Hi Everyone 

Lets face it Winters on its way , everyday here more geese are flying off to their winter roosts the tree's are changing colour and shredding their foliage, nights are closing in  And we are having a jetty /mooring make over. the original mooring was just about done for. Whilst we were away Barry our next door neighbour actually fell through his, it made a right mess of his leg.  Anyway ours is now well underway and looking very smart. We have had to vacate the mooring whilst the makeover was in progress only 20 yards away but it does feel odd, its like living in your neighbours house watching people work on yours, very strange. All being well I will put Buggerlugs back in her rightful place tomorrow and then I have the awful task of sorting out the jetty and tidying up I think it will take a few trips to the tip because not only have we had the jetty revamped we have made the mooring bigger (by magic ) 

On the whole everything is looking good and we are still enjoying the life style, we are lucky we can ignore all the miserable buggers that constantly moan about the cost of boating and the hard work looking after a boat I tell them its simple if you are not happy SOD OFF and go back on land and take your miserable attitude with you. People don't expect that reply and apparently I have upset some people? But I stand by it if your not happy move you cannot go through life being miserable its to short.

As the Covid restrictions are still relaxed Buggerlugs is open for visits afternoon tea is a specialty and the fishing is good 

God Bless Stay safe  

New decking down. Its a reformed material strong and non slip it makes the Jetty look bigger ??

 

Buggerlugs is now HMS BUGGERLUGS

 

Buggerlugs is now HMS BUGGERLUGS

July 22, 2021

 We cracked it, on what was Im sure the hottest day of the year. It started out ok I suppose we had to go down the first two locks which under normal circumstances would have been a simple 10 / 15 mins But as the centre had just opened and was full of Gongooslers the lock keeper shouts "There is a boat going down the locks we will give a talk on what is happening jut follow me ) I said to this leader of men "this is Buggerlugs we dont do everything  the proper way we are a bit unconventional, But he just smiled and asked me politely not to ram the gates or sink the boat   as there are children watching. everything was going well Noreen was doing her bit getting the kids to work the gates until the last lock I was given the all clear to leave the lock I tried twice but she wouldnt budge I shouted but nobody was listening as the lecture was just being concluded So I sounded my Claxton, walked along my roof to the sharp end and Yelled  " will someone shift that Bloody tree trunk out of my way" this caught everyone attention and after 4/5 mins a plan was adopted by the now very attentive crowd ( They could smell excitement, blood the possibility of a boat sinking the plan was for one to stand on my bow on my bloody highly polished bow in BOOTS! using MY Barge pole ??after a short interlude were I told him how it WAS going to work, He would use my pole from within the cratch his two co-workers would manoeuvre the tree trunk from canal side AND I would direct operations from my captains position within mins, much to the disappointment of the now quite large crowd buggerlugs had extradited herself from the lock. I love a bit of fun !!!!!and I don't mind taking command after all its my boat.

OK once that was over we had 45 mins to wait for the swing bridge to be opened the last lock to be worked then it was off we go. However before you are allowed on the MSC (Manchester Ship Canal) you have to report in to Port control who control all shipping on the MSC.. Now when I spoke to them yesterday he was very happy to let us go as there was nothing in his diary ) arrrr yes buggerlugs I forgot about you hang on 10 mins I have two ships  coming past you when the last one passes you get behind her not to close but dont worry they are docking in another mile. So off we go once the two had dock I could see the waterway in front was blocked" by another large vessel and two more tugs just then my phone rings as you are in constant communication with port control I was told to hang off ?? as the two tugs were turning the ship round from where I was it looked like the big ship was eating the two little tugs anyway after 35 min treading water one tug shot passed me with thumbs up so I then shot through the smallest of gaps passed the other tug that was still being eaten by the big ship. OK another message from Port control they were happy for Buggerlugs to continue, Yet after another 40 min I had another phone call all port control it just said  "look to your stern" all I said was "oh SHIT " I had a rather large boat wanting to overtake. i asked where the f--- did they come from ? port control replied quickly find a safe Anchorage to let him pass.  I did just that I pulled to the side, but staying in enough water and pointed my bow into the on coming wake otherwise flat bottomed narrow boats could capsize. when we had recovered from that ordeal I was contacted again from port Control saying I had one ship 1.5 miles to my stern and one ship just ahead of me leaving its birth in Runcorn so he requested I give buggerlugs everything she has as my turn off was not that away so for the next 30 mins with Buggerlugs running her little heart out and keeping a close eye out for bandits ahead and to the rear "WE RAN FOR HOME " Im very glad I had done a aerial survey of the Marsh lock and made my own map. for I now knew once I pass the farm buildings and wind turbines on my starboard  I am ready to start my turn off the MSC and onto he Weaver and Marsh lock with about 10 mis to spare before the two ships passed I informed Port control that I was now off the main shipping lane. Im not sure who was more relieved me or them they did say it was unusual to have that much traffic on late booking but hey we are all here to tell the tale and what a tale 

