Test driving Rock n Roll’s new owners!

I’m sure that Ann and Kev Moore won't mind my ‘tongue-in-cheek’ title of today’s blog as it was obviously them who were doing the testing!

Wednesday we welcomed Ann and Kev onto Rock n Roll to spend the day with us cruising from Great Haywood to Fradley Junction.  Geoff joined us to say hello to them and for a cuppa and the photo’s are his pinched from his blog.

Water tank full and we’re ready for the off!

New owners at the tiller - look at those smiles!

Safely in Colwich Lock … no scratches to the new paintwork yet!

Still smiling even in the rain!

This is the first time ever that George has sat in the cratch whilst cruising!
We arrived at Fradley at about 4:30 and managed to get a mooring space just above Shadehouse Lock. The day went very well indeed and we’re please to say that Ann and Kev passed the test!  It was especially gratifying to be told that Rock n Roll is everything they wanted and more; that she handles well and responds quickly.

We rounded off the day with a meal in the Mucky Duck where two rather strange gents put in appearance!
We had a great day; it was a joy to spend it in such good company and we know that when Ann and Kev take over Rock n Roll in March that she will be in good hands.

Last visit to Shugborough

I’ve pinched this from Seyella’s blog - RnR arriving at Great Haywood on Monday.  When I first saw the picture I didn’t recognise us in our funny hats!  We’ve had them for years but this is the first time we’d worn them (there’s nothing worse that turning your head and everything going dark because you’re now looking into your hood!).  They were comfortable and kept the rain off necks and specs but when we took them off the band inside was soaking wet which had made the whole of the crown inside wet too so not sure if they will get another airing!

We stayed put at Great Haywood on Tuesday, Seyella left along with several other boats moored close by and then this boat turned up - good name!

 Shugborough Lodge built in 1859 is ready for Halloween

 Shugborough Estate really is a place that we will miss once WB Still Rockin’ is our home and today we took a walk through the grounds for the last time.  

Photos not the usual quality as these were taken with my phone but they still manage show the wonderful late afternoon autumn light.

Wet, wet, wet!

 08:45 yesterday morning and the canal water rushes into the dry dock

It’s just covering the plinth that Rock n Roll sits on  ...

 … and the last stop plank is removed and we’re out!

You may be able to see from the pictures above that outside it is raining stair rods!  We need to visit the services so George reverses to the bottom of Newcastle Road Lock and by the time we’re there we are soaked!  We wondered whether to stay here or not but there are only private/permit moorings on this stretch so we’d at least have to descend one lock to see if there’s a space there.  Decision made … we can’t get any wetter so we might as well continue after all we had arranged to meet Margaret and Geoff later on Seyella.  No photographs of the journey though it was far too wet to get the camera out - suffice to say we found that we could get wetter than we were when we set out!  All said and done, it was good to be on the move again and despite the awful weather we enjoyed the cruise to Great Haywood where Geoff was waiting to help us moor up.

We had a fantastic evening with them, lots to catch up on and lots of laughter too.  Geoff cooked a delicious beef casserole with all the trimmings and apple crumble and cream for pudding - thank you, it was divine!

 Isn’t she a lovely lady ?

 Stay well Margaret, hope to see you again soon xx

Geoff being Geoff - on the move again turning onto the Staffs and Worcester canal to meet up with some more friends.  See you both soon we hope.

Apart from George taking a trip into Stafford for a new sim card for his new iPhone (you may remember he put his last one in the washing machine and it’s now dead as a dodo) we’re staying put here at Great Haywood and looking forward to meeting up again with Ann and Kevin (new owners of RnR) here tomorrow to hopefully enjoy a day’s cruising with us to Fradley Junction in what I really hope will be better weather than we’ve had of late.

Ready to rock n roll again!

 Well, what a day it’s been weatherise - some warm sunshine and a showers and about 20 seconds of huge hail falling from the sky!!

Third/last coat of comastic on the hull, front and rear glossed and we’re now ship-shape and Bristol fashion - ready to re-float and leave the dry dock tomorrow morning … can’t wait!  

Looking forward to seeing Margaret and Geoff tomorrow afternoon and Ann and Kevin (new owners of RnR) for a day on the cut on Tuesday.

Work progresses in the dock

The hull has been pressure washed ...

… and new anodes fitted

 The roof is masked and ready to paint ...

Rear deck undercoated ...

… as is the bow

Roof now painted along with 2-coats of Comastic and above the top rubbing strake has been undercoated and glossed.  We’re getting there!

