Heading back to Fenny

 We count ourselves so lucky to experience the constantly changing seasons on the water. Despite having cruised this stretch of  the Oxford Canal many times it is never quite the same. During this late summer/ early autumn cruise the leaves are just beginning to turn and the hedgerows abound with hips and haws and of course, blackberries. Blackberry and apple crumble has been on the menu and Jenny has had a go at making blackberry jam, it looks and tastes lovely!

And so we chug cheerfully on mooring overnight with cows and sheep as our neighbours and under big, beautiful skies, afford us stunning sunsets.

Leaving Banbury behind we are suddenly we are plunged into a cold north wind. Winter woolies, hats and gloves  are donned as we  drive straight into the wind. The skies are still blue so we have warm sun on our backs but we are both pleased as Fenny Marina comes into view a couple of days later. The wind has picked up today so Sid drives into the marina with a little trepidation. As expected the naughty, northerly  wind gusts across the water and tries it's very best to make mooring difficult. But Sid is determined to defeat the elements and to get us safely tied up despite been blown of our pontoon. Mission accomplish! Home safe and sound, but cold!

It's been a short but fun cruising year and we look forward to more next year. Meanwhile,  Sid has various jobs to do about Hunters Moon during the winter and she is also booked in to have her bottom blacked so will look very smart next season.

Lazy days

 We have enjoyed some days of morning sunshine with rain later as we have drifted along the South Oxford Canal.  It has been quite quiet on the water and have moored easily in all our favourite places.

Having arrived at Thrupp with the intention of carrying on to Oxford the next day we decided to change plans and continue our lazy travels back towards Fenny. The weather is warmer so it is appealing to drift back up the cut at our unhurried and sedate place, stopping as and when we like and enjoying the surrounding countryside.

A sombre day

 We are both feeling a bit sombre this morning after yesterday's very sad news but intend to continue on our journey.

Once again the morning is forecast to be dry then heavy showers due in the afternoon.  This time we were not so lucky with the rain starting early and we got wet!

Our reward however, is a beautiful quiet mooring with far reaching views across  fields of sheep and undulating fields and a good internet signal. The chimney is in place, just in case!

A sad day - 8th September 2022

 Thursday saw us continuing south down the Oxford Canal, through Banbury and mooring just before the skies darkened again and the rain began just above Grants Lock. Once we were organised Sid checked to see if we would get TV reception later in the evening and was greeted with the news that there were concerns for the Queen's health. Stunned, we watched and listened as it became apparent that things looked bad. Then came the sad news of the Queen's death.  God bless her. The end of the Elizabethan era.

Stormy weather

 Heavy rain, thunder and lightning is how we start this autumn cruise. However, we had decided to remain in the marina so were safe and cosy.  

A dry morning on Wednesday sees us set off towards Cropredy. The sun is shining as we descend the 9 locks and we can't help but reminisce on doing this self same trip a few weeks earlier with two of our grandchildren, Emily and Oliver. They had a long overdue mini cruise, their first, on Hunters Moon during their school holidays and had a fun time. They managed the locks well, Nana was very pleased to have their help, and Oliver even had a go at the helm. 

Back on her own now,  Jenny has enlisted the support of Walter the walking pole to assist her whilst walking between and around locks. Her hip is causing a bit of pain and Walter is a great help.

Introducing Walter, the walking pole 

We had just moored when the skies darkened and the rain began. Another evening of rumbling thunder and flashing bolts of lightening followed.

September 2022

 Well, here we are again on Hunters Moon preparing for another autumn cruise. After a busy and most enjoyable summer it is good to now have some 'us' time.

The forecast is not great for the next week but we plan to head off tomorrow towards Oxford.

Sunshine and more strong winds

The sun continued to shine and it was  very hot for a couple of days before being plunged back into overcast skies and challenging winds.

We continued our journey through Hilmorton Locks in the cool of the morning and made steady progress under clear blue skies towards Braunston, which was gradually filling up with vintage working boats for  their historic boat festival, which hadn't taken place since before the pandemic. Some beautufully restored and maintained boats were already on display.

It was getting really hot so our search on coming out of Braunston was for some shade, which we found at Bridge 99, where we spent a lovely cool afternoon and evening and managed yet another bbq.

