Wednesday 21 September 2016

Home James, Home.


Now for the Boaters among you, what do you perceive is the etiquette in arriving at a flight of several locks, mooring up on the water points, emptying the elsan, rubbish filling with water and then expecting to keep your place in the queue whilst other boats are arriving?
This happened here with the first boat that morning arriving and doing all the above and then them having faces as long as yer door and muttering about how there was no one here when they arrived and now 4 boats were in front of them.  

Now here Reader I confess to smirking.  I hold the view that you are either servicing the boat or queuing....  I as the crew jump off and take rubbish with me but not stopping WaL. 
What say you?



The iconic Gailey tower.

Now here is a view I have never seen before, the moorings at Gailey empty.

Wind machines going in here.  I hold mixed feelings about these.

Charming single bridge over this lock.

Debby any ideas on this very lovely Pretty?

My garden doesn't look this nice.

Are there two boats of this name?  (You have to say it out loud)


A disappointing stop in Penkridge this time.  We really wanted to try out The Boat Inn, as on the way through we discovered too late that it had been taken over, so this time we were properly hungry.  Kitchen closed tonight!  So on we walked past The Star where we had not enjoyed a very average meal to The Littleton Arms HERE, so as we had time to kill until they started to serve dinner, we sat in the hot sun, in their garden terrace watching the people and very very much enjoying triple cooked chips.  We had supper too but frankly I can only remember the chips.  David has read this and says that the Littleton Arms has suffered a disservice at my pen, he says it was a lovely afternoon, we shared whitebait and those chips as a starter, then had a butternut curry which he reminded me was delicious.  So at his behest I have now added in these details.

The next day a sunny flit down to Tixal Wide.


The steps are a struggle to even a vertically challenged man.  This means I actually did the driving here.




Not far from Great Hayward were these two.  NB Brighton and Nuneaton, they were on their way somewhere to pick up a load of something.... I would tell you more but I couldn't hear what the man said, bit of a grumpy face too.  Why do these vintage boats like mooring on bridge holes?  Two years ago when we were the on the South Oxford, we had just moored up and sat down when these two came past and pulled out both of our pins....  mutterings under his breath from David.


Lovely sight.  








Finally arrived here.  We have always passed through Tixall Wide never stopping.  David wanted to moor up before but I wanted to get here and so glad I did as it was lovely and quiet.


Next morning we pottered off and saw that although there was plenty of space when we arrived in the afternoon, there weren't any spaces left.  The water was like a mill pond.

Below you can see Tixall Gatehouse  HERE  and here you can book it!!




Tixall Gatehouse, much photographed.




I did the lock here at Great Haywood and I was getting into the swing of it too after the entire summer.  Just in time to put the boat to bed for the year, hahahaha


Grey sky but the sun shines on Shrugborough Hall

Shrugborough Hall and moreover the National Trust have not endeared themselves to the locals here by effectively closing down the football club.  HERE.  
Its a tough one but the estate they say is losing £1 million a year.  Can't see how closing the only local football pitch is going to save much money and farming is certainly not going to stem that financial flow... a great pity really.




I think this is the pitch under threat.  Nicely kept too.

All of a sudden here was someone we knew, Sharon and Richard form NB Oakapple, but as there were boats coming just a waved greeting.  See you both for longer next time.


The lovely NB Oakapple.


Playing chicken in Plum Pudding Cutting!!  David didn't win and reversed.






Our mooring tonight just five mins from Kings Bromley Marina

So WaL goes into the marina here for the next three weeks whilst our presence is needed at home.  When we return and move WaL back to Debdale, she will need washing, polishing and dusting.
I have convinced David that Lincoln is nearer to Debdale than home so we should pop north on our way south.
I am very excited as I LOVED Lincoln almost as much as I loved Chester.  

9 comments:

  1. Hi Lisa!
    Purple loosetrife, love it
    Debby

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    Replies
    1. Yes it is very lovely. Does it grow on the chalk?
      Thank you
      Lisa

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    2. It's a marginal, ie it likes a bit of damp. Don't know about chalk. It tries to grow into our lawn (clay) away from the pond but as Dave mows the tops off I don't know how well it would do there!

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  2. Might see you around if you are coming back to our neck of the woods.

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    Replies
    1. Yes Naughty-Cal, its a plan but like most of ours, is not set in stone, but yes.

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  3. Well...... I added water rather than watering up when I was in a similar queue at Gailey a year or so back.... I did it to prove men can do two things at the same time and passed the time while waiting in line of course ;-)

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    Replies
    1. Haha Nev,
      Well done on that multi-tasking, David says he can...... Actually most of the time David prefers to hover not stand and hold a rope. The thing which amused me on this particular day was that no matter where you were in the queue, we were all going to have to turn all the locks to Penkridge, no one was coming up that day.
      Best to go with the flow and let these trifles wash over you..... see what I did there Nev?
      Lisa

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  4. Yours is hte first boat blog I've had time to read in nearly two months. How lovely to see WAL on the move and to read how thoroughly you enjoyed chester. Les and I are with you and David on the question of queueing. Gailey is as far as we made it this past summer. So lovely up there. the purple plant is purple Loosetrife--a noxioius weed in Esern Washington where it loves the hot dry weather and grows up to 11 feet tall, taking over gardens and fields. Farmers over there hate it. The wet here seems to keep it in check. It is a beautiful plant and I have a friend back in E. Washington who has a HUGE plant hidden away by her back patio where she keeps it under wraps. If the County knew she had it they would come and spray with with chemicals!
    Love Jaq and Les xxx

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  5. Well Jaq what a story, fancy having to hide plants from the authorities!

    Queueing eh? Endless fun. This weekend I have had a difference of opinion on Facebook about water points and how long can a boater remain on the point. The other boater said he had been breasted up with the boat he was travelling with on a tap that had taken them 3.5 hours to fill both boats.... I suggested to him that 1.75 hrs on a tap regardless of flow rate was anti-social, he takes the view that water is a necessity (Undisputed) and no matter how long it takes is fine.....

    Big kiss to Les and hope he's keeping his pecker up,
    Lisa xx

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