A mild meander

With all the ice having finally melted we have returned to Plank Lane from Boothstown, calling at the  canal services at Butts Bridge on the way to fill with water and to empty all cassettes. We can last about ten days now without moving but, ever wary now since being frozen in, we probably won't wait that long. The much improved temperatures meant no hat or gloves were required today (no hair either - I paid an overdue visit to the barber yesterday!) and we seemed to make excellent time on the journey back.

Again, the clarity of the water was absolutely staggering, allowing me to see a monster carp at Astley heading in the opposite direction. It's just a shame that all of the garbage in the canal is visible too but I choose to look upon this as an improving situation, particularly since the plastic bag levy came into force.

The thaw and yesterday's slight rain certainly haven't helped the towpath in places and I want to admit to being wrong regarding Peel Holdings' towpath improvement scheme. Last year I was of the opinion that they should leave well alone, a little bit of mud in winter being no big thing, it would slow down cyclists, etc. But this,

I have to admit, is much better than this

so I hold my hands up and say well done Peel Holdings in this instance.

Living as we do with the entire outdoors as our garden is a great way to get to know the patterns of nature. Even if you don't wish to actively study your surroundings you can't help but absorb information. For example, we now know which is the last tree species ( in this area, at least) to shed its leaves and that is the oak. The trees lining the canal between Astley and Leigh are mostly oak and this recent freezing spell has led to an oak leaf avalanche.

Sadly for us, they don't always land on the towpath!

Frequent propeller clearing required!

Finally I'm pleased to report my massive foot improvement (who knew I had a massive foot, then 😉 ). I'm into my fifth week of toe trouble but another visit to the docs - and another £8.40 prescription - seems to have put me on the road to recovery. Back to the long walks soon, fingers crossed.

On the moorings at The Moorings

Well we made it down to Boothstown yesterday and just caught marina owner Dave before he left for the day. He filled us up - 67p, lovely jubbly - and we tied up outside the pub for the night. The trip down was OK if a little cold, though a timely bacon butty and hot coffee helped!
It was a grey day yesterday and we felt as if we were journeying through a landscape on hold with most trees denuded now and almost all canal weed gone. It's as if Mother Nature has gone all Schwarzenegger on us, promising "I'll be back" come springtime. Well, to be honest, we can wait!
I posted earlier in autumn about my hatred of early nights and me counting down the days to the winter solstice. Well, that hatred simply hasn't materialised to the same extent this year. I presume because I'm no longer going to work in the dark, getting home in the dark I'm just not as low as I usually get at this time of year. In fact, it isn't bothering me in the slightest!
Today we awoke to a beautiful, sunny day but with patchy ice on the canal. We could push through easily enough but why bother? Tomorrow is even colder so we will wait until Tuesday or maybe for Wednesday's balmy 12C before moving again.
Here are some pointless photographs totally unrelated to my post but able to break the monotony of a slab of text. I really want to capture just how crystal clear the water is but it's difficult to do with an iPhone. Time to invest in a swanky camera?

So popular with the motorists!

New Marina residents at Pennington Wharf

Much needed new housing in Leigh

Thaw? What thaw?

Having been icebound for a couple of days, today it was time to head to Boothstown's Bridgewater Marina for some desperately needed diesel. With temperatures at around 7C we'd be fine, right?

Wrong!

The canal looked "wet" if you know what I mean, so it was out with the pins and off we go but we didn't get far. Amazingly, the ice was still around half an inch thick but was disguised by a thin film of surface water. After a couple of attempts to push through (Elaine said the noise levels inside the boat were unbelievable!) I called it quits and returned - eventually - to our berth.

With Lottie not having a fuel gauge I always keep a log of date, litres of diesel purchased and hours of engine running because I have learned the hard way that despite the boat spec claiming we have a 245L diesel tank we actually run dry at 170. Also, these engines aren't self priming so running dry means bleeding the fuel system, a royal pain in the derrière.

