No update!

Nope, not from me!! As the marina slowly empties of boats for the summer - I'm left tied up! It's a little hectic, but not profitable! However I've been here - anyone know where this canal is!!?
Still - hope to get out soon (when the rain starts!!)

So where has Ernie gone!!?

He used to be here and I followed the blog of Nb Ten Bob Note and Ernie, down the Oxford, along the Thames past the rowing club I used to row at, and then into Little Venice. - And finally into thin air....

So if you ae trying to find him from my site - you can't, but normal services will be resumed once I know if he has left the blogging fraternity, or just lost connection to his ISP.

Meanwhile - take care Ernie, and enjoy the Grand Union...

Lost Tally!!

So Sheila has nearly finished K2, only a couple of scrolls on the sta'bud side and She's done! K2 shone in the evening light, and reflected on her new artwork that is finished Port side. It's amazing how different she looks.

Sheila is writing Nb Anoula 4 pontoons down from K2. So to help her out, I moved K2 to the leeward side of Anoula's pontoon that is currently waiting for her new occupant to come in. Sheila can put up her blue tent, paint the scrolls on my Starboard, write Anoula's name and use the K2 facilities that she has got used to!!

Whilst Richard and I moved K2, Tally was happy hunting down animals in the field, and didn't notice the relocation.

Time to leave, and I whistled and called, but no Tally - very unusual, as she comes running on the first call. The hunt for a lost dog was on, and I wandered along the waters edge, to find Tally sat on my pontoon, looking a little worried - ears down, and that sad look on a dogs face. She must've thought K2 had sunk!!! - or gone without her...

She was very pleased to see me, and quite excited to see K2!

Missed...

Funny isn't it? Drove straight past K2 today! Stern in on the pontoon, my usual landmark of the tunnel light wasn't there, Had to embarrasingly back up to her..

Stern in of course, as the port side is now being written, but she's looking good, and Sheila has picked up some other work in the marina. She's caused a bit of a stir with the blue tent, and paint pots! Her work speaks for itself...

Have a look:

... And now the confession! Sheila finally spilled the beans today, that she was commisisoned by Ian and Sarah to paint K2 when she was born! So all the red / green and yellow painting is her handiwork! How fitting that she is now signwriting her as well.

Named Boat!

Finally took the plunge! Ever since I bought K2, I kept part of the money aside waiting to get her signwritten. It was planned to do that once the loan was paid off and she is totally mine - but as my Leasedrive shares were virtually worthless when I was made redundant, I can't wait any longer (and the money isn't attracting any interest in the bank these days!) - So a little tarpaulin tent was erected around the back cabin of K2, like this!!.....

And in all the sweltering heat, Sheila sat inside, patiently sweating out each letter, one by one. It's an amazing art - and fantastic to watch, needing patience, a steady hand and arm, and a keen eye - all qualities I don't have!

The neighbourlyness and community spirit of Brinklow came to the fore. As I couldn't get to K2 before today, not only did Richard and Audrone on Nb GleeMaiden provide cups of tea and coffee, but also allowed the pontoon to be completely blocked as Sheila worked away. Only hope that Neil and Ruth off Nb Nerus, who are behind me, or the owners of the new boat that snuck in behind Gleemaiden when we were all out, don't turn up - that could be interesting!! Here's Sheila at work with a sneak preview of a "work in progress". The picture below is a link to Sheilas' site- if you want to see more of her work or contact her.

A Blank Canvass

Every good artist starts with a blank canvass - here's mine! In the streaming sun, I "T cut" the red panels down

and shined up all the paintwork. A good deal of

the yellow, as well as the red oxide needs redoing, especially on the tug deck - but I've other plans at the moment.

Of blue skies and hail...

This particular cruising week started with a view out the back cabin doors like this! That should keep all the boaters at home, as unlike the hot sun - not even mad dogs and Englishmen would go out in that, Surely?

Thankfully, the sun worked very hard and eventually prevailed and the hotest bank holiday I can remember won through - with the resulting rush out of every marina in the land, and the North Oxford becoming the summer style thoroughfare that it is.

