Castle Mill Stream, Oxford

I have been hearing flitterings here and there about the boats mooring along the castle mill stream.  The Oxford Times wrote about it about a year ago here.  It has caused quite a stir and seems to have got quite a few people ranting for various reasons.

Whatever the politics are…. this morning I was there and I love it!

do like the eclectic mixture of boats and the way people are finding a way to float. 
As I haven’t heard very much positive about it I expect I will be shot for liking it, but there we are. I do!

What a long time ago!

I was busy trying to find a picture of my boat at Shepperton Weir for an article I am writing and have failed miserably. Instead I have found pictures of me and a bunch of Canalworld Forum people in a pub.
I was rather pleased with this balancing act.

New door nobs

Anyone who has been on my boat will know that getting into the cupboards and drawers requires some patience.  I don't see it myself - but finally I have got around to installing my new door handles.

I am constantly losing and finding keys.  So it seemed apt that some of my redundant collection should be put to good use.   I also have three lovely little spoons and I have used them on some of the handles too.

M6 eye nuts with 3cm M6 bolts.  Keyrings from somewhere in the new forest, and a scattered collection of keys from decades of losing and finding and forgetting.

World Down Syndrome Day

I have a nephew with Down's Syndrome. This piece of writing says it all.  Read it.  world-down-syndrome-day

When I retire I will steal hats

I have been pottering about in radio silence for over a month now.  I am rather enjoying my current mooring spot which has no internet and somewhat sparse phone signal.  In the tree nearby there sits an owl.  Under the tree with an owl in it sits a boat. In the boat there are two people.  The tree seems to have a mind of it's own, as does the owl and so, of course, do the people.  I have been wondering about this menagerie and every now and again a story forms in my mind about the tree, the boat and the people - but I never quite know what the owl is doing and the owl never features in these stories I make up; there is a void, an absence where the owl should be.  I wondered what the owl is doing, and why it never seems to be in my stories.
It turns out the owl is doing its own stuff and doesn't need my stories.
 Read about it here

Edit - the link is about an aggressive owl that is steeling the hats from passers by.  Here it is copied and pasted from this link
http://time.com/3698709/owl-joggers-attack-oregon/

Some believe the owl is collecting the hats to make a nest

At least four people have been attacked by an owl over the past
month in Salem,Oregon, prompting officials to issue warnings to
early morning joggers and park visitors.  One jogger said the owl
whacked him so hard he thought he was having a stroke.

According to Reuters, signs near Bush’s Pasture Park now warn
people to avoid jogging before dawn or to consider putting on a
hard hat. Members of a bird conservancy group believe a barred
owl is responsible, a species notorious for crowding out the
smaller, endangered spotted owl. The owl could be

more aggressive because of nesting season – it is believed to be
collecting hats for its nest.

No one has been seriously hurt in any of the incidents, but the
city’s parks superintendentsaid officials have never heard of a case
like it before.

Waterpump Fixed

I have a friend who is a whizz with a grinder so I popped over with my 'issues'.  The pulley was ground down with the grinder along with the bit between the nuts and the pump casting.  It was all done in a moment and then, within a blinking of an eye, the water pump was installed and the engine was running. 

The pulley no longer catches on the nuts and I expect this pump to last longer than the others (I have receipts from the previous owner and their water pump excitement!)

The water pump - update

I took the water pump off and had a good look at it.  

After a bit of a fiasco (access, nuts, metric and imperial issues between the pumps) I then noticed that the pulley was worn....

a closer look still and the pulley rubs on the nuts of the pump (the nuts are worn). The new water pump is about 3mm thicker which would create a few problems.  

Here is the old and new pump and the pulley.

Still on the dining room table rather than in situ working away.  Tomorrow the grinder will get wielded at the pulley and possibly on the pump (not the important parts like the mating surfaces!).  Hopefully all will go to plan and I will have everything back together in no time (no laughing at the back please).

When I picked up the new pump I was told it was quite rare.  With this is mind, once this debacle is over I will be looking to refurbish the old one.... and all help is welcome!

I am now in the pub drinking gin. All spelling and grammar mistakes are my very own.

Oops - water pump again!

The water pump is throwing stuff around the place again. I thought this one would last longer, but it must be about 6 years since I turned up at a boat yard with it in my hand. It had broken so I took it off and took it along to a boat yard to get a replacement. I took Maffi with me.  Once the proprietor had been persuaded to talk to me about it rather than Maffi (who had come along for the ride but as the only man of the duo was clearly the one who knew all about it) was suitably rude telling me the pump had come off a different engine and that I was effectively too stupid to know my own engine.  He even took me around the back to show me a similar version of my engine. He was wrong (mine is blue, not green)...but I listened to his little patronising speech as I am sure it made him feel better.

 His patronising tone and attempt at humiliation went over my head at the time, but he was quite convinced that the pump I wanted was in the box in his hand even though an amateur at the well known game 'snap' would know the difference.  Fortunately someone else working there seemed unfazed at a women holding an engine part in her hand and sorted it out.

I think I will do a spot of internet shopping for this little number this time.

Happy Birthday Maffi!

I hope you are having the most splendiferously wonderfully fabulous birthday!

XXXX

The other place in a different boat

In a moment of inspiration we found ourselves in Cambridge and discovered a member of our party had never been. There is only one way to see Cambridge and that is by punt.

Time constraints were tight as we had promised to cook father luncheon. So we called James and Amy on Willow and asked whether they were close so they could join us.  I left a message on the answer phone.

Maffi refused to go punting so I flung him over my shoulder and in no time I was punting the chaps down the backs.

James and Amy joined us for the return trip.

