nb Lucky Duck

Frost

2012-01-29T13:36:00.000Z

This morning the body of a man was pulled out of the river within sight of our mooring. It was a cold, frosty night, and this morning the mist hung in the air like a shroud.

Very sad, and not a little unnerving that it was so close to home.

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Glimpse of the Secret Mystery Project

2012-01-26T14:57:00.001Z

The Secret Mystery Project is gathering speed. (Not literally!)

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Off-Grid Baking: Brandy Butter Brownies

2012-01-24T13:03:00.000Z

January can be a depressing month so what better way to fight the blues than with a delicious, boozy brownie? Not the way to keep up with the January dieting but everything in moderation! I gave a lot of it away to friends.

This recipe was adapted from a recipe found on Sofia's Journal. I had bought some brandy butter from Waitrose, reduced to 19p and wasn't sure what to do with it, when I had a brainwave - to add it to a brownie recipe for a tasty twist. It worked really quite well, giving a subtle extra, 'grown-up' taste to the brownies, and they were perfectly dense but gooey with a crusty top.

P.S Brandy butter is just sugar and butter in equal measures with a dash of brandy, so since it's not the season for it any more, then just adding a shot of brandy (cognac or rum would work nicely too) to the recipe has the same effect.

100g / 4oz butter (200g / 8oz if you've not got brandy butter)

40g / 1.5oz caster sugar (140g / 5oz caster sugar if you've not got brandy butter)

200g / 8oz brandy butter if you have it OR 25ml brandy/rum/cognac

200g / 8oz dark chocolate

175g / 6oz dark muscovado sugar

4 eggs

50g / 2oz ground almonds

50g / 2oz plain flour

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4 then grease and line a 20cm square brownie tin. Heat butter (and brandy butter if using it) and chocolate in a pan until melted. Stir through both sugars, and shot of spirit if using it.

2. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then stir in the (beaten) eggs until smooth. Mix in the almonds and flour then pour into the tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes. It should be just cooked through in the middle with a slight crust to the outside.

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Getting our canal fix

2012-01-22T14:21:00.001Z

Yesterday we fancied a trip to the canal, so headed into London. We spent the afternoon walking around Camden and Bloomsbury.

First, we walked from Kings Cross to Camden Lock and had a look around the market.

Then we walked back down to UCL, past the wonderful Art Deco Carreras Building, and North Gower Street, where the 'Baker Street' shots of Sherlock were filmed.

We spent a few hours getting some work done in my department at UCL

Then we walked over to ICCo, on Goodge Street, where the best, cheapest, pizza in London can be found.

We finished up with a walk through Russell Square to get an Oreo milkshake at GBK, before getting the train home.

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A question for boaters

2012-01-19T13:27:00.002Z

After April this year, visits to Cambridge will become quite expensive. Either 10% of the relevant EA licence for your boat length if you add it to your EA licence, or 15% of the same if you buy it separately to the EA licence (e.g if you bought an EA licence not planning to go to the Cam then subsequently changed your mind). So something like an additional £50-100.

This letter was published in the Cambridge News yesterday

"I'm taking my cash elsewhere"
Thanks to the price increase for boaters to visit Cambridge by the Conservators of the River Cam, I will not be going to your town and will take my pound to somewhere that would like visitors.
Donald Gilchrist

What I want to know is: do you agree? Will you come anyway? Or will you cross Cambridge off your cruising list? Comments below. It would really help us to have a cross section of boaters' responses as we challenge this! I think I might put a poll up on Canal World too. If you could also say where you normally moor or if you are a continuous cruiser that would help.

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All Bar one

2012-01-14T18:33:00.002Z

I'm writing this from a cafe, conveniently open until 9pm, near Gas Street in Birmingham- and, of course, Worcester Bar, which led to the very tenuous link in the title.

The photo above was taken last year when we were at Gas Street for the BCN challenge; we went back there about 20 minutes ago, and tried to replicate the shot, but it was too dark to do it justice with mobile phone cameras.

Why are we here? Well, we spent the day at Alvecote in Staffordshire, having travelled up by train. We met several other members of the Young Working Boaters society, and it was good to catch up with them. It wasn't just a social call, although it was fun to see everyone again; no, there's a Secret Mystery Project that's just got underway today. We can't reveal any details yet, and we can't give too much away until things are officially launched, but there is something really exciting happening, which we'll blog about soon.

It's not that we've bought ourselves a working boat, though; not quite yet....

On the way home, we broke our journey in Birmingham to visit Gas Street and do some academic work whilst we waited for a connecting train back to Cambridge, hence why we're here.

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River Cam - License fee upheaval

2012-01-12T14:46:00.000Z

Currently, boaters can use the Cam Con water if they buy an Environment Agency (EA) licence, under an 'Interchange Agreement'. Most boats choose to do this, except for the 25% who buy a Cam only licence from the Cam Conservancy.

However, from April 2012, the Interchange Agreement is changing dramatically. This morning there was a meeting of the Cam Conservators which I attended on behalf of Camboaters, and despite arguing our case the following was passed:

For boats who moor on the Cam, buying an EA licence will no longer be an option. ALL boats moored on the Cam will have to buy a CamCon-EA licence which will be 110% of the relevant EA licence for their length, effectively 17% more than a current EA licence because of the EA's 6.4% (CPI+2%) fee increase this year. This means that for the 25% of boats who currently have a Cam-Con licence, their fees will effectively increase by an extraordinary 21.5%.

For those moored on the EA waters or elsewhere, they have the option of
1) an EA licence which does not allow access to the Cam,
2) an EA-CamCon licence, at 110% of the relevant EA licence for their boat length,
3) a visitor licence at 15% of the relevant EA licence,
4) if they are found to be on the Cam without a licence, they will be obliged to pay for a visitor licence at 25% of the relevant EA licence.
As it stands, Gold licence holders will have to opt for an additional visitor licence for the Cam, as the Gold licence will not cover Cam Con water. the concept of 'trade plates' is being discussed to allow visiting boats to come to the Cam for services such as slippage and repair work.

Details of new Interchange Agreement: http://www.camconservators.co.uk/pdf/Note-7b-12-01-12.pdf

In terms of enforcement, they are taking on an additional warden in the summer months whose job will partly be to monitor boat movement and enforce licensing. How effective this will be remains to be seen but the Cam Con do not have a good record for enforcement.

This is going to have a huge impact on numbers of boats visiting the area as most will probably choose to go elsewhere. Camboaters is furious at this huge increase in licence fees and are taking the matter to the local MP, Julian Huppert and eventually perhaps to central Government. The Conservancy is a Parliamentary body and as such is accountable only to central Government. Camboaters will also be investigating the possibility of getting the Cam Con amalgamated in the Canals and Rivers Trust in 2015 when the EA may be also incorporated.

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But where has all the water gone?

2012-01-10T11:26:00.000Z

The Conservators lowered the Cam to allow maintenance work over the weekend. It looks very different, with hardly any water in it! There are more pictures on the Cambridge News website: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/See-what-shows-up-when-the-River-Cam-is-lowered-10012012.htm

Looking towards Clare Bridge

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Crab Apple Brandy

2012-01-09T14:56:00.004Z

I made a lot of home-made gifts for Christmas presents this year. (I would have blogged about these before Christmas, but wanted them to be surprises)

Crab Apple Brandy

Basically the same technique as any other fruity booze, like sloe gin, so there's no need for precision, it will just turn out slightly different depending on the type of fruit you use and the quantities involved.

Just get a large glass jar and half fill with halved apples (no need to peel or core, they're too tiddly for that!), add 8oz sugar and top up with brandy. Leave for as long as you can bear, shaking the jar to dissolve the sugar every few days. After a few months, strain the fruit and seeds through a muslin and bottle.

Don't throw away the 'leftover' boozy apples - they are simply delicious baked into a fruit cake.

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2011 in review

2012-01-03T12:34:00.002Z

2011 was a big year for us, with our cruise to London in the summer, and starting courses in the Autumn. I also started to focus a bit more on some of my non-boaty interests like cooking and charity shops. Although academic work has meant that I have less time for that now, I plan to keep it up if possible. Here's a quick month by month look back at the year.

January: Found out that James had a place to train to be a teacher, and the river flooded.

February: The weather continued to be dreadful and we narrowly missed being hit by a falling tree!

March: A trip down the backs, and a very successful Cam Clean-Up.

April: Bought a new fridge and spent a wonderful weekend at the HNBOC E llesmere Port Easter Gathering.

May: Had a brilliant time competing in the BCN Marathon Challenge with the YWBS in the big Northwich Yeoford: Parts 1, 2 and 3.

June: I singlehanded the Duck for the first time and we went to Braunston where James steered Ling in the Parade.

July: We competed in the Town Bumps and then set off on our big cruise to London.

August: Made it to London, and out again before the riots, then back to the Fens to leave the boat to be blacked. We also remodelled our bedroom.

September: We both started our courses, me in London and James in Cambridge. We helped organise the World Rivers Day Festival.

October: Academic work takes over, but I found time to do some baking!

November: We celebrated the 5th November by mooring four abreast across the river to watch the fireworks.

December: Not much blogging, but we did have fun at the YWBS Christmas gathering, and with our families.

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Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:19:00.002Z

Wishing all of our readers (if there are any left now that we don't have time to blog much anymore) a very happy new year! We have had a nice Christmas, visiting family around the country, in Devon, Cornwall and Berkshire and are now back in Cambridge, preparing for the new term.

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YWBS Christmas Gathering

2011-12-18T22:37:00.000Z

We spent the weekend at our friends' house by the canal in Stone, Staffordshire, for the Christmas gathering of the Young Working Boaters Society, a group of 'young people' who like messing around in old boats. Until now, it's just been a fun way to meet people and go boating at the various rallies, and we've made some great friends through it. But there are exciting things in the pipeline which was the reason we gathered, and we spent a good couple of hours discussing. I shall not divulge details just yet as there are still things to be worked out, and it's a long term plan, but hopefully we'll be able to explain more soon.

Unfortuntely the weather was awful, sleety and wet, so we didn't really fancy boating. But we did go for a walk, to look at the yard where Joe is working on Pinner, a GU motor, and on into Stone for a delicious lunch at the tearooms, where I I had a delicious Staffordshire oatcake, and a wander in to the charity shops. Matt (or rather, Rebekah) found some fabric for new curtains in Tench.

We spend the evening watching boaty films like the Bargee, and the headed out for dinner at a local pub. James and I stayed overnight rather than face the 5 hour journey home.

Fradley the cat

Wish I had a josher at the bottom of my garden!

Lock 30 on the T&M at Stone.

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Christmas is coming!

2011-12-16T17:27:00.004Z

I've been getting in the Christmas spirit over the last few days, with bottling and decorating various treats (I won't go into detail about these til after Christmas!), meeting up with a friend to exchange presents over a cup of tea (she gave us some delicious Grasmere gingerbread), and enjoying the lights of Cambridge.

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The Cockney Cashpoint

2011-12-15T12:32:00.000Z

This cashpoint is on Roman Road, near where my sister lives. When I went to visit her and have dinner with her and my little sister, we had to get some cash out. You can choose to have the machine instructions in English or Cockney. Naturally, I chose Cockney.

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Off-Grid Baking: Cinnamon Whirls

2011-12-14T12:27:00.002Z

These are the easiest treats to make. When I want to bring something homemade to a party but am strapped for time, or just want a yummy breakfast on a Sunday morning, I make cinnamon whirls.

Ingredients:
Ready rolled puff pastry
Cinnamon
Sugar

Just sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon, roll up, cut into slices, and bake for 20 minutes at Gas Mk 4. Cut in two for mini whirls, or roll the whole lot up for larger ones like in the top photo.

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It's been a while!

2011-12-12T20:16:00.001Z

Apologies for being so absent. A combination of deadlines and (mild but persistent) illness have kept me away from blogging for some time. But with Christmas and the odd boating adventure lined up, we will be back over the next few weeks. Stay tuned as well for a recipe or two to share, rowing updates (for those who care!) and the wonders of the Cockney Cashpoint!

We've moved mooring spots as well. We are now near Victoria Avenue bridge, next to friends, and close to the pub, the Co-op and the launderette. It's quiet here, and we're enjoying it so far! Lyra loves playing with the leaves.

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Our Weekend

2011-11-28T10:33:00.001Z

Home made cinnamon whirls for breakfast, followed by a pootle down to the waterpoint. Realising that we had run out of loo blue prompted a trip to St Ives to Jones's Marina on the guided busway. After a walk to the marina, we settled in to have a cup of tea and do some work in a cafe in St Ives.

