To Rugby next

The Oxford Canal (North), no tunnels, lots of locks, lots of miles

Well, it's been a while I know, but we will hopefully now be updating the blog on a regular basis again, either myself or Lynne.




Brumpoolie moored at the water point in Thrupp.


After going down the Oxford canal, and passing through the lovely Banbury and Thrupp on the way, we now head north. We want to cruise the Shropshire Union Canal, which is a really pretty and lovely canal. Our route could have taken us through Birmingham and Wolverhampton, but we felt there would be limited opportunities for the dogs to have nice walks there, so we have gone a different way. Plus we were not too keen on going through a lot of urban canal areas. We will maybe when we are more experienced, but we'll take the quiter route for now thank you! So we are heading north back onto the Oxford canal, but this time the nothern section, then onto the Coventry canal. Which way we go after that, we will decide when we arrive (whenever that is) We do not move about in any kind of hurry these days, we like to take our time.

This wonderful new lifestyle that we are both enjoying, is very peacful and quite. You realise there is no need to hurry anywhere, plus there are always some jobs to do. An oil change was the latest job. I mean it's years since I done anything like that, but you have to look after the boat, it's your life support system, as well as your home. Now in the normal world an oil change is simple enough, but on the boat it provides extra challenges. Simply buying the oil and the filter makes you think. It's not as straight forward as ordering online and waiting for a delivery to your house. Our post box moves around all the time with us, and the address changes. Also, I can't just jump in a car and drive to the nearest shop, I don't have a car anymore. Plenty of buses though! How I sorted my oil and filter out was, we moored beside a boatyard and I asked them to order what I needed. And Kate Boats of Warwick were spot on. The said items came later the same day!! So the oil change is done and the engine is purring again.

Well since the last update I have been getting into a few scrapes. In one incident, we moored in the small Marina at Aynho (North of Oxford) It was raining in the evening and I had just finished the dogs walks. Well Louis had not quite finished his! He sat down on the path and was having a look around, in the rain! This meant he was not going to move. I would have to pick him up and carry him back into the boat. Well I can make him go in, but well he's so cute you can't resist him. So I climbed onto the boat to return some things I had been carrying, when I slipped and, ploosh I went into the canal! After some flapping about under the water, I ralised the water was only about five foot deep, so I was able to stand up with my head just above the water. There was a tyre between our boat and the boat next door, so I grabbed this and pulled myself out. Lynne had come outside wondering what all the commotion was about. Louis was sitting sniffing the air wondering where his carry back to the boat had got to!! After a clothes change everything was fine and we both had a good laugh about it. I always wondered what it would be like to fall into the canal, well now I know. I will tell of the other things that have happened in future blogs, there are a few to tell! Plus I will upload some pictures the next time.

no civilisation, no signal !

Hello, we have a signal at last! We have been around the Braunston area, where it seems electronic telephone signals do not work, or at least only fleetingly. We have now moved closer to civilisation (Banbury to be precise) where we now seem to get a signal. I will update the blog in the next few days.

Blisworth Tunnel

Grand Union Canal, Norton Junction, 1 tunnel, 7 locks,  15 miles

The Blisworth Tunnel, Wednesday.

Well that was an experience! The Blisworth tunnel takes about 30 minutes to go through, it is dark and at times there is water pouring down through various vents and gaps. Lynne spent most of the time inside making sure the dogs were ok. We had the curtains closed and the lights switched on. I had the boat’s headlight on so I could see where we were going, just! There is room in the tunnel for two boats to pass each other, with only a few inches to spare. This was a test for my helmsman skills indeed. We passed one boat perfectly, then just before the end of the tunnel another boat appeared. I had our boat perfectly positioned a few inches from the right hand side of the tunnel, but “thump” the other boat clipped the side of ours. Their skipper shouted “your headlight is too bright! I think he was just covering his own embarrassment.

Checking out the tunnel with some of the crew of Brumpoolie before setting off.

Off we go into the unknown!

We made it!