A quick calculation based on previous info tells you how many litres/hr you use and a quick glance at the total engine hours (Lottie doesn't have an odometer either) gave me cause for concern that we were getting too low (who knows what sludge and water lies at the bottom of the tank!).

I phoned the marina and identified myself (the man from Lottie D!) and they were only too happy to lend me a 20L container so we headed down there by car and Lottie has now had a slight top up which will last us until we get there on Saturday.

So there you have it - a typical problem/drama for a liveaboard boater. We might not have to worry about roof tiles blowing off or conservatories leaking but we aren't exactly stress free!

The correct decision

Having woke up to this view this morning

we knew Sunday night's decision to run from our spot just beyond Appley Bridge straight through to Crankwood yesterday was the correct one! It took us five hours to get here on a day that - even though it was enjoyable - we were glad to see the back of.

Elaine worked like a Trojan on all seven locks yesterday. Every one was set against us, which you just have to accept. What is very difficult to accept, however, is that state of said locks. Extremely heavy gates, gate paddles and sluices not working, rack and pinions slipping on the ones that did work and one case of a gate paddle allowing water into a lock we were emptying just isn't acceptable.  Elaine was worn out and I was rattled - it's not a nice sensation to be sat in a lock you have emptied to find water blasting into the lock behind you, soaking the back deck and throwing the boat everywhere. Particularly when you have to reverse into the torrent so that Elaine can open the gates! I did phone C&RT to report the last problem when my heart rate had returned to double figures but, actually, I'm within my rights to report every problem we encounter.

It wasn't all bad though. The water was flat calm and Lottie knifed through it serenely. It's an unexpected feeling but both of us are really enjoying staying out of the marina this winter. With no other boat traffic moving we feel like we have the entire system to ourselves. Cruising for five hours is too much in winter admittedly though. The problem we had is that we committed ourselves to look after Wilson tomorrow so we had to get back yesterday before the canal froze over. It's difficult to spot in this pic but there was ice forming as we came through the flashes at Poolstock.

Once we were away from all that open water which was lowering the air temperature we were fine though. The only thing left to complain about is the ruination of the sky by an ever increasing amount of air traffic 😡

Finally, a couple of questions. First, where have all the jays gone? We haven't seen one for ages and, as far as I'm aware, they don't all migrate. Second, have you ever seen a squirrel fall out of a tree? We did yesterday, it was hilarious! Luckily, the only damage was to the little chap's pride!

Bye bye Burscough

Because we adhere strictly to the rules about not overstaying in one spot for too long (translation = I have a dentist appointment in Lowton next week!) we left Burscough today. Somewhat surprisingly there was still some ice on the surface but that was nothing compared to what we encountered later.

On our way to the winding hole

We passed through two road bridges to make our turn then came back again through Burscough. We've really enjoyed our stay there and will certainly be back in the New Year to do another couple of weeks. To be honest, I can't understand why C&RT haven't issued temporary winter mooring licenses here as they have in previous years but there are actually some spaces in the long term moorings shown above so perhaps I've answered my own question.

Here is Elaine closing the road barriers at the Farmer's Arms bridge which closes to boat traffic tomorrow then to road traffic at the end of the month to enable a new control panel to be fitted, apparently. Hopefully we will see fully automatic road barriers next time we come through!

As we approached Burscough for the second time a young lad pulled a huge pike out of the reeds right in front of us. If you zoom in you might just be able to make it out in his landing net.

As we approached Parbold we encountered a line of match anglers that stretched for about a mile either side of the village, slowing us down somewhat. However, "slowing down" turned into a dead stop when we beached Lottie on an enormous clump of Pennywort that had become detached from the bank and was blocking the entire canal. Much hacking with the boat hook ensued, on the boat and off it. Much forward and reversing was employed too and we eventually freed ourselves after about half an hour. To be fair the anglers nearby were very understanding about the fact that we had ruined their swims!

We decided against stopping at Appley Bridge in case this guy turned his Christmas lights on and blistered our paintwork!

So, here we are for the night. Middle of nowhere, just how we like it!

