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Jo's Place*~~~"Good friends are like stars ... you don't always see them, but you know they're always there." ~~~* January 09 Ice Cold In BanburyWednesday 7th January. Another bitterly cold night in Banbury, with temperatures dropping down to -8.4C, by the time we were up and about the temperature had risen to -1.4C, and we had a thin coating of snow on the towpath and boat. Thursday 8th January. Overnight temperatures dropped no lower that 0C, but the canal is still frozen as is the ground, so we are still not moving. Friday 9th January.  There is no change as far as the weather situation is concerned and we are still frozen in at Banbury. This weather is a good photographic opportunity though, as who knows when we will see this again. Not only that we may not be in Banbury at the time. So during the day I have been out with my camera taking a few snaps. As the years pass by, I will be able to date this photograph, not only by the frozen state of the canal but also by the Woolworths sign in the back ground. Another iconic store bites the dust. Since being in Banbury we have been surprised by the number of stores that has closed down. In the Castle Quay shopping centre alone, Woolworths has already shut down, Whittards and the Officers Club are having closing down sales, Passion for Perfume has gone, as has Hawkins Bazaar and there are a couple of other empty units. The town itself is littered with empty shops and I guess this is just the beginning. During the afternoon Paddy got to go out and play ball in the park. He always gets so excited when the ball comes out, because he knows it means playtime. When he has his ball, nothing else matters and he takes no notice of anything else going on around him, which was just as well today, because it was not long before we were joined by two other dogs, which came bounding across the park. Thankfully they were friendly enough, but their owner had very little control over either of them. Paddy on the other hand sat in front of me, just mesmerised by his ball and obeying everything I said until they left us a lone to play our game. After 15 minutes of constant ball chasing he was ready to admit defeat and headed back towards the boat, where once onboard he collapsed into a heap. A mist is now engulfing the cut and with it the temperature is beginning to drop once more, they are forecasting -5C tonight, but it is then supposed to warm up and give us some rain. So we shall see what the weekend has to offer in respect of us moving off from Banbury.Before I go for the weekend, i would like to say hello to Tony & Noeline Gill on N.B MaryRussell, who are ice locked in the centre of Skipton at the moment. We met briefly in Stone this summer at the Food and Drink Festival when they were moored behind us. Thank you for the e-mail and photographs. Stay safe and warm and maybe we will see you on the cut sometime. January 08 Age is catching up with me its official.Dear Friend.
It has been many years since we have had a cold spell like we are experiencing at the moment, with temperatures down to as low as -8.9C where we are. I am like a child when it comes to seeing snow, but as yet we have not had more than a sprinkling of the white stuff. I would love to see a couple of feet of snow outside of my door, but I think that is unlikely.
Today I realized that my age is catching up with me, after a visit to my opticians for a regular eye test. I was told by a very handsome gentleman that my eyes had deteriorated, meaning I would need to upgrade my glasses for reading. No one should ever neglect their eyes, but don’t you think like me that glasses are way to expensive. For the test a lone it cost me £22, but I know that some places charge up to £27, I then had to buy new specs, so I chose a cheap pair for £25. They are not the most stylish of specs, but they will do for me. At least I will be able to see the keyboard better now to type my posts, so there is a plus side to spending all that money. I can remember as a child that my eyes were always 100%, and yet my brother was the one who had to have glasses; they made him look like Joe 90. As they were black rimmed NHS glasses. Oh you don’t remember him I bet? He was the 1970’s TV character who became a World Intelligence Network’s top secret agent at the age of 9. It was first televised in 1968. The Optician told me, that with age our eyes do go down hill, and it was a sign that age was creeping upon me. At the time it did not sound so awful being told your getting old by a young handsome chap, but after I thought about it, I felt really ancient. Life must be on the downward spiral now and that is official. I wonder what I have left to look forward to ha ha ha.
Today good old M&S announced that they are closing some of their Simply Food stores, and two of their main stores, now that does not surprise me in the slightest as their food is a lot more expensive that most shops, even though they have some excellent food in store. As an ex M&S worker I know the pressure there is for the staff to sell, sell, sell, and in this economic climate it must be awful for the staff. I do feel for all of those who will lose their jobs. But at the end of the day if the store is not making the grade then there is no sense in keeping it open. I know the store I worked had for some years was ear marked at one time to be shut, if figures did not improve. The staff worked their socks off to keep that store going and as far as I am aware it is still open, serving the community. I do not miss working full stop, I am glad I got out when I did.
So another day draws to a close, and the temperature is dropping once more. So I will wrap up my posting to go and stoke the fire…… A real fire I am talking about. December 17 Another wonderful couple of days.Monday 15th December.
Bottom of Buckby Locks to the Top of the Buckby Locks, 1.4 miles and 7 locks.
