January 3  2003

After a lovely Christmas with our son and daughter in law in London we have spent the last dreary days of December at the marina - dreary, that is, as far as weather was concerned. We've continued to meet other boaters and on New Year's Eve joined some of them for a party organised by marina staff. Good food and wine and a short trip round the marina to admire those boats decorated with coloured lights passed a very pleasant couple of hours. 

Yesterday we decided to get out for a week's cruising and despite rain came down to Branston and spent the night next to the water park.  The rain dried up by lunchtime today so we set off again, moored up close to Morrisons and then came down to Shobnall for the night.  Tomorrow, we'll spend a bit of money in Burton before returning to Branston and the Bridge Inn where we'll stay until we decide to go back into the marina. 

The cruise so far has been well worth it.  We've seen no others boats on the move until meeting up again with Ken and Iris on Sunbeam (they were about to leave Shobnall travelling back the way we had just come) and our preferred moorings at Branston and Shobnall have been deserted. Just being on the move again has reminded us that this is why we came to live on a narrowboat.  We're free to move on whenever we feel like it - and whenever canal conditions allow.  Even though the one lock closed for repair on this section has now been reopened we still can't get through Alrewas and Fradley so that we can spend a few days at Huddlesford. The constant rain of the last few weeks has meant the Trent is flooding and passage beyond Alrewas is not possible at the moment.

January 4

With snow dusting the towpath at Shobnall we changed our minds about shopping in Burton and set off for Branston where we are now moored for the weekend.  It has been a marvellously crisp and sunny day with ice and thin snow underfoot, perfect conditions for a short cruise followed by a long relaxing afternoon in the boat.  Same again tomorrow with any luck. 

In the meantime I forgot to mention that among the late Christmas cards to reach us at Barton Turns was one from our friend Muriel Bradley in Greece and another (a beautifully hand-made card in cross stitch) from Liz and Carl on Blackstone.  I had intended e-mailing Liz to thank her but remembered today that I lost all my older addresses a few weeks ago when the computer crashed.  So if you read this, Liz and Carl, please contact me with your e-mail address and I will add it to those we still have - in hard copy form, for safety!

January 6

Back at Barton Turns after a lovely trip back along an ice-fringed canal, we have had to face more problems with our on-board computer - this time not of our own making.  I am pretty certain we have picked up a virus with one of my incoming emails. Messages are going out purporting to come from us and then being returned as undelivered and at the same time a repeating message is coming apparently from my son's email address.  Both these messages have attachments which I have not opened but it seems the virus has been transferred anyway.  I now have a queue of 14 messages which grows every time I try to access my email through Outlook Express. 

If you have received any mail with an attachment from me in the last few days delete it unread. Obviously I am no longer opening mail sent to me at Virgin.net so if you have sent me any messages recently please send them again, using mail@msholloway.com which should still be safe.   

I will update the site as soon as I have formatted my hard drive and reinstalled Windows.

January 9

Our virus problems seem to be over.  It has taken me a day or so but I have re-formatted the hard drive and re-installed Windows as well as installing a virus protection program - a bit late but necessary for the future. At the moment we are clear and will try to keep it that way.  So please keep the mail coming, if only to let us know that we did NOT infect your machine.  If we did, we can only apologise and try to avoid it happening again. 

The weather has been cold and crisp for the last few days, cloudy today, but we have no intention of cruising again before Saturday and if the weather keeps up we then intend heading the other way, down to Huddlesford for a long weekend.  Think : another seven weeks and we'll be leaving the marina to head south towards the Thames!

January 14

The forecast of wet and windy weather plus a recurrence of Elizabeth's illness at Etruria (not so serious this time because it was caught early) has meant our plans for a trip down to Huddlesford have had to be postponed.  It could be another couple of weeks before we cruise again but we have plenty to get on with here at the marina - cleaning the boat before some old friends arrive here.  Fred and Julie Boreham on Wingletang are on the way up the Coventry canal from Fazeley and are calling here for diesel etc and Mike and Sue Richardson on Shania are slightly ahead of them near Tamworth and heading in this direction as well.  Looking forward to seeing them all again.  Liz is off to London this weekend to see our son and daughter in law so I will have a quiet few days walking and feeding dogs, cooking, cleaning etc.  But I'll also have the television to myself for a while.  Life has its compensations in the slow lane.

January 20

As promised, Fred and Julie arrived on Thursday, in company with Brian and Ann Steward of Jacob who we last saw at Gargrave.  The two boats have been wintering together.  They all descended on us for a cup of tea in the afternoon and then invited us to Wingletang for drinks in the evening - a very pleasant couple of hours which had to be cut a little short because Liz had to get up next morning at 6 am to catch the London express coach from Burton.  In passing I mentioned that with Liz away I had booked another sausage egg and chips meal with Angie at the Barton Turns inn and Brian's eyes lit up.  So five of us went there for lunch on the Friday, four of us enjoying the same course, Ann going for fish, chips and mushy peas which she declared to be as good as our s e and c's. 

Next morning I set off by local bus to Burton to spend some money and Fred, Julie and Ann got on the bus at Branston where they were moored for the weekend.  Needless to say, my spending trip was a great success.  

February 4

We have been back aboard for three days since spending another enjoyable week at Ashford in the Water, staying with our old friend Brian Parker and seeing so many other friends.  Apart from one day later this month when we return for a wedding it is our last visit until next winter - on March 2 we set off down the Coventry towards London, the Thames and the west. 

Snecklifter was looked after by our newer friends, Tony and Jenny of Jenny Rose, and it was warm and snug when we got back with our "chauffeuse" Linda Pelc.  Since then the weather has been mainly wet and windy so we have not ventured out and this morning we awoke to find a thin covering of snow around us. Several people back home in Derbyshire - as well as some would-be boaters who email us from time to time - have asked about creature comforts on board and seem surprised when we tell them how dry and warm this boat is.  Our solid fuel Morso stove stays in 24 hours a day so the saloon and kitchen are always warm.  We sleep in an unheated bedroom by choice, so it's always cold first thing in the morning but by the time I have got up, made tea and run the central heating (when we are out and about) or an electric heater (when we have the luxury of being connected to mains electricity in the marina) Liz can get up to a comfortably warm atmosphere. Plus a cup of tea and hot toast, or course!

February 13

The reason for the double update on the front page is that I have been unable to upload my site since writing the above entry on February 4 - mainly because I had not been told by my hosts that they had changed their way of accessing domains.  Anyway, now I know but I still have had to delete everything already there and start all over again so please bear with me until all the pictures are available again.  As you can imagine they take a hell of a long time to upload via a mobile phone working at quarter the speed of a conventional landline. 

Now I have to try to remember all the things I intended mentioning over the last week.  High on the list is that Liz and I have at least met Ralph Freeman who has been in touch with us for some time by email. A refugee from the electronics industry, he sold his house in Derby to have a boat built and is hoping to be abroad by late March.  In the meantime he visited Barton marina the other day to check out facilities, bumped into Liz in the shop, recognising her immediately, and then we found him enjoying a pint at the Barton Turns inn some 30 minutes later. 

Other new emails recently have come from Dorothy Morgan in Australia, Allan and Pat Grainger who are thinking of buying a boat soon and Derek and Dorothy Canvin of New Zealand who have now ordered their boat and hope to take delivery in October.  Some weeks ago we also received a marvellous, long message from a Melton Mobray woman  who suffers from insomnia and distracts herself in the middle of the night logging on to this website - she started following us before the boat was launched.  I will be contacting her shortly to ask if she minds my using her name in this diary, as well as replying to all the others who have contacted us over the last few weeks.  With any luck this should be the last delay we suffer before setting off on our next journey towards the Thames.  Even the jobs we wanted doing at the marina have been completed - without costing us an arm and a leg. 

Finally another thank you to our good friends Tony and Jenny and their son Graham on Jenny Rose who have continued to be helpful in so many ways that I couldn't list them without embarrassing them.  George and Kate, of Lady Kate, have also been a great support.  

Finally, absolutely finally - Liz has reminded me that when we had the virus we lost most of our e-mail addresses so we'd be grateful if all our regular friends out there would contact us once more.  This time we are downloading all emails to a special folder that will be backed up regularly.  Promise!

February 16

Our surrogate grand-daughter Danielle Thrower joined us at Barton Turns yesterday and this morning we set off on a five day cruise to Shobnall, stopping off for several nights near Branston Water Park - and of course the Bridge Inn.  In fact, we had seven visitors yesterday because Clive and Joy Thrower brought Danni and three other grandchildren from Great Longstone and Derby, while Linda Pelc drove Liz and me - plus the two dogs - back from Ashford in the Water where we stayed with our old friend Brian for the night after attending the wedding of Danni's mum Gemma to Haci Yakar at Great Longstone church. 

