40c cooler!

Four months ago when we moored along this stretch of the Grand Union/Oxford Canal, on the Northamptonshire/Warwickshire border, we were suffering with temperatures in the high 30s, it’s been about 40c cooler the last couple of weeks. The lowest we’ve seen the thermometer this week is -8c.

We knew the cold spell was coming, so we stocked up with diesel & coal when fuel boat came by. In addition, we did a big shop, so the cupboards were well stocked, filled the water tank & headed to a nice quiet spot. We have been completely iced in, with no hope of moving for almost 2 weeks. We have been iced in several times before, but this is the thickest ice we’ve experienced. It was our 7^th anniversary of living aboard this week.

 

 

 

There have seen numerous amazing sunrises and sunsets. This is a very dark spot with no big light pollution, so the stars are amazing.

Our bird feeder has been very popular with all the usual blue, great & long-tailed tits and the greedy robin. However, a pair of greater spotted woodpeckers have come every day, I’ve spent far too long gazing out of the window watching for them to return.

We had an unusual visitor on the ice, a sparrowhawk. We had disturbed him earlier in the week as it was tucking into a bird in the hedgerow.

It’s a couple of miles walk into Braunston. The bridge to the marina there is decorated with father Christmas’.

The village letter box has a lovely crocheted nativity scene topper.

We picked lots of sloes from along the towpath. The best time to pick them is after a frost & these defiantly fit the bill. We’re making sloe gin surprise, as in we’d already drank it. So it’s sloe vodka instead, which won’t be ready for Christmas, more like Easter.

I picked up lots of frozen windfall apples, which stew very well.

I have made all my usual Christmas goodies, pud, cake & mince pies.

We visited Whelton Garden Center, where John fell in love with Frankie, a cockatoo. When John & I started dating, he was looking after a cockatoo. I’d seen John tickle his head, so I tried & it bit my thumb & wouldn’t let go!!!

We’ve had some new tilting solar panels and batteries fitted. They pick up low light and actually recorded a few amps (not enough to charge the batteries) when there was a full moon. We certainly are seeing a difference and don’t have to run the engine anywhere near as much to charge the batteries.

November!

I’m getting very lazy when it comes to doing blog posts, not sure why!

Maybe it’s knitting that’s getting in the way of blogging. I’ve made hats and blankets for Ada’s friend’s twin boys and Dale’s brother’s new baby boy. I have made my scrappy sock wool blanket a bit bigger too. Plus, some woolly hats for our Jubilee Fibres stock.

 

I went to Chorley a few weeks back to see Heather & the children. We had a super time at ‘Chorley Live’ a weekend long street music festival. We were rather keen & watched a stage being set up and chatted to the police. 

We got rather wet Friday evening. Lance loved watching the rain going down the drain hole & Nikita caught a handful of hailstones.

The kids dragged me into a shop I’ve walked past many times.

We had lunch & some of our sweeties at one of my favourite pubs, The Bob Inn in Chorley Market. The market is midway through a face lift since we left the north-west.

There was a birthday party underway on the boat when I got back to Hemel Hempstead. It was Alice’s birthday the following day.

We’ve had a great time travelling along the Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire stretch of the Grand Union Canal. We have passed this piece of graffiti many times, seeing it as saying ‘wonky’ on the wall. Edmund & Ella were staying for a few days & snapped this photo of what the reflection says, while sitting at the bow.

Poor things had to do a 5-hour seminar while they were with us. Ella got a bit of knitting done during it!

Once up the locks into Berkhamsted, we did some gongoozling at the Rising Sun.

 

 

 

These chaps were doing a cull of the non-native Zander fish. We guess their device stunned all the fish for a moment. They caught them in a net & popped back the OK ones.

 

After all the dry weather, we’re thankful for all the rain. This stretch of towpath drains quite fast & the puddles are gone in no time. We caught the bus to get our covid boosters on a VERY rainy day. Luckily we were early, so sheltered at the bus stop until it stopped. As soon as we left the centre, the sun came out & we were roasting in our waterproof trousers.

