Greetings everyone.

This was the snow scene at the beginning of December last year when we were all iced in for weeks. This year is much milder and we are all able to cruise freely about without crunching through ice. Yesterday it was windy and raining all day so we stayed on board and I cooked Ginger Cake. Paul and Lynne came for afternoon tea and Paul was a bit bedraggled having got some new fishing tackle and been fishing for a couple of hours. He was quite happy with his catch however, forty-six fish in total, amazing. Eight of us met up in the pub in the afternoon to chat over drinks and a snack with much jollity.

Tomorrow we will all be in hibernation aboard our own boats with good food and some Christmas tipple to help us over the festive season. We shall enjoy chatting to friends and family on the phone as usual too.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of a spectacular sunrise we took recently within a few minutes of each other. Luckily it didn't live up to the old saying, ‘Red sky in the morning Shepherds warning’.

We would like to send our warmest wishes to our friends and families here and in Australia, fellow bloggers and all of you who follow our ramblings here on our Oakfield blog.

Have a Jolly Christmas and may we all look forward to a Peaceful New Year.

A right pain in the…

I had picked up a form from the new dentist in Daventry  I had their phone number.

A filling had fallen out that I knew I would need treatment, then the unbearable pain set in.

So I rang the number and was asked if I had a swollen face or difficulty breathing.

No, just toothache I reply, ok we will try and fit you in she says. I hadn’t heard anything the next day so I rang to ask when they might fit me in and was told they run a ‘Triage’ assessment.

When I asked what that meant she said I would have to wait for someone to cancel their appointment. Finding their advice unbelievable I tried another dentist recommended by our friends.

Their approach was much more positive and friendly. After filling out the form and paying £17 in advance they gave me an appointment for the following day.

I went in, my teeth were all checked, the dentist took x-rays and while they were being processed she cleaned around my teeth.

She told me there were no abscesses or infection present and she would fill the tooth straight away for £30.

Absolutely marvellous and all finished in about half an hour!

So I can highly recommend the Oradi Dental Practice in Daventry they are truly amazing.

All on our tod.

There was a layer of ice over the canal this morning and rain was forecast for the rest of the day with an icy breeze, so we decided to stay put.

However our friends took off without us, so it will be even quieter here now. Iain and Alison came by on Gosty Hill and we called out our Christmas Greetings to each other. There is a jacket potato wrapped in tin foil in the ash pan for me and some left over chicken for Bottles mid-day sandwich,mmm. When all our jobs are done we can settle down by the fire to catch up on reading our forums, books and magazines. A lovely way to spend the afternoon accompanied by the pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof.

Around Foxes Gate.

This is the view towards our moorings from Bridge 100, which has been unofficially named by boaters as Foxes Gate. We haven’t seen any foxes here, so maybe someone will know how the area acquired this name?

On the Puddle Banks the sunken boat is still firmly embedded into the bottom of the canal and another one moored nearby has also flooded.

    

Since our cruises over the last two years down the Oxford Canal this house has been taking shape. We have watched the steady progress in creating this lovely timber framed house with the thatched roof and it still seems to be unfinished.

Maffi and Molly.

Saturday we had a text, ‘where are you’? It was Maffi who said he would be with us at at 3pm and he was. After five hours cruising from Rugby they must have been frozen, so Bottle helped him moor up and Molly the Wonder-dog bounded aboard followed by her master. Apparently she knows us as ‘the biscuit boat’, so after a drink, a biscuit and much stroking she curled up on the mat in front of the fire and dozed off. We chatted non stop over tea, cake and evening meal washed down with much Guinness until bedtime. This morning we joined them on the Milly M for a farewell mug of tea. Maffi donned all his warm gear making him look nearly twice the size, we had a sharp overnight and it was bitterly cold again today. The sun came out and with Molly atop the boat in her bed with a warm blanket over her they waved goodbye till next year. 

We love seeing them and Maffi always has many stories to tell about all the people he has met while cruising. He has also done a massive amount of litter picking from the canal tow paths and we are encouraged to do the same. It would be nice if people had the intelligence to take their rubbish to a bin but unfortunately many can’t be bothered. So, it was lovely to see you Maffi and we thank you for all your hard work in trying to keep the canals tidy. If everyone did just a little litter-picking it could make a BIG difference.

‘Three Amigos’ re-named.

This is ‘Gongoozlers Rest’ the little floating cafe that cooks your food in their tiny kitchen at the back. Last year the boat underwent an overhaul and it will also be closed for all of January while the work is finished off.