After the tunnel, we had decided to moor at a small place called Weedon Bec. As we made our way there, I spotted a yard selling cheap diesel. So I managed to stop the boat in time and moor up. Lynne took Minnie off here and walked her along the towpath. I would catch her up later in the boat. The diesel was only 88p a litre and the boat took 30 litres to top up. There was also cheap coal and wood, so we got 2 bags each of wood, kindling and coal (smokeless of course) After paying, we set off again to head for Weedon Bec. We arrived at about 4pm and moored up for the night. This spot was beside a Onestop convenience store, so I went off to get some provisions. We were also beside a main rail line, and although the trains were frequent, we quickly got used to the sound. It was only for one night anyway.

Thursday, and we set off for Norton Junction and our next overnight stop. To get there we had to go up seven locks in total.  The weather was still pretty bad with the rain constantly starting and stopping. When it rained it was either persistent drizzle a heavy downpour. Again Lynne was doing the locks while I steered the boat. As  the locks are wide locks, it is best to share with another Narrowboat. This saves on water so it is important to share if at all possible.  Lynne had walked the short distance ahead to set the lock, while I untied the boat ready for the off. As I was doing this another boat passed and asked if we were doing the locks. Perfect,  we had someone to share with. It also meant of course the work is shared between more people,  and it makes it easier for Lynne. Seven locks later, we had reached our destination. The mooring spots are just after these locks, we tied up for the night. At the top lock Lynne spotted the craft shop she wanted to see. And I spotted a nice pub. Sorted.

On Friday we are off to Braunston, up some more locks. Braunston is one of the oldest established canal villages on the network. Lot's of boaty things happening here. We intend on staying here for a few days while we get a new inverter fitted.

We finally move off

Grand Union Canal, Stoke Bruerne, 7 locks,  9 miles

Before we set off to cruise the canals, we said our farewell to Paul and Val. They have been very good to us and have become good friends. The help, advice, support and friendship they have given to us in the short time we have known them, has given us the confidence to enter the world of living on a boat. They are both finishing their own jobs soon as their contracts have ended. So they will give us a call in a couple of weeks to see where we are. Maybe we will meet up again soon.

Paul and Val with me and the three doggies

On Saturday, we headed off to Wolverton. This is our first short stop. We took on water first as we passed the water point at Cosgrove.

After staying a second night at Wolverton because of the heavy rain, we then moved on nearer to Stoke Bruerne, the bottom locks. Although the weather was gloriously sunny,  the rain from the day before meant that their was lots of water overflowing from the nearby river Ouse. This was causing problems in steering the boat, in particulay when passing weirs. The water flows beside the weirs, pushing the boat firmly in a certain direction. Along with the wind, the boat took some determined steering and concentration to keep us on course. I also seeked to loose some power after about an hour. I suspected that something had caught around the propeller to cause this. And sure enough we had a plastic bag wrapped around! This was removed once we stopped by sticking my arm done the weed hatch to remove the offending article. A boat moored next to us that night had a similar problem. But they had some ladies underwear round their propeller. Washing can fall in the canal if you are not careful.

Tuesday morning and we are off to Stoke Bruerne. There are seven locks altogether to take you to the top of the hill. Each lock raising the boat in height until we were 56 foot higher at the top. The overnight rain had stopped at first, but by the time we got to the top lock it was pouring down from the heavens. Because of water shortages (yes I know it's hard to believe with the rain we are having) some of the locks are only open between 10am and 3pm each day. So we set off at 10am today, first boat into the locks. Lynne does the locks while I steer the boat, The locks are hard work, but Lynne prefers to do things this way, she will not touch the steering. Ah well! There are always other people to help at the locks, plus many of the flights of locks have volunteers or lock keepers working the locks each day. We had one helpful chap who done all seven locks with Lynne.  

Stoke Bruerne is one of the oldest and longest established canal villages and it attracts many visitors each year. People who come and look at the boats are known as “Gongoozlers”. We were Gongoozlers once. The area around the top lock is certainly very picturesque, with two lovely pubs, nice gift shops, and the National Canal Museum.

Tomorrow we are off through Blisworth tunnel. The tunnel is wide enough for two boats, has a bend in it, is in complete darkness,has water coming down in places and is 3075 yards long. It takes half an hour to go through. Should be interesting!

PS I'll try and upload more pictures,but the internet connection is poor here.

