Stayed Put......

The forecast rain arrived in the early hours of the morning and continued most of the day so as planned we never ventured out in the gloom although several did with the first NB going past about 7.30am then more passed at irregular intervals, private and hire boats, all looking like drowned rats.
Late afternoon it stopped so I ventured out to look around. It blew quite strong during the night and our NB had a liberal coating of leaves and insects from towpath trees...

The NB roof ....

Before I took the broom to it...

A couple of these....

Crested ducks hanging around so I gave them a feed of bread out the side hatch......

The sky lightened....

But the sun reflected from behind the clouds.....

But that didn't last too long......

The sun was soon enveloped in the cloud.......

Tomorrow looks fine so an early start is on the agenda....

A real interesting part of travelling the canals by NB, whilst preparing the locks and walking between locks on the towpath, is the fellow boaters you meet and get to chat to. Sometimes you find out in a very short time things about husbands, wives, etc that you really didn't need to know.
It's all good fun and the nice people out number the others by 99.5 to 1...
Hearing of what others do for a job is interesting and it's usually the people on the hire boats, because they have to return to work, who surprise...
Some we've met...
I fly a private jet for the second, reputedly, steel magnate, likes curries, richest man in the world.
He has a fleet of 3, two for work , 55 -70 million US dollars each, the other for family to go on holidays.
Based in the UK and can get short notice to fly anywhere in the world.
The Boss says hello, hope we have a smooth flight, does business work then goes to bed, generally...
The average passenger load per flight is 2.5 people......

I commission nuclear submarines...
Sea trials take 3 - 4 months if nothing goes wrong, like break downs, or you go back to base to repair it then more trials...
How many you do a year? I ask...
None a year. It takes 6 odd years to construct a nuclear sub... I have a commission next March....

I sat next to an old fella, well retired, on a bench seat as we waited for the water tank to fill on the NB. During the course of the conversation I asked what he had worked as..

Professional Bell Ringer in Churches..
For real?..
Yes done it all my life.
He rattled off some, name dropping, church names but not being a regular attender of the establishments they've slipped my memory.
I guess he still has a handy income though... Be getting Royalties from those songs he used to ring....

Then there was the Coincidental affair..
Joined in a double lock on the Grand Union canal by an English lady steering the NB while her husband was helping with the winding above..

She looked at the side of our boat with the letters NZ then asked, Are you from New Zealand?.
yes I answered
My brother lived there
Where
Um Oh dam.. God I've been there 4 times. George, husband,  where'd my brother live?..
Napier
That's our home town
Oh really. But he's dead now.
What suburb I ask?
Um oh Dam.. he played, well was national president of the bridge clubs.
Wasn't Taradale was it?
Yes
That's where we live
The Bridge club was there to
In Devonshire Place I say, it's a culdersack street about 250 yards long.
That's right
My Panel shop was directly opposite, the Bridge club moved recently after 25 years there.
Oh he had bought a house before he died and moved into the city.
Where too.
Um oh Dam.. that's right the street was known for it's...
Art Deco houses I say.Yes
Tom Parker avenue?
Yes that's the one
Well I say, see those two people travelling with us, here on holiday, Nat & Bruce, they've just bought a house in Tom Parker Avenue which they are renting out.
We roughly worked out that her late brothers house was probably only a couple of houses apart..
Freaky EH......

Back to Aynho....

Over the last couple of weeks we've made our way South toward Aynho down the Maccelsfield, Trent & Mersey, Coventry and Oxford canals.
We parked up at Fenny Compton last Thursday and then got picked up on Friday to spend two days at Oulton Park Racetrack up near Chester.
Today we continued South with a leisurely start about 1pm. We cleared the 5 Claydon locks and moored as continuing on to Banbury wasn't an option with a canal festival being held there over the weekend and spare moorings, there weren't any....
Tomorrow, if the forecast rain doesn't arrive, we should make our winter mooring in Aynho.
The weather has been sunny and mild and cruising the twisting canal between Marston Doles and Fenny Compton on a perfect tranquil morning was what narrow boats and canals is all about.

Down the Maccelsfield and we had arranged to meet with Elaine & Paul, ex NB The Manly Ferry...
They walked a couple of miles from where their motor home was moored along the tow path toward us and jumped on at a bridge hole...

Paul assumed the position on the helm and soon proved he....

"Still Had It"... after a short while the NB had run aground....
We could put it down to the approaching NB not giving us much room, plus Paul being "To nice" and giving them a lot of canal.. He's lost the "Killer" instinct..... since he became a motorhome driver....

We passed what could be called.....

