Boat & Caravan Show

Yesterday we visited the Boat and Caravan show at the National Exibition Centre, we go every year but I think this one may be the last,  there were only 4 Narrowboats and 1 Dutch Barge among the dozens of small wooded and plastic boats on display.

We have bought a small electric scooter for Jayne to get around on as she has difficulty walking any distance, the show was a good place to test it. 

So much better than that horrible wheelchair.

The floating harbour gave people the feel of a boat on water.

But only if you were" Invited" (fuzzy picture, I was laughing)

The picture above reminds me of the time in 1996 when I was working at a Land Rover dealer, one Saturday morning an "untidy looking family" walked into the showroom and started nosing around a new Range Rover, the salesman looked at them, went into his office and closed the door, no doubt hoping they would go away, that was, until he was told that they had just won £11 Million on the lottery, needless to say the door flew open and the beaming salesman was soon at their side.

In a previous blog we listed some of the events we hope to visit this year, well we have added another, the Alvecote Summer Fair and Boat Gathering is taking place at Alvecote Marina on 9th and 10th of July. 

Open Days.

We really know how to have a good time here at Kings Bromley.

Plans for 2011

This years Summer cruise is going to be a bit gentler that 2010, well that's the plan.
Two things which we will include are the Crick Boat Show and the I.W.A. Festival at Burton upon Trent, these are a must as Jayne has taken on the job of organising the stand for the RBOA at both these events in 2011.

Our involvement with the Historic boats Nutfield and Raymond is the next thing to consider so after the Crick show we will head for the Stoke Bruerne Gala Weekend on 10/12th June, then onto the Braunston Historic Boat Show on 24/26th June.

Nutfield and Raymond on Show at Stoke Hammond in 2010

Next stop will be the I.W.A. Festival, I have volunteered to help with the setting up so will be there for 3 weeks before the event opens and probably a few days after it closes, that takes us into August at which time we will come back to Kings Bromley Marina for 2 or 3 weeks as August is a very busy time on the Canal and we would rather avoid it.

Hopefully in September it will be a bit quieter, we then hope to go up to Llangollen, we had planned to go in 2009 but the Shropshire Union Canal (our prefered route) was closed due to a breach.

1st and 2nd of October will see us back down at Stoke Bruerne for the Village at War weekend , always a good event, but before we tackle any of this No Direction needs a bit TLC so we are booked into Shobnall Marina dry dock at the beginning of April for hull blacking and few other small jobs which I need to do. 

Still here.

Almost a month since we last blogged so a bit of catching up to do, so far this year we,ve had a wedding anniversary, ours 37 years and a birthday (sort of) No Direction went in the water on 4 Feb 2008, so happy 3rd birthday. 

Although No Direction hasn't moved so far this year we have been busy onboard with a couple of alterations, gone is the Sofabed which had only been used as a bed 5 or 6 times in 3 years, it wasn't the most comfortable thing to sit on and we have a Dinette which converts into a double bed so visitors can still stay, it has been replaced with a swiveling armchair and footstool, no money changed hands as the Sofabed has gone to our Daughters house in exchange for the armchair and stool, Jayne says she will stick with her Laziboy Recliner, we also have a new Television and some wider bookshelves.

One task which is definitely not on my favorite jobs list is cleaning the fire and flue, I do this twice a year,  people see coal or log fires and say how lovely they are, which is true when you only have to look at them but the other side of the coin is cleaning them out, as the weather has turned a little warmer I let the fire go out on Thursday ready for cleaning on Saturday.

There were a couple of parts which needed replacing, one being a round grill that the ash falls through this is at the hottest part of the fire and erodes away over time, the other was the seal around the door, this gets replaced every year, the worst part is unbolting and removing the tin deflector plate.

The Corner Bubble Stove stripped for cleaning.

The old one on the left eroded by heat. next to the replacement.

All back together with new door seal and re-blacked exterior.

Although cleaning the thing is a hassle we wouldn't be without it, we have found burning Logs/Coal is the cheapest way to heat the boat as the Bubble has a back boiler piped to the radiators.

The boaters reading this blog will certainly remember the TV program "Narrowboat" where they renovated "Dover" I have the DVD which I still watch now and again not so much for the boat re-build but for the other Historic boats featured, anyway after the TV company had finished with it they sold it, after being moored in Braunston Marina for at least 3 years it is now for sale, again, considering the work that went into the project it looks a bargain.

The Thaw

The Ice is melting fast in the Marina but the thaw can't come quick enough for the boaters with toilet holding tanks who are desperate to get across to the service Quay for a pump out (empty the tank), first to try it on Friday was NB Jerusalem with Martin on the tiller and Heather at the front doing her best to break the ice, they made it but it was a slow journey.

Good job it's due for a hull re-blacking.

On Saturday morning a crew attempted to move a boat out of the Marina onto the Canal but were back on their moorings after 15 minutes having failed to get through the thick ice around the Marina entrance.

We have not been doing a lot in the marina as we have been going backwards and forwards to our daughters in Leeds, 'assisting' in flooring and decorating her new kitchen.

Am looking forward to the better weather and hopefully getting out on the canal.

Merry Christmas Everyone.

We hope you all have an enjoyable Christmas and New Year and that the snow is not causing you too many problems.

We had to visit Braunston today, (not by boat but in a van) the snow there was pretty bad around 1.30 this afternoon but it stopped long enough to take a picture.

We were here in June getting sun burnt.



Life Goes On.

It looks like another long hard winter for everyone, not just boaters, we have been helping a friend out with a bit of van driving and seem to have spent most of the last week going very very slowly on the M25 Motorway due to the weather.

Not much business being done on the service Quay at Kings Bromley Marina.

Always hungry this weather.

Friday saw us over at my Mothers Bungalow situated between Shrewsbury and Oswestry, we had offered to give the place an early spring clean for her and had booked an oven cleaning company to come in and de-gunge the oven, money well spent.

On Saturday afternoon Jayne and I went around the Marina selling raffle tickets for the Marina Christmas raffle, only £1 a strip and some people still said no !! 

Monday morning we had minus 11 on the car thermometer, the pool of clear water in the middle of the Marina which the ducks and geese use is getting smaller by the day so I hope the cold eases off soon.