Start a new blog on or about  1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd to spread out the manure more evenly ...
I can hardly believe how much I've done in the past six days but let me gauge the ways ...

Mon 22  Came back to Peterborough from Farnborough
Tue 23   Left the Flat 8.30am to go to boat. Arrived there at 14.30
Wed 24 Moved up to the water point at Stowe and topped up
Thu 25  Diesel at Stowe having overnighted opposite
Fri 26   Now moored at Nether Heyford by Bridge 32
Sat 27   Breakfast at Daventry and D3 wanderings to get bearings
Sun 28   Move boat from Bridge 32 and tie up opposite Heather
Mon 29 Leave the boat at 8.15 to travel to flat arriving at 1.30pm ...
Tue 30 My Heritage
Wed 31 PCC
​© MMXXIV  07565 323 609  [email protected]

Three weeks of January gone and it has been a whirlwind month so far ... figuratively and literally ... Henk followed by Isha, then Jocyln, 10th named storm this winter.  I weather out most on board although I was landside for H I J.  Ciaran, Fergus and Gerrit are stored memories.  F. came down the Leicester Arm with me.  G. made the descent of Watford  memorable.  I can't even remember Ciaran ...

The last Active Storm Season, (2015&16) sandwiched itself between two glorious Summers on the Darenth in Kent.  Previously, I was on-board for most of the 2012&13 session and got a fair pasting from which I learned a lot. 

Met Eireann christened Jocyln and the name caught me out when I remembered our alphabet did not inherit J from the Romans. J is for Jocyln Bell, born in Lurgan and worth looking up if for no other reason than she was NOT credited in 1967 with discovering pulsars because she was 'only a woman' and worse still was "only a slip of a girl"!!! This was and still is Norn Iron ...  I am pleased to see that Wikipedia now recognises her in full for the brilliant person she is.
 23rd Jan.  Christmas hols over I am reuniting with boats after 'visiting' on three occasions to bale water out of the bilges after repeated torrents blamed on Henk and Isha.  The 10.45 X4 from OrtonWaterville put me on a squelchy towpath about 14.30 after five weeks 'ashore'.
 24th Jan... Laptop dead.  WiFi no credit.  Boat freezing.  But the cabins were dry and aired and the bilges were not flooded.  Weedon missed the worst of last week's rain.  My planner said I was on my 14th day and I should move on, top up the water and diesel and acquaint myself with Nether Heyford.  I left Weedon at midday and tied up at the water point for a siesta a cuppa and a leisurely top up to Spring Tide (200L)
25th Jan.  Due to arriving at the diesel pump 10mins after they closed for the evening I tied up opposite last night and in the morning got 40Litres for £48 before moving on to fetch up at Furness Lane Br32 about 10oc.  After tying up I walked down to the village shop (10mins) and worked out the lie of the land.   D3 bus passes through once an hour in either direction.  Takes about 25mins to Daventry and about the same the other way to Northampton.  10minutes from a pint of milk and a bus and I get solar if the sun shines.
Fri 26th
Sat 27   Breakfast at Daventry and D3 wanderings to get bearings
Sun 28   Move boat away from Bridge 32 and tie up opposite Heather
Mon 29 Leave boat at 8.15 to travel to flat arriving at 1.30pm ...
​© MMXXIV  07565 323 609  [email protected]

There has to be a poem somewhere to describe the tiny sliver of water between the towpath and the gunnel.  I just have not found it yet, so a photo shall suffice, taken on 8th January at Weedon where I am currently parked.  Imagine squelching down that towpath through the cloying mud til abeam Pentargon, grabbing the handrail and stepping off the land and onto the gunnel, the boat bowing gently towards you as it senses your weight and your presence.
I am HOME after a four hour odyssey from the flat fifty miles to the east.  I transfer to the deck, open the hatch and descend into the bowels.  I've safely navigated the sliver of water that separates one reality from another.

The interior is cold, a glance at the thermometer shows how cold: 5.5C at the roof and 4.7C at floor level.  The priority will be to get the home fire burning and since I did have the wit to leave everything ready on my previous departure the first tiny flames are glinting in a thrice.  Only then do I check the cabin thermometer and sure enough it agrees in principle and particular with the outer cabin.

The whole boat is the same coldness and agrees with the outside air temperature.  Once the fire is settled I can cross the sliver that separates one reality from the other again, outbound to the shop and again inbound loaded down with a pint of milk.   Sadbh lurks in that sliver while I am away.  Meet Sadbh on the main website  homepage.