It was good to be on the move again and we had not long been moored at Branston when we had a call from Mike and Sue Richardson on Shania who are only a short distance away at Shobnall.  The last time we saw them they called at Barton marina and Mike surprised us with his new beard.  Looked terrific even though Sue thought it made him look older. 

We are also closer to Burton if Liz needs to visit the hospital again.  Shortly before setting off for the wedding in Derbyshire on Friday she trapped her thumb with the sliding hatch  and bandaged it up sufficiently to travel.  Yesterday she peeled off the bandage, took a longer look at the damage and thought it wise to get herself to the hospital in case stitches were needed. Once again Tony of Jenny Rose turned up trumps, driving Liz and Danni to the accident and emergency department at Burton and waiting over two hours with them so he could drive them back, even though they said they could get a taxi.   

The biggest wrench when we leave Barton two weeks today will be leaving so many good friends who have helped us out, including Lee Thompson from All Boys who has recently sorted out some of my lingering computer problems.

February 16

Still at Branston where Mike and Sue caught up with us yesterday.  We spent the evening on Shania playing Mind Trap - a hugely difficult game of lateral thinking.  At least that's what Mike and I insisted when we trounced the women in a team match.  It's the beards that done it (see  latest pictures) ! Today we met in the Bridge Inn for a pint before the Richardsons set off for Barton Turns and points west.  As we both plan to travel south to the Thames and the Kennet and Avon later this year we are almost certain to meet again . 

Meanwhile Danni and Liz have been sorting out the food cupboards ready for me to practice a little carpentry on an extra shelf.  DIY is not one of my strong points but it's too icy cold outside to clean or paint the boat so inside jobs have to be given priority.

February 21

We have been back at Barton Turns marina since Wednesday afternoon - a hazardous arrival with high wind blowing me and the boat katy-cornered down the long stretch of the open marina until I could eventually straighten her up to have a second and more successful attempt at berthing. Danielle left us yesterday and the count down has now started until our departure south on March 2 (we are staying the extra day to celebrate Kate of Lady Kate's birthday on March 1.) 

Another email has reached us from Steve Doyon and his six-year-old daughter Sarah who live in Charlotte, North Carolina.  They have been following us since we set off last March.  Steve, who lived in the UK until he was 13, asked if we had found it difficult getting used to the smaller quarters and a lot of other people have asked the same thing.  Apart from bumping into each other as we pass in the narrow section by the bathroom and toilet, we have found no problems at all when we have been alone.   Things change somewhat when carloads of visitors arrive.  Yesterday we had six adults and three children sitting in the saloon - 23.5 feet long and furnished with chairs, dinette and kitchen tops.   

The other question many people email us about is what are we going to do when our planned four years cruise is ended.  The answer looks increasingly like changing our plan.  We've been living aboard for almost a year now and unless illness or major catastrophe intervenes I cannot see us going back to land in three years time. We love the life and the people (not all, but the vast majority are great) and the thought of having to settle in one place without the ability to pull up stakes and move on if we don't like our neighbours or just fancy a change certainly appals me.  Liz may not be so committed yet but she has always been the slower one to adjust to change and there's no doubt she does enjoy the life.  After months of saying how nice it was to be settled at Barton and able to go back most weeks to the folk club in Great Longstone, she said the other day she was really looking forward to moving on again and exploring new sections of the canal system. 

We will miss the people at the marina and the excellent facilities - the joy of just plugging in to mains electricity for a start - but the unknown or haven't-seen-for-four-years is telling us: "Enough idleness, get moving."   Or words to that effect.

February 26

Spent the last few days readying the boat for our departure on March 2 - painting over the scrapes and scratches of many past locks and moorings.   We are now counting the days.   

Visitors today from Ashford in the Water - Pat Paulett and her grandchildren Max and Daisy, who checked the boat out and then joined us for lunch in the Three Horseshoes pub in Barton under Needwood.  After a good meal and excellent beer (the grownups, not the children) we took the two dogs around the lake near the marina before the Pauletts finally left for home.  Tomorrow Liz and I are going to the Barton Turns inn for our last sausage egg and chips before our departure.  It's still the best value meal in this area of the canal system. 

More painting this morning and just before lunch one of the marina engineers, Alan, tracked down a small diesel leak that was worrying us.  A few tightened nuts and all now seems well for the weekend.

March 2 2003

After four comfortable months at Barton Turns marina we have at last made our getaway and started on our first full year out on the canals, heading south and west before returning to the Macclesfield canal to winter.  We left the marina at 10.20 am after taking on diesel and paying our electricity bill and made excellent time down to Alrewas in wonderful sunny weather, almost as warm as our very first days out on Snecklifter last Easter.   A visit to Barkers for vegetables, to the Crown for a pint of Old Speckled Hen and then we continued down to Fradley where we are moored up for the night.  And what's the first boat we see when we arrive here?  Shania with Mike and Sue Richardson on their way to Great Haywood for a few days.  No doubt we will end up together in the Swan tonight. 

Meanwhile we have said goodbye to many friends at the marina including the staff there who have been friendly and helpful throughout our stay.  On  Friday we invited Tony and Jenny of Jenny Rose to dinner on board, partly to say thank you for all the support they have given us, especially Tony who among other things took Liz to Burton Hospital when she trapped her thumb in our sliding roof hatch and stayed with her in accident and emergency for nearly three hours.  I have now managed to photograph them and they appear on our Well Met page, even though it's a bit of a misnomer in their case because we got to know them through emails almost a year ago and have seen so much of them at Barton.   Tony even forgave me my long-ago published unwise comments about southerners ! 

Last night we celebrated again, this time with George and Kate of Lady Kate.  It was Kate's 60th birthday and they invited us for a meal at the Middle Bell in Barton under Needwood, together with Kate's son Chris and his girl friend Jo.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely and there were goodbye kisses all round this morning (except between George and me, that is). We also said au revoir to David and Sylvia of Life's Dream though they, like George and Kate, are heading eventually for the Kennet and Avon so we'll almost certainly see them all again eventually.   Tony and Jenny have also said they will be out to see us when we are on the Ashby and from time to time while we are still within reasonable reach of Barton.

March 4

We said goodbye again to Mike and Sue yesterday morning after a couple of pints of Pedigree at the Swan the previous evening.  By lunchtime we were back in our usual mooring at Huddlesford with only a couple of other boats here.  With any luck we will now have a couple of quiet days to catch up on boat chores and relax with a good video before friends and family start arriving this weekend.  Next week we will push on down via Hopwas and Fazeley towards Nuneaton and the Ashby. 

Established readers of this diary will also notice that I have added a link direct to our email on the opening page.  We have had so many problems with the pc over the last few months we have had to change our final email address a couple of times but the link to mail@msholloway.com will still reach us.  If you have tried to contact us recently through Virgin.net or any other address and have had no reply it could be because we no longer check these out.  Please bear with us and send your message again.

March 10

On the way again after a restful six days at Huddlesford, we have cruised down to Hopwas in dry but windy conditions and moored close to the Red Lion before catching a bus for a morning's shopping in Lichfield. The weekend at Huddlesford was busier than the early part of the week and centred on a two day visit by our daughter in law Sharon who whisked Liz off to the nearest Tesco so we could top up on essentials and heavy tins and dog food.  On Sunday our old friends Alison and Lesley joined us in time for lunch at the Plough, a first class meal with the best chips we have tasted in a long time, even nicer than our marvellous sausage egg and chips at the Barton Turn inn (already much missed for its beer and its company as well as Angie's cooking).  

Later in the afternoon Ronnie Slater of The Robert Mylne, who was so helpful when we had engine trouble at Huddlesford last October, knocked on the side hatch to bring us up to date on his movements but with guests aboard we couldn't spend the time with him we would have liked.   

A and L haven't been to the boat since November but once again it was a fine day, emphasising Alison's conviction that it never rains on Snecklifter (we wish!)  But remarkably - or merely coincidentally - the sun does shine for Alison.  Both of them are hoping to cruise with us for a long weekend around the middle of April, by the way, so our regular readers may want to book a short holiday at the same time in the (almost) certain knowledge that the weather will be fine!   Tonight a visit to the Red Lion and probably a pint of Bombardier.

March 11

We are now in completely new territory for the first time in four months after travelling down to Fazeley and turning left on the Coventry canal down to Polesworth where we are spending the night and probably most of tomorrow.  Met up with Trevor Cooper-Tydeman of Zungeru again at Fazeley, the first time we had seen him since last October, and he hadn't changed much - except for losing a bit of weight.  Wish we could say the same about ourselves.  We hope to reach Braunston about the same time as each other and if we do may well travel some way down the Grand Union together, lightening some of the work in the double locks.   Nothing definite but Liz and I will do our best to be at Braunston in about three or four weeks.  Only trouble is we might have to get some better quality wine in.  Trevor thinks our usual fare is about right for cooking! Alternatively we could drink his.

