As I said in yesterday’s
blog, we wanted a relaxing and quiet Sunday, and so we did. We spent most of the morning on the boat and
then went to get water before lunch. The
water point is only a couple of hundred yards away from where we are moored so you
would think it would be a simple operation to cruise up there, take on water
and come back again.
There is a lock between us
and the water point and we had to negotiate that first. Not normally an issue but, as we were facing the
wrong way we had to reverse into the lock.
Again, this would not normally be an issue, other than narrowboats are
not built for reversing. Unless you have
a bow thruster (or lady button as they are often called), it is very
difficult to keep the boat in a straight line. Bow thrusters are little motors at the front of the boat that enable the driver to move the bows left or right as required - useful when reversing but you do see people using them when they are casting off which can cause bank erosion where banks aren't protected by steel piling, concrete or other similar material.
Even having done the operation many times here,
I still don’t like doing it as the lock has a strong overspill weir which
creates a strong cross current which sends the boat all over the place. When going forwards you can adjust for the
cross current by steering into it and turning away from it at the last moment
but obviously not so easy in reverse when you have no control. There was no one around which meant I got
into the lock without any problems – I didn’t even hit the sides. Of course, if there had been gongoozlers or
other boats around I would have completely cocked it up 😊
Having gone through the
lock I carried on reversing across the basin, span the boat round and moored up
at the water point. I turned the boat round as
I had decided to go back to the same mooring after taking on water but wanted
to be facing the other way. We will be
setting of for the Grand Union next weekend so it’ll be easier to set off
facing the right way! This did mean I
would have to reverse back down the lock again etc.
I have only seen one boat
come past us in the whole week we have been here, but, like buses, as soon as I
moored up, two more appeared and then a fourth – all wanting the service point.
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Moored at the water point –
one boat in front of us – one waiting in the lock (having lunch!) and another to the right, out of sight of the camera
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The other three boats were
all people who have permanent moorings in the area and had all decided to get water
or have a pump out on the same day. Unfortunately,
as they are all moored in different locations they didn’t coordinate their
trips! With the notoriously low pressure
at the water point it took well over an hour to fill the boat and it was
practically dark by the time the other boats had finished. It seemed like it had taken all day to get
water by the time we had moored back up again.
Even though we are having
a lot of grey weather, Karen and I have both thought spring has come early on
some mornings. Laying in bed we have
heard birds calling as if it’s March already – I’m not very good on birdsong
but it sounds like the robins and great tits are at it already.
We have also enjoyed just
sitting looking out of the window at the mallards playing outside the
boat. We know it’s the courtship ritual
but some of the displays are just like they’re playing, especially when several
of the males are performing the same dance simultaneously. Our resident waterfowl pick their mates in the
winter months so it’s not really a sign of spring but a sign of spring to come 😉
The other sign of spring
is that a lot of our spring flower bulbs in the pots on the roof are shooting –
crocuses, daffodils, tulips etc.
Before it got dark we went
for a walk down to Lowsonford to have a nose around the lock cottage that’s for
sale. It really is a shame about the M40
– it really is rather noisy in the garden, so not the tranquil and remote spot
it would be if the motorway wasn’t there.
As I said yesterday, it’s a mile from the nearest road – such an ideal
location ☹
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Moored at the same spot
but now facing the other way
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