2014 is rolling along now and today, 10th January is the first proper dry day since the year began. Very welcome sunshine and a chance to do some outside jobs. Went round the marina for some bits this morning and caught these little chaps cavorting in the grass.

They are probably enjoying a bit of dry weather as well. Hope they have a nice day till some arse shoots them.

Next Monday (13th) is my birthday. I don't usually make any fuss about such a thing but a few friends have kindly agreed to join me on Sunday for lunch at the Greyhound, Wigginton. We went there last year and it was very good. Sadly on Monday I have a funeral down in Bournemouth so have decided Sunday is going to be the celebration.

But today is for enjoying the sunshine so must crack on. The saga of the tv satellite dish continues. Over the New Year a particularly gusty day saw the dish deposited unceremoniously in the front well and since then I haven\t been able to get a signal. Surprise!
I assumed it was because the dish was bent a tad but after swapping the dish for an old one I still had no success. So I've swapped the LNB for the old one onto the new (bent) dish and after a lot of farting around in the rain. Bingo! I don't know what LNB (Let's Not Bother?) stands for but it's the bit that points at the dish. I know I should have fixed it more securely given the weather but I thought weighing it down would suffice. Mucho wrongo as we say down Torremolinos way.Nothing too permamant because whenever I turn the boat round the dish has to be repositioned. Anyway we're up and running again and lots of little jobs are being done-those ones saved for a rainy fortnight.  pictures fixed, additional lighting installed, cupboards emptied and refilled minus redundant artefacts.

And tonight (Friday) it's Carluccio's with Pam- a very pleasant evening and fairly sober as we're trying to behave at the moment-I did succumb to a glass of vino and a Scotch before retiring but it is my birthday weekend.
Saturday is a clear cold day, a surprise after the mild Friday. On waking a thought enters my head. Why is keeping warm like running an egg factory? You need lots of layers. Must send that to the cracker people. Strange dream last night...I was in a bar (nothing strange there) and the louder I shouted the quieter my voice got. How weird's that? I wonder if the Carluccio expresso last night was a bit too strong.
The gout is upon me which interferes with my attempt to do an hour's walk every day. Pam's brother Mac is down for the weekend and they are walking above Aldbury, part Ridgeway part Ashridge and I'm quite envious as I drop them at their start point. I picked them up at the Valiant Trooper and after a tincture we headed back to Berko. That's when we saw the sky. Red sky at night-Tring's alight as the old saw goes.
 

That night  we dined at home on Coq au Vin  followed by Cherry Clafoutis both Pam's own work and both delicious

The end of the clafoutis complete with birthday candle

Sunday 12th Jan and the Official Birthday week starts here. Sadly Pam is not 100% and can't join us for lunch at the Greyhound, Wigginton. The following did join and I have made a note of their names should I ever win the lottery.
Mac (Pam's Brother who kindly ferried me to and from the pub and did much more besides)
Joseph 
Angie and Geoff
Carrie and Mac
Annie and Roy
Judith and Mike and Pauline
Adrian, Geoff J and Mike P
David G

Our numbers are down this year mainly because of my general unpopularity and personal hygiene or lack of, but a jolly time was had and I received many cards and gifts from people I do not deserve to know

David and I look like a couple of male models. For what I know not.

Me and my two minders Joseph and Mac

Cheers Big Ears!

For the second year running the Greyhound at Wigginton was excellent. Oh how I wish they were canalside.The food was marvelous and the service tip top and jolly. Well worth patronising.

 www.greyhoundtring.co.uk


Thank you Natilee and team

Monday 13th.
My Birthday. Made it. Hooray.

To Bournemouth for a funeral set off in glorious sunshine but south of Basingstoke the heavens opened and it went downhill for rest of the day. Arrived early enough to have a look at the sea and a brief blow along the waterfront. Seems incongruous in black tie. Should have worn a suit as well.
A photo of the sun trying to pierce the cloud is below. 

For Maureen , R.I.P.

A wet and spray- filled journey home to a fish supper and University Challenge. And a much improved Pam.

Happy Birthday Mike!

An Advert.
More than an advert.
This is a blatant attempt to relieve you of some money. This will be the last advert so don't feel pressurised.

For sale

Aprons and Bags made by Seams. Avid readers will recall Pam's visit to Gulu, Uganda last year  http://paminuganda.wordpress.com/ where apart from her involvement with the local school she met and stayed with the people running Seams. I've scanned in (rather amateurishly-but you'd expect nothing less) the following note  about Seams

 

Aprons £13

Bags £11

 
The aprons are very well made and highly colourful. You certainly wont meet anyone with one like it. The bags would make excellent sewing bags or indeed suit any purpose. Other than as an apron or hanglider obviously. Very easy to spot on the carousel when you're returning from one of your foreign jaunts or at the Sports Centre during a Fire Drill.

