Meeting a true blogger

Back in the days of Snecklifter  ... (This Link is the only bit of connection with Mike and Liz from NB Snecklifter who were avid reading when I was really dreaming of canal boat living and ownership 2007/8 ish ? )

.... blogging was the thing, Granny Buttons was the must read of the day as were many others who'd retired to the canal and were blogging about their experiences. It was pre Youtube and sadly the bloggers are very limited now with new escapees to the cut on YouTube now. 

I've blogged on and off about our three boats

NB Comet - no blog I thought I had started one but it seems it is on the early Waterlily blog - see below if you want to see our first boat 

NB Waterlily  look at the list of bloggers on the left of Waterlily's blog I followed back in the day, maybe only three or four active now 

NB Percy -  this blog of course 

Anyhow, Wednesday the 23rd before we meet out blogging friends I was on the Himalayan over to Telford for parts for the oil boiler. I like the fact Mistral boilers of which ours is are made in Telford. You can call in to the manufacture who remember you !! Part obtained a quick change of transport to the EV and we were meeting Adam and Adrian at the Hollybush in Densford of the Leek arm of the Caldon. 

A great tine was had over drinks and a meal and then we were invited back to Briar Rose for coffee. It's always nice and a bit humbling to visit someone else's boat, Being a Braidbar it is very well made and laid out. Percy is quite tug like so low and narrow. Briar Rose felt like a wide beam in comparison. We left with dinette envy !

Great to get all the news and plans and we will follow with great interest your full time living afloat journey, long may it last and long may you continue to blog and podcast... links below 

Briar Rose blog and our meeting 

Briar Rose podcast launch blog

Adrian and Adam proud to show us their lovely boat (for now!) 

Friendships across miles and years. We hosted a nice afternoon when Rachel was living in West Ashling close to where Adrian and Adam were living. 

In 2017 just after we'd moved into Ivy Cottage Adam and Adrian were visiting the Caldon and Leia and I walked down from the cottage to say hello.. just checked and it was the 5th September 2017 three days before I retired. Lovely all three were smiling ! 

Adrian reminded me we'd seen each other briefly on the Atherstone flight so I presume that would have been September 2022 

The latest meeting group selfie 

The aqueduct... they were moored up on there for our meeting and seemingly enjoyed the area we live in now  

Lovely to catch up safe travels

Sensible planning ...

I'm getting a tad wary of my leaning towards sensibility when it comes to planning and doing jobs. A few times recently I've caught myself not doing something or re scheduling due to material, time and tiredness.

In a small way such was the thinking around emptying the forecabin and back cabin blogged about last time. The evening was lovely and we were tired so rather than the planned drive home in the late afternoon to offload the tat I fished instead ( caught some nice Bream on sweetcorn ) 

The forecast was correct and we got the heavy rain into the morning so it was a lazy start. By late morning it was dry so I then set off to Norbury to empty the cassette and leave books and  fixable  inverters (?) at the lobby of the shower block at orbury .... and was thinking of composting loo's all the way there! As an aside I ventured into the hornets nest that is Canalnet forums to see about composting loo's... as expected it was vitriolic !!

Stuff dumped at home and back to the boat, Rachel had done a great job of packing so we had tea, taken by me on the bow feeling like I didn't want to leave but I had a issue at home* to deal with. 

For the blog record on lighting the fire in the wet morning  I noted the hole Tony had sealed up when he replace the top of the stove as part of out buying was 'open' again. I'm of an age now where I try and be stoical about such things ands as I was headed home to sort out similar*  it will not be an issue.

A lovely afternoon ....hard to leave Percy when it is like this 

* this was my challenge, the  outside oil boiler at home  was emitting soot where it should not be! So the next day it was on with the overalls and gloves and out with the workshop vacuum. I always watch the plumbers so know quite a lot of the workings of the boiler... I've replace the circulation pump and the control box for the two way valve as well as the hot water switch. The plumber did the hot water heat exchanger last year ! I've done the magic eye and replaced the nozzle before. The plumber replaced the expansion vessel, yes it's a bit like Triggers broom! 

One thing thing irk'd me was the primary baffle box had a cross threaded door bolt. All plumbers so far have most probably rightly refused to open it up so only cleaning the baffles in the  condenser. I bit the bullet and removed the bolt pleasingly without snapping it. As expected after 10 years of no cleaning the baffles were well and truly sooted up. More vacuuming and cleaning, sorted the cross thread and then cleaned the other baffles 

Clean primary baffles

Work in progress on the condenser baffles 

The exposed and still to be cleaned combustion chamber 

All back and there was still some venting from where there should not be. Further investigation found a buster condensation pipe !! A bike trip was planned .... see next blog as we also meet some fellow boaters and friends  friends who have exciting plans and news !! 