A calm, almost warm morning, compared to what we have had lately. It was very damp under foot when I took Paddy for his morning walk, but was pleasant weather wise. We had not hurried to get up as we were only doing a shirt stint, so did not leave our mooring until 10.20am. It is so wonderful not to be in a hurry to get anywhere. As we approached the first of the locks next to Whilton Marina, it was clear to see there was plenty of water coming down, as the water was pouring over the top of the gates. I took a centre line from Hadar, wound it around one of the lock bollards and secured it, before walking up to empty the lock. Having got through the first couple of locks, I noticed a boat in front of us; it was N.B Shirley Ann who had passed us earlier on whilst we were having our breakfast. Graham very kindly waited for us at lock 3 and we proceeded to do the rest of the flight together, which helped Graham no end, because he was single handing. Once we reached the top of the flight, there was just enough room for us both to moor up and it was only 12.25pm, just in time for lunch. With lunch over, we then broke and chopped up the sticks we had collected along the way, which were lying on the roof. These sticks were then piled up underneath the back cabin stove to dry out. They make excellent kindling first thing in the morning. With Graham moored up behind us we got chatting about the usual boating topics and how wonderful this time of the year is for cruising. The next two things to get done were emptying the rubbish and a toilet cassette at the sanitary station by the top lock. British Waterways guys were busy preparing their work boats for the winter stoppages, the boats were laden down with metal safety fencing, a pair of lock gates, and lots of other necessary items to carry out work after Christmas. Their destination was the Braunston Locks and by the end of the afternoon they were underway heading for the tunnel. Paddy and Marmite took advantage of the dry afternoon, by sitting out on the back counter. Keith took Marmite off on her lead for a walk, at times it looked like she was taking him, as she kept changing direction, meowing continually so that everyone knew she was about. Our day ended with us closing the boat up against the cold evening, before we settled down to watch ‘Love Actually’ on DVD, I really love that movie.
Tuesday 16th December.
Brrrr a cold morning greeted Paddy and I as we stepped off of the boat. We walked up the Leicester Arm, where we saw the two trust Working Boats Nuneaton and Brighton moored up, but there was no one was onboard, so we kept walking until Paddy had done what he needed to do. Back on Hadar we had breakfast, before I made up the fires, fed Mog and Dog and then we prepared Hadar for leaving at 9.50am. We left our overnight mooring and the BW guys hard at work, Keith took Hadar through Braunston Tunnel, there was a boat ahead of us, which turned out to be the ex-challenger boat ‘Victorious’ with Mary and Jim onboard. We arrived at lock one with them and down at lock two, we saw Graham on N.B Shirley Ann, we had caught him up as well. Whilst Mary operated the first lock, I walked down and helped Graham by doing the gates for him so he could get back onto his boat to leave the lock. Keith and Jim had plenty to chat about with them both liking engines and railways. Jim helps out on a Steam Railway down in Kent, which must be great fun. Mary and I discuss Christmas and what are plans are, her plans are much more tiring as she is cooking for 17 on Boxing Day arghhhhhh. Thankfully those days are no more for us, we tend to take things a lot quieter these days, not only that we would never get that many onboard, what a great excuse we have. We worked the locks down to Lock 4 and the Admiral Nelson Pub, where we called it a day and moored up, leaving N.B’s ‘Victorious’ and Shirley Ann to travel down the remaining locks together. On the way down we had been shrouded in low cloud and drizzle, during lunch the sun came out for all of five minutes, but it did not stop us taking a walk up into Braunston to find the Londis store and Post Office, as we are waiting for our post to arrive from the boatyard. We walked up the hill into the village which is a really pretty village, with old and new houses, some built of honey coloured stone. The walk is definitely a workout, but you do have the downhill walk back to look forward to (load of laughs). We walked back through the village and down the path opposite Braunston Marina to see if there were any towpath moorings still available, which there were. So once back at the boat we spurred Hadar into life and left the mooring, descended the two remaining locks and moored up at Bridge 1, Butchers Bridge. We will stay for a few days whilst we wait for our post to arrive from Tina at the boat yard; she very kindly collects our mail and posts it on to us, where ever we may be. During the afternoon we put the TV on to see what sort of reception we were going to get, which was not that brilliant, but on Channel 4 we began to watch ‘A Place In The Sun’ because it was all about a lady from Yorkshire, with £150,000 budget, who wanted a Narrowboat that she could cruise the waterways of the UK. During the program she was shown 5 boats from different brokerages, the program also visited Braunston Marina, where she met a boat builder, who told her all about having her own boat built for around £88,000, a boat that she could move on to and cruise into the sunset on. What he did not tell her was she would need to find a mooring to put that boat on. The other boats she looked at all had moorings with them. In the end having considered everything, she decided that she would go to a boat builder and have a boat built. I wondered if she went with the builder from Braunston? Yet another program that told of the glamorous side of boating and did not explain the pitfalls, but what can we expect from the media? December 16 Christmas Music.Is it me or does Christmas music drive you totally crazy?
There is one piece of music for a supermarket which shall remain nameless, the music is on TV about 500 times a day and it is driving me nuts.
