Village at War Photographs.

Hi Friends.

We wanted to share some photographs with you which were sent to Jo yesterday. Thank you to Peter Frost for sending us some of the photographs he took of us at Stoke Bruerne's, Village at War Weekend at the beginning of October. Deep in thought.

Taken by Peter Frost.

Something to smile about.

Taken by Peter Frost.

Time for a cuppa.

Taken by Peter Frost.Taking a break from Brass cleaning.

Taken by Peter Frost.Anyone for a brew?

Taken by Peter Frost. A Step back in time.

Taken by Peter Frost.

Moored at Stoke Bruerne

We are now moored in Stoke Bruerne, having shared the 7 locks with nb Manderlay on our 4.2 mile cruise, which took 3 hours 15 minutes. Having found a mooring we had lunch at the Spice of Bruerne, and very nice it was again.

Great Linford to Cosgrove.

Hi Friends.

We are moored between Cosgrove lock and the Great Ouse Aqueduct. We did a food shop at Tescos at Wolverton on the way, during the drizzle, which stopped by the time we got here. Just have to decide whether to stay here or to head for Stoke Bruerne for the weekend, decisions decisions?

Bugbrooke to Stoke Bruerne.

We arrived at Stoke Bruerne yesterday after a non eventful cruise. Well pretty much uneventful. We had lunch at Spice of Bruerne, which was very nice indeed. We can totally recommend it, if you like Indian food. The last time we ate there was a year ago. After lunch we set up shop of all Keith's rag rugs, and the bits and pieces we have to sell, and we sold a few bits, not bad for a first time.

Stoke Bruerne to Cosgrove.

Monday 23rd March.

Stoke Bruerne to Cosgrove, 7.1 miles 8 locks.

Before I begin on today’s ramble. I am really pleased to say that I have now got a copy of ‘Idle Women’ by Susan Woolfitt. Stoke Bruerne Museum shop has a few copies. The book had came back into print a couple of weeks ago, along with ‘The Amateur Boatwoman’ by Eily Gayford. It is a book I have been trying to find. May I thank all of those people who offered to lend me their copy, so that I could read it.Our morning began with the alarm clock going off at 6am. We were making an early start along with Roy on NB Gerald No13. I took Paddy for his walk before we prepared Hadar for the off. There was no quiet way of passing the moored boats, because both Hadar’s and Geralds No13’s engines are thumpers. Keith and Roy manoeuvred the boats to the first lock, whilst I set it for them.Keith roped both the boats together at the bow and stern, whilst Roy switched his engine off. We now had them operating as a pair, which looked fabulous. Keith was really in his element steering the boats down through the flight, whilst Roy and I lock-wheeled. I think it bought back good memories from his teenage years when he worked working boat Pisces down in London.Roy and I were really fortunate that some of the locks already had their gates open, ready to accept the pair, others were almost full of water, meaning we only had to open one paddle and then push the gates open.We did notice that the wind was picking up as we progressed down the flight, which did not pose a problem with the boats breasted up. Having completed the flight we moored up at the Sanitary Station below the last lock to empty our toilet cassette and Roy wanted to take on water. We untied the boats and Keith and I moved off just ahead of Gerald No13 to head for Cosgrove. The wind at times was blowing so strongly that it would take my breath away. It is just as well Hadar was loaded down with coal, because it helped to keep her on the straight and narrow. If she had been empty she would have been blown around a fair bit.
We arrived at Cosgrove lock. I set the lock allowing Hadar in first, Gerald No13 then followed. So after a fabulous mornings cruising, we moored up on the 14 days moorings, with the wind blowing a hooley. I had noticed that the back cabin stove was smoking a fair bit, but thought it maybe due to with the wind. I decided to check the chimney for any blockage, and low and behold it was slightly blocked. After giving it a good clean the smoke is coming out of the chimney as it should. Everyone burning coal should always check their chimneys regularly. I tend to do ours once every couple of weeks.

Cosgrove to Stoke Bruerne.

Thursday 4th December.

Cosgrove to below the Stoke Bruerne Flight of Locks, 5.2 miles.

