Staying put, and a bit of fishing

Friday 24^th March

We were plenty warm enough overnight, and the sun was shining when I took Meg out first thing, though it didn’t last.  Over breakfast we looked at the list of jobs to be done and decided we’d be better off staying put today and getting on with them, as we have to be back home soon, and the BSS is due!  The first task was easily accomplished – the local BSS chap was already coming to the marina next week and agreed to do ours as well, so although it doesn’t run out for a couple of months we wanted to get it sorted before we move up to the Midlands for the summer.

As Dave wanted (well, needed) to spend the morning down the engine hole, I took Meg off for a walk, this time along the Worcester and Birmingham.  The first lovely thing was hearing the first chiffchaff of spring, and the second was the cheerful splash of yellow from patches of coltsfoot below the bottom Hanbury lock.

Coltsfoot

Coltsfoot are named for the horseshoe-shaped leaves, which don’t appear until the flowers have finished.  We walked on up the locks, where the volunteers waved cheerily as they had coffee by their hut, then went up across the bridge to turn onto the W&B.  New and Used Boats, which are based at the junction, had just craned a boat into the water and were removing the slings,

We walked on until the state of the towpath got too bad, and returned to the marina, with a collection of deadfall ash twigs to dry for kindling. The sun was out again, and although the wind was strong and blustery it was coming from the side, so it was warm enough inside the boat to have both bow and stern doors open.  The first job on my list was to investigate the musty smell from the cupboard under the sink.  The water pump had behaved itself yesterday, implying that there were no leaks, which was a relief as the marina was iced over more than once over the winter.  Out came all the plates, bowls, saucepans etc, and the base slid out easily below the bottom of the doors.  What a good design, none of that awkward lifting and shuffling to get the shelf out.  And the area beneath, where the water pump is, was thankfully completely dry.  The mystery of the musty smell was solved when I spotted a small patch of mould under one of the plates when I put everything back – it must have been put away slightly damp last time we were on the boat. Something to remember next winter!  Meanwhile Dave had carried out the engine checks, hoses etc and got a coat of red-ox paint on another section of the floor in the engine hole.

Sparkling

There is still a lot to be done till the floor and sides look as good as on Chuffed.  But considering that, although the engine itself had been regularly serviced since new, the rest of the area had probably had no attention, it’s coming along well.

We had some lunch, and Dave casually asked what I had done with the new Chinaman’s hat.  Oh dear – I had intended to attach some string to a leg and tie it to the handle on the chimney, but had entirely forgotten, so last night’s winds had whisked it away.  So my first afternoon job was to go fishing.  It took nearly half an hour, going all round the bow and up between us and the next boat with no luck.  So, with my back to the wind I crossed the main pontoon to fish down by the bow of the boat opposite.  Phew!

Sea searcher comes up trumps

So Dave drilled a small hole in one of the legs and bolted it to the chimney.  If I hadn’t found it, there would have been no fire tonight as more heavy rain is forecast.

On Saturday 25^th we did the final bits and pieces for the BSS, packed up and went home.  A short but busy visit.  The sun was shining as we packed the car, and a couple of boats were going out – we hope be to back after Easter, fingers crossed that the Severn won’t be in flood so we can get up to Stourport!

The BSS was duly done on Monday, and passed.  But there was an advisory - the pressure regulator on the gas bottle had failed and needs replacing.  We were astonished that it isn’t included as part of the BSS. 

 

 

 

Just checking ….

Thursday 23rd March 

We had hoped to be up before now - it's a long time since we tucked Bonjour up for the winter at the end of November. But since Christmas eiether one or both of us have been struck down with one of the various lurgies that have been circulating. Then the flat roof at home started leaking, which needed Dave to don his ‘down the engine hole’ clothes to apply bitumen to the leaky bits. That all took well over a week, waiting for a long enough spell of dry weather to complete the job. But here we are at last.

We arrived to a warm and dry boat – warm, because the sun was shining, and it was lovely to be back. My first job, even before we had unpacked or put the kettle on, was to clean the fridge – over the winter the door must have swung shut and patches of mould had started to grow. But it was easily wiped off. We had no intention of cruising today because of the weather – strong winds and frequent showers - so after a welcome cup of tea we had a walk with Meg down the towpath towards Droitwich, to look for signs of spring.

We also wanted to have a look at where dredging took place very recently. Below lock 6, where the Body Brook joins the canal, a new island had appeared in the middle of the canal after that long spell of wet weather.

Silt island (thanks to Paul Sumpner, NB Old Nick)

 It’s hard to credit that the gentle little Body Brook had dumped so much silt. CRT couldn’t get the dredgers up to the area by water because of the stoppages on the Worcester and Birmingham, and the canal in Droitwich was also too shallow at the time – so trees had to be cleared so the gear could come by land.

The innocent little Body Brook

  We came back though the woods, where we noticed the hawthorns were coming into leaf.

And then, as we walked in the woods along the brook, we came across a large patch of white violets.

Not the best day for cruising. We’d needed our waterproofs on the walk, and had just got back to the boat when the heavens opened again and it rained heavily for several hours. We quickly got the new Chinaman’s hat fitted to the chimney and lit the fire. Lovely!