Aylesbury in January and February 2015

Here is a brief summary of what January and February held for us.

Building work in progress near the canal basin

We spent New Year in Suffolk with Maggie and Clive, being careful to treat the speed limits with respect this time. We enjoyed their company as usual, and had a relaxing few days.

Hugo seems to be OK when we go away. We set his automatic feeder, and leave an electric convector heater on keep the cold away. He is always pleased to see us when we return.

Hugo spends a lot of time in the office

We have two elderly people living on a boat in the canal basin.  George is in his late nineties, and has Alzheimer’s. He is meant to be the carer for his wife Ruby, who had her 100th birthday. We all celebrated in the clubhouse, and enjoyed seeing all her cards, including one from the Queen.

We have had some cold days, and there has been ice on the surface at times, but nothing very serious so far.  A light dusting of snow twice, and a centimetre once, which didn’t last long.

Winter day

snow

We have made some excursions into the countryside and discovered the Ashridge Estate and the Bridgewater Monument, where there are lots of walks and views.

Bridgewater Monument

We went to Chesham Folk Club and sang a few songs at their singers night. We discovered that there is a good folk music scene in the area, with a singaround session at the Queens Head in Wing every two weeks, and another at the Half Moon at Wilstone once a month (where there was a power cut, so we sand by candlelight).  They are a friendly bunch of people, with some talented musicians among them.

Half moon at Wilstone

Inspired by this, we went to Reading to buy a guitarlele for Hazel. This, as the name suggests, is a cross between a guitar and a ukele.  It has six strings, and has similar chord shapes to a guitar, except that it is like playing at fifth fret. She is now trying to transpose some of the songs we do so that she can play along in the correct key. 

While we were in Reading we took the opportunity to visit David and Frances Hawkey in their new home in Newbury and John and Barbara Froggatt on their boat  in Theale. We are making good use of our car while we have it.

We have become involved in a life group with the church, where we discuss the message from last Sunday’s sermon. This is a good way to get to know a few people better than we could on a Sunday morning. This church has welcomed us warmly and we feel we would like to return next winter.

We have been taking part in the worship practices at the church. As we are not here for very long, we are not leading the worship on a Sunday, as it would change all the dynamics of the worship band. However, to be part of the practices is a real privilege, as we can keep up to date with new songs.  Even the practices are special times of worship.

The church also runs a café, called More⁺.  We volunteered to paint the walls of their new storeroom, and spent several hours getting very cold as the door had not yet been put on and there was no heating. Since then the floor has been laid, the door has been put on and the storeroom is now is use.  We have also helped behind the scenes with an Alpha course they are running in the café.

Sadly we have had two funerals recently.  Patrick was someone we got to know on the Droitwich mission in 2013, and he had something related to asbestosis. There was a good number of BCF members there in Burton Joyce near Nottingham, to celebrate his life and to support Elaine.

The following week we were in Fleet for Doreen’s funeral.  Last year we cruised the Basingstoke Canal, and we spent some time with Doreen and David, and attended Fleet Methodist Church with them.  Once again, as is often the case at a Christian funeral, there was a real feeling of celebration as we remembered Doreen’s life.

Having a car gives us opportunities to go to other events and we went to Abbotts Langley for a concert put by the Melrose quartet.  We saw half of them in 2011 in Northampton – Nancy Kerr and James Fagan.  They have teamed up with two others and they have intricate arrangements of folk songs and tunes, many of which they have written themselves. Fiddles, concertinas, guitars, bouzouki and harmonies.  Great.

Melrose Quartet

We put on a “cream tea with songs” event at the canal society, and we performed for about an hour, with folk songs and boating songs There were about thirty people. Very successful.  Hopefully it might have paved the way for a carols event next year.

James has bought a wildlife camera, to find out what walks along the towpath when we are asleep.  There is a learning curve to achieve before any photos get shown around. The camera is still in its box.

We had a BCF social event at the Bells of Ouzley at Runnymede. Again – it is useful to have a car at times.