What a change the next day when we had to don our jackets against a strong, cold northerly wind as we travelled towards Napton. We stopped for an early lunch and a warm up at the moorings at the bottom of the Napton flight. We had just untied our mooring lines and were heading off to ascend the 9 locks when a head appeared from the bow of the boat in front of us! A familiar looked at Jenny and simultaneously we both cried hello. It was Jane and Ian on Esio Trot. They had just come down the locks and were in the process of mooring so we did a quick bit of manoeuvring and retied our lines and after giving them some time to sort themselves out and have their lunch we gathered for a lovely afternoon of catching up and sharing boating stories interspersed with heavy rain showers! British weather!

Strong winds stayed with us the next day when we did eventually ascend the Napton flight in record time! Every lock, on a very quiet flight, was in our favour. 

We tied up for the day at an empty Ariel mooring - where has everyone gone?

Sunshine, wind and showers  took us into Fenny Marina, where we were due to meet 'old' friends, Dave and Val together with dear old Dylan and their new 6 month old puppy, Barley, who were staying at Moreton-in-Marsh in their motorhome, and were driving over to see us on Sunday.

Always good to see friends after so long, summer 2019 being our previous get together. We walked to the Wharf for Sunday lunch and unlike our last visit there we were very impressed. Good ale and excellent roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and plentiful, well cooked veg. There was a pleasant buzz around the place as well. We will return! Once again much chat and catching up. The perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The strong wind continues to blow across the marina! But at least the sun is shining.

Longest Day

 Sunshine, clear blue skies and hot, the perfect longest day. Lovely evening on the towpath at the foot of Hilmorton Locks. 

More of the same forecast tomorrow.

Weird weather!

The Ashby Canal is a delight, especially when the temperature rises as it did for us. We made our way up to Sutton Cheney in clear blue skies and gentle winds. The canal was quiet and no problems with moorings. Our first evening was tranquil and the perfect setting for our bbq, enjoyed on these beautiful, long mid summer evenings. A visit to our favourite farm shop was on the agenda the next day followed by an 'end of day' mooring at Sutton Wharf, a bit different from the previous evening. We picked up the last 'official' mooring outside the cafe, which prooved to be perfect. A couple of boats arrived after us, one moored in the bushes and the other moored on the water point - naughty but understandable!

We started our return trip in bright,  hot, sunshine with a lovely gentle breeze, which abated during the early afternoon until two very hot and weary boaters needed to find some shade, which we did just south of Hinkley.  We spent a pleasant afternoon and evening sitting on the shady towpath along with several other narrowboats. Narrowboats get very hot inside so folk were still sitting outside long after darkness started to fall.  Just as June boating should be - at last!

However, this is Britain and the next morning the temperature had dropped and the rain had moved in! So warm jackets and waterproofs were donned for our trip back to Hawkesbury Junction. Jenny did some housework whilst Sid manned the helm ans we were glad to get moored up, fire lit and hunkered down for a wet and cold Saturday afternoon. 

We enjoyed a trip down to the Coventry Basin on an overcast but dry Sunday morning. As we entered the basin it was lovely to feel a buzz of activity. The cafes were busy and there was an outsude yoga class taking place.  Such a change from previous visits.

We had only planned a day trip to visit Halfords and top up a few provisions as well as a hard to find Woman's Weekly!

Back to Hawkesbury Junction under overcast skies followed by a delicious roast lamb dinner on board ( Sid's favourite and it is Father's Day) together with great Yorkshire Puddings.

Out on the water

Sorry not to have updated the blog for a week but we have been enjoying ourselves out on the water,  chugging along the South Oxford, the North Oxford,  the Coventry and now Ashby Canal. We left Fenny in mild, cloudy and very windy conditions and after a short first day we ventured down the two Marsden Doles Locks to see how Jenny's ankle faired. All ok so after lunch we continued down the Napton flight in challenging winds, taking it very carefully and slowly. By the time we reached bottom lock the ankle was causing some pain and was very swollen. However,  we now only have the three Hilmorton Locks to face in several days time.

First night mooring

Another night 

And another 

Sid's friends

Night night!

The wind has gone at last! Hooray!

We kept our days short and enjoyed some lovely quiet moorings on our journey to Hawkesbury Junction where we enjoyed a gorgeous drop of Abbots Ale at the Greyhound - our first for a while. 

The atmosphere seems to change when turning onto the delightful Ashby Canal. The sun is shining and we are due to have short lived heatwave for the next couple of days. 

More strange goings on!

 Whilst having breakfast on Tuesday morning Sid glanced at our radio controlled clock and to his amazement this is what greeted him - time had flown it's nearly Christmas!

Sid began to remove the remains of the old exhaust pipe whilst waiting for both the delivery of the new exhaust and also the service kit for the old heater.