TUE 16TH JAN 2024 Format new blog entry and laundry
WED 17TH JAN 2024 Farnborough via John Lewis and Waterloo.
THU 18 Quiet day with Karl and Brenda
FRI 19 Family gathering at Mill House Hook
SAT 20 Dine and wine with Brenda Karl Chantal, Mike
SUN 21 Convivial dinner with the next generation
MON 22 Depart Ivanhoe for Peterborough
TUE 23. RTM  Future Health  Laundry

MON 8th JAN
Canal life 'not as it should or might be' but as it is and I'm lapping it up. 

In the last entry posted New Year's Day I said "Next charcoal bag open and sorted.  Fire stoked.  Cabin warm. Sky clouded over so no frost overnight ... "  I do not overmuch feel a need to explain the photos in the New Year entry ...  Up early preparing the boat for leaving.  Walked away at 10.37 for the 10.45 to Northampton which got me the 1032 X4 to Peterborough which landed me in Lynch Park (close to the East of England Showground) at 14.15 for a quick shop in Orton Tesco, then fetched up at the flat 14.37 lugging my dolly trolley full of grub and laundry and Bartholomew's Gazetteer ,,, 

Watling street has been a recurring part of my life for twelve years on canals and Watling Street is the A5.  Take it from London by Dunstable and Towcester to the next village: Weedon.  I am presently almost under High Street Bridge sandwiched between A5 and the rail line to Edinburgh, two minutes from bus stops, antique shops, Tesco, a barbers shop and an hotel. 

I have been seriously off grid for months, sometimes 25minutes walk from a bus stop or miles from a pint of milk. so Weedon is a dream mooring.  I am living the off grid life sifting my charcoal nuggets for diamonds, tending my fire, staying warm and dry, bailing out my boats and updating my blog from a warm bed ...

what's not to like? 

TUES 9th
Life at the flat is totally different from life on canals but puts perspective into boat life.  On land I have hot water, a fine bed, nice clothes, shops round the corner, a bus outside the door, a medical centre close  by and a pharmacy, none of which are available on the boat.   Early to bed, early to rise to get the shipping forecast at 5.20am, make coffee, have a shave and a footbath, dress slowly and at ease while listening to Farming Today and be at my desk by 6.30am writing this blog and other stuff til 9.30am when ... after cereal and a large omelette ... eggs mushroom tomato diced onion ... drop into the 'surgery' to book a review of  my cholesterol and statins.  On land cooking is a done by a combination of hot rings, air fryer pressure cooker using electricity. This is so unlike off grid it is unreal ...

WED 10th
Ever since I got the keys of the flat end of March 2023, I tried to visit at least once a month.  More recently it has been once a week.  Pattern is now developing into three days here and four days there translating to a five hour bus trip to or from twice a week.  Wed. has become my day off more often than not in Peterborough. Thurs. has become laundry day by definition at the flat.

This Wednesday I took an express bus from Queensgate via Wisbech to King's Lynn and then a local bus through tiny villages back to Wisbech to catch the express to Peterborough.  I wanted to map out where the Nene goes after Peterborough and discovered it goes East to March and then turns North and goes tidal before Wisbech and flows through Kings Lynn eventually joining the sea at the Wash. 

Amazed to find one reason the Nene floods so much is its inability to empty because of the restriction of built-up river banks from Thorney to Lynn ... When the tide falls the river tries to follow it but is throttled.  It speeds up through Wisbech but does not clear much water. The next tide coming in halts the outflow for hours.

Meanwhile the countryside relentlessly supplies the Nene.  At Peterborough the flow is very low but the aperture is huge compared with Wisbech.  They destroyed the natural flood plain when they sent the Nene on the New Line ...

THURS 11TH JAN 2024
Today is laundry day at the flat. I used to spend £10 a week on service washes in London and £20 in the provinces.  Thursday is also kitchen day where I experiment with recipes, develop new ways of cooking and new foods by microwave, air-fryer, hotplate, pressure cooker, induction hob even.  Iceland frozen food. Co-op bargains. Waitrose on demand. LIDL and Morrisons and Aldi are all on the route of the No.1 bus. Results of itchen experiments eventually end up in the website's  galley page expanding a growing list of recipes and methodology. 