 It appears I am not the only person who hates it. Paul O'Grady detests the piece as well. I think supermarkets should be banned from using Christmas music on their adverts  . Infact why not ban all Christmas adverts?I am not anti Christmas, but with things being advertised so early, by the time Christmas comes you are totally fed up with the whole process. December 09 Owls hooting.I woke up early with the sound of owls hooting close to our boat. This time there seemed to be only two of them. One with a very loud perfect Hoot, the other was clearly struggling with the complexities of getting the technique of hooting correct, it sounded like it was being strangled, but it made me smile to myself as I lay there listening to its poor attempts. I dozed off aback to sleep only to be woken by Keith climbing over me to get to the toilet. Marmite let out a meowing yawn, announcing the fact that she was also now awake. Yesterday Keith and I had covered the inside of the pigeon box with plastic to keep out the cold and cut down the condensation, it had worked on both counts, so climbing out of a nice warm bed did not seem so bad this morning. We had been hit by another hard frost. Before we got up though we heard Mile go past on Working Boat Jubilee, he was off to deliver to his customers. Having got dressed and fed, Paddy got his walk up through the wood. I took a carrier bag with me, as I wanted to collect twigs for the back stove. Although they would be wet due to the frost, it did not matter as they would dry out under the back cabin stove and then make fantastic kindling for the fire in the mornings. I am always a little aware of the fact that some dog may have cocked its leg over the wood though so tend to be selective on the ones I pick up LOL. Back onboard Keith was preparing Hadar for the jaunt through Blisworth Tunnel; we would be mooring at Blisworth. As I donned by Donkey jacket and hat Keith asked “Do you want to take Hadar through the tunnel”. After a second of thought my reply was an excited “Yes”. I had only done one other tunnel and with Blisworth Tunnel being the third longest tunnel open to navigation at 3057 yds long, this would be quite a test of my concentration and handling of the boat. So Keith fired Hadar up, she stuttered into life and we slipped our mooring. I took over the steering, hoping beyond all hope that I did not cock this up. We entered into the darkness of Blisworth Tunnel having forgotten to put in my earplugs, but it did not seem to matter. I kept to the centre of the tunnel, watching the headlamps glow on the arch of the tunnels ceiling, I knew that if I kept in the centre of the arch I could not go wrong. It was pretty wet in the tunnel with water pouring down from the ventilation shafts. I made sure that the collar of my Donkey jacket was pulled up tight to stop any water going down my neck brrrrr. Keith stood on the gunwale, just in case I should need any assistance. We came out of the other end of the tunnel completely in tact; I had not touched the sides once and felt really proud of myself. I felt as if I had just done a tunnel cruising test and passed with flying colours. I know there are many women out there who hate going though tunnels and would never think of steering through one. I say to them go for it ladies, it is fantastic and nothing to be scared of whatsoever. I am now looking forward to do the other tunnels on the navigation. My philosophy is if you do not try, you will never know whether you can do something. I am lucky however because Keith is an excellent teacher and very patient. He said nothing throughout the tunnel trip; he just let me get on with the job in hand. I know that some husbands would probably have been a total nightmare throughout the whole thing, what with shouting instructions etc, which would make some a nervous wreck. So having done the tunnel we needed to find some where to moor up just past Blisworth Mill. We passed N.B Inchy who is clearly in the festive spirit, with a beautifully decorated boat. We reckon they are heading for the Stoke Bruerne Illuminated Boat Parade and Carols on the 13th December. It’s a shame we could not be there for that; it would be a fantastic event. Once we had tied up and had lunch we walked up into Blisworth, which is a picturesque village made up of a variety of houses dating back to the 17th and 18th Century, the majority of them built out of ironstone and freestone stone with thatched or slated roofs, like something off of a chocolate box or jigsaw puzzle. Blisworth Mill dominates the side of the canal. It was originally built as a Corn Mill in 1879 by Joseph Westley (Jnr). The mill was bought by the Grand Union Canal Company around 1930 it wanted to use it as a warehouse, to generate more jobs for the villagers. In the years of WWII the warehouse was put into good use storing many tons of tinned food rations. It was later used as a bonded store, where dry foods processed known as The Pepper & Spice Company, and then in 2000 it was converted to residential accommodation as 21 flats. But they kept its traditional look. The village has a real homely feel about it, even on an overcast, cold day. There is a small post office and store, which was closed today. It is a very pretty place and well worth stopping. If your in need of a drink of an evening there is the Royal Oak pub, which was once used as a jail and dates back some 400 years. I bet if that place could talk it would be able to tell some tales. Apparently there is still one of the original jail doors still used in the pub. Our day finished off with a quiet dinner, shower and a DVD in front of a nice cozy fire. Paddy hogged the whole of the saloon floor as he crashed out in front of the fire for the evening, whilst Marmite was undecided where she was going to curl up for the evening, so she kept walking to and fro from the back cabin. Every evening around 9.30pm Marmite thinks it is playtime and will always bring me a feather to throw for her, which of course I do for a short time. She then gets fed up and goes to bed, which by this time is our bedtime as well. December 07 A Chilly weekend.With us living and working our boat, the first question anyone ever asks us is " Aren't you cold in the winter". The answer to that is always "NO". Not only is our boat really well insulated, we have a hold full of coal to burn.
