken off their site. It was there when I wrote this blog last night, with the offer continuing until August 31^st, but now Lesley of NB Claxton correctly points out… “ Sue, I believe the 3-Mobile deal ended on 31st July.” Seems that way now Lesley – Thanks for letting me know.

Fond farewell to St Neots for this year

2008-07-31T19:47:00.001+01:00

St Neots to Paxton, River Great Ouse, 3.75 miles 1 lock

The grandchildren Jessica and Molly enjoyed their train ride back to London yesterday, and although the underground was really busy they both coped well for their first time in the tunnels. They didn’t say much, I think they found it awesome, and on the first train we had to stand, and there we were all huddled together with our arms round each other. It must look awful to little tiny humans, all they can see is trousers and skirts… I really can’t imagine what it would be like.. I can’t remember myself!!

We pulled the pins after lunch today after stocking up for the next week or so. We won’t be near any shops for a while, so it was important that I stocked up for that. Mr Tesco once again delivered the heavy stuff and Lucy and Megs food to the pontoon at St Neots, and with the glass out of the windows, once again he just passed me the bags through the window into the galley.. how handy is that!!..

Away then from St Neots.. I like this place a lot..

And it was tickover downstream and through St Neots lock to moor close to Paxton Nature Reserve.. Gonna have a few days here relaxing, and although it was raining this afternoon and evening I still did a bbq.. tis very humid too, but I won’t be complaining about that!..

The good weather comes and so do the grandchildren around Bedford

2008-07-29T23:19:00.001+01:00

Last few days – Goldington to Bedford then Bedford to St Neots, River Great Ouse, 15 miles 7 locks

Jennie and Phil stayed for a couple of days after we picked them up from Priory Marina in Bedford along with granddaughters Jessica and Molly…

After spending the first night at the GOBA moorings at Goldington just outside Bedford, we moved on to Danish Camp where we found the rough mooring just about long enough to fit No Problem on, then wandered over to the cafe to get ice creams for the children, and they spent an hour or so on the bouncy castle.. yes, and hour or so!!

Back then to the ‘outside cafe’ of Narrowboat No Problem for lunch..

Before moving on to Great Barford for a couple of days…

Jennie and Phil left on Saturday morning, the taxi came right across the fields to pick up Phil.. how handy is that.. and Phil picked the car up from Priory Marina where is was safely parked.. Jennie had to be back at work by 1pm to cover for lunch breaks..but their journey was interrupted by an accident in the way, and they didn’t get back until well gone 3pm! A 2 and half hour trip turned into a nightmare.. 5+ hours..

Onward then with grandchildren Jessica and Molly, and we retraced our steps to go back upstream to the EA moorings at what we call ‘R Island’.. we love it there, it is very quiet after the Great Barford moorings.. I persuaded Jessica and Molly to walk to Danish Camp again to get another delicious icecream, and I packed a lunch for eating on the way back..

Not bad for under 5 years, young Molly did the mile and half trip there and back.. oh and on the way back picking some blackberries would you believe, which we made into a crumble with some apple the following day..

The children love the dogs, and at every opportunity want to take them for walks, Jessica is particularly fond of Meg…

But they both just love Lucy and Meg.. But that has not always been the case.. Both of these children for some reason or another were absolutley petrified of them when they were younger, and still now they are nervous. They don’t have a dog at home you see, but neither I nor their mum and dad have any idea why they are so scared of dogs.. but Lucy and Meg have shown them this week that K9s are OK!!

It is their last night tonight, and relaxing and sharing the top bunk for a while to watch a DVD just before bedtime, they heard the drumming drummer on the dragon boat coming down the river.. Awesome!

We are meeting Mum in London tomorrow.. they will enjoy the train ride to the capital.. I do hope they enjoy the underground, neither of them have been on the tube before!!

A trip to Bletchley Park and a late cruise towards Bedford

2008-07-23T23:45:00.001+01:00

Great Barford to Goldington, River Great Ouse, 4 miles 2 locks

We had a great day out today with thanks to friend John who is a volunteer at the Bletchley Park Museum.. a wonderful place full of wartime memorabilia. Here are the magnificent early mechanical and computer machines that broke the German message codes which probably shortened the second world war by a good two years..

I left my camera at home today as I wanted a ‘carry free’ day out, but there are plenty of pictures on the website of the various computers and machines, and if you are around the Milton Keynes/Bletchley/Fenny Compton areas then a visit there would be a good day out.

I think it is dreadful that there is no Government funding for this most important place, nor is there any lottery funding yet.. I was disappointed in the upkeep of the place, although there was a small mower doing its best to keep the undergrowth at bay, a lot of the park was overgrown and unkept.

The various huts that the thousands of people worked in during the war breaking these codes are in a very bad state of repair, and with leaking roofs it is threatening the displays that are housed in some of them.. well housed in those that are in the best condition. I do hope that some funding from somewhere can save this place as it is a heritage site for sure.

John actually volunteers in the Computer section within the Park. It has it’s own website.. link here .. I was amazed by this place with its huge array of bygone computers and the like. Although it was not open today, being friends with John meant that he could take us on a grand tour..

A lovely day out.. thanks John

So, back to No Problem late afternoon, and after a quick cuppa the pins were pulled for an early evening cruise to get closer to Bedford.. Daughter Jennie and the family, Phil, and grandchildren Jessica and Molly are coming aboard tomorrow for a few days ..