Just got off the water before this one passed

I thought if I dressed like this I could get passed the immigration at Runcorn 

they are use to seeing people like this  I might even get a house 

The first sight of Marsh lock 

the Tugs have just pushed this accross they have left me a small 

gap so I had to go for it.

Being overtaken by this bugger was FUN

GOD BLESS EVERYONE 

Settled in again

 

Hi Everyone 

Having been back now for three weeks and listening to the tales of the other boaters who took the opportunity and went out cruising. all seem to have had the same experience with the canals and that is the canals are in a deplorable state, We I say we because the boaters I have spoken to all say the same. the canals are slowly being choked with weed and reeds many places you can not get two boats passed each other the navigation is so narrow and the banks are that overgrown with weeds and bushes it is difficult moor without doing a hour of weed and bush clearing. CRT have closed many service stops so water is in short supply and rubbish is difficult to dispose of. 

Also the Boaters have changed in fact so much so that I have now divided the boating fraternity  into to camps and called them Boaters and Floaters.

 Boaters are the old type of boater who live on their boat take great pride in their boat, cruise the waterways and embrace the boating life style of a gentle slow pace of life no pretentiousness willing to share and and give a helping hand 

Floaters buy a boat because they have either seen a tv programme and thought it was trendy thing to do but then find out its not as romantic as these programmes make out also its not easy to do a full time job and cruise so you become a person who just lives on a boat, they also do not understand the restrictions that come with living on a boat. The other type of floater is those who think its going to be cheaper then discover that the initial outlay may be cheaper but the running costs and maintenance are a continuous drain  on available funds. of course you do not have to continually maintain your boat ? However cruising the system you notice so many boats moored along the canal that obviously have no services and the boats have never moved in fact some look as if they have been so poorly maintained that they couldn't move if they wanted to.  Yes that type of life style would be cheaper but so much harder. These floaters also cannot seem to adapt to the basics of life afloat and adapt to the slower less ostentatious life style they had and are continually in a rush. I know I said they never cruise well the odd times they do cruise they are in a rush they come up behind you and complain you are not moving  fast enough or steal your water and never slow down when passing moored boats, my answer is if you are in a hurry get a camper van.  No matter how many TV programmes are shown of this idyllic Life style (which in the main it is ) though its not for everyone, But if you want to buy a boat now is the time to do it as the market is flooded with them, mainly due to the over production and  those who realised that boating was the wrong choice of getting rid of £100.000+  

BUT hey we still love the life we have adapted and settled in to it,  we are now after 14 years accepted experienced boaters. Noreen can do a set of locks faster than anyone I know and I can spin Buggerlugs around on a sixpence. We have both learnt to be economical with space and as Noreen quite rightly says its less to clean.  I believe we are both fitter an healthier due to our life style. What more could you ask of retirement. 

Since arriving back I have been inundated with jobs, I have now a shed full of panels awaiting to be painted with castles  and roses and other objects enough work to keep me occupied through the winter.

Stay safe everyone this Covid isn't over yet its the wolf at the door never trust anything you cant spell? The facts speak for themselves.

Time now to start preparing for Christmas   

GOD BLESS    STAY SAFE .

                                            Just a few of the panel's  I am painting These are all sanded ,varnished,and ready for painting one painting can take two days allowing for the drying between stages BIG JOB