March 12

Late in the afternoon we set off from Polesworth, which we found a little too closed-in with its high embankment to one side of the canal, and have cruised for just 50 minutes to a lovely quiet spot out in the countryside.  Our only close neighbours are a herd of cows in a field beyond the towpath and a farmer who has been tractoring piles of manure into the long field that separates us from the railway.  However we can't smell anything or hear anything and must hope the wind direction doesn't change before tomorrow morning when we start up the 11 locks of the Atherstone flight. 

Earlier, our old Ashford in the Water friends Pat and Ralph Paulett drove out to see us with their daughter-in-law Helen, who teaches French and Spanish in Epsom.  None of the local pubs offered food at lunchtime so Ralph drove us back to Hopwas where he treated us to a very good meal at the Tame Otter.  I managed a pint each of cask Tetleys and Bass - one advantage of not being a car driver.  The trip that took us a couple of hours on the canal took little more than 10 or 15 minutes once we'd got the right road. We're hoping the Pauletts will be able to get out to us again while we are on the Ashby canal - before we travel too far south for short visits - when we will be able to return their hospitality.

March 13

Most boaters we've met think we move very slowly compared with them but when we do go you should see how we cover the territory.  Eight hours cruising today have brought us a couple of miles up the Ashby canal. We had intended spending more time on the Coventry and to reach bridge 15 on the Ashby at the weekend but when we reached our intended mooring at Hartshill the smell from a nearby factory was foul, and the back-up mooring a short distance further on was filthy, with rubbish floating in the canal as well as littering the towpath.   

So we continued on to Valley Cruises to fill up with diesel (like others on this section they are now charging 40p a litre so someone, somewhere, is cashing in on the problems with Iraq - still only threatened rather than actual.  Wonder how high prices will go if war starts in the next week or so?) and then  decided as it was still only 1340 hours to continue on through Nuneaton and start up the Ashby.   Liz was quite tired after the 11 Atherstone locks, even though the canal passed through lovely countryside here and the locks were well kept, especially at the top of the flight where the lockie Tony opened the gates for us and helped us through.  A good advertisement for BW, he keeps the lock keeper's cottage and surrounding area in immaculate condition - no wonder he's won several awards for it over the last few years. 

Woke this morning, by the way, to see a large flock of fieldfare competing for food with dozens of starlings in the field where the farmer was yesterday dumping manure.  And as I walked the dogs a very vocal curlew flew overhead.  Are the birds beginning to wake up, too, or am I noticing them more because we are out of the marina and on our way again?

March 15

A pleasant run to Hinckley yesterday brought us up behind Vavara to see Mick and Barbara Hill for the first time since we left the Macclesfield canal.  Together we walked into the town and they showed us where to find Quicksave and most of the charity shops.  As they've wintered up here for the last six years or so they are well qualified as local guides.  Later we moved the boat to moor outside Trinity Marina so Liz could do the laundry.  It's a beautiful place with excellent facilities which include a bar that sells three real ales - two of which I tried.  Will have to call on the way back down the Ashby to sample the third. 

Only trouble is at night the area is well lit with high powerful lights that cast a bluish tinge over everything so this morning we escaped to the darkness of the countryside, mooring after a 90 minute cruise close to Stoke Golding and the White Swan - excellent pint of Adnams.  This is a lovely rural spot and the sun has been warm enough for us to sit out for the first time in ages - if the wind would drop it would have been even nicer.  But we are happy here and are staying put for the weekend.

March 17

Two relaxed days at Stoke Golding have ended with a short cruise up to wooded moorings next to Bosworth field where the much-maligned Richard III was killed.  Liz and I recently listened to a radio play adaptation of Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time which makes out a convincing case that Richard was not the villain Shakespeare and other historians painted him and, particularly, that he was not responsible for the deaths of the princes in the Tower.  Whatever the truth, it was fascinating to stand close to the spot where he died and wonder. 

The rest of the day - when not walking the dogs or sitting out in the sunshine reading - has been spent watching the unfolding Iraq crisis.  While we were at Barton Turns marina we bought a cheap digibox which allows us to use our conventional tv arial to watch News 24, Sky News and a number of other free-to-air channels. This last couple of days has certainly convinced me that the money was well spent.

March 20

It has been a busy couple of days, although actual cruising time has not been great.  After our night at Bosworth battlefield we moved up to a brief mooring at Market Bosworth and while Liz walked the mile into the town to do some urgent shopping I caught up with cleaning jobs.  While she was away a young man - we later learned he was Pete Adcock of Tiger M - came up from his boat to chat and he told me about good moorings further up.  We soon moved on and moored for the night at Congeston Bridge, a short walk away from the Horse and Jockey pub. 

Yesterday we cruised the short distance to Shackerstone and moored right behind Tiger M.  Pete said he was going to a nearby town with a Coop and we could go with him in his car if we wanted to.  Not surprisingly we accepted his offer, did a lot of heavy shopping (tins, dogfood etc) and then ended up back in the Rising Sun, a pleasant pub but with one of the least helpful bar staff I have come across on the Cut.  As I've mentioned before I learned to drink Pedigree and other beers either straight from the barrel or with the sparkler turned off while we were around Burton and every pub I've visited since has happily provided me with flat beer by removing the sparkler.  Until yesterday - point blank refusal and the comment "You must be from London." 

Still, after a lovely couple of hours sitting out in the sun with Pete and other boaters, the three of us returned to the pub later in the evening but to enjoy his company and the excellent beers rather than any hospitable welcome.   Pete, we learned, moors his boat at Stoke Golding and obviously knows the Ashby well.  He was both helpful and an enjoyable drinking partner. 

This morning we moved on and travelled up through the Snarestone Tunnel to the end of the Ashby where we winded and emptied rubbish, before returning through the tunnel and tying up a few hundred yards down the canal with open country on both sides and with a manageable walk back tonight to try the Globe Inn.   If it's good beer we'll probably stay the full weekend.  If not we'll cruise back to Congeston Bridge or stay out in open country and go on the wagon for a few days.  It'll probably do me good - Liz is already drinking considerably less often and has brought her once high blood pressure back to normal !  Mine only rises in pubs that think the customer should never have what he wants - simply because a flat pint "doesn't look very nice". 

P.S.  What a contrast !  The Globe has excellent Bass on draught and a landlord who not only removed the sparkler but left it of because he "knew I'd want another."  And I did.  So we will stay here until Monday morning with only one other boat off in the far distance and empty fields to right and left.  Very quiet.

March 23

Two more of Elizabeth's folk-singing friends from the Packhorse in Little Longstone visited us at Snarestone yesterday, bringing much-needed bread and milk. A couple of pints of Bass each at the Globe for Geoff Deighton and me and half that amount of cider for his wife Kath, followed by ham sandwiches and home-cooked bread pudding back at the boat, clearly put our visitors in the right frame of mind to sing a few of Geoff's own songs - two of them comic, one more serious - and then Liz sang one piece with the others harmonising on choruses. (see Latest pictures).  

I'm not the greatest of folk music lovers - except for obvious greats like Roy Bailey, Bob Dylan etc - but enjoyed immensely Geoff's Yorkshire wit in The Vicar and the Parrot and The Dog - the latter a delightful, long piece about the butler who breaks the news to his master that his favourite dog has died and then works gradually back to the death of the mistress of the house. I can't understand why some of his audiences didn't find that song funny on first hearing but needed a second hearing before they started laughing along with it. Also liked Liz's favourite, Walk With Me, written by Geoff while he and Kath were walking in Ireland. Known professionally as Penny Bun, they both sing so musically that I was delighted when they gave us a copy of their new CD - Tubers of Desire - before leaving in the late afternoon. We can now enjoy two of the afternoon's songs again, as well as getting to know some of the others in their repertoire.  

Liz and I returned to the Globe that evening for a single pint and to enjoy the easy-going atmosphere with regulars who are as friendly as landlord Bob. The rest of the day in and around these highlights was spent mostly sitting in the sun on the towpath, watching the world go very slowly and quietly by. The weather has been marvellous this last week and reminds me of the first month spent on the boat, last April, which was unseasonably hot. With luck, our first month out of the marina could be much the same.  

Today has been another quiet one, the weather again glorious and then this evening Tony and Jenny from Jenny Rose drove out from Barton Turns to spend an hour and a half with us, bringing us up to date with the latest news from the marina. We took a couple of weeks getting up here by boat - they took little more than 20 minutes.