Yesterday questions ran to a new level, when a guy asked me whilst I was cleaning the brass, when was the next trip out on the boat. He assumed we were a trip boat.
. I just could not help it I had to giggle. Afterwards I put him right, by explaining that the boat is not a trip boat and it is infact our home. We carry cargo and not passengers. He seemed to go off a long the towpath quite happy, touvh if he was not, we are not allowed to carry paying passengers.It has been a really chilly weekend, the temperature went down to -3.5C last night, when I took the dog for a walk this morning it was still -2.5C. I love frostie mornings, because everything seems so fresh and new. The birds were singing and the sun was shining, it was really lovely.
Today we have been cleaning the saloon out. What with the cat and dog hairs it needed a good clean. There is always something to do on a boat.
Well what a weekend on the TV. Joe Swash won I'm a celebrity get me out of here, which I think was a forgone conclusion, he was great fun. I did love George Takai however. Then last night Diana Vickers went out of X-Factor which did not surprise me, I never did really get her voice. Maybe she should try again in a couple of years. My money is on Alexandra to win this year, she is a real talent.
So with another weekend done and dusted, we shall see what next week brings. December 05 Christmas is coming (Bahhhhh Humbug)I know there are thousands if not millions of people out there getting ready for Christmas and loving every minute of it, but for me it has lot all of its spark. The reason for that is that it starts to bloody early. The christmas cards were going into the shops at the end of August, by October the decorations were in the stores and the TV adverts for christmas had begun. Now pardon me for being stupid, but Christmas is on the 25th December. I have a therory that no advertising for Christmas should be done till the 1st of December. Nothing should appear in the shops until then either. With these times of little money, we should be showing restraint and not plugging Christmas all day everyday. I know I sound like the Grinch, but surely I am not the only one who feels like this?
I know that we will not be doing much for Christmas, we will be spending it on the boat with Mog and Dog. No doubt we will have a few treats, but we will not be going over the top. We do not bother with presents or cards, as we do not have the room for it.
So on that note as another Christmas adverts springs up on the TV. What are you doing this Christmas and do you feel like me? Jack FrostJack Frost had come calling again over night, he had left a blanket of frost on every surface open to the elements, which made things under foot a little slippery when I took our dog for his morning walk. With the sun coming up and heating the surface of the canal, it was covered in a light mist lifting into the air, so very magical. Having done the stoves, breakfast and preparations for the off, I went ahead and set the first of the 7 locks we would do today. As I emptied the lock which was almost empty anyway, I could see a boat coming down in the lock above, so was aware that we would leave the lock for them. They on the other hand despite seeing us, were going to shut the gate behind them, so I had to shout up to the gentleman closing the gate to “Please don’t shut the gate”. I wasn’t actually sure if he heard me, what with engine noise and the sound of the water gushing into the lock, but the steerer of the boat turned around and shouted the message on to him, and he did leave the gate open for us. We passed each other in the pound exchanging pleasantries, before going on our way. The pound above Lock 19 was very low and that was before I had even opened the paddles, so with Hubby securely in the lock, I opened the paddles and then walked to locks 18 to 16 to let some water down. Hubby managed to wriggle our boat out of Lock 19 and into Lock 18. The pound above lock 16 is a long pound so it could handle being drained a little, in order for us to proceed up through the flight. We were going to moor above lock 16 but it was then a little shallow, and if other boats were going to come up having the same problems as us, they would drain the pound further, meaning we would then be on the bottom, so we proceeded up through locks 15 and 14. As I was working the paddles to the top lock, I noticed N.B Adrastea moored up alongside Working Boat Jubilee. John shouted across a good morning. Whilst I closed the lock gates behind the boat, hubby moved her on to find a mooring above Stoke Bruerne Museum. Having moored up, Hubby delved into the weed hatch as he suspected that there was something around the propeller, becauseour boat had been struggling to respond when coming up through the last couple of locks. This time of the year is not the best time to have you arms in the water, as it is so cold, but needs must. It turned out that we had a piece of a boat canopy tangled around the propeller blades. I decided to sweep out the engine room and brush the mats before making us some toasted muffins for lunch. December 04 A day in the life of a boatwoman.My morning always begins pretty much the same. I wake up alongside hubby with cold feet. I have the cold feet not him. We then either have a cuppa in bed or get up, a lot depends on the time. Once up, the bed gets rolled up into the cupboard and I shut the door on the duvet. That is always great because the bed never really needs making. First thing to do after dressing and hiding the bedding is to walk the dog, who by 9am is usually crossing his legs. He sits by the back doors, with a look of come one mum I need a wee. This morning was a wet and windy affair, so we did not hang around. Once back onboard, breakfast was prepared by hubby and the cat and dog got fed as well. I then had the fires to sort out as always. They both needed their ash pans emptied and the fires stoking to give them some life, after that it is a matter of topping them up with coal and shutting them down again for the day. We had a blustery night so had thought we would not bother moving, but as the weather improved, we untied and slipped our mooring to make for pastures new. I had no coal deliveries to make today, which was a little surprising considering the weather, but you cannot win them all. It has given my sciatica a chance to settle down a bit.
