Put To Bed
Posted: September 12, 2014 Filed under: Dry land, Moving on | Tags: Abingdon, Abingdon Meadow, Folly Bridge, Isis lock, Osney lock, Oxford, Thames, Thames licence Leave a comment
It was time to put Folly Bridge to bed. River conditions maybe as cal
m as they get, but no way was that bridge biting us twice, so we walked a loop – passing the site of our worst ever boat bash – ending up with one last walk through the city before untying and entering Isis lock.
The deeper water always makes the boat move well and we were soon into Osney lock, taping licences in the windows. We noticed so much more
compared to last time round when we were catapulted downstream under the force of red board water; there are marinas, ornate road bridges and even a few locks that we had
blanked out in our traumatised states. Separated in two parts by an island, it’s okay to travel on either side but not knowing that bit of information last time round is why
our paintwork is still visible on the stone arch today. Steeped in history, bursting with riverside life and Salters Steamers churning their way through the water makes for an idyllic view, yet what’s gone before is enough to keep a chill in the air.
Watching Oxford fade away the water opened up and trees stretched high, still bizarre to be the only boat around for miles on such a well-known river.
In need of water we motored along as the sun began to set, arriving at Abingdon there was 
wait for the water point, one handy thing about narrowboat travel is that dinner can be multitasked with water filling, lock waiting, lock dropping, moving along and mooring – which meant by the time we’d settled for night on Abingdon Meadow there was just enough time for drinks before food. Abingdon is twinkling outside, Nick figures it’s a good place to blow our whole seven days of Thames licence – a definite improvement from wanting to live at Star City.
Oxford
Posted: September 11, 2014 Filed under: Bobbing about, Dry land, Geeky facts | Tags: Al-Andalus, Ashmolean Museum, Christ College, Godstow lock, Jericho Oxford, Oxford, Oxford canal, Port Meadow, Radcliffe Library, Vaullts & Garden Cafe Leave a comment
The fun fair caused a bit of a city centre blockage for car drivers wanting to get from the topside down to the station car park. By the time Mummy sped up the short stay ramp the Fiesta tyres were 
smoking having completed an express tour of Oxford….over rugby pitches, through quads, down the cobbled streets. Read it and weep SFR, this boat looked like Christmas: smoked salmon, gammon, Bombay gin, cakes, chocolate, pork pie, nibbles, cider the list went on and on…
Having missed August summer showed up, it was lovely to wander the city without getting rained on. Libraries and colleges are spread throughout so with a handy college guide we went exploring the quiet back streets eventually arriving down at Christ Church, Oxford – magnificent buildings that have produced a whopping thirteen British prime ministers.
Murk continues to enjoy his morning dips in the Thames, always nice to see him completely submerged and getting a good clean. A walk up to Godstow Lock took us across the meadows where Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, enjoyed picnics an
d one day made up a story that began, ‘Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank and having nothing to do….. when suddenly a 
White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her…‘
City moorings tend to relegate the boat to a place to quickly stop by before setting off in search of more entertainment. We headed into The Ashmolean Museum for a brush up on mummification, Scarab beetles, medieval England and timelines in general – still there Sar?
Chalk and cheese, tea at the Vaults & Garden Cafe was everything tapas at Al-Andalus wasn’t and both were very good. After cheating and catching a car ride along to Aldi we waved Mummy goodbye, atleast London plans mean the gap won’t be too long this time round.
Jericho
Posted: September 8, 2014 Filed under: Dry land, Geeky facts, Moving on | Tags: Jericho Oxford, narrowboat blog, Oxford, Oxford canal, Radcliffe Library, water Leave a comment
It’s only a few miles but several locks, numerous lift bridges, two water fills and very different su
rroundings make Thrupp and Jericho seem worlds apart. The journey down into Oxford was especially enjoyable under a bright blue sky. What had been verging on frantic boat activity in Thrupp dwindled to next to nothing the fu
rther we travelled, this, combined with the fact that almost everyone we’ve spoken to just lately had decided to moor in Thrupp and catch a bus in Oxford made us begin to wonder if things had gone downhill since we last visited Jericho.