Luckily, the FedX package containing the new exhaust from Midland Chandlery arrived about 11.00. Sadly, Sid was having a real problem getting the skin fitting off the hull. He drilled and drilled and drilled some more and managed part of it but couldn't get the last screw out and had to drill it out.

Jenny kept up a steady supply of tea and sympathy.

After many hours of blood sweat and nearly tears the job was finished and the heater was working. Well done Sid, not bad for a young 75 year old.

Going in

A bit further

Lower!

And lower!

I'm in!

Not easy working in here!

Video of Sid extrcating himself to follow!

Not surprisingly Sid was not quite so spritely on Wednesday or Thursday!

We had a convivial afternoon on Wednesday  having a cuppa and a chat with friends, Christine and Ron on their boat nb Eezy Life at Calcutt Marina.

On our way back to Fenny we thought we would be very brave and have a beer and a bite to eat at the Wharf Inn, something we used to do quite often but haven't done since before Covid.  This once thriving and lively pub is now soulless. The beer was ok but the kitchen was closed,  very disappointing. We had one drink and then returned to HM for salmon and British asparagus and a nice glass of chilled white wine.

Sid was definitely feeling the effects of his efforts the day before and Jenny's ankle is getting better each day, if still rather stiff and swollen but we are both looking forward to getting out of the marina on Thursday to start cruising - very slowly and carefully!

 

 

Funny Old Thing this boating life!

It's very strange that after 10 years on our lovely narrowboat with just general maintenance, keeping her looking clean and tidy, a little facelift here and there, both inside and out, and the odd little hiccup, we have suddenly hit a patch when there seems to be one problem after another.

Our plan on arriving for this particular trip was to finish the polishing and continue to replace the window rubbers . Then, when Jenny's ankle was a bit better to venture out and see how we manage with a change of roles. As it turns out on Saturday morning our eberspacher diesel water heater stopped working. As it happens, we have a spare heater on board ( no surprise to anyone who knows Sid) so he set about removing the old heater ( to be taken home and serviced). That prooved harder than he thought - the exhaust was stuck - then he discovered the exhaust was seriously perished and would need replacing! 

The Midland Chandlers website indicated that they had said part but on contacting their Braunston shop we discovered it is only available to order - 7 days to collect from the store or within 48hrs delivered, at a price! We need the exhaust so we ordered it to be delivered to Fenny.

So, since we are stuck here and since Jenny is supposed to be elevating her leg we spent the rest of the Jubilee Weekend enjoying the concert and the amazing Pageant in front of a cosy fire to ward off the damp and cold weather. Very lazy and most unlike us to be doing nothing. 

Back on board

Our minds keep casting back to 10 years ago when, during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, we were on our maiden voyage on Hunters Moon, bedecked with soggy  bunting!

Well, here we are 10 years on, Platinum Jubilee celebrations taking place across the country and once again it is raining. So, on our arrival at Fenny Marina we decorated HM internally- maybe the sun will shine tomorrow. 

Cheers you Majesty!

70 years and counting.

We were planning to spend the rest of June cruising but unfortunately Jenny had a little accident and badly sprained her ankle, no break luckily, but very swollen and painful so we are not sure how far we will get. 

A weekend of polishing for Sid, if it stops raining, and Jenny will keep her leg elivated as much as possible - at least we don't have two flights of stairs to negotiate!

We will then venture out and see where we get to. We'll attempt to keep the blog up to date!

Eagle eyed watchers

 For those of you who have been following our blog closely you may be wondering why we turned at Braunston and started to head back towards Fenny. The reason being, during Sid's pottering he has been keeping a close eye on our batteries and and their performance, bearing in mind the problems we had before setting off. He has not been completely at ease with them so wanted to test them further and would rather do that closer to base.

In the event we decided to return for an overnight in the Marina,  where Sid could do a thorough check. 

We planned to head towards Cropredy on Wednesday morning but woke to heavy rain so have stayed warm, dry and cosy on board until the rain stops.

Maybe Cropredy then!!

At last,we are off.

Thursday morning dawned bright and the forecast was for  fine weather for the next week or so.

We had hoped to get to the Ashby Canal but with the delays we had encountered we decided to just go for a bimble towards Braunston and see how things go. Sid is still a little concerned about batteries so we shall use this as a shake down cruise and just enjoy being on the water -  especially if the sun shines.