The annual Canal Ministries conference took place in Stone, at Shallowford House. As usual it was an excellent time, with teaching based on John’s gospel. Hazel and I led the music, and were really blessed by the response.  This year there were three couples added to our number: Tim and Tracey on Sola Gratia, Rob and Tricia on Mistol, and Chris and Sally on Kairos.  It was good also to have Roger and Mirjana Garland with us for some of Saturday.

Hazel’s Dad, Arthur, appears to have had a minor stroke, which has left him a bit confused and less mobile. He is 91 in March, and lives on his own in a 2-bed terraced house which only has one toilet and that is upstairs. Thankfully he has wonderful neighbours, Julie and Brian, who get his shopping, mow his lawn and keep an eye on him.

Snowdrops and crocuses are out, with daffodils almost there. The sun is shining and March begins next week.  We plan to leave by boat on 22^nd March, heading north up the Grand Union, then south down the Oxford Canal to the Thames, and downstream to London.  Blogs will be more frequent when we start moving.

Aylesbury in December 2014

Town Basin, Aylesbury

We went to the Byfleet Boat Club Christmas party. A good meal and a live band, with great company. Also some very silly goings on. This was the final BBC event for us, as one of the conditions of membership is that we must go on the rota for hiring out rowing boats to the public.  Whilst we enjoy doing this, and meeting people, we are not prepared to travel from Wales, or the Huddersfield Canal or wherever we are in order to do this. So, sadly, we have had to resign after 16 years.  It is all part of moving on.

Byfleet Boat Club Christmas Party

Rather than drive back, we stayed Saturday night at the Queens Head annexe (a private house in Byfleet which we had to ourselves).  In the morning we went to Weybridge Methodist Church, where it was good to see lots of our friends.

We also went to the Aylesbury Canal Society Christmas party in the local Wetherspoons pub. This was a little more “normal” than the Byfleet one.

 

Aylesbury Canal Society Christmas Party

The water in the basin fluctuates a bit, and there has been an old working boat at the entrance, stranded on the silt as the levels have been too low. In the middle of December the levels rose briefly, and two guys arrived to move the boat into the basin.  They didn’t start the engine, but instead, they used poles to manoeuvre the vessel through the lift bridge and backwards onto the other side of our pontoon. Our new neighbour is Fulbourne, a “Large Woolwich” town class narrowboat built in 1937 for GUCCCo (Grand Union Canal Carrying Company).  The boat is owned by a consortium of enthusiasts, and we have seen it at Little Venice Cavalcade and elsewhere.

 Fulbourne arriving to become our neighbour

Our daughter Amanda has just bought a house in Poole, so went to visit her and stay overnight. The house is ideal for her, with a cabin style office and workshop in the garden, where she can set up her kiln for her glassware.  She has a lodger who has also moved with her, and this helps with the bills.  She also has an accounting job with McCarthy & Stone, who run retirement homes.

On the way back we visited our neighbours in Portmore Quays who were having a drinks party.  Sadly our tenants were not there, but it was pleasant catching up with the other residents.

Another weekend we went to the carol service at Rickmansworth, organised by our friend Henry Kingsnorth, on behalf of Boaters Christian Fellowship.  We collected BCF friends Tim and Tracey, and guide dog Oakley, from Winkwell, near Hemel Hempstead.  The ancient pub near their boat, the Three Horseshoes, had a chimney fire, and all the patrons and staff were being evacuated to the garden and car park.  There was a lot of smoke, but no serious damage as far as we could tell.

Three Horseshoes on fire

The well attended carol service was canal side, by Batchworth Lock, and involved a choir and a brass band. An excellent evening, followed by a visit to an Indian restaurant on the way back.

 Rickmansworth Carol Service

Another carols event we attended was in the Plough, a pub near us in Aylesbury.  Put on by Broughton Community Church, it was a good time to proclaim the reason for Christmas, joyfully and unashamedly, to the pub regulars and staff.

We wanted to hold a carols and folk songs event in the canal society clubhouse, similar to the successful and popular ones we have had at Byfleet Boat Club.  We established a date and put up a poster, and started preparing some songs.  A few days before the event, we had a visit from one of the committee, who said that we needed to cancel it as very few people were planning to come. Apparently they had seen our Canal Ministries and Boaters Christian Fellowship logos on the boat, and they were afraid of being preached at.  Sadly we agreed to cancel it. Maybe next year.  As it happened, we both had colds coming on, so would not have been at our best.   It transpired later that several people had been planning to come, and they were disappointed that it had been cancelled.

