Mother's Day and Good Friends.

Hi folks.

Firstly Happy Mother's Day to Mum's everywhere.

We have not posted much of late because when your stationary, there is very little to write about. I am quite sure you would get quite bored with our daily routine of walking the dog and stoking the fires. Or should that be fire, as we have let the back stove out, because it was getting a little too warm at night.

Over this past few days, I have been busy with boat jobs, such as painting and cleaning, whilst Keith is still working on his Rag Rugs. He is building up a nice collection now.

Mo and Vanessa on NB Balmaha are on the towpath for the weekend. It is always wonderful to see them both. We tend to spend time putting the world to right in our conversations and of course we chat about boating as well. Yesterday I delivered them some coal, to keep them warm in the evenings, which are drawing out nicely. Mo and Nessa are leaving on Monday for a few weeks. But we will see them again in April and will have more things to chat about no doubt.
Today was a real treat, because we had a surprize visit from Merleen and Paul who used to have NB Lady Celine. It has been a good few months since we saw them last. If I remember correctly it was back last summer, when we were in the Saltisford Arm for a few days. We welcomed them both onboard and sat chatting over a cuppa. Catching up is always so much fun. They no longer miss the boat and are enjoying their new life in Warwick. We will catch up with them again, the next time we are down Warwick way.

Keith is still very much the same, his pain is up and down on a daily basis. There is no progress on his operation date, so I will be ringing the hospital tomorrow, to see if I cannot push things along a little.

Cold Coal Delivery

We are both up early this morning for another coal delivery. It dropped to -6.7C here overnight and the canal has frozen over yet again, winter is not giving up just yet. Fortunately we are only having 3 tonnes delivered this morning so won't be out in the cold too long!

Down to earth with a bang

Yesterday we had a restless night, as Keith was not so good through the night. We were disturbed once more at around 7am, by a crash, bang wallop on the roof. My first thought was a duck. So when I climbed out of the boat to walk Paddy, I was not surprised to see a Mallard lying on the roof. We reckon she had probably landed heavily on the boat, to get away from a randy drake. On closer inspection, I noticed that she was in fact limping. Whether the injury was caused by landing on the roof heavily or she got this injury somewhere else we did not know. The decision was taken, to leave her be and just keep an eye on her. If she became distressed or her limp got worse, we were prepared to call either the RSPCA or the local wildlife rescue. She stayed put for most of the morning, but close to lunchtime, she walked to the edge of the roof and leapt off. Her limp did not look too bad, so hopefully she will be fine. I will keep an eye open for her over the next few days.

Life goes on.

The going's on in our lives, can best be described as a little boring at the moment. But that is just how it is. I wish I could say we were moving on and setting the system a light with the sound of Hadar's engine. But unfortunately that is not the case, and will not be the case for a while whilst Keith is unwell. So we are having to make the best of our time here in Market Harborough. It has to be said that everyone here has been wonderful and has made us feel very welcome.
The weather for the past two days has been , what can only be described as glorious. We have had two very frosty mornings, which have turned into fantastic sunny days. Yesterday I cleaned the boat's brass and smothered a layer of Vaseline over it to stop it tarnishing so quickly. I also got the usual boat jobs done. Keith is still very busy making Rag Rugs. He is making another large one at the moment and it looks fantastic.

March usually see's people beginning to move out of their winter moorings and so yesterday Chris and Richard and Rio (dog) on NB Digitalis slipped their winter mooring, said their farewells and left for a summer of cruising. It was sad to see them go, because it has been nice to have had their company. They are such a lovely couple and a real laugh. No sooner had they left, Irene and Ian on NB Freespirit arrived on the towpath, they had come to get some shopping done, before they were moving off to pastures new. It was nice to catch up with them and hear the excellent news that Ian is free from treatment, so they can enjoy their cruising this year. Ann and Kev on NB Endeavour arrived later in the afternoon and are staying for a few days, so we will have a chance to catch up with them and their news.

Today I walked along the towpath with the mutt and said good morning to a kingfisher, squirrel, magpie and the swans. Along with the sunshine, seems to come good cheer from everyone I met. My jobs today have included painting the mushroom vents on the roof. I have done three of them to cut down on the amount of brass I have to clean. I washed the boat down and spent a good couple of hours chatting to people in the basin. At the moment I have a green curry cooking in the back stove for tonights dinner. We will have that with some rice. I have just delivered some coal to Sue and John on NB Nuthatch, they are moored further up the towpath. It was lovely to stand and have a chat to them. I think we managed to put the world to right in 15 minutes ha ha ha.