Now this is a deep lock.. you can see the river levels are normal for the summer months with the wetness of the lock walls.. you can imagine how high this must be when in real flood. The water fills this lock from the side, see it has gone under No Problem, hit the other side and pushed the narrowboat hard into the right hand wall. I hate that happening, with memories of 2005 when our former No Problem got caught on her base plate sitting on the bolts that hold these chains to the wall. On that occasion No Problem listed right over before ‘falling off’ the bolts, giving me an awful fright. There is no way in this lock that you can push away from the wall or chains such is the force of the water..

But not stuck today, and we continued upstream to moor at the GOBA moorings at Goldington close enough to the Marina to pick up Jen late morning..

Visitors at St Neots and overstaying.. who me?

2008-07-22T23:58:00.001+01:00

St Neots to Great Barford, River Great Ouse, 8 miles 3 locks

Mr Tesco actually bought our order right to the galley window today.. I took the glass out, and the bags were passed in from the huge trolly that he had brought down to the pontoon.. Good ‘ol Mr Tesco.. talk about delivery to your larder, he delivered to within 6ft of my larder!!

I was quite pleased that our delivery didn’t arrive until late into our 10–noon slot otherwise I would have missed blog readers Pauline and Gerry from Lowestoft, passing by on their way to their narrowboat Dash moored on the BCN (Birmingham Canal Navigations)…

It was lovely to meet you both and spend some time chatting.. Now you can see the pontoon that Mr Tesco brought his big trolly to as well!!..

Pins pulled then just after lunch, the clouds now covered the what was blue sky, but no worry, hey at last there was no chilly wind, it was warmer!..

First lock today was Eaton Socon, where we had to wait for two narrowboats to lock through… The first emerging Narrowboat was The Chequered Flag.. “Hey now I see you are overstaying the lock moorings” shouted Jane a reference to our overstay in Ely earlier.. Dick was laughing, and I gave them both a salute.. oh and one of my ‘special’ salutes … nice to see them again after meeting the pair in Ely earlier in the month….

Onward to Great Barford to meet good friend John Sinclair who is whisking us off tomorrow for a day out which I will tell you about later…

I am sorry if you live here, but this I absolutely hate.. in this day and age why or why do they build a complex like this……

It has a marina type moorings too, and very unkept it is.. I’m sorry but I just can’t see how this can be a ‘waterfront’ development. But see the difference as we pass through the next lock at Roxton..

Now that is nice!

Cruising on to St Neots, it's a bit warmer at last

2008-07-21T20:04:00.001+01:00

Paxton to St Neots, River Great Ouse, 3.5 miles 1 lock

Moored on the parkland is lovely here this evening, the boat crews on the other side of the river are just getting into the dragon boat, there is a regatta here next weekend and it is practice time. Dragon Boat Racing is an art, the rowers ‘oaring’ at the sound of the drum beat..

So this morning we pulled the pins on our lovely mooring at Paxton.. Here we are away, and Chas and Ann of NB Moore2Life just about to follow suit…

Over the weekend I have been doing a lot of walking, well this is a fabulous area, and there is going to be a lot of extension to the Nature Reserve here, although they are still working the gravel removal, there are plenty of lakes, and plenty of walks.. here while walking, I cross a backwater of the Great Ouse near Offord Cluny..

And always handy to pass a farm with free range eggs as here as I did at Diddlington…

I always keep a couple of quid in my pocket just in case I pass this sort of sign.. and a doz and a half went into the ruck sack.. Yum, and this morning we had a couple, and they sat up in the pan without spreading right out.. they must have been laid that very day!

I walked 9 miles yesterday after the F1.. Louis Hamilton did well.. he ain’t a bad driver at all! . This time I walked over to Paxton Woods on the far side of the A1. Here they are mixing farming with countryside preservation, and they have collections of wild flowers all marked out along the footpaths.. It sure is nice to see this sort of farming practice..

On the way to St Neots lock, I heard that high pitched screech meaning that there is a kingfisher close by, and sure enough I spied him at the last minute on a branch.. grabbed the camera.. not the best of pics, but look very carefully at the bottom left of the pic.. that surely is another kingfisher..

Well I never.. see you never know what your camera might take a picture of that you don’t see!!

St Neots lock is huge and here you can see Moore2Life and No Problem in the lock one behind the other, we could have also been able to be side to side in this one.. No Problem and Moore2Life add up to about 125ft!…

It once was a small lock, having been rebuild recently..

This afternoon I took the opportunity to pick up a few bits and bobs from the town, and then over to the library for some fresh books, Vic is getting through them like no tomorrow at the moment.. It’s quiet here tonight, the sun is shining, but oh that wind is still high out on the river… a very pleasant outlook though..

Relaxing and working aboard at Paxton..

2008-07-18T18:04:00.001+01:00

Moored Paxton, River Great Ouse

Lots to do today.. rail tickets to buy for the future, personal filing and banking etc. It all clears the mind you know.. Trouble is I enjoy my life so much being retired that when it comes to ‘must get that done’ it doesn’t get done until I have a ton to do!!

But now it is nearly all done, and here at Paxton, what more could I want than to sit on the raised dinette at the window by this beautiful river…

This is out of the front window.. and from the side window I have been watching a pair of beautiful swans, the diving terns, so precise as they make a loud splosh as they dive from above and nab a fish.. herons strutting on the far bank seemingly unaware of No Problem’s presence.. a family of noisy ducks, the young ones wanting to go for an adventure into the reeds.. Mum and Dad know best though and tell them off.. I can imagine it.. “Quack mink in there Quack!”

