Crocodiles

 

 

 

 

On Friday morning we pulled pins from our mooring opposite the farm where they filmed Black Beauty back in the seventies and headed for the Tesco moorings in Rickmansworth. It seems we didn't get everything we needed a couple of days ago at Tesco in Bulls bridge… But what do i know about shopping !

Look out Carolyn        There's one behind you !!!!!!.

After a good days cruising and in heavy winds we picked up this mooring just below Lady Capels lock on a river section of the Grand union canal.

After a night of rain we woke to find that Inca had risen by 5 or 6 inches. As we were on a river we left the ropes looser than we normally do on canals but didn't expect it to rise this much . The mooring ropes were so tight you could have played a tune on them …

We pulled pins on Saturday morning at 09.15 and it wasn't long before we came across our new Aussie friends Bob and Bron and their lovely little dog Bunion who Bob is holding, on NB Celtic Maid..We stopped and had a cuppa with them and me and Bob had a good old bit of toilet talk…( Hope your full light shines bright Bob).. We will meet up with you both again soon….

 

If its not Crocodiles its bloody Dinosaurs.

I am not sure what this is about .

One for my Old man …….

We passed this boat and Carolyn really liked it . She has a thing about wide beams and one day when we are old and grey we will probably end up with one if she has her way…. But i am not sure that she would like a boat with this name. …..

We are now moored just before Berkhamsted and with good TV and Internet we may well spend Sunday here. But on the other hand we may get up and move in the morning..Decisions, decisions, decisions

                                                       Happy Days

 

 

 

 

                                                       Happy Days

Leaving London

 

This boat came into Paddington basin looking for a mooring and all looks normal as it passes us and goes up to the end of the basin to wind (turn).

When it turns it becomes a completely different looking boat. Its done as a ploy to try and extend mooring in a certain area. After their mooring time runs out they just turn the boat around so that it looks like a different boat . I have seen many boats with one side one colour and the other another but nothing like this before.

On Wednesday morning we pull pins and say goodbye to London. On Tuesday afternoon we had a letter put on the boat from Canal and River Trust to say that from now on it was ok to double berth under the hospital , and within 10 minutes a boat had berthed along side us. Its a bit of a pain for us as every time they walk across our boat or make a noise on their boat Molly and Hamish start to bark so we always try to avoid doubling up.

On the way out we stopped in Little Venice to take on water and get rid of waste. There are 2 water points and with the other one taken we had to use the one on the Paddington side, But as you can see with a boat as long as ours you just cant get in without blocking the entrance to the bridge unless you moor like this.

We passed this boat on our way out of London and it is named after a word that is used a lot these days, but of course i didn't have a clue what it meant although i used to hear it said occasionally at a place i used to work by certain people (Who will of course remain nameless) . Carolyn knew what it meant and she told me that it means  =          Does It Look Like I Give A F##k   . Well that's not very nice is it.

After leaving the Paddington arm we stopped at Bulls bridge and did a Tesco shop as it is very handy to the canal and for once there was a free space for us to moor in. When we got back from shopping it was down the weed hatch for me. You always know when there is something caught up around the prop as you normally start to get a vibration on the rudder as we were getting ,and sure enough we pulled this little lot off from around the prop.

With the water being fairly clear down here you can see what you are doing down the weed hatch, but most times you have to go on feel , and when you first put you hand down there you haven't got a clue what you are about to touch.

After a wet night moored below Cowley lock in Uxbridge we pulled pins at 09.40 on Thursday as soon as it stopped raining and headed off towards Rickmansworth and passsed this boat on the way,  I wonder why a lot of boats are named after alcoholic drinks….. Maybe a lot of boaters are Alcoholics.

There are loads of us like this ….

Up through Denham deep lock which is one of the deepest locks in this area.

After several hours of cruising we finally picked up this mooring just below Rickmansworth and opposite the farm where they filmed the TV series of Black Beauty back in the seventies.

We will move again tomorrow as the towpath is very busy here with walkers and a few idiots on speeding push bikes . But at least we have good internet and TV here so i will be able to settle down with a bottle glass or two of the red stuff and watch my beloved Spurs in European action tonight..     COME ON YOU SPURS !!!

 

                                                                                  Happy Days

Save the Ashby

 

I copied this from Jameisons Afloat blog.  We did the Ashby canal last year and it is a lovely canal to cruise on. I also love to Fish , but there is no reason why everyone can not get on together. Unfortunately we are too far away to make it with Inca but i hope they get good support. To be honest i wouldn't of thought they could close a canal for those reasons , but in this day and age you just never know.

Getting to like London

 

With a small crowd starting to gather opposite our mooring we knew it must be Rolling bridge time in Paddington Basin. It is lifted every Friday at 12.00 by the security staff in the basin.

Up she goes. The idea is for it to rollover to allow boats to pass through , but as you can see its a dead end and its not big enough to moor any boats there.

Its amazing what you can do with a few Hydraulic rams and some good old British engineering.

The whole process takes a couple of minutes and it is a great to watch. The bridge was designed by Thomas Heatherwick and completed in 2004. It won the British steel structure award in 2005.

The walk of shame.  One of the joys of Narrowboating is emptying the toilet cassette and with 4 of us on board we are filling them at an alarming rate , and guess who has to wheel them all the way from Paddington to Little Venice. At least it is early on a Sunday morning and there are not a lot of people about.