March 26

We have been back at Stoke Golding for a couple of days, moored in an even lovelier spot than last time, with fields stretching off to the horizon on one side and on the other a couple of fields sloping up to the church whose spire is floodlit at night. Cruising higher up the Ashby last week we received an email from Dave and Susan Lane who are about to sell their house in Stoke Golding and plan to buy a narrowboat later this year. They thought they had missed us and wanted to talk about life aboard etc. So, on our return, we phoned them and yesterday afternoon they visited us for a long chat and also to invite us to join them the following night (ie tonight) for a meal at the Cantonese restaurant attached to the Three Horseshoes pub. Within an hour or so of their arrival on Snecklifter we were back at their home so that Liz could do some of her washing while Susan and I drove to the edge of Hinckley for an industrial-sized order of fish, chips and peas (plus excellent chicken) to feed the four of us plus Susan's mum and dad, Ralph and Joyce, who were helping decorate some of the rooms before the house actually goes on the market. This morning Susan invited Liz back to do another washload of sheets and duvet cover and then took her to Safeways for some shopping. The meal at the Cantonese restaurant this evening was outstanding and the young Chinese waitress was lovely, getting the message about the sparkler and bringing me flat pints of Bass from the pub at the front. A splendid evening - we feel as though we've been adopted by Dave and Susan. Other boaters we've met along the Ashby have all spoken of Stoke Golding and its friendliness - everyone says hello as you walk through the village and the pubs and local shops are so helpful - but the Lanes' hospitality has been something special. We hope they realise their dreams and get to live on a boat soon because with their generosity of spirit (and readiness to stop and talk about boating whenever they get the chance!) they'll be a great addition to the friendliest village we've come across in our first 12 months - the Cut itself.

March 28

Yesterday we left our favourite mooring close to Stoke Golding, took on diesel and a new gas bottle at Ashby Boat company - first class service and very helpful people - and then travelled on down to bridge 22, winded, cruised back up to Sutton Wharf, winded again and got back to the same mooring about three hours later. All this in glorious sunshine. Dave and Susan came down for a couple of hours in the afternoon when I took the photograph of them that now appears on our Latest pictures page.  

Today we sampled the food at the White Lion, another very tasty and value-for-money sausage egg and chips (regular readers will not be surprised). We then spent much of the rest of the day preparing for a short visit by son Jonathan who was driving up from London to spend part of Mothering Sunday with Liz (and me, of course.)

March 29

Today is the anniversary of the beginning of our travels on Snecklifter and to celebrate I've posted a special piece covering some things I've never revealed in this diary (or perhaps dared to reveal). It can be accessed through Some Things I've Never Mentioned but the easily embarrassed might want to give it a miss!  

Jonathan and Liz drove to Hinckley this morning to do a little more shopping while I sat around, for once, doing nothing very important. The weather has been dull but still warm and the number of mallard, farmyard ducks and swans in our neighbourhood seems to increase daily. Jonathan returns to London tomorrow and we are meeting Dave and Sue in the White Lion for a last drink before we set off on Monday to resume our journey south. But some time later this year or next we will certainly be back on the Ashby.

March 31

Sunny weather again as we left Stoke Golding and called in at Ashby Boats to pick up some paint they had agreed to get for us and to take on water before travelling down the canal towards the junction with the Coventry. We stopped again at Trinity Marina to say goodbye to Mick and Barbara on Vavara but they were not aboard. Instead we had a quick drink at Bob's Bar and chatted with Cathy and Les on All Seasons who have passed us several times on the Ashby (first met them at Branston and then at Barton Turns marina). We are now moored for the night a short distance on from Hinckley between bridges 14 and 13, a quiet spot with low trees around us that make this a sun-trap.  

It's good to be on the move but we will certainly miss the White Swan, the friendly people of Stoke Golding and the Ashby canal in general - and especially our new friends Dave and Susan who have been so hospitable. I'm sure we'll see them again in the future when they eventually get their own boat.

April 2

After a night moored close to Lloyd's Bridge we left the Ashby canal this morning and cruised down to Hawkesbury Junction and the beginning of the North Oxford canal, just a two minute walk from the historic Greyhound pub. The weather has been clear and sunny again for most of the day after yesterday's rain but coming down the Coventry the following wind was extremely cold. Fortunately the canal is wide and deep on this section and we were able to travel faster than on the Ashby. Now we can afford to slow down and over the next week enjoy the North Oxford. Our earlier travels on this canal from Braunston brought us only a short way above Hillmorton Locks so we have a fair section still to explore - and besides, we can't remember much about Hillmorton, other than our friends Alan and Gillian Williams of Viking Lady now own the Lock Stop Bistro, which means at least one night moored in the area.

April 4

We have been staying close to Brinklow overnight, moored in an idyllic spot with a clear view across fields to one side. The weather has continued warm but windy so I have got on with painting the outside of the boat (tarting-up type painting rather than a full-scale operation) that I began at Hawkesbury. This morning we walked with the dogs over the fields to Brinklow and the minute we hit the "main street" I recognised it as the village in which we spent our last but one day with Clive and Joy Thrower four years ago before returning our hired 57 footer to Braunston at the end of our fortnight on the Oxford/Thames/Regent/Grand Union ring. So we had actually travelled much further up the North Oxford than I remembered and from now on we will be back on canal already traversed (though we remember so little that the next months will be a rediscovery).  

The trip down from the Junction yesterday was most enjoyable, with the comparatively more industrialised and built-up banks closer to Coventry giving way to wide open vistas of green and pleasant land. Mooring was difficult away from officially designated spots, especially where sloping slabs of stone were used to help retain banks rather than the more boat-friendly metal pilings, but here below Fosse it is much easier - though there is only enough room for two boats before you reach the concrete banking of the picnic area. Regulars on this stretch are complaining loudly because BW have closed off most of what was once a favourite mooring stretch for the use of long-term permit holders even though there is no sign of any of them yet.  

Late afternoon, Les and Cathy on All Seasons moored in front us, reminding us of how often the same boats keep turning up in our journey around the system. While we were on the Ashby at Stoke Golding, for instance, we noticed Double Dutch in Ashby Canal Centre's dry dock having her bottom blacked by owners Coby and Henk Schrijver. We first saw the boat around the middle of last year on the Bridgewater Canal and although we didn't meet the couple then we couldn't forget their clever logo which uses reflection to "double" the boat's name. This time we did get a chance to talk to Coby and Henk who are, of course, from Holland but now spend most of the year on England's canals. They are a lovely couple, speaking excellent English, as you could see from an e-mail they sent thanking Liz for her tip about using local libraries to access the internet, a splendid, free service which we were able to use fairly often during our stay at Barton Turns.  

Finally, this afternoon : a boat called Water Gipsy pulled in front of us and it turned out to be a New Zealand couple, Charles and Annie Scoones, who have been following our website. They are over here now for six months and intend running their new, purpose-built 64 footer as a floating hotel for other Kiwis (or other nationalities, presumably) who would like to try a holiday afloat but don't want to hire a boat themselves. Water Gipsy has accommodation for up to five guests paying from £35 a day each, depending on whether they want bed and breakast or full board. Their telephone numbers are NZ (+64) 025 273 5775 and UK (+44) 07876 170 255. I've also added a link to their website on my Links page

April 5

Tempted though we were to stay at Brinklow for the weekend, the call of fresh food and cash dispensers at Tesco was decisive and we travelled this morning to the edge of Rugby and, after a successful shopping trip, continued onwards to a pleasant mooring a mile or so before Hillmorton locks, near a village called Clifton Upon Dunsmore - fields on one side, golf course on the other. We moored up early afternoon with the intention of continuing the outside painting but shortly after arriving had a telephone call from Alan Williams of Viking Lady who now runs the Lock Stop Bistro at Hillmorton. Mike and Jo Edwards, who have been following our website, were with him, looking for us at the locks because they knew we were heading there to see Alan and his wife Gillian. Contact made, Mike and Jo walked the mile along the towpath bringing us a bottle of wine and stayed for an hour or more chatting about boats - their Sarah Kate is at Streethay Wharf in the finishing stages of being stretched. The painting was forgotten (but who cares - there's always tomorrow, or the day after ...)  

We also heard from Trevor on Zungeru who by early morning had reached the start of the North Oxford on his journey from Stone down to the Grand Union. We hope he will catch us up in the next day or so but in the meantime we will probably carry on to Hillmorton tomorrow mid-morning.

April 6

At last we have renewed our friendship with Alan and Gillian at their splendid bistro at Hillmorton locks. They opened it in January and have been doing extremely well - not surprising because they have an excellent menu, work long hours and are perfectly placed for boaters and local villagers. The bistro and shop has become a special feature on a stretch of canal that previously offered little apart from its natural beauty.  

We are now moored below the locks, in the shadow of the Daventry radio masts, and after an hour or so with the Williams are settling down to wait for Trevor on Zungeru. We would have got here this morning but Molly, our Jack Russell, was decidedly unwell and we thought it better to stay out in our rural mooring until she stopped being sick etc. By early afternoon she seemed to have dried up and we cruised the mile to Hillmorton - and just as well because Alan and Gillian are having a few days off and we would probably have missed them.