It’s amazing how many boats that were on the market during our boat search phase we’ve spotted but today an extra speci
al boat popped up – Persephone, we gripped that tiller sooo tightly during a hectic day in Camden back in 2012 when took a bit of training and stepped onto a narrowboat for the very first time.
With
three washes done it was time for more water, the Agenda 21 moorers have especi
ally nice cast-offs judging by the freebies at the bins.
Thanks to plenty of boaters busing it in from Thrupp there were several moorings available in Jericho, tying up next to the cider and fruit wine boat we figured we’d happened upon a pretty good space. The area has real character and an interesting past, located outside the old city wall it was a place for travellers to rest if they reached the city after the gates had closed. Houses that now sell for crazy prices suffered from poor drainage when they were originally built resulting in 
disease riddled streets – in 1873 five out of 11 typhoid deaths originated in Jericho, by the 1950’s the place had morphed into a red light area and in the 1960’s it narrowly escaped being demolished altogether.
Shutting the door on Murk we set off for a little car park research and then into the heart of the city where late afternoon heat was radiating from the sandstone halls, reading rooms and churches making a busy place feel quite still.
Riding The Red Boards
Posted: March 30, 2013 Filed under: Disasters, Moving on | Tags: chilly, locks, Oxford, red flood warning, Thames 9 Comments
Hands have stopped shaking enough to type now. At 7am doors of the boat in front were pinned open, the old guy dressed as though he had a full day of boating ahead. We pondered how that could be, with the boards still red? Heard his engine start and popped out, expecting to see him turn in the lock and head back up the Oxford canal…but no, his wife shut the gate and they headed straight on out to the Thames. Power to the pensioner. And then another one went. This was way too much
to handle, so we untied moved down to the end of the residential arm, stopped for a quick Sainsburys trip/water fill before reversing back up and out to join the Thames.
Under the railway bridge, a left turn, then waited to be hit by the water we’d head into. Joy. A few puzzled looks from canoeists who’d had to carry their canoes upstream, it wasn’t long before we’d picked up quite some speed. Under the very narrow, very shallow bridge like a giant pooh stick , Osney lock loomed. A bit of a lose lose situation as you need power on to steer but this leaves you even less able to stop. Arriving at
the lock we got suckered onto the wier, hoping and praying the ricketty looking wood held as we struggled to get free. The lock keepers are amazing, more therapists for traumatised boaters really – even idiots w
ho decide to ignore their red warning boards. Apparently the other two boats crash landed too. Slightly shaken, the enormous electronic metal gates opened and we were released into another stretch of water on red boards. Things got worse, approaching Folly bridge and it wasn’t clear which way we were supposed to go – eeeeek. Eventually reversished a little way before getting whipped round and smashed into a bridge…by which time splinters
of paint work and branches lay over the stern and I was hyperventilating on my knees, hanging onto the grab rail.
So three miles into our 40 miles journey down to Reading, we’ve learnt some lessons. A stark contrast to the real world where political correctness has left people spending so much time filling in risk assessment forms they never have time to do anything remotely risky; out here you get to know what you’re not supposed to do, if you do it, fine, however you’re not insured and the boat is quite likely to sink. Am never ever going on a red stretch of river ever again. Just heard Nick calling from the bow ‘And just when I was beginning to think this wasn’t an adventure…’
And if any of the photos look pleasant, it wasn’t. And breath….