 

Our three boats, Piston Broke, Tranquility and Oakfield were all moored pointing in the direction of Braunston Junction. One by one we have cruised our way ‘daan saath’ and are now moored all in a row by Foxes Gate a nice peaceful spot surrounded by beautiful countryside. The views are amazing, even the old cement factory in Rugby looks good from here!

We were the last to leave this morning as we had waited for ‘Gosty Hill’ to come with coal and diesel yesterday. We made our way along to Braunston Marina for a pump out £12 for 8½ minutes, got rid of our old oil in their re-cycling tank, also deposited our rubbish and recycled our glass.

While we waited for our water tank to fill outside the Stop House we ordered bacon sandwiches from ‘Gongoozlers Rest’. These came  piping hot accompanied by their speciality mini chips all wrapped in tinfoil, yum! A welcome winter warmer with a cup of tea which we finished just before our tank was full.

Although our cruise down was sunny, the icy wind was pretty chilling, good job we were prepared by adding several extra layers of clothes. We saw Kestrels hovering and Fieldfares gorging on berries.  On arrival our friends gave us a wave and we were invited round for tea and freshly baked Apple Cake, Betty’s bi-annual treat!  Now that Graham is also sporting a beard and moustache, I think we should be re-named, ‘The Three Greybeards!’

Narrow boat Lucy.

Here we can see either side of Lucy’s back cabin which still retains some of the paintwork.

 

 

As I had found some pictures of nb Lucy during her working days in an old magazine I took it to the yard. They were pleased to accept the item as it would all help with information and details of who had worked and lived on her. Today they were preparing to winch her over to the other side of the yard to make space for nb Clent to be brought out onto the bank for work to be carried out.

 

Here you can see Lucy’s front end as she is being prepared for the gentle move across. Nb Clent is in the foreground wearing a “nappy” in order to stop water ingress.

 

Lucy sank on the Puddle Banks nearby and was bought and rescued in 2009 by Peter Boyce of Phobox. The holes in her hull were all blocked up and then they were able pump her out and float her up to Braunston Marina. She was then craned out and taken by road to the London Road yard where restoration is taking place.

For more information look at www.phobox.com/lucy/

Friends and Family.

We got our tiny Christmas tree out and put the twinkly lights up all around the boat, so we now we are prepared for the silly season. Our daughter and grandson came for the day on Friday to help Bottle celebrate his birthday. We spent the whole day onboard playing, reading stories and chatting. Of course every time a boat passed by a call of, ’Grampy, boat’ would be heard, so Grampy had to lift the little person up to see it and to wave. I made a tasty Shepherds Pie with vegetables for lunch and Boat Cake for our tea. The day went quickly as we were all enjoying ourselves so much, it was lovely to see them again.

 

As it was also our friends birthday on the same day we had arranged to meet up for an evening meal at The Boathouse. So with the crews of nb Piston Broke, nb Tranquility, nb Ellen there were eight of us altogether. We had only ever passed within shouting distance of John and Angela on nb Ellen, so it was nice to get to chat to them at last. The meals were from the two-for–one menu and none of us could resist having pudding either. The bill was very reasonable and we spent a really lovely evening together. We came out to a sharp frost and walking back along the canal towpath we could see that the water was icing over. However it melted away during the next day. Our friends came around for afternoon tea today as they had smelt the boat cake cooking the previous day!

Winter’s here.

    

As we have had a few frosty mornings I’ve got the Porridge in. These Jumbo oats are lovely, but I like them chewy and undercooked. Then I add a ‘gert’ spoonful of Honey that I bought while passing through the top lock at Tyreley, mmm nice. I may even use some of the oats for making flapjacks.

Working on the Waterways.

The fuel boat Gosty Hill gently pulled alongside in the sunshine on Wednesday morning to inject our tank with diesel.

    

Caleb and Bosun were keeping watch as usual from the ‘catwalk’ on the top of their boat. Alison had gone shopping so we chatted to Iain for sometime. Their lovely old working boat, along with the business that they have built up over several years, is up for sale. Iain said he has already had an offer, as long as Alison was included, ha,ha,ha !

They travel during the winter months selling diesel and coal to a great number of customers on the Oxford Canal between Claydon and Atherstone, including the Ashby Canal Arm. This is such a vital and much appreciated service to the permanent moorers and continuous cruisers all along this route. We shall miss their courteous, friendly approach, but whoever takes over from them will naturally acquire all their loyal customers. 

  

Although we shall miss them we will look forward to seeing them as we continue to cruise around the canal system. So, if you are looking for an interesting, profitable job with accommodation included there is a great opportunity here. Have a look at http://rugbyboats.co.uk/narrowboats-for-sale.php  if you are interested.

Two years ago in the ice, having just descended Hillmorton Locks.