a boat out of water

Monday 1st March 2010

Up early this morning to fill up with water before entering Great Haywood Marina.

threw some stale bread out for the ducks at 10 past 8 and the terns swooped down!

We arrived at the marina just after 9 and spent a couple of hours watching them moving boats in and out of the water.

This is the contraption they use - it's hydraulic, the rear axle rises once the boat is loaded so that the stern is higher than the bow - presumably so that it doesn't slide off when they move off!

about 2pm and John is steering towards the launcher - he must get it dead central between the two guides ..

.. like this ..

the 'other' John makes sure that the bow is positioned correctly

and we're starting to come out of the water - scary moment!!

the rear axle is lifting

John on the back checks that she's clear of the water and sides of the slipway

and out of the water completely

not a veiw you see often!

Rock n Roll is backed up to where we'll stay for the duration and the rear axle is lowered ..

.. onto blocks to support her weight

the blocks are repositioned as the launcher is very carefully withdrawn

and this is why the hull needs to be blacked ..

.. after nearly 3.5 years in the water, during 2 of which it had been necessary to 'break ice'

wending our way back to Great Haywood

Monday 22nd - Friday 26th February

We cruised slowly from Cross Green up through Penkridge where we collected the canvas that we'd had done of my favourite London picture (it looks great on the wall) and on to Park Gate Lock where we purchased paint to redo the roof of Rock n Roll from Midland Chandlers. Next stop was Tixall Lock and then onto Great Haywood for a few days giving me time to bring the washing up to date prior to coming out of the water on Monday for the hull to be blacked.

Lying in wait - at Anglo Welsh

although Shugborough Hall is closed until 19th March one of the wooden bridges by the ticket office had had its cordon removed so I went to investigate walking past the bothys where staff would have lived to this partially open gate ...

to this walled garden -this is the back of the building housing the ticket office, you can see where there has once been an adjoining structure - possibly a greenhouse or orangery.

highland cattle munching away at Shugborough.

yet more of the white stuff - again!

Sunday 21st February

another snow fall - taken at 07:45 at Cross Green, Coven

Winter Cruising

Saturday 20th February 2010

I just love cruising the canals, I was going to say cruising the canals in winter, but then realised I love it at any time of the year!!

But in the winter it's so different; the light quality for photographs is outstanding, the frost and snow making photography almost obsessive.  Moorings are easy to find and are usually quiet and it's rare even to see another boat on the move. Wrapped up warm on the back deck, hopefully with some sun on your back, taking in the sights and sounds around you, you could be the only people on the planet!  Good days.

I took these pictures today at 16:30 about 45 minutes before sunset, the light in the trees was incredible, rather different from the sunset yesterday

yet more of the white stuff

Friday 19th February 2010

We upped sticks yesterday and continued south stopping to fill the tank at the water tap just before Autherley Junction - this must be the worst water point ever - it's always wet making the ground thick, slimy and goey and there are only two rings to moor up to, neither in the right place to tie up properly!! Enough ranting .... we turned left onto the Staffs and Worcester and continued northwards to Cross Green and moored up outside the Fox and Anchor (click here to see pub review by Captain Ahab).

The snow started just after we moored up but didn't last too long.

this was the picture this morning at 8:45 - when will it end?

We decided to take a walk back the way we came yesterday as over the last week or so we've been seeing some very small shy ducks as we've been cruising. As soon as they see the boat approaching they dive a couple of inches under the water and resurface several meters away ... far too quickly to take a photo.  Anyhow we saw some yesterday and wanted to see if we could find them again and hopefully snap them.

We'd seen this on previous visits to this area between the M54 and Forster Bridge - it looks as if it will eventually be a very enjoyable walk but it needs about 12' to reach the towpath.

it appears to be a wetland area with viewing platforms to watch the wildlife; it's been well planted with trees but doesn't seem to be open to the public yet ... perhaps 'they're' waiting for it to mature more before it does open.  The towpath in this area is absolutely perfect in all weathers, it's obviously part of the whole scheme as it is all very wheelchair friendly. We saw a sign just off the towpath and thought that it would tell us what it was all about, but it didn't.

under Forster Bridge where the very narrow cutting starts (or ends of course)

I think Molly is wondering how far we're going today.

We walked to the end of the narrows towards Autherley; we'd not seen sight of the ducks so decided to turn back.

a peaceful scene through Marsh Lane Bridge

passing the wetland walk again and saw this buzzard being bullied by two crows

and here we saw them - tiny little things - it was so difficult to get a picture as the kept to the opposite side of the canal under the overhanging vegetation.  We discovered via the RSPB site that they are Little Grebes - mystery solved and photograph obtained!

a cheerful Robin

back at the boat to see the trees burning - sun seting at 17:15

Oh no......... not again!

Wednesday 17th February 2010

woke up this morning to a very hard frost

the weather forecast for today is for a 'moderate' chance of 2" of snow

and as I type this 14:10 it's coming down thick and fast!

41 years married!

Monday 15th - Wednesday 17th February 2010
15th February 1969 - Our Wedding Day
wouldn't change a thing!

We moved a few hundred yards down to the bottom of the steps to the Boat Inn to await the Tesco man and once all stored away moved another few yards to the other side of bridge 14 to wait for our son Mark to collect us and we enjoyed a very pleasant anniversary.

Tuesday - woke up to a very bright sunny day to move a little further down the Shroppie
(I'm not at all keen on last nights mooring in the cutting below bridge 14 - it's so dark and no telly picture!)

we moored once again between bridges 8 and 7

and decided to take a long walk

turning right over bridge 7

across the field where this great tit was singing at the top of his voice.

This walk is a very short section of The Monarch's Way which is the 615 mile long excape route of Charles 11 after the battle of Worcester in 1651.

perhaps he could have hid in here - there is plenty of room!

wild snowdrops growing in the hedge - I love these signs of spring so much

the view of Brewood before we turned right towards back towards the canal

and Avenue Bridge (10)

Molly wants to know why we've stopped

the path continues from the bridge, but we're returning to the towpath here

Molly want to see what's going on over there (her meercat pose)

back down a very muddy towpath - nearly there - there's Rock n Roll in the distance

5:30 and BBQ no.2 of 2010 is doing nicely

a pretty sunset (that's smoke from the BBQ in the bottom left)

reflections!

Brewood and Louise' Birthday

Sunday 14th February 2010

It's our eldest grand-daughter's 15th birthday today - Happy Birthday Louise!!

We're still moored just north of bridge 14 in Brewood

with nice open views

on both sides

and took a walk into Brewood and saw my first

snowdrops in the church yard - a very hopeful sight indeed!

although the sun was shining you can see that it was bitterly cold!