The Sunday before Christmas Broughton Community Church did not hold a service, so we went to Aylesbury Vale Community Church on the outskirts of Aylesbury.  They had an enormous birthday cake for Jesus which really highlighted what Christmas is all about.  Christmas seems to have been hijacked by Santa Claus and all the materialism.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Christmas Day itself was a family affair.  We collected our son Oliver from Farnborough, followed by Hazel’s dad Arthur from Southampton, and journeyed on to Poole, where Amanda hosted a Christmas meal for everyone.  Greg, Jessy, Jasmin and Claudia drove from Leatherhead to join us and they stayed overnight.  We drove back to Aylesbury the same day via Southampton and Farnborough. At least there were very few lorries and vans on the roads.

The final few days of the year brought some sharp frosts, and ice on the water.

Sunrise over Aylesbury

 

Hoar frost

 Icy rope

The Morso Squirrel

The Morso Squirrel

You really only want to read this if you have a coal fire or are planning to get one.

We are getting to grips with the coal system, and several times each day there is something that must be done if we are to stay warm at our mooring at Aylesbury Canal Society. 

Ordering

There is a delivery to the area on Wednesday or Thursday, and if we ring up with a credit card on Monday or Tuesday our order will be left near the gates to the basin. For the moment we are using Homefire Ovals.

Collecting

There are various trolleys, trucks and barrows we can use to get the coal to the boat, where we can stow it carefully either in the bows or on the roof so that the boat does not list.

Bringing it onto the stern deck

To avoid trying to wrestle with bags of coal in the rain or snow, we bring it in, one bag at a time, under the pram hood on the stern where it stays dry.

Filling the coal hod

To get the coal inside the cabin we use a coal hod which we fill on the back deck by tipping the open bag of coal towards the hod. This makes a loud thudding noise so we try to avoid doing this late at night. Sometimes a lump of coal goes astray making a mess of the back deck. This doesn’t please the ship’s first lady.

Bringing it into the cabin

We lug the full hod through the double doors, down three steps, through the galley, past the dinette and into the saloon, where it comes to rest beside the fire, ready for use. It sounds a long way but it’s only about twenty feet, (6 or 7 metres for those of you of more tender age than I)

Feeding the Morso Squirrel coal fire

Two or three times a day we shovel some more coal into the fire.

Riddling and poking

There is a device on the fire called a riddler. This a rod which can be pulled in and out, which in turn swivels the bottom grate, causing the coals to settle and the ash to drop through to the pan underneath.  This is not completely effective, so additional action can be taken with the poker to rummage among the coals, making the ash drop away. It is helpful also to lift the coals with the poker to allow air to reach all parts of the fire.

Adjusting the air flow

There is a ventilator below the grate to allow air in. The more this is opened, the faster the fire will burn. There is also a door to the ash pan which can be opened ajar to let even more air in, for example when first lighting the fire.  There is a further ventilator above the level of the fire which allows air down inside the front of the glass, theoretically preventing a build up of tar on the glass.

Changing the ash tray

We have bought an extra ash tray, which fits neatly underneath the stove out of sight.  When the tray in use is nearly full of ash, and before the riddling and poking exercise, we take it out and exchange it with the empty one from under the stove. It takes an hour or two to cool off. We need to do this before riddling and poking, otherwise we have hot bits of fuel among the ash, which gives off carbon monoxide and sets off our alarm. If the alarm is not working we die.

Removing the ash

When the full ash tray has cooled enough, we take it to the stern of the boat where we empty it into our ash bin, a small dustbin with a lid, which we line with a plastic shopping bag.  This makes a bit of dust, which doesn’t please the ship’s first lady. If the tray has not cooled enough, the plastic shopping bag melts, which makes even more mess. The now empty ash tray is then returned to it’s place under the stove.

