Blackberries, Elderberries, Haws and Sloes,Cob-nuts, Crab-apples, Rose Hips.Towpath sentinels, Oak, Ash and Alder,Watch Willow wet her finger tips. Stubbly remains of the golden grain,Dark, glistening soil turned for sowing.Sheep and cattle continue to grazeThough the grass will soon tire of growing. Broadsword Waterdock, Yellow Flag Iris,Reed Sweetgrass, Bulrush and Sedge,Meadowsweet, Loosestrife, Willowherb trembleAnd dance at …
Grandad’s Boat Weekend
My first commissioned Canal Cruise.. ...and I could not have chosen a more perfect weekend. I set off, mid-morning, for Braunston on Friday 16th July. Approaching Hillmorton Locks I was rather perturbed by my rudder becoming very hard to turn. The lower lock was ready, the lock volunteers were beckoning me, so I pushed and …
Napton (on-the-hill)
I have never seen so many public benches; for a small village the quantity of seating available in Napton-on-the-Hill is quite astounding. Admittedly, the lanes are very steep - yes, the clue is in the name. Perhaps the residents need to sit and rest frequently as they walk their dogs, visit neighbours, return from the …
The Canal is Calling
"There is something very calming about being being near water," mused Millie as we slipped smoothly along the Oxford Canal towards Hillmorton Locks. We are taking the opportunity over the next few days to voyage together again aboard Miss Amelia. We are still wondering when, or indeed if, Summer will arrive, however the forecast for …
Lots and lots of locks
First of all, there is but a single photo today and I did not take it. I was too busy operating locks! There are a few diagrams for you though... and a cartoon... I expect you know what a canal lock is. Water likes to lie perfectly horizontal. If it has rush downhill, it gets …
Going Solo
Right what now? I seem to have run of maintenance and improvement projects for Miss Amelia. It's time to venture out I think, and explore further afield. I felt ready! A little nervous, but ready. My first solo voyage was delayed by three days in order to get my unreliable starter motor reconditioned. It only …
Lockdown Horizons
Miss Amelia is moored, tied up, locked down, floating idly at the pontoon. We have been static and immobile for quite a few weeks, months - I've lost count. We are due to be let loose on the waterways again on April 12th, so many adventures and escapades await us I am sure. But I …
Reflections
More time passes and I finally create another blog post. The last part of August was spent visiting Mum in hospital. She had thought she was being admitted because of an uncomfortably irregular heartbeat and a deterioration in her diabetic condition. However, it was discovered that she had pancreatic cancer. Often referred to as the …
Canal Creativity!
It has been too long, I know, since my last blog. Sorry.... But I have been working on a rather creative project which has produced this video. I hope it gives a flavour of walking the towpath. My destination that day - Monday 20th July - was Hillmorton Locks. And this is how I got …
Hard Graft
Mossdale, the last remaining all-wooden ‘Mersey flat’, has been preserved and is now on display at the National Waterways Museum. From the mid-18th century right up to the 1970s the canal system provided a convenient, country-wide freight route. Its heyday can be firmly placed during the early 19th century as it met the burgeoning transport …
Notes from a Novice Navigator 