A Gongoozling we will go

With everything going on with the family and things quiet on the house front Chris and I want to savour the cut once more.  The wish to walk the tow path again was tugging at us in an ever increasing rate.  So with no boat we decided we would have no choice but to be gongoozlers and with that decided to go for a walk along the cut into Chester.  Our eldest daughter Amy lives a few yards away from Chemical lock and so we parked the car at hers and made our way along the cut into Chester.

When we reach Chemical lock the Mill Hotel restaurant boat was just arriving.  Most unusual this boat as it has a rudder on the bow as well so they do not have to wind the boat for the return trip.  By the way the meal onboard is excellent too!

 We soon arrived at the infamous bridge of sighs.  History states that this bridge was used to walk the condemed prisoners from the prison to the gallows and they would sigh as they walked across.  You never see birds settling on this bridge and as you walk under the air suddenly turns cold and everthing goes quiet until you pass out the other side!  Now I'm not one for believing in ghosts and all that superstious stuff but I admit a few hairs did rise on the back of my neck.

There are a lot of new apartments springing up along the canal and this monument is in the gardens of one set of appartments.

 15minutes later we reached the Chester 3 lock staircase.  These are deep locks and not for the faint hearted.  We watched as two boats came down and make their way to the basin.

 After helping Somnia come alongside as the wind in the basin was making it difficult to moor and spending a few minutes chatting to the lovely couple on her we said our goodbyes and made our way back up the cut. There are not many boats here at the moment but that will change as the season progresses I guess.

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The weather was not brilliant but it was dry and reasonably warm so we took our time enjoying the fresh air while marvelling at the Victorian workmanship on the water tower. It does not look much at first glance and you might be forgiven for thinking it's an eye sore but take a closer look at when you pass by it and you will see just how much care was put into the design and build for what is basically a large tank.

We got back to Amy's an hour later and had a welcome cuppa and a chat before heading home.  It felt so good to walk along the cut again and it gave us that little boost we both needed.  What a great day and I know both of us will sleep well tonight!

On a lighter note

Whilst at Chris's mums we came across a parish magazine and we thought we would share these excellent recipes we liked the look of

Recipe for Mum's and Toddlers Flapjacks

Remove Teddy bear from oven and preheat oven
Grease shallow 19cm square tin
Remove teddy bear from oven again and say "No No"
Cream the butter
Take butter tub away from toddler and wipe down the cupboard doors
Mix together the sugar and oats and gradually work into creamed butter until thoroughly blended.  Remove small plastic dinosaur from mixture.
Take the butter away from toddler again and wipe down the cat.
Apply antiseptic and bandages to scratches.  Glare at cat.
Remove crayons from prepared tin and replace with mixture.
Press this evenly into tin with a round bladed knife.
Open oven, retrieve now smouldering teddy bear, and open windows and doors for ventilation.
Place flapjack mixture in oven, and reassure anxious neighbour that house is not on fire.
Bake Flapjack mixture at 220 degrees mark 7 for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
While flapjacks are baking conduct swift neighbourhood search for toddler who disappeared out the door when anxious neighbour came in
Lift toddler out of muddy puddle next door
Take toddler home and on way through kitchen towards bathroom switch off oven
By time toddler has been bathed and changed the flapjacks will be cool and ready to eat.  This is a good time to discuss with your toddler about why the tub of oats would have been better left alone and not sprinkled around the living room carpet in a pleasing pattern.

A bit late now but useful recipe for next Christmas

Christmas rich Fruitcake

INGREDIENTS
I cup of water
1  cup of sugar
4 large eggs
2  cups of dried fruit
I teaspoon of salt
I teaspoon of baking soda
I cup of brown sugar
8 oz. (225 grms.) nuts
Juice of I lemon
I bottle of whisky

Method:
Sample whisky to check for quality. Take a large bowl. Check whisky again to be sure it is of the highest quality. Pour one level cup and drink. Repeat!
Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again. Make sure whisky is still okay.
Cry another tup. Turn off the mixerer.
Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the whisky to check for tonsisticity. Next sift two cups of salt — or something — who cares?
Check the whisky.
Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one tablespoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find.
Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 180°C (350°F) Gas Mark 4.
Don't forget to beat off the turner. Thrown the bowl out of the window. Check the whisky again and go to bed.