Emptying the ash bin

When about six ash trays have been emptied into the ash bin, it is fairly full, and the plastic shopping bag full of ash is tied and placed carefully into an empty coal bag. Hopefully the small holes common in plastic shopping bags do not line up with the holes often found in empty coal bags, otherwise there is more dust, which doesn’t please the ship’s first lady.

Dumping the ash

When the coal bag has several ash bags inside, it is time to take the entire bag over to the dustbins by the marina entrance.

Other related jobs

Apart from these regular jobs which come under the loose generic term “coal and ash management”, there are ancillary tasks, such as: kindling management (acquisition, storage and use), firelighter management (acquisition, storage and use), cleaning the glass, dust management (sweeping, collecting, disposal, vacuuming.

So what shall we do today?  Oh! It’s 5pm already!

Aylesbury in November

So here we are in Aylesbury.  We are moored on a pontoon right in front of the brand new clubhouse. The pontoons are fixed, not floating, and the water levels fluctuate a little, so we leave the lines slacker than we would usually.  There are no passing boats to create a wash, so we don’t move much, except in high winds.  Canal and River Trust are trying to make improvements to raise the water level, but so far we have not noticed a difference, and we cannot open our side doors as they come up against the pontoon.  As this is winter we don’t need them open much, but occasionally it would be useful to load things on or off the boat (e.g. full cassettes).

Lift bridge into the basin

We arrived on Friday 31^st October, and, as it was Halloween, the good people of Aylesbury decided to let off some fireworks. There were several locations, and although they were all a good way off, the sounds seemed to reflect off the clubhouse and reverberate all around our boat.  Hugo disappeared under our duvet, as he is not keen to celebrate in this way.

Our mooring and the clubhouse

The following night being the weekend, the good people of Aylesbury decided to let off some fireworks. And then again on Sunday night.  On Monday night, as it was only two days before 5^th November, the good people of Aylesbury decided to let off some fireworks.  We had fireworks every night for ten consecutive nights!!!  By the end, Hugo must have thought that this was normal life in Aylesbury.  One night, at 10pm, when we all thought the last firework in the land had finally died, he at last went outside for some fresh air. There was a huge explosion, which seemed as though it was just above the boat.  Hugo shot inside as though someone was trying to kill him!  The poor cat was shaking with fear.

We bought our Honda Jazz on the day after we arrived (Saturday) and we collected it on the Wednesday.  We are very pleased with it as it does everything we need.  It is a 1400 engine, so it doesn’t have lots of power when starting off, but the cruise control is excellent, and it is comfortable.  For the first time ever we now have a satnav.  The postcode for the Canal Society premises is new, and it doesn’t register on the satnav, but we have marked it as “home” now, so we can get back easily. The car colour is a sort of greyish-brown, which means that we don’t have to wash it so often!

We have been out and about exploring a little. We have seen a bit more of the Wendover Arm, and we saw Matt Baker and the rickshaw challenge passing through for Children in Need.

Wendover Arm

Rickshaw Challenge

Aylesbury Canal Society is a charity originally set up to preserve the line of the Aylesbury Arm, and in particular, the basin at the end of the canal. Now they have moved a mile out to the edge of town, and there is a small marina for around 40 boats, and this huge clubhouse, paid for by the local council, so that the town centre can be re-developed. Because of the number of boats moored there it is run a bit like a boat club, with many jobs being done by volunteers from among the resident boaters. 

Frosty morning

Wishing to contribute to the work, Hazel has learned how the cleaning works, and has joined the cleaning team. Toilets, showers, kitchens, lounge areas, and stairs all receive attention. James took on the painting of red warning lines on the concrete floor of the workshop.  This is a long building large enough to house a full-length narrowboat, and, using a winch, the boats are hauled up a ramp on a trolley. When they are inside, a hoist takes the weight, and the trolley is let down the ramp again.  The red warning lines are to denote where the legs of the hoist should be.  James has line painting on his CV, as he once painted white lines on the runway at Alice Springs airport.

James had had a bad back for the last six weeks of boating, from pushing the heavy lock gates on the Leicester section of the Grand Union, followed by the Buckby locks.  He had found a physiotherapist called Don Gatherer, who came with good credentials – official physio for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics, the England rugby team and a few others.  He made an appointment for our first Thursday, and drove there using our new satnav (How exciting is that?).  He had a 30-minute session with what Don called a microwave, followed by a spine wrench that might have looked good in a wrestling ring.