We do have some company, however.

Hopefully, they will be quieter than the pair of tawny owls that woke us up early this morning! When you hear that first "twit twoo" you think "awww...". After half an hour of the bloody racket though you yearn for the report of a shotgun, a strangled squawk and a soft thud!

Iced in at Burscough

Yesterday we were frozen in for the first time this winter, and again this morning.

A boat did come past us yesterday morning, crunching through the icy crust. I reckoned yesterday's ice was about 1/4" thick and today's seems thicker if anything. In terms of our wellbeing it is no problem, we are warm as toast and have everything we need either on board or within easy reach. We do have a problem, however, in that we are facing the wrong way with the bow pointing towards Liverpool.

To turn around we need to get to a winding hole 

STOP PRESS!! As I type a boat has just come crashing past us so I grabbed a quick pic

To access the nearest winding hole we have to go through two road bridges, one of which closes to boat traffic on Monday for a month. So we either follow this guy or wait until tomorrow, hoping for a thaw. Think we'll wait it out as the forecast shows no freezing on Sunday.

Yesterday was Burscough Christmas lights switch on day. We drove to Leigh, picked up the family and drove back here enabling Charlotte to take our car back to her house. In truth the switch on was OK but, unlike last year, there was no Santa parade. Still, the kids seemed to enjoy it!

Queue at the sweet shop!

My toe bone!

Didn't a cartoon character used to say that? Well, mine hasn't improved in the last ten days so today's car trip was to Ormskirk walk in centre. And what a great job they do there! I saw a triage nurse, a physiotherapist and a GP and was in and out in less than an hour. The good news is that I don't have gout, merely an inflammation of the big toe. Slightly less good news is that I may have the beginnings of a bunion forming, though this is ten to fifteen years away from being a problem. So I'm now on super strength Ibuprofen gel three times a day plus oral painkillers as required. Unfortunately this may take quite a while to subside but there's nothing else I can do but carry on as normal as possible.
So, with that in mind, we did a bit of shopping for tonight's tea, had a pub lunch at the Hopvine in Burscough then drove out to our favourite pub ever, Fifteens @ the Fox in Roby Mill.

We love it here, good food and beer selection (though we only had a drink today) plus decor and atmosphere that suits us down to the ground. Every room has an open fire and the instructions are just feel free to put as much wood or coal on as you like.

If you are into country pubs, real ale, proper food, a character filled venue with friendly staff (and -today - Reggie, a very friendly dog!) why not give it a try?

A break in the weather

At last a bit of sunshine! We've spent the last few days with this

working harder than of late so it was time to take advantage of the better weather and move up the 50m or so to the services and fill up with water. As it turned out we weren't the only ones with this idea. Already on the services was a boater we know pretty well but hadn't seen for ages. It turns out he's took a mooring beyond Burscough for the winter which explains things. We had a good chat whilst waiting our turn, during which time another boat came by for water and yet another for diesel from the chandlery opposite the services. All in all we had a very pleasant midday with our little group, chatting, joking and stroking dogs - it doesn't take much to keep us happy!

With Lottie filled up it was time to reverse back to our mooring (we had actually left our pins in the ground there in an effort to deter anyone from taking our spot). This was going OK until a huge clump of floating Pennywort became entangled around the rudder which meant I had to tip toe along the side of the boat to get the boat hook. Have you ever tried tip toeing with even a mild attack of gout? Not recommended! However, there was nothing else I could do as I was alone on board (Elaine was on the towpath making sure no one nicked our pins).

Safely back on our mooring we passed pleasantries with a couple of our neighbours who were out and about enjoying the sunshine (heading to the pub, actually!) so I make it we've chatted to the occupants of six separate boats already which must be a record for me!

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention we have brought our car up to here from Charlotte's. As a change of routine we will be making a few trips out by road this week before returning the car on Friday after the Christmas lights switch on here. Charlotte and the boys will be coming over for that - and, hopefully, the return of last year's hot dog van. As I said, it doesn't take much to keep us happy!

