Hi

Yesterday was such a wonderful day , not only did all my guitar playing go well in church, Noreen won on the raffle and I was given a new high vis jacket ideal for the back of the boat., its strange how you receive things when you plead poverty?? On returning to the boat we had Mat Lorraine Thomas and his little pal TJ? for lunch which was a nice surprise . As the Science and Industry Museum is just over the road we decided to take the kids. We went into the aircraft museum first the kids love it I on the other hand am a bit more reserved over the exhibits as I actually flew in a few of them and rode some of the motor bikes on show Ah well at least I was a wealth of knowledge. The two lads wanted to go on the moon rocket race simulator Noreen and I decided we would accompany them it was fantastic, travelling a breakneck speed, forcing others off the circuit, very similar to Noreen’s driving except there was no abuse from other drivers. If you are looking for a great day out with the kids try the Science and Industry museum Manchester its a good day out and free

The weather yesterday here was great in the afternoon every piece of grass was taken with people having picnics, wine parties, family BBQs, and all sorts merry goings on, and I’m sure in some hidden corners orgies were happening, however I was not allowed to go and look.
Today was a stark difference not only in the weather but also with the tasks we had on, first we had to go and get the car from Noreen’s dads this entailed my first voyage on a metro tram and may I say a very pleasant experience it was, it seems to be a very efficient service though not what I would call cheep. We then had quite a lot of stuff to buy to finish off some work on the boat. We also had to visit my brother who had been taken into hospital. He was in Tameside hospital after fighting our way through the Manchester Traffic up to Ashton it then took us half an hour to park the car I am sure the designers of the place did it in such a way as to deter visitors it is the most unfriendly hospital I have ever been too If the NHS want to save money pull the bloody place down. And why did they build a hospital on a bloody hill I needed oxygen by time we reached our kids ward. He went in with heart problems and now has a upset stomach. which apparently comes free with three day stay. It was well worth it though and I hope we cheered him up??
One other thing annoyed me today, in Stretford I saw a mini bus with the words Afro/Caribbean Welfare Bus, it was taking people to there club for the day which is great, and I applaud the community spirit which can supply such transport.
But what I want to know is could I run a bus which says White English Welfare Bus or would that be racial ????????????? I believe if we advertise racial segregation we promote it Just a thought.
I have just spent the last 20 mins looking for a rattling noise which just sounded like the central heating system leaking. I searched the boat checked the heating, I could not find anything wrong. Then Noreen went out for a fag and it was then she realised that the boat across the way had started its engine which had a very bad rattle, ever felt an idiot.
Speak soon
Big Al





















Speak soon









Big Al

Arrived in Castlefield Manchester

What a fantastic day we have had . The sail into Manchester was really good the sun was out the wind was calm and the canal quiet . As you navigate from Leigh through to Manchester is amazing you first traverse the open country now reclaimed from the once thriving mining industry which brought great prosperity to the canal owners, of course we all know that the Bridgewater was the first commercial canal in the country


Over 200 years ago. Having left Leigh and Astley you again pass some lovely open countryside through Worsley woods where I once did an awful lot of scouting at Middlewood camp site, under the M60 you then pass the famous Worlsey court house

Here the canal is a very strange ochre colour caused by the iron ore in the mines seeping into the canal, once through Worsley you soon pass though Apricot I am not sure if it is a suburb of Manchester or Salford though I think the later. After Patricroft you pass over the famous Barton Swinging Aqueduct this construction which at one time was one off the wonders of the industrial age swings the canal over the Manchester ship Canal so to allow ocean going ships to pass, even though now it rarely moves and would look better for a lick of paint it still remains for me one of the wonders of the water world.

