....those Autumn leaves.........

Friday, 8th November.
 THE GREAT MOORING TIDY-UP, now in its second year.
Two minutes of frenzied activity and plip plop it started to precipitate stair rods.
Blow this I thought ........where's my Fantasy Football Team Sheet? Must get that done whilst it's chucking it down.
And so dear reader thus ended hostilities for today. I don't want you to think I'm dodging the task but there are so many other things to do.

A good fire, a cuppa and the prospect of a ham sandwich for lunch whilst I torture over the skills of Berbatov and Bent,, the Fulham strikers who aint striking.

One major cause for rejoicing!
My wheelbarrow is now fully functioning. That wondrous bit of kit,the wheelbarrow, so essential to a boater whose possessions are 1/3 in Berkhamsted, 1/3 on the boat and 1/3 in the back of his car. I had a puncture in it when I got back on 7th October. New inner tube. Then established that the tyre was knackered. New tyre. Managed to split inner tube putting it all back. New inner tube.
Assistance sought and readily offered by resident tyre experts, part time inflationists and aficionadoes of the blow up aids. Good old Geoffrey to the rescue with patches and glue and tyre levers and multifarious pumps and here we are exactly a month later with an inflated tyre . I  need another excuse for not tidying the mooring now

And here it is.I must drop  an envelope off with Mac and Carrie to take to Sue on the Orkneys. She is road testing my caption competition for our Boaters' Christmas Do and as she aint coming all the way from ooop north just to listen to a load of boaters talk toilets she can be allowed to see this highly confidential document and pass comment.We hold the do every Christmas and usually raise a few bob for Charity. It's my turn to organise it this year and I shan't be sorry to hand it over to someone else next year. Then perhaps I could get on with the mooring.

The rain is consistent and little progress is made. A busy weekend ahead means no chance then to do the deed and next week is filling up nicely. Guy from Norfolk is visiting and both Natalie and Caz are passing through. Pam is doing a boeuf bourgignon and I'm commmissioned to do a Dauphinois potato. Here it is and not a calorie in it.Bloody good though as was the Bourgignon!


A walk round Aldbury and I spot a pheasant looking pleasant. My plan is to take a few pictures of trees and stuff and drop down to the Valiant Trooper for a pint. As I'm photographing Mr Pleasant Pheasant I become aware of movement the other side of the tree.A herd of deer complete with stag and they don't seem to bothered by me as long as I don't move about.Of course my training with the 23rd Foot and Mouth Brigade meant I can not only kill a man with one blow but can creep up on deer and hang tinsel on their antlers without them noticing. A rare skill.Very handy at Christmas
 I was fascinated by the fact that every time there was a noise-bird, car,me- the herd all looked at the stag to see his reaction. If he carried on munching so did they, if he moved a few feet in any direction so did they. I watched them for over an hour and completely forgot to go for my pint.

Saturday saw the gathering of the weekend party, Guy (who had come over from Norfolk)and I headed off to buy shoes! and mistakenly went in the Lamb for a pint prior to  joining Pam for a curry. Avid readers will recall from the earlier blogpost in Yorkshire-




http://mikew-tugwellardsawfullybigadventure.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/a-week-in-yorkshire.html

- that Guy's speed of eating is in inverse proportion to his conversation so we had a most convivial evening and the meal took about three hours!



Sunday and a glorious Autumn day. A healthy breakfast and a walk across Ashridge from the Bridgewater Monument to Ashridge House.
The Grade II listed Bridgewater Monument is a tower on the Ashridge estate, built in 1832 in memory of Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater (1736–1803), "the father of inland navigation". It overlooks the village of Aldbury and the Grand Union Canal.
It was built away from Ashridge House as his mother wanted "not to see or be reminded of my infernal son".She obviously wasn't a canal enthusiast.

Pam and Caz shade themselves 

The Duke of Bridgewater had a very pretty daughter and...sorry that's not what I meant.
The Duke of Bridgewater is to be found here:

http://www.bridgewatercanal.co.uk/timeline1.html

Well, actually he's to be found at Little Gaddesden cos that's where they buried him.If I'd have been him I'd have had myself embalmed and stuck in the old girl's bay window.

These look considerably more spritely  than my selections at Wincanton on Saturday

Guy and Caz look like they are re-enacting the Da Vinci cartoons
at the beginning of the South Bank Show

The ground covering by Ashridge House.

A real fun Guy

 

Back at Cowroast the sun still shines and the fires are lit

You know that excuse I was looking for to avoid tidying the mooring? Well I had it on Monday in bucketloads. Very wet.But as the week progresses the sun shines and by Thursday the mooring looks no less of a mess but it's all in a different place!
The coal boat (Towcester-Jule's Fuels) called by on Monday to replenish diesel and replace a gas bottle. Sod's law dictated that ten minutes after they'd gone another gas bottle ran out but nay bother-catch 'em on the way back. After me they moved on to nb Valerie where pleased to report Les seems to be on the mend.

I am starting to prepare for the coming weekend when we are off to Norfolk to celebrate 40 years since we bought the first boat at Coltishall. It will be a real trip down memory lane as it is many years since I was round those parts. My fears are that it will be a disappointment and I am not encouraged by directions on how to find our cottage...."turn left at MacDonalds"....Oh Gawd what else. Watch this space.

Happy Birthday Norman!

Thursday 14th And it's a special day. No not the 65th birthday of HRH Charlie-but the umptieth birthday of Crew Member Norman pictured here and looking very elfy. We're off to Morrisons for tea. We go there ever since they closed Gnome and Colonial.Norman will, of course, be coming to Norfolk with us as part of his birthday treat

I noticed today that the moorings on the towpath side are empty. A very rare event-my usual experience at this time of year is a build up before Christmas. The Canal and River Trust seem to be harrying and hurrying overstayers to move on. Mind you it gets so muddy that side during the Winter then maybe its a last resort.

Anyway Norman and I must get packed for our trip to Norfolk. He likes Norfolk cos when you're short it's good to go to flat places where you can see as much as everybody else. But we're taking a beer crate for him to stand on just on case. Like John Major did at the hustings only this gnome is  Norman Minor.....mind you  John is married to Norma so there you go. I think she's great and not like that Edwin Currie woman whom Norman Hates-that's not to be confused with Norman Bates who was in Psycho running Bates Motel with his mum dead in the cellar. That Master Bates was a w*****r. But not as big a whinger as Norman cos he can't find his socks and has gone into one blaming everybody except himself for their absence. Turns out they're on his feet but that's gnomes for you.

Until next time dear reader