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Kitten Chaos

2011-11-23T22:19:00.001Z

Over the weekend, we had the pleasure of visiting the Pippins for dinner, and got to meet the lastest addition to their crew, a little ginger and white kitten known as China. She is a high-energy ball of fluff, and Tom, her older shipmate, is just getting used to her. Alas we don't have any good pictures of her, but this latest Simon's cat cartoon reminded me of Tom (although he is not quite so long-suffering as Simon's cat, and will issue China a - claws sheathed - warning biff!)

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The Mystery of the Missing Medlar

2011-11-22T18:57:00.001Z

Perhaps you have not heard of medlars. I would not be surprised, as I had not until this time last year when I was visiting an organic farm for work, and they had a couple of medlar trees in their orchard. The farmer invited us to try one. I have never tasted anything like it. The flesh is a fragrant toffee apple flavoured paste, like eating a dessert that is conveniently growing on a tree. I took one home to ripen, and I still have the seeds, with the long term plan of finding somewhere to plant it.

The medlar is a native tree of Persia, and was brought over to this country by the Romans. Popular in the Victorian times, they have gone out of favour to the extent of being all but unknown these days. Perhaps part of the reason for this is that the fruit must be 'bletted', a polite way of saying rotten, before they reach the perfect taste and consistency. But they dare hardy little trees, and do still survive in old gardens and orchards.

I set about finding out if Cambridge had any medlar trees, and the Cambridge fruit map came up trumps, pointing me to the most incongruous location: the middle of the humanities faculties campus. The Cambridge Spy wrote about this tree, describing how 'One winter's day, the Spy had snuck into the Sidgwick Site, and was busy scrabbling about in the frosty mud for these little rotten gems, when an elderly academic in tweeds walked past, twinkling, "So, you've discovered the secret of the medlar tree!" His own memory of the tree stretched back to 1960, and he took the opportunity to pass on his own Christmas Day breakfast recipe: roasted medlars with the tops sliced off, filled with cream and sprinkled with brown sugar.' However, when I arrived I found that the new Alison Richards Building was in construction, and the little tree was on the wrong side of the construction site hoardings. I resolved to come back later in the year.

Photo: The Cambridge Spy

This evening, I returned to check if the tree was accessible yet, only to discover that it was gone. In the location given on the map, there is a square hole in the paving slabs filled with earth, indicating that something is going to fill it. I went into the English faculty next door to find out who I should speak to about the building next door (as it is still a construction site) and the friendly chap on the desk said that he thought there were preservation orders on all the trees close to the site. However, I had a look online and found a document relating the the construction of the new building. Apparently, 'a medlar tree is proposed as a replacement for the one that will be removed'. So, the venerable old tree is no more, but perhaps next November, there will again be medlars on the Sidgwick Site. In the meantime, I have heard that there is a medlar in the Orchard, Grantchester, so will try to head out there this weekend in search of my medlar fix!

Site map showing the location of the tree

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Lyra's box

2011-11-16T09:30:00.000Z

My mum sent me a box of goodies for my birthday, and Lyra has appropriated the box for her own devices! It is her favourite place to sit when it's warm in the cabin (when it's cooler, we are her favourite seat).

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Collect the Set

2011-11-15T15:02:00.001Z

Shoshana Shadock - paper graffiti

(came across these dotted around Cambridge.
There are probably more, do let me know if you see any others)

Gwydir Street

Mill Road

Newmarket Road/East Road/Elizabeth Way roundabout subway

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Loaded Working Boat

2011-11-14T10:05:00.001Z

.... sort of!

We took delivery of our winter fuel last weekend- 10 bags of Taybrite, 10 bags of Supertherm. The coal merchant was able to get onto Midsummer Common with his flat-bed truck, and so we piled the bags onto our well-deck. 600kg of coal (we had some there already) really brought the bows down and put some front drain vents very near the water, so that's probably as loaded as we're ever going to get unless I get the bungs out again!

Inspired by John's Stealth Wood Pile, we now have our very own Secret Coal Bunker, in a strategic riverside location, where most of it will be stored. A newly-liveaboard friend, Other John, had ordered some coal from the same delivery, but there had been a mix-up and the right kind of smokeless hadn't arrived; so we chugged down the river, moored alongside, and made a coal delivery from the water; 5 bags of Taybrite, on loan. Then we headed back to the Secret Coal Bunker and put most of the rest away securely.

For a brief moment, the Duck was a working coal boat- albeit with a cargo that was pitifully small compared to a real one.....

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Remembrance

2011-11-13T11:00:00.000Z

The Christmas Truce - Carol Ann Duffy

Christmas Eve in the trenches of France,
the guns were quiet.
The dead lay still in No Man's Land –
Freddie, Franz, Friedrich, Frank . . .
The moon, like a medal, hung in the clear, cold sky.

Silver frost on barbed wire, strange tinsel,
sparkled and winked.
A boy from Stroud stared at a star
to meet his mother's eyesight there.
An owl swooped on a rat on the glove of a corpse.

In a copse of trees behind the lines,
a lone bird sang.
A soldier-poet noted it down – a robin
holding his winter ground –
then silence spread and touched each man like a hand.

Somebody kissed the gold of his ring;
a few lit pipes;
most, in their greatcoats, huddled,
waiting for sleep.
The liquid mud had hardened at last in the freeze.

But it was Christmas Eve; believe; belief
thrilled the night air,
where glittering rime on unburied sons
treasured their stiff hair.
The sharp, clean, midwinter smell held memory.

On watch, a rifleman scoured the terrain –
no sign of life,
no shadows, shots from snipers,
nowt to note or report.
The frozen, foreign fields were acres of pain.

Then flickering flames from the other side
danced in his eyes,
as Christmas Trees in their dozens shone,
candlelit on the parapets,
and they started to sing, all down the German lines.

Men who would drown in mud, be gassed, or shot,
or vaporised
by falling shells, or live to tell,
heard for the first time then –
Stille Nacht. Heilige Nacht. Alles schläft, einsam wacht …

Cariad, the song was a sudden bridge
from man to man;
a gift to the heart from home,
or childhood, some place shared …
When it was done, the British soldiers cheered.

A Scotsman started to bawl The First Noel
and all joined in,
till the Germans stood, seeing
across the divide,
the sprawled, mute shapes of those who had died.

All night, along the Western Front, they sang,
the enemies –
carols, hymns, folk songs, anthems,
in German, English, French;
each battalion choired in its grim trench.

So Christmas dawned, wrapped in mist,
to open itself
and offer the day like a gift
for Harry, Hugo, Hermann, Henry, Heinz …
with whistles, waves, cheers, shouts, laughs.

Frohe Weinachten, Tommy! Merry Christmas, Fritz!
A young Berliner,
brandishing schnapps,
was the first from his ditch to climb.
A Shropshire lad ran at him like a rhyme.

Then it was up and over, every man,
to shake the hand
of a foe as a friend,
or slap his back like a brother would;
exchanging gifts of biscuits, tea, Maconochie's stew,

Tickler's jam … for cognac, sausages, cigars,
beer, sauerkraut;
or chase six hares, who jumped
from a cabbage-patch, or find a ball
and make of a battleground a football pitch.

I showed him a picture of my wife.
Ich zeigte ihm
ein Foto meiner Frau.
Sie sei schön, sagte er.
He thought her beautiful, he said.

They buried the dead then, hacked spades
into hard earth
again and again, till a score of men
were at rest, identified, blessed.
Der Herr ist mein Hirt … my shepherd, I shall not want.

And all that marvellous, festive day and night,
they came and went,
the officers, the rank and file,
their fallen comrades side by side
beneath the makeshift crosses of midwinter graves …

… beneath the shivering, shy stars
and the pinned moon
and the yawn of History;
the high, bright bullets

which each man later only aimed at the sky.

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Tow for the price of one

2011-11-12T20:37:00.003Z

That's probably one of the worst puns I've ever used as a blog title!

On bonfire night, we'd breasted up with our friend and neighbour Mark on Suzie Q. As his engine (Lister SR2) is awaiting some parts after he and I had a go at curing the uneven revving and hunting, and the massive holes in the exhaust expansion box, we towed him along to Midsummer Common, breasted up alongside, so that we could watch the fireworks from the roof.

This is the first time we've towed anyone else, and so it was quite an experience. We're much more used to being towed ourselves! As Suzie Q is only a foot shorter than the Duck, we decided- for control of the two boats on the short trip along the common- to tow breasted up to the fireworks, but that made the handling interesting.

Although the Duck's engine was powerful enough to shift the two boats happily enough, stopping was more of a problem. As both boats are modern and shallow-drafted, the tendency when putting the Duck into astern to slow the two boats was to pull the combination around and slew it across the river, which was quite annoying. It needed very careful handling, but we successfully got the boats along, and then winded the two. Turning was trickier because of the boats slewing when reverse was applied, but we got around with inches to spare. In the same spot, I can just about get the Duck around in one go, in a U-turn, as the river's 60' wide at that point.

Once we'd watched the fireworks, we cruised back again, as we had to turn around onto the mooring. But we were having so much fun that we carried on past the wider point where we were going to stop and went as far as the Pike and Eel, quarter of an hour down the river, before turning.

On the way back, I decided to try something different. Towing breasted up was OK for short distances, but it wasn't very efficient, as there was a great deal of disturbed water. Our normal cruising speed down the river, past the moored boats, is 1,200 rpm or so (tickover is 800)- but to get a similar speed, the engine was having to work up to 1,800 or so. I decided to try towing on long cross straps for the way home, so that Suzie Q, as a butty, didn't have to be steered, and the longer cross-straps allowed a bit more thrust from our prop. Mark was a bit unsure at first, especially as tying the cross-straps involved untying from his engineless boat in the middle of the river, but it worked out very well. I brought the pair to a stop, untied the DUck, and brought it to the bows, where I put a loop over his T-stud, ran the rope past his stem post, to the opposite dolly on the Duck's stern, took a few turns, round the other dolly, and back to his t-stud to be tied on the other side of the stem-post.

The cross straps are a really ingenious design, often used by pairs of working boats when unloaded. The cross in the rope means that, if the butty drifts off to one side, the pull becomes diagonal and centres it again.

This made towing much easier- we could move at 1,400 rpm for the same speed, so more fuel-efficient!- and we headed back in fine style, with no need to steer the butty boat, even around a few corners. Steering was more of a challenge with two boats- I had to remember that the bow of the butty followed my stern, and then his stern would swing out as we came around, which made the corners an interesting challenge.

A bit like driving one of these, I suppose!

Mooring up was fun, too- we just slowed down in plenty of time and drifted into the gap.

Great fun to practice this technique, when it didn't matter, so that in future we can use it if we need to.

Things I learnt from doing this:

Modern, shallow draft boats with high-revving engines and smaller props will tend to pull around to one side, when reversing, as the stern of the motor boat is pulled around. A deeper working boat, with a larger prop and more torquey engine, is much less susceptible to this; when towing the Duck with Warrior, all those years ago, it was never that bad, because Warrior was so deep it resisted turning and liked to stop in a straighter line!
If winding when breasted up, make sure you have the butty on the opposite side to your turn- so if the butty is on the left of the motor, turn to the right, so that the slewing effect of reversing the motor's engine works in your favour, not against you as it did the first time I turned. It took ages, and I nearly got the long shaft down and punted them around.
If you can, tow on cross-straps, as it's much more efficient- but more of a boat-handling challenge, as you've effectively got a boat that's twice as long that bends in the middle!

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My Favourite Finds v17

2011-11-09T10:00:00.000Z

Many years ago, I had a beautiful russet-coloured Guernsey jumper, which belonged to my grandma. But it was the 90s, and I was wearning whatever teenagers deemed to be in fashion then, which certainly didn't involve traditional knitwear! I think it was given to a charity shop eventually because when I wanted to find it a couple of years ago, I couldn't. For his Christmas present, the first year I was with James, I gave him proper Guernsey whoch I bought on ebay, and have long hankered after one of my own. But they are expensive new, and so I didn't bother.

Until I found this one, in the childrens sections of a little antiques shop on Gwydir Street in Cambridge for £15. I couldn't resist it! I love the colour, the fit, and everything about it! Originally worn by fishermen, did you know that the different types of knitting have (supposedly) got symbolic meaning: the rib at the top of the sleeve represents a sailing ship’s rope ladder, the raised shoulder seam a rope and the garter stitch panel, waves breaking on the shore.