Enjoy!

Best Laid Plans

Unfortunately I had to fore go my trip on Towy. We got a phone call from Chris's mum just after my last post informing us Roy has taken a turn for the worse and had only days left. Naturally Chris and I dropped everything and took off to Essex so she could see him. I stayed away from his bedside for fear he would catch my cough (I'd never forgive myself if that happened) and Chris spent some quality time with him.

We're relieved to say Roy is still hanging on and it may be weeks rather than days but he is definately in a bad way, we think Chris's mum is so stressed about him she does not know what day it is, but we are preparing for the inevitable we know will come soon. He is dosed to the hilt on Morphine so is pain free and comfortable, if a little drowsy and occasionally way with the fairies.

Towy made the trip without me and had a lovely run in bright sunshine, making the trip in 3 hours. My friend Dave helped out as he was also going and only put her aground once :-)  She is in the museum basin with the other work boats for now. Stewart tells me the plan at Easter is to take her down the Manchester shipping canal, cross the Mersey into Liverpool so hopefully I can help on that trip.

Greatly honoured and humbled!

After having had an awful week with my cough that is finally subsiding by chance I have been given the oppotunity to do something I have always wanted to do this weekend!

I have always wanted to travel on an old traditional work boat on the canal and thanks the the Chester Heritage trust my dream is going to come true.  I am to help move wooden hulled NB Towy (CLICK) for more information  from Chester Basin to Ellesmere Port Narrowboat museum this weekend.  My grateful thanks to Stewart Shuttleworth for organising this for me

The narrow boat Towy was built by Fellows, Morton & Clayton Ltd at Uxbridge in 1938, one of a batch of eight new motor boats designed to work between Stanlow Oil Refinery on the Manchester Ship Canal and the Midlands. Like her sisters, the Towy was named after British rivers, the 'T' names signifying craft built or acquired in that year; other 1938 craft included Tweed, Tay and Tees, while the 1937 boats included the 'S' craft Stour and Spey). The batch was completed in 1939 with the two 'U' boats Usk and Umea.  I have had the good fortune to stand on the deck of Stour myself. 


The Towy was an 'oil boat' for many years, carrying loads of up to 19 tons of fuel oil from Stanlow refinery (actually thats where I currently work) to Langley Green, and taking about three days for the 80 mile trip. It was the custom for Claytons boats to work in pairs, and the Towy usually worked with the 1930 butty Kubina. These two boats were home for the Berridge family - Mr & Mrs Leslie Berridge and their six children. The long-distance oil traffic ended in 1955, and Towy thereafter became a 'day boat', taking loads of tar from Birmingham area gasworks to the works of Midland Tar Distillers at Oldbury

   Claytons withdrew from canal operations in 1966. It has often been said that the introduction of North Sea Gas finally killed the gas works traffic but the chronology of natural gas discovery and utilisation does not entirely support this theory - in fact, the change from coal to oil fuel in many local gas works, together with the building of the M5 Motorway through Claytons' depot at Oldbury were far more important factors. 

Now almost fully restored Towy is often used as an educational tool for school children to learn about life on the waterways and working narrowboats.  She travels the Cheshire canals stopping on her way to provide a hands on classroom for many youngsters to get a feel for how it was.  A fitting end for a lovely old gal and I am really excited to be getting my chance to move her on a stretch of canal I have yet to travel on.  It truely is humbling to be allowed to handle a rare peice of history from the very place where I work.  I can't wait!

Watch out for my next post with, hopefully, plenty of photos.

Not a good week so far

Hi all,
I'm feeling really down this week as I have developed the most severe cough of all times.  Sure I've had coughs before but nothing quite like this one.  The bouts are so bad they make me dizzy and the ensueing headache afterwards feels like I've just been battered by a lump of 4 x 2.  My chest muscles are screaming at me to give up and with each breath I take I feel like another coughing bout is on it's way.  To top it all the Codine tablets the doc gave me are making me so drowsy I nod off at the drop of a hat, at least until the next coughing bout.  Some good news is Chris only had a megraine and was better the next day so took off to Essex to see her dad.

Sadly there is no good news on that front either.  Roy is once more back in hospital and is even more weaker.   He too has a cough (not from me I'm glad so say) and is struggling to cope with it.  We are not sure when he will be allowed home again but for now he stays put. We're still praying for him.