Oh in between I have been getting my filing and banking done.. well I admit, a lot slower than I would have done had I been in an office without this view!

Here is our mooring then.. very private indeed. Hopefully the weather will cheer, but we did have a bbq last night.. I did some steaks marinated in chili, coconut milk, fresh coriander and peppercorns.. Yum!…

This area is the Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, and the lakes just a few yards away from here are formed by the gravel extraction in the area, but there are bird hides dotted all around, and some fabulous walks too. I just love it here, the fresh smell of the flowing river is something else.. the flow at the moment is slight despite the rain, and the visibility in the water is amost totally clear, it’s like looking into an aquarium..

Some blue sky has appeared at last today.. Lucy and Meg are gonna get a good walk later me thinks!

No Problem is a big boat on the Great Ouse..

2008-07-17T23:08:00.001+01:00

Today – Godmanchester to Paxton
Tuesday and Wednesday, Moored Godmanchester, River Great Ouse

I have put away my T shirts today and replaced them with hoodies and the like. Vic has told me off for moaning about the weather, so I shall stop doing that and just accept what I see when I wake in the morning!

Today then wasn’t too bad, it rained for most of it, but with my hoody and waterproof jacket on, the weather was not too cold!!

On Tuesday I really chilled out doing mostly nothing after the weekend of the Elton John Concert, such a good time I had, and needed some peace and quiet to get over it. Yesterday was my last visit to the dentist in Stafford for this summer. It takes all day to get there and back from the Great Ouse.. my next appointment is December!.. I am much braver at the dentist now..

So pulled the pins this morning from the TOWN of Godmanchester. It is not a village at all as it was given a town status in Charters of 1212 and again in 1604. Here is the lock at Godmanchester, as you can see some of the locks on this river are really quiet large, here with No Problem is narrowboat Moore2Life and narrowboat No Probs!…

Onward past the Brampton Mill which is now a really nice pub..

Just above the bridge you might spot the water wheel. This wheel is actually being turned by the water coming through the mill, and although not actually milling anything, tis nice to see it going round.. On to Brampton Lock, and here the lock landings are rather short..

No Problem doesn’t even fit on it, but stretched across like this, she acts as a good pontoon for all the other boats to moor to while waiting for others to come through the lock from upstream..

We stopped today at Buckden Marina for water.. No Problem’s the back end not quite fitting on their pontoon much to the annoyance of the girls Lucy and Meg..

The do like to get off wherever we stop and have a good nose around.. they had be patient today and wait for our evening stop!

This is a very friendly marina which is expanding fast.. “We are putting in a lot more narrowboat moorings, and this winter the pilings will be going in”.. ah they have done well here, and expanded a lot since we were at the marina back in 2006. Their diesel, normally one of the lowest on the Ouse, was at 95p today.. so still diesel is getting dearer by the day wherever…

The next lock is Offord, and a boat went past just heading for it just as we let the ropes go from the marina.. that would be a lengthy wait then at the lock for sure.. Offord is a very slow lock, and not as big as some of the others. Only one boat through at a time on this one, and eventually it took 1 hour and 15 minutes for us to get through having had to wait for the other boat to go through and a couple the other way..

They have built some flats and a small marina above Offord Lock.. very nice. Not far to go now to our mooring, and I spied it late.. very much more overgrown that when we visited in 2006.. but after a bit of fiddling about we managed to squeeze No Problem and Moore2Life in the smallish space, and as others went by later, you could tell they were amazed to see two such long narrowboats occupy a space no longer than a 45ft usable frontage..

There is a knack to these things you know!.. Anyway this is my most favourite mooring on the whole of the waterways system, there was no way I was going to miss out on this one!.. Pics tomorrow!

Elton John at Weybridge and we move to Godmanchester

2008-07-14T21:14:00.001+01:00

Today – Brampton Mill to Godmanchester, River Great Ouse, 1.25 miles 0 locks
Weekend – Moored Brampton

Oh I wish the wind would stop blowing, it’s really getting on my nerves at the moment. On Sunday morning though, it dropped completely as I said goodbye to Vic and the girls Lucy and Meg to catch my train from Huntingdon to Weybridge in Surrey to meet daughter Wendie..

A quick pic taken on the phone from the train as I peered down on No Problem on the river.. you can just about see the boat in the mid left of the photo!..

Well, it was my phone and the train was going fast!!!.. The rest of the pics on this trip were taken with the phone so please excuse the quality. I didn’t want my camera confiscated at the Concert.. Wendie had hers confiscated last time at the Elton Concert and it took ages to get it back after the show..

Would you believe Wendie’s train arrived from Portsmouth at Weybridge station at exactly the same time as mine from London did.. now then, hows that for planning!

We walked in the warm sunshine the mile and a bit to the hotel, we were staying over you see.. dumping the bags we went down to the bar and had a glass of wine and a good ‘ol mum/daughter chat before getting a cab to the concert site at the old racing circuit at Brooklands.. there is a museum there now and this is where the concert was to take place. We were lucky that another couple who were staying at the hotel were outside just about to get in a cab, I asked if they were going to the concert, they were, so we cancelled ours and all four of us travelled together.. half cost too!

What a great atmosphere around the concert site… and it was time for a hot dog and a beer…

The support act for Elton here was Richard Fleeshman, and we were lucky to be seated in the second row (Yep Mike B.. well not quite front row this time!) next to Richard’s backing band. Chatting away to them, they invited us backstage afterwards to the party… on this occasion we declined, not wanting to feel like fish out of water as does happen if you attend on the off chance of invite not really knowing anyone.. but a great concert, enjoyed as always. Here is the song list for those interested...