Into the dry dock ...

Currently in Canal Cruiser Co., at Stone ...

 Waiting for the dry dock to be available early this morning

 The stop planks are removed ...

 … to allow the water to fill the dry dock ...

 … and the gangplank is removed ...

… to allow the first boat out ...

… and then the second

George is reversing in ...

… a way to go yet ... 

 … no problem!

 The plug has been pulled, the dock starts to empty of water and Rock n Roll ...

… settles on the brick plinths.

 Health and Safety has caught up with boatyards and dry docks - a bit different from the narrow plank we used when here last in March 2012.

It’s 4pm as I write this post and George has finished pressure washing the hull paying particular attention round the anodes which‘fizzed’ a bit while we were moored in Liverpool’s Salthouse Dock due to the salt water.  The hull looks in remarkably good condition which is excellent news.  At the moment he’s sanding down the knocks and scrapes on the rubbing strakes and first light tomorrow the first (of three) coat of Comastic will be applied.

Blogger v Google+ … help please

I changed over to Google+ some time ago almost by default really and as it didn’t appear to change anything on my Rock ’n’ Roll blog I didn’t revert back. The only thing I had to do was to cancel the Google+ opportunity to share the posting within ‘my circle’ which was no big deal.

For some of my readers it made it difficult to add a comment but they did appear to eventually find a way around this.

But … you will have noticed that I’ve altered the layout of the blog and since I’ve done this I’ve lost my blogger followers gadget and when I’ve tried to restore it I can only access a Google+ gadget for ‘circles’.  

I’ve created a new blog for our new build and really don’t want to use Google+ circles; I’ve obviously checked the ‘add a gadget’ list but the only one there relates to Google+ so ...

Does anyone know where I can find the original ‘Blogger’ followers gadget?

A new blog ...

As regular readers will be aware our lovely narrowboat Rock ’n’ Roll has been sold …

… so what does the future hold for us?

A wide beam boat!

I’ve created another blog for the build of our future and you can find that blog ...

here!

In the meantime the Rock ’n’ Roll blog will continue until the handover to Ann and Kevin in the spring.

Barlaston to Stone, friends and bloggers ...

We left Barlaston on Monday and I walked with Molly to bridge 100

“… he’s coming Mum!”

We’d only been moored up on the Stone town moorings for 10 minutes when there was a knock on the boat and there was Kath walking to set Yard Lock.  We’ve not seen John and Kath since September 2011 on the Kennet and Avon when we had the pleasure of their company for a few days.  Enjoy the Llangollen - it was good to see you again and have a quick catch-up, hope it’s not another 2-years before we see you again!  Stay in touch!

We had arranged to meet up with fellow bloggers Elaine and Paul at The Star pub and enjoyed an entertaining couple of hours with these two lovely people.  Have a relaxing holiday in Spain and we’ll meet up again when we’re out of the dry dock!

Not long after Tug Sirius left to continue her cruise there was another knock and a familiar face at the window - John was also passing Rock n Roll to set Yard lock and Fiona soon came by us at the helm of Epiphany. I’m sure she won’t mind me pinching her picture and want to thank her too for ‘tweeting’ that RnR was up for sale, we don’t tweet but saw Fiona’s in Octobers Tillergraph yesterday.  I’m sure we’ll meet up again for a longer get together once on the wide waters.

We’re moving down towards Sandon today as the towpath is lower and will enable George to finish off preparing below the gunwale ready for painting and there’s a convenient winding hole (turning point) so that he can do both sides of Rock n Roll.  We shall return to Canal Cruising at Stone next Sunday to take advantage of one of the dry docks to black her bottom before she is handed over to her new owners - scary biscuit!!

On the move again ...

Festival Park to Barlaston bridge 104 on Saturday morning - we’ve done this cruise so many times but this time I walked after taking Rock n Roll down Stoke locks.

Cockshut Lock - there’s writing on the gate that I’ve not noticed before ...

… nicely done!

It’s an interesting setting, this lock.

A replica pit shaft wheel by …

… the incinerator - just look at that sky - beautiful!

Moored up for a couple of nights at bridge 104 - one of our favourite mooring that we will miss greatly in the future!

Sunset at 25 past 7 on Saturday night ...

… and sunrise at 7 am Sunday morning.

George has now started to prepare Rock n Roll prior to us going into Stone’s Canal Cruiser dry dock to re-black her bottom and make good her exterior paintwork.