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Sudden Fiery Flowers

2011-11-07T16:53:00.002Z

Fireworks

They rise like sudden fiery flowers
That burst upon the night,
Then fall to earth in burning showers
Of crimson, blue and white.

Like buds too wonderful to name,
Each miracle unfolds
And Catherine wheels begin to flame
Like whirling marigolds.

Rockets and Roman candles make
An orchard of the sky,
Where magic trees their petals shake
Upon each gazing eye.

James Reeves.

We watched the Midsummer Common fireworks from the roof of the Duck, moored 4 abreast across the river. It was a great evening, especially seeing the fireworks reflected in the water!

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Pumpkin Risotto

2011-11-04T17:21:00.001Z

I bought two pumpkins for carving and only ended up using one of them, so had a whole pumpkin to use up (even after this there's still half left!). So I decided to make pumpkin risotto last night, which turned out really quite tasty. I'd always thought risotto was really difficult to make, but was pleasantly surprised at how straightforward it was.

Ingredients

300g arborio rice
1.3l stock (veg, chicken, whatever you fancy)
500-600g pumpkin (I used about a quarter of a 30cm round one)
olive oil
parmesan cheese
black pepper
sage

Cut up pumpkin into slices, de-seed and roast (it took about 45 mins at Gas m.6 in my boat oven, so might be quicker in a standard one). While this is on the oven, prepare the rice. Bring the stock to boil and leave it simmering. In another pan (this has to be big enough to take the rice and the pumpkin eventually) heat some olive oil. Cook the rice in this for about 1 min stirring constantly, then ladle in one spoonful of stock. Stir until it's absorbed (you'll know because it becomes sticky), ladle in more stock, stir until it's absorbed... and keep going until the rice is fat and soft and lovely! I found 1.3l stock to 300g rice perfect. Now, if you have a blender, you can puree some of the pumpkin (once it's roasted, the skin will come off the flesh easily with a fork and be soft enough to puree), and chop up the rest into nice chunks. Mix the puree and chunks into the rice, along with a generous amount of cheese, and finely chopped sage. Sprinkle with more cheese and serve. Yum.

I still have over half a pumpkin left to use up! Any suggestions for favourite recipes?

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My Favourite Finds v16

2011-11-03T22:07:00.000Z

Another lovely autumn find. This one was a bit of a steal! As I think I've said before, I love prints. A beautiful print will have me buying things that need a bit of attention, or aren't quite the right size, and so when I spotted this one in Cancer Research I was very pleased to find that not only was it the exact right size, but a brand new Ben Sherman skirt. I couldn't see a price but it still had its tags on, and so I was expecting it to be reasonable expensive. I'd fallen for the pretty autumnal print, so I was going to buy it anyway, but I asked the lasy at the till and found that it was supposed to be on the bargain rail for £1! Turned out they'd been off-loaded with about 20 of these and wanted to get rid of them. I was happy to oblige!

BNWT Ben Sherman skirt, £1

Cancer Research, Burleigh St

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Recycled Gadget Cases

2011-11-02T10:00:00.000Z

My laptop and Kindle in their respective cases. A cheap alternative to the expensive specially made type, and they don't scream 'I'm an expensive gadget, please steal me!'.

However, the laptop envelope is in need of replacement, after a month of daily use. The laptop's weight and size mean that it is unlikely to be overlooked anyway, so I'll probably buy a proper one.

The Kindle envelope I'll be keeping however, as it is so light and discreet as to disguise it's value, as well as having kept it in good condition so far.

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All Hallow's Eve (Off-Grid Baking Special)

2011-10-31T14:47:00.000Z

Celebrating Hallowe'en was not something we often did when I was growing up, although we did enjoy carving pumpkins. This year for the first time since I was little, I bought a pumpkin and carved it, in a somewhat non-traditional way. Talking of non-traditional pumpkins, Anna of Something about Rowing (which everyone, rower or not, should read, it's that good) created her own super scary carving. Genius!

I made puree from the duck-shaped chunks I'd carved out (simply by roasting the pumpkin and blending it with my hand blender). In turn, I used the puree to bake apple and pumpkin muffins to bring to a friend's houswarming/engagement party. They were really moist and seemed to be quite popular!

In a large bowl, sift together 300g flour, 350g sugar, spices, bicarb and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to moisten. Fold in apples. Spoon muffin mixture into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together remaining flour, sugar and cinnamon. Rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

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Kindling

2011-10-21T09:30:00.000+01:00

James got me the BEST present for my birthday - a Kindle e-book reader. There were delays at the warehouse so although he told me it was on its way on my birthday, I had several days of excited waiting before it finally arrived. He figured that since I am commuting down to London a lot, having an easy way to read things on the train without lugging lots of books about would be a boon. Plus, as space constrained boaters it makes a lot of sense to buy ebooks rather than real ones.

A case in point was that the new Terry Pratchett book, Snuff, came out a few days ago and I was itching to read it. But it wouldn't be available in the library for ages, and it would be a while before I could borrow it from a friend, so buying the ebook was the perfect solution.

I love it. It's so light and intuitive to use, and the screen really does look like paper! Plus, it only needs charging every few weeks so no worries about battery life.

Reading Snuff in the Grad Pad

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London; Morning and Evening

2011-10-20T09:57:00.000+01:00

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Once Upon a Fen

2011-10-19T09:26:00.001+01:00

Mysterious graffiti has arrived on the bridge near our mooring. A quick Google of the phrase throws no light upon it. Any ideas?

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Moving home

2011-10-18T09:24:00.000+01:00

With James starting to do some coxing for his college, it seemed sensible to move closer to the boathouse (I love that we can just do that!). So last week, we shifted up to this spot, betweem Suzie Q and Bacchus. It's pretty sunny, for the solar panel, has a much shallower bank so access is easier, and has some trees nearby for Lyra to play in (and camoflage herself within!)

Can you spot the cat?

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My Favourite Finds v15

2011-10-17T09:34:00.001+01:00

I recently had to throw away my wonderful lace-up boots as the sole had come undone from the upper and none of the shoemenders in Cambridge could fix them (or at least, they weren't prepared to try).

So, I sought a replacement, as sturdy walking boots are a must when (as I do) you are walking in London a lot. I scoured the charity shops for lace-up boots for some time, but could find nothing. Then, I decided to try Jemporium Vintage. I don't normally advocate 'vintage' shops, as for me, half the fun of charity shops is discovering things for yourself, rather than having all the trendily retro things presented to you for inflated prices. But I found a veritable treasure trove of second hand Doctor Martens and bought myself this pair, at £20, as they were just so incredibly comfy, I couldn't resist. Given how quickly my other boots deteriorated, I'm resolved to only buy decent boots (second hand if possible) that will actaully last!

The ribbon laces were an afterthought - they came with standard brown laces - but I'd seen this done on full price DMs in the shops and wanted to try it out for myself. I like the way it adds a touch of colour and quirkiness so cheaply - the ribbon I used here cost me all of £1.30.

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Birthday fun

2011-10-16T19:14:00.001+01:00

Yesterday was my 26th birthday (Hurrah, etc). I had a very lovely, quiet day, just spending time with James and enjoying the sunshine. We are both so busy with our respective courses that we've seen very little of each other for the past few weeks, and it was a treat just to be able to spend the day together. We went on a little trip on the new guided busway out to St Ives. It was a very quick, quiet, smooth ride, just like a train that can also go on the roads. We were out at St Ives in 20 minutes. We bought a picnic and the papers in Waitrose and then went for a walk across the river to the chandlery at Jones' Boatyard. The quayside was really busy so we headed down towards the lock and found a nice place to sit on the bank of the river in the sun, and read the papers while eating our picnic.

We whizzed back to Cambridge in time for me to go and cast my vote for Chancellor of the university (as an alumni with an MA(Cantab) I am eligible to vote). Afterwards, we had dinner in the lovely St John's Chop House. In all, it was a lovely day.

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We've got ourselves a Convoy! (up the Backs again)

2011-10-11T10:49:00.001+01:00

On Sunday, the Duck did the Backs again, taking some of James' college friends on a little trip. But this time, we were in convoy with Mark on Suzie Q. I stayed to crew for Mark, so was able to get shots of the Duck, which was great! Coming the other way, we also saw nb Theodora. I don't think I've ever seen so many narrowboats on the Backs at once before! The only issue we had was some nasty blanket weed round the prop which we picked up in the Mill Pond. We had to tie up to the famous Mathematical Bridge in order to remove it. (Don't tell the porters!)

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My Favourite Finds v14

2011-10-08T15:06:00.000+01:00

I found this lovely autumnal cardigan in Sally Ann's on Mill Road, Cambridge for £2. I have said it before but Sally Ann's is the best charity shop for bargains! Anyway, I didn't recognise the 'Luisa Spagnoli' label when I was in the shop but simply bought it because it's gorgeous and good quality.

However, I am curious if I pick up something from an unknown brand and often do a quick google. Turns out that Luisa Spagnoli is a high end Italian fashion house. The website is devoid of any prices - I guess if you have to ask you can't afford them!

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Exploring Bloomsbury

2011-10-06T16:04:00.000+01:00

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Season of Mists

2011-10-02T22:00:00.002+01:00

The advantage of getting up early to head into London for my course is that I've seen some incredible susrises complete with swirling mists. Quite spectacular - enough to make me get my camera out even when I'm running slightly late for the train! Walking through Mill Road cemetary was amazing - the mists there were even more evocative.

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Cambridge World Rivers Day Festival 2011

2011-10-01T21:55:00.001+01:00

Here are some photos from the River Festival. I really don't think it could have gone any better. The weather was perfect, we had big crowds- between 3,000 and 6,000 people!- who seemed to genuinely be enjoying themselves, the open boats, music, food, craft and workshops were all successful and popular. James opened the boat to visitors for most of the day and we had a steady stream of interested people. Lyra sat on the table and was the centre of attention!

So, thanks, to everyone who visited, or helped in any way. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

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First Day of School

2011-09-27T19:59:00.000+01:00

My starting at UCL this week has been really exciting and had meant that I've just not had a moment to blog until now. The River Festival was a great success and I will try to write it up properly soon. In the meantime, here's some photos of my new university and environs.

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My Favourite Finds v.13

2011-09-22T19:15:00.000+01:00

The last few days have been so hectic, what with River Festival prep and James starting his course full-time! But I did find a moment for a few pictures of my most recent find. It's a lovely dark purple dress from Kew, that going by their online shop, would have been about £75 or so. It's perfect for autumn as it's actually quite thick, and lined, and such a delicious autumnal colour, just like the elderberries in the picture!

Dress: £7.50, Cancer Research, Burleigh St

It even has pockets! (how I love a dress with pockets!) and I've been keeping warm and casual by wearing it with a grey tank (also from a charity shop some time ago) and boots.

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Blades of Glory 2

2011-09-18T14:30:00.000+01:00

http://chestertonrowingclub.blogspot.com/2011/09/blades-ready-for-new-season-and-ice.html
Ready for rowing!

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Most expensive waterway in the country?

2011-09-16T11:45:00.000+01:00

Camboaters (that is, me and James on behalf of) have done some research and were shocked to discover that the Cam Conservancy Licence is the most expensive in the country in terms of cost per mile of waterway for an annual river licence (£77/mile as opposed to a canal licence which is 30p/mile). The next most expensive is more than three times cheaper.

Click to enlarge

The Cam Conservancy have sent out their latest consultation (yes, we have another one to wrangle with!) because they claim to have an income shortfall. One of the reasons they receive less money is that very few of the residential boaters in the area choose to buy a Cam Con licence. Instead most opt to buy an Environment Agency licence, which is the same price but allows navigation on nearly 150 miles of waterway in East Anglia, and access to the Cam via an interchange agreement. The agreement means that a small percentage (30%) of the EA licence fee is passed to the Cam Con.

If the Cam Con were to bring their fees more in line with the rest of the UK, then Camboaters are confident that many more owners of powered boats who moor in the area would buy a Cam Conservancy licence, and
purchase short term licences for when they go cruising. (We are in the process of gathering hard evidence for this, but it's a no brainer). This would significantly increase the Cam Con's income.

Camboaters have proposed this idea when the fee increase was first put forward last year. But we were disappointed to find that it has been dismissed out of hand and not included as an option in the latest
consultation. Instead, those who buy an EA licence would be hit with an additional river licence to pay, resulting in a 25% increase in costs, making the most expensive waterway in the country even more
expensive to use!