Godstow
Posted: March 28, 2013 Filed under: Dry land, Geeky facts, Moving on | Tags: chilly, Godstow lock, locks, Oxford, sinkages, Thames 2 Comments
Our first glimpse of the Thames for a few days. Way less flooding than when we first arrived in Oxford but still red warnings on most sections. Walked up to Godstow and got talking to the lock keeper about a sunken boat, it came loose on the mooring pins, was taken by the river and smashed into a bridge before sinking…ending up on it’s side in a 20ft trench. Work is due to start next week (luckily we don’t go that way), as that section isn’t drainable and the bridge in two spans dating from 1792 is a listed structure, the recovery will include: cranes, divers, boats, inflatable devices and scaffolding and the bill will be about £60,000. With all the sticks and easy access to the Thames, Murk behaved as though he was on speed for the entire walk and was an absolute pain – only comparison to Fenton stopped us from holding him under the water for a very long time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GRSbr0EYYU
Boat 20ft under water, jammed infront of Godstow bridge
Moved down through a pretty tight squeeze of boats outside College Cruisers, ‘Going on down the Thames?’ shouted one guy from his cratch, Nick’s eyes narrowed, slowly his head turned to me, then to the side and back to answer the question. I sensed he felt there was mileage in this one. ‘Just waiting for a few more amber boards, probably go Sunday.’ The burly bloke frowned, ‘Sunday?’ he scoffed. Not so sure he knows about the boards. So, it seems he’ll be going first…perfect…after him, we will follow.
Missed the Queens appearance for the Royal Maundy Service at Christ Church Cathedral, just about made it into the city centre to see the last barricade being loaded onto the lorry. A five-hour window of waiting in the icy wind, no thank you.
So we sit and walk and wait and make chocolate cake, Oxford is not such a bad place to be doing that though.
Cha-Ching
Posted: March 27, 2013 Filed under: Geeky facts, Moving on | Tags: Dukes lock, lift bridge, Oxford, water 2 Comments
Wahey there’s an amber and a white signal on the Thames warnings, plus a good few days of dryness in the forecast. So our journey down to Reading might just happen.
Untied and made our way back down through Dukes lock, with a boat fit to burst with logs it was heartbreaking to pass some by but better that than sinking. Moved on under the lift bridges that are fast becoming familiar sights, shimmying up the arms and crashing to ground is quite run of the mill. 
Pulled in for water and filled everything in sight, preparation for our second Oxford sit in.
These light evenings has people’s light/curtain protocol in tatters, brilliant opportunity for some nosing. Oxford house prices manage to make Guildford seem quite downtown. In the fairly modest Plantation Street you can pick up a 2 bed Victorian terrace for £595,000 but if you dare to dream canal frontage you might like to consider a project http://www.pennyandsinclair.co.uk/sales-property.html?propid=10001830 if you just feel to hell with the work and want to move straight in, then think well over a million – starting with this (we’re at the bottom of their garden:)) http://www.pennyandsinclair.co.uk/sales-property.html?propid=10001627 – wowzers.
On Pins
Posted: March 24, 2013 Filed under: Geeky facts, Moving on, Renovation | Tags: chilly, Duke's Cut, Isis lock, Oxford, spray foam, St Barnabas Church, Thames, water, wind Leave a comment
Got used to the Italian sounding bells from St Barnabas Church each morning.
Jiggled about trying to keep warm while counting the Robert Dyas ‘sales team’ down to 11am opening, they just stared blankly back at us, through the ‘spring has sprung’ barbecue display in the window. Dashed in and grabbed cans of spray foam, like DIYers possessed. Back at the boat it was time for a washing machine/waterpoint trip up the canal.
Untied and moved into Isis lock, out the other side is quite a flow from
the Thames, not wanting to be too much entertainment for the weekend gongoozelers, we followed the instructions: straight out lock; point bow at pontoon; hold bow by rope; steer stern round; let flow push boat rest of the turn; give it some throttle; let go of rope; move back into lock. Easy. And it was.
Bitter wind slicing across the canal, on past long lines of Agenda 21 moorings, under a handful of lift bridges and then a water top up. Jumping back onboard to take the tiller, my foot missed, apparently making what sounded like a whole person sized splosh, luckily just amounting to a wet boot and a stern seat rammed into my back – youch. Am falling in, just gradually, in stages.
Lots of rocky, shallow moorings. Nick going through another pork pie phase, by the time we’d fa
ffed about getting the boat in and hammered enough pins to hold it, he was probably looking at a calorie deficiency post lunch, despite all the carbs.
Tied up at Dukes Cut, our first night on pins, and it’s windy, and the ground is mush:) Time to squirt another 25L of spray foam up inside the roof…still no sign of oozing, wowee there’s emptiness up there.