The Auction, The Result

Grand Union Canal, Willen Park, 0 miles, 0 locks

Well how did the car get on?

That's my car (the black one at the top of the picture) waiting for it's fate to be decided. This picture was taken before the auction. Our car was given the best spot where everyone could see it, right beside the entrance to the Auction. 

The crowds gather, waiting for the proceedings to begin.

As the first car appeared, the auction commenced.

The chap on the podium with the microphone is the auctioneer.  He reminded me of Fred Elliott. Everything he said had to be repeated about three times, I said about three times!

Then it was the turn of my car. As I had to stand next to the auctioneer in case he needed to consult me on the vehicle, I did not get a picture. But as the bidding got close to the reserve figure, the bidding slowed right down and....fell short of the reserve, not sold. Ah well I thought, it wasn't meant to be this time. So I queued to get my keys and log book back from the auction office, ready to drive the car back to the boat. Then my phone rang. It was a number I did not recognise, when I answared it,  the call was from the car auction. And I was in their queue at the same office! Basically the person who put the last bid in wanted to buy the car. We agreed a figure (this was a little more than the final auction bid, but less than my reserve) The car was sold after all - Phew! We did not get as much as we wanted, but at least it is sold now and we can get on our way.

So, we will be on the move in the next few days. Two tunnels, one aquaduct, lots of locks, one National Waterways Museam, plus lots of surprises await us as we head off towards Oxford. We can't wait! 

Car auction day today

The Grand Union Canal, Willen Park, 0 miles, 0 locks

It's Wednesday, and that is car auction day. The weather for the occasion, well it's raining a lot. Raincoats required today!

I will attend the auction this time, and that means I will get some pictures of what goes on. The plan is I will take the car along at about 4.30pm. Fill the paperwork out, then hang around for a while until the auction starts at 6.30pm. It's supposed to take a couple of hours for the auction to take place. If I do not sell the car I will drive back, but if it sells I will get a taxi back to the boat. I don't fancy getting the two buses late at night.

Before that though, I checked the diesel tank on Brumpoolie yesterday afternoon and the diesel level is way down. I know we are not going anywhere at the moment, but we run the engine to give us electricity. So I will drive to Peartree Marina this morning, which is about 4 miles away, and fill my two barrels with diesel. They both take about 25 litres each, so this will give me 50 litres and a good top up.

The gas bottle also ran out the other day. I had a spare which I changed, so I will also need to replace this new empty bottle with a full one from Peartree Marina today. One thing I found out was when I came to change the bottle on Saturday, was I did not have a spanner to undo the large nut that connects the bottle. So I had to borrow one from Paul next door. As we went to the Car Boot sale on Sunday morning at the MK Bowl, I managed to get one there. We checked to see if it would fit on a gas bottle we spied behind a burger van. The owner spotted us with our spanner on his gas bottle and thought we were trying to pinch his gas!. We quickly explained what we were doing, and made a hasty retreat to the spanner seller.

Lynne, I'm sure will be doing her favourite pastime of cross stitch today while I am out. So, several wet and muddy walks with the dogs (v quick ones), a visit to Peartree and then the Car Auction later. Fingers crossed we can sell the car so we can finally move off on our travels.

After the auction I'll post a blog to let you know how we got on.

Car Auction, then on the move.

The Grand Union Canal, Giffard Park to Willen Park 1 mile, 0 locks.

One of our two main things to get done before we are set for the off, is selling the car. I decided to see if I could sell it at the Milton Keynes auction. The auction is based beside the site of the MK Bowl. This has been used in the past for some of the big concerts in the area such as Robbie Williams, but nowerdays it is more likely to be used for Sunday car boot sales!. The car auction is across the road in a purpose built “shed”

The Auction is held every Wednesday and Friday, so Friday’s auction is was to be for me. After sorting out the paperwork, I took the car to the auction, walked halfway back to the to the boat when it started to pour with rain. So I hopped on the first no 2 bus to Newport Pagnel, which goes past Giffard Park. If I had walked the full way back it would have been about 6 miles. I like walking…

Look at the black clouds over the Auction building, maybe this was an omen?