The following day (Friday) James spent several hours sweeping the dust off the concrete in the workshop, and laying down masking tape.  By the end of the day he could hardly walk and was popping ibuprofen.  Amazingly, on the Saturday, he was much better, and spent another few hours on his hands and knees, painting the first coat of paint.  On the Sunday afternoon he put down the second and final coat. 

Clubhouse

After our three-day trip to Suffolk, he went for a second physio appointment, had another back wrench and was told not to come back. He had been fine since.

The trip to Suffolk was to catch up with Maggie and Clive, and pick up all our post.  We managed to fit in a visit to Minsmere, where we saw a Great White Egret (a first for us). We once again just missed a bittern, and we have still never seen any bearded tits, although they were present.  James did manage to glimpse a possible otter for almost as long as half a second, before it disappeared under water.  This is his third possible sighting, and if you add them all up together, they last for about 1.2 seconds in total.  Hopefully, one day, we’ll have a good lingering view.

Mossy trees at Minsmere

The following Saturday we travelled to Nottingham for the BCF AGM. On the way we called in to Milton Keynes to collect Tim and Tracey, plus guide dog Oakley, plus Tim’s guitar.  It was a little cramped but we managed to squeeze everyone in.  The AGM as usual was an excellent time of fellowship and worship, as well as the business part.

Worship time at the BCF AGM

On our second Sunday, we decided to visit the Salvation Army, which is in easy walking distance from the marina.  Although we had a warm welcome, it is not for us. The style of worship was old fashioned, and the uniforms and titles seemed a bit irrelevant. It was all a bit of a different culture.  However, it was good to meet a man called Malcolm, who was the person who started the Waterways Chaplaincy and we know several of the chaplains.

Salvation Army

We discovered that there is sometimes a coffee morning in the clubhouse here.  This will be a good way to meet and get to know people a little better.  The only snag is that it is on Sunday mornings at 11am.  This clashes with most churches, and we decided that we should be at the coffee mornings with our new neighbours rather than sitting in a church receiving teaching and enjoying worship.

A day or two later, we were walking out of the marina, and James was wearing his Boaters Christian Fellowship fleece.  One of the guys working on the landscaping came and made contact, telling us that he went to a small church called The Ark.  James tried to look it up online. All he found was a community forum where someone had put out a warning along the lines of: “Someone brought us some food and said they were from the Ark church. I have contacted the police, and I suggest you all be on your guard as they are acting very suspiciously.”

Hazel was by the gate the following day and saw the chap again, who introduced her to his mother who was visiting briefly.  She found out that the Ark meet in a gym not far away, and their meetings are at 8am and 4pm!  So on the Sunday we went to the coffee morning and met many of the resident boaters. Then we went to the Ark, and found a small group of around 25 people, from mixed racial backgrounds, who were enthusiastically praising God, and sharing their testimonies.  It seems they are mostly new Christians, and some have come out of a lifestyle of drugs, crime, alcohol, bad language or promiscuity.  We were the oldest people there.

We made a visit to Weybridge where we had various routine doctors and dentist appointments. We took the opportunity to spend time with friends Graham and Sheila, and to visit our Barnabas group where we were warmly welcomed.

We also went to a social event at Byfleet Boat Club, where we heard a talk by Tony Davis about cruising the French canals.

On the Saturday we had the Aylesbury Canal Society (ACS) AGM.  This was the first major use of the facilities. James was one of three serving behind the bar.  It brought back memories of working occasional evenings in the Vic at Oxshott in the early seventies.

We returned to the Ark on the Sunday, where we were made very welcome once more.  We are still unsure where we should be church wise.

We had our boat engine serviced by a recommended chap called Ed Boden, who seemed to do a good job.  He also got our immersion heater working, so we now have hot water without having to run the engine or switch on the central heating.  All it needed was to press the reset button! To be fair this button is very tiny and not obvious.

