A David Hockney landscape

We spent last weekend in London and went to two excellent events. The first was the David Hockney exhibition at The Royal Academy which was excellent.He includes the use of iPADs and in one section there are 52 pictures using this method. His pictures of Yorkshire bring out colours and details throughout all the seasons. His video wall following the seasons of Woldgate Woods really does make you think about the subtle changes that take place and how evocative each of the seasons are. It also showed me how much you can really appreciate the colours and the detail of our countryside as you slowly move through it on a narrow boat. It was a real eye opener as to the beauty of our waterways that must continue at all costs. If you get a chance go and see the exhibition.

Our second treat was Cirque du Soleil - Totem at the Royal Albert Hall which was 21/2hours of pure entertainment

I have chosen a picture I took last August from bridge 100 between Braunston and Wigrams Turn which just shows the canal landscape but not as good as the moving video wall. 

Napton Junction or Wigrams Turn

The new year has arrived and I managed a trip up to BB the other week to check her out. Everything was fine with a inside temperature of 5degrees, She is 8 years old this May and due for her second Boat Safety Scheme examination. I therefore took the opportunity to run through the check list for the BSS whilst on board. The only thing I could find that I think will cause a problem are the 3 powder fire extinguishers that are on the red or nearly on it. I will need to replace them. Anne didn't come with me as I had nearly recovered from the bug going round but she had only just started- so a good time to de-camp for a couple of days!

We have done 1781 locks and 2531 miles since May 2004-and since retirement in 2008 we have averaged 93 days per year on the boat.

BB moored at Wigrams Turn Marina which is at Napton Junction. The old working boatmen used to call the junction Wigrams Turn.

Following her week with the boys at Stowe Hill Workshop she still looks as good as new.

A view of the bridge at Wigrams Turn-Napton Junction from our mooring.Who says winter has no colour.

The local resident swans putting heads above the pontoons to check out what I was doing.

Just to add a bit of summer cruising and of things to come one of my favourite pictures of BB going through a lock south of Kidderminster on the Staffs & Worcs Canal.I cannot remember whih one.

We both have our winter projects- Anne is doing a cross stitch called the Junction- which looks very much like Fradley on the Trent & Mersey Canal. The first picture is progress to date the second is what it will look like when finished. A fair way still to go.

Mine is to start doing the scenery on the railway using the latest thing-well new to me -static grass.You sprinkle electrical charged coloured nylon fibres on to PVA glue. They land standing up and stay that way when the glue drys. It looks very realistic.

Now starting to plan our travels for this year- hopefully going north -water levels allowing- via Birmingham Canal Navigation and Gas Street Basin.

Dry docking now completed and back in marina

A bit of a late post but BB has been back in the marina for the last few weeks all nice and tidy.The boys at Stowe also managed to replace the hose between the toilet and the holding tank. It had started to smell and after speaking to Lee Sanitation who said that even the special pipe can absorb the "smell" after about 6/7 years-BB is 8 next May. It was very noticeable when you opened the wardrobe-the pipe passed through at the back of it.

The swap buggt that is being used to clear the reeds around the edge of the marina. They have taken over since they were planted 6 years ago.

Our mooring on the 12 October was just past Br101 between Braunston and Napton. It is now very open since the farmer has cleared the left hand side.

A "Goodyear" air ship making hard going against the stiff breeze.

The lovely stained glass window on the cottage next to the Admiral Nelson pub part way down the Braunston flight.

The light at the end of Braunston tunnel- all you see as you make your way through it.

Working boat Jubilee on the side of the canal at Weedon

BB in Stowe Workshop Day34

We spent a lovely few days last week just past bridge 45 in rural surroundings,providing you forgot about the west coast main line that was just across the field. It was in a cutting so the sound was not too bad and it has been following us along most of the Grand Union. It was very warm so the time was spent reading and watching the many boats go by especially the old working boats on their way to Stoke Bruerne for the Weekend at War. We are now back home for a week whilst BB gets some much needed TLC by the boys at Stowe Workshops.

Nb Nuffield and Butty Raymond the last boat built at the Nursers Yard at Braunston.

A rear view of a working boat- the bow is sitting high as it has no load.

Our rural mooring just before Bridge 44

A wide beam squeezing through bridge 44

Just north of Gayton Junction Day 30

We enjoyed our stay in Milton Keynes and we were pleasantly surprised at how clean it was- a real pleasure to cruise through it. The last few days have been great autumn cruising days through Wolverton, Cosgrove and Stoke Bruerne which was very busy as its the Village at War Weekend starting this Saturday.We had one moment of excitement as we came into our mooring below Cosgrove lock. There was a loud bang from the bow area. On investigation I discovered that one cell of the bow thruster battery had exploded. It was contained by the bow locker cover and I can only assume it had failed as it was nearly 8 years old. We are now on the last part of our trip as BB is going into dry dock at Stowe Workshop on Monday for about 10 days.

A S M Hudson boat builder's special coming out of the Stoke Bruerne bottom lock

Supper tractor and seed sowing rig as we approached Stoke Bruerne.

Another boat caravan- they are getting more common!

Another good play on words

Bridge on a rope-engineers preparing to replace bridge 78 Giffard Park Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes Day 27

We left Leighton Buzzard Saturday morning and cruised to a nice mooring just before Stoke Hammond lock and stayed till this morning. We had the best toilet pump out at Wyvern Shipping Co in LB,it took 30 minutes which included a thorough flush out with clean water. As an added bonus we were able to collect some apples from their trees- apple crumble has been the order of the last two days. Wyvern started trading as a commercial carrier in 1954 and as trading finished moved into hire boats.

We are now moored by bridge 81b which is next to Campbell Park and this afternoon we walked the 1 mile,20 minutes, to Central Milton Keynes for a bit of shopping. The cloud and rain has moved on and the sun was really warm as I polished the boat this afternoon-long may it last.

We have now done 122 miles and 143 locks!

Our walk back through Campbell Park-the canal is down below the end of the path, in the valley as it follows the 236ft contour line.

The veiw from the cratch at Stoke Hammond.

Stoke Hammond lock with the old Pump House-now a house- on the left and the old Lock Keeper house on the right.

The lovely old  Globe Inn at Leighton Buzzard- a classic boatmans inn which serves good food.

Interesting boat with a flexible approach to name and BW number.

Back at Leighton Buzzard Day 24

We have now gone back to canal time as we have taken 6 days to travel 16 miles and 26 locks (which is 6 lockmiles per day) from Berkhamsted to Leighton Buzzard. After all our expectations we didn't go down the Aylesbury Arm. On Monday evening I walked down the Marsworth flight and found a hire boat aground below lock 41,in fact there were 3 pounds between locks that were empty. I phoned BW who finally managed to get them filled the following morning. I asked them about the arm and they said that it was low towards the end and that they could not guarantee they could get us back out, their priority is the main line.We arrived in Leighton Buzzard and decided to stay on Friday and go for lunch in The Globe Inn which dates back to the 1840's when it opened as a Beer Shop to serve the boatmen, the meal was excellent. The Tesco store by the canal is built on an old factory site that built Vickers Vimy bombers for WW1. Where ever you go along the GU you find examples of its fascinating industrial past. We passed one of the blog's I follow the other day nbBriarrose as they were making their way down to the Thames to do the Thames Ring via Limehouse and Oxford.

As we came out of Rickmansworth last week this B17 flew over. There are not many of these in the country.

A great play on words for a boat name

Just to show that I do the locks sometimes which means Anne is steering the boat

BB above the Marsworth flight waiting for the water to be run down the locks. The Wendover arm goes off to the left and a dry dock is on the right.