End of the summer?

Spot the Heron

The weather doesn't seem to get any better, although, we can't complain there haven't been many days since leaving London that we have failed to move due to the rain. Speaking to family in East Anglia and friends back in Pembrokeshire we seem to have sailed up the middle of the country and avoided most of the bad weather that they have seen.

At the moment we are moored up part way down the Audlem flight of 15 locks, a few miles from Nantwich, we arrived here yesterday lunch time and are staying till Monday morning, we try not to move on Sundays if possible. I had a few photo's to put on the blog but am having trouble transfering them (it keeps crashing). I am going to try another phone company in a couple of months when my contract runs out. Even though I am only getting 2g on mine most of the time, if I look at the other companies they are showing 3g in the same location, so, Vodafone your days are numbered if your signal strength doesn't increase. Still waiting for progress on the engine front, watch this space.

A Visit to the Show

We left Great Heywood last Tues and made our way down the Staffs & Worcester canal to the Inland Waterways Association's National Festival held this year at Pendeford at the head of the Shropshire Union canal.

Arriving at Autherley Junction there were several boats queing for the lock on to the Shropi, IWA helpers were controlling it, so we waited for their call to go through the lock, 2 hours later we made the turn and moved on down to a nice mooring for the night. Saturday we walked up to the show and spent the day looking around and spending money. At least the weather was warm. We moved on later in the day and are now out in the country on a quiet mooring.

Sunday we made our way down to Brewood and had Lunch at the Bridge Inn very nice too. we moved on a bit further and stopped for the night, on Monday we cruised on down to Norbury Junction which is where we are now. I'm hoping my engine problem will be sorted this week, I went to the Vitas stand at the show and spoke to them and it would seem that the engineer is iminent. we shall see.

Sorry no pics this week, will try harder for next week.

Tixall Wide, more like a lake than a canal. There are lots of Kingfishers here

Balloon leaving Shugborough Hall, several nights a week in the summer weather permitting so we are told.

Well, weather wise it's been a mixed bag again this week. We left Atherstone last Sat and cruised slowly up to Great Heywood, where we arrived Thurs pm and we are staying till Tues, waiting for tablets for Eiddwen and doing a bit of cosmetic work on the outside of the hull, these narrow locks take off more paint than the double locks on the GU, or maybe it's me!!

We are here on Tixall Wide, it really is a lovely spot, and a great favorite with many boaters. I'm afraid the picture doesn't quite do it justice. Tomorrow I have to go back to the junction to get diesel ( it's only a mile ), when we arrived in Great Heywood we moored on the 48 hr moorings, so had to move on Saturday. I couldn't get any on Saturday when we moved up here because it was change over day at the boat yard and they don't wan't to see any one then. It's the first time I have let it go down so far, I've only got about 20 litres left so a big bill this time!! Will let you know next week.

Changeable weather

Tucked up for Sunday





Well weather wise it's been a changeable week, Hot at the start and very wet at the end. We arrived in Atherstone on Weds pm, Eric had to go home to Newport so we moored up for three nights. Set off again on Sat in a real downpour, so did six locks and three miles and stopped out in the country just before lunch, and with a good signal for Sky we are nice and cosy for rest of the weekend ( The Eisteddfod is on S4C as well as the Olympics )



On Thurs a 30 footer moored behind us with a retired couple on board, they went shopping and locked themselves out, so I went over with some spanners and took their hatch off so we could open the door. Eiddwen and I then went shopping and when we came back there was a little thank you card pinned to our door, Now wasn't that nice of them, with people like that there is still hope for the rest of us!!

My engine problem still hasn't been resolved, however the correct people are in the know and I await their pleasure, in the meantime we are cruising slowly onwards.

Beware the Yellow Peril

End of the day

Sorry this is late, I couldn't get a signal on Sunday night.

Well I think this week has been hotter than last although this weekend the breeze has picked up, and we have had a little rain, it is still very close and muggy. We left MK on Monday pm and progressed through Blisworth and Braunston tunnels up to Braunston, (I hate tunnels, although we didn't have any incidents this time) arrived there late Friday, we left there Sunday pm and are out in the country at the moment a few miles short of Rugby.

Funny thing happened on Friday morning, I was checking the oil and water before setting off, when I saw a yellow thing on the floor of the engine bay, now the engine bay is painted white and the engine is yellow so it grabbed my attention. It turned out to be the Hex head of one of the cylinder head bolts, these bolts are stretch torqued and it looks as though there was a flaw in this bolt, you would swear it has been cut off with a hacksaw. I'm lucky in a way as it is the bolt between no's 1 & 2 injectors so the engine is still running with care, just as well as my calls to the engineer have still not been answered, I think he is on holiday. However I did take advice from one of the boat yards near by, they said it was a reasonable risk to keep going slowly untill I can get it fixed.