February

So what's been occurring?
I've had a funeral, a film, a fizzio, a flood and fotos galore

The funeral was of fellow boater, Graham George who lived on Mon Bateau at Marsworth. He used to be in the Cowroast Marina and drink in the Cowroast Inn but one got too expensive and the other one's a tip so he got a mooring at Marsworth a few years back. A kindly, gentle man who always seemed cheerful and philosophical about life and his lot in it. The funeral was at Amersham Crem and was well attended by the boating fraternity. As I commented to someone present that I didn't know what the collective noun for 30 odd damaged livers but they were all there. The wake was at Graham's local, the Angler's Retreat in Marsworth.    Graham's boat "Mon Bateau" went past me at Cowroast a couple of days back, presumably with new owners...and so life goes on.
Rest easy Graham-top bloke.

The Rex Cinema in Berkhamsted is always a delight no matter what the film which means it's virtually impossible to get tickets , especially for a film as popular as The Theory of Everything. However they have a system of issuing raffle tickets to punters who turn up en spec, and if there are any no-shows then the raffle reallocates the seats.

We had dined in Gatsby's which is below the cinema and whilst a tad pricey is always a pleasure. Being Sunday we had the Sunday roast which was excellent and wandered upstairs where we were successful in the raffle and had good seats for the film. I know all the Bafta/Oscar chat is about the film and Redmayne's performance but I think, Felicity Jones, as the wife was superb and deserving of an award.

My visit to the fizzio last week arranged by my GP three months ago was a bit awkward in that the problem-the sacra-iliac joint- was behaving well having had three months and a couple of paid for sessions with a Chiropractor. (fine but I can't afford to keep flying off to Egypt every time). I am glad I didn't cancel as the lass was very good and figured a major factor was the way I walked. Those that know me will have observed that when I walk I have a sailor's roll. He'd left it on the dockside so I nicked it cos I was hungry. Sorry, I digress. I sway from side to side and it's nothing to do with the drink; I've always done it as far as i recall. Anyway fizzio says it's possibly caused all sorts of problems the length of my luscious form and I now have to practise walking properly which aint easy after 60 odd years. Some of them very odd. It made sense to me so I'll persevere but it feels very strange as though I'm walking like I'm chewing a toffee up my bottom.......which I don't. Well not always.

Now to the flood-not serious. Don't panic.Before starting on my list of jobs the other day I was doing the washing up on board and saw water coming under the cupboard door below the sink unit. I opened the door to discover that the sink waste had become disconnected and the crate on the shelf below the sink was full to brimming with yucky dish water. It's where I store kitchen roll, toilet rolls, dust cloths....the sort of stuff you don't want to get wet.
My first problem was how to get a crate full of water to the side hatch so I could empty it over the side. It was much too heavy to lift so I went in search of the small pump that I keep somewhere it can't be found in an emergency. I headed for the door to scour the shed when I heard the noise I really didn't need. The sound of the shelf, once supported by 4 of those little nobby things that flat pack furniture relies on, collapsing thus depositing the crate upside down on the kitchen floor. So I didn't need the pump any more. I needed the mop and bucket. The mop-one of those squeezy squeegy things was on the roof. Well the handle was. Some misbegotten, syphilitic pain in the butt had eaten most of the spongy bit. A duck I suspect. They'll be getting sod all bread for the whole of Lent!

I had a replacement of course. Where was it? Well it was-or until very recently had been-in the crate on the shelf that similarly had been -until recently- under the sink.  Along with soggy toilet rolls etc it had now been washed by the deluge under the cupboard unit necessitating a paddle and a kneel in the puddle whilst I ferreted under the unit to retrieve the spongy thing. Now my knees aint a lot of use these days so in order to rise I had to pull myself up hanging onto the worktop. A worktop that is quite hard as I proved when my foot slipped in the ****ing puddle and I banged my chin on it. The worktop not the puddle.

I apologise to the good people of the hamlet of Cowroast, anybody resident in the marina, any passing boat, walker, cyclist or hang glider for the volley of foul and obscene language that emanated at considerable volume from Independence for some 20 minutes thereafter. I spent an hour mopping and then a further half hour fixing the sink waste. Then I tore up the above-mentioned list.

To Kent

Over the QE bridge into Kent

and down the M2 chasing a Routemaster!

We were off to Kent for a couple of days to see the Faversham gang.I took my new camera so you can be bored with my pictures rather than my rambling. We stayed in the Sun Inn right in the middle of Faversham arriving for Sunday Lunch with Caz,Philip and Florence. 