Funeral For A Friend

Love Lies Bleeding

The Bitch Is Back

Madman Across The Water

Tiny Dancer

Levon

Believe

Take Me To The Pilot

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Daniel

Rocket Man

Honky Cat

Sacrifice

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

Candle In The Wind

Bennie And The Jets

Philadelphia Freedom

Are You Ready For Love

I'm Still Standing

Crocodile Rock

Saturday Night's Alright

Pinball Wizard

Your Song

Oh and I managed to get him to sign my program too!

Back to No Problem after breakfast today, and a much quieter atmosphere aboard after the the madness of the weekend. A cuppa and sandwich on the river bank too before pulling the pins.. well we had been here 48 hours now, so time to go..

Downstream this time, to the pretty village of Godmanchester..

Below is the famous Chinese Bridge with the church in the background. When we were here a couple of years ago, thieves stole some of these lovely hanging baskets that are dotted over the parkland on the visitor moorings..

Still using the phone for the pics.. I am quite pleased with the way they have come out though..

At our mooring this evening, there is just enough room through those trees to get the dot in the sky to run our sky tele this evening.. sometimes we just have to “Up and bit, back a bit.. just a bit more… yep.. that’s it shove the pins in!!”

Need a day off now to get over the weekend! …

Getting Post in St Ives is annoying and Houghton Island

2008-07-11T17:16:00.001+01:00

St Ives to Houghton, River Gt Ouse, 2.25 miles 1 lock

Blimey, and still it rains!

I collected the post this morning, and what a performance that was. I went to the Royal Mail Sorting Office as I was told to do the other day.. “What is Post Restante Mail?”.. Can you believe that, even the Royal Mail people do not know what Post Restante mail is. “No we don’t have it.. do you have the card dropped through your door box”.. “Eh? I live on a boat!”.. I could go on, but I won’t..

So off I trapsed to the Post Office “No we don’t have your mail here, it is at the Sorting Office… Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

“I assure you you do have my mail here please look for it”.. “We don’t have it” “You DO, please go and find it, it has arrived I checked on the tracking!”

In the end he decided to get up from his seat at the PO Counter and go have a look.. “Errrrr I have found some mail for you”.. “Ah good, thankyou” … “Do you have some identification”… I had to smile, as if someone else would try to get mail at this Post Office .. I don’t think anyone else would be so patient.. But I had a feeling this ~~jobsworth bloke~~ chap would be asking me for ID.. so I took my passport..

Back to No Problem with it to sort some importent stuff that needed putting back in the post, and that done went back into St Ives to visit the, by now, very sheepish chap again before picking up some fresh fruit and veg from one of the best market stall grocers I have seen for a very long time.. then onward!!..

Past the lovely Hemingford Grey moorings then past the GOBA moorings which are being readied for the Regatta in the morning. ..

We can’t stop at either over the weekend because of the regatta, which is one of the oldest village regattas in the county, so we have stopped just short of Houghton Lock on an Island where there are some decent 48 hour Environment Agency Moorings..

I hope the rain stops sometime this evening, I really don’t feel like another soaking. It makes the boat damp too when Lucy and Meg keep coming in wet.. It had better not rain down in Weybridge on Sunday evening, the Elton John Concert is in the open air!

A delightful day on the River see us into St Ives

2008-07-10T22:59:00.001+01:00

Aldreth to St Ives, River Great Ouse, 11.5 miles 3 locks

I really did need to get to St Ives today.. the ~~jobsworth bloke~~ chap in the Post Office was adamant that my post could only be collected at the Sorting Office, which presumably will be closed on Saturday when we had planned to be here.. I really couldn’t be bothered to argue, its been an upsetting enough week without more to rock my life. I will make a complaint later to Royal Mail, that this guy has to hold my mail at the Post Office..

Pins pulled this morning then.. the weather was better although the wind was high and caused one or two problems along the way.. none of which was major.. Hermitage Lock was the first lock we had gone through for a month..

This one was done for us, and as we left the lock keeper shouted over “Ha it goes well with a gear box eh?”.. Teehee.. A reference to our lengthy stay in Ely recently with a broken gear box.. Onward then to the Environment Agency Services at West View Marina at Earith, and while Vic filled No Problem with water, I went in search of the seals that are often seen here.. “She had a pup last weekend and is on the opposite side of the river at the moment” this in reply after asking as to the whereabouts of them..

These are the moorings by the Marina, and looking over to the far bank all I could see was the recent flooding in the fields opposite, no sign of the seals… pity..

On then to Brownshill Lock along the tidal bit.. it sure was blowy, and this abandoned boat was on the end of the lock moorings making life very difficult to moor in the high wind.

Once I had got No Problem into the side, Vic moved the boat out of the way.. why on earth someone else didn’t do that I don’t know!!

The fenland has disappeared and is replaced by hills and trees.. and we enjoyed the river as it twisted it’s way through the lovely Cambridgeshire countryside..

Here the Pike and Eel Pub, where we were going to moor close to tonight, but changed our minds and continued on..

We passed some rush mat cutters on both banks of the river..

Here they were cutting the reeds, bundling them, then laying them over small punts which you can hardly see under the blanket of reeds he has already cut. They would then take along the river to a collection point. The reeds are dried and can be stored for several years before being made into rush mats and the like… each dried bunch similar to what that lad is holding would cost about £20!