So although we are not moving far at the moment, we are both doing as well as can be expected. Life goes on and at the end of the day, we will soon be on the move once more.

Tuesday's Rambling

Hiya everyone.

With us sitting here in Market Harborough Basin, twiddling our thumbs. It is always lovely to see a friendly face and today was no exception. Roy from NB Gerald came and paid us a visit, as he was on his way to do some shopping in Market Harborough. We sat down with our coffees and enjoyed catching up with all of his and our news. It is always wonderful to see Roy and his whippet Thomas, who is a delight and gets on very well with Paddy. Thomas managed to put Marmite in her place, which makes a nice change, because normally Marmite is the one putting dogs in their place, which includes Paddy. I had a dental appointment to go to and Roy needed to get some shopping down, so we said our goodbyes and went our seperate ways.

I had my dental check-up, and all was well. he does not want to see me again for a year. Keith thought he had his dental appointment at 2.20pm to have a filling replaced, so we went and had a fantastic scrummy lunch at The Angel Hotel. They have started a new lunch time menu, where you can have two courses for £7.95. Keith had Pork Loin, with roasties, veg and apple sauce, then Sticky Toffee Pudding with Custard. I had Chicken Fillet with a Peppercorn Sauce on a bed of Mash with veg, then a Lemon and Blueberry Square ( like cheese cake) with Clotted Cream Ice Cream. To say it was scrummy is an under statement. Definitely a place to eat.

We just arrived back at the boat, when snow began to fall once more. So we have battened down the hatches, and will see just how much we get this time. At the moment it is not settling.

Winter is hanging on.

Hi Readers.

Winter has certainly not finished with us yet. Yesterday it snowed all afternoon and into the evening. We were left with about 6 inches of snow covering the ground and conditions on the roads were incredibly dangerous, because the gritters were not out early enough according to one of our customers who came to get a bag of coal on his way home from work. Keith and I love the snow. it was beautiful to see it falling and laying.

This morning began dry, but it was not long before snow was falling again. Keith and I were up early as we had an appointment with Keith's GP. The walk down to the surgery was very picturesque in the snow, but very difficult for drivers, because of the amount of slush on the roads. Keith's GP was unable to offer us any comfort about getting Keith seen sooner for his exploritory operation. Yesterday I rang the hospital to see how we stood on an appointment, because it has been a week since we saw the consultant and had heard nothing. I was told that it would not be until April/May, because their is a waiting list for Urgent procedures, with at least 12 other people in front of Keith. I was also told that the consultant is away much of March and April on holiday, so we have to sit and wait and Keith has to cope with the pain. Keith's GP has told him to keep taking the Anti-Inflammatories and the Morphine, but if the pain gets to out of hand, then Keith can call an ambulance and go into hospital. So that is an update on Keith and the weather.

Have a lovely weekend.

Keith Update.

Firstly good morning to everyone.

As many of you know, we had an appointment at the hospital on Thursday 11th February. We were fortunate to see the head man of Urology. He is concerned that Keith is in so much pain and wants him back in for an exploritory operation to try and find out what is causing this pain. The Consultant did have to admit, that Keith's condition is very, very rare and he has no idea at the moment how to treat him. He wants Keith in urgently, we wonder how soon that will be?
At least progress is being made, and the Consultant is taking this seriously. Being on Morphine is not ideal as it is addictive, so the sooner they sort him out the better.

Coal delivery

Good morning friends.

Hadar has a hold full of coal again. Paul Hill and Chris from W.G Hill & Son Coal Merchants, delivered 5 tonne of coal early this morning and I stacked it neatly, so I am now sitting nice and low in the water again. Keith very kindly made us all a coffee, which we enjoyed with an Eccles Cake. Bring on this cold weather, as we now have plenty of fuel onboard. It is snowing as I type wooooo.

Keeping Busy

Hi folks.