The one thing I love about being a boatwoman, is getting to take over the tiller. It is very empowering to have hold of the tiller to a 70ft boat. Hubby is happy for me to take charge every now and again, especially if he needs the loo.
 Our day ended at 12.35pm when we moored up for lunch, which was the end of a stew which had lasted for 2 days. I am good at making things last. Having had lunch, I then had the bed to strip, as the sheets etc needed washing. it also gave me the chance to air the matteress. Then the shower room needed cleaning. Oh the life of a boatwoman is exciting
. But all these jobs still need to be done.So tonight we will sit down to watch "I'm a celebrity" and hope that David Van day finally goes. I can honestly say I detest that man. he is a poor excuse for a man, but that is just my opinion. I think the voting public need to wake up and smell the roses. This is not a game, and yet he is playing the biggest game ever. This program is supposed to show the celebs out of their comfort zone. He is a pillock and I shall be hoping he goes tonight.
So on that note I am going now to have a nice hot cup of coffee. November 21 Time for a cleanToday is not the kind of day that you can get any boat work done outside, as it is drizzling here and further heavy rain is expected, so it is a day for inside jobs.
One of the jobs that needs doing is the cleaning of the Ribbon and Lace Plates, as they get very dusty with the dust from the boatman's cabin stove. For now I will give them a dust as we have the stove going, but come Spring when the stove may well go out, I will need to take the ribbons off the plates and give them all a good wash before rehanging them. From the photograph they do not look dusty at all, just as well you cannot see close up LOL.
 My husband has been collecting Ribbon and Lace Plates for many, many years and they have a really long history. He has always said he had the best dressed boatman's cabin in his house, as he was waiting for the cabin to put them in, he now has that cabin and he is still collecting plates. If you want to read the history of the Ribbon and Lace Plate why not go to Lockside Antiques where you can read all about the fascinating history of these pretty plates.
 These days many people do not really know anything about the history of these plates unless you have a boat or are interested in porcelain plates. If you want something special, that has age and real history to it you do need to go to antique shops, such as Lockside Antiques where they have some beautiful plates and other back cabin pieces in stock or go to antique fairs and boat shows. I know that Lockside Antiques go to boat shows around the country.
 Without some of the old traditions being kept alive, this country would have no history and that would be a real shame. I really love Ribbon and Lace plates they give an insight into the hostory of this country and its traditions. Well it is time to go and do some back cabin tidying. I may well pop back later if I have time. have a lovely day what ever you are doing, stay safe out there. November 17 Another Weekend It's yet another weekend, and Christmas is coming, you have another 37 sleeps till the big day and if you do not believe me check out Santa's Official Countdown. This morning we had to trek to Morrisons for food shopping after taking the dog for his morning walk. Stone has begun putting up their Christmas lights and Christmas trees at each shop throughout the town. So am I supposed to get into the Christmas spirit already, geesh it's a little early for me at the moment. But everywhere you look there is festive food, decorations, trees etc. At least on the canal we get to forget about the festive time if we like, it is not constantly in our faces. I remember when working for M&S around this time of year is a nightmare, it is all christmas now and the sotre will be full of festive things including the festive music arghhhhhhhh. By the time Christmas was here I was totally fed up with the whole thing. On saying that though I did buy a turkey joint for the day and put that in the freezer, as I know the prices will go up towards the big day, not to mention the fact that it will be total chaos to go shopping. Lets get off the Christmas subject before i get depressed.
Still on the entertainment front. What is going on with Amy Winehouse? Friends paid good money and went to see her at Birmingham and left like many others furious. Amy was first of all late getting on stage, when she did take to the stage she was wobbing around as if drunk. She slurred her words to her songs and was rude to the audience, with that my friends left. They are now looking to get their money back like many other people who paid to see her in concert. Someone on the news called it a car crash. Lets hope this car crash does not end in her early death. Amy Winehouse seems to be spiralling down an ever steeper slope, and surely those around her must see it will all end in disaster. I read a few months ago that her family asked that the public should stop buying her music, so she would be forced to get help. I cannot help but agree with them. If people continue to buy her music they are just fueling her addictions, so she will never get out of this hole she has dug herself into. I really believe those around her should be forcing her to seek help before it is to late. Lets not see another talent perish early. As you may have read yesterday I was not feeling so great, I am still not that brilliant although not quite as rough as yet. As many other women out there will know being Menopausal is not wonderful and everything I am going through at the moment is connected to that joy. I have an awful feeling I have another breast infection grrrrrrrrr, my last one was way back in June. So I am off to the GP's Tuesday. I can cope with most pains, but this is driving me up the wall. I am taking Ibueprofen and Paracetamol together as told too, but it only just takes the edge of the pain. I can take pain having given birth a number of times this should be nothing hahahaha, so it has to be bad for me to take pain killers. Anyway I will not be doing much today, the washing is done, and the fires are stoked. Have a good weekend, who knows I may have to post again later. November 15 Believe.I was sent this by a friend, and thought I would share it with you all. October 31 Awww they look so cute.There are always things in our lives that make us go awwww, and this morning I had one of those moments. I walked into the Saloon on the boat and there was Paddy and Marmite curled up together. It is the first time we have seen them this close and it is lovely. They have been sleeping in the saloon for the past 3 nights together, so it would not surprise me if they have not been curled up together. We are so pleased they are getting on so well. Paddy we know was bought up with kittens and cats, but you never know until you put them together. Thankfully it works well.  I am not sure how long Paddy will put up with her sharing his bed, we are lucky that he is such a placid boy and seems to love everything and everyone. It is wonderful to think they will grow up together.