And so it was, that K2 joined the thronging masses, and queued up for the head South - well South East, towards Braunston. In this picture are 6 boats - and that doesn't include the 2 behind me. Of course it might have helped, if the hire boat in front, had remembered to throttle up after the moored boats! Maybe a sign is needed - "you can speed up now, thank you for driving slowly past our village"

However, we were in no hurry. A fact illustrated by the few hours on the mid-line just before Newbold tunnel. Drinking up the sunshine, drying the washing, and supping champagne with a strawberry following!!

In fact, that's where we should have stopped. Good company, a pub that was eager to serve us food - promising anything on or off the menu, sunny mooring, and a chilled out afternoon. But -

Chelsie wanted a play park, so that she and Hannah, her boat crew friend, could run off some energy, and they had their hearts set on going to the Bulls Head in Brinklow - knowing it to have an indoor, soft play area. So reluctantly we cast off and chugged towards Brinklow, where the afore said Bulls Head was found and food ordered.

It has to be said - the menu was hugely restricted - and the staff totally unwilling - or unable - to supply around the edges of the menu. So Fish, Chips and Peas - couldn't be "and beans", even though beans were elsewhere on the menu. Childs' omelette, couldn't become adults omelette - a fact that bothered me about the quality of the food. Surely if you are breaking one egg for an omelette, it isn't that much of a problem to break 2?

I'll let you decide on the food quality, by the left-overs here!!

That's my chicken curry, served in the dog bowl - It tasted of bits of chicken chopped into a curry sauce from the local chippy! And the historically "safe", Ham, eggs and chips, was .......

left for the dogs!!

Well congratulations to the Bulls Head, Brinklow - it was probably one of the most unpleasant gastronomic experiences I've ever had, and not even lifted by the attitude of the staff. We were just very pleased not to have dressed for dinner!!

Just to be clear...

...and to answer all those questions and emails - thank you !! - I love Coventry basin - it seems a waste only because no-one goes there. What would be great is a rally of some sort, it is pretty, lots of potential, but empty.

Oh probably working boats would fight for the dredging to get there - K2 did!!!

Sent to Coventry - but came back again!!

I like Coventry Basin. I was there a couple of years ago, and then considered it a waste of a basin, so I sent the boys trip to Coventry. Well, via the Greyhound at Hawkesbury (again). We had the choice of a run to Atherstone, or Coventry, and chose the later!!

It was a quick stop - long enough for a coffee and cake, then nosied back into the canal again.

The canal from bridge 5 down to the basin is very shallow, with black mud swirling under our counter all the way, and the engine fighting for every yard. On the way back Ivor set his satnav up, showing a grand 2 mph at 950rpm. The same engine on the North Oxford saw us running at an eye watering 4mph. Prooving K2 isn't the slowest boat on the cut, but also that she prefers clear water under her keel (if she had one!)

I love bridge 1 - There is enough air draft by 2mm, and plenty of evidence that some boats didn't quite make it!

So an uneventful trip back to Brinklow, passing the Ricoh arena; Tesco's; Chris and Yvonne on their lovely 70foot live aboard that they had built especially for them; a natter at Rose on the way through; and NB Clarence on their way out for a drink at the Greyhound, and in to an empty pontoon.

Gleemaiden left before us and has gone to Banbury, and Nerus left after us to head for Napton. So it was a quiet night, just like the old days, with just us! In fact we were the only pontoon to be totally empty for a night - good cruising guys us lot!!

We had a rush down to Southampton to see Suzi at University, and managed to sneak off K2 just before the rain started!!

My final picture is the inaugeral new lighting of the old oil lamp that I have spent 2 years cleaning!! Now installed in the saloon, it throws a lovely light, and plenty of warmth too, and looks fantastic.

It's hard work...

...this boat upkeep thing. Spent all day yesterday polishing up the three brass rings on each of K2's 3 chimneys. (well 2 chimneys and an exhaust!)









Here's the before and after shots of the exhaust stack...
Elbow grease, as my Mum used to say, and the effects are being felt today - still looks much better.

Finally finished polishing the vintage brass oil lamp as well. That's a milestone, as I bought the lamp way back before I got K2, and have only now finished it.

Now the question is - where to hang it?