The end of this day was a much need deep bath and rest !!

A good old sort but that wasn't the job !

 It happens a lot to us/me. Go to do one thing and end up doing another or more than the job intended. 

So with it being the Easter Bank Holiday and we are both just about retired now we headed off to the boat on Saturday. It would be nice to sit and watch the boats pass while finishing off the washing and polishing the port side. We went for a walk after unloading to the Anchor which I was sure would be open,... it was not. 

For the record here are the opening times ....

It was a lovely walk despite the cold easterly wind. We walked there via the lanes to stay out of the wind that was blowing up from cut end. We returned via the tow path as the wind was on our backs so much more tolerable. 

This morning we were up and about ready to wash and polish the last bit of Percy for this spring. Rachel wanted to air the bedding and the back cabin drop down bed mattress. To safely air them I needed to get the portable rotating airer ..... the forcabin had one again become a dumping ground so I set to emptying it while nice and dry and sunny.

It did look like a car boot sale for a while 

Right time to get organised 

Pictures so I know where the main bits are. Starboard lockers have all the paint in the front one and coal in the back one.  

Port side ready to be filled 

I moved the Brompton to the front of the cabin and will take my electric Brompton home as I do use that off the boat. This means the lid above the coal will not be 'populated for easy coal access '

Spare rope chain and fenders plus a tub of part used blacking.

Shroppie wheels and I put the new flue components  I have ready to fit the stove in the back cabin 

Meanwhile Rachel was clearing out the bed hole and airing the mattress as well as the cupboards above. We had three inflatable mattresses on the boat and a pair of travel irons !! Loads of stuff is now in the car. 

Lunch was taken then I set to washing and polishing the side of the boat and the back. Rachel joined me and we cracked it off quick time so she looks tidy again. 

I had an hours fishing while Rachel prepared Sunday dinner - a lovely turkey roast. I heard a nice  old boat approach and a NB Electra came past and asked where the next winding hole was. It was gratifying to see to steerer was a youngish lad ( to me )  He winded at Shebdon winding hole and as he came back I asked how old the boat was - 115 years old ! Well the back is new but such history. Nice to think there is a generation coming behind us to look after the waterways .

Some info on NB Electra 

NB Electra on her way back towards Norbury 

He cruised on by saying how useful the forecabin looked. Not the first compliment or comment on our forecabin today and a nice endorsement of the work to empty tidy and reorganise it. So a clean and tidy forcabin, a organised store box, back cabin 50% sorted and a car full of 'stuff'. 

As tomorrow is set to be a full on wet day I am to drive home via  Norbury and empty a cassette and put books, two failed inverters two air beds  and a leaking water pump in the boaters swap area. Back to the boat to load up and go home ( again) as I have mum stuff to do and Rachel is working on Tuesday. 

Time to change the loo maybe ?

Very boater specific this one. 

I don't like pump outs.... paying to pump out especially if it's a small tank as was the case on Waterlily never sat right with me. The less engagement or more to the point reliance on third parties the better. I recall a visitor on our share boat managed to leave the flush going and filled the tank within two hours of setting off !

So when we got Percy it had a simple camping style porta potty that was not linked to the water supply but was limited in capacity and had iirc no spare bottom. 

Mike from NB Duxllandyn was changing their Thetford cassette for one that was iirc made of ceramic for the better loo experience. We met on the M1 service around Ashby if my memory serves me correctly and money was exchanged for a little used cassette loo with three cassettes - a perfect exchange. The loo has served us well for over 10 years, one of two new seals but in the main great. It was fine at Fradley as I could take the cassettes to the elsan there in the wheelbarrow. At Shebdon it's the car to Norbury or the car home to empty in the drop chamber or the newly installed workshop inside loo ( was outside )

Anyone driving a cassette of liquid waste will attest to the fact they can leak liquid and smell = horrible.

They are also flippin heavy, the soup you get in the cassette does take some lifting about ... you might get the picture! 

So I've been considering compost loos - or more to the point multi functional loos.... they have come on and the separating variety had a lot of advantages. I've a friend who grow their flowers in their own compost !! 

This one recently caught my attention 

Gottogo toilet

It seems to give options for use in three ways but the separation is the most useful aspect ....

So have you a view dear boaters, have you a composting loo you'd recommend or would you never have one for reasons you can explain ? 

The future of our Waterways assets

Youtube of which I watch a lot does tend to 'trend' with content creators joining the bandwagon of current topics. So it seems is starting to be the case with my blog title. So I guess I'm doing the same but on the old fashioned but for me preferable medium of the 'blog'.

I'd encourage participation in the comments or your own blog about the subject. I am not well read on the current situation but there are a few things  know and a few I see and experience.