 As you know from previous posts of mine, I like to go walking and I try to photograph different things. Autumn time gives us mushrooms and fungi. Now I am not brave enough to eat any of the mushrooms I see in the wild as you do need to know what you are doing and should go on a fungi and mushroom ciourse to make sure you know which ones are edible, but they are lovely to look at. We have a book about them, but many of them look the same and some you can eat, but many are not good for you. I will stick to photographing them until I know more.
 T and I took Max and Tilly for a run in the woods, they both love running up hill and down dale. The spooky thing was the back ground nose. T and I could hear in the distance a pack of what sounded like hounds. It was all very spooky especially when the nose stopped dead, then a couple of minutes later started again. My explanation was someone out training their hounds, but who knows with halloween happening LOL.
 I know I harp on about the autumn colours, but aren't they just fantastic. It is a shame Max and Tilly do not realise how wonderful the colours are, alls they are intersted in was running through puddles, and having their noses to the ground hahaha.
 I can never tire of the scenery or the sound of the birds. It is a shame that others do not feel the same about our countryside. On a previous evening joy riders had dumped a car and set fire to it. They are what I call mindless idiots, who have no thought for the damage they can cause. Luckily the only only vegitation to catch fire was by the car. I really cannot see the sense in this sort of behaviour. With living on the boat, we see many things dumped in the canal. Car wheels tires, shopping trolleys, half a coffin, rubbish of every discription and why do they do it???Not only is it an eye sore, it also polutes the enviroment, so STOP dumping stuff.  October 30 A Beautiful DayAnother Monday, and the weather this morning was fantastic. Autumn is certainly giving us a fantastic show with its colourful leaves on the trees. The sun was out and Paddy enjoyed his morning walk. We had to move our boat out of the yard so a boat on the shore could go back into the water. Which is not a problem we are used to poling her over to the towpath and back again. I also had some shopping to do, so headed down the town for some retail therapy. On returning to the boat a friend asked if I wanted to go with her and her dogs to Swynnerton woods. I never need to be asked twice as I love walking and at this time of year it is truly beautiful.  On driving to the woods, there are some road works going on and I could not resist taking a photo of this sign. I have never seen one with this wording before, but it is very apt as the traffic always seems to be going way to fast. I wonder who came up with this wording hahahaha.
 Walking through the woods at Swynnerton, is always peaceful. Today we were lucky to see a lesser spotted woodpecker clinging to a tree. He looked fantastic with his plummage, and did not seem bothered that we were walking past. With the sun shining through the trees it was giving an excellent glow through the trees. we all take it for granted the beauty our countryside has.
 On walking back to the the clouds were turning dark and yet the sun was still shining. I think this is such a moody picture, but very beautiful.