April 7

Just as we were preparing to walk into Hillmorton village this morning, our friend from Gargrave and various points around the northern and midland canals, Trevor Cooper-Tydeman of Zungeru, caught up with us after travelling down from Stone in little more than four days (three days actual cruising because he took Sunday off to rest). A pint or two of Ansells at a local pub and we set off together up Hillmorton locks, arriving at Braunston shortly before 6pm. For Liz and me, of course, this is where it all started three and half years ago and later this evening or early tomorrow we will have another look at the village and at Union Canal Cruisers where we hired our first narrowboat. After that we will continue our journey south down the Grand Union, for a few days at least in company with Trevor - whose photograph with his lovely Jack Russell, Ziggy, can at last be seen on Latest pictures. Previous attempts to snap him failed to capture his special appeal!

April 8

A latish start to the morning has been followed by a fairly hectic progress up the six Braunston locks and through the Braunston tunnel, a short break for lunch at Buckby, and then a decision to turn up the Leicester arm of the Grand Union. It has turned out so far to be a good decision. Although we were a little tired we came up the Watford staircase locks reasonably painlessly with the expert help of lockies Mick and Crystal, who deducted five points from my good behaviour score after Snecklifter's bow clipped the side of the first lock gate. Trevor, we heard later, lost ten but by the time we reached the top I had lost another five as well. Can't wait to return down the flight - I'll concentrate next time instead of gossiping with bystanders.  

The Leicester arm is delightful, narrow and winding and as we left the motorway behind it has opened up into a lovely rural area, with an excellent mooring just south of Crick tunnel from which we can see the masts of Daventry - now where did we see them before? Oh yes, all those miles and hours ago at Hillmorton - but then from west rather than the east. As the crow flies, we have clearly come only a short way since meeting Trevor. We're glad we did. His expertise made light of the Braunston double-width locks - he tied our boats together side by side and drove them up the flight, freeing me to help Liz with the heavy gates. I've posted another couple of photographs on Latest pictures

April 10

We cruised on up the Leicester arm yesterday, stopping for lunch at Yelvertoft and visiting the friendly pub in the village, the Knightley Arms. By the time we got back the weather was turning colder and wetter so we quickly agreed with Trevor that we should pull up the drawbridge. Shortly after that we got a phone call from Ruth and David Tomlinson who have been following this diary since the boat started building and have e-mailed us several times since we began cruising. They live near Melton Mowbray, close enough to drive over to see us, and they arrived in time to see the boat before we all returned to the Knightley Arms for a long chat about boating. By the end of the evening none of Trevor's stories about his life on Zungeru had deterred Ruth and David from their plans to move on to a boat in about three years time so we look forward to welcoming another adventurous couple in due course.  

This morning it snowed! Not much, mind you, and the dogs didn't seem to worry about it on their early morning walk, but the wind remained cold throughout the morning as we travelled on a couple of miles, winded, and then came back to Crick, where we have booked in for a night in the marina. It's an excellent place to meet our friends Lesley Swain and Alison Farthing who are going to travel with us for two or three days, and the management readily agreed they could park their car for the duration, asking them only for a donation to charity in payment. We are now enjoying the benefits of mains electricity for the first time since leaving Barton Turns marina, while Trevor is "roughing it" at a mooring about half a mile away on the canal itself.

April 11

Lesley and Alison arrived about mid-day and after a swift lunch we unplugged from mains electricity and left Crick Marina, hoping to buy some coal from the barge moored a short way down the towpath towards Crick Wharf. No luck - there was someone aboard not interested in customers. Crick marina, however, was first class and John, the chap who topped up our diesel and helped us moor the previous afternoon, could not have been more helpful. Beyond the first bridge and right beside Edwards restaurant, we met up with Trevor and then travelled together through the tunnel, mooring up in the same idyllic spot we had enjoyed on April 8. Tonight Lesley is cooking our meal - tortilla chips with salsa, guacomole, sour cream and melted cheese that I remember with pleasure from a visit to their cottage in Bradwell. With no pub nearby, we'll be drinking at what Alison calls the "Snecklifter Arms" but that'll be no hardship and we don't have to think about moving on and tackling Watford staircase locks until 9.30 tomorrow morning.

April 13

An early start brought us down through the Watford Gap staircase, Lesley and I on the boat, Alison and Liz guided by relief lockie Bruce doing all the hard work. Alison reckoned she could have done it alone but I'm glad there was expert guidance on hand. By this time we had taken on coal from the barge which had moved from Crick, winded and moored further down the canal. The couple selling the coal could not have been nicer so I must back-pedal on earlier comments.  

After a lunchtime pint at the New Inn we travelled down through the seven Buckby locks and moored in a quiet, wooded spot a few miles further on where Trevor joined us for one of Liz's delicious eggie-leekie dishes. After his departure, Liz and Alison played a furiously-fought game of Scrabble while Lesley, the dogs and I dozed through a CD or two.  

A later start today brought us quickly to Weedon where Liz, Alison and Lesley walked into the village for top-up shopping before we continued down to the Narrowboat pub for another quick pint (marvellous Bombardier). We moored at Bugbrooke for the night, visiting Trevor for a superb vegetable curry that satisfied our hunger as well as Alison and Lesley's curiosity - they were itching to see inside Zungeru ! On our return to the boat Liz and Alison continued their games battle though this time Lesley joined them for dominoes. The winner of both encounters will remain nameless, though she will go back to Derbyshire tomorow feeling rightly pleased with herself.

April 14

With Lesley and Alison planning to leave us at 4pm today we had a quiet morning on board, walked to the Wharf for a pint or two of Frog Island bitter, and then dozed it off until their taxi arrived to take them back to their car which had been parked at Crick marina. We'll miss their happy company but they've promised to visit again when we are on the Oxford or Ashby canals later in the year.  

Zungeru then rejoined us and we cruised leisurely down to Gayton Junction to take advantage of the facilities, including rubbish disposal and water. Trevor managed to get into the one mooring spot there so we carried on for about half a mile into quieter countryside. He will pick us up in the morning to travel through the Blisworth tunnel and on to Wolverton.  

P.S. I forgot to mention that Alison again justified my nickname for her - Weather Witch. She once observed that it never rains on Snecklifter and that has certainly been true when she has been aboard. Even over this last four days it has rained for only a couple of minutes and that was when she, Liz and Lesley were finishing their wine after our curry on Zungeru. By the time she was back on board the skies were dry if not entirely clear.

April 15

We made a reasonably early start this morning, came through Blisworth Tunnel and spent the next hour or so fulminating about the filth deposited on the top and sides of the boat. Curtains of water pouring from the air vents had mixed with dust to form a muddy paste over the boat and when I started cleaning it up while we waited to enter or get through Stoke Bruerne locks it was difficult to get rid of the white, salty rings left by the dripping water. Still, a lot of it did come off by the time we had finished the seven locks and the rest will have to be dealt with over the next couple of days.  

We moored up late afternoon at Cosgrove and said au revoir to Trevor who was continuing on to Wolverton where his wife will arrive to meet him tomorrow. No doubt we will catch up with each other before we get to the Thames, and if we miss out on the Grand Union we are all headed for the Kennet and Avon so there'll be another chance of travelling together for a few days.  

We plan to shop at Wolverton's Tesco tomorrow and then move on to Milton Keynes where we are told there are quiet moorings on the edge of the town where we can wait for our son Jonathan to arrive at the weekend.

April 17

The stop at Wolverton and Tesco was most productive but when we got to Milton Keynes we decided it was too busy for us so we pushed on to open countryside near Stoke Hammond for the night, cruising far too long in the fierce heat of the hottest April day for decades. This morning we pressed on early and stopped at Slapton before it got unbearably hot, mooring at a lovely rural site just below Slapton lock. We are less than a mile from the village and an excellent thatched pub, the Carpenter's Arms. The beer, from the Aylesbury area, is first class and the welcome given to us and the two dogs confirmed our decision to stay here until the Easter weekend is over and the "holiday rush" on the canal eases off a little. We can use the time for more cleaning!

April 18

We are still at Slapton and pleased that we've found such an excellent spot to tie up for a few days. We walked to the pub again and as we approached we were greeted by the Carpenter's Arms chef Ross who said his friend Anil was working at the water buffalo farm a couple of hundred yards away today and if we made ourselves known he would arrange for us to see the buffalo and especially the many young calves. He did and they were marvellous, surprisingly friendly and not at all as nervous and skittish as our domestic cows. The one sad note was that when the males grow up they will go for meat (some of which we duly bought to make a casserole over the weekend!) The females will live on for their wonderful milk and for the cheese which is made for the farm by monks in the West Country. We immediately bought some cheese and when our supply of cow's milk runs down early next week we will certainly get a couple of litres of buffalo milk which the owner of Bury Farm encouraged us to taste - very creamy, much like I remember milk tasting years ago.  