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Blades of Glory

2011-09-15T17:30:00.000+01:00

This is what we have spent several evenings over the past week doing:

Stripe 1 of 3!

Repainting the rowing club's blades.

It's been quite a lot of fun, because despite the hard work, lots of club members have helped out. We are nearly done! I will post some pictures of the finished product once all the tape is off!

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The Recycling Shelf

2011-09-13T10:47:00.000+01:00

Recycling Shelf (Put or Take) from Ryd Cook on Vimeo.

On Aylestone Road, just the other side of the river from us, there is a shelf, built into the fence. The Recycling Shelf. I rarely remember to go over there, but when I do it does always seem to be full of random things, and it is such a good, simple idea. It seems to maintain some sort of equilibrium between the 'put' and the 'taken', which is nicely illustrated in this video I found about the shelf. Last night when I popped over, I found a pair of binoculars. I wonder how widespread these type of things are? Do you know of one in your area?

Google Maps link to the Recycling Shelf:

View Larger Map

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Great Aunt Cissie's Sewing Machine

2011-09-12T11:14:00.000+01:00

After I dug out the old Singer sewing machine and established that it had not rusted solid, I spoke my dad (to whom it belonged). He told me that he in turn had inherited it from his dad who had been given it by his sister-in law, Cissie (my Great-aunt). I looked up the serial number of the machine, and it turns out that it was made in 1931.

Using the Singer, my grandad made the fabric parts of a folding canoe, which he then gave to my dad and there are photos of me sitting it when I was very small. An aptitude for hand crafts seems to run my dad's family. My grandma (my dad's mum) was en excellent knitter and embroiderer, and my grandad used to enjoy similar things. He didn't knit but he had a spinning wheel which he made himself and used to spin yarn for my grandma to knit with from raw wool, having first carded it with big spiky carding brushes. When my grandparents were still alive I used to love visiting them in their house in Wantage (Oxfordshire). They made all their own bread, and jam from fruit grown in their garden or gathered from the countryside. They were frugal and self sufficient in an entirely non-hippy way, just because they were brought up in austere times and also because they enjoyed it.

So, using Great-aunt Cissie's sewing machine myself, I'm carrying on a family tradition of making things with it. I've now got to grips with adjusting the tensioner and how to fill up and thread the bobbin using the machine's ingenious mechanism. I really hope that I find time to use it, but there are quite a few jobs around the boat which will demand it - we need new curtains and the cratch cover needs fixing.

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Any Questions? V.5

2011-09-10T10:00:00.004+01:00

Here's today's question and answer. If there's anything you would like to know about our life afloat or narrowboating in general, do get in touch via twitter / facebook / email or formspring.

A question from Formspring: In the time that you've been a live-aboard, have you ever been bothered by drunks and opportunist thieves/vandals? Does this happen often, and what measures have you taken to guard against it?

We've actually been pretty lucky. In our three years boating we've only been let off our mooring twice, and neither time was at our home mooring. The first time was by kids in St Neots on the Great Ouse, which was scary because it is a river, but they only let one end off and we were up so were able to secure it straight away. The second time was in Wolverhampton at the top of the Wolverhampton 21 on the BCN. We were moored near several other boats but the bow of the Duck was the only rope not tied either to a ring or looped over the same bollard as another rope so it was more vulnerable. The only problem that time was that Lyra fell in! But she was OK, and we were quickly back on the bollard and chained up.

At home, we've never been bothered by any anti-social behaviour, but wherever we moor we always tie the ropes through closed loop pins and then back onto the boat so that opportunists would have to climb on to the boat itself, thus waking us/alerting us to their presence. We always chain our generator up when it is outside, as there was a local spate of unsecured generator thefts. In really dodgy areas, we would just avoid mooring up, but occasionally we've used a chain as well as ropes just in case.

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Off-Grid Baking 9: BCN Cookies

2011-09-09T13:14:00.000+01:00

I've been promising this recipe for ages now. Rebekah made them for the YWBS lot on the BCN Challenge, and they were so good that I asked her for the recipe. She sent it to me and since then I've made them several times. They're especially good while cruising, and they're made of oats so they must be healthy, right? I've substituted the chocolate chips for both smarties and caramel buttons, with excellent results!

The caramel version!

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Sew far, sew good

2011-09-08T11:42:00.000+01:00

My Singer on the left, making duck bunting!

Preparations for the World Rivers Day Festival continue apace, and one of the things we have been up to is making bunting out of recycled fabric. On Monday night a group of us got together for a session of bunting making, using Charlotte's sewing machine. And we got quite a bit done, but could have made more with an additional machine.

So I dug out my old Singer, which I've had on the boat for nearly three years since my dad got it down from the loft and brought it over to me. Embarrassingly despite having learned to use a sewing machine at school, I'd forgotten how to use it and it had languished unloved under the bed. When we redid the bedroom, we found a spot for it when it can be more easily accessed. But I still needed a refresher! I took it out of its case and tried to get some of the dust off. It looked a bit sorry for itself! But a few turns of the handle which produced a smooth, quiet clunking proved that all the mechanism was moving soundly.

I lugged it over to Charlotte's boat Felicity last night, and she showed me how to thread it up. The bobbin was still full so once the cotton was on the top spindle, I was ready to go, using the wheel to spin it. It does have a retro-fitted motor attachment but it was quite quick enough using the wheel, and I didn't want to drain the batteries. That evening, we must have made 50+ metres of bunting. I really enjoyed it, and was so pleased that my previously unloved old Singer was still going so well. I have resolved to give it a good clean and an oil, and start using it more often!

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Shackerstone Festival 2011

2011-09-05T15:55:00.000+01:00

We spent a lovely weekend at the Shackerstone Festival on the Ashby Canal, with friends from the Young Working Boaters Society. We arrived on Friday night, having taken the bus to Milton Keynes and a train from there to Nuneaton to avoid the peak time train prices! Sarah, who owns Ling, picked us up and drove us to the canal to pitch our tent in the hold of her boat. On Saturday, as well as catching up with people, we got a chance to go boating on the FMC josher Emu, which has a Bolinder engine (one of the oldest diesel engines, and quite wonderful, if extremely loud!). We went on a trip up to the end of the Ashby and back, which took all afternoon. We had dinner at the Rising Sun before retiring quite late to our tent. On Sunday, Sarah was busy and so wasn't able to drop us off at the station. We found a much more exciting alternative, as Mike was going to be leaving at 11am on Victoria. We hitched a ride to Hinckley, where he dropped us off to catch the train to Nuneaton from there.

The banner flying on Ilford

James laces up a keb to try and retrieve a lost spoon!

Emu's chimney

Passing Camping Boat Ling on Emu

James learns how to steer Victoria

Victoria underway

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Lyra's Cruise

2011-09-03T12:01:00.003+01:00

So. The Warm Home Place Boat went moving again recently. I was most unconvinced by the idea. The noisy-growly-monster that lives at the back of the boat growled all day. I mostly just found a cosy spot and curled up until it stopped. As soon as it stopped I was up and about, looking out of the windows and trying to get out of the doors, just wanting to know where on earth we had got to this time. Sometime the big wet was on one side, sometimes it was on the other. Most confusing.

Last time the warm-home-place-boat went moving for a long time I hardly went out at all, but this time, the food providing humans had a plan, which I was unconvinced by at first (I am unconvinced by most things except for food and sleeping). They got a long string and attached it to themselves and then they let me take them for walks! They didn't like it when I wanted to take them walking under hedges and brambles, and would stop and refuse to follow me. But when I walked along places they could follow, it was OK. I took them quite a few walks in different places. My favourite place was in the big, noisy city, where I took Female Food-Providing Human for a walk in the dark time and I found a mouse behind a pipe. I chased it either side of the pipe but it got away when Female Food-Providing Human made a noise and it scuttled through a hole in a wall.

Sometimes the humans brought me out on the the top of Warm Home Place Boat. I did not like this AT ALL. I jumped down into the boat to get away from all the noises and the wind and the wet everywhere.

I am glad to be back next to the Big Grass now, although I still think the best fun is to be had hiding in the dark little cupboard at the front of the boat, that's too small for the humans to follow, and snoozing there, too sleepy to hear them calling for me and rattling the box. So they get all worried and then I emerge later on, stretching myself, and then they make a fuss of me and feed me. Teehee.

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Any Questions? V.4: Mooring in Cambridge

2011-09-02T09:00:00.012+01:00

In light of the fact that lots of our new readers are not necessarily boaters, I've decided to start a regular(ish!) feature called 'Any Questions?'. So, if there's anything about narrowboating, or living afloat that you're curious about then please get in touch, by email, facebook, twitter, comments or formspring! Here's today's question and answer.

This is a question I get asked regularly in emails: "I would like a mooring in Cambridge. How can I get a city centre mooring like yours? Are there any other places nearby where I could moor?"

Cambridge is a wonderful place to moor, hence city centre moorings like ours are in demand, unsurprisingly! On British Waterways water, moorings are sold off by auction unless they are on private land. In Cambridge, the moorings are managed by the City Council who run a waiting list. You can find out how to add your name to the list on their website. However, it takes years to get to the top of this list of 80+ names so put your name down asap if you are even thinking about it - there's no obligation to take it up should you be offered it. They say it takes 3-5 years. It took us 2.5, but it varies. Also, if you have a widebeam boat (>7ft) then although you should put your name on the list just in case, it's best to give up all hope of ever getting one - widebeam licences very rarely change hands and although they are on the same list, people waiting for them just float to the top and stay there. Clearly getting a central mooring is not going to happen straight away even if you have a narrowboat so if you have a boat and want to live in this area you have a few of options.

1) Advisable. Get a space in a commercial marina. There are a few within commuting distance of Cambridge, and if you have a car, are perfectly nice places to live. This list is fairly comprehensive, although there are others along the Ouse towards Huntingdon and Bedford or further North on Brandon Creek. Some, like Cathedral at Ely and Jones' at St Ives have public transport connections, but on the whole you would need a car. In my opinion this is the only realistic option. Get a marina mooring out of town and sit out the years until you get the letter saying you have a city centre spot. Or just stay put, out of town, in a nice countryside location. Be aware that not all marinas accept live-aboards so it's best to speak to people who moor there when you go to have a look at the place to find out what the owner's stance is.

2) Unlikely. Find a private mooring. There are few places just outside Cambridge which are run on an 'ad hoc' basis by private land owners: at Brown's Field (Fen Ditton), Horningsea, and above Bottisham lock. None of these sites advertise their moorings and generally are passed on by word of mouth. By far the best way to get yourself a spot at one of these is to go there in person and find someone to talk to. This method is governed purely by luck and by 'who you know'. You may be lucky, like we were.

3) Inadvisable. Hop about on the visitor moorings in the area. The EA/Cam Conservancy does not have a 'Continuous Cruising' licence option. Each of the visitor moorings provided by GOBA (Great Ouse Boating Association), the Environment Agency, and the City Council give you 48hrs. So you have to move every other day in order stay with the rules. We did this quite often for about 6 months, because although we had a mooring at Upware marina, we didn't have a car and there are no buses from the village so it was not feasible for us to stay there all the time. Of course, there are boats who remain on the moorings for longer than they should, relying on the apathy of the navigations authorities. But basically, attempting to just use the visitor moorings is Really Bad Idea and I would advise against it strongly. Either you move every other day (this soon loses its charm) or you flout the rules. The local navigations authorities don't admittedly have a history of actually doing anything about it, but they claim that they will chuck you off the list or take you to court (this has happened) if they decide you have flouted the rules one too many times. A risky strategy.

4) Highly inadvisable. Find a space on the infamous 'railings'. Along Riverside, just north of Elizabeth Way bridge in Cambridge, there is a stretch of river of which all the authorities have refused to take ownership. There is a mix of boats, some derelict, some well cared for, but all of them cannot leave their spot without fear of someone nicking it while they are away. There is an ongoing battle between local residents and the council to try and get the council to claim ownership and ban mooring there. The Cambridge News reports the history of this area.

You can see the answers to previous questions about living afloat here!

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World Rivers Day Festival - Sunday 25th Sept

2011-09-01T11:11:00.000+01:00

The Camboaters World River Day Festival is approaching fast! James and I are involved in organising what promises to be a fun, hands-on day out. It is based on the Open Boat Days which were held on World Rivers Day in the past, but this time, we've added some exciting extras - as well as visiting the open boats, there will be opportunities to try lots of other watery activities, like fishing, canoeing, punting and rowing. There will be stalls such as Nanna Mexico and Taste of Cambridge selling delicious local food, music on the Georgina, arts and crafts, fun workshops and lots of interesting local organisations and charities. If you are keen to bring your boat then do get in touch, we would love to have the basin below the lock full of boats!