It was good to have a visit from cousin Mary from Birmingham, Alabama, accompanied by her sister Sue, and Sue’s husband Mike. They were passing through on the way to Suffolk. They would have stayed overnight if we had had the space. We can accommodate two guests, but no more.

Mary, Mike, Sue, Hazel, James

We have also sorted out a coal and gas supplier who delivers to ACS, and we took a delivery of four bags of Homefire Ovals. As this is our first winter, we are trying out different types of coal and are still open on the subject.  Some burn quicker than others, some produce a lot of ash, and some stay in (i.e. keep alight overnight) better than others.

We have now discovered that the Sunday morning social at ACS is only an occasional event, about once a month.  This means that we can try some other churches, so on the last Sunday of November we visited Bourton Community Church. They meet in a school quite close by, so we tipped up there and received a great welcome.  It is very informal, although it is an Anglican church plant. The worship was excellent, and the message was very good.  We were asked to imagine what it would have been like for Mary to receive the news that she was going to have a baby.  We also tried to identify with Mary’s parents, and Joseph, when they received the news.

In the evening we returned for an hour of worship, led by Jack who sang and played guitar, accompanied by some singers and some percussion. It was a very good time, and the first time they had had such an evening.  The church also runs a café called More, which is located in a row of local shops.  We are very likely to return to this church in two weeks time.

We have discovered the visitor’s book for boats that make it down the Aylesbury Arm.  We have found our entry from 1999 when we came on Lystra, and the following two entries are boaters we now know well: David and Jane on Jack Merrick (Now on Rowan) followed by David and Carole on Ichthus (now on Days of Elijah). We have all changed our boats since.

Visitors book

Next week we will be at Weybridge Methodist Church, on the morning following the Byfleet Boat Club Christmas party, and an overnight stay at a local pub.

Leighton Buzzard to Aylesbury

Monday 27^th October

Leighton Buzzard to Slapton

 Moored at Leighton Buzzard 

Water art?

A warm sunny day.  First of all we visited Tesco to stock up for the week. The next shop for us will be in Aylesbury.  James’ back was particularly painful when walking today. He has been having trouble for about a month.

Returning to the boat, we discovered that Kookaburra had already gone. 

The first lock was Grove Lock, which was half full, or rather half empty, as presumably Kookaburra had left it full, and leakage had drained some water out.

Approach to Grove Lock

Above Grove Lock we called in at the Marina for some gas. Thankfully they had the 6kg size.  £24 seemed expensive, but we needed it.

The only other lock was Church Lock, which needed emptying.  We picked a sunny place to moor, shortly before Slapton Lock, because Hazel had done some washing.

Moored at Slapton

Amazing weather for the end of October.   A hire boat went past us very late when it was practically dark.

2 locks, 4 miles, 1hr55

Tuesday 28^th October

Slapton to Marsworth

Morning at Slapton

Everything was very wet from dew this morning.  James got up earlier than necessary because the clocks changed at the weekend, and our bodies haven’t caught up yet.  He walked up to the lock to check where the water point was.

Last night’s hire boat had moored on the lock bollards, and was just setting off into the lock.  It was the first one they had done on their own, without sharing the lock, and James gave them some tips about which paddles to use first.  As they reached the top, another boat came in view at the bottom, and James suggested to the hire boat crew that they wait at the next lock for them.

It took a while to dry off the pram hood.  There had been no rain but everything was soaked with dew.  Two other boats went past while we were doing this.

When we finally set off (0955) there was no other boat to share with.  We paused at the water point above the lock, hoping another boat would come along, but none did.

By the time we got going again (1055) the sun was shining and it was warm.

Horton Lock was against us (expected).  We looked for the Whipsnade Lion all along this stretch, but we couldn’t see it.

Horton Wharf

Between the two Ivinghoe Locks

Autumn Leaves

Berries in profusion

After the two Ivinghoe Locks, and the first of the three Seagrove Locks, we met our first boat of the day.  The rest of the locks were then in our favour.  As we left Seagrove Lock 36, a guy on a bike shouted to us to leave the gate open, and he would open the swing bridge for us.  As we passed him he explained that there was a pair of working boats coming.