I will pay the postage no matter where you live in the UK. What a deal. And it's all for charity!

Until next time dear friend.................................

Into 2014

New Year's Eve.
Ady has joined me for the evening and we are going to Panther for scoff and silliness.
Such a spread of grub-we are so lucky-every taste is catered for and  there is so much we don't make it to the cheese board.
Roy and Annie are hosting the feast and Mac and Carrie (with Jasper the new Dog in their life) are in good form.

Plenty to eat and no shortage on the drink front either and retired hurt about 2 a m after a very pleasant evening.

2014
11 a.m.-A late awakening. Torrential rain and high winds.
Drip
Drip
Drip
Thud
The dreaded sound known to boaters over the ages. A leak.
7 saucepans full by 6p m. Nothing to be done till I can turn the boat round and address the problem. I have owned 6 boats over the years and they all had a leak. Some worse than others and despite best efforts to seal the buggers come the torrential rains similar to those we have now and in it comes. Not always the same place of course that would be too easy. No, same boat-different leaks-different places. This one is definitely through the chimney collar which I thought I'd fixed. Have to wait for a fine spell (dry and don't need the fire lit) and have the whole thing off.
In the meantime
drip
drip
drip
thud.
It could drive a lesser man mad. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

The day was cheered by a couple of shots from Pam skiing in Argentier with Joseph and Ollie who is working there. His chalet guests over the new year were Russian.  Very rich-one of them Mr Dropalotapopov, made his millions delivering lemonade.

Ollie and Joseph looking very cool

Pam and her boys looking very happy

Pam looking v stylish

                                                     Me and Roy looking very stupid

all on New Years Day

As I indicated earlier the weather was atrocious and I was amazed to see a couple of blokes fishing off the marina bridge-they must have very unhappy home lives but even so they could go and sit in a bus shelter and have more fun. Anyway they aint meant to fish there a fact they wished to debate across the canal in the pouring rain which was not my ideal way of spending the first day of 2014. They left saying they had had a good day anyway so everybody's happy Except the poor bloody fish of course.

Roy and I were on our own New Years Day evening so a traditional curry was consumed along with a drop of beer and a sip of whisky out of the very nice Plimsoll Line glasses that Pam bought me for Christmas. Cheers Pam!

Friday and the hail it did haileth with exciting thunderstorm and giving Pam's garden a glacial appearance.

Saturday and it's still raining. The towpath is a quagmire. Note to self: Priority for mooring this year is to fix the path. 
Another note to self: When turning the boat round remember to disconnect the electric cable from the bank. I  was about a yard from the mooring when I realised. Fortunately no-one was watching so it's our little secret.

Off to Luton to collect Pam and Joseph both of whom look well and had a good week. A quiet drink and a curry in the evening. Very pleasant. Life returning to normal.....just my birthday on 13th but nobody remembers that.......Until then my friends

Yippee! Christmas

After the success of the Boaters' Gathering  (it looks we'll finish up with a profit of damn near 500 quid for the hospice) it's s  been a funny old week. I started in good form full of the joys of Christmas and then the dreaded gout returned for the first time in a long while and a very severe bout of gout it is. I don't like to bring such matters of misery to the blog as essentially these pages are for noting down total nonsense with the odd picture so shall not mention my gout bout again. Ouch! It has considerably curtailed activity and as I am off to sunny Oldham on Tuesday, via Peak District on Monday, I would like to have had working legs. Instead I am hopping about swearing violently as I do, calling down curses on everything from the Almighty to the England Cricket team.

Arrived in Derbyshire mid afternoon Monday in mild but very wet weather. My arrival was delayed by a flat tyre on the M1 and the necessity to get the spare replaced. After a wander round Bakewell I had half hour to kill before I could book into my b and b so I went to Monsal Head where the Inn of that name is one of the best places in the world. A quiet pint, a ponder on good times past in and around Monsal and back down to Ashford on the Water and the Ashford Arms. to book in. A lovely pubby hotel at 65 quid a night for a room. I decided I would try the other pub in the village -The Bull- for a pint before dinner. In the end I ate in the Bull attracted by a Game Casserole which accompanied by a glass of Merlot made for a very pleasant meal. Back to the Ashford Arms for a nightcap and a sound sleep.
I awoke in the morning to a sunny frosty day. I half de-iced the car before going for a walk/limp to get a paper and returned for breakfast. I had a very pleasant surprise to discover that apart from the full English breakfast other options included smoked haddock and poached egg or smoked salmon and scrambled egg. My favourite breakfast and probably in my top ten favourite meals. ....and it was very good.