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Summer Cruise Totals and Thoughts

2011-08-31T18:26:00.000+01:00

Canal Plan: Total distance: 441 miles, and 300 locks.

24 small aqueducts and 6 tunnels.

This will take 215 hours, 18 minutes which is 30 days, 5 hours and 18 minutes at 7 hours per day. For calculation purposes this is taken as 31 days.

We did it in 26 days, allowing us to spend three whole days in London not doing any cruising at all. We did a few very long (14 hour) days along the Nene, and a few very short ones - Paddington-Limehouse or Salter's Lode-Downham. Not a thing held us up - the one problem we had (with the electrics just as we were about to go through the tidal lock at Denver) was fixed very quickly. Most of the canals we had already done, but we really enjoyed this - it was fun to relive the good and the not-so-good moments on our 2008 trip up the Grand Union with Jim. We met up with loads of people, old friends and new. Everyone seems to be bemoaning the bad weather we've had but we had some fabulous sunny days. I appreciate that the canals could really do with the rain, and I feel for those who have suffered as a result of the Oxford and Leicester line closures, but we were secretly glad not to get rained on too much! In all, a very successful summer cruise!

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My Favourite Finds v12: Bedroom furniture special edition!

2011-08-29T23:14:00.000+01:00

For as long as we have had the Duck, we've struggled with the bedroom storage. The boat was designed with a bed just above gunwhale level, which folds away on gas struts very neatly. Under it, there was a desk for a PC, an office chair, a top entry wardrobe and an old chest of drawers. We had never really managed to store all our clothes in the available storage, and the desk and chair just got in the way really, since we don't have a PC (only a laptop).

As it was when we bought the boat (we no longer have that computer)

As it became...

So we decided that with both of us about to embark on courses in September, and the paperwork that would inevitably ensue, we had to do something about this space to allow for more book and paperwork storage, as well as more space for clothes.

Last week, James took out the desk, the chair and the old chest of drawers. The same day, I nipped into the new British Heart Foundation charity furniture shop in my lunch hour and found a lovely solid wood chest which was exactly the right size. It also matches (in that it is the same sort of style) the chest I found for £10 in Oxfam some months ago which had been on the desk. Both are made of wood all the way through - no cheap MDF in sight! "Proper job", as John might say! After work we met up to check through all the other charity furniture shops and didn't find anything better, so we brought the BHF one home on the sack truck!

Chest of drawers in place, James set about making some plywood shelves to use up the rest of the space, including making one which is essentially a stand for the smaller Oxfam chest. The remaining spaces around the chests, we wanted to fill with storage boxes in the form of old suitcases. We had great fun on Saturday afternoon scouring the charity shops and antiques places of Cambridge, wielding a tape measure ruthlessly. If they didn't fit we couldn't buy them. In the end we bought four, ranging from £4.50 for the small blue one, to £20 for a larger sixties green one. However, our best find was the canvas and leather 1948 demob suitcase. Mass produced in the late 1940s, these suitcases were issued to service men as they left the forces after the war. They contained clothes and shoes to help them make the transformation to civvy street, particularly as some would have had very few possession outside of their military kit. We got ours for £8 at the wonderful Hope Street Yard antiques warehouse off Mill Road. We didn't even know this place existed! Well worth a visit.

The final stage was to make better use of the built in step storage over the curved swim. Previously we had stored things in there but could only get to it if the whole engine room floor was taken up. So James sawed it in two, added some hinges and now we have a useful box in the step where we are now storing sports kit.

So now, we have all our clothes, towels and bed linen stored away. All our books are now in one place, with space left over for files etc. Everything is much better organised in general, and we are pretty pleased with the weekend's work!

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Days 24-26: Home Straight

2011-08-25T14:54:00.005+01:00

On Monday, we took the train back from Devon, to Downham Market, and got a taxi to the Little Ouse Moorings on Brandon Creek where we had left the boat to be blacked in their drydock. They did a superb job - the Duck's hull is now protected with two coats of International Intertuf, and looks fabulous. We bought some more diesel before heading off. Their diesel is the best local price at 85p a litre and in line with the EU regs (although very few places let you do this) they will sell at 0% duty on all of it if you can prove you have a residential mooring.

We made it to Ely that evening and had fish and chips from Alan's Fish Bar. On Tuesday morning I took the train in for my first day back at work. James went out to the cattery to fetch Lyra. He met up with a friend who works in Ely before cruising back towards Cambridge. He stopped at our old mooring and we spent the evening catching up with John Pippin. John had just spent the day (and several days previously) moving some 20 tonnes of wood he had recently acquired. Behold!

Not even all of it!

So that brings us to Wednesday, when James spent the day helping John move more wood. We had drinks in the Bridge after work and then cruised back into town. Our habitual mooring spot on Midsummer Common was still free, and so we were back - after almost exactly a month away. It feels strangely familiar and unfamiliar simultaneously. We are glad to be back!

Now that I've finished the cruising and Devon journals I hope to get back to resuming normal blogging services, with quite a few exciting finds to put up on My Favourite Finds, and plenty of Any Questions to answer!

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Glorious Devon 3: Coleton Fishacre and Brownstone Battery

2011-08-25T09:49:00.002+01:00

We hoped to make the trip to the National Trust's Coleton Fishacre on Saturday, but alas, the weather was rubbish, so we stayed at home mostly and I baked a batch of nutella cupcakes, and James fixed my mum's computer, which had a dodgy power supply. In the evening I made curry for everyone with the help of my little sister.

On Sunday, with the weather improved, my mum and her partner Peter took us in the car to the beautiful Coleton Fishacre near Dartmouth. We visited the dramatic, beautiful gardens, dropping steeply down to the sea, and the wonderful Art Deco/Arts and Crafts house. The interior is decorated with a collection of rather lovely understated deco pieces, in muted colours, with the occasional monochrome touch.

I love this picture Peter took of us at Coleton

My mum and I

After a tasty lunch in the cafe there, we visited a WW2 coastal battery just around the corner, now home to the volunteer run Coastwatch service. It was really interesting. Close by was the magnificent Dartmouth Daymark, which sailors still use to locate the hidden entrance to Dartmouth estuary. We finished the day by returning on the train along the spectacular Paignton - Exeter railway line.

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Glorious Devon 2: Diva

2011-08-24T09:56:00.000+01:00

On Friday, we had an exciting trip planned - to spend the day with my dad sailing his Telstar trimeran Diva from Starcross to Dartmouth. The weather was beautiful, sunny with a little bit of wind, and we set off in high spirits from the Exe estuary. Soon we had the motor off, and were clipping along nicely under sail, with George the autopilot steering the course for us. However, as we carried on past Teignmouth, James began to feel a bit of the 'mal de mer', and began to turn pale green... We decided that it was not worth continuing all the way to Dartnouth, and turned around back to the calmer waters of the estuary, where the colour began to return to James' cheeks! I was glad not to feel ill at all, and hopefully will go out sailing with my dad another time. We headed back into the estuary and to Diva's mooring under sail, where we stayed on board for a while, enjoying a picnic before heading home.

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Glorious Devon 1: Starcross and Exmouth

2011-08-23T15:56:00.000+01:00

We spent a wonderfully relaxing few days in Devon with my family whilst the Duck was being blacked. So much so that we didn't end up turning the computer on at all, even after James fixed it up with a new power supply! So I will try to catch up over the next few days!

We spent a lot of our holiday by the sea. On Thursday everyone was at work so we headed to the train station and got the first one which went to the seaside, even though it was grey. The train took us to Starcross village, where we got off, hoping to be able to catch the ferry to the Exmouth on the other side of the estuary mouth. There are hourly ferries, and we missed one by a few minutes so had a while to spend in the village. We walked along the seafront, and found a little charity shop which doubled as a tearoom. So we passed the time in there, with books and cups of tea, whilst chatting to the volunteers. I picked up a lovely yellow linen dress from Gap for £2. We then went and found the ferry, and got off at Exmouth, where we spent an enjoyable afternoon doing touristy things like eating fresh doughnuts, paddling in the sea and playing on the swan pedalos!

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Days 22-23: What a Relief!

2011-08-18T23:25:00.000+01:00

7 miles, 2 locks Salters Lode - Downham Market - Little Ouse

Our first trip down the Relief Channel - a somewhat uninspiring but novel bit of waterway. It is a man-made channel following the course of the tidal Ouse, to take any overflow during high rainfall. There are several floating pontoon moorings, and the first one is at Downham. In order to get onto the channel, you have to go through a lock which asks you for your boat number and mobile, so that they can contact you in case they are raising the water levels, and so that they can log you in and out.

A few photos of the town itself - quite pretty, with lots of old buildings faced with traditional carrstone.

The advantage of mooring in Downham was that we were close to the station, and could take Lyra to the cattery in the evening. The disadvantage was that we had no signal! Cat safely deposited, we retired with a DVD and enjoyed our last evening afloat before we took it to be blacked.

On Wednesday morning we cruised the final few miles to the Little Ouse Moorings, where we left the boat, next to the floating drydock. We got a taxi back to Downham and took the train to Devon to stay with my parents for the days the boat is out of the water and we can't stay on it.

We're having a lovely time here, relaxing and doing touristy things - will post more over the next few days!

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Day 21: Waiting for the Tide

2011-08-16T00:47:00.002+01:00

March- Salter's Lode, via lunch at Upwell

Not a great deal to say, really. We had a nice lie-in- the first for ages, and soon were chugging towards Salter's Lode and the exit from the Middle Level. We decided to stop for a late lunch in Upwell on the visitor staithe, and headed off in the late afternoon. It's busy here at the lock, there are 6 boats including us waiting to go through tomorrow from 10:30 onwards when the tide allows. We're moored on the offside on a steep bank with the ladder out, as there's no space on the landing stages- although there would be if one of the two cruisers on them moved up and shared a bollard...

Off with the tide tomorrow morning, then down the Relief Channel to Downham Market to explore. I've only ever visited the town in sad circumstances, in the pouring rain, but hopefully will be able to have a much better explore and poke around.

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Day 20: On the Levels

2011-08-14T21:23:00.001+01:00

Our passage onto the Middle Levels was booked for 2pm today and we wanted to stop briefly in Peterborough, so we left Wansford at 9. We passed the rowing lake on the way into the city and saw that the summer regatta was in progress. So we turned into the cut that leads to the lake and had a look before winding and carrying on. On the river we saw a coxless IV, stroked by a friend of ours!

Once we'd been to the waterpoint and nipped to ASDA, we were on our way again, to Stanground and the Fens. What can I say? It was sunny at least, and we spotted NB Harnser at Floods Ferry but the fenland drains are still dull. Tonight we're at Fox's in March. We won't make the 10am tide tomorrow so it will be a slow pootle and a lunchtime stop at Upwell/Outwell for us tomorrow, and we'll catch the Tuesday morning tide.

Day 19:

2011-08-13T21:51:00.001+01:00

Rushden and Diamonds - Wansford 33 miles, 18 locks

An enjoyable day on the Nene, and despite forecasts, it stayed dry. Knowing the river pretty well by now, we do enjoy it more and see it less as a slog and more of a cruise, while still doing 12 hour days.

At Upper Barnwell we helped a family in a cruiser negotiate their first ever lock which was fun. We enjoyed showing them the ropes and they thanked us as they carried on.

Alongside the standard Imray Nene guide, we tried out our 'vintage' 1986 Nicholson Guide to the Broads and Fens (now out of print). It is a useful companion to the Imray Guide and is based on OS maps, lending a sense of context to the river. If only Collins would republish an updated version!

We are now moored alongside another boat at Wansford, having arrived at about 9pm in the dusk.

Day 18: .Diamonds are a Duck's Best Friend

2011-08-12T22:42:00.002+01:00

23 miles, 35 locks Blisworth - Rushden and Diamonds

Apologies for the second 'diamonds' reference! Fortunately for you all, we won't be mooring at Rushden and Diamonds again for about another year!

We topped up with diesel before setting off down the Northampton flight behind the aptly named NB Plod. The couple on board had not experienced narrow locks before and so we gave them a hand, setting locks ahead of them. Another boat was following behind us, and their crew were able to help us too. Plus, all the pounds were in plenty of water as BW had just filled the flight.