We had a howler of a night as far as the weather was concerned, which continued into the morning, we were woken firstly by the chimney chain rattling on the chimney, so Keith got up and removed the chain, before climbing back into bed. The rain was then lashing down on the roof of the boat, and the wind was blowing strongly causing waves to lap up against the stern of the boat. What we did not get however was any of the forecast snow, not as much as a flake. Because the weather sounded a bit rough, we sat in bed drinking a cup of tea and decided that we would not bother moving today. After all there was no point in moving if we did not have to. We were on a 14 day mooring so there was no panic. Having got up and dressed in my waterproof clothing, Paddy was soon sat at the back doors waiting for his walk, so we climbed out of the back cabin and stepped onto a rain sodden towpath. Whilst I was out walking, Keith prepared breakfast for our return. Over the past couple of days Paddy has had a weepy eye, probably through playing with Marmite. She more than likely scratched his eye whilst they were playing rough and tumble, so I have been putting in eye drops to calm the eye down and this morning it looks to have worked, as it was not weeping half as much as it had been. Paddy had his eye drops put in and was then given his breakfast biscuits for being a good lad; Marmite got her breakfast as well, otherwise we would never have heard the end of it. With our breakfast done, it was time to rake out both fires and make them up to stay in for the day. I put the remainder of our two day stew into the back stove oven, so that we could have it for lunch as a soup. By 10.15am the weather was showing signs of improvement, the wind had dropped to a more acceptable level and the sun was trying to pop its head out between the grey clouds, so we reversed our decision to not move. By 10.45am we were on the move from Cosgrove and into the open countryside. With the spectacular views across the valley, came the smells of the countryside, as we approached the Navigation Inn at Thrupp Wharf, we were hit with the scent of silage from the farm near the Inn. It brought back memories of my childhood, as I was brought up on a farm, where the silage store backed onto our house. So it is an unforgettable smell and most definitely clears the nostrils.

I took over the tiller for a while, as you can see all wrapped up against the cold wind, whilst Keith went to the loo. N.B Padic passed us going the other way; we had met them a few weeks ago. After a while at the tiller, I let Keith take over once more whilst I did the loo run. This cold wind certainly does not help when it comes to the waterworks. We made our way to Yardley Gobian, where I caught sight of a boat in the dry dock at Baxter’s Boat fitting services; it was N.B The Maisibert owned by Andy Lawrence. Keith e-mailed Andy and was told she was in having some work carried out. We will hopefully meet up with them again. After Grafton Regis we caught sight of a Buzzard, which was being given a bit of grief by a Crow, so it decided to perch in a tree close enough for me to get a photograph of it. More often than not they either fly off before I can get a photograph or they are too far away.We arrived at the bottom of the Stoke Bruerne Flight of 7 locks at 12.35 and were able to find a mooring on 48 hour moorings, which would be ideal for the night. The plan is to do the Stoke Bruerne flight tomorrow. The rest of our day was spent doing chores on the boat. Because we have two coal stoves, the dust from them tends to mount, so it needs keeping on top of. I also had the bed to remake having stripped it before we set off. With the day drawing to a close Keith took Paddy for his evening stroll and I dished up dinner. Our evening was spent watching TV. We were so pleased to see sense prevail on ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ with the exit of David Van Day (enough said about him). With Martina, George and Joe being the final three, we reckon anyone one of them could win, as they have all proved popular. Although I would love to see George win, we both feel that it may be Joe who is the favourite. He is so sweet and a breath of fresh air. He has most certainly made us laugh. The bush tucker trial was excellent, George Takai at 71 is such an inspiration to anyone in their mature years; he is such a fit gentleman and shows you’re never too old to try something new. After that we watched Lead Balloon with Jack Dee, I then made the fires up for the night, putting the ash bucket out on the back deck, whilst doing so I could not help but stand there and watch the stars in what was a very clear sky. The crescent moon looked so bright; it was almost as if someone had given it a wipe over with a cloth like a head lamp of a car. From the cabin door I could see Orion’s Belt in all its glory. The night was still, there was not even a ripple on the water, after that I closed the doors and we headed off to bed.

Friday 5th December.