On Saturday I called to find out if the car had sold, but….unfortunetely it did not. Never mind. I think I put the reserve price a little high for the auction, but I do not want to give the car away. So, I will need to drop the price and enter it into Fridays Wednesday's Auction.

Saturday was a busy old day. After finding out the car did not sell at the auction, I had to get back to pick it up. A two bus journey there, a nice car drive back. The first thing I done on my return to the boat was to have a nice sausage sandwich…yummy.

Sizzling Sausages...Mmmm

After my sandwich, Paul in the next boat to us gave me a knock to say he had been to get his long hose, did I want to fill up with water? It always makes sense to when you can. So we both filled up before Paul asked for help to start his chain saw. This is used for cutting wood for the fire. If you find any suitable logs by the canal, it makes sense to grab them, then using the saw, cut them into pieces that fit into the solid fuel stove. Paul always has trouble starting his chainsaw, but I seem to have the knack. So we spent the next half an hour cutting up his wood, and I had my first go at using a chainsaw. Pretty violent things these chainsaws……..scary.

That's Paul on the left keeping the log still, and me using the saw on the right.

Sunday, we were on the move to Willen Park, again we followed our lovely neighbours Paul and Val, with their dog “Pepper” They have been so kind and generous towards us. Willen Park is only a short distance away, but as you should only stay in once place for up to 14 days, Paul wanted to move on, and we followed suit. I will post some pictures of Willen Park in the next blog.

Lynne took this picture of me when I was turning the boat round, ready to head off towards Willen Park. This is what I like to do, be on the move, seeing new places ...

Lots of catch up Pictures

Moored at Giffard Park, 0 miles, 0 locks

As promised, here are some pictures I have wanted to post over the last week or so.

 Minnie enjoying life at our previous base, Campbell Park.

Lynne out for a walk at Campbell Park with the doggies.

Rory enjoying a walk without a leader, freedom at last. "Now where have the other two got to?"

Our shops at Giffard Park

This swan is a regular visiter to our boat, usually at tea time!

Minnie wondering what my next move will be, a walk perhaps?

Lynne enjoying doing her cross stitch.

One of my trips out in the car took me to Leighton Buzzard, it was quite nice here.

When I was in Leighton Buzzard I came accross this. I couldn't resist taking a picture for Lynne, I know how much she misses her work!!

Doggie walk time again...

More pictures of Lindford, it's really nice around here.

Above is Lindford Hall

Messing around on Brumpoolie

 

And finally to finish off, an evening view from our side hatch

There are jobs to do and there are jobs to do

Moored at Giffard Park, 0 miles, 0 locks

Although we are still at Giffard Park, we have spent the last week doing jobs. We will be here for another few days to allow us to complete most of these jobs onboard Brumpoolie before we set off cruising around the canal system. But there are also other kinds of jobs to be done, daily "boaty" jobs.

The daily jobs are things like buying diesel to power the engine,  so we can produce electricity and heat, emptying rubbish, the loo and filling up with water. Yes unlike being on land where there is an endless supply of these kind of resources, we have to go and fetch such things! The picture below is a typical British Waterways service point, where water can be found and the facilities for getting rid of rubbish and emptying the loo! These services are free once you have bought your BW licence (same as car tax)

The diesel is from a local Marina which is about 3 miles away by car. I take my two barrels in the car, fill them up and on my return pour the diesel into my tank. Because we use red diesel and it is for heating, I only paid £1.06p per litre. The tank on Brumpoolie holds over 200 lites of diesel,  so it takes some filling. You can also buy the diesel from certain boats on the canals that sell diesel and coal etc, but you have to find out where they are going to be first! Once you are cruising you have to look out for the services and make sure you are topped up and emptied. otherwise you might enter a stretch of canal where there are no resources for a while and you could run out.

The other sort of jobs we are doing is sorting Brumpoolie out so we are ready to cruise. The first thing was we bought a 12v television and indoor arial. Any items using 12v electricity will save our resources and use less diesel. We bought a Logik 22" TV from Currys and an indoor Moonraker Ariel from Maplins. Perfect. We also bought a small bookshelf for the saloon (lounge) Next up are some storage boxes for the wardrobes. Space is at a premium onboard, so anything that helps save space is good. A new kettle, a pump for the diesel tank, a couple of chairs and a small camping table for sitting outside when the sun shines, various clothes hangers for drying the washing, plus various other bits and pieces. 