By Pitstone Wharf there are two fairly blind bends under bridges, and so we went warily under the first, and spotted the bows of the working boat coming towards the second bridge. We tucked in to the side to let them pass. It was Brighton and Nuneaton, The Narrowboat Trust pair, and we spotted a familiar figure at the helm of the butty. It was Ray, from Stronghold. It’s the third time we have seen him this year.

Nuneaton and Brighton, with Ray at the helm

A little further along we saw Eternity moored up. This boat used to be in Byfleet Boat Club, and Boaters Christian Fellowship.

We also passed Knot Normal, and the guy on board shouted that Henry was further on down, at Harefield.  We are not going that far until next year.

At Marsworth Locks, there was a boat coming down in the top lock, and the bottom lock was in our favour, so we crossed over in the middle between the two locks.  We moored just before bridge 130 on some rings.

Marsworth Locks

Another gloriously sunny day, but forecast wet tomorrow.

9 locks, 3 miles, 3hr10

Wednesday 29^th October

Marsworth

We rose this morning to find Hugo curled up on James’ clothes, with both the cat and the clothes very damp.  He had evidently fallen in again!

We went for a wander around Marsworth, and spotted Miss Molly returning from their visit to Berkhamsted with Taverners CC. We called in at the Red Lion, a very pleasant pub with no piped music, no TV screens, and no fruit machines.  Good cider and a simple menu with good food means we will return at some point.

Red Lion at Marsworth

We discovered that the largest and best-located pub, the White Lion, is closed due to a dispute between the landlord and the brewery.  The landlord also runs the Anchor, which is a freehouse and apparently popular.

We had a coffee in the Bluebell Café, which has always looked closed from the canal, which is why we have never visited before.  We sent them an email afterwards to tell them.

We wandered back in the light rain.

We discovered that there is a 60’s show on tomorrow in Aylesbury, with Herman’s Hermits and the Swinging Blue Jeans among others.  We may try and get in on the door.

No boating today

Thursday 30^th October

Marsworth to Aylesbury

It was a beautiful sunny day as we set off.  Our first pause was at the facilities block and we were at the top of the Aylesbury Arm by 0930.  The 16 locks are narrow, so you cannot share. The first two locks, a staircase, were in our favour, as were the next two. 

 Lock 1, Aylesbury Arm

After that, most of the locks had been left empty, with a paddle up on the bottom gates, as requested by signs on the lock beams.  The design of the lock gates means that you cannot step across from one side to the other as you can on the Oxford or Coventry Canals, so James used a long boat hook to push open or pull shut the opposite bottom gate.

The canal was fairly shallow in places, and going was slow.  Locks 14 and 15 had security locks, and in number 15 we found someone else’s key, with a Calcutt Boats fob.  There was a boat going down in front of us, so we collected the key and took it with us.  Number 16 did not require a key.  As we approached the basin, two boats were coming the other way. The second one was Jacob, and they were the ones the key belonged to.

Passing Aylesbury Canal Society

We moored on a pontoon in the basin surrounded by building work.  Adjacent was the new Waitrose, then the new theatre, then on the third, a building site.   There were only two rings on the pontoon, designed for 70ft boats.  We just about managed, but it would not be very good for a shorter, say 40ft, boat.  There was a “security” gate, but the lock was not the usual boaters key, but something else.  The gate was unlocked.  The railings at the sides were insufficient to stop people getting round, even when the gate was locked, so what the plans are for these moorings we are not sure.

Moored in Aylesbury Town Basin

We went first to the theatre box office and purchased two seats for the 60’s concert, which was mostly full.  We then went to find WH Smiths, and bought a car buyer’s guide, and two Ordnance Survey maps for Aylesbury, before returning to the boat.

At about 6pm we went to the Wetherspoons pub opposite the theatre for a meal, but it was packed and there were no tables. Everyone had had the same idea.  We went round the corner, and had a lovely meal at Wagamama’s instead.

The concert was good fun. First on was the Ivy League, who had excellent harmonies. Then came Union Gap UK, also good, but the words were not so distinct.  They were joined by Dave Berry who was very entertaining.

After the interval we had the Swinging Blue Jeans, followed by Herman’s Hermits.