Bottom of Stoke Bruerne Flight to the Top of Stoke Bruerne Flight, 1.1 miles and 7 locks.Jack Frost had come calling again over night, he had left a blanket of frost on every surface open to the elements, which made things under foot a little slippery when I took Paddy for his morning walk. With the sun coming up and heating the surface of the canal, it was covered in a light mist lifting into the air, so very magical.
Having done the stoves, breakfast and preparations for the off, I went ahead and set the first of the 7 locks we would do today. As I emptied the lock which was almost empty anyway, I could see a boat coming down in the lock above, so was aware that we would leave the lock for them. They on the other hand despite seeing us, were going to shut the gate behind them, so I had to shout up to the gentleman closing the gate to “Please don’t shut the gate”. I wasn’t actually sure if he heard me, what with engine noise and the sound of the water gushing into the lock, but the steerer of the boat turned around and shouted the message on to him, and he did leave the gate open for us. We passed each other in the pound exchanging pleasantries, before going on our way. The pound above Lock 19 was very low and that was before I had even opened the paddles, so with Keith securely in the lock, I opened the paddles and then walked to locks 18 to 16 to let some water down. Keith managed to wriggle Hadar out of Lock 19 and into Lock 18. The pound above lock 16 is a long pound so it could handle being drained a little, in order for us to proceed up through the flight. We were going to moor above lock 16 but it was then a little shallow, and if other boats were going to come up having the same problems as us, they would drain the pound further, meaning we would then be on the bottom, so we proceeded up through locks 15 and 14. As I was working the paddles to the top lock, I noticed N.B Adrastea moored up alongside Working Boat Jubilee. John shouted across a good morning. Whilst I closed the lock gates behind Hadar, Keith moved her on to find a mooring above Stoke Bruerne Museum.
Having moored up, Keith delved into the weed hatch as he suspected that there was something around the propeller, because Hadar had been struggling to respond when coming up through the last couple of locks. This time of the year is not the best time to have you arms in the water, as it is very cold, but needs must. It turned out that we had a piece of a boat canopy tangled around the propeller blades. I decided to sweep out the engine room and brush the mats before making us some toasted muffins for lunch. The rest of the day was spent doing very little, until the evening when Keith once again took Paddy for his walk. We could hear a tawny owl hooting close by during the evening as we sat and watch the final of ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’. Congratulations to Joe Swash who won this years event.

Saturday 6th December.

At 3.15am a blood curdling screech woke me from my slumber. At first I was not aware of the perpetrator, but as I lay awake it became clear that it was a group of tawny owls close to the boat. From the sounds coming from the wood, I reckoned on at least four different owls from the difference in their calls. Two of the owls were shrieking rather than hooting and the other two sounded as if they were giving lessons on how to hoot properly, it rather tickled me as I lay there listening to this haunting sound in the darkness. Some 15 minutes later the hooting and shrieking stopped and all was silent, and I then drifted off back to sleep. When we both woke up at a more reasonable time, the sun was shining, although it was a little chilly.
Even though it was a Saturday we did not bother with a lay-in and got up at 8.30am, as Paddy needed walking. Once back onboard I did us smoked Mackerel for breakfast with toast, which made a nice change from cereal and also tops up the Omega 3 oils, we are told we should have in our diet. Over the past few weeks we have not bothered with the cleaning of the outside brass, because there seemed no point with all the bad weather we have had, but I could not look at it any longer, so got out the cloths and Brasso and set about cleaning the portholes, mushroom vents, chimney chains and trivet on the outside and the brass bed knobs, stove rails and door handles in the back cabin. It is always so satisfying when the brass is all shiny and clean, not that it will last for long. Whilst cleaning the outside brass, lots of people were walking past the boat, some spoke and others just walked past in their own little world. A group of guys stopped to ask me when the next trip was taking place. One of the men assumed that we were a trip boat, which made me giggle. I had to put the man right, explaining to him that Hadar was our home and not a trip boat, we do not carry passengers, but we do carry coal. He did apologise for his assumption before taking another photograph and then moving off along the towpath. Keith was now in the engine room cleaning the copper piping, brass bits and aluminium rocker cover on the engine, which looks fantastic when done. Our National DA2 is a rare beast and worth taking good care of. As far as we know there is only one other DA2 around, but of course if you know different, I am sure you will tell us. We do know of a DA3 in a boat called Lynda. One other job I wanted to do was to make a new sale board for the coal. I had found a piece of board at Fenny Stratford, but it had to be dried out before painting it in Blackboard paint. Today was the ideal day to do the painting as it would dry on the roof of the boat. With the boat jobs taken care of, we put on our jackets and took a stroll over Blisworth Tunnel. It was really quite pleasant in the late afternoon sunshine.A cheeky Robin was sat on a branch near the boat, they always evoke thoughts of Christmas. We got as far as the road where we saw one of the ventilation shaft outlets in a farmer’s field before walking back towards the museum, where we got chatting to Mike on working boat Jubilee, we discussed the idea that we may meet up in The Boat Inn later in the evening, which we did.But before Mike arrived Sixty Young Farmers from Towcester crowded into the two small bars at the front of The Boat Inn. The Young Farmers were holding their Christmas party in a function room at the Inn, so before moving into the function room they all wanted drinks at the bar. If you have ever been in The Boat Inn, you will know how small the two front bars are, it was a little like sardines in a tin. Keith and I had no option but to stay sitting at the table we had chosen, we could not hold a conversation because of the noise of people voices, which got louder and louder as everyone shouted to be heard, it was all a little crazy and we were both delighted when they disappeared into the function room for their party. Peace had been restored when Mile arrived, so we spent a pleasant evening chatting about coal sales, deliveries and the canals in general. After a splendid evening in the Inn we made our way back to Hadar under the starlit sky, which look so pretty along with all the Christmas lights lit up, in and around Stoke Bruerne Museum, it was all looking very festive.