This pair of swans have 8 cygnets all resting on the bank today in the dappled sunshine under a tree…

And on past Holywell.. a small hamlet nestled on the banks of the Great Ouse…

You can see the flow of water is quite high on the river, and in some places where the river narrowed our speed dropped an awful lot.. I suppose it will be a few days now that we will be against a high flow after all that rain of the last couple of days..

All too soon we arrived at St Ives Lock.. but Oh dear, just where the lock landing pontoon is that I wanted to use…

So instead of crushing the little wooden launch I went on to the high sided moorings nearer the lock. I don’t like using those because they are too high for No Problem, and I have to get out the really fat fenders to stop the concrete scratching the paintwork above the gunnel.. the lock landing is so high up..

On through St Ives bridge with the lovely buildings on the waterfront..

The Environment Agency moorings were empty this evening.. I have never seen them empty!…

But we continued on to the GOBA moorings another half mile or so along the river.. it is great here for Lucy and Meg, they can have a good ‘ol romp on the fields.. I’ll collect the post tomorrow along with milk and bread, then onwards past Hemingford so that we clear the Hemingford Regatta which is held on Saturday..

Fruits of the land at Aldreth while we watch the rain

2008-07-09T21:36:00.001+01:00

Moored Aldreth, River Gt Ouse

We were going to pull the pins this morning, but decided to stay put and watch the rain all day instead..

But this is a delightful mooring which we are in no hurry to move from. We do have to move tomorrow though as we are only allowed 48 hours on this GOBA mooring.

It has been steady rain all day as you can see in the pic, not heavy just steady, so this morning I took Lucy and Meg for a couple of hours over the fenland.

It is a good time of year for fruits of the land, and here on this tree I am sure this is Hen of the Woods.. an edible fungus.. Well I think it is Hen of the Woods, I didn’t bring any back to identify it properly.. but hey Kevin.. wadda you think?

The best time for finding edible fungus and mushrooms is in the autumn, so to see this at this time of year must mean that it is quite old, and probably very tough!.. So I left it there, and will wait ‘till younger stuff pokes it head out of the ground!..

I enjoy finding and eating fruits of the land.. not only berries and mushrooms when I can find them, but wild garlic, herbs and anything else I might dare try..

An interesting waterways news snippet I saw today – British Waterways have annoyed the locals by getting rid of a single bad word from a graffiti riddled canal bridge.. they left the rest of the graffiti there!

“A string of complaints about graffiti on a Staffordshire canal bridge led to all the offensive words being removed – but the remaining scrawl was left behind due to “budget constraints”, a move which has left the community enraged.

Staffordshire County Councillor Matthew Ellis has branded the move “jobsworth bureaucracy gone mad”. He said the Government-funded agency British Waterways had wasted taxpayers’ money by only removing selected parts of the graffiti from the bridge in Bonehill, Lichfield.”

I know BW say that they clear offensive words from Graffiti within 24 hours of them appearing, but I wonder how long it will be before they will be back to clear the rest.. they say it is part of maintenance to clear the rest.. Deary me.. that may mean lots of graffiti for a long time then

Onward tomorrow to the Pike and Eel, or even St Ives.. It depends on the weather..

Some of the remotest countryside around Aldreth

2008-07-08T20:29:00.001+01:00

Stretham to Aldreth, 5.5 miles 0 locks

We pulled the pins mid morning hoping to miss the heavy showers that were forecast. This is a very remote part of the fen land, the bit between Popes Corner where the River Cam goes off all the way to Heritage Lock. It is known as the Old West River along this stretch, and in places it is really quite narrow..

A lot of people think this bit is boring, where as I find it very peaceful and quiet. If you look hard enough you can see many wild birds, today there were oyster catchers and egrets to be spotted along the way among the long grasses and reeds of the damp flood banks which stretch back quite a way both sides.. but soon the inevitable happened while I was making a cuppa…

From inside looking out the galley window, a real downpour.. but it didn’t last too long. I got well stuck on a bend after letting a faster plastic boat go past.. took a while to get off the mud with the wind trying hard to put No Problem on the bank.. but we didn’t have to spend the night there, and not too long afterwards, we put the pins in at one of my favourite moorings on the river at Aldreth..

And we meet them again.. a whistle from President got me scrambling on the roof for yet another pic of the motor and butty Kildare in full steam, having been to Cambridge they were now on their way to Bedford..

You can see the river bank in the picture above, and scrambling to the top this is the view…

And here Vic, Lucy, Meg and Moore2Life’s Jack Russell Molly standing on the top of the bank.. I wonder what Vic has in his hand that is causing so much attention from the K9s.. Teehee!

Meg has been sitting out on top of that bank all evening just looking across at the open farmland, she simply loves it here.. well they both like this place, heh just like me!! ..

Ho hum, better take them for a wander.. and looking at that pic, I think it will be up to that house that you see in the distance, along the drove to those trees on the right, to make our way along another drove back to No Problem.. for sure there is plenty of walking around here..

Downpours don't dampen our spirits as No Problem cruises

2008-07-07T18:26:00.001+01:00

Little Thetford to Stretham, River Great Ouse, 3 miles 0 locks

WOW, the heavens sure have been opening today eh?...

I took Lucy and Meg out late morning thinking I had missed the heavy showers of earlier as it had brightened up, but no… and even sheltering under a tree didn’t save me from a drenching… Meg was clever she crawled under a hedge while Lucy and I sheltered under the tree!