A "Real Mans Shed"......

Tools, Toys and collectables.......

We moored at Higher Poynton, nice docking by Paul.
He continued to show he....

"Still Had It" by doing the old "Coiling of the centre rope" on the roof.......

We later went for a meal and a catch up at the local pub, Boars Head, a good time....
Next morning Leonie and I walked to the mooring site of the motor home..

During the coffee break...

Sammy done the customary "sharing of his tongue". He's quick as a flash and it pays not to expose mouths, noses and ears.......

While.....

Bombo .... he likes a good rub behind the ears.........

We said goodbyes and continued down the Macc,.....

Passed a typical modest family home with the usual...

Two choppers in the back yard.....

Through Maccelsfield and past....

The site of the Hovis Mill... birthplace of the famous flour and now breads......

Quiet as not to disturb.....

BBAAAAAAAAA.....

And the reason it's not "Wrong" to be having an ale by 10.30am because.....

It's.........

At Congleton the canal passes through a couple of....

Snake or Cross over bridges...

When the towpath changed sides of the canal it enabled towing horses to cross over while still towing the working boat and not be unhitched......

Has this bridge got a......

 

"Lean on" or was it built on the "piss".....

Some more houses that.....

 

 Caught.....

The.....

Eye.....

The last lock on the Macca, .......

Hall Green stop lock with only a rise or fall of 1 foot......

The day we passed through Stoke On Trent turned out to be a cracker as the sun shone late in the day.
So we got some "Greasy's" for dinner and pushed on farther than we intended...
In fact passing through a cutting by Trentham it became quite dark and....

With homes backing onto the canal our passing was turning on security lights in back yards........

Leonie steered through the ....

Atherstone flight of 11 locks.....

An approaching NB gave us a bit too much....

room and disappeared into the willow tree then emerged at full revs to take on the opposite canal bank....

Moored at Fenny Compton we were picked up by John enroute to a couple of days racing at Oulten Park up North by Chester....





The "A Team" at the track..... John, Spencer, Steve, Leonie and....
Thanks Guys for another great time...

In a couple of days our NB experience will come to an end...
After 20 months of living aboard and travelling the network we will be putting NB FireflyNZ  up for sale and moving on to the next adventure....

A map showing.....

canals we have travelled over.... some 3 times to get elsewhere...
From the top, Skipton, Leeds to the bottom London, Bath, of the system it's been an Awesome adventure.....Most of the lines on the RH side are rivers that we never intended to cruise.....

Our boat has proven to be the perfect live aboard....
Over the next few weeks I'll do some maintenance jobs, paint touch ups, full service etc, getting FireflyNZ ready for a sales advertisement feature .....

Until then here are a couple of photo's and.......

 

Everyone knows someone who wants to buy a narrowboat and.....

"Live The Dream".....

So.....

Spread the word.....

 

So others can live the dream.....

Remember... You'll Never See A Hearse Towing A Trailer.....

And tonight.......

 

Out the side hatch.......

 

Cheers......

 

Splish.... Splash.....

Up and fed his morning by 9am all ready to tackle the Marple flight. I pulled the mooring pins pushed the NB away from the bank then slowly moved forward and steered the short distance over to the entrance to the first lock. Leonie was just finishing the last touches inside making everything ship shape for the days travels. I jumped the 3 foot to the bank holding the centre rope to slow the boat to a stop. Damm no bollards to wrap the rope around and no lock landing. Just a sloping grass bank heavy with overnight dew. I lent back against the weight of the still moving forward NB, all but slowly, took the weight.....

That's when it all turned to S - - T...
Wet grass on a slope, weight pulling forward and best of all No grip with the Crocs......
My feet went from under me and I was on my arse in less time than the average rodeo rider who doesn't last the count. My legs ended up half over the bank and before I could let go of the rope...

I was......

Taking a Bath... It was 1.5 foot deeper further out...

The NB was stilled moving forward and away from the bank toward mid canal so I got my arms on the rear deck but with the weight of water soaked into my fleece lined jacket I couldn't pull myself up onto the deck.
Leonie... Leonie.. read it louder... when she soon appeared on deck she didn't see me so went back inside.  I'm clinging to the side of a runaway ship for christs sake.
Leonie.. Leonie... louder still.... then she reappeared and she looked down and to the side when she heard what she thought was someones last gasps.... Oh what do I do? she asked..
I said Nothing I just wanted to let you know I've done 50 lengths this morning..
The NB had come to a stop more or less only feet from the lock gate so unable to get up on deck with now  dwindling strength and the onset of hypothermia I let go and walked to the bank... now followed by laughter.....        