We pushed on through the town, and started to actually enjoy the Nene for once! The weather improved as the day went on and we carried on into the dusk, seeing the full moon rise in a pink and grey sky and eating dinner as we went through Wellingborough. It was dark when we arrived at Rushden to find the last mooring spot, but not clear enough to see the Perseid meteor shower, unfortunately.

Hopefully we'll make Wansford tomorrow night, and be through Stanground Sunday afternoon.

Day 17: I came, I saw, IKEA

2011-08-11T22:08:00.001+01:00

20 miles, 9 locks Fenny Stratford - Blisworth

We began the day with a trip to IKEA, in Milton Keynes, a 10 minute walk from the canal. I wanted to go there to get a new duvet cover and sheet for the bed. I'd been looking for some for a while but everywhere I looked in Cambridge they were either REALLY expensive or made of polyester-cotton mix. I can't stand sleeping in synthetic fabric. But IKEA does pure cotton bedlinen for reasonable prices and we got a pretty printed floral one with 4 pillowcases for £12. We also picked up a few bits for the kitchen - including this lovely retro style bird print tray and a new optical fire alarm to replace our ionising one. I had no idea they sold safety equipment!

Once we'd got everything, we had to stay and have Swedish meatballs for lunch. Yum.

It was drizzling when we set off at 12, but once through Fenny Stratford lock, there are none for miles through Milton Keynes. We pressed on, and on, shared Cosgrove lock with two other boats, and decided to finish the day with the Stoke Bruerne flight and the Blisworth tunnel. Moored ready for the Northampton flight and an assault on the Nene tomorrow!

Day 16: Stopping for Lunch

2011-08-10T21:02:00.002+01:00

16 miles, 16 locks Marsworth - Fenny Stratford

I can hardly believe we did 32 lock miles today, because we spent 3 hours over lunch at the big canalside Tesco in Leighton Linslade. We shared most of the morning's locks with NB Morpheus, who had a lot of crew and were very friendly. Turns out that one of them has a brother who lives in Cambridge, in the new house on the river at the bottom of Pretoria Road Cambridge readers will know exactly which one I mean - it certainly divides opinion, although I have come to like it.

We stocked up at the big Tesco and carried on through the Soulbury three and beyond, to Fenny Stratford which is a village now engulfed by the outskirts of Milton Keynes. Tomorrow morning we are going to go to the IKEA to buy some new bedlinen and to eat their meatballs if it has a cafe!

I was doing a lot of the steering today so forgot to take any pictures. So here's one of the chicken curry I made for dinner, partly to use up the tasty sauces (mango and onion chutney and yoghurt raita) which came with our takeaway curry in Uxbridge.

While underway we learned from Twitter that the Paddington Arm is closed due to a fire on a bridge which has made it unsafe to navigate under. We are so glad to have got out in time! Be aware if you are heading that way. BW will update their waterscape website and Canal World when it's open again. We have heard that there was minor 'unrest' in MK but hopefully we are far enough out to be safe here.

Day 15: On the Level

2011-08-10T08:05:00.001+01:00

Apsley - Marsworth 7 miles, 28 locks

Wow, did we really do 28 locks? There certainty are a lot of them as you climb to the Tring summit. They come so thick and fast that the summit is very welcome. However, it was only 5:30 as we got to Bulbourne so we decided to descend to Marsworth and use the sanitary station there. I really enjoyed doing the flight - in the evening sun it was beautiful! I also noticed that it is lined with damson trees. Realistically I don't have time to make jams whilst cruising but if anyone else is coming this way, they are abundant!

Day 14: Metroland

2011-08-08T22:01:00.001+01:00

Uxbridge - Apsley 15 miles 23 locks

We left London behind today. At Cassiobury park we passed under the last tube line and later on passed under the M25. It was a very changeable day, spent partly wearing a vest top and partly wearing waterproofs! I managed to get damp and sunburned!

Near Grove Park we passed Brighton and Nuneaton. Mike, who we did the BCN challenge with was on board and we had promised him a BCN cookie so I passed over one for each of the four crew!

We moored up on the Sainsbury's 24 he moorings at about 9 and went over to buy a paper and catch up on the news. We had heard about the riots in London but reading about it brought it home to us that it is happening in places we were so close to in East London. Thankfully my sister and her boyfriend are safe. My thoughts are with everyone affected, especially as it seems that violence is breaking out in other cities now.

Cut Out and Keep Boating Accessories

2011-08-07T23:25:00.001+01:00

This was James's birthday card from Sam. Brilliant. I particularly like the emergency tea set.

Day 13: Paddington - Uxbridge

2011-08-07T22:25:00.001+01:00

18 miles, 0 locks

A very short day! We were expecting a visit from James's family so just wanted to make it out of London to a nice quiet mooring. We stopped at Alperton to meet them, where there is lots of parking at the Sainsbury's there as well as good moorings.

I had made a Victoria sponge and a version of Rebekah's BCN cookies, using Cadbury's caramel chocolate buttons instead of chocolate chips. Yum. I will post the recipe soon, I promise, as soon as I can get the laptop going again!

They stayed for a few hours and it was nice to catch up. Sam, James's brother has just moved to London and is looking for work in the field of Graphic Design. If you need any design work done, Sam is your man!

After they had headed home, we continued on to Bulls Bridge and Uxbridge, where we are moored just below the locks. We're feeling full after an Indian takeaway, and ready to take on lots of locks tomorrow!

Day 12: EastEnders

2011-08-06T22:22:00.001+01:00

Today we explored the East End canals around Bow. I wrote a long post about it but blogger ate it. So until I have the energy to write it again I hope you enjoy these photos!

A load of rollocks!

2011-08-05T22:53:00.002+01:00

We had a properly touristy day today, beginning with a trip to the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green. It's a great, free museum, filled with all kinds of toys and bits and pieces documenting childhood across the globe and through time. Lots of nostaligia! We spent a good few hours there before having a delicious lunch at an Italian place opposite the museum called Italina.
Our next stop was the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. I've been wanting to visit for years, and it didn't disappoint. It is interesting without being dry, interactive without being gimmicky, and also surprisingly diverse in its exhibits, juxtaposing geeky train facts with wonderful artwork amd fascinating memorabilia. We spent another good few hours there. My feet began to hurt and so I had a bit of a rest in a vintage tube carriage while James had a go on the tube driving sim!
After all this time in museums we wanted some fresh air so headed to Hyde Park to hire a boat on the Serpentine. However when we got there, we found that the lake was closed for a triathlon! A quick Google showed that Regent's Park was still hiring boats out until 7 so we decided to get a bus over there. We took out a rickety plastic rowing boat, and had fun trying to do it properly, but broken rollocks and stumpy oars meant that we didn't go very fast! Enjoyed it though.
We were by then too late to carry out our plan of taking one of the old Routemaster buses which still serve route 9. So we walked along the South bank to Monument station where we could catch the Docklands Light Railway to Limehouse and home. A pretty tiring day, but lots of fun.

Day 11: Paddington - Limehouse

2011-08-05T00:16:00.000+01:00

8 miles, 12 locks

We got up late because we had awoken to the sound of rain drumming on the roof. But we had to get going, because the water tank was getting low and the cassette toilet was getting full! So we kitted ourselves out in waterproofs and headed off.

Duck wellies!

First we filled and emptied the relevant tanks at Little Venice, then headed off towards Camden. We found a spot on the visitor moorings there and went to have a quick look around the market. We picked up a second hand copy of Stephen Fry's The Ode Less Travelled, and had calzone for lunch.

We paired up with nb Do Little as we were coming through Camden, and as luck would have it they were also heading to Limehouse Basin. The weather slowly improved, and we finally travelled beyond St Pancras basin, which was as far as we had got lat time we came to London. I particularly enjoyed cruising under the bridge which was part of my bus route to work when I lived in London and longed for my own boat.

Just past Victoria Park, my sister joined us because she lives close by. She joined us for the last few locks into Limehouse. We moored up in Limehouse, had dinner and then headed to The Grapes. It is a fabulous old pub, where Dickens used to drink, with a gallery overlooking the Thames and nice cider (and real ale) on tap. Highly recommended.

The view from The Grapes

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Bracknell and 'Boris' Bikes

2011-08-03T23:21:00.000+01:00

No locks or miles today either! Today we left the boat on the ultra-secure moorings in Paddington Basin and went to see James family in Bracknell - we visited his Nannie on his mum's side and grandparents (our most avid blog readers) on his dad's side. It was really nice to see them, and catch up. James also lent a hand helping his grandad and uncle do some DIY in his grandad's kitchen while his grandma and I had a nice chat!

We were back in London by 6pm, and decided to avoid the hot, horrible tube journey from Waterloo back to Paddington by taking 'Boris' Bikes back across the city. For anyone who's not seen them, these are public bikes which can be picked up and dropped off at any of the many docking stations around London. There are some 6000 bikes, and 400 docking stations! They are sturdy, heavy, somewhat slow bikes, but they are reliable and quite comfortable to ride. It's pretty simple to use - you pay an access fee at the docking station which is £1 for 24 hours (or there are more cost effective alternatives for longer periods of time) and then you pay for how long you've had the bike on top of that. It's free for the first 30 minutes, £1 for an hour and then it starts to get more expensive after that. They are best for short journeys really. It was a lovely sunny evening and we took a route back through Green Park and Hyde Park. We really enjoyed our little ride and hope we'll have time for another before we leave London. It was cheaper, greener and cooler than the tube too.

We had dinner then headed back to our 'local', the Warwick Castle, with Tim, who we met when we did the BCN Challenge. Another nice evening, but we're a bit tired now! Tomorrow, we'll leave Paddington and head along to Limehouse Basin, hopefully with time for a short stop at Camden.

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London Town

2011-08-03T00:06:00.004+01:00

Paddington Basin - can you spot the Duck?

Our current location!

Me and Priscilla

0 miles, 0 locks

We didn't move very far at all today - just around the corner to a better, quieter mooring in Paddington Basin itself. We had a sorting out morning, tidied up, cleaned, I baked BCN cookies from Rebekah's recipe (more on that tomorrow) and James went to the chandleries at Embankment and Shaftesbury Avenue for bilge pump bits.
In the late afternoon, we had lots of visitors: my friend from university, Priscilla, my sister Esther and my cousin Ariane. We had a lovely afternoon sitting on the roof eating cookies and doughnuts. Esther and Ariane both had early starts but Pris, James and I headed to the river for a trip on a Thames clipper run by TfL, so you just pay on your Oyster card. We went to Greenwich and had a wander, down to the river's edge where we found shards of porcelain amongst the pebbles and around the streets. Pris then went home to Essex and we zoomed back along the river in the dark. A lovely day. This is why we do long days - so we can have days where we stop and have fun!

Day 10: The boat by platform 18 is the 19:48 service from Cambridge

2011-08-01T23:59:00.005+01:00

Cassiobury Park- Paddington Basin

28 miles, 12 locks

The final push today saw us moored in Paddington Basin- or rather, on the arm leading to the basin in a convenient gap- at just before 8pm. We had started at 9am on the dot, and met up with Larkwood to share the last 12 GU locks before Bull's Bridge junction, where we would turn off down the Paddington arm and they would head straight to Brentford.

The sun was out and the day got hotter and hotter. With the fridge on maximum, a we would put a drinks bottle in the freezer compartment and then swap for another bottle when frozen to have a continuous supply of cold water. Lyra was placidly flopped out for most of the day, but she too enjoyed some water which had been in the freezer compartment to be cooled down. Unfortunately, because of the risk of her making an unscheduled trip ashore to explore at a lock or bridgehole, we had to keep the doors shut and the side-hatch closed, but we did remove the glass from the top hopper opening of a few of the windows to get some airflow through the boat.

We made good progress and reached the junction at 4pm, where we turned and headed off along the arm. There was a fair bit of weed around- the scum floating on the surface hiding the blanket weed underneath. However the Nene is far worse, and a few spins of the prop into astern cleared the 4 or 5 tangles that we had.

We headed nicely into the centre of London, enjoying the differing surroundings- factories smelling of delicious curry, run-down and abandoned industrial units, manicured parks and open space and particularly grand houses. Although there was a fair amount of space around Little Venice, we pushed on slightly more to the arm towards Paddington Basin, where we found a space in the shadow of a tower crane and the plant that's working on the station.

Lyra was not particularly impressed with London at first- it's particularly busy here, but having taken her out just now, she's much happier and managed to find- but luckily not catch!- a mouse.