The water was very quiet and we had a pleasant chug along the Oxford Canal in glorious sunshine with a  gentle breeze. We descended the Napton flight in good time and moored  just down from the old Bridge Inn - now a private home. We enjoyed a delicious bbq in the evening sun and a few glasses of something chilled!

Bodged repairs on Marsden Dole Top Lock

After a long day on Thursday we planned a short trip down to one of our favourite moorings, just south of Braunston, on Friday. On the way we saw a couple of hares leaping across a field - a sight neither of us had seen before. Once again the moorings were very quiet, with only a handful of boats moored by the end of the day. Jenny had a good walk in the afternoon whilst Sid pottered. The  countryside around here is beautiful with rolling fields of sheep and and crops, spurting their spring shoots. Another lovely evening with the occasional squark of a pheasant in the fields.

Who are you looking at?

Majestic horse chestnut

Saturday 7th May - our 17th wedding anniversary

To  celebrate we took the short trip into Braunston to dispose of rubbish, empty our toilet cassette and fill with water! However, once these essential chores had been fulfilled we treated ourselves to a Gongoozelers breakfast. This brilliant cafe on a narrowboat is situated by the entrance to Braunston Marina and we found a table in the garden alongside and enjoyed our full English in the beautiful, warm sunshine. What better way to celebrate our anniversary!? A quiet afternoon was spent back on a mooring by bridge 100 and a chicken tikka masala with all the trimmings was enjoyed on board in the evening. A lovely day.

We felt very lazy on Sunday and since the sun was shining and the mooring quiet we decided to stay put. Some domestic chores were done by Jenny then an afternoon with a good book in the sunshine and Sid did  some more pottering.

We were ready to go boating again on Monday so made our way back towards Napton, once again in lovely sunshine. However, during the afternoon the wind picked up, the clouds gathered and we had a very breezy trip up the Napton Locks. When we emerged through Top Lock the wind was blowing straight down the cut and driving was not easy. Our plans for a bbq at that evenings mooring was shelved due to the wind and dreary skies - bangers and mash instead - a great alternative!

Napton Windmill

HS2 works - at work

HS2 works - resting!

Our plan is to make our way to Cropredy on Tuesday - however this might change.

The start of our 2022 season

 The Start of our 2022 season

Hello again. Here we are, back on board Hunters Moon hoping for a smooth cruising season.

However, despite Sid doing several trips up to Fenny Marina to do various bits of maintenance and fitting a further solar panel during the winter our season has not started quite as we had hoped.

We had a visit to Fenny during the last weekend of April to install a new, super dooper MPPT solar panel controller, which all went well and Sid was a very happy bunny. However, that very evening when turning on some cabin lights we found that none of the saloon or kitchen  lights were working! Much scratching of heads took place whilst Sid began to search for the cause of this electric failure. Fortunately, the lights in the bed cabin and heads were OK as was the rest of the 12 volt system. Very odd! A call through to good friend and narrowboat genius, Dave Staines, helped Sid with some possible solutions. Darkness was closing in so it was decided to sleep on it.

Further investigations took place on Sunday morning, wires traced, cupboards emptied, in order to take parts of the roof lining down to track wires, checking and re checking connectors. All to no avail.  The problem must be well hidden. We decided to go home and return with fresh minds and the right tools the following week. 

Romantic lighting on board

So, we return on the May Bank Holiday weekend to firstly, sort the lighting problem and then to get off cruising for a couple of weeks! We have a saying that 'our plans are what makes God laugh'. That is certainly the case here. Sid eventually located the area where the wiring fault was and luckily only had to take a small portion of ceiling down.

So, boat back in order, full lighting restored, a good nights sleep then off in the  morning. Well, that's what we hoped. Firstly, the heating should have come on at 7.30, which usually acts as our on board alarm clock but it didn't. Another problem. Breakfast first then the troubleshooting. Heating sorted then next start the engine. Guess what - flat starter battery, which was a bit surprising because it was only 17 years old! Battery replaced and engine starting OK now.

Hopefully all is now sorted and we can get cruising.

Tuesday 3rd May

Well, the saga goes on. Our plan to head out of the Marina on Tuesday morning was thwarted once again when we, yet again, failed to hear the heater kick in, which indicated a problem with our domestic batteries! This is all getting a bit tiresome. Sid spent the day trying to isolate the problem and investigating where we can get replacements, if necessary. So we still haven't moved.

However, the boat has been washed  - Hunters Moon must be on the birds flight path - Jenny has washed all the crochet work and we have had a reprovision at Waitrose.  So have been busy.

Tomorrow is another day.