The head cold is developing nicely to accompany the improving gout but I had a very pleasant ride through to Buxton, then Glossop and onto Moorside nr Oldham where Tom and Moira live. We were joined in the evening by Martin and Valerie and their son Tom for a roast beef dinner; all most convivial. All I contributed was a box of crackers and that meant we all had silly hats to wear. I must take a photo of this for the blog I said. The next time I remembered was at 9 a.m.next day so no photo then. Ran a few errands in the morning and Moira and I went for a drink in the excellent Navigataion, Uppermill by the Huddersfield canal. The barman asked if he could have all my change as they hadn't been able to get to the bank. No problem I said there's 300 quids worth of raffle money in the car! He only want 65 quids worth in the end but it got rid of some of it anyway.
It is my hope to get a few days boating on the nearby Huddersfield Canal next year. Have to bring more change....A very pleasant visit to see T and M both seemingly in rude health and keeping the faith.

Back to Cowroast in glorious sunshine and preparations start in earnest for Christmas. I have sourced (as they say in modern parlance) the turkey and the gammon and as always enough booze to refloat the Mary Rose (another nice source(sic)) although too much can make you sick (sic).
The central heating on the boat has decided to play silly buggers so another smutty sooty stinky day is necessary but don't know when.
And the weather has turned mild again but very wet and windy-I feel sorry for anyone travelling on the canals in this weather-the worst for boating.

I was invited on board NB Valerie by Jaq and Les for a cuppa and they gave me a marvellous cake. I've cribbed a picture from their blog.



It  formed part of the table for Pam's Mulled Wine evening on the Monday before Christmas  Friends from the Lamb and elsewhere and neighbours and their offspring came on the foulest of nights to have a glass or 6 and a very convivial evening it was. That Mulled wine can creep up from behind and surprise you if you're not careful. I slept well.

Yum-Good cake

Christmas Eve and I'm getting excited. I'm afraid I am a big kid at Christmas (just Christmas?) and I love it all. The day starts well with an intensive bash at the central heating stove and Lo! A Warm boat is born. I have a traditional fire as well but when one is popping backwards and forwards not sure where one might be sleeping it is nice to know whatever the weather the radiators are bubbling their paint off.
The day is improved further by an email from Ollie. He has recorded a Christmas Message from his ski chalet. Only problem is that he has now mislaid his IPhone so if he can't find it can I read it out at Christmas Dinner.
Here it is.......

 " A Fairy Tale in Gossoms End"
Merry Christmas and greetings to one and to all
Nicklin, Rourke-Hudson, Urqhart and Wall!

May this brief verse find all in the finest of folly
Are you Decking the halls with presents and holly?

Mum's sipping bubbles looking ever so glam
Whilst Caz, Flo and Philip just returned from the Lamb

Joe’s counting down to the new Dr Who
What time did Nat say her and Gaz get to you?

Mike’s in his trusty red santa Claus hat
Did anyone remember a gift for the cat??

Whilst this year it appears I’m amiss from the table
I’m sure that you all are most willing and able.

My Chalet this Christmas is ten guests for dinner
They’re Belgian not Muslim** so should be a winner.

So If I may raise a toast to the gathered collective
Looking back on a christmas at home retrospective

I’m missing you all and I thought you’d best hear it...
Whilst I’m not there in person, I’m there in Christmas spirit


Only one problem.....I was nearly piping my eye reading the email so God knows what I'll be like reading it out loud. I am a soft sod. New Years resolution. Stop being a soft sod.

** I should point out that this is a reference to the last time Ollie ran a chalet at Christmas and the Guests comprised an English couple and 8 Muslims. Not the merriest on record.

Christmas Day and Pam is so organised. Absolutely nothing to do except go to church and wait for the pub to open (12 to 2 Today just like when we were a proper country -when I'm Queen etc)  Of course there is always something to do and the pub was so full of amateurs, children, nuisances, dogs and ordinary people that we only had one and adjourned to our friends Janice and John who had kindly invited us in for drinks. A very jolly gathering with John dispensing bubbly like there was a sale on. Marvellous. Returned home in good form and resolved not to have another drink till wine with dinner. Well, maybe just a beer then. Or two. And another glass of bubbly when Phillip, Caz and Florence arrived. We were also joined by Joseph who had already had one Christmas Dinner. Then Santa arrived which was very exciting-apparently, so I was told. I missed him again as I had to go to the garage for some milk. Just my luck.
 