There are two main things left to do. Sort out the washing machine and sell my car.

Now the washing machine does not work and will need a new inverter installed to make it work. We will have this done when we start cruising and reach Braunston. I have spoken to an engineer there who will sort it when we arrive in about two weeks. In the mean time, it's more hand washing for Lynne!

As for the car, we will be moving around and will not need this. I might put it into a big car auction that is held here in Milton Keynes twice a week. I will go and speak to them tomorrow and see what they say.

Tomorrow I will catch up with lots of pictures.

A nice surprise!

Moored at Giffard Park, 0 miles, 0 locks

On Monday we had a nice surprise. A call from Joanne in the early in the afternoon. " I will be on the train to Milton Keynes this afternoon" This would be the first time Joanne had seen the boat, very exciting. So, a quick tidy up of Brumpoolie, followed by some food shopping at the local "Onestop" store which less than a minutes walk away. The train station is only a couple of miles away on the other side of Milton Keynes from our mooring spot at Giffard Park, so I picked Joanne up in the car at about 7pm. It was a nice surprise to see Joanne and a chance to catch up.

On Tuesday we went on a mini cruise back to Campbell Park which took about 1 hour each way including turning the boat around. While we were at Campbell Park, Lynne and Joanne then walked into MK Centre to look around the shops for a while. Joanne was not very impressed with MK Shopping Centre! The cruise back to Giffard Park was interesting as the wind was up and it was pouring with rain. This is fine if you are inside the boat with a hot cup of tea,  but if you are stearing the boat outside, slightly less dry.

On Wednesday, Lynne and Joanne took Minnie for a walk to Linford. This is a small village about 1 mile from the boat. Linforde was first mentioned in the Doomsday book in 1086. These are beautifully restored buildings and create a lovely area to visit, with landscaped areas around about including picnic tables.

Then sadly, time for Joanne to leave. So we were off to the station to catch the 4.13 train to London. This takes about 1.5 to 2 hours, followed by another train to Crawley, a journey of about 45 mins.

That was a real nice surprise to see Joanne, not sure when we will see her next, hopefully not before too long.

Giffard Park and Sunday Football

Campbell Park to Giffard Park, Grand Union Canal, 1.8 miles 0 locks

We have moved on now to Giffard Park, almost 2 miles along the canal. This does not seem far, but this took 45 minutes to cruise! Such is the pace along the canals. Suits us fine. We are allowed to stay here for 14 days before moving on again.

Giffard Park is not as pretty as Campbell Park, but it does have some advantages. Within a few minutes walking it has toilet and water points, several shops and a pub.

Now the pub made me think. I like to watch Newcastle United. As yet we do not have sky on Brumpoolie, so I have to go to the pub to watch the Newcastle matches, yes I know. They were on the TV last Sunday, so I looked for a nice pub using Google maps on my mobile, and set off on foot for a nice walk there. After setting off, a thought occurred to me. What if they do not show the match? We take it for granted that just about all pubs in the North East will show the football because of the interest, but maybe not so in Milton Keynes. So I called the pub. "Football sir? never heard of it,  no we do not have Sky". Well as it was only about 20 or 30 minutes before kick off and I was halfway to this pub with no car, I was in trouble!. So I phoned a few more pubs, but they all said no we do not show the football. One pub eventually did say yes, the Slug and Lettuce in Milton Keynes Centre. So I hot footed it there just to catch the start, even though it was almost 2 miles away. There were only a couple of people in the pub who were eating a meal, so I had the TV to myself! Now the reason I mention this is that Newcastle are again on the TV this Sunday, but I will have no such problems this time.

The Pub is a mere few steps away....

Here are a few more pictures of our new base at Giffard Park....