Being half term the house sale front seems to have dried up too.  We had no viewings last week and none for this week so far.  Chris and I are beginning to wander if we are meant to have AmyJo as everything is conspiring against us what with no movement on the house front and the VAT increse as well.

Whilst Chris's car was being MOT'd we had a super walk along the cut from the Old Trooper Inn in Christleton to Chemistry Lock in Chester.  We helped a lovely looking boat called Lady Rose through one of the locks and it felt so good to be in the fresh air and away from everthing.

Guess we just have to be patient.  We'll not give up and right now our dream is what keeps us going.

Home Alone - not

Well another week has passed and once more the viewings have gone well, this time though one couple actually told our agent they would concider a second viewing when they sell their property, so we are clinging on to that for now.

Half term is now apon us and the kids in our area are off school, amazing how empty the roads become at rush hour when schools out!  Seems Mum and Dad's taxi's are out of service for the duration.   I'm not complaining though as it also means Chris is off work too, she works as a teaching assistant for the reception class of our local private school. 

Chris had planned to go south to visit her parents to see how Roy is getting on so I was going to be home alone but I've had the most awful headaches and hacking cough the last few days that has been met with "huh it's only man flue, go to work you wuss"......  Well now......guess who is tucked up in bed as I type this, coughing her heart out and complaining of a headache too?  Poor thing, guess it's not man flue then....  Seriously though I do feel for her and hope she gets better, I hate it when Chris suffers like that.

Things are looking up for our vist to Crick too,  we have had a nice comment from the owners of new build nb Chance (thank you James).  They let me know nb Chance will be on display by MGM boats at Crick so we'll look forward to meeting them while we are there.  So too will another couple who are having their boat built by Fernwoord so already we are getting to know people who will be on the cut when we eventually get there.  Chris and I wish them both well with their respective builds, they are so lucky to be near to realising their dreams.  We feel certain our day will eventually come, in the mean time I look at this picture and simply drift off......

Er sorry got a bit carried away  there for a second :-)    Keep well until the next time.

Strong winds and a rampant wheelie bin

Hello Everyone,
Not had much to post about at the moment, the viewings are going well enough though no offers yet.  We have some more couples coming on Saturday to have a look so we are still positive we might get a buyer yet.

Meanwhile, I have been busy with the DIY jobs and have now completed the decoration of the downstairs loo (a room 3 feet by 6 feet, that was fun).  Just outside to do now.  Started clearing the wind debris from the pond and lawn and tidied up some of the flower beds.  The garden now looks reasonable instead of a forest for now.  I've also Jet washed the drive and tidied the flower beds

How has everyone managed in all the strong winds? 

I see those on the cut had a tough time, if it's not snow and ice it's wind, hope everyone is not too shaken up.  During the last bout last Thursday my neighbour leaned into a 40mph + gust and called over "Great day for sailing Steve".  I was about to reply with a suitable retort but, as we both watched her wheelie bin scuttle down the road on it's own like a demented robot, I think she realised what I was about to say :-)

The planning for AmyJo is still in hand though slowly for now and Chris and I are hoping to go to Crick for the two days to have a good look round.  Looking forward to seeing what boat Ken and Julia from Fernwood are displaying this year.  We always enjoy looking at their boats.  Who knows we might meet some of our readers with a bit of luck.

Wish the kitchen was bigger and love the pond, shame about the house

It's monday evening and we got over the weekend viewings. 

We had our viewers round and I have to say when the first couple turned up I was pretty nervous.  Now I'm used to speaking to crowds and strangers in meetings but never felt as nervous as I did opening the door to be confornted with what I  can only describe as a sour faced woman who throughout the tour looked like she was discusted with what she saw, and her husband, who followed dotingly in her wake not saying a word but peeking into every corner and cupboard like an inspector.  Luckily the clutter stayed put.

It will be easy I mused, just show them through the rooms and that would be it.  Well try explaining to a total stranger about your home in a way that you hope will make them want to buy it,  its actually not as easy as it sounds and so with a dry mouth I blustered and bumbled my way around the house.  Then they were gone, just like that, 15 minutes and not even a thank you very much, just gone.  I went to bed that night utterly demoralised thinking this was how it was going to be, how awful.