Sunday 7th December.

The day began with another heavy frost on the boat and surrounding ground. It did not stop Paddy enjoying a run up through the woods. Today was the day that we would tackle the task of cleaning the saloon. I wanted to take up the mat for washing, I also wanted to sweep and wash the floor, but that meant Keith and I had to move furniture. Paddy was banished to the back cabin, whilst Marmite thought she could be the foreman, standing over us meowing instructions. She really only wanted to get in the way. With the saloon done and dusted, lunch time was upon us and the afternoon seemed to fly past. We were passed by the Indian Chief, the trip boat from The Boat Inn; they were doing two Santa trips during the day, with children onboard to meet Santa. Mike was also doing a trip on one of the Museum trip boats with his Santa. The worry in the pub last night was that they would meet along the canal and the children would see two Santa’s, which would completely confuse them. But it seemed that all went well and there some very happy kids. What was left of the day was spent watching the Sunday films, whilst Keith cut up more material for our rag rug, I sat writing Christmas cards. We are another week closer to Christmas, are you ready yet?

Nether Heyford to Cosgrove.

Wednesday 12th November.

Nether Heyford to Stoke Bruerne. 7.8 miles.

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, so the song goes and we have had a fabulous day. Thankfully the wind dropped, leaving us with a sunny, cool and wind free day. We set off from our mooring at 9.10am and headed off into the sunshine. At this time of the year the sun is always low in the sky, so at times it was difficult to see where we were going, but having had very little sun of late, who were we to complain. We skirted past Bugbrooke, with the railway following the canal all the way to Gayton Junction, where we noticed that there was a film of diesel floating on the water. It had probably come from the boat yard at the junction. We pulled in at the junction’s facilities to empty the toilet cassettes and get rid of rubbish, along with two other boats that were already there. British Waterways were out hedge cutting along the towpath.We then continued through Blisworth, passing Blisworth Mill, which is now apartments. Blisworth itself is a village built from stone and is set around the A43. The canal then takes us into Blisworth Tunnel which is the third longest tunnel in Britain open to navigation, it is 3057 yds long. For us to go through any tunnel we put in our earplugs, because anyone who has met us and Hadar, knows that she has a noisy engine, which is amplified when going through a tunnel. A Rose hire boat came in the opposite direction, crawling a long the tunnel wall. They were clearly taking it at a steady pace.Having come out of the tunnel into sunlight, we then preceded to find a mooring in Stoke Bruerne at 12.20pm, so it was not a long day cruising, but a very pleasant one. Having moored up we had lunch and then walked down to the museum, which is housed in an old stone warehouse, where I bought ‘Troubled Waters’ by Margaret Cornish and we also bought a Measham sugar bowl, which we wanted for our collection. We walked back to the boat and got chatting to a Cynthia and Sam on N.B Guinevere who were moored behind us; they have been on their boat for only 12 weeks and really love it. Like quite a few people we have got to know, they have bought a boat to live on and are renting their house out. We wish them all the luck in the world and hope to see them again someday. They are heading towards Stoke-on-Trent for Christmas. During the rest of the day we watched as boats came and went. By the time the evening was drawing in, it had turned chilly so we shut the boat up against the elements and watched the TV. By 10pm we were ready for our bed, so I closed up the side doors in the galley, and as I did so, I caught sight of the moon shining brightly on the waters surface; it was a bright evening with the stars glistening. The weather forecast did predict a frost so we would see. At bedtime I crawled in to bed before Keith and lay there listening to an owl hooting somewhere in the wood beside us. There is something magical about listening to an owl.