The late evening was spent with Simon of NB Tortoise in the local Warwick Castle pub, which is particularly fine; dark panelling, mirrors, open doors to the street and frosted glass with high-backed leather-covered chairs. Brilliant! We talked about boating and many related topics until last orders, when we headed home in the cool of the evening. When we returned home, we found a friend had left two small gifts on the boat- some cat treats for Lyra, and a wooden duck that quacks when blown.

We're planning on staying stationary tomorrow, before having a gentle cruise to Battlebridge Basin by St. Pancras down the Regents on Wednesday, and then a short trip to Limehouse to see Amy's sister before heading back in a more leisurely fashion.

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Day 9: There is a pub in Berkhamptead

2011-07-31T23:27:00.000+01:00

... they call the Rising Sun

Cowroast - Cassiobury Park

14 miles, 32 locks

Today was another beautifully sunny day, and unlike yesterday, we shared all of those 32 locks with other boats. We began the day by going through Cowroast lock, and passed the lovely Peggy's boat just below it at about 9:15. Last night I met up with her for a drink, to chat about boats and blogs. She writes The Real Life of a Narrowboat Wife about her life aboard with her husband and two young children. I've been following it for a few months now. It's quite different to the normal boat blog and worth a read!

We shared the locks of the first part of the day with nb Hilltop, crewed by a nice middle-aged couple who were out on a weekend jolly. We worked through pretty efficiently, taking turns at the steering and lockworking. At Berkhampstead we passed the famous Rising Sun pub, boasting 20 draught ciders. We didn't really feel like stopping, but James grabbed a glass and nipped in to get it filled up while the lock was emptying! Jolly good it was too!

Later on, we finally crossed paths with Towcester, a lovely large Northwich run as a coal/fuel boat. Julia sold us a rather large quantity of diesel, which left my wallet feeling light, and the stern low in the water with a full tank. But it is good to be able to support the fuel boats, and keep historic working boats in trade. Also, the diesel was really good value! Towcester covers the GU between Braunston and Aspley. She has also just got a card reader, making it even easier to buy on the move!

At Aspley, nb Hilltop moored up, but we picked up another boat to share with - nb Larkbridge, who turned out to be really good fun to share locks with. They had a bit of an issue with their raw water cooling system and so we moored up next to then to offer help since we used to have a similar system, and offered to tow them to the nearest boatyard should that be necessary. Thamkfully after James and Jeremy took they system apart and put it back together it seemed to work fine and we were on our way again. We continued to travel with them until 9pm when we both moored up in Cassiobury park. They very kindly invited us to join them for a BBQ on the towpath, which was delicious! We've just got back, full of food and are going to continue to share locks with them tomorrow until we reach Bull's Bridge.

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Day 8: Cowroast

2011-07-30T21:12:00.002+01:00

Fenny Stratford- Cowroast

19 miles, 23 locks

Not a bad day's boating, all considered. We didn't start until half past nine, but whilst it was grey at first, the sun soon came out and that set the tone for the whole day- wonderful hot sunshine.

And what could be better than boating in the sun? The GU in this stretch has many locks that are spread out with fairly long pounds between them, as we climbed up towards the summit pound at Tring. Unfortunately we seemed to be the only boat going towards London, as there was no-one to share with and the majority of the locks were against us.

Passing through Linslade and Leighton Buzzard we noticed how busy it was; it was the canal festival, and the towpath was thronged with people having a good day out and enjoying the sun and the moored boats. Having said hello to Alan on Sickle as we passed by, we were soon again in the countryside.

The day continued on pleasantly and we made good time to Marsworth and the flight. We had originally planned to stop at the bottom, but were enjoying the weather and the boating so much that we carried on going! And even though we meant to stop at Bulborne once we reached the summit pound, we headed for the shade of the trees in the cutting and continued chugging onwards to Cowroast, where we moored up at half-past eight. A nice early night, then onwards tomorrow- perhaps as far as Uxbridge, but we'll see how we get on.

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Day 7: Milton Keynes

2011-07-29T21:49:00.001+01:00

Gayton Junction - Fenny Stratford
21 miles 8 locks

Apologies first: the 12V laptop charger which used to work fine has taken to cutting out without warning. So I'm having to write all the blogs on the phone. Hence, until its fixed there won't be many detailed blogs or any with more than one image. Very annoyed by this!

Anyway, today's cruising. It was dull, weather wise but.some nice bits of canal. So good to be back on the canals! We started with Blisworth tunnel and James tried out his new 12V stern mounted floodlight which apparently made the tunnel a lot more fun.

Shortly afterwards we stopped for diesel at Baxters in Yardley Gobion although we really want to fill up from one of the fuel boats. We passed Ascot and Beverley, a coal and diesel selling pair but noone was in. We've been in touch with various other fuel boats and hope to meet up with Hyperion for diesel soon.

Soon we were in Milton Keynes. It has several awesome aqueducts like in the photo, including one over the Ouse. One day hopefully the Ouse will be linked to the Grand Union at MK and we will be able to miss out the whole Middle Levels and the Nene.

We have stopped outside the city proper, near to Fenny Stratford. A shortish day for us - we were moored up by 6. We had dinner at the Plough and then stocked up at Tescos. We had planned to stop at the big one in Leighton Buzzard but when we saw that there was one close by we decided to provison now and avoid having to stop tomorrow. We had half hoped to go to the MK IKEA but we arrived too late. Maybe we'll make it there on the way back.

Day 6: Welcome to BW water

2011-07-28T23:40:00.004+01:00

Rushden and Diamonds - Gayton Junction
23 miles, 35 locks
An uneventful but sunny day on the Nene arriving at Northampton at 5. At Ditchford Lock I saw that there was a little farm shop in the back of a parked up truck so I left James to the lock and bought some local eggs and potatoes. Worth stopping at if you are on the Nene. I was also delighted to find chamomile and pineappleweed growing at Lower Wellingborough lock and made some nice tea. Passing Billing Aquadrome was entertaining, with lots of kids about, wanting to race us in their inflatable boats and swimming. It was such a hot day that I almost envied them! At Northampton, a family with several little boys enjoyed 'helping' us with the lock. We decided to try to make Gayton Junction by the evening and so headed up the 17 lock flight behind another boat, NB Foxtrot. Progress was slow due to low water levels but we were moored at Gayton by 9pm. Looking forwards to the canals proper tomorrow. No idea how far we'll get but it doesn't really matter. We are on the canals again and I can't wait!

Day 5: Rushden and Diamonds are Forever!

2011-07-27T21:48:00.001+01:00

Wansford Station - Rushden and Diamonds moorings

33 miles, 18 locks

The Nene is a lovely river. Tranquil, remote, beautiful. But there is a lot of it - 58 miles of it in fact. And a lot of locks. Plus, it lies between us and adventure on the canals. So we made a dash for it last year and we are doing the same this year.

Last year, we got to Wellingborough by 10pm after 14 hours cruising but the factory there by the moorings kept us awake. So this year, we stopped after a mere (!) 12 hours, at the lovely quiet Rushden and Diamonds moorings, by the sports centre which is not currently in use. Although Jules left a comment yesterday about how it has been bought by Kettering, so maybe the useful pump out and disposal facilities which were here when the centre was open will one day be reinstated. It's very quiet out here, and since it's such a long mooring, chances of finding space are good.

All going well, we'll be on the canals tomorrow!

Day 4: Making Tracks

2011-07-26T22:49:00.000+01:00

Whittlesey - Wansford Station moorings

14 miles, 4 locks

Heading into the sunset

Today's cruising was in two parts. Amy headed off to work, and I again turned over and went back to sleep. I'd booked passage through Stanground Sluice off the Middle Level at 1pm. The Middle Level commissioners are keen to reduce the number of lock operations, so as not to introduce too much water into the system as it would only have to be pumped out again! They match up boats going up and down, so as to let down the minimum amount of water.

I set off at 11:15, and after negotiating the 90 degree corner of the Brigatte Bend, was soon out in the countryside. This section is unfortunately boring, especially when the weather is grey as it always seems to be for this bit! However I was soon at Stanground, and was moored up in Peterborough riverside by a quarter past one. After the fun of using the firehose supplied as a waterpoint by the EA to top up the tank in a couple of minutes, I headed into the city centre to buy provisions from the Asda supermarket, and wait for Amy to arrive after work.

I also bought a more secure collar and a lead for Lyra, so we can let her off the boat more often, but keep her safe. Talking of whom, she is once again used to the engine and spends her time curled up on the doormat or on the bed, opening one disdainful eye if you walk past.

I spent some time arranging tools- exciting, I know!- and putting up an array of hooks to store the ring spanners on, in order of size, so they're to hand and stored sensibly, rather than being jumbled in the toolbox. With a mix of metric and imperial sizes, it was frustrating not having the right one immediately to hand!

Amy arrived at six, and by a quarter past six we were under way once again to get a few miles on the Nene under our belts. The plan was to make Wansford, and although it was grey to start with, by the end of the evening the sunset was turning everything a glorious pink. Our favourite lock at Water Newton was looking particularly appealing as the dusk just started to set in.

Water Newton lock

Water Newton mill

Dinner underway- sausages, cheesy mash, and caramelised onions.

Although the pontoon at Wansford was full, there are some unofficial moorings on the bankside further along, and so we're moored on pins with the plank out, ready to make a start first thing tomorrow.

Rushden and Diamonds, just over half way up the Nene, is the planned destination tomorrow.

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Any Questions? V.3

2011-07-26T10:13:00.000+01:00

Bella asks "I have always wondered how easy it is to navigate one of your boats and whether there is a 'driving test'."

First, there is no 'driving test' for cruising the inland waterways of the UK. Anyone with a boat can just hop in and go boating without any prior experience. I would say it's relatively easy to handle a narrowboat, although I still have a lot to learn! Everything generally happens quite slowly so that you have more time to respond than in a car. However, although it's easy to steer a narrowboat, it's difficult to steer one really well. Manoeuvring into tight mooring spots or reversing require a bit of skill. The type of boat will make a difference - handling a 70ft ex-working boat is different to steering the Duck - as will the type of waterway. Rivers require more skill than canals due to the currents, but once you get the hang of them, you can use the stream to your advantage.

For anyone keen to learn how to handle a narrowboat, I'd say that the best way is just to get out there and do it - practice makes perfect! But there are courses where you can learn in a controlled environment with an instructor too. See the RYA's Inland Waterways Helmsman Courses.

You can see the answers to previous questions about living afloat here!

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Day 3: March Onwards

2011-07-25T19:32:00.004+01:00

March- Whittlesey

11 miles, 1 lock

The alarm went at 6:30am for Amy to go to work, but very smugly I was able to turn over and go back to sleep. At the far more civilised time of 9am I was up and about, having a wander around the centre of March, and getting a few bits and pieces. I only had a short hop to Whittlesey (or Whittlesea as the railway station has it) and so could afford to take my time.

I set off at about half eleven. The day was grey but warm, with a slight breeze, and soon I was through the centre of March and out at Fox's boatyard. I bought some diesel (£40 for 30 litres, maybe I should shop them to the Monopolies Commission over their high prices) which should last until we get to the more sensibly priced canals. I wanted to dispose of some used engine oil from the recent oil change, but was quoted a charge of £1 per litre of oil. With some 30 litres of oil and oil/water mix from the engine bilge, I wasn't keen on this at all! That too can wait until the canals. I accept that it costs the boatyard to dispose of oil correctly, but I doubt it costs them that much!

Once out of March, the going was good at first. High flood banks meant I couldn't see very much, but the water was reasonably deep but fairly weedy until Flood's Ferry, where the navigation becomes the Old Course of the River Nene and narrows and shallows. There was far more weed on this stretch, and I was often having to stop to spin the prop astern to clear it. No point going down the weedhatch though, it would have only collected more!

A very welcome sight, albeit unexpected, was my friend John on NB Meandron. He'd put his name on the waiting list for a Cambridge mooring license speculatively about 3 years ago, just after we put our names on, and he recently got the call from the council saying that he was at the top of the list, and so bought a boat to try out the whole liveaboard lifestyle. It was good to catch up with him, as I moored alongside and had a welcome cup of tea whilst we chatted and listened to the cricket on the radio. We're looking forwards to welcoming him as a neighbour in Cambridge.

After reluctantly saying goodbye to John, I headed finally into Whittlesey, arriving about an hour before Amy's train arrived from Cambridge. We had a walk around the town, before returning to the boat to catch up on some TV programmes on iPlayer.