Next day we had two more viewings, a pleasant young couple with his mum and dad along with them.  Both seemed quite keen and she loved the kitchen but wanted it to be bigger.  Our kitchen is nearly 18ft square, "How much bigger do you need?" I asked. "Oh I don't really know" came the reply.  I know a good restaurant with a flat for sale I thought to myself, would that do?

Finally an elderly couple knocked on the door an hour later.  The latter on seeing our Kio pond did not seem to want to view the rest of the house but just wanted to watch the fish, one of which stopped and eyed them up like a suspicious loafer waiting to be given something, in this case food I suspect.

As I write this we have had no offers from the viewers but the agent has line up some more viewings next weekend, here's hoping. I know we won't sell over night so we'll keep trying our best.

Reality Check and wish for more time

    It's Friday morning and I have the day off work.  One would usually thank the stars for a lay in and smirk as the sounds of the less fortunate scraping their car windscreens waffs into the bedroom, but, for us the joy of a day off is tinged with apprehension.

We have our first viewer coming this evening and two more tomorrow

The house is tidy and de-cluttered as best we can, god forbid us if the viewer opens a cupboard as a deluge of 11 years of clutter will cascade apon them. "Yes surprising how much you can get in these cupboards is'nt it and this room is..."

I've spent the last 3 nights after work going round finishing the little jobs that have been put of, sorted the wonky picture, cleared out and levelled the shelves in the study, fixed the sticking roller blind, you know the sort of thing.  All this time Joanne our daughter was leaving a trail of clothes, mobile phone, shoes, coats and crisp packets all around and poor Chris has been following behind clearing them up like some super star's attentive attendant.  Will there be anything else ma'am?  To be fair though Jo had a day off yesterday and did a thorough tidy up for us.  She did a really good job too, the house as never been so tidy. "now where are my reading classes?"  "In the food cupboard dad".   "Anyone seen my hair brush?"  "In the tumble dryer mum". "What the.....?"  "it's OK dad their not staying there I'll put them in my drawer later!"

I have a problem now of course. Whilst doing the put off DIY jobs I began to realise I should be more pro-active with my decorating, so much so I'm becoming a bit paranoid.  Why oh why did we not have the carpets cleeaned, who chipped the paint on that door?  I really should decorate the hall,  must try and tidy the garage and garden,  Look at the weeds!  I look round and can still see a hundred things I should have done before tonight, you see so much on the TV impressing how you should present you home to a buyer to get that all important sale but now I'm out of time to do any more.

Will viewers feel the same way and walk away?  Suppose we'll find out tonight. 

"Welcome, do come in..... Mind the wet paint.......NOT IN THERE.....oh well I guess....You really want to look in the garage right now?... "

At one of life's Crossroads

   Ever had one of those days when you realise that today was actually going to be a life changing day?

We had one other day after a telephone call out of the blue. It was one of the Estate Agents we had over to value our house before Christmas. He was ringing to ask had we decided to put the house on the market yet and if so he could honour his offer of a much lower commission rate if I said yes now. This totally caught me of balance as I had planned to ring them a few weeks later after re-decorating a couple of rooms and de-cluttering the house (like the good house doctor on TV strongly advises we do) but instead there I stood, paintbrush dripping onto my hand ,trying to take in what had just been said.

That was Thursday and today looking on rightmove.com we found the perfect house to buy. At a bargain price too but with just one problem. It was our own house spread accross the webpage for all to see that search for it. I have to admit a tinge of emotion on seeing our own home there on that web page having spent weeks looking at other people's homes it really is odd to be looking at our own. In Chris's words, "There's no going back now dear, lets hope we’re making the right decision"

"Consider it one of life's crossroads" I bravely quipped "We have to make a turn at sometime so why not now while we still have good health, we did it once before when we moved to the North West I'm sure we can do it again". "You’re not having second thoughts are you" I quickly added, gently pushing this months "Canal boat" magazine into her hand. Looking at that always instils enthusiasm in Chris when she reads it.

So now we wait, for the prospective buyers to come visit, with just a little trepidation and apprehension.  I just think those who have gone before us on this journey and see how happy they are on their boats and also think of the journey's end when, hopefully, AmyJo is launched and we can look back and say "Glad we did that!"