More often than not we see some odd signs or things when cruising, today we spotted this sign on the towpath.Thursday 13th November.

Well if we did have a frost last night, it did not hang around. We did not get out of bed too early, although we were both awake, I was once more listening to an owl hooting, followed by a moorhen calling and then a couple of blackbirds giving off alarm calls, so the bird world were already busy outside. Paddy enjoyed his stroll up through the woods by Blisworth Tunnel. I allowed him off of his lead to go rummaging in the undergrowth. There was plenty of evidence that rabbits had been out during the night, digging in the dirt, so Paddy’s nose just had to investigate. Back onboard Hadar we all had breakfast. I then set about cleaning some of the back cabin brass as it is beginning to look a little tired. Whilst I tackled that task I got chatting to Alan from N.B Aphelion, they had arrived behind us in the dark last night. We got chatting engines and it was a matter of I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours type of chat. Like us they have a National, but what we could not decide was whether it was a DM2 or not. It looked too big and bulky for a DM2, so we, like them, will be doing some investigating. We then went down to the Museum for a coffee, where Alan and his wife Jo were also having a coffee, whilst chatting to Brian Collings a local artist. On the way back to Hadar we saw Mike on his working boat Jubilee, so stopped and had a natter to him, about coal and diesel prices etc. All of that took us till lunch time, which we had onboard. The weather was forecast has begun to close in and we now have rain, so we are glad we decided to stay put today. The rest of the day proved to be uneventful.

Friday 14th November.

Stoke Bruerne to Cosgrove. 7.1 miles and 8 locks.

We woke up to a foggy old morning, but that would give us a beautiful day to be cruising. So having done the usual morning jobs in a lazy fashion, we were ready to set off at 9.40am. Having untied the bow, I walked on down to the first lock by The Boat Inn, whilst Keith bought Hadar down, chatting to Mike on Jubilee on the way. We shall see him again next month no doubt.
Whilst the lock was filling up, I got chatting to two British Waterways maintenance men, who were doing there weekly check on the locks, towpath and bridges, making sure all was well.
We were soon down through the first few locks; I carried on chatting to the two British Waterways chaps as we seemed to be going in the same direction.

They very kindly shut the odd gate behind us as well, which made my life a lot easier.
Down at lock 18, they have added something new by making the side ponds into a habitat for wildlife. They have included viewing platforms to stand on whilst looking for all the wildlife listed on the information boards provided. Apparently it was put in during the summer and is a welcome attraction. Keith remembers when he was on the Grand Union in the late 60's most of the sideponds were still operational and he regularly used them, he says it is a pity they don't reinstate and insist they be used, they can save a lot of water. We made it down through the last lock at Stoke Bruerne and said cheerio to the British Waterways chaps, who were a mind of information.We past working boat Towcester, another coal and diesel boat as we left the last lock and working boats Brighton and Nuneaton who were on the towpath moorings. There is some absolutely stunning scenery along this stretch of the canal, and we could see for miles now that the leaves are falling off of the trees and bushes. With the sun out it was a glorious day. We arrived at Cosgrove and proceeded down through Cosgrove Lock, where we sold two bags of coal before finding a mooring. The 14 day moorings were already pretty full, but we managed to find a place big enough for Hadar and tied up for the day at 1.20pm. I made us a coffee, we stood out side enjoying the last of the afternoon sunshine, when two more British Waterways chaps came along, and these chaps were patrol officers checking on boat licences. So as we always do, we said good afternoon and then got chatting about licences etc. Many thanks to Bill and his colleague for chatting away to us, we found it very enjoyable. We let them go about their business, whilst we got on with some boat jobs.
Whilst sitting out on the back slide, I watched as working boat Ascot another coal and diesel boat went about selling his wares to permanently moored boats. The light was beginning to fade and the temperature was dropping so it was time to close up the boat, but not before watching Marmite take a keen interest in a pair of swans who had climbed onto the bank for a snooze.Marmite was clearly thinking this would be her evening meal. Not sure she had actually thought out how she was going to take one of these on. They soon got fed up with Marmite giving them the evil eye, and moved on up the canal, as I shut the boat up to keep the heat in from the back stove, burning away nicely, now that we are back to using good old house coal. I just love to see the plumes of smoke rising from the chimney. I know it is not that environmentally friendly, but it does give a great affect and lots of heat.

Amusing sign of the day.