Tomorrow I've booked passage through Stanground Sluice at Peterborough, and so I'll pick up Amy there at the end of the day before we head up the Nene. The plan is to make Wansford tomorrow evening, Rushden and Diamonds on Wednesday, and be on the GU by Thursday.

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Day 2: Littleport - March

2011-07-25T11:23:00.000+01:00

22 miles - 3 locks

Sunday was a bit of a fraught day. It started well with a nice, sunny (if windy) trip from Littleport to Denver. At Denver, we were waiting for high tide to make the passage through the lock, out onto the Tidal Ouse, and then back in, to Salter's Lode and the Middle Level drains. We arrived at about 11:30, with the tide supposedly at 12pm. We moored up and headed over to the lock, to chat to the lockie and see what was up. He said that while he hoped he could let us through, we would have to wait and see what the tide did and if there would be enough water to allow passage... So for the next two hours we waited, getting increasingly nervous, since I was due back at work the next morning, and didn't fancy the thought of heading to work and spending the day wondering if James had got across the tidal river safely.

Thankfully, at 2:30pm, it was our turn. So we headed to the stern to start the engine. When it should have gone Click...Bruuuuuuum, it went Click...CLUNK...Silence. Ah. Bugger. James surmised that something was up with the high current starting circuit, since the low current circuit was firing the solenoid but the high current circuit wasn't spinning the fly wheel. His thoughts went straight to the 1-2-OFF switch which has been a bit dodgy for while. The flywheel was turning freely so the engine wasn't stuck. So he took the back off the switch and connected the wires to the same terminal. Success! Click...Bruuuuuum! Relief. New switch required, but engine fine.

And so, hearts still beating too quickly with all that adrenaline, we set off through the lock and on to Salter's Lode. The tide was on the turn, and we had been asked by the lockie to wait in the mouth of the lock while the other boat who locked through Denver with us went through, since the locks are different sizes. Paul, the Salter's Lode lockie gave James a 10/10 for his entry! Yay! We sat there while the other boat went though, and then it was our turn. It was nice to see Paul, who remembers all the regulars, like us, and we had a bit of a chat. And then we were on our way! Safely on to the Middle Level, and headed to March.

Waiting for Salter's Lode Lock

It was gloriously sunny and not as windy as it has been so we enjoyed the 4.5 hour trip to March a lot more than we have in the past. The twin villages of Upwell and Outwell, where the navigable drain runs along the main street, looked particularly lovely, as did Marmont Priory Lock. We reached March at 7:30pm, having eaten while underway. We stopped on the town moorings and went for a little walk before retiring to the boat to read and sleep. So glad to have got here! I'm at work today and will be meeting James in Whittlesea tonight, all going to plan!

Upwell/Outwell

Marmont Priory

The Main Drain

March Town Moorings

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Day 1: Cambridge - Littleport

2011-07-23T22:06:00.001+01:00

At 6am this morning, the music of the post Bumps party at City was still going so there was no chance of sleep, and it was a simply glorious morning. So we decided to set off, and have a nap once we'd made it to Ely. Our friends, also still awake and wanting to make the most of the morning, decided to go rowing in the quad! We passed them on the way out of town.

We arrived in Ely at 10 or so, and settled in for a nap. At 2 we were up and about and headed into town for provisions. We filled and emptied the relevant tanks and headed off to Littleport where we had a table booked at our favourite Indian restaurant, the Indian Garden. After a delicious meal, we're feeling sleepy and ready for an early night.

2011 Town Bumps Races Day 4

2011-07-23T14:36:00.001+01:00

My crew didn't manage to hold off City 5 behind us. James's crew had a heroic row over after nearly being caught but by skilful coxing and determined rowing managing to pull away. M2 were bumped but partly because their unlucky cox got her finger caught in the chain holding them on station. She managed to extricate it in time but lost the racing line as a result. M3 unfortunately went down again and got their spoons! W2 rowed over again.

M1 - rowed over
M2 - down one
M3 - down one

W1 - down one
W2 - row over

The post bumps party was epic and resulted in our still being awake and deciding to set off on our cruise at 6 am. We got to Ely at 10 or so and stopped for a nap! Hoping to make Littleport tonight!

2011 Town Bumps Races Day 3

2011-07-21T22:55:00.001+01:00

I had a great row today- we rowed over in front of 99s 3, who gave us a really tough race, but we held them off all the way, until they were bumped by the boat behind them about 100m from the finish. It was really satisfying and we all enjoyed it.

Elsewhere in the club, W2 had another heroic row over, M3 were bumped, as were M2 and M1 also rowed over, narrowly missing out on a bump.

M1 - row over
M2 - down 1
M3 - down 1

W1 - row over
W2 - row over

Calming Chamomile

2011-07-21T15:29:00.000+01:00

I got the Forager's Handbook by Miles Irving out of the library and have been looking out for the plants he describes. One which I have seen in abundance now I know what to look for is wild chamomile, also known as pineapple weed. It is a different species to chamomile - it looks similar, but without the white petals, just the yellow head. The best way to identify it is by its smell - strong, fruity and distinctly pineappley! It grows best in disturbed ground in poor soil.

Tea made from the plant, like chamomile, is supposed to be calming, so I have been drinking a lot of it this week to calm my Bumps nerves! I'm doing pretty well, whether it be as a result of the tea or not. Actually looking forwards to tonight!

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2011 Bumps Races Day 2

2011-07-20T23:14:00.004+01:00

A mixed day for Chesterton- a fantastic row for M1 resulting in James's first bump for 4 years as.well as a bump for M2 but both my crew and M3 went down one. W2 rowed over.

The triumphant M1, with Chesterton's newest member!

I really enjoyed our race nonetheless because we managed to row for about 1km with another boat hard on our tail, stayed strong and composed and only conceded because we slowed around a corner.

There was additional drama when James crew had to find a sub at the last minute as one of their crew was hospitalised with a collapsed lung! He is doing fine, post surgery but won't be rowing the rest of the week! Thankfully a friend and 'retired' rower stepped into his place. Will has written up the story, and there are more pictures at the Club blog.

Paul, captain of M2 is also keeping a Bumps Blog for the Cambridge News!

M1 - up one
M2 - up one
M3 - down one
W1 - down one
W2 - rowed over

Summer Cruise Plan 2011

2011-07-20T12:36:00.001+01:00

In order to distract myself from our next Bumps race tonight I've been looking at planning out our trip in a little more detail. Obviously this is all very much subject to change - especially the exact location of our overnight stops - but it's a realistic possible permutation of how things could plan out. The Nene and Middle Level parts are based on what I know we can do in a day and the GU parts based on CanalPlanAC which is generally pretty pessimistic about how long things will take so we'll probably make better time, but it's good to be conservative when planning things. What we actually do when we get to London will depend on who we meet up with and where. When we get back to East Anglia, we're leaving the Duck at the Little Ouse Moorings marina to get it blacked, and heading off to Devon to stay with my family while that goes on. Lyra is booked in to the cat shelter she usually stays at for the duration.

This is where we are going (click to enlarge):

and this is where we will (roughly) be when:

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2011 Bumps Races Day 1

2011-07-19T22:25:00.003+01:00

Not a spectacular start for Chesterton. My crew got bumped by a significantly faster crew. We felt we rowed well but they were just much faster! James's crew rowed over as the boats in front and behind bumped out so had noone to chase or be chased by.

M1 - row over
M2 - row over
M3 - down 1
W1 - down 1
W2 - row over

Bring on tomorrow!

Coming Up on Lucky Duck

2011-07-19T11:18:00.002+01:00

Just a note about what's coming up on the blog over the next few weeks. Over the next four days, I'm afraid that we shall be somewhat pre-occupied with the most anticipated set of rowing races on the River Cam, the Bumps.

For any non-rowers, these races are a type of rowing competition in which 20 boats line up along the bank, about 60 ft apart and then when a cannon does off, all begin frantically rowing in order to catch the boat in front before they are caught be the boat behind. If they do catch the boat they are chasing, they swap places the next day. This runs over 4 days, and its chaotic, a bit dangerous, terrifying, and great fun!

It looks something like this...

Photo: Ed Brambley

...and produces charts which look like this as boats switch places over the course of the four days. Our ultimate aim is to move up four (or more!) places over the series of races. I am rowing in our W1, and James is again coxing the M1 boat. Our club, Chesterton, also have three other boats, M2, M3 and W2. So I shall be reporting on the club's progress as we attempt to bump rather than be bumped!

On Friday night, there is a party for all the rowers which tends to go on long into the night, with much drinking, eating, and analysing the week's rowing. Saturday will see us rising late and setting off on the first leg of our month long summer cruise towards London. So, from Saturday, the blog will become a cruising log of our adventures on the inland waterways. I will try to intersperse it with some different features, but it will all depend on our internet connection. I'll post an itinerary so that you can see roughly where we'll be when (although that can of course change!).

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James' Birthday Weekend

2011-07-18T10:28:00.001+01:00

James celebrated his 24th birthday on Saturday. Over the years we've been together, it has become a tradition for a complex and challenging cake to to be made to celebrate the occasion. His birthday always falls in the week before the most anticipated rowing races of the year, the Bumps, so most people are cutting down on the drink, doing a lot of training and not so up for wild nights out. The one thing all the rowers are doing, however, is eating a lot! So a big, elaborate cake has always been the best way to mark his birthday.

It was Emma (previously of Kestrel) who started the tradition. The first year we were together for his birthday, I lived in London and so baking him a cake to bring to Cambridge was out of the question. Emma created a stupendous cox-box cake, on the instruction of his M1 crew.

The next year, we had moved to Cambridge in the boat and were moored out at The Parish. I made him a cake in the shape of a three cylinder Russell Newbury engine, which was fun to make but somewhat bizarre looking:

Last year, I made a tray of Celebrations brownies iced with a map of the river Cam, which was less three-dimensional but quite tasty.

This year, I made a swan, supposedly the rogue bird known as Mr. ASBO (that stands for Anti-Social Behaviour Order for any non UK readers) by the press. It was quite the challenge, involving a neck and structural core made of rice-crispie cakes threaded onto a coathanger wire! But alas, since it was a bit hot inside (it was a damp grey day and we had put the stove on...) the structural integrity of the head and neck was compromised as they started melting! So I had to shorten the neck and make him look a bit more goose-like. I have to admit to buying cake to make the body - it took long enough without having to make all that cake too, I just covered it with white chocolate frosting - yum!

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Any Questions? 2

2011-07-15T09:30:00.005+01:00

Hi there Amy, your life aboard Lucky Duck sound wonderful. I have always loved riverboats and wonder if you could point me in the right direction as far as finding a boat etc., and a rough estimate of the cost? Thanks
The price of a narrowboat can vary so wildly (ours was £25500, but they can go up to £200,000!) that it would be best to head to boat sales sites and just browse around and see what is available. Price will depend upon what you want from a boat, its age, fit-out and all sorts of other things. Head to Apollo Duck for hundreds of boats for sale privately and there are loads of brokerage companies selling boats too. Whilton Marina is a good place to start, but a google search will bring up many others.
Good luck!

You can see the answers to previous questions about living afloat here!

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Off-Grid Baking 8: Chocolate Almond Polenta Cake

2011-07-14T13:51:00.001+01:00

This was an experiment really - I've not used polenta (Italian cornmeal) in cakes much before. I did make one for my mum when she visited but the verdict was the the polenta was too gritty (so I didn't blog that one!). So I tried a recipe where the polenta is soaked first since I has some left. The polenta was pretty difficult to mix in though as it's quite sticky. So in general I don't think I'll be buying it again, but this cake was quite nice. It's moist, but contains no butter or other fat apart from what's in the chocolate so it's not as unhealthy as some recipes I've posted in the past!

Chocolate Almond Polenta Cake

Ingredients

50g quick cook polenta (or one packet ready made polenta)
200g plain chocolate
5 eggs separated
175g caster sugar
115g ground almonds
4tbsp plain flour
115g blanched almonds
icing sugar for decoration

Method

Place the polenta in a bowl and add enough boiling water just to cover. Stir well, cover and leave to stand until all the water is absorbed (approx 30 mins). If using ready made polenta move directly to step 2.
Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 4 and grease and line the base of a round deep cake tin
Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water
Whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar until the mixture is thick and pale. Beat in the melted chocolate then fold in the moistened polenta, ground almonds and flour
Whisk the egg whites in a clean grease free bowl until stiff. Lightly stir in some of the whites into the chocolate cake mixture and then fold in the rest followed by the blanched almonds.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45 minutes until well risen and firm to the touch. Cool on a rack then dust with icing sugar.

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