We have just spent a few days away enjoying ourselves playing with our oldest grandson and having lots of cuddles with our new grandson. 
We were glad to return to our boat to get the fire going and warm up and settled ourselves down with a hot drink and some toast before crashing into bed exhausted.
The snow still lay round about ,deep and crisp and even this morning as we scrunched our way to the bus stop. The skies are grey and the mist was descending over the fields. luckily the roads are fairly clear at the moment. We met up with the ‘gang’ and chatted in the warm with drinks and snacks in the Lawrence Sherriff. Afterwards we went our separate ways to stock up our food supplies. As we emerged from Asda we saw this golden man pretending to be a statue, Don’t know who he was supposed to be, but he had a replica gun in his hand and one in the holster on the right!
The Blackbirds keep peering into our porthole reminding me that I must get some food for the bigger birds soon. It snowed all day yesterday, now we have about six inches. It was not the usual fluffy snowflakes, but more like tiny balls of ice that descended en-mass.
Don’t forget to feed our feathered friends and put some water out for them if you can. I forgot to get any fat balls which seems to be their favourite.
This Pigeon managed to sniff out the food which was under the four-ish inches of snow that we have had since yesterday. It had to do a bit of digging around for it though.
He looks a bit how I feel when I go out, a bit chilly! Of course it may be a female, how can you tell with Woodpigeons?
It started snowing during the night and I snapped this scene as we walked up over the bridge to catch the bus into Rugby. Our Houdini hatch in the roof over the kitchen was gathering frost on the interior metal surround, then thawing out and dripping on Bottles head when he was doing the washing up. I had bought some double glazing film and we had stuck it up with double sided tape. So our aim today was to buy a hairdryer to heat the film up to make it fit tight. The lowest price hairdryer in Argos was £3.95, ‘cheap as chips’! We didn’t trust that one though and went for a well known make.
The lorries had been out and salted the bus routes, but the resulting slush was quite considerable and slippery. This was the scene opposite the bus stop where there was a funeral group going in accompanied by a Piper in a kilt playing his pipes. Some lazy car drivers had piles of snow on their bonnets and half way up their windscreens, so couldn’t see out properly! Most of the waiting bus passengers stand inside Peacocks to keep warm, so we joined them as it was a coldish wind. The bus didn’t arrive so we walked back. Once out of the town the snow was like cotton wool and walking on it was much easier and more fun.
We arrived back at Oakfield and when we opened the front doors the smell of the bread baking was lovely and was ready to take out of the machine. Now we have plenty of food in the cupboards I think we will go into hibernation for a few days and eat our big tin of nuts.
We first saw this chap walking the Sharpness Canal towpath towards Gloucester last summer. Well we spotted him again just below Watford Locks heading northwards. Now, just last week, he passed by walking south on the Oxford Canal heading for Braunston. He must be constantly on the move and cover many miles on foot. He seems to have grown a beard for the winter. Has anyone else seen him on their travels?
Our second grandson has chosen this moment to make his appearance into this white world of ours. Of course we are very excited and cannot wait to meet him and cuddle him close. His brother is delighted and is very eager to start helping out.
Our resident spider Winston’s web is looking a bit weighed down with all the icicles. He is very persistent and has probably gone into hibernation for a while under the cratch cover to keep warm. This lovely painting of castles in the air is on the butty workboat nearby, just to add a bit of colour for a change.
Everything is now covered in beautiful frosty crystals and a thin layer of ice lays over the canal. I like this kind of weather where the fragile ice crystals cling to everything, creating wonderful natural sculptures.
Scrunching over the icy towpath is quite alright if you can keep moving with that ‘Michelin Man’ look, having donned several layers of everything to keep warm. Anyway I braved the icy chill to snatch a few pics for you to peruse from your cosy armchair.
Can you hear my teeth chattering now ?
It is chilly outside and the white stuff has begun to fall, but it is toasty and warm here inside Oakfield. Although we like venturing out for the odd day, we seem to be attached by a sort of invisible umbilical cord to get back inside the comfort of the boat. The canal hasn’t frozen over yet, but it may well do later in the week. We have plenty of thing to keep us occupied on board. The pile of books, acquired while perusing the charity shops, is now shrinking slowly. I am also writing my memoirs on the computer which is much easier as I can alter and insert things as I go. The next job will be to sort and arrange all the old family photos to illustrate my ramblings! Luckily my Mother wrote names and dates on the backs of most of them which is proving to be very useful to me now.
The little Moorhens who have made this patch their home left evidence of their visit to us this morning. We have seen the Fox trotting across the nearby field and the Robins and Blackbirds are now relying on us to provide some birdseed for them.
As it was a nice sunny morning we walked into town and to my surprise Bottle bought some new slippers for himself. Special offer two pairs for £8, amazing value, we’ll see how long they will last him. No need to sabotage the old ones this year now then!
Bottle said did I fancy a walk into Rugby, so I said yes, then he said “See you when you get back then!” Anyway we walked there and I thought maybe he was going to treat me to something in the sales seeing as I had no present to unwrap for Christmas but, surprise, surprise, all the shops were closed. So we did a bit of window shopping instead. Anyway, we found that Wetherspoon’s was bustling with people so we went in to join them.
On our walk back we spotted this lovely little Burrell Traction Engine in steam being steered around the boatyard at Clifton. It was lovely to get out on a dry day to enjoy a long circular stroll into town. In all our wanderings we probably covered about 4 miles!
A link to where the traction engine is available, you may wish to ensure you are sat down before you see the price. http://www.steamtractionworld.com/index.htm.
We have no connection whatsoever with the company.
We took the plunge and jostled with all the motorists rushing around between Christmas and new Year to visit our families. Most of the time was spent unwrapping our presents and entertaining our Grandson. After all the festivities and good food washed down with drinks, it was time to tackle the chocolates, hmmm. It was exciting to to try out all the toys, especially the Lego and the Marble Run. Bottle and grandson wanted to compare the size of their hands, only a few more years to go to catch up!
