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.