On the move today

Campbell Park, Milton Keynes 0 miles, 0 locks

Well, it's a big day today. We are on the move later! The mooring at Campbell Park we have been using is only a winter mooring. These can usually be used from October until March. Our time is up here, so for now, we are moving a few miles north to Giffard Park. I walked there with Minnie yesterday and it looks quite nice. There is a big field for the dogs, several shops, a point for water etc, and oh yes I nearly forgot, a pub which is less than 1 minutes walk away!

This will be the first time we have moved the boat, so it will be an exiting day. We have arranged to follow Paul and Valerie in the boat nest to us, who are also going to Giffard Park. They have been great to us offering help and advice each day.

First though, I need to turn the boat round this morning,  put two new fenders onto one side of the boat (these are plastic or rope things that hang over the side of the boat to protect the sides). I will also need to fill up with water before we leave.

Tomorrow I will post some pictures of our first journey and new resting place.

The weekend and more

Weekends at Campbell Park are busy with visitors. Brumpoolie is moored beside the car park and we have a bench seat right outside. This means that a lot of the visitors pass our boat, and use the seat. Lots of people to talk to and lots of doggies for our trio to socialise with.

There were 10 dogs here altogether. Two are behind the lady on the seat and Minnie is out of view somewhere. The dogs had a great time, and owners too. The dog in the centre of the picture was very clever. His owner told him to sit, he then held an acorn in the air above his dogs head and said"dance". The dog would then stand on his two back legs are go around in circles, dancing! They could be on Britain's Got Talent.

Monday brought sunshine, but some jobs needed to be done. The boat needed water, gas and diesel, plus the loo and our rubbish needed emptying. Brumpoolie is moored too far from the water point to fill up, so I got chatting to one of my neighbours Bill on Narrowboat "Our Lucy". He was about to fill his boat with water, along with Collete from Narrowboat " Paris" so I tagged along so I could use their long hosepipe. After we filled up all three boats, we all trooped off (in two cars) to the local boatyard. It was very kind of Bill and Collette to show me the ropes as it were. This is all very new to me.You can read up about these things as much as you like, but the only way to really learn is to get on with it!

Jobs done, and time to enjoy some sunshine and, Mmm,well ok a beer or two as well.

While Lynne relaxed by sitting on the grass with Minnie who looked very content.

I couldn't help but think. If we were still working what would we be doing now, it certainly wouldn't be enjoying today's sunshine. I can't wait for tomorrow.....

Our new life begins...

Well, we've done it!

On Thursday morning we packed the last of our belongings into the car. A few things had to be taken to Lynne's mam's house for storage and a few things had to be binned. This included some of my books and the electric blanket. But the car was just SO full, with every possible space filled up. Lynne had to climb into the tiniest space possible in the back with 2 of the dogs. Louis if course was in the front next to me! We also had to leave a few things at the cottage, including the iron, an electric heater and a few other bits and pieces. We do have a travel iron with us, this will have to do for now. Part of the reason for leaving some electrical things was also to do with the boats electical systems not being compatible. But that's a story for another day.

We arrived at the boat, late afternoon. The excitement mounted as Brumpoolie came into view. Lynne's face was a picture as she saw the boat for the first time. She loved it!
 
The dogs do not like travelling by car, so they were well wound up by the time I pulled up into the car park. So a walk was required first, then aboard Brumpoolie. Lots of  excitement as everyone had a good look around. We spent the rest of Thursday and all day Friday unpacking and emptying the car. But it was so nice to have breaks and look out accross the canal yesterday as the sun was brightly shining. It was the most lovely day. The dogs were outside most of the day, in particular Minnie. She is most definately a boating dog.

We have met some of our boating neighbours who have all been lovely to us offering all kinds of help. Paul in the boat next to us has been particuarly helpful offering good advice, plus the lend of his long hosepipe!. Unfortunetely it was still too short to reach the water point. We have enough water for a few days yet though.

I have not had too much time yet to take many photo's, but here is one I managed of Minnie onboard Brumpoolie. There will be more photo's the next time.

Last trip to Milton Keynes before moving onboard, then Crawley

A couple of questions I have been tormented with for a while now are, what size van do I need and what size storage unit do we need? It been difficult to know as we have boxes all over the cottage. Add into the mix,how much more can we fit onto the boat? What we cannot fit onto boat,will either have to be stored at Lynne's mam's house, given away or most likely, taken to the skip! It can be quite a brutal process deciding what to keep and what we cannot keep, but it must be done. I should just explain that as our daughter Joanne lives in Crawley, her posessions are being put into a storage unit beside where she lives.