A rather large willow branch landed on our roof one wet & windy night. Luckily, no damage. A fellow boater got to try out his brand-new chain saw the next morning.

We travelled though Tring cutting on a misty morning.

This cheeky robin had obviously heard the news about the lockdown for birds & wanted to move in with us!!

Most of the herons must be used to people as they let you walk past without flying away. Whereas the little hedgehog we met hid his face in the grass!!

  

John’s wine is clearing well.

M25 as Neighbour

We are moored right near the M25 where is goes over a huge viaduct across the Gade Valley. We’re a short walk from my sister Louise & brother-in-law Paul.

The sun rises over the motorway are beautiful, considering. However, when the sun is at a certain height the rush hour lorries give a flashing strobe effect in the boat!!

We had a super family gathering last Saturday at Louise’s. My cousin Jen (our little bridesmaid, 40+ years ago), her hubby & two teenagers are over from Australia for a couple of weeks. Gosh, those boys have grown since I last saw them in 2019!

Jen’s staying with her dad, my uncle Norman.

My sister Samantha & Paul flew down from Dundee.

Jen, her boys & uncle Norman haven't seen our boat. They all enjoyed the cruise and doing a few locks.

 

 Most of us had to walk, as there were far too many of us to cruise together.

While we were in Linslade we were surrounded by Jules Fuels boats. Perfect to fill up with diesel & a few bags of coal. At this time of year it’s chilly first thing, so I’ve given the fire a blast a few mornings.

The River Ouzel meadow/flood plain in Leighton Buzzard is used to graze cattle. The farmer doesn’t pick up after them though!! There was a thick hedge between the meadow & the towpath, which meant the cows often startled me by making noises on the other side!!

Ed popped to up for a day & fed the neighbours!!

There’s a new yarn shop in Leighton Buzzard, ‘Woolly Knits Shop’. It’d be rude not to pop in. I went to a couple of their weekly knit & natter sessions. It’s thirsty work buying yarn!!!

 

We didn’t go into London at all following the death of our beloved Queen. I watched most of her journey through Scotland, as she was going past the end of Samantha & Paul’s road, they went to watch her go by. I spotted a couple of people I knew on the live feed of mourners past her coffin in Westminster Hall. I was glued to the tablet while we were moored in Berkhamsted for her funeral, such an emotional day.

During the week of mourning, we saw these cans of beer & just have to drink them on the evening of Her Majesty’s funeral.

There was an amazing sunset the evening of the funeral, which is shown better in the reflection in the photos.

We need to stop off at Winkwell to pick some walnuts on our way back up the Grand Union Canal. These shells were really hard & difficult to crack, but the nuts were still too soft & bitter. So, off to the pub for a pint to clear my pallet!!

 

 

 

 

On our southward journey, we paused at Boxmoor Lock to let a pair of historic boats overtake us. Motorboat Nuneaton & unpowered butty Brighton were on their way to the River Thames on a coal run. They had a pair of lock wheelers, cycling ahead to prepare the locks for speed.

  John’s aunt used to work at the Kodak skyscraper building in Hemel Hempstead. The block has now been converted into flats.

We were lucky to find a spot at Sainsbury’s mooring in Apsley. We needed to stock up for all the visitors. There are boaters bins in Apsley. We were disgusted to see lots of bags of quite obviously boaters rubbish in the bushes at the shop mooring. There was too much for us to clear, as we needed to continue our journey. We frequently do big litter picks at places like this.

August bank holiday weekend seems such a long time ago. The sun shone and we had a super weekend at our first floating market organised by the Roving Canal Traders Association.

Heather & family popped in as they were down from the north-west visiting family. Lance wanted to buy some orange pom-poms from our Jubilee Fibres shop, absolutely not. So he settled down on the towpath and made his own.

We picked lots of huge damsons, which are now jam.