Tuesday 27 January 2015

Rope dog

 

IMG_5896We spent a night on this mooring at Hillmorton opposite the famous radio masts . The masts are soon going to be taken down and a new housing estate of over 6,000 houses built . I'm not sure how close it will come to the canal , but i hope they don't build on the fields adjacent to the canal.

IMG_5901On Monday we had a late start and never pulled pins until 13.30 .We were going to stay here for a couple of days but with freezing weather forecast for midweek we thought it might be a good idea to get closer to civilization and canal services. Its handy having a canal at the bottom of your garden for keeping a boat.

IMG_5906We stopped at The canal shop to pick up a new gas cylinder . We also wanted to look at the composting toilets which are sold here. They do 2 different models , The separatt which was too big to fit in Inca and one called an Airhead . I have read a lot about the Airhead and was a bit disappointed when i saw it . For £800 i expected the quality to be a lot better than it was. It probably didn't help that the display model looked a bit shop soiled. We do have a plan B regarding the toilet, so it looks like we may have to go on with that for the time being. We did buy a new expensive kettle , I looked at the price ticket and thought it was priced at £13.99 , Carolyn looked at it and then gave me a funny look when i said buy it and i would pay for it. When we got back to Inca she asked what was the matter with me spending £39.99 on a kettle , “how much”! …My fault for not taking my glasses everywhere with me. Still we do have a lovely new kettle and at that price it should will last us forever .

IMG_5912Another bridge that is soon going to need some serious attention.

IMG_5914This is the first Muscovy Duck we have seen on our travels . He/she looked a bit lonely as there was no sign of a mate.

IMG_5918We are approaching the bridge just before Barby straight, and with Captain Carolyn on the tiller keeping an eye on the Port side, her first mate Hamish is watching out on the Starboard site ….. Picture taken by Gary the cabin boy  .

IMG_5924We thought that this was a very good piece of rope work and looked really good.

IMG_5926Birds of prey are almost as hard as Kingfishers to take a photo of. Seconds later it flew off as we got closer to it.

IMG_5928It wasn't a long cruise today as we wanted to spend the night on the Onley (prison) moorings. These are very popular moorings and most times we pass them they are full. We will push on again tomorrow towards Braunston .

 

                                                                              Happy Days

8 comments:

  1. Hamish was doing a good job........:)

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    1. Hamish always does a good job , and is now getting back to his old self...

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  2. Hi Gary and Carolyn, Did you wave to nb Waka Huia as you passed Barby Moorings? Only 112 sleeps for us till we are back onboard! Cheers from hot sunny NZ, Marilyn and David

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    1. Hello Marilyn and David from a cold and miserable England ..Didn't see Waka Huia but as we have heard nothing on The Towpath Telegraph of any problems I'm sure she is ok ...I know I say it's lcd and miserable but the canals are totally different in the winter and I would recommend try it . You seem to have the canals all to yourself and don't need to slow down on corners or bridge oles .Having said that we are now at Braunston sitting out the freeze...Gary and Carolyn..

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  3. Hi Gary and Carolyn, the Airhead toilet is pricey, however, they are brilliant. I agree they do not look that pretty, but they do a brilliant job - no more worries about where to get rid of waste! The urine is easy to dispose of - even a normal loo will do. The compost can be double bagged (we use rubble bags), tied up and sent to landfill. You can survive for weeks without finding an elsan disposal point. There is no smell, no heavy cassettes to lug about and no pump out fees. Jennie and Chris (we met you on Tardebigge when you first set off).

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    1. Hi Jennie and Chris , It seems such a long time ago when we met on The Tardegigge flight. We haven't totally given up on the composting toilet , but as I said we were just a bit disappointed at what was on display. We have made a change with our toilet and can now last nearly 20 days without needing an Elsan , which is a lot better than 8days ...best wishes Gary and Carolyn

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  4. Hi again, You might like to look at this (http://boatwif.co.uk) for info re the airhead loo! I have just read down a bit further and was sorry to hear of the loss of Molly - always such a hard time. I hope Hamish is perking up a bit. Best wishes Jennie and Chris

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    1. Hi Jennie and Chris ..thanks for that and will take a look at boatwif ..Hamish is still a bit down in the dumps ,but is slowly getting better . It's amazing how the loss of a dog has affected us ,although we did have her for 9 years. Gary and Carolyn

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