On Thursday of last week I hired a transit van to take the last of our things to the boat, the first question was answered, YES eveything did fit into the van (phew)

 

So it was off to Brumpoolie in Milton Keynes. I arrived at about 4pm and was greeted by Paul our new neighbour. After chatting to Paul for a while I managed to get the balance of our things onto Brumpoolie. Incredibly I got everything into the storage spaces, with space to spare! (we might get those
Christmas decorations in yet Lynne!) What we don't want is to have things stored in the passageways. There is not too much space on a Narrowboat to start with, but stacking things will make it worse. After a quick chili con carne and a couple of bottles of beer, it was time for an early night.

Next day it was off to Crawley with Joanne's things. Everything was in order, except I forgot to take my id. They would not let me use the unit without this - argh. I thought I had left my passport at Milton Keynes, and was about to go back (4 hour round trip) before I realised it was back at the cottage. A frantic call to Lynne and the documents were found. Lynne does not drive, but luckily her friend Lorna had just arrived, so she was able to take Lynne to Staples where she was able to photocopy and fax the documents through to the storage company! Everything was timed for this to be done on Friday afternoon (van had to go back, hotel booked, train tickets booked for return journey) so a big problem was averted (thanks Lorna)

Well, that sorted, the second question was about to be answered. Would all Joanne's things fit into the unit. As you can see from the pictures, the answer was another YES!

The storage now sorted, I had to return the van before 6pm. Got this done with an hour to spare, then walked the 4 miles to my hotel for the night (I needed some fresh air) I stayed at the Holiday Express Inn at Crawley and was very impressed with the Hotel. After a meal and a couple of pints another early night was in order.

The next morning I met up with my lovely Daughter Joanne for breakfast. Full English,with hash bowns and a pot of tea, lovely. It was so nice to see Joanne and catch up. She seemed so happy and bright as usual. After breakfast, we went to get Joanne's fruit and veg from Crawley's outdoor market. So much cheaper and fresher than the usual supermarkets. Then it was time for our farewells and my journey home.

I needed to get the 12.30 train from Crawley, which came on time, but was then delayed. This meant I missed my connection at Kings Cross by 1 minute!! But, because of the delay, I was given a free ticket for the next train, phew.

The next journey I make will be on Thursday morning with Lynne and the doggies. This is the trip I am most looking forward to. I have tried to make the boat look nice for Lynne. As she has not been able to see Brumpoolie at first hand, I hope she likes her, I know she will.

First Post

Well, this is the first ever post to the Brumpoolie blog, welcome.

Before we actually owned Brumpoolie, Lynne and myself thought it might be tempting fate to post to the blog about a boat we did not actually own. Well, now we do own Brumpoolie, so here goes! If you are interested in our journey on how we got here (some journey believe me) then I will be adding this little tale beside my profile sometime over the next few days.

I arrived yesterday to bring what is, hopefully most of our stuff (great word stuff, works for all kinds of things) Seeing the boat as I arrived was lovely. We are really proud of her. It was a relief to see the boat was actually still here and was in one piece!! What I mean is, I have never left a narrowboat before and after leaving her last week on completing the sale, I kept thinking have I checked everything, will the boat be ok, well it was ok!

It took me most of yesterday afternoon to get things from the car to the boat and start unpacking everything. I am sure Lynne thinks we have bought a Tardis and not a narrowboat with all these things! But hey ho, we'll somehow find a home for everything.

Last night after I stopped work I went to get a Chinese takeaway from the Dragon Boat here in Milton Keynes. It was really nice, Lemon chicken - yummy. As the boat is moored at the beautiful Campbell Park in Milton Keynes until the end of March, we are spoilt for choice for shops of any kind. Campbell park is lovely, Lynne and the three doggies will love it here.

The plan at the moment is,I will travel back to the North East this afternoon, bring more things down next week. And then the week after I will be bringing the whole crew of Brumpoolie down to start our new life. We are all so excited.