The pram canopy built by Tim Salt of Staffordshire Canopies held the heavy downpours well as we cruised up the river.. we really are pleased that we have one,.. we are whimps you know.. well they are called wigwams for whimps.. but hey I don’t mind being called a whimp in these conditions!

We now have several ‘devices’ securing our diesel cap.. here is just one of them..

I got that wire made up on Saturday at the chandlers before leaving Ely. They put the eyelets in the end.. Vic has drilled through the lip and all that is needed is a padlock. They are very helpful people in that Chandlers, and one of the cheapest on the internet too. I bought the wood stove from them while I was in Devises fitting out No Problem, they were the cheapest for the Morso Squirrel, and they had no problem sending it.

Anyway, hopefully this and our other devious devices will deter ‘walk by’ thieves from stealing our diesel again.. we think we know where the diesel was stolen.. just watch yourselves around Ashton Lock on the River Nene..

Going out for a meal tonight.. well it has been a trying time lately what with one thing and another.. you will need to read the last three weeks or so to see why.. The Lazy Otter has an excellent website where we can choose our meal before we even go!!..

Pity to see this moored here on the GOBA moorings,

I am sure it was moored just a few yards away off the moorings here when we visited a couple of years ago.. it needs to be pulled off and put back on the edge of the marina from where it came!

Right then, the sun is shining.. I think I will take the mutts out for a quickly before dinner.. hopefully keeping myself dry this time!!

Talking to GOBA on my favourite River Great Ouse

2008-07-06T11:05:00.001+01:00

GOBA say sorry....

Mike Costello, the Vice Chairman of GOBA admits that the email sent to me by David Mercer was very much OTT and should not have been sent. He has apologised to me on behalf of GOBA. He said he was not aware that David Mercer had sent the email. David Mercer has personal reasons (I will respect his privicy here) and is under some stress at the moment which I have accepted. I am not expecting a personal apology from David.

It was interesting talking to Mike that the moorings that we were occupying are owned by the Environment Agency, but the bylaws state that the moorings are managed by the council, hence why no EA Officer came to enquire as to why we were moored there. However the Council were aware of our plight and allowed us to stay.

There were some who suggested that we should be towed to the Marina, some quarter mile downstream.. I strongly do not suggest anyone with a long narrowboat like No Problem should even attempt to be towed with no power into a marina tightly packed with plastic boats.. one slightest bit of wind could cause a ton of damage literally!!..

I do have an awful lot of emails of support which I have yet to reply to, bear with me I will answer them all, but once again I have to say on behalf of us both, thankyou so much for your wonderful support.. some of your humour has kept me smiling when I was feeling down.. it really is nice to be part of a fantastic community of boaters..

Well we are on the move again now.. The River Great Ouse and it's tributaries is a place I love and will come back to time and time again. I have been invited out to lunch on NB Moore2Life today, then I shall watch the F1.. then take Lucy and Meg for a wander.. then do a rough itinerary of the next couple of weeks.. then .... phew, then relax a bit and enjoy life!

On the move again from Ely with the wind in my hair

2008-07-05T22:08:00.002+01:00

NOT moored at Ely, River Great Ouse!!

Hoooray, all fixed all done... no leaks, no groans except from me when I parted with £217.00 for a tank of diesel ... I didn't wait for a bill from the Boatyard, they will send that on for me, and I couldn't wait to open the throttle and cruise along the Ely waterfront. It seemed strange actually, because I have been walking along there ~~for the last 24~~.. errrrn, for quite a while now with Lucy and Meg on their daily walks...

On through the railway bridge and about turn so as to be on the correct side for the pump out of our grey tank, and while Vic did that I had a quick chat with Stuart Sampson the Chairman of NABO who was moored on the parkland today, then going on to the Chandlers along with the diesel cap.. We have designed more security with the help of friend Kevin to stop the theft of diesel from our tank. The chandlers modified the fuel cap for me when I explained what I wanted, and now hopefully our tank will be less attractive to steal from.

Then with the wind in my hair I said goodbye to Ely, and goodbye to many many people who came out of their boats and waved and cheered as we passed by our recent mooring, everyone wishing us luck and happy cruising..

So we are away at last.. and so much happened yesterday ending with a huge upset from GOBA, and today switching on my computer I was overwelmed with all the support you have all shown to me not only on the comment system here, but by email and on the various boating forums including Canalworld Forum, Goba Forum (only available to members btw) and by email .. I am completely gobsmacked by it all, and I really, or should I say WE.. Vic and me can't thank you all enough for the words you have said in support of the type of people we are...

I am sure the dust will settle tonight, and I will settle too.. It is very quiet here where we are moored tonight after the noise of the roads and railways in Ely, I shall sleep well and see what tomorrow brings.

No Problem getting heavy hand from GOBA

2008-07-04T23:45:00.002+01:00

I am a member of GOBA. I am being accused by GOBA of abusing the mooring here in Ely. I can't go anywhere else, I have been told by the boatyard who is trying to fix our gearbox to stay here. I have told the lady from the council that I have a problem with the gearbox and cant move. She replied that she would inform the Council Office that we were here. If anyone from the Environment Agency had approached me I would have told them the same. I am stuck.

This then from David Mercer of GOBA..

Dear Mrs C

I have to say that I am extremely disappointed to find a GOBA member blatantly bragging about abuse of the scarce 48-hour moorings and seemingly appearing to encourage others to do likewise. It is this sort of behaviour that engenders some of the adverse but often unjustified comments GOBA receives frequently about narrowboats in general. Our code of behaviour on this river requires everyone to play their part in making moorings fairly available for all.