I managed to extricate myself onto the canal bank....

Looking like a drowned rat... but still got the Crocs on.....

Then when back on the NB.....steered the boat into the lock and done the workings...

 Before moving out of the lock....

Time to shed some excess weight..... (PS the camera was on a wog setting for these photo's but you get the picture)

Quick shower and dry clothes we were soon doing locks....

A couple of the 17 locks had no ground paddles working so you have to let the water in with the gate paddles. Usually I get off the boat and work the RH side paddles then open the gate, exit, stop the boat and shut the gate as Leonie biked one or two locks ahead to get them ready. With these two I stayed on the NB so Leonie could wind open the paddles more quickly which allows a "Mean" torrent of water to enter the lock but the NB can be controlled in gear, from smashing into the front or rear gate, with the throttle......

 

Sometimes one cannot see the logic...
After we'd done 4 locks two lock keepers appeared. My thoughts are that they are there to help, and to keep an eye on water flow, as it's usually on a flight of locks they appear and that's when help is appreciated. A NB was coming down and one lock keeper was helping them, 2 person crew, and the other came to our lock and talked and sat on the lock beam, yawned, said how boring this canal was and watched us, 2 person crew, do the work.
So we carried on and after another 8 or so locks a woman from a hire boat that was behind us from lock 2 came walking ahead to our lock and said, "We've caught you up and the lock keepers are helping us as well", Doohhhh... there's four freak'n crew on their NB and she was boasting earlier to us how they did 27 locks yesterday. Well they were still 1.5 locks behind and they never got close enough to blow smoke up our Ar- -s.....
Surely it would make more sense to help a two person crew when one of them is a woman doing more than her share of the heavy work.....

 

 Turned down the Peak Forest branch going to Bugsworth Canal Basin and Whaley Bridge...

The canal clings to the side and follows the hills... the valleys open out and offer nice views for miles...

Moored at Bugsworth Canal Basin which in it's hey day was a very busy place. Working boats carried Lime and Gritstone plus building stone which was mined and sourced close by..

The basin is huge with several different loading basins and has been rebuilt over recent years..

Entrance to the Lower Basin under the Horse Transfer bridges which enabled the horses to keep towing the working boats from one basin to another...

A higher view looking toward the Middle and  Upper Basins and the hills where Limestone was taken....

Standing at the entrance to the Basin is..

Canal House... 1797.. home of the Wharfinger who was in charge of the wharfs plus weighed and collected tolls from the leaving NBs....

Derelict but still there...

A couple of Gnat hole Limekilns....

And moored at the basin...

The Navigation Inn... A great place to quench the thirst after shoveling 20 ton of product onto the NB..... Previously owned by Pat Phoenix... aka... Elsie Tanner from you know where...

The rain has arrived to night. Won't be much.....

Marple....

We left Thomas Telford Basin at a leisurely 7.15am. Untied and pushed NB FireflyNZ out of the basin and did not fire the motor up until on the canal so as not to disturb Kevin and Vicky on NB Harry...
T'was a mild morning and we soon got into a routine back on the "Oh So Easy" single locks.

Between the second and third lock stands this....

Colourful apartment block with a kids day care centre on the ground floor.
And there was already youngsters there having breakfast. It amazes me why parents have kids then chuck them into daycare from, in NZ, 3months old and let some one else raise them why they chase the almighty dollar......

From locks 4 -5 the......

City of Manchester or Etihad Stadium is in view.
Built for the 2002 Commonwealth games then on a deal taken over by Manchester City as their home ground it was converted from an athletics track to a footy field at a cost of....22 million quid for the City council and Man City chipped in 20 mill,...

The sun had broken through the haze and....

Doing these locks was enjoyable......

Completed the flight in 4hrs and 15 mins, with a wait for two NBs coming down then topped up the water tank had a bit of tucker and carried on......

Not wanting to do the Standedge Tunnel... ever....

We turned right here at Dunkinfield Junction to head for Marple...

Had to cut the Revs, and come down off the plane when we ....

Encounted this lift bridge... Damm no traffic to queue up.....

Swapped the sunnies for the clear specs as we approached the....

Hyde Bank tunnel... on 308 yds long......

After the tunnel is this....

Walled section which leads onto.....

 

The Marple Aqueduct over the River Goyt.....100ft, above the river......

I've told you before....

 

Never look back.... you usually crash...

And beside the aqueduct is the....

Rail bridge.....

 

 

 Moored up by the Marple bottom  lock...
Tomorrow we smash 16 more.......