As you will know if you have been keeping up to date with our blog. We are moored up at Market Harborough Basin, because Keith is not well and is waiting to go into Hospital. Until he is better we are staying put. But this has not stopped us from being busy. Keith is rampant at the moment making Rag Rugs. It helps take his mind off of the pain he is in. Not even the Morphine is completely killing the pain, so he needs a distraction. We have an appointment at the hospital next week and sincerely hope that they will decide to take him in.
As for me, I have been getting lots of boat jobs done. A couple of days ago, I rollered some blacking back on to the bow. It had been chipped off with us plowing through the ice before Christmas and it was really my first opportunity to put it back on. The bow is sitting quite high out of the water, because we are low on coal at the moment. Another delivery of coal is expected next week hopefully. So there was I laying on my stomach, rolling some blacking around the bow. It does look much better and now the bow is protected, when it goes back down in the water.
Today because the sun was out and it felt like Spring. I started Spring cleaning the back cabin, by washing one of the crocheted blankets. I also started cleaning the brass again outside. It has been a good 3 months since I cleaned the brass. Mainly due to the weather, but also because of the smoke from the fires. Both the weather and the smoke tarnish the brass work, so it is hardly worth the effort to keep it clean. But today I bit the bullet and started cleaning it again. I do so love it when it shines. But you can bet your bottom dollar it will rain again now. I have also been kept on my toes, by customers coming to collect their coal, which has been lovely. Keith and I get to have a natter with them and catch up on all their news.
So although we are not going anywhere for the time being, we are not sitting around doing nothing.

Another Rag Rug

Keith has just completed another rag rug, a larger one this time, all in pastel colours. No time to lose, as he has to start the next one to build up a good stock to sell this summer.

We went to our very first ever auction here in Market Harborough this morning, and very interesting it was too. Even bought some assorted ribbon and lace plates, but missed out on the Measham ware, it went to over £200 which was as high as I was prepared to go.

http://www.gildings.co.uk/

Progress has been made.

Keith and I were up early on Friday, as we needed to catch a train to Kettering for a 9.10am appointment at the hospital. We always prefer to get to an appointment early. we would rather be early than late and in this case it proved to be a good idea, because having booked in Keith had to drink a jug of water and then wait until he needed the toilet. The nurse then scanned his bladder, before allowing him to do his flow test. Oh the joys of being a man ha ha ha. There is actually nothing to it. (Say's I, knowing what us girls go through). With the test done, he then had to see the charge nurse for the results. We both thought this is our opportunity to get some answers. We were invited into a room, where we heard the results of the flow test, which were good, so that was one less thing to worry about. Fearne (nurse) was really very nice, and having told her all about Keith's problem, we showed her the letter from our GP. Fearne agreed that he should be seen, as being in the amount of pain he is in, is not good. So she was straight on the phone to Keith's consultants secretary, organising an appointment to see him. Keith now has an appointment to see his consultant on the 11th February. Whilst it is not ideal, it is the best she could do and we were only to grateful to accept it. Fearne did also say, that if his pain gets out of control, then to dial 999 and come in, which is what we will do, without hesitation. So at least we have made some progress. Keith is still taking Morphine and all the other tablets he has been given and this morning he saw our GP, to let him know how things are going.

Other News:

This morning we said a fond farewell to Mo and Nessa on NB Balmaha. They have now left the basin and are heading out into the countryside. It was sad to see them go, as it has been wonderful to have their company. But they were getting itchy feet and wanted to be on the move, now that all the ice has gone and boats are once more on the move. So we wished them well, as we waved them goodbye.
It has been very busy in the basin, with boats coming and going and a few boats have now moored up on the towpath.

Having to stay put.

As many of you now know, Keith is poorly and is waiting to go into Kettering Hospital for an operation. Our GP has now put him on to more pain control medication and has recommended that we do not move whilst Keith is on this pain medication as it is very strong. As of today we are now moored up in the Union Wharf Basin for the duration, thanks to the kindness of Debbie and her team. We are hoping that Kettering Hospital, stop stalling and get on with what they know needs to be done. We are going to the hospital tomorrow for yet another test and are going to track down the Consultants Secretary to see if we can make some progress.
Our coal business is still open for business, so if you need coal please do not hesitate to come and see us if you are in the area.
I will keep you posted on any news.

There and back again.