FRI 12TH JAN 2024
Bus to boat arrived on board at 3.30pm to find it as dry as a bone (T 5.5C). Fire set and lit at once.  Once the fire has settled and there being no reason to stay on board I took a warm D2 to Northampton, back to Daventry where it magically became the D3 via Lower Weedon and so back to boat where I arrived at 6.30pm to top up the fire and gather stuff for tomorrow's long haul.  At 6.45 I went for a 'gourmet' burger at the Micro Brewery and see old cars on view in another building there.  The cars were nice the burger was shite.  Back on board 8pm to update blog, settle the fire and lights out  at 9.30...

SAT 13TH JAN 2024  returning to flat

SUN14TH JAN 2024 Boats are moored at Weedon in very dry conditions and will not be visited until at least next weekend

MON 15TH JAN 2024   preparing for Farnborough

8/1/2024
This is NOT a finished article
It mayl be edited and polished
during the coming month or so.

Mon 8th January 2024
Up early to prepare the boat for leaving.  Walked away at 10.37 for the 10.45 to Northampton which got me on to the 1032 to Peterborough and landed me in Lynch Park at 2.15 for a quick shop in Orton Tesco before I fetched up at the flat at 2.37pm lugging my dolly trolley full of laundry and my 1953 copy of Bartholomew's Gazetteer,,, 

 I do not overmuch feel a need to explain the photos above ... but ...

Watling street has been a recurring part of my life for fourteen years and Watling Street is nowadays the A5.  Take it from London via Dunstable and Towcester to the next village along the A5 Weedon.  Pull in to the Tesco shop and park and then walk up hill past the antique shop and the hotel til you find the canal below.  I am almost under High Street Bridge (photo6) sandwiched between A5 and the rail line to Edinburgh (photo2)  two minutes from where you have parked (photo3).  Until arriving here I was seriously off grid for months sometimes 25minutes walk from a bus stop or miles from a pint of milk so Weedon is a dream mooring.  I am living the off grid life (photo1&5) sifting my charcoal nuggets (photo4) for diamonds, tending my fire, staying warm and dry, bailing out my boats (photo1&5) and updating my blog from a warm bed ... what's not to like?

TUES 9th Jan
Flat life is totally different but it puts perspective into boat life. At the flat I have central heating, constant hot water, a fine bed, nice clothes, shops round the corner, a bus outside the door, medical centre , pharmacy. All the trappings of and land life in fact.  Early to bed.  Early to rise.  Get the shipping forecast at 5.20am. Make coffee.  Dress slowly in layers and at ease.  Be at my desk by 6.45am writing this blog and other stuff til 9.45 when after cereal and a large omelette ... eggs, mushroom, tomato, diced onion ... shave, footbath, or a soak?  drop into 'surgery' to book a review of  my cholesterol and my statins.  Iceland the shop to stock up on frozen food but only for two days. This life is so unlike my off grid persona that it is unreal.

WED 10th  Jan
Ever since I got the keys of the flat late May last year I have tried to visit the flat at least once a month and more recently that has been once a week if possible the pattern developing into three days here four days there which translates as a return road trip to or from the boat or the flat twice a week.  Wed has become the day off in my week and is more rather than less likely to be in Peterborough or touring around with my bus pass. I did a trip to Kings Lynn via Wisbech with a local bus loop out there to see the outflow of the River Nene at Tidal and at Interface. Amazed to find that one of the reasons the Nene floods so much is an inability to empty because of the restriction of built up river banks all the way from Thorney to Lynn ...

THURSDAY 11th Jan
Today at the flat is laundry. and kitchen familiarization and even Television (Mr.Bates vs The Post Office) and getting ready to return to the boat on Friday or maybe Saturday ... to float away

 At this time of year I reflect on my Celticness.  Newgrange is at least as old my native language and it is within the realm of possibility that the people who enabled this magnificent monument to ancient Ireland's ingenuity sometime in a wedge of time between 4000BC and 3000BC spoke a proto- language similar to what I speak now and then six thousand years later.  Fascinating to speculate that if transported back I could talk with the architects of Bru na Boinne, understand their purpose and be understood in turn by them.  I would have much more to learn than to teach.