Cousins Florence and Joseph have a bop

There's always one badly behaved child at the table

Joe deafens Florence with his present from Santa

Phillip doing his O T with Florence's hat

Where's Joe?

Ah. There he is

The Dinner was a major success and I was especially pleased with the gammon-well juicy and the turkey was good too. Well done Pam , brilliant spread.Oh and I nearly got all the way through reading Ollie's poem before sobbing like a big girl's blouse

Here comes Santa....and I missed him again!

Presents, games and a couple of hours talking rubbish took us to about 2 a.m. I'm not too sure cos everybody else left with me talking to myself. All very traditional and thank God for it.


To Berkshire on Boxing Day to visit my niece Kate and family and a most enjoyable day it was. sadly I took no photos. Present wasKate, husband Nick, son, James daughter, Rachel and two GSDs to whom I was not formally introduced being of a nervous disposition. (Me not them)
My brother Jim, his wife Mary and my other niece, Sarah with husband Mike all in good form and thriving. James is 18 in January so another gathering then. He is a good lad with many qualities including his father's inat sense of humility. Nick apparently has the life of Riley as James passed his test this year so the old boy gets dropped at the pub by Kate and picked up by James. Where did I go wrong? Anyway suffice to say an excellent lunch and a jolly time.

Saturday and Pam and Joseph are off to France skiing so an early rise to be at Luton airport for 3 a.m

A pre-flight cuppa

As mentioned in an earlier post Ollie is in Argentier working and they are staying near him. Have a terrific holiday and bon voyage.
 I'm going back to bed as soon as I've fitted the new catflap for Battlecat. He has been struggling with the old one and and Pam bought him a new larger version for Christmas.
(Did you hear about the dyslexic Yorkshireman that wore a cat flap?)

Come on BC-You can do it

Result! Second attempt and he's got O level catflappery

Cat flap nearly finished-it's useable and road tested by BC but needs fine tuning which I can't do on my own cos my arms wont reach both sides of the door at the same time and I'm too big to go through the cat flap and reach it that way!

 Now to bed.
Plans are coming together for New year's Eve. Looks like 7 of us are meeting up on Panther for a buffet and an evening of serious conversation accompanied by a glass of something bubbly. But that's tomorrow and today is a day for retrieving the satellite dish from the bank-it was very windy and wet last night and getting the stores in for Tuesday night's gathering.Thought I'd get a small barrel of beer in from Tring Brewery as we wont be pubbing. But first the most important job. To drop a cheque off for 525 quid at the Hospice of St Francis.The figure raised by the Cowroast Lock Moorers' Christmas Gathering A good way to end 2013

More in 2014. Happy New Year to both my readers.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

Time to prepare for the Cowroast Lock Moorers' Christmas Gathering which will be held on Saturday 7th December at a venue not far away......

This do is always on the 1st Saturday in Advent and marks the opening of the Christmas social scene for most of the boaters I know. It also marks the end as they don't get invited anywhere else which is understandable.
 Before then I plan to decorate both the boat and the shed and am indulging in the annual ritual known as "These Lights were ****ing Working Alright Last Year!".
I have found the lights for the shed and by the skilled application of grey tape and knicker elastic have got them working though yet to erect.

No! ..............My tree is missing. As tasteful a piece of 5 quid tat as ever left Tesco but it is the right height for inside the boat and came with 12 volt lighting attached. And I could put it up myself which is a painful yet festive thing to do.
(Do you know about the proctologist who got bored on holiday and decided to look up some old friends?) Anyway I digress.
I shall have one last look tomorrow and if no success will pine no longer and buy another Christmas Tree..

Thursday and the Official Switching on of the Independence Mooring Christmas Lights was done by Norman the world famous Gnome though he had to be lifted up to do it. He was worried about them shorting out but that's a perennial gnomic worry. I had hoped to get the very talented One Erection but Norman said he'd do it for nothing.

Afterwards Norman and I sang Silent Night very loudly and treated ourselves to a mince pie though Norman being the s....elfish little bugger he is said he wanted shortbread. And he prefers Wee Three Kings cos he thinks it's about Elfred the Great, Elfered the Unready and William the Dwarf from all of whom he claims some descendency. Anyway the lights look good to me and the chap moored opposite approves so everybody that matters is happy.

The missing tree turned ip today. Exactly 24 hours after I'd splashed out on a new one.