Yesterday we delivered some coal to a customer and then set off from our mooring, with a view to making it to Foxton. Keith and I were actually really happy to be moving, but that was short lived. Despite Market Harborough Basin and a short stretch of the canal being ice free, that did not last and it was not long before we hit ice 1/2 inch thick to begin with. But it was not long before the thickness grew and grew until by the time we reach the Union Canal Society moorings some 2 hours later, the ice was 3 inches thick and we had to pull in and moor up. We had done just over a mile in that 2 hours and our trip was over. Still we did have a different view for one day, because this morning we made the decision to wind and move back to Market Harborough. The main reason for this decision was Keith's health. He was again experiencing pain, so we thought staying where we were was not a good idea for getting to the doctors. Not only that with the ice so thick we would not be able to make Foxton for a good few days and Keith has to be at the hospital on Friday morning. So we winded Hadar and made our way back to the mooring we had left yesterday. Having moored up Keith rang our GP, who contacted the hospital to see if they would take him in, which they would not, as they need to do more tests on him, the doctor at the hospital suggested upping his pain relief, so we went down to the GP's to collect some anti-inflammatories and some Morphine. It has to be said that our GP is not impressed with the way the hospital is treating Keith. I hope that when we go to the hospital on Friday, we may make some progress, because the pain that Keith is in, is making his life miserable. It looks like we may have to stay put for a while, partly because of the ice, but also because of Keith's health. Getting him sorted is the most important thing at the moment.

On the move again. yippee.

With the temperatures going up. There has been a gradual thaw taking place. Despite the hard frost we had last night, we winded Hadar in the Market Harborough Basin this morning, so we will be on our way tomorrow. The ice was not very thick, as the morning sunshine had been on it. Woo hoo we are so looking forward to moving again. But will be back Thursday, as Keith has to go to the hospital Friday.

Still going no where.

Hi Everyone.

The thaw has begun, but it is not enough for us to get underway. This morning we had heavy rain, but that is now just sitting on top of the ice on the canal and on the towpath, making it very slippery under foot. The pool where the swans and ducks have been lodging, has grown so they can now move about much easier, but the rest of the ice is still thick and unforgiving. I decided to take a walk, to collect some sticks for the back stove, because at night once I have made the fire up, I put a layer of sticks on top of the coal, which helps to keep the fire in at night. I walked back along the canal from the Union Canal Society Moorings. The canal is still frozen solid and the towpath is very dodgy under foot. I did manage to find a few sticks along the towpath. What was lovely was looking across the fields and seeing snow still lying. The rain had not washed it all away.

I think it is going to be a good few days yet, before we will be able to get moving. But they forecast almost tropical temperatures over the weekend. It should get up to +6 c, so we may see some improvement then.

Full English Breakfast

This was one of the 2 very scrummy Full English Breakfasts served at the Bell Inn in Market Harborough which we won from the local radio station HarboroughFM which we enjoyed this morning. We are looking forward to trying one of their Curry Nights which they have on a Tuesday night.

Full English Breakfast

A rare occurence for this blog, an entry by Keith, lol.

Now we are in our 23rd day of being frozen in, we have been keeping ourselves amused in various ways, one of which is listening to our local radio station HarboroughFM and attempting, sometimes successfully, to enter the various competitions throughout the day, all for fun. But starting on Monday 11th January they were offering the chance to win 2 free English Breakfasts at the Bell Inn in Market Harborough as an introduction to the newly refurbished premises. All anyone had to do was to phone, text or email their name and phone number to the radio station, to be drawn twice during the day. I sent mine in, and it was drawn in the afternoon! What a surprise, especially for Jo as she hadn't known I had entered, and first discovered I had when it was announced on the radio that we had won.

Following a call from the station we had to go to the studio to collect our vouchers, which we did the following day, yesterday. We got to meet Dave Smith again, who we had first met before Christmas at the turning the Christmas lights on. He was in the middle of his show at the time, but he showed us how the studio worked. A big difference from when I helped on Harefield Hospital radio back in the 70's. Not a record or cd in sight, everything is stored in computers, music, jingles etc.

Moley, the presenter who's program follows on from Dave's, and who is also the station manager, also showed us around the rest of the studio complex, including the news studio, which is slightly larger than our bathroom! We chatted for quite a while, well I did anyway, because he was fascinated with some of the stories I was coming out with about life on the canal.

We had a lovely time there and now look forward to our Full English Breakfasts at the Bell Inn, we just have to decide when we are going there, we have till the end of the month.

Happily frozen in.

What a first few days of 2010 we have had. Like 99% of the UK we are experiencing below freezing temperatures and are frozen in at Market Harborough still. This is going to be our third week here, which is the longest we have ever stayed anywhere due to the weather. The overnight temperatures have been getting down to -7c, so it is freezing with a capital F. Still we could be in a worse place. We are lucky we have all we need here, including some grateful customers who we are supplying with coal, kindling, firelighters and toilet blue.
Our Year began with staying up to see the New Year in onboard with a tot of whiskey each. Just what is called for in this weather. There were fireworks going off all around us announcing the start of 2010. So goodbye to the noughties.