Meanwhile it's not been all fun and games on board. I spent the morning washing the side and the half of the roof I could reach from the towpath and this afternoon painted out the cockpit which months of wet dogs and bags of coal had mucked up considerably. Tomorrow the other half of the roof, hopefully when the wind is not blowing too hard.

April 20

Our son Jonathan arrived on Saturday morning and with him came a radical change in the weather. So far there has been only a little drizzling rain but the sun vanished and there has been a cold wind fierce enough to drive several boats close to us and at least one to bang up against our side. No point in offering anything but a smile and a shrug. There's nothing much you can do when the wind catches you and it's happened to us a few times over the last 13 months, and besides, no damage was done.  

We have continued to enjoy the beer at the Carpenters (from Vale Brewery at Aylesbury), played cards and dominoes, watched television and videos, and read the occasional few pages of a book, so it has been a fairly typical Easter weekend for the Holloway family. Even on land in Sheffield or in Ashford in the Water we have been great believers in keeping off the roads on national holidays. It has not been quite as busy on this stretch of the Grand Union but there has been enough movement to convince us that we did right to tie up and wait for a few days. No more cleaning yet, however.

April 21

Itchy feet and a decision last night that we wanted to do some travelling and especially locking while Jonathan was still with us is the reason for our sudden change of plan. We got away early this morning, watered above Slapton lock and spent most of the rest of the day coming up the 17 locks that have taken us to this quiet mooring just before Cow Roast lock and the highest point of the Grand Union before London. From tomorrow it's downhill all the way. It being Easter Monday and quite hot from midday onwards we did manage a couple of stops for refreshments at the Red Lion at Marsworth and the Grand Junction at Bulbourne. But we missed the Carpenters at Slapton and were sorry that we didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Ross and Sam, the owner's son who worked a lot behind the bar and was very welcoming.

April 24

Jonathan left us at Cow Roast and we travelled on to Berkhamsted where we caught up on shopping at Waitrose - the first concrete sign, other than the spiralling cost of a pint, that we are truly in the South. There is no Waitrose in the north ! We stayed overnight close to the canal park and when Clive, Joy and Linda, our old friends from Ashford in the Water arrived we had an excellent lunch before moving down three locks to a mooring close to the Rising Sun pub. The move was not to get closer to beer, however, but to give Clive and Joy's three grandchildren - Danielle, Natalie and Keiran - a chance to enjoy Snecklifter on the move. A round trip on this stretch of the Grand Union was out of the question with a couple of dozen locks before us if we tried to wind and wind again.  

The trip also gave Clive another chance to take the boat in and out of locks, and incidentally gave me a rest that anyone who had seen my performance the day before would have said I needed. Coming down through the first of the Dudswell locks I lost concentration as I studied Nicholson's to find the best place for mooring and suddenly realised our stern was hung up on the cill. I shouted to Liz who immediately dropped one of the bottom paddles and then raced back to open up the two above us. Meanwhile I raced past her to drop the second bottom paddle and by the time I got back to the boat it was already floating freely, no damage done except to my pride.  

But it was a salutary lesson. Even after 13 months of regular locking you daren't relax your attention and take things for granted. Liz reminded me later of another boater friend who had been at it for 12 years and he had told her the same thing happened to him - it made me feel better, but not much better. This morning we came down through another seven locks (very, very carefully) and moored just above Fishery lock, close to Hemel Hempstead railway station. Close enough, in fact, to hear some of the train announcements when we are outside the boat. Inside, it is reasonably quiet and we are perfectly placed for a two day visit from our daughter in law Sharon who will be driving or training from west London tomorrow.

April 25

We had some unexpected excitement on the towpath outside Snecklifter last night. I looked up through the kitchen window as I was emptying the teapot to see a group of people outside including a lovely looking young woman with a wonderfully low-cut dress who was looking straight back at me. Instead of turning away in annoyance that I might be ogling her, she gave me a broad smile and carried on with brushing her hair. This morning I discovered she was one of several professional models on a fashion shoot and that she was French. Merveilleux!  

Talking to Chris Thorpe, who's moored across the canal from us at Fishery lock, I found out, however, that my moment of uplift was as nothing compared with his. The models had been photographed on and in his boat, Fenny, and they had included one of his two dogs - Jess - in some of the pictures. Lucky dog, lucky Chris.  

This afternoon our daughter in law, Sharon, arrived from London bearing wine and a delicious cooked chicken. She also brought the rain so we spent a relaxed afternoon doing cross stitch, crochet and occasionally watching snooker from Sheffield before using the chicken as the centrepiece of an excellent meal aboard. We know how to live the good life on the Cut.

April 27

Sharon drove us into Hemel yesterday to look around the town and investigate the charity shops. After another quiet afternoon we took her for an excellent meal at the Fishery Inn and on the way back to the boat were hailed by Chris from the long-term moorings on the opposite side of the canal. He and a group of other boaters Dorothy, Paul, Mark, Graham and Nadine were having a barbecue and a few drinks and why didn't we join them. We did, and spent the next couple of hours talking about boating and finishing up with an almost surreal slide show. The pictures, taken by a photographer friend, were projected from the top of Chris's boat Fenny on to a large white sheet, while we gathered near or under a large flapping tarpaulin rigged to protect us from rain that happily held off, lit by a few lanterns and a couple of burning barbecue pots. A memorable and enjoyable evening.

April 28

Alone again after Sharon's departure yesterday we loafed most of the day and were then prevented from leaving this morning by almost constant rain. A break in the weather about 1pm galvanised us into movement at last, we said goodbye to Chris who helped us through the first lock and then came down through another seven, stopping briefly at Apsley for shopping at Sainsbury's. We are now moored just below Red Lion lock between Apsley and King's Langley. We got wet today but it was good to be on the move again and unless it's pretty dire tomorrow we intend pushing on towards London.

April 29

We set off early this morning, determined to do about 10 locks before mooring out in the country. We have actually done 16 - decent moorings below Rickmansworth are almost non-existent - and have ended up near a rather splendid housing development just short of Harefield. If we continue at this unprecedented pace (for us) we could be on the Thames by the weekend.  

Despite the shortage of moorings, the countryside has been lovely and the canal has been remarkably quiet. In eight hours of travel we have passed only four boats, two of them returning to their long term moorings after watering. Since Easter weekend, in fact, there has been comparatively little movement for a major canal like the Grand Union. Even the fishermen on the banks have been cheery and talkative, pleased no doubt by the warm, dry weather and the absence of boaters.  

Which leads me to a bit of humble pie consumption which I might as well get over and done with now rather than leaving it until later on. Months ago I raised a few eyebrows among southern friends by doubting that we'd find as much friendliness in the south as we experienced in the north - a natural prejudice from someone who spent 40 years of his life in the North and whose experience of the south was mainly travelling on the London underground.  

I WAS WRONG. Everywhere we've been so far, other boaters have been chatty, as have most passers-by on the towpath. The ratio of the surly and uncommunicative to the welcoming and interested has certainly been no higher than in the north. And the fishermen on the whole have definitely been more outgoing. I still think beer is cheaper in the North, but it tastes just as good down here.

April 30

Another 15 locks and about seven hours of cruising have brought us within shouting distance of the Thames. We are moored just above the gauging locks, less than half a mile from Brentford Lock, and will go on to the Thames about 2.15 pm tomorrow. When we get to Teddington we hope to meet Roger Morgan and his wife Sue who have been following the website for some time.  

The journey today surprised even us. We had intended to travel only as far as Cowley Peachey but reached it so quickly we kept going. The Hanwell locks were not easy - some of the gates very heavy - but they took us through such a lovely "country" setting when we had expected urban sprawl. Not until we reached the basin just above the gauging locks did we feel we were travelling into London.  

Yesterday we found help through locks from two youngsters Carly and Daniel and today a young Hungarian, name unknown, made the last lock before Brentford a lot easier by adding his weight to that of a rapidly tiring Liz. Still, a pint in the Northumberland Arms on Brentford High Street has made us both feel better and we are looking forward to the Thames.

May 1

As the moment for debouching onto the Thames approached we both felt a little nervous, largely because there was a strong wind blowing down river. The lock-keeper assured us that it would have to be gale force to counteract the power of the tide to carry us around the headland and up river to Brentford, and of course he was right. We were delayed about 15 minutes, however, after another boat entering the lock in front of us had a slight accident. But we were soon out into mid-stream and it was reassuring to have another boat ahead of us all the way.  