Its then time to pass the Trafford centre on your right and the first industrial park in the world on your left that of Trafford park. Turn left at Waters meeting and pass the Old Trafford we passed at 2.30 and had some good crack with the 1000s of United fans they also run some quite large boat trips to the ground which today were full of screaming fans all having a great time As we pulled into Castle field basin we were greeted by the usual Saturday afternoon drinkers But as the sun was shining they were all out on the wharfs singing and merry making inst it strange how the sun effects the drinkers I think its great as I just watch the antics and wait for them to fall in and then watch the drunken mates attempt to get them out, I never interfere unless I see that the situations is getting out of control then I do my life saving routine (without getting wet)

We are here now and settled in, we have looked around for a place to park the car for the next 10 days or so but at £80 a week we have decided to leave it at Toms and when needed we will catch a tram to Stretford



Keep Smiling



Big Al

Three days in Leigh

Hi Every One




Well that’s the first part of the visiting over, We managed to visit everyone on the list or they visited us , If you are ever passing through Leigh one of the best moorings and relatively safe is 100 yards up from Butts Basin on the opposite side to the tow path there is a private edge and easy access to the main road and one of the best chippies 10 mins walk by turning right when you reach the road. Other than the first two days when we got absolutely soaked the weather has been good . Today we are off to Manchester the weather looks absolutely fabulous so we should have a good trip .

I am sorry that I cannot give any funny anecdotes but this was only a visit to old friends lets hope that the trip from now on will be more entertaining for you

First day

Hi everyone




Monday the 4 April the morning dawned grey and quite cold. The weather forecast did not look good neither did the sky line. Still we had decided to start our journey today and if you put it off just because of the weather you would never do anything would you . Having filled up with diesel, had a pup out and said our good byes to Alan and Danny with a blast of the Claxton we set off,

I new that the wind would be a the underlying problem for the day and it was, Rain you can cope with But wind is a different kettle of fish it tends to prevent you from going in straight line and getting Noreen on and off for the locks all becomes far more complicated than it should be. For the first hour the hazy sun tried to break through a milky cloudy sky we new it would not be long before it gave up and give way to the dark clouds that were amassing in the west and heading our way we were right, soon we were into high winds and driving rain we new from the outset that it was not going to be a good and soon enough we new why not only were we rusty in our boating skills but the locks were also very rusty. Even with the wind and the rain and our rusty boating skills we were still managing to make headway, that is until lock 5 where on leaving the lock with a broadside wind I managed to get us grounded by allowing the wind to throw the bow onto the far bank, it took us almost 30mins to extradite ourselves off the bottom the rest of the journey was; well all I can say is hard just a very hard slog. We eventually moored up at 15.30 at Dean Lock under the M6.

All the above sounds quite harrowing but now sat here having stripped out of our wet clothes, had a shower, dressed in warm clothes, a good fire blazing, a lovely Curry bubbling away on the cooker all the hassle of the days journey seems a long time ago. That’s the beauty of this live you are soon appeased and with all your creature comforts with you it never takes long to be (reet comfy )again.

It appears that the weather for tomorrow is the same as today so its just a case of getting the wet weather gear on again putting our best foot forward and getting on with it. Its more miles tomorrow but fewer locks with an early start we should be in Leigh before early afternoon .



Keep Smiling

Big Al


Buggerlugs

Monday 08.30 WE ARE OFF

From the deck of


Buggerlugs



Its true what they say “there is no substitute for experience“ Last year whilst out on the canal we were constantly shopping for a multitude of items that were difficult the find especially without a car. The list is endless so I will not bore you with them, Then there were items we took along but never used. So this year we decided to plan it a bit better Noreen thinks that I go to far planning it like a military move, with schedules, lists and itineraries, I tell her old habits are hard to break.

But the whole thing has now come together, we have enough stores such as rope, fenders, engine spares, electrical spares, iron mongery, food, booze, and fuel to last at least the first part of the trip. The boat has been polished all the brasses are gleaming she is full of fuel all spares stowed away and ready for the off.

Getting the boat ready for the off has been quite an exercise one we never really thought about but in hindsight this year we are ready for anything that the canal throws at us (we think)

In some ways we will miss the security and convenience of the marina with all its facilities and closeness to family but the open water awaits and of course we have lots of friends to catch up with and winter stories to swap. As for family they always know were we are visits are numerous.