It has been a good day, lets hope tomorrow is just as good. October 28 A Wet Start. Looking out through the cabin doors this morning and it does not look favourable. Early hours I was woken up by rain thudding on the cabin roof, it looks like the weather people have for once got it right as they said rain today ewwwwww. Now did you remember to put your clock back? We did ours before bed last night, geesh it was horrible waking up this morning to darkness, and not really knowing what the time was. Marmite was our alarm clock with this pitiful meow at the door. I looked at the clock and it said 7am, but of course to her stomach it was 8am and breakfast time LOL. So to silence the meows we let her through to the back cabin and on to the bed. This was of course to her delight as she found hubby's toes to play with. But not to be out done Paddy then jumped on the bed as well and plonked himself in the middle to make sure he got maximum attention, what he did not bargin for was Marmite playing with his tail. Now we do not normally allow animals on the bed. When we lived in the house there was no way the cat would be alloowed in the bedroom or on the bed, but living on a boat is a little different due to the open plan and space. So it looks like this may become a weekend thing. I certainly could not have them sleeping on the bed at night, none of us would sleep, especially with Paddy on the bed as he is such a fidget. Having decided we should get up, I got into my wet gear ready for the morning walk. hat on my head and Paddy's lead in my hand I climbed out of the cabin into a really heavy downpour. Poor Paddy looked totally depressed at the thought of having to do his business in the pouring rain, but a dog has to do what a dog has to do, but today he did not hang around for to long, so it was a quickie. Thankfully hubby had breakfast on the go when we got back, and I could get out of my wet gear. Already this morning I have made a chicken casserole which will have dumplings added later for a warming dinner. For lunch I have made watercress soup, and later I may even do some baking. Are you drolling yet????? I do not know about you but TV last night was not the best. What ever happened to having the good films on Saturday Nights? We did watch the latest round of the X Factor and it was good to see Sharon Osbourne back. I think she is a gutsy woman and I am looking forward to reading her new book Survivor My Story - the Next Chapter. Now that winter is drawing ever closer and we cannot sit out of an evening the TV is a godsend. I can remember last years X Factor and I have to say that the talent is not as good as last years. To go last night it was DANIEL who sang Build Me Up Buttercup . it was not the best song for him and Louie I think realised that. But I was surprised he went I really thought EMILY may have been in the bottom two with ALISHA as neither were that good. Just goes to show how odd the voting is LOL. The performances of the evening were from NIKI who sang the theme from Titainic. RHYDIAN who I firstly thought to be arrogant gave a magnificent performance from the Phantom of the Opera and BEVERLY also gave fantastic performances. The most annoying performance of the evening came from SAME DIFFERENCE brother and sister, they have become so annoying it is almost as if they are clock work toys, wind them up and let them go. That is just my personal opinion. I am sure as kids they wuld be at Butlins doing the competitions. No one can be that smiley all the time. I really hope they come back down to earth soon otherwise I cannot see them lasting. I never thought I could possibly be an avid X Factor watcher, but it is compelling on a dark evening. It was brilliant to see Celine Dion back in this country, and performing on X Factor she as always sounds fantastic. There was also an Audience with Al Murray on, he certainly brightened the evening. I find him very funny, but he does get very close to the mark with some of his comments. I am not sure constantly talking about the war is the way to go though. He is good enough without having to rely on his old gags. Finally for me it was Parkinson and one of his guests was Bobby Charlton, who spoke about the Munich air disaster when in 1958, Seven Manchester United footballers are among 21 dead after an air crash in Munich. he walked away from it with just a scratch. It was clear to see it still plays on his mind. he has a new book coming out about his life, which I can imagine will be a great read for anyone football mad. Maybe one for the Christmas stocking..... OMG I mentioned the C word SORRY..... So that was my Saturday night TV, and it is now Sunday morning and with no sign of the rain going away at the moment, we will stay inside and surf the net I reckon for a bit, so I am off now, have a fabulous day and I maybe back later.................
October 27 National Bird Feeding Day.
With the onset of Autumn and Winter, I see living on the canal a wide variety of birds Robins, Sparrows, Buzzards, Jays, Magpies etc. Did you know today the 27th October is National Bird Feeding Day. The RSPB is holding events all over the country, giving information and practical advice on what to feed our wild birds over the winter time. It does not take much to set up a place to feed the birds. One of the most important things birds need during the winter time is water, so you can put out a tray of water, making sure when it is frozen you replace the water. Everyone can buy peanuts and seeds from local pet stores, markets or supermarkets and these will all help our birds get through what can be a tough time for our feathered friends.
October 18 Pea Souper.<
 Lime Kiln Lock in the fog.
Opening the side doors this morning, it was certainly cold. The weather people reported a heavy frost over night and fog in places. I reckon we got away with the frost, but we sure had the fog. It was like pea soup. But on saying that it does have a beauty all of its own. I know it is not nice for anyone having to drive in the fog and care should be taken if you are behind the wheel, but on a boat we get to see the fog in its true glory as it rolls down the canal, on a journey of its own. I had to take my camera with me when taking Paddy for his morning walk, as I knew there would be opportunities to take some photographs. Lime Kiln Lock could just be seen in the fog, although the sun was desperately trying to break through. It actually makes for a ghostly image.
 Trent and Mersey Canal hidden in the fog.
Paddy certainly was not bothered by the fog. He always has his nose to the ground, usually looking for any dropped bread, which is thrown to the ducks every morning by a couple of ladies who work on the estate. Even in the fog he can find it LOL. Because the weather has changed and will be cold for at least the next few days, we have the saloon stove lit once more. It is lovely coming into a warm boat, my nose is now glowing LOL. I am however finding that now I am menopausal the night times can get to warm and I am pushing the quilt off one minute and then huddling under it the next. There is no happy medium it seems. Oh the joys of being a woman I guess. I can just about cope with the night sweats, but what I do hate is the interrupted sleep, because once I am woken up, it takes me ages to get back to sleep. Unlike hubby who is sleeping peacefully beside me, lucky devil LOL. An update on Marmite our new kitten. I went out yesterday and bought her a a proper bed, as she had been sleeping on a cushion with a fleece on top. I can now have my cushion back and the fleece has been cut up to make blankets for her bed (sorry hubby). Marmite's new bed.