Afterwards a  walk along the famous Faversham Creek with new puppy Polly Patch.

Polly plays sticks with Caz 

Caz has lost her pool cue

Polly Patch

Can you see a dog Mildred?

Hide 'n seek

Monday and we went to Whitstable with Florence and lunched at the Neptune. A splendid seafront pub with a proper landlord. I really enjoyed the walk and talk along the beach with Florence whilst Pam went on ahead to avoid the parking fine.


Dinner at Caz and Philip's in the evening-just a short wobbly walk from the hotel.



The Parking Fascists got us in the morning as we were in a car park behind the hotel which we, mistakenly, thought started charging at 8.30. Unfortunately it was 8.00 so some mealy mouthed pinch-faced, scrofulitic , uniformed arse  had the pleasure of whacking on a ticket at 8.10. May he be visited with a dose of piles so large he can't practise his goose step for a year.

After breakfast with Caz and Florence we went to Badgers Hill Farm with Florence where I was able to talk to the donkeys. Such fun.

Home to Berko but not till we visited Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey. A not to be repeated experience; we went on impulse as neither of us had been before. All of a sudden Hemel H is ok. As Pam commented "someone left the "ugli" out of Sheer-----ness! " Despite boasting a refinery it wasn't very refined.

Though there is a fine bridge onto the Isle Of S

The seafront at Sheerness

Pam looks mysterious in Sheerness

You live and learn

 

 

The Germans are Coming!

Back at Cowroast the BW Showrooms have been enlarging their main building and are now increasing the amount of parking space on the site. For weeks now contractors' vehicles have been parked all along the roadside frontage and now they have added a skip building materials and some rubble. This effectively removes a few spaces used when the road parking has gone (during the day mostly occupied by BW employees anyway). I think they are under the impression that they own the site whereas we know from previous dealings that the grassed frontage is highway land under Herts CC..

Anyway it's a right mess which I assume will be put right when the work finishes.....Our concern is they will try and block off the area we use for parking which will be a nuisance. It will also be illegal. I wonder if Herts CC know they are using their land for vehicles, building materials and a skip?

As we go to press with this posting the buggers have widened their access  nicking a bit of the greensward. I've emailed Herts C.C. to see if they have permission. To be honest I can't believe such an org as BMW wouldn't have done it right but no harm in asking.
I am surprised that from when the site was first opened and with each subsequent expansion that no conditions as to staff parking has apparently been made. BMW now park in the pub car park (for which they pay) and also put their brand new cars in the Marina car park (for which they pay) but still take up most of the highway parking which is legal but bleedin' unneighbourly. If, as one day must happen, the pub shuts and the inexecrable Punch Taverns sell it as a private house/Macdonalds/Indian Restaurant/Rehab Centre and the parking goes what happens then. Will the LPA make them provide parking within the site for staff at the expense of the shiny motors for sale? Nah. Course not. Today Cow Roast -Tomorrow ze Vorld.

On the canal by the lock we have a large hole. We have had it for a long while. How much longer I wonder what with CRT's financial state. I just hope that if the canal breaches the consequent flooding of the Marina car park doesn't damage any new BMWs

 We have a spot of bother on the moorings, There are two sets of swans looking for a nesting site which results in a punch up most mornings; though to look at the picture above you'd think all was sweetness and light. We also have a pair of geese looking to set up home and they are all looking at the site next to the mooring entrance. They'd better sort it soon or the Germans will park on it.




Back, briefly, to Blog Statistics.......180 souls looked at the last posting according to Google. Or, of course, one person looked at it 180 times. Except they'd have had to get a move on as it was 120 in the UK and 60  elsewhere including 6 in the Ukraine and 4 in South Korea, a six-fold increase in Ukranian interest on the last post and we've never had anyone from S Korea before. Obviously I'm banned in North Korea and no doubt as I write some clever little bugger over there is trying to hack into my blog and fill it with sensible stuff. No chance Kim boy. This site's for eejits......I'm just fascinated to know how someone in Ukraine or S Korea comes upon the site and what they make of it.

To finish the month on a high..........Last Saturday at Dunstable and District Boat Club, Pitstone for Lesley's 60th birthday. Lesley (Hart of February) is one of those people that make it happen, mainstay of the family and first to volunteer when something needs doing on the moorings....and she's pretty good at chasing fishermen off as well!

Happy Birthday Lesley

Lesley wields the knife whilst Graham plays selections from Sweeney Todd