The open water and the life we will live fir the next six months is something I know lots of people dream about its exciting, stimulating, calming, sometimes fretful, sometimes very scary but always actively stimulating. Also we don’t have to join a gym to keep fit.



Please stay with the blog I will attempt to make it as interesting as possible



Yours

Big Al

Hi Again

It looks as like on my last blog I omitted to say where I we going to too so here is a quick Run down:

For the first part which will include the most of April firstly the first week we will be in and around Leigh as we are having a some work done on the boat. we will then spend a week in Castlefield Manchester onward then to Stretford were we will spend Easter with Noreen's dad this will also be good for the the Easter mass at our church in Salford.
As soon as the easter holidays are over we will be setting off for Worcester we have to be there for the 16 May to have the roof re-painted this will mean traveling down the Bridgewater canal Going through Altringham, Northwich, then onto the  Shropshire canal continuing south through a very beautiful part of the country. We hope to spend a couple of weeks round the Worcester area and the start North East traveling just south of Birmingham the turning south along the Grand union were we will then turn north up the River Nene towards Peterborough. Then the fun starts we head off weaving our way through the middle levels towards Cambridge Via Wisbeach, Diss and Ely hopefully ending up in Cambridge about July.
That is a very rough guide to our itinerary
If anyone is about any of these places we would love to have you aboard

Fair Winds and good weather ahead of you

Big Al

almost ready for the off

Hi everyone




Please forgive me for not keeping up the blog , though I do have an excuse, and that is I have been really busy also I have had very little to report.
However we are now well on our way to being ready for the off. I had a little trouble last week with the rudder, I needed to change the rudder bearing, which in itself is not a difficult job, unless whilst trying to remove the bearing you pull the rudder arm out of the skeg, as I did. Luckily I had the forethought to put a rope on the rudder tied to a stern post so that I didn’t loose the lot to Davy Jones’s locker. Now if this ever happens to you before you start shelling out having the boat put into dry dock to re-engage the rudder in the skeg, do as I did, screw back in the swan arm retaining screw, put wire around the screw making a loop enough to pass a rope through then tie a rope onto the rudder, by lifting the centre post and manoeuvring the rudder it is possible to drop the rudder post back into the skeg single handed though its a killer on the back. Also unless you are a very competent engineer with a full workshop buy the housing with the bearing ready fitted to buy just the bearing albeit a nylon bush with a centre o ring they are impossible to fit back into the original housing.
I have fitted new buttons to the pointed bit and re vitalised the buttons to the blunt bit I have given the hull a blacking to the waterline ( I am doing the rest when it is in dry dock in May.
The engine has had a complete service. My son Matthew has made me a new long top box for plank, fenders and such like, so now everything is ship shape and ready for the off
We are now sorting out the last few dinner parties for friends we won’t see for the next six months and getting everything like dental checks, heart checks, bulking up on the tablets and all the domestic and personal stuff sorted.
The weather has been very kind to us allowing all the work to be done its been great not to have to worry about the rain though I think we will suffer in the summer for this lack of rain I can see us being short of water again?
All our families are fine no problems there . Fantastic news from the Antipode’s I am a great uncle again my nephew and niece in Australia have had a baby girl Scarlet who by looking at her picture will be braking a lot of young men’s hearts
Fishing has been quite good Our Keith came last week for a couple of days he managed a nice Perch which was deserving of a photo, the week before we had Bethany, Rachel and Elliot they where fishing when I hooked into a large Pike about three foot long and despite all our efforts we could not land it, it was on long enough for everyone to have a look at it but when it came to getting it out, it took one look at the net, shook its head and said good by.
The picture below is of my new friend I miss Herby the Heron unfortunately he has not been seen for some time though Phil the Pheasant is a good substitute but a lot noisier, at least with Phil if I get fed up of him he will make a lovely Pie\????

Keep smiling summer is not too far away now I will give you a report when we are on the move.
Big Al
Buggerlugs