Google AI tells me 

AI Overview

The Canal & River Trust (C&RT) relies on a combination of government funding and private donations to operate and maintain its 2,000-mile network of canals and rivers in England and Wales. The government provides an annual grant, but this is subject to periodic reviews and negotiations, with recent announcements indicating a reduction in funding over the next decade. The trust also relies on income from commercial activities and donations from individuals and organizations like the People's Postcode Lottery. 

Government Funding:

• The government provides an annual grant to the C&RT, initially established in 2012 to provide financial stability while the Trust developed alternative income streams. 
  
• The current grant agreement spans from 2027 to 2037 and was announced in July 2023, but it represents a significant reduction in funding compared to previous periods.
  
• The reduction is significant, with the trust reporting a decrease of over £300 million in real terms over a ten-year period. 
  

Other Income:

• The C&RT also generates income from commercial activities, such as berthing fees and the sale of goods. 
  
• The trust actively seeks donations from individuals, organizations, and lottery players like those involved in the People's Postcode Lottery. 
  
• These alternative income streams are crucial for the trust's ability to maintain its waterways and expand its services, including projects like the restoration of the Anderton Boat Lift and community outreach programs. 
  

Challenges:

• Rising maintenance costs, including inflation and the aging infrastructure of the waterways, present a significant challenge to the trust's ability to meet its financial obligations. 
  
• The government's reduction in funding, particularly the freeze on the grant for a six-year period, has further strained the trust's finances and raises concerns about the future of the canal network. 
  
• The trust is actively campaigning to raise awareness about the funding situation and encourage public support to help ensure the long-term sustainability of its operations.

I know the chief exec of C&RT Richard Parry is standing down this summer

C&RT announcement

That suggests to me he see's the role getting ever harder and in my opinion his influence on C&RT to be like the National Trust has failed. The push to get non boaters to be donators I suspect has not returned on the investment and I for one never thought it would. 

I also know there is ever more stoppages and blockages reducing the options for full system travel in such a way as the excellent NB Perseverance did and vlogged about it here 

Minimal List Youtube

I also follow some of the traders  - the coal boats are struggling with stoppages and failing infrastructure and water levels as well as un dredged canals.

I am acutely aware of the difference and relationship between Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) and Reactive Maintenance  (RM) 

Lack of one PPM begets the other RM, and in general terms PPM is a lot cheaper than RM and also a lot less of a distruption.

So are we worried, are we selling Percy... what is my thinking?

First and foremost please fill in the survey - even if you are a non boater

Survey open until 9am Tuesday 22nd April

This will give a broad feeling of issues and options to the trust.

For me the trust need to be looking at income  - obviously but also at expenditure as anyone running a household or business knows they run together. 

Income  = I think the trust need to be looking with the government to change the law/rules/legislation to allow residential status on more of the waterways moorings. Around me there are liveaboards who get great social advantage over and above thier license fee but pay nothing for it as I as a home owner do. In return they should be allowed the security of tenure of their moorings in the same way there is a move to add such rights to tenants ? 

Expenditure = stop the marketing to all and sundry and spend less on the periphery and more on the assets. The national trust style membership is an abject fail, focus on those users of the actual water part of the waterways as they are the payers and the true custodians of the waterways. 

Users = very hard this one but the waterways can be expanded to encourage and support low cost movement of materials. Companies should be encouraged by tax incentives to use the waterways more, it can be part of their green agenda, not expecting Tesco to move all their product distribution  onto the canal  but why now give reward in some way for those companies that can do just a bit of innovation ? 

I've not the answers but focussing on the assets, more PPM and less RM  - support legal living on the cut and encourage support and sponsorship by large companies for some tax incentives and maybe just maybe we'll be either legally living on Percy or passing her down the family line rather than selling up or just using her as a floating change of scene.

Any better ideas? 

Phew even the boat got moved

One of those days not really looking forward to but happy to look back on....

Up early'ish another night of strange dreams for me. Breakfasted and some lazy social media'ing then the polish came out to give the side and front of the boat some proper polish. Giving her a wash with 'wash and wax type polish is no replacement for actually adding sacrificial layers of polish.

Before shot still looks tidy 

Polish going on ...

The after shot .... clean the car then move the boat 

We got it done then headed for the soup I'd made the other day which was pleasing nice and nourishing. Rachel then knitted while I used the space and water to give the car a good vac out and wash ( no polish ) 

Then we sent off to wind the boat at the Shebdon winding hole that you will see is quite populated but as it seems it's owned not by C&RT we have to be pleased the owners give permission. The owner of the boat in the winding hole helped with a little bit of fending off and advice and with me on the stern rope we pulled Percy around. The west wind was only helping crab Percy back the way we came so the stern rope was needed.