Several years ago I was fortunate enough to have an invite to join James and Amy (on their previous boat Lucky Duck) on a maiden voyage up the backs (here) and this was the first time since that I had been back.  Wonderful.

Banbury Canal Day

CRT had a picture of the bicycles pulled out of the canal – I quite liked the look of some of them, but they weren’t for sale.

One of the highlights, for me, is always the stationary engines that can be found on the lead up to Tooley’s Boat yard.

For some reason I had forgottent hat Herbie were going to be there so I was delighted to spot them with their fantastic bunting.

They had this sign in the window too….

with attention to details with Boots

and Molly (and I LOVE Maffi’s beard!)

With Herbie coming south and the Moomins (Melaleuca) coming North we arranged to meet up on Bones.  The chef instantly panicked but Kath saved the day by carrying the flag for roasted vegetables (and they were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G) my apple crumble and leg of lamb went down a treat too – fortunately the Moomins have a large dining table so we were able to decamp there and eat our roast in style rather than struggle from our laps. The great preparation for visitors (I lit fire and swept floor) went to waste but it was worth it because we had a wonderful evening together.  Maffi, hearing of the great meat, stopped too – so it was quite an evening. 

Wonderful!

Mucking about on a Sunday afternoon

Photo by Jan Dytor.

World Suicide Prevention Day

Many a person has been buried,
Many a hymn has been sung,
Many a eulogy been delivered,
and many a tear has risen from the heart,
and fallen
slowly
down
the cheek
to the cold hard floor
lost,
like one who has
gone
too
soon.
For those who have gone
Who should have stayed
For whom the bell tolled
but who should have remained
For whom the song remains unsung
aching with every beat of these living hears.

Let’s talk about it. Don’t let the bell toll.

World Suicide Prevention Day

Sorting out the table:

Having learnt what to do, I set to to do. 

Before…

After…(logs not included)

Catching up/Passing by

Where does the time go?  I have been out and about and seem to have just missed, or just caught fellow bloggers in passing.  When I FINALLY met Jaq and Les near Grafton Regis I didn’t have my camera (and was about to meet a family to go boating).  Then when I saw them again (passing through Braunston Locks), I didn’t have my camera but they did. Here is the proof we passed!
I also passed MB Willow at Buckby




Then, at Somerton Meadows, I came upon Epiphany.  It has been YONKS since they were down this way and I have fond memories of their journey through Thrupp turning in to a couple of months of being stuck in the snow and ice several years ago.

lift bridge open

Caravan lift bridge (215) pictures

The morning walk took Boots and I past the lift bridge this morning.

CRT were on site discussing what they would do to open navigation and were confident they could get it cleared by the end of the day tomorrow (or even today).  This could be impressive but it seems CRT don’t manage the Oxford Canal but panic respond. It is no surprise the lift bridge collapsed – indeed, it is surprising it has stayed up so long.  It is good fortune that no-one was hurt (canoeists and narrow boats often pass under the bridge)

Here are some pictures

No surprise - caravan life bridge collapse

Several of us have written about it, and many of us have noticed it.  Finally the bridge has collapsed closing navigation. Here is the stoppage notice:

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/1558/caravan-lift-bridge-215-oxford-canal

River Lea

I snapped up the opportunity of a river trip on Monday. I dashed to the train station and in no time at all I was on the boat heading somewhere with a bunch of people I had never met. It was BRILLIANT.  Steering was an interesting procedure:

And I just loved the variety of boats a long the way.

This boat has similar teeth to a building somewhere not so far away (can you tell I didn't really know where I was!?!) Did the same graffiti artist do this and the building  - or perhaps this is where the artist lives?

The big boats were great too!

There is quite a lot of weed around here - but CRT take the weed muncher up and down to keep it under control.

The boat is loud, unfinished (but nearly finished) and we were caught out by the sun going home early.  I had expected to be shouted at as we motored home - but no - the London Boaters waved at us. None shouted and screamed when we tried to turn in a space JUST big enough. Nor did they hurl abuse at us.  It was a far cry from the boating I am used to in these parts.  I liked it.

I had a BRILLIANT night. Thank you to everyone for being so amazing.

Blisworth, Grump, suspensions and fury.

I am all in favour of festivals but I was cursing them on Saturday.  And Sunday.  I can't make the Blisworth Canal festival on the 8th and 9th August but I thought I would spend a week there this week. It was going to work out well as I had offered to help another friend move their boat on Sunday and for various reasons Blisworth suited me well.  I arrived at Blisworth, moored up, packed a bag and headed off.  A friend texted me to say there were signs suspending the moorings.  It wasn't clear whether that was for the whole of Blisworth so I had to go and have a read of them myself.  I was infuriated to discover signs suspending the moorings some two weeks before the festival starts -  from 27th July for everywhere.

Even more infurating was that these signs were off my radar - I thought they were advertising the festival so I didn't notice them when I moored up.  (They seemed to be advertising the festival rather than suspension of mooring).  I was even more cross that the CRT notice board didn't even have a notice in it!

I was incredibly tempted to stay where I was but being a good rule abiding citizen (when it suits me) I decided to move on.  I pulled the pins and headed off feeling pleased to leave Blisworth behind (it is the same place my motorcycle got sabotaged).  I didn't have to go far before I found a space near Gayton Juntion. I pulled in to see this:

When I got to Gayton visitor moorings there was a space, but  a boat had reserved the spot. They weren't there when I arrived, and they weren't there the following morning.  I could have moored up there, but I didn't. It looked to me that doing so would create a scene and I was fed up of the scene that day so I moved on. Again.

(edit: it turns out this side is labelled visitor moorings, but 3 boats there are legit long term moorings, this boat was one of them)

  

I was in a right grump.  I will get over it.  If you are passing Blisworth Canal Festival do go - it sounds great fun!