3rd 4th Jan: I left Peterborough 11.15 Wed. to race across country to get to the boat before dark. lugging a dolly trolley.  The X4 bus did not get into Northampton in time to catch the 96 to Long Buckby so I went for the train at 1510 and footed a mile to the boat arriving at 17.40 just as the sun went to bed.  I do not recommend the walk between the station and the wharf.   There has been massive and persistent rain in the Midlands over the holiday with Gerrit striking after Christmas and Henk on New Year's Day with the aftermath lasting 72hrs.  It only stopped as I left Peterborough. The bilge was 6" deep in water when I got to it.  The boat was damp and cold so first priority was to get the Hampshire going.  I knew from experience it would be 6hrs before the inner cabin was even vaguely comfortable.  It is not about cold: it is about dampness.  The heater did its work as always and the cabin got quite warm. I was in bed at 6.30pm but woke every two hours to stoke and make sure it could not get too hot. 8.30pm 10.30pm 12.30am ...  until 8.30am on Thursday when the fire was set up for the day.  I'm a sailor.  I can do these things.  When you know how to surf circadian rhythms you can get through the night on REM peaks as long as you know how to fall asleep afterwards.  Weather predictions for Thursday were reasonable and it so transpired.  I set up the solar and proceeded to bail out boat and butty as the sun came up.  Took the 10.05 bus to Daventry for breakfast at the "Kitchen" which has gone into my top five canal breakfast destinations ... and the only one in the Midlands.

Needing memory for my newest phone I went to Argos Daventry where ... 32gigs of SanDisk is £11 ... I paid £18 just  months ago for 8gig ... before going to the Library ... before going for the bus ... before arriving back at the boat with milk from Waitrose at 12.15pm.  The next hour was spent doing some delicate tuning of the engine which had been upset by the rain and needed tender loving care.   Which it got ... as high cloud advanced from the west to dim the sun.   About 2pm I decided to cut and run for a better mooring.  

Weather is forecast to turn colder over the weekend.  Colder [eventually] means ice which means no boats moving.  I need to be in a place with a bus stop and a grocery shop close to hand.  Weedon is three miles and six locks away.  It gets dark about 4 but I got to Whilton Wharf and tied up by Spotted Cow Lane for the night. glider.incurs.and  My pitch is nice and quiet from a lovely warm bed in a lovely warm cabin where I am tapping out this blog as my router winks quietly on the ceiling and sends this blog tout la monde ... and this being my second night on board, the fabric of the inner cabin has 'dried out' and everything feels dry and warm.  I stoke the heater every four hours though this night  20.30,  00.30,  04.30 and 8.30am.

Fri 5th ... It rained during the night ... The Midlands is awash ...  20gallons emptied out of the bilge and 4gals out of Wavy. After visiting Whilton garden centre for a look and some pink and white marshmallows I went to Bedazzled to meet Dizzie  for a strip of LED in case I find time to adapt some more rooflights.  Diz (Marie Hogan) told me there's a banter in RomanWayBrewery TONIGHT where I could meet all the locals from 7pm on.  11oc I note a northbound ready for the lock which was in his favour so I helped him and, as he departed, I swept in and down and puttered away towards Weedon.  By 1pm I was ringed up for nosh and a rest by Weedon Motors. curly.waggled.disco and later symphonic.predict.eased

It can freeze all it wants now because my boats will be here for [at least] a fortnight. Shop and bus (to Daventry and Northampton) 3minutes away ... I have walked to the village for my sourdough and separately found RomanWay Brewery ... Sam and Drew, David and Dan, Nic and Rocky aka ... next week is a burger-fest ... and later is Burns Night

Sat 6th and the first sun for weeks falls on the solar. After more bailing and stoking I am off to Daventry on the D2  for a Kitchen breakfast and Waitrose sausages for tomorrows dinner and ... later I take the D2 to Northhampton and the D3 back before going down to clean out Tesco's bargain shelf.  £35 of cut-price for £15.50.  I mean smoked salmon, scallions, Ginster pasties, best coleslaw, Mout ciders and a couple of comfort calories for the weekend that's in it. Next charcoal bag is open and sorted. Fire is stoked. Cabin is warm. Sky is clouded so no frost tonight ...

SUNDAY 7th A lazy day with service on the radio, a bit of housekeeping, a stroll around the antique shops for which Weedon is renowned. Home cooking, keep the fire up and plan to be away tomorrow on the 10.45 to Northampton which will get me the 1032 to Peterborough and land me in Lynch park at 2.15 to do a quick shop in Orton Tesco and fetch up at the flat by 2.30 lugging my dolly trolley full of laundry ,,, but I am racing ahead a bit ...

Mon 8th  Up early to prepare the boat for leaving.  Walk away at 10.35 to catch 10.45 to Northampton which will get me the 1032 to Peterborough and land me in Lynch Park by 2.15 for a quick shop in Orton Tesco and fetch up at the flat by 2.30 lugging my dolly trolley full of laundry and grub ,,,  I am racing ahead a bit ... but I need to finish out the first blog of the year so I can start the next one on schedule ...