The wind certainly created choppy conditions on some long stretches but in the lee of the many islands in the Thames it was a little calmer. As we passed under Richmond Bridge our daugher in law Sharon was up there waving and taking photographs, while Liz was busy photographing her. It was good to see so many familiar sights again, especially the stretch before Richmond Bridge where we walked the dogs every time we visited Isleworth to see Jonathan and Sharon. The hour-long run was nerve-wracking without being frightening and we were both glad when we entered Teddington lock and emerged onto the non-tidal Thames, mooring a couple of hundred yards up on the left hand bank.  

This evening we met Roger and Sue Morgan whose boat Ballard is based at Napton and went to a splendid pub called Tide's End Cottage, where they served Old Speckled Hen, Abbot's Ale and two other real ales - spoilt for choice, in fact. Roger and Sue are delightful company and we stayed out later than we have been before on the Cut, sharing stories about life on the canal - of which they have longer experience than us - and giving us helpful advice on where to moor and shop on the reaches of the Thames that lie ahead. Roger was especially disconcerting because he remembers so many details of this diary, following us since we were on the Bridgewater last June. He kept quoting back comments and facts that I have posted on this website over many months, thinking they were disappearing into the ether. It was a strange but pleasing experience realising that he knew almost as much about our last nine or ten months as we did! Another couple of boaters we hope we meet up with again.

May 3

It took us little more than half an hour yesterday morning to come up to a beautiful mooring above Kingston bridge with an impressive view across the Thames to the restaurants, pubs, flats and offices on the opposite bank. Later in the morning we walked over the bridge into the town and returned just in time to beat the rain. It dried up long enough for me to get on with an oil and filter change but high winds moved the boat around more than ever before in our 13 months aboard. We pulled up the drawbridge and relaxed,  

A calmer night has been followed by a sunny morning, and the activity on the river has already been fascinating - single oarsmen, fours, eights and even two people of our age on a motor skiff - and all this before 0900 hours. Between 50 and 100 yards behind us are a couple of dozen swans, a lovely sight but they've made the towpath close to the boat more than a little muddy.

May 5

We have had a wonderful couple of days at Kingston, most of it sitting up on deck or gazing through the side hatch at people enjoying themselves. The Thames has been alive with activity : narrowboats, cruisers, yachtsmen and oarsmen on the water, runners, walkers, cyclists and picnickers on one bank, and walkers, shoppers, drinkers and street musicians on the other. Swans, mallard and Canada geese have patrolled the water between all this hectic movement and this morning we spotted among them a black swan that eventually came close enough for me to get some good pictures (to be posted later this week with others taken on the Thames). On both days a swallow has been within a foot or so of our galley window, mixing small pieces of twig with mud from the bank ready for nest-making.  

We’ve also met some other boaters and especially enjoyed talking to Sean and Julia who have been living aboard their narrowboat William for one month less than we’ve been on Snecklifter. Their dog Merve is delightful the way he sits on their bow for hours, watching the world go by and looking very noble when people come up to admire him. Another young family, Cath and Tom and their two children living on a widebeam boat Margaretha, have been lovely, telling us about a good walk through Hampton Court home park which is just beside us and giving Bess and Molly their first chance in days to run off the lead - until we came to a nesting swan when back on they went.  

Early this afternoon we drove with our son and daughter in law, Jonathan and Sharon, to their house in Isleworth and enjoyed a barbecue in the back garden, with their friends Sarah Moss and Paula Sutherland joining us before the home-made burgers and flatbreads were completely devoured. Tonight has been spent quietly in front of the snooker, preparing ourselves mentally for moving on tomorrow up the Thames toward the Kennet and Avon.

May 6

After nearly four days of comparative inactivity we leapt into action this morning and have cruised from Kingston to Runnymede, 16 miles and six locks, a stop at the first lock for water and toilets, then a diversion into Shepperton marina for diesel. The weather has been sunny, the scenery breathtaking and we are at last beginning to lose that nervous tension that the sheer scale of the Thames induced in us from the moment we left Brentwood.  

Threading my way between serried rows of fibre glass cruisers, most of them looking extremely expensive, to get us into the marina was something of a balletic triumph and I felt as though I wanted to punch the air when we finally came out into mid-stream again. Then, as we left Shepperton lock a small working barge stopped us and the driver asked us to tether up to some new piling on the left hand side because a large heavily-laden barge was on its way past us. I managed to ground the bow so securely the small barge later had to pull us off with a towline. It brought me back to a more modest assessment of my boating skills

May 8

A long, tiring day yesterday brought us to a paid mooring at Bourne End with a fine view of the Thames and a short walk to a pub with a decent pint of Flowers IPA. We immediately got chatting to Russ and Linda who live on a magnificent widebeam boat called Apolonia and they obviously still love the life after 13 years.  

This morning we had a shorter run to Henley, mooring on a lovely meadow site below the town where we plan to wait until our friends Ken and Mary DeVille join us for the day on Sunday. It's only a ten minute walk to the town centre where there's a Waitrose and many other good quality shops and Liz has already sounded out the library about free internet access and other facilities. Opposite and above us workmen are preparing for the Henley Regatta which starts in July.  

In the meantime, we had a splendid welcome from Steve Ryan-Bell on River Otter who has the local franchise for mooring fees and came to collect our money shortly after our arrival. Although we had never heard from him by email like so many others, he has followed the website and immediately recognised us when he saw the name of the boat. He has already been very helpful, giving us information about shopping etc in the area. If the weather stays dry and sunny this should be a refreshing break after our comparatively "helter-skelter" run down the Grand Union and our fast progress most of the time on the Thames.

May 12

After four days of enjoyable idleness in a splendid mooring — except for washing one side of the boat and waxing it, Incracal-ing lots of brasswork and walking regularly back and fore to Henley to shop and enjoy a few pints of Spitfire ! — we at last pulled up stakes this morning and came down through four Thames locks and into the Kennet and Avon canal. Winding our way through the Oracle centre in Reading was fascinating but heavy rain soon persuaded us to moor just above Fobney lock, a few miles out of the town. It will give us time to update website, diary etc and reflect on a lovely weekend with relatives and friends.  

Sharon came out from Isleworth again on Saturday to have lunch with us — Jonathan is at a weekend conference in Brighton - and shortly before her arrival we were joined at the mooring by Mike and Sue Richardson on Shania, last seen at Fradley at the beginning of March. We enjoyed a coffee together and made arrangements to have a pint in the evening and Sharon said she’d stay for an evening meal and then join us briefly at the pub before setting off back on her road journey. She clearly enjoyed the company because she stayed quite late and left only shortly before Mike, Sue, Liz and I walked back to our boats.  

Next morning Shania set off for Brentford lock before travelling up to the Paddington arm of the Grand Union, through Little Venice and down to Limehouse when they will then come back up the Thames to the Kennet and Avon. We could well be on our way back by then but will almost certainly meet up somewhere on the K & A.  

Just after midday, our friends from Derbyshire, Ken and Mary DeVille arrived from an overnight stay near Kew Gardens after the previous evening’s special concert in a local pub by Ralph McTell and others. They took us for an excellent lunch at Wetherspoons in Henley, outstanding at the price, and then we strolled around the French market in the town centre. It was still sunny, of course.  

This morning Steve came over to say goodbye before we left Henley and we were honestly able to say we might see him again. Over the last 11 days something of our nervousness (not quite fear) of the wide expanses of the Thames has lessened and both Liz and I could well do it all again sometime. If we do, another longish stop at Henley will be a must — especially at a mooring so quiet and attractive.

May 16

This diary had been neglected for the last four days - not from indifference but from illness. Since we've been living on the boat (nearly 14 months) I have had only a couple of days feeling unwell and in both instances it was traceable to upset stomach - probably something I ate. So I cannot really complain. But a few hours after leaving our first mooring on the K & A I started feeling a bit dizzy and my shoulders and legs increasingly ached. It was not helped by some of the toughest locks we've yet encountered : very large with gate paddles only, through which the water flowed into the lock in torrents no matter how slowly they were opened. We had not long left the big locks of the Grand Union behind and had managed very well but these were harder to manage.  

What made things worse was that there were no decent mooring places until we reached Aldermaston and that took us about six hours. Even then the mooring was limited to four hours so we had a bite to eat and then pressed on until we reached the 48 hour moorings at Woolhampton. If we could just have pulled over and rested sooner it might have been better. After two days here I still felt rough, not really ill but washed out and weak, so Liz rang BW who were very helpful, telling us to stay where we were until I felt better, which hopefully will be in the next day or two.  

We would still like to get as far as Newbury or Hungerford where our son David lives and works but we are increasingly doubtful if we will go further unless the locks and moorings improve. There are so many other canals we love being on it seems pointless to punish ourselves just for the promise of beautiful countryside after Newbury.  

One major plus here has been meeting a chap called Gary Furneaux on Peggy T, who hails from Grimsby but has lived in and around London for many years. He cheered us up a great deal for the two days he stayed here and if I had felt better we would have travelled up towards Newbury with him. It would have been much easier in these locks with two boats. But we still hope to see him again if we do travel much further up the K & A before turning tail and heading for the Thames and the Oxford canal.