Spray Foam
Posted: March 22, 2013 Filed under: Dry land | Tags: chilly, condensation, diesel, Oxford, pump out, spray foam, supplies, water Leave a comment
Rain came down for most of the night, pushing our Thames trip further to the future. The Murkster adds another dimension to a city narrowboat experience, mainly due to the fact that he still needs to go out first thing each morning. This used to be a case of open the back door and watch him disappear, whereas now it involves pulling on random items of clothing and falling from the cratch bleary eyed to have him haul you through the hoards of bustling people dressed in their office uniforms. Oh and if you’re really lucky he’ll have you crouching down with a doggy bag in amongst their cip cloppy shiny shoes.
Pretty low o
n water so decided to top up with diesel and pump out at College Cruisers, then just a case of borrowing the hose. The wind was whipping over the canal, reversed back and tied across the stack of hireboats waiting to be unleashed for the weekend. All topped up we’re good for another five days so we flipped the fenders back over the top of the boat and pulled forward onto rings.
Feeling quite Nigella with the convenience 
and amazing choice of city food shopping. Quick trip to the market, returning with real butchers meat that wasn’t a rip off at all. Slightly depressing to see so many catkins, fallen and squashed in the mud without ever having a proper day of sunshine.
With some time on our hands the boat is getting attention. Ceiling attack is beginning…Plan A involves hole drilling and spray foam, there are a few more ideas – the last of which is ‘pull the ceilings down and start again.’
City Of Dreaming Spires
Posted: March 21, 2013 Filed under: Dry land, Geeky facts | Tags: Bodleian library, Iffley Road Track, Malmaison, Oxford, Radcliffe Camera 2 Comments
City lights stretched out in front of us, we walked straight on past Nandos and
it’s windows full of snake plants, continued until we reached the golden steps, laden with organic fruit.
Back into Oxford this afternoon. Getting the hang of how the jigsaw pieces fit together now. Walked along to the where the clever nerds hang out…clever perhaps, but not much common
sense. Saw two geeks someone had misjudged as capable of wheeling what looked like a trolley full of precious books along the road, sending the whole load careering across the pavement; followed by an immaculately presented, beautifully 
spoken hooray strolling along with his cash stuffed wallet hanging from his 
back pocket, deary deary.
Stood in the hushed quad where silence is requested and gazed up at Bodleian library, opened in 1602 is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, housing over 11 million items. Walked out and across to The Radcliffe Camera, stunning and basically an extension of Bodleian, opened in 1749.
Made our way to the Iffley Road Track where, thanks to a drop in the gusty wind on the 6th May 1954, Rodger Bannister, a 25-year-old medical student, decided he would compete in the race that saw him complete the first sub four-minute mile. A ghost town eeriness maybe because so much life happened there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTXoTnp_5sI
Passed Oxford’s Malmaison on the way back to the boat, originally a castle then a functioning prison until 1996, now an interesting and kind of ironic place where people pay to spend the night. We like it. http://www.malmaison.com/locations/oxford/
Hare Today Gone Tomorrow
Posted: March 20, 2013 Filed under: Dry land | Tags: chilly, Eberspacher, Nandos, Oxford Leave a comment
Didn’t do enough late night engine running, woken by battery whining at 4am.
Moved the boat onto a new mooring at the very very end of the Oxford canal, reducing the walk into the city centre to just a few minutes. Checked out the floods first thing, water has gone down compared to a couple of days ago but is still flowing fast. Not time to move yet, besides the level is so high, the boat wouldn’t get under the brige that leads onto the Thames. Murk enjoyed a swim in what should really be a field.
Wandered over the cobbled streets, through college grounds full of studious people clutching piles of books, past a trillion ‘important people lived here’ round plaques, found the most upmarket 
market you could possibly imagine and a cafe that serves champagne.
Met up with the River Cherwell again on the South side, wh
ere we looked down on a cluster of deserted punts bumping about under Magdalen Bridge.
Early blog, Nick is studying a menu for somewhere that charges so much you can help yourself to the organic fruit basket when you walk past the golden front steps…there’ s hope for the budget though, he has to pass Nandos to get there:)
Marpessa2 