I hope you will have the decency to move for this weekend’s Ely Riverfest when moorings will be in exceptional demand, or at the very least to openly encourage other boats to raft alongside.

Please don’t even consider attempting this sort of abuse of the rules on a GOBA mooring.

David Mercer

The Great Ouse Boating Association ………… celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2008

‘Navigating the Future’ for over 3,000 boaters on the river Great Ouse and associated waterways.

david.mercer@goba.org.uk www.goba.org.uk

I was shocked to say the least! Maybe I am missing something here, did I encourage others to abuse the moorings here in Ely? From the way I read it, I was in fact, critisising EA and the Council for not monitoring boats along the waterfront. No way do I encourage overstaying.. in 4 years of blogging I have never ever done that.. I told this guy that I don't ever abuse moorings in my reply...

David,

I do not want to be here.. I am not able to move from here.. I am sick of being here.. I hate it here... I have no gearbox.

I am very annoyed that EA have not come to see why I am here.. I am very annoyed that EA let people moor in Ely and don't bother to ask them to move on..

I think you have the wrong end of the stick, please don't accuse me of abuse of moorings. I never ever abuse moorings, nor do I encourage others to do so.

Please tell me where you are getting this information from. If it is from my website then I will publish your email with your remarks.

I am now expecting an appology from you and from GOBA.

Sue C

No appology, and obviously he got it from this website somewhere as he replied..

Dear Mrs C

Please feel free to publish my comments.

Will you be doing as I suggest as the least you can do – that is to actively encourage other boats to raft up alongside while there is pressure on moorings at Ely?

Other boaters in these circumstances find refuge in marinas or on other private sites. They may have to pay, of course. There is NO excuse for illegally occupying a public 48-hour mooring for 24 days.

If you genuinely had any qualms about abusing this facility you would move now. Would you like us to arrange a tow?

David Mercer

I am surprised at how readily David is able to offer us a tow.. surely it would be better if he could arrange for a tow for the sunken boat at the Lazy Otter GOBA moorings so we can moor up there? Maybe David has already done that though? Of course people can raft/moor next to No Problem, I have never had any quarms about that..

David,

Anyone can moor against our boat.. I will publish your comments.. You can tow our boat away if you want to, where will you tow it to? GOBA will then have to pay for an engineer to fix our boat. Bridge Boatyard have that contract at the moment and have said we are to stay here. Sort it out with EA or Bridge Boats, don't accuse me of abuse.

Sue C

Ho hum, I feel it has to be a better day tomorrow doesn't it?

Getting into trouble in Ely and our diesel is stolen

2008-07-04T22:40:00.000+01:00

I just want to leave here, I am getting upset what with one thing and another.

The gearbox is back and it was fitted in today, and while it was being tested the engine went fut fut futtttttt.. and it died.. oil was now leaking from the engine and there was a smell of overheating.. this was getting unbelievable.. what now has gone wrong with No Problem's engine..

It was quite sometime before it was realised that no diesel was coming from our diesel tank, and Vic dipped the tank to find not one drop in there.. empty, dry, nothing.. just a tank of air...

In my head I quickly calculated that there should be at the very least over 100 litres in that tank.. and grabbing the log books it looks like something between 125 and 140 litres of diesel is missing from our tank... that is a lot of money, and vey upsetting. I have been monitoring our engine usage for quite a few weeks now and just running the engine the least amount of hours needed to charge our batteries.. so you can see why I am plain fed up.

It hasn't necessarily gone from Ely, it could have been taken at any time since our last fill up at Oundle.. we don't have a fuel gauge like a car does.. us narrowboaters always seem to know how many litres an hour our boats need.. when filling up, I am usually within 10 litres of knowing how much we need for a full fill.

There is still some oil leaking from the gearbox this evening, so we will have a good look at that in the morning before filling with yet more diesel.. we did put some kind of security on our fuel tank cap about 3 weeks ago, but now we are going to do more to try to deter these thiefs.

I have been told off tonight by email for bragging about overstaying in Ely for 23 days and seemingly encouraging others to do the same!. A bit of a shocking email for me and on top of everything else I have found the email very upsetting.. as what I have been accused of is just totally untrue, unjust and unfair. Plus I have been given warnings about my future behaviour when mooring.

I don't want to be here in Ely.

Visitors come to Ely

2008-07-04T09:28:00.001+01:00

Meeting people

Hey Harry and Jessica, Look who came to see us..

A visit from Grandad John Plum and Nanna Heather last week here in Ely..

It was lovely to meet you both and chat about "When I was younger"!!

Overstaying is No Problem in Ely

2008-07-03T22:51:00.002+01:00

Moored Ely, River Great Ouse

Well here we are on day 23 of our lengthy stay in Ely. I can't believe that we have been here so long, and I even had to go look on the blog just to check!

Never before have we been stopped in one place for so long, I really am getting quite anxious. Just not used to not moving after 7 years living aboard as a continuous cruiser.. the longest we have ever been stopped before has never been more than 14 days.. Well I am trying to think hard, but you know what.. I don't think we have stayed more than the British Waterways limit of 14 days in one place.

Funnily enough, we have not been approached by the Environment Agency about our stay here.. the only person we have seen is a lady from the Council presumably, who passed by on day 3, when we explained to her that we would be here for a week or so.. not seen that lady since.