The weather forecast is a bit alarmist which seems to be normal these days with every seasonal change being heralded as the worst.......since records etc. I only have one rule that I'm sticking to this year and that is if the canal is iced over I aint taking my boat to the party. The British Waterways Board used to have icebreakers who not only sorted the canal out when froze but would also go to parties throughout the year introducing people to one another.
I bought some more raffle prizes today. People are very generous in supplying same but I thought this year I would do a Hamper containing various goodies in the hope of selling more tickets to raise funds for the Hospice of St Francis, Berkhamsted. The whole affair is coming together nicely and the weather forecast is promising.
Saturday
We set off later than planned to travel to Marsworth. There are reasons for this delay. One of them is called Roy.  Another is called a very fine bottle of Dalwhinnie. A third was a very good curry in the Akash last night after drinks in the Lamb with Pam. A very pleasant evening/morning.

Anyway we got going about midday and here you see one of Santa's little helpers letting go for'ard. It's when he lets go back'ard you have to worry.

Before Tring Station bridge there is a bend where the canal shallows and the trees overhang the cut. I have always called this Kingfisher bend for obvious reasons and today was a real treat. Roy called me up on the radio (he was in front on Panther) to say there was a kingfisher posing on a branch so I got the camera ready and slowed down to a crawl. This beauty was facing me as I came up to his spot and turned round as I passed. Not the best quality of photo but it's never easy when you're trying to take a photo whilst steering the boat with the tiller arm wedged between the cheeks of you stern end. Anyway it was a delight to see this most beautiful of birds out in the December sunshine.

Every one of the seven locks down to Marsworth was against us so progress was comparatively slow with only one, albeit expert, crew member. Well done Ady.
The weather was with us all the way-two years ago we did it through ice and it was "challenging". At Marsworth we wanted to moor past the junction with the Aylesbury arm so we decided to turn one boat (Panther) and tow her backward to the mooring which worked very well especially as there was space for only one boat before the Vicarage Road (Red Lion ) Bridge.

The evening went well. 38 turned up and  it was a very convivial get together. The grub was good, the raffle prizes were plentiful and of a high standard and we had an impromptu auction of a Buckby can and dipper by Ron Hough for which one of our company generously coughed up 105 quid.
A total of 466 pounds was raised in the evening

 This brings the total for the year raised to £882** for the hospice and £200 for the

School in Gulu, Uganda (which Pam visited in March. )

http://paminuganda.wordpress.com/

Additionally Chris and Gill Weber donated 25 pounds as part of gifts made to mark their 40th Wedding Anniversary. 
**This figure is likely to be adjusted upwards as I have spare boxes of Christmas Crackers to sell.

 The Red Lion did a very good job on the food and the pub was very festive in its decoration.
The raffle which normally seems to last forever went much faster this year with Pam selling 226 quids worth of tickets.
I was very pleased with the whole event and even won a bottle of Barolo-my favourite.
I hope to return to Marsworth and the Red Lion for New Year but let's not get ahead of ourselves. If you want to know what makes God laugh you tell him your plans .
I don't know much about canal art (actually I don't know much about anything) but apparently the Ron Hough mentioned above as having painted the Buckby can is the DB's in the world of Roses and Castles.

Auction Time

 
 

The evening closed with a rendition of Goodnight Irene but as I was the only one that heard it and I was the only one singing it  there is no need to mention it.
Back to the boats in good order and apart from a flat battery and hence no lights on Independence a sound nights sleep beckoned.
The morning came suddenly but apart from a little fuzziness in the cerebellum I was up and churched by

Roy takes me through the bridgehole (Ooooh Matron!)

9. 30 pm and ready to move by 11ish. Roy expertly towed me back through the bridge to the junction with the Aylesbury Arm and we set off back up the seven locks to Bulbourne. Progress faster because we have Annie with us and it makes a big difference. We were accompanied by Santa Claus all the way much to the delight of all children and some fishermen. Unfortunately the sun was shining directly inot our eyes so Santa adopted a pair of dark glasses which gave him the look of a cross between a Mafia boss and a Jihadist.

Some fishermen responded positively with the cheery banter for which they are famed. Especially today when according to most they had caught nothing (I paraphrase) and could Santa either go away or send some fish (Again I paraphrase) Such fun.

Chris on Eulalie tows Ian and Maureen on Tamora back to the Aylesbury Arm junction before they return to Aylesbury, the Mecca of Bucks. He seems to know what he's doing. It's a shame that as the years go but fewer boats come down for the Gathering. Maybe we ought to organise a mini rally in the Spring.......

Sweet as a nut

Ho Ho Ho

Annie and Roy peer into the sun before releasing Independence to turn for home

 

All safely back at Cowroast and feeling pleased with the outcome of a very enjoyable weekend. If the rest of Christmas goes as well then I shall be a very happy chappy.
Thanks to everybody for making it such an enjoyable and profitable gathering. 
Until next time.......