Yesterday in Manchester

Using the Northern Duo ticket deal we got to Manchester and back for £12.40, which was just as well given the exorbitant prices for food and drink at the markets. All in all we had a good mooch around, only buying some smelly oil (jasmine and damson, don't you know!) for Elaine's oil fragrance thingy. Here's some pics.

Gout and Pennywort

Sounds like a firm of solicitors! But, sadly, the canal is suffering from the latter and I think I may be suffering with the former. I've certainly got a bit of a sore foot at the moment, whatever it is. Add to that waking up this morning desperate for the loo only to find all three cassettes needed emptying and you begin to imagine the start to the day I've had! Luckily, we are tied up just short of the services at Burscough otherwise things would have been serious!
We arrived here yesterday passing this nice restoration at Lathom

and will be staying for a day or two, enjoying great connectivity with canal and town centre amenities  right on our doorstep.

Going back to the canal, it turns out that weed I photographed the other day is floating Pennywort and  I have since day learned a little about it. It was all around us when we set off from Spencer's Bridge

but Burscough is clear, thankfully. It was introduced from South America as a decorative oxygenator for ornamental ponds in the Eighties but is now spreading like wildfire in our ecosystem. Banned from sale in 2014, it is also an offence to do anything that encourages its growth. Not that it needs any help as it grows up to 200mm (8" to you) in a single day!

C&RT have sprayed it in places to little effect but will be using a specialist cutting machine (just one?) to tackle it in May. I fear such an operation will be a regular requirement from now on, and might still prove to be inadequate.

Right, it's paracetamol and coffee for breakfast then hop (almost literally!) on the train to Manchester for the Christmas markets!

In Parbold no-one can hear you scream

It's ridiculous but despite us having three separate devices we couldn't get connected to the Internet when we arrived at Parbold yesterday. Pathetic really when you consider that someone from abroad would be able to connect to the best signal available. Time to give us free roaming I say!
We are at Spencer's Bridge now and fully 4 gee'd up so I will recap. Thursday we jumped on the free train to Burscough to get some shopping done. According to The Trainline it should have cost £7.50 but that presumes the conductor will arise from his posterior and actually sell you a ticket. He didn't, so we saved £7.50! Shopping done, it was time for a quick pint at Gathurst's Station Inn, one of our favourite pubs. The owner is friendly but not as friendly as her two Staffies!

Elaine on tickling duty!

We made the familiar trip to Parbold yesterday, highlight of the day being the two deer we saw after Dean Lock. The downside, and quite a worry, is the spread of this unidentifiable weed

Horrible!

This stuff is spreading like wild fire. Heaven knows what next summer will be like, but good mooring spots like the disused arms at Dean Lock and Appley Lock are already overgrown. Something needs to be done!

As usual, Charlotte and the boys tracked us down at Spencer's Bridge. I'm sure she's just using me because I know all the walks! We went through Newburgh and what we call the Christmas tree forest

The return route to Parbold of course involved a stop at The Stocks Tavern then the ice cream shop before Elaine and I left them at the car park to walk the last mile and a quarter back to Lottie. Given that I had the honour in both the pub and the ice cream parlour, perhaps it's more than my memory bank of walks that Charlotte is taking advantage of!

A walk through Porter's Wood

Charlotte, Wilson and Frank the pug called on us today (school means poor Logan misses out again) so we took a circular walk through Porter's Wood.

Fuelled by Snickers Bites as we were, Wilson actually blasted his way around the three and a quarter miles in very high spirits indeed, even when he took a tumble down the hill on the way back. His rosy cheeks and infectious laugh were a joy to behold. As they left I got my customary kiss from him as usual and, also as usual, Elaine had to literally beg a kiss off him. He's such a wind up merchant!

Later on its time to run the engine as our evening meal is prepared, then tidy up and settle down for the evening. Finally, if anyone has concerns about how we are coping during this cold spell

please don't worry. We are quite cosy thank you!