Marmite seems to love her new bed, unfortunately so does Paddy and the funniest sight was Paddy trying to get in her tiny bed. I think he has had his noce put out of joint. He cannot understand why Marmite gets to lay on the furniture, and he is not allowed. He does not understand why she gets to sit on our laps of an evening and she is not allowed. Poor boy is so confused, this morning he was trying to get her to play with him and his hide bone, by throwing it at her. it is more likely to knock Marmite out hahahaha. Well I think it is time I did some boat work. I already have a beef and ale casserole cooking on top of the saloon stove. That is the joy of having a fire going, it also serves to do our cooking as well. I bet you wish you could smell it hahahaha. Anyway off I go for another day of fun.... Take care no matter what your doing. DIV>
October 14 Sunday and all is well
Well it is Sunday and I would love to say the sun is out, but it's not grrrrrrrr. I look out of the porthole window and it is damp and drizzling, geesh this is Autumn.
So what can I natter about today before I go and do some cooking. Yes today is bake day and I am going to have a bash at a Lemon Drizzle cake. So wish me luck.....
But before I go I meant to tell you about Monday night. We were invited to a 50th Birthday come retirement bash for a boater friend of ours. I** has just retired from the police and yes he has reached the big 50, which is drawing ever closer for me too.
I** had invited over 250 guests and there was to be a Hog Roast available for food, plus a live band, who he knows. The live bad was The New Amen Corner.
So did anyone watch either the football or Rugby World Cup? I sat and watched both and was so proud to be British. Our lads did us proud. Ok so the football game against Estonia was not the greatest game I have watched, but then again neither was Estonia. I do think that to get the best out of our team they need good opposition. However the Rugby team played some fantastic rugby and yes Jonny did miss a few kicks but he came good when England needed him most. Sorry to the French but we were the better side and we were more passionate. I think the French left their passion in the dressing room.
Ok so thats enough of me I am off to get some boat work done and the baking. If the cake comes out ok I may just post a photo hehehehe. October 12 Woooo Hoooo Its Friday
Isn't it amazing how quickly this year has flown by. It will soon be C yes you know what I mean, you know the day when santa comes down the chimney if you have one. Halloween is not here yet, or Bonfire Night and yet C is already filling the shops grrrrrrrrrr.
This morning was so dull, geesh it is awful to think that soon come 3.30pm it will be dark soon, waking up this morning and it was so miserable, gives me the winter blues and it is not even winter yet. LOL.
Did anyone watch the Secret Diary of a Call Girl again last night?
I am addicted. Billie Piper is fantastic in the role of Belle. I think it was a brave decision to take it on. But hey Billie gets to wear some fantastic outfits. A friend has recently bought the book and says it is fantastic, she is learning a lot LOL. Maybe I will give it a read hehehehe. we all need an little bit of escapism in our lives. I am enjoying reading the blog diary Belle de Jour.
Marmite is doing well as this cheeky photo below shows. I took her to the vets this morning, as she had arrived with us on Sunday and had bought some little visitors with her...... Yes you guessed it Fleas. Well she had come from a farm, so what can you expect. Anyway the vet gave me some flea drops for her and now hopefully she can stop scratching. The first I saw of the little devils was one crawling down her nose ewwww. The vet did not however do her vaccinations, as for some reason Marmite has a shiver when she is standing and the vet wants to see if that settles. I think it was because she was stressed out, but we shall see. I take her back in 2 weeks time. Whilst we were there I got the vet to weigh her and she only weighs 0.8kg awwww so tiny. She is a real character, even Paddy is getting on well with her. If I can manage it I will get a photo of them together.
 I am unsure what our plans are for this weekend, probably based around the boat. I know I have the boring job of food shopping tomorrow morning arghhhhhhh. Wouldn't it be nice if we did not have to eat at all, just take a food pill LOL. Some days it gets very difficult to know what to eat. Although today it will probably be toad in the hole....... So I am off now to get some boat work done, if the animals will allow me too hahahaha. Have a fun day. Autumn in full swing.No one can fail to notice that Autumn is here, and although some of the trees are still very green, it is getting darker early and darker when we wake up on the boat. This morning when we got up it was clear to see that over night it had been foggy, and the mist was still lying around when I took Paddy for his morning stroll. After all a dog has to do what a dog has to do.  The mist lay longer in some places, even though the sun was trying it's hardest to burn it off.
 But nothing stops boating and at this time in the morning it is good to get an early start. I always think early start, early finish. Then you have the rest of the day to enjoy what ever you wish to do.
 Even Paddy enjoyed his walk this morning, and although it had been foggy over night, it was really quite warm when out for a walk. I was in a t-shirt with a waistcoat over the top, no long sleeves. Mister Spider making his home in a bush at the yard. How wonderful it is to see something so beautiful. Sorry for that if you hate spiders. But I find them so interesting and the webs they build.It has been a wonderful day, I have walked in the woods as well as along the towpath, and seen some wonderful countryside. Now it is time to do the animals dinner, so I will be back tomorrow.
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Now I have never been to aprty where there has been a live band, so did not know what to expect, so I was totally blown away by 
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