Sunday was Daddy and Daughter day, Carolyn and Curly stayed on Inca while we went off around London , Chloe was so desperate to get me out and about in London. I am 55 years old and have never been on the Underground so guess what i had to do. Me and Carolyn now have Oyster cards which should make it easier to get around. I must admit i did enjoy the Tube and don't they accelerate fast and stop quickly. I am more used to 2 miles an hour.

After going over and having a look at The Shard we came back over to Westminster. Chloe tried to get me on the London eye , but i am not that good with heights and also you have to pay, and don't forget my middle name is Thrifty.

It was then down to Downing Street to meet my good mate Dave.

Now i like this place The National Gallery (its free). I did ask the Grim Reaper if he wanted to take Chloe but even he refused to take her.

I must admit i really enjoyed The National Gallery it was a brilliant experience and i was amazed at how much Chloe enjoyed it . She especially enjoyed Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh and when she heard how much it was worth she nearly said a rude word.

The other thing Chloe wanted to do was get me on a Bus. I have not been on a bus since 1976 .When i was 16 years old i got my moped and that was the end of me and buses. Don't they go bloody fast, i am surprised you don't have to wear seat belts.

I am now absolutely knackered and i am now back on Inca and sitting down with a rather large glass of the red stuff. With Niece Sally and her Daughter Orla on their way up from Devon it should certainly be a busy few days ahead.

 

                                                   Happy Days

Buckingham Palace

 

 

On Thursday morning we made the walk from Paddington basin across hide park and then down Constitution hill to Buckingham Palace.

 

I have never seen such a big crowd of people , there were thousands of them ( I suppose being a Torquay United supporter I'm not used to big crowds anyway   .  There I said it before someone else did ).

 

It was the changing of the guard and there are some things in this country we do better than anyone else in the world.

 

Attention !!

 

With the flag flying over the palace we thought that the queen was at home. But she is only at home when the Royal Standard flag is flying , when she pops down to the shops for some bread and milk or up to Balmoral the Royal Standard comes down and Union jack goes up.

 

This is Curlys (Abbie) first trip to London and I think she was a bit overwhelmed with what she saw.

 

The top of the Victoria memorial outside of the palace it was built by Thomas Brock and completed in 1911, it shows a winged Victory with the figures of Courage and Constancy crouched at her feet. Below are stone eagles with outspread wings, which are symbols of Dominion or empire… All these together show the qualities of the queen.   History lesson over….ps I bet its not solid gold.

 

We spent a couple of hours at the Palace just soaking up the atmosphere and watching the world go by.  It was then back to Hyde park and the Princess Diana memorial and Curly couldn’t get in quick enough. I know a lot of people slagged it off ,but there were hundreds of kids having so much fun in it , so I think Di would have approved of it.

 

The view over the Serpentine in Hyde park.

 

Finally back to the basin , and look at all those empty spaces. We were told by the volunteer lockie at Cowley that we stood no chance of getting in as last week they were moored 3 deep. Although I thought you couldn’t breast up in the basin. Also it’s a bank holiday weekend and you would expect it to be well busy.

 

This water feature has been added since the last time we were here.  And guess who got soaking wet ?.

 

The Basin at night. After a busy day and walking for miles and miles we all sleep like logs.

 

                                                                                                       Happy Days

London bound

 

On Tuesday morning we pulled pins from our mooring at Rickmansworth and headed towards Cowley Peachy. We passed this chap hanging around on the way.

 

Below Coy Carp lock is the canoe slalom course. The current was not as strong as it was last time we passed through here so we decided not to give it a go in Inca .

 

Bloody good job he was chained down. ( photo taken by Curly )

 

At Uxbridge lock , Canal and River Trust were painting the lock. There were 13 people with paint brushes and the gates and balance beams looked immaculate. Isn't it strange that when you get anywhere near a city or town there is no expense spared with maintenance and then when you are out in the country or some backwater somewhere they don’t seem to give a toss about maintenance.

We passed this boat last year . Somehow I just can’t see it catching on.

 

We eventually picked up this mooring just below Cowley lock at 13.00 . With Molly needing a vet  we found one about 3 miles away , so Carolyn had to get a taxi to take her and molly to the practice. Nothing is ever simple when you live on a boat and you don’t have transport.

We are now within striking distance of London and as we did last year we intend to leave this mooring early in the morning and hopefully pick up a mooring in Paddington basin.

 

We pulled pins from Cowley Peachy at 05.50 on Wednesday morning. With the temperature down to 10 degrees it was on with the long trousers and winter jumpers. After a couple of hours the temperature started to rise and we saw this chap soaking up the sun.

 

On the Paddington arm and when we came through last year this was just a hole in the ground. One section of it has been finished and people are starting to move in to the flats.

 

Passing Wembley stadium and this is one of the best views from the canal.

 

Yet another good boat name.

 

As you come closer to Paddington you pass this Terrace of houses and I just love them , and I bet they cost a bleeding fortune.

 

After 5 and a half hours of cruising we finally arrive in Paddington and how lucky are we. There is only one mooring available in the basin and its on our favored side which is next to the hospital.

 

This is a good sight. A new pontoon in the basin . It will join on to the moorings on the hospital side and it looks like it is close to being finished and ready for boats to moor on.

About 20 seconds after mooring Carolyn and her apprentice shopper Curly headed for Praed street and Edgeware road for a bit of retail therapy and Granddaughter training.

With Daughter Chloe coming to join us on Friday and niece Sally and her daughter Orla coming on Sunday we will certainly have a busy and exciting time in London.

                                                                                                       Happy Days