In fact I have heard.. as you do after being in one place for a while.. that there was a narrowboat moored further along in the parkland area for over 4 months! In the end the Council took them to court and the owner was fined £200. Apparently, and I say that with tongue in cheek, the owner of the narrowboat was well pleased with that as the mooring fee for the otherside of the river for that amount of time would have been over twice as much!!

Blimey you hear these stories, never really knowing if the facts are right, so let me just say, 'tis only what I have been told by others!!!

Look at this dog!!...

What an odd looking dog.. of chinese origin I am told, this little fella has not been shawn by the owner, this is what it is like.. tons of hair on the head and ears and lower legs and as bald as a badgers ar*e (as Vic would say) on it's back!.. This is a rescue dog, the original owner needed a status symbol for a short time, then had no more use for it.. sheeeeeeeesh some people eh?...

Oh the grass was cut today.. was about time our lawn got some TLC...

Mind you, they don't use a nice mower with a grass collector.. nah 'tis just brute strength and tools to lop the grass off. We need to push No Problem away from the side or the grass cuttings will stick like glue to the sides, and it is a devil of a job to get it off! By the way, the EA put in this new type visitor mooring here in Ely, there were moorings here before with a few bollards.. now there are tons of bollards and a hard edge with a sort of non slip grid.. look where the guy is standing in the pic.. cost £20,000 to do that.. a huge waste of money I feel.. there was nothing wrong with what was there before..

And No Problem's gearbox? .... gawd.. well it should be back tomorrow. I am hoping that someone will put it in tomorrow afternoon after the guys in the boatyard have turned their hire boats around in the morning.. But I am not a betting woman....

Summertime is interesting here at Ely

2008-07-01T23:04:00.000+01:00

Moored Ely, River Great Ouse

Well I am very happy to report that the single moorhen chick is still alive and kicking and getting much bigger, so the turmoil of the night of the mink came and went with mum managing to see off the mink or hide the chick.. whatever it is really nice to see that little chick chirping away on the opposite bank to No Problem..

Son Tony is aboard, his cruise unfortunately cancelled due to No Problem being without a gearbox, but he is enjoying, and the weather has been great.. He has enjoyed keeping NP shipshape, and here managing to get water from the nearby boatyard.. Now this takes some doing, the hose will only just reach.. but you gotta get it right, .. Here then from the top of the bridge near NP, Tony getting ready to aim the hose...

Muscle power next......

Now to pull it's extreme to make it reach the tank...

We dare not move from our mooring here, not that we can under our own power, but just to move a few feet might mean loosing our mooring, and that would be a disaster at the moment!

We have visited the magnificent cathedral, and the farmers and craft market.. we have walked around the local fenland and of course, walked the golf course where Lucy once again added to her total of found golf balls.. I actually counted them the other day, and she and Chas and Annie's mutt Molly have found 189 golf balls over there since we have been here!!

Steve has been over a couple of times, he pops in at lunch time for a chat.. away now on his hols in Jersey,, And good friend Kevin has kept in touch helping me with the logistics of getting this gearbox to and fro to HMS in Brundall near Norwich who are doing the repairs. They have it back again today, and I am hoping that tomorrow it will be fixed and on it's way back again by Thursday.. Ho hum will just have to wait and see.

This is the very longest period that I have ever been stationary in one place ever whilst on the waterways.. *Yawn*

There are a couple of beautiful dutch barge type boats around here, this is one of them.. Nordster..

What a beaut this is.. But I had to grab the camera a bit quick when these two well known narrowboats came by.. "A steam boat is coming" shouted Vic and I knew straight away who it would be as I had known that President and Kildare were coming to the fens this year, I ran for the camera, and here they are in full blown steam...

And on they go.. phew talk about getting a steam up!!..

Many thanks for all the comments and emails of late, I will try to answer them at a later stage, I am fairly busy enjoying some quality time with son, and the computer is taking a bit of a back seat..

Tony arrives aboard No Problem in Ely

2008-06-27T23:36:00.001+01:00

Moored Ely, River Gt Ouse

Well the gear box has come out again and will be going back to HMS at Brundall near Norwich to find out what the problem is. I actually spoke to John Halstead there and he thinks that the drive plates (is that it?) were probably very worn and gave up the ghost with the disturbance and removal of the box to fix the seals.. So it looks like we have been mightily unlucky!

I want to thank blog reader and my frequent visitor while here in Ely for all the help and support he has given me.. Thanks Kevin..

The moorhen had 4 chicks when we arrived here.. she was down to one this morning, and it may well be zero by now as there was quite a commotion on the far bank.. it was almost dark when I heard the moorhen screaming at something black on the bank.. mink thinks I.

It was too dark to see if the single chick survived though..

Son Tony has joined us here in Ely for a week's holiday. 'Tis a pity we can't cruise to St Ives as planned, but I am sure we can keep him suitably entertained aboard the static No Problem in Ely for a week..

The gearbox is fitted in... now it has to come out again at Ely

2008-06-26T21:56:00.005+01:00

Moored Ely, River Gt Ouse

Well they fitted the gearbox this afternoon.. here it is just before it went in..

But now it has to come out again as there is a problem with it. The lever has to travel an awful long way forward before it will turn the shaft if you see what I mean.. it's not the cable to the thottle lever, they tested that out by doing it manually on the side of the box. It is almost like it has no oil pressure.

It would be fine if we were prepared to go backwards for the rest of our life!

Still fighting with my blogger writing software Blogjet it is.. It won't connect and publish at the moment.. I had this problem once before, I think it might be to do with my t-mobile connection. It is actually very poor here in Ely connection wise.