New chimney!

Water

Boaters are having mixed experiences on the Thames some keep calm. Others lose their home.

Meanwhile on the canal the water has decided to go over the lock, over the side of the lock and down both sets of steps.  It is quite a site.

I went down to check the boats this morning and was very relieved to see that one boat who had tied their boat up with a locked steel rope centre line had been down to remove it.

Oxford Canal: Water

Life is turbulent on the canal. Where I am moored, above the lock, the only problem is making sure the ropes are loose enough and the persistent wet socks.  The water comes over the lock down the side and then into the driveway of the nearby house.  The River Cherwell enters the houses from the tradesman's entrance. This picture was taken on Friday after the water levels had dropped

On Sunday a boat cam up the lock to turn around and return to their mooring. They left the bottom gate open and this morning the water looked like this:

I am so relieved not to be on the river at the moment, but I really do feel for those who are.

More water

Why do the floods come when the water tank is empty. I was looking forward to filling up tomorrow but I think I will have to wait a while!

Water.

Rough Boating

There have been two boat fires in so many weeks in this area.

The person from the first fire woke up and ran through the flames to safety. He was taken to hospital, then released. He was very lucky indeed.   His boat totally burnt out but two locals, MP and PJ were able to re-float it after a weekend of hard work, tea drinking and head scratching.

The person on board the boat of the second fire wasn’t so lucky. His story has been all over the newspapers and news.  Sad times.

 

Then we have had all the water.  I have read stories of several people finding the rising water difficult.  Oxford is no exception – a boat has sunk.  The news and some pictures are here.

Lunch

I am not the most organised person on the planet and when it comes to preparing my lunch for the following day it is usually when I am hungry in which case it gets eaten almost immediately instead of my supper. Alternatively it is after my supper and I just decide I won’t be hungry. Or, and more usually, I forget.

Finally I pulled myself up and decided that I would put some of my supper left overs into a pot for luncheon today.  It was a disastrous idea.  What one wants to eat in the evening in the quietness of ones own home is NOT the same as what one wants to eat at lunchtime in public.

I am greatly relieved that the open plan office means that our desks are surrounded by boards; rather like a cattle pen.

Let this be a warning to you all
There is spaghetti up the wall.
There is spaghetti in places
- I don't want to mention, at all.
There is a waft of garlic
From every place to sit
My lunchtime snack
was a mistake - it has bitten back.

Even I lit my fire!

This boater clearly doesn’t think it is cold enough for a fire!

My soul mate LIVES!

I have been browsing through Canal Boat Magazine during a quiet few moments while my computer gets on with some work.  I turned to this month’s (December) twenty questions and my heart skipped.

It is Brilliant.

Water and Newspapers

There is only meant to be one river.

The river has taken over the towpath and is gently filling up the canal

and after having walked through the footbath ones pedicure advances into the mud bath followed by a good swilling down on the front deck before going on to warm up inside the boat.  My Boots seem to respond well to this but Boots’ paws really cling on to the mud and for some time now I have been trying to keep the inside of the boat clean. 

Cleanliness under such circumstances is a futile enterprise. 

Instead I have started buying the newspaper and have written the front half of the boat off to the elements.

I am now re-channelling the cleanliness on other areas.  I cleaned under the salt pot today…. a much easier surface area too.

Mylor Church: Picture Book

The holy well:

Stones in the yard:

Inside:

Mullion Cliffs

Last week I posted a picture that made some people’s head spin.  I was sitting on one of natures carefully positioned armchairs (two slabs of stone arranged as a base and back for a seat) which I perched myself on during my walk along Mullion Cliff. Here are some more pictures

Mullion Harbour

Boots had a looked very picturesque as he gazed out to sea with me.