Apart from delivering coal to customers, we have a few customers who have been happily coming to us by car.


So how did our New Year start well, Keith dropped his glasses into the cut. They fell in whilst bending over to do up the sheeting strings after a coal delivery. So first major expense of the year was to go down to Specsavers and order himself two new pairs of glasses. They are on a 2 for 1 offer at the moment, so now at least he has a spare pair. I also needed to get my eyes tested again after just a year, as I have been having problems with my glasses. It turned out that I did need a new prescription, so yet more expense. Thankfully just one pair of lenses for me.


But you cannot put a prices on your eyesight can you?


Keith has collected his glasses today, so he can see what he is doing now. Oh the price of getting old. Mine are not ready yet.


After the shock of paying for our glasses, we decided what the heck, so went out for a lovely Indian meal at Shagorika, in Market Harborough. It was one of the finest Indian meals we have ever had and the service was very good as well. We came out of there with pleasantly full tummies, and a 10% voucher off a future meal, valid until the 16th January.... Dang that means we will have to go back again, now that's a shame. The hope is we may take friends with us next time. They also gave us a 2010 calender and a pen. We must have been very good customers lol.
I was in need of a hair cut, but as I only ever have a dry cut, I am always horrified at what hair salons want to charge. They seem to range from £12.95 at Supercuts, to high street salons that will charge anything up to £40 for five minutes work. So before committing myself, I did walk around a few to see what their prices were. I managed to find one where I could have a dry cut for £15 if I got there for 1.45pm, after that they would charge me £25. Flippin cheek I reckon, so I made sure I was there just before 1.45pm to have another 4 inches cut off the length of my hair. Back in August I had 5 inches taken off, so now my hair has become more manageble. I now feel light headed.


Yesterday I rang around our customers that we have been unable to supply coal to during this freeze in, to make sure they were all ok for coal, which thankfully they are. They can get to us if need be, so I can stop worrying about them now, as I do feel guilty if we cannot make it to them. Paddy had a dodgy tummy and was sick on our back cabin rag rug. To get it clean I had to take it into the shower and scrub it. The problem now is getting it dry, as it is incredibly heavy when wet. I managed to man handle it on to the line in the engine room, where it is drying slowly. The problem now is getting rid of the sicky smell which is still around. I may have to buy something to get rid of the odour once it is dry. Because of this Paddy did not get any dinner last night, so he spent the evening sulking.


Hadar has a large water tank, which means we can go almost 3 weeks before we have to fill up, so yesterday I thought it would be a good idea to fill the tank, as snow was forecast. It took me two attempts to defrost the water tap, but eventually the water was flowing into the tank. In all it took over an hour to fill her up as the flow was extremely slow. It meant I got the chance to chat to passing walkers and watch the ducks and swans in the tiny pool they have to swim in by the boat.


Do ducks feel the cold?


So we are ok now for a while, and I can get some washing done.


We also noticed yesterday that we were beginning to list, so I moved some coal in the hold to get the balance right, but to no avail. On closer inspection Keith noticed that the water level had dropped by as much as 4 inches and we were grounded.


This morning I rang British Waterways, to be told they were already on the case. It appears there is a leak somewhere. We thought we would try and move the boat out a bit from the bank, so Keith went out and broke some of the ice a longside the boat, but despite all our pushing Hadar was not for moving. So we fired her up and she coughed into life, but only on one cylinder, which was not good. Eventually she began to fire on both cylinders, but it was not enough grunt to move Hadar from the bank, so we gave up on that and as I type it appears we are more on the level now, which is wonderful, as we feel like we are constantly running up hill lol.


The final job of the day for us has been to take down our Christmas decorations. As always the boat looks very bare now. The tree lights packed up over Christmas, so Keith is now trying to fix them. I am now wondering what the next few days will bring. Probably more ice and some snow yippee. I just love this weather.

Harborough Fm

You know we said we could not promise anything as far as us being on the radio. Well that has been proven, because it is not happening. It seems that Health and Safety has reared its ugly head again. So I am sorry if you tuned in expecting to hear us. It was announced on air, that they did not turn up, because of Health and Safety issues.