May 24

At last I have been able to update this diary - even though my website is only an emergency version until I can finish rebuilding it.  Running parallel with my own illness (a flu-like virus that Liz seems to be coming down with) has been a rather sick computer.  Last Sunday during a visit from son David at Woolhampton, my hard drive failed, my second hard drive couldn't solve anything, so I had to find a new hard drive and instal it, rebuilding most of my programs from scratch.  Luckily our friend Roger Morgan, who met us at Teddington when we first came on to the Thames, rang to find out why the site had not been updated and found us a Comet at Reading where I could get the vital drive.  

From our present mooring between Day's Lock and Dorchester on the Thames it will be obvious to all that we did indeed give up on the K & A.  We cruised as far as Newbury, returned to Woolhampton to meet Dave and then cruised back to our original mooring just above Fobney Lock.  By that time my flu was getting worse so we stayed there for three days before finally returning to the Thames yesterday morning, mooring at Reading to get the hard drive and shop at Tesco before travelling up to Mapledurham where we collapsed for the night in a beautiful spot alongside a natural meadow filled with buttercups.   

The next few days will be spent getting the website back in order, returning the computer to its pre-sickness state, and cleaning a boat that is badly in need of care and attention after the punishing locks of the K & A, a canal which Liz and I have no intention of visiting again, despite all the assurances from friends that it gets really lovely beyond Newbury and Hungerford. 

In the meantime, thanks to all of you "regulars" who have been so thoughtful in sending me emails of concern etc.   We didn't get back onto the internet until late last night but I will reply to you all as soon as possible. And please forgive the missing material on the site.  It will get back to normal soon.

May 25

Liz is now beginning to suffer with the same illness that laid me low but inevitably she has kept going and demonstrated yet again a woman's determination not to give in.  I'm beginning to feel better and have spent the day catching up on brasses, odd jobs inside like cementing around the chimney where it joins our solid fuel stove  - it has been too wet off and on to start external rust proofing and painting.  I've also restored more of the website, including the diary archive for 2003 and latest pictures.  Tomorrow I'll tackle archive pictures and that should bring it fully into shape.  However, if any of you spot any errors please let me know and they will be corrected.

May 26

Another quiet day on the Thames, with Liz still suffering from our flu-type virus, while I have spent hours on a string of minor jobs that have been neglected over the last few months - treating spots of rust, covering every bit of brass in sight with Incralac.  We have been moored for the last three days next to a cruiser Santa Lena whose owner Mike has been smashing, helping with general advice about the area and this morning offering to take our rubbish when he and his guests left for home. 

It reminds me to reinforce my early comments about the friendliness of people we have met, especially boaters like Arthur and Cilla on Nighthawk and Fred and Betty on Drake's Folly.  Walking through villages and small towns we have been greeted and engaged in conversation by dozens of people like the chap in Goring who was born in Sheffield and worked for Firth Brown before coming south. And new friends like Roger Morgan who have emailed or phoned us to see if we need anything and offered to bring us vital supplies while we are in the south-east.   We will not return to the K & A but will come back in a year or two for another couple of months on the Thames.   Now we look forward to moving on tomorrow to Abingdon, reaching the Oxford canal by the weekend.

May 28

We stayed another night above Day's lock instead of moving on as planned, but this morning Liz felt well enough for us to leave and travel up to Abingdon where we moored just behind Fred and Betty on Drake's Folly.  After a much-needed shopping expedition to Waitrose we returned to the boats and sat out nattering with Fred and Betty.  Hardly 30 minutes had gone by when another boat arrived whose driver they recognised from their moorings at Newbury.  It took only a few seconds for me to recognise the boat rather than the man at the helm - Ronarosa - another Heron craft whose owner Mike Hecken was in touch with us from early on in our travels.  Mike has his own website which is accessible (as is ours) through Heron's site. 

While Liz and Betty talked together - mainly about coping with laundry and drying wet clothes - we spent the next hour or so comparing notes on engines, electrics and boatbuilding in general.   Mike and I agreed we had had good support from Heron.

May 29

Said au revoir to Mike Hecken this morning but expect to see him and Fred and Betty on the Oxford Canal in the next couple of weeks.  We had intended reaching the Oxford today but two major delays changed our minds and we have pulled in to an isolated mooring above Godstow Lock and a short distance below King's Lock which is just before the turning into the Duke's Cut connecting the Thames with the Oxford.  This has given us a reasonably early finish and Liz has the chance to try out her new acquisition - a table-top pressure washer that could save us money at laundrettes.  More on this in future editions. 

The first delay was not as bad as it might have been.  Sandford lock was about to be closed for a good part of the day while divers went down and checked out damage to the gates (we think) and we were held back for 30 minutes until a passenger launch came up when we could tag on.   After that went through, the lock would be closed for a longer period.  So many small craft arrived however that the lockie let us all through before the passenger boat arrived.  We then cruised up to Iffley Lock only to discover that a regatta was being held between the lock and Oxford itself.  Again we waited for the passenger launch and several of us followed an Environment Agency boat in convoy behind a batch of rowing eights.  By the time we reached Oxford we had cleared the regatta course and continued on towards Duke's Cut.   The continuing heat and the long exposure since nine this morning, however, convinced us that it would be better to stay on the Thames for another night and go on tomorrow.

May 30

An early start this morning brought us to the Oxford Canal by 9.30 am and we then spent an hour or so re-adjusting to the slower pace after the "speed" of the Thames.  The bottom stretches of the Oxford are not as pretty as they become further north but we are still in a very attractice mooring at Thrupp, yards from The Boat inn.  Ahead of us is Mike Hecken on Ronarosa and Arthur and Cilla on Nighthawk.  It has been especially fascinating to compare Heron stories with Mike over a pint at the pub and we have just passed a pleasant half hour showing each other over our boats.  Although Mike's boat is different from ours, built to his design and to meet his special needs, it has all the typical Heron features which we like so much.  If this mooring proves not too noisy tonight we will probably stay another day or so.

June 1

With an excellent mooring, two pubs within walking distance and some very pleasant neighbours, we have stayed on at Thrupp over the weekend and will probably wait until Tuesday before moving up towards Lower Heyford.   Liz has been catching up on washing and cleaning after our fortnight of enforced idleness - we are both feeling much better - and I have been washing and painting the outside of the boat. 

Just after arriving here a man walking his dog along the towpath said hello and after he had moved on I thought I knew his face.  A few hours later I saw his boat Mole and realised it was John who we had seen several times on the Ashby and for a couple of days especially at Snarestone where he was a regular with his lovely dog Bess at the Globe pub.  We has since renewed acquaintance and this morning he helped me solve a long-standing electrical problem - well not so much a problem, more an irritation. 

We also spent a couple of days with Mike Hecken of Ronarasa who caught up with us on Friday afternoon. He's not a big drinker but we inveigled him into the pub on three different occasions, each time only for a pint, but he's convinced we could be a bad influence on him.  He has quite a history, much of it paralleling my own - a jazz fan from his youth, he played in a skiffle group, became an amateur guitarist and helped run jazz societies.  Well, I didn't play skiffle but dabbled (badly) with clarinet and was a jazz critic for a Sheffield newspaper for many years - when you can't do something, write about it instead !  Mike's website is now listed on my Links page. 

Another couple of new boating acquaintances are next door to us on Jezebelle.  Andrew and Brenda have been living on their boat for two years and obviously love the life as much as we do.  They are based on the Lancaster canal but spend a good part of the season cruising.  Just beyond them are Albert and Sylvia on The Wenham.  Albert has been very helpful with advice. Sylvia makes beautiful greetings cards and painted T-shirts and sweat shirts for sale.

June 4

We left Thrupp yesterday morning and by lunchtime had arrived at Lower Heyford, walking across a couple of fields to The Bell for a pint.  John of Mole had told us there were better moorings just above the Mill lift bridge and he was right - very rural and perfect for the dogs.  The one drawback was we had no phone signal for the first time since buying the excellent outside arial from the Boaters' Phone Company when we were at Great Haywood last year, so I could not update this diary.  In the most difficult of spots the arial has previously boosted the weakest signals to full power most of the time. 

Today we travelled on to Aynho, arriving just as the rain started and planning to stay there a day or two during which we would enjoy some Hook Norton at the Great Western Arms.  The beer is still excellent but the pub has changed hands and been given a thorough "doing-up".   It has not been spoiled by any means - the railway memorabilia still dominates the walls - but the emphasis is now on food and it's not the pub we remember with affection from two boating holidays on this canal.  So we moved on with regret after a superb pint and are now moored just above Nell Bridge lock, leaving us a couple of hours to run up to Banbury in the morning.