Not much to aim at and it's not the point where the armco comes together so the boat can still push sideways  - not ideal and next time I'll be at the front to better see what is needed at the stern .... Better to use this winding hole if you don't fancy the hour and twenty round trip up to the next.... 

Really really pleasingly Percy came into our mooring quite easily so the hard work last year ( Tyre and spade as well as a load of hard sediment dislodged has now paid dividends. ) I prefer Percy pointing this way, not such a nice kitchen outlook but as the neighbours on our now stern spend a lot of time on their boat and have a large raised deck and gazebo it's more private for them and us to have our bow pointing east. We also get the morning sun. 

Small downside is the solar panel and container that holds the Ecoflow is at the wrong end meaning our old marina hook up cable is needed .... I might look to make that a more permanent fixture if we end up having this mooring orientation as out preference. However as said in the earlier blog it's good to alternated the side that gets the full sun as we are on an east/west mooring, great for solar. 

Did the final job of the day by cutting the grass on the mooring  - the Ecoflow having been charged by the stand alone solar panel - an install that works well. 

Had a beer, then went for the 'village' walk to ease my back. On returning while Rachel makes the tea I vacuumed the boat through. 

Always a nice view to our moorings from bridge 44 

The Wrekin in the distance 

The old Wharf pub sadly now a private residence . I've fond memories of good times in there with friends John, Tony and Mick when we had our share boat Sylph at Norbury and when they came on Percy. 

We need to be away early as I've an appointment with a new bike hopefully before the weather changes for wet and windy into Easter !

Retirement giving me memory issues call the home !

Yesterday I thought it was Sunday when it was Saturday, this morning when trying to think back to update this blog I lost another full day.... I think Rachel should be calling Matron to book that long stay in the care home !

So it was Friday we had a lovely cruise back from High Onn with a wind at High Onn wharf. Here's a concern based on the tw@t who's put a rope across the Tyrley winding hole - the High Onn winding hole as well as the Shebdon winding hole both have notices saying winding with the permission of the owners .... so if the two very nice and helpful owners ( especially with the tyres and sign at High Onn) decided to withdraw such privileges the winding on this bit of the Shroppie would be severely reduced. I still can't get my head around how such winding holes can be 'owned' not by C&RT...?

Now that's out of my mind Rachel captured some video of me on the boat which is unusual as its normally me doing the image captures. Nice to get one of the 'wind' .... we find 'pumping' the tiller effective, have you a view? I recall a conversation with Steve the marina manager at Great Haywood where we discussed if the pumping actually did anything more than just holding the tiller in one position ... he was sceptical of the pump ! 

Anyhow we winded and motored off back to Gnosall for a few boat and personal ( lunch) supplies.

Cowley cutting needs a trim... C&RT are doing great work at off side veg management atm... they have done a superb clearance on the Caldon in our  valley But seem to not want to cut back in the cuttings  - maybe is a bank stability issue or the need to a work boat and crew rather than just bank staff.... we had to bed into the offside to allow a day boat past  - thankfully the second day boat held for us the other side of the small tunnel and then set off at full bore to catch up I presume with his friends on the other day boat. 

We moored up and went for a small chippy lunch outside the navigation pub before going inside  for beer and a desert for Rachel. 

We then motored on to Norbury for cassette emptying before the last leg back to the mooring. 

The tree was gone in the winding hole at Grub street, it would have been nice for them to have given the rest of the area a clear out and trim.... but that's a boaters view point not a contractors 

Not sure I mentioned it but on the outward journey we did a pit stop into the mooring to try and move more of the silt out of the mooring so on our return on Friday we pretty much slid in = result. 

The Shebdon Heron was sadly eyeing up these 12 ducklings .... be interesting to see how many survive the pike, crows, Herons and rats. 

My boaty neighbour was setting up his telescope for some dark skies galaxy astrophotography.... cough cough a birthday present for Nev... Seestar S50 ?? 

Yesterday, the day I missed off my boating recollection was because we drove home dropped off some stuff swapped cars and had a lovely day at Matlock farm park with our family, very precious memories of a lovely and loving family. On the way back to the boat I stopped off and brought a new motorbike. ( ok second hand but looks new) and we finished the day very tired but back aboard.

My last but one bike ? 

Today, Sunday we were planning to clean and polish the boat but early rain has slowed that. After this update I am going to fill the water tank and wash and try and polish one side then we'll motor off to wind so we have the other side ready if we fancy the work or ready for another rime if not. It helps to bake alternative sides of the boat and we've moored facing to Goldstone for the last year, mainly due to not being able to get Percy into the mooring the other way but another motor out and back in the other way will help that.... hopefully !!