They were all good, but they were mostly not the original people.  The original drummer for Herman’s Hermits was there, but the Swinging Blue Jeans had no original members. The band names have continued over the years, with changes of personnel from time to time, and the repertoire stays much the same.

16 locks, 7 miles, 5hr30

Friday 31^st October

Another warm day

We went to explore the shops, and found the tourist information centre after following signs round in circles and eventually asking at the museum.  We were served by a very helpful lady who gave us bus timetables, maps, and suggestions about car sales places.  This was to be her last day, so we timed it well.

We had a look round the market, before visiting the library to look at local papers.  These were kept in the research centre, which was up a steep flight of stairs.  James’ back was playing up so we asked if there was a lift.  To our surprise, there was, but it was not public.  A helpful lady escorted us through staff offices to the lift, and then, up one floor, she escorted us from the lift to the research centre.  There we found that the Bucks Herald was the best for adverts, but even then there were only three of four pages.

We managed to find a way out without using stairs, through a shopping centre.

We walked back towards the boat and had lunch in Waitrose before buying a few essentials, including a Bucks Herald.

The only other boat on the pontoons was one called Mollie, and we met Tim and Margaret, who are also booked into the Aylesbury Canal Society, but they want to stay in the centre as long as they can.

Development around the old town basin

We moved to the facilities block, where we met Richard, another boater who is on Clayhanger. He has a long term mooring permit to stay on the rings, which say “Service mooring only”.

High Bridge

Further up, by the second lock, we met Jimmy, a fisherman with a very strong Scottish accent.  He had caught a few tiny perch and a crayfish.  So it might be worth getting the traps out!

We arrived at the ACS basin, and tied to the bollards on the outside, with difficulty, as a CRT workboat was moored right in the middle.  We went to find out where we were meant to be mooring, which is right outside the clubhouse, in front of the wet dock.  Someone kindly lifted the lift bridge for us, and we demonstrated our boat handling skills as we reversed into the space. 

Into the ACS basin

We had a tour of the premises with Bryan.  There is a lot of work still going on, particularly outside, with tarmac paths being laid, and grass to be sown.

2 locks, 1 mile, 1 lift bridge, 1hr15

Saturday 1^st November

We went to find the bus stop (5 minutes walk), and discovered a One-Stop shop, a chemist, and a Salvation Army church.  We took the bus to Northwest Aylesbury where the car salesrooms are.

We looked at several cars, and our initial budget more than doubled as we realised that to get reasonable comfort we would need something a bit more recent.  We looked at a Honda Jazz (a bit cramped), then a Ford Fusion (too low for James to sit in), then a Nissan Quasquai (a possibility)

We then had lunch at a pub (Table table).

Then we found the Honda sales room, where we saw a more modern Honda Jazz, which was comfortable, had cruise control and Satnav. We took it for a test drive, and bought it.  Delivery on Wednesday.  We had a lift back to the boat.

Our Honda Jazz

No boating today

Sunday 2^nd November

We had ordered a taxi for 10am, and it was there waiting for us when we arrived at the gates.  He wasn’t sure where Southcourt Baptist Church was, but he found it at the third attempt, and with the help of our map.

We had a good welcome and we met the worship leader, and the person who organises the home groups.  The worship was good, and the talk was excellent. Jim Graham was the speaker, from Goldhill Baptist Church. His son is David, the pastor, who has been seriously ill, and is recovering from pneumonia at present.

Although the church seems to have everything, we are not sure that we can contribute anything to what is already happening.  It may be better to test the waters at the Salvation Army, which is very close to the canal basin.

Southcourt Baptist Church

We walked back over a long footbridge across the railway, and had lunch at Noodle Nation – very nice.

The buses for our routes were not running on Sundays, so we walked slowly back to the boat, about a mile.

We have discovered that the only time that people get together socially in the basin is on Sunday mornings, so if we decide we need to be at church on Sunday mornings, we will miss out on opportunities to get to know people. There is a dilemma.

No boating today.

So here we are in the basin in Aylesbury until the end of March, by which time the maintenance on the locks should be finished.  We will not be posting a daily blog, as we are not travelling.  We will put up some thoughts and news from time to time. Watch this space.