Narrowboat Alacrity

Having had an easy drive up and luckily found a parking place ( as it was the Braunston Historic Boat Rally) Jo and I moved the tools and bits needed to start the flooring over to Alacrity. It still took three trips even with the trolley.

As posted before we had decided to fit a fully floating solid oak floor as this will allow the wood to expand and contract in the varying temperatures and humidity levels found on a narrowboat. So having sorted out the original floor removing the gripper rod and staples and added many more screws to hold it down we laid a thin foam plastic underlay, this is to allow the new floor to move and acts as cushion.

The oak tongue and grove planks are supplied in in varying lengths from 300 mm to 1200 mm so you have to be a bit good at jigsaws to get away without much wastage and to get a decent random effect. Once we had glued and layed the first two rows work went on a pace helped by the use of a pair of ratchet clamps, ( Screwfix £4.99 cheaper than B&Q £12.99) these really pull the boards together far better than just tapping them with a soft faced hammer.

Even with only half the boards laid the effect was stunning. So with my back and knees complaining we decided to stop and give the glue chance to set………ok  ok  a weak excuse but I needed a beer.

We started on Alacrity’s saloon refit today, with the removal of the water damaged window linings, its lucky for us just the linings are damaged and need replacement, this was mainly because the boatfitters had used steel nails and these had rusted causing the staining, the steelwork and battens were in perfect condition.

Removal of the old dinette went on apace with Jo wielding the cordless drill to great effect removing even the most chewed up screws with little effort.

We were again lucky that the boat fitters had not glued the support battens to the sapele cabin lining so only leaving us with a few holes to make good before varnishing.

It makes a great difference with the old dinette out, so much space…………

After an exhausting day spring cleaning Alacrity we decided to eat out, we hadn’t visited The Mill House Inn at Braunston for a while so decided to eat there.

It was a warm evening so we walked along the towpath the canal was still busy with many boats passing.

 There was a sign propped up at the entrance to the Mill House “Chef required apply within” we should have stopped there…………. It was quiet inside as it was just six o’clock only about twenty people in, mmmmmmm my favorite beers were on draught, Bass and Abbot…… we ordered a glass of wine for Jo and a pint of Bass for me the barmaid dissappeared to open some wine she came back five minutes later….. “The Bass is off”… no apology….ok i’ll have a pint of Abbot……………………….

We found a table and looked at the menu (which had changed a lot) and decided on a pasta dish with chicken, duly ordered we waited…..It took about twenty minutes for the food to arrive ………………The plates were stone cold and the food luke warm………yes I know I should have sent it back then, but having waited I was hungry, I must say the pasta tasted great but a little heat would have helped. We told the waitress but no apology was forthcoming.

Jo decided she wanted desert so we ordered a chocolate fudge cake with Icecream and a Pineapple upsidedown sponge with custard ………very tasty but again on cold plates……..

It will be a long time before we visit there again!!!!!!!

I  noticed this morning when doing my usual scan of incoming links (people who have linked their posts to my blog) that the Blog Meister Andrew Denny of Granny Buttons had mentioned in his post “How to start your own website or Blog” that I had learned the self taught hard way.

Remember that Matthew Stibbe is an expert. If you want advice from someone at the self-taught-the hard-way end of things, you might ask John of NB Alacrity. He seems to have taken this same route to getting his blog going including buying the book, so would be a useful second opinion. 

Yes I bought the book, its a good guide but if you use “Wordpress” as your blogging platform their support on the web is second to none, if you are more of a try it and see person who learns hands on like me give it a go.

I found that if you are contemplating your own blog or website the first thing to do is find a domain name.

What you have to remember that it will be the first thing people will see and what seems a good idea at the time may not seem so good in 5 years so “choose wisely” (as the knight said to Indiana Jones).

For us Boaters try looking up nbyourboatname replacing the yourboatname with the name of your boat with no spaces as in nbalacrity you will probably find it available for use.

As Matthew Stibbe suggests use 123 reg to check that your intended name is not in use. Don’t do what I did and register the name and buy a hosting package then find the package doesn’t cover what you want. I tried using the free blog registration from Wordpress.org but found it to limiting in the themes you could use, so I went independent.

I chose  VARiHOST to host my blog on the basic package  they are so helpful and will sort you out in no time, just read what other people say about them. VARiHOST will register and manage your domain name and provide space for your blog and give you your own email addresses for £3.99 a month (no I don’t get anything for this plug I just believe that they offer best value for money).

If you go the independent route you can customise your blog how you want and have total control of what you see on your blog, yes it’s hard work getting it how you want it and yes you may want to throw your PC into the cut but blogging is addictive, fun and all yours, gripe if you want, your blog is your voice on the web……………………………………………………….

If you want any help or advice on starting your own boating blog use the contact page, I will try and help if I can..

After reading the responses of Andrew Denny of Granny Buttons fame to the  ”20 Questions” feature in Canal Boat Magazine this month.

And

The suggestion from Sarah of nb Warrior in her post on 6th May

“I swore that I would answer the self same questions here, and would like to suggest that other boat bloggers do likewise“.

I decided to chip in my 10 pennerth.

The 20 Questions and Answers:-

1. What’s your favourite canal? The Grand Union and the Kennet and Avon
2. And your least-favourite? I haven’t found one yet

3. Who would be your ideal cruising companion? My wife Jo, she puts up with my “Victor Meldrew Moments” and forgives me most things.
4. What was the last book you read? Narrow Dog to Indian River by Terry Darlington.
5. What’s your favourite time of day on the waterways? Just after dawn in summer.
6. What irritates you most on the waterways? People who don’t slow down when passing moored boats, Impatient and rude boaters.
7. When would you most like to have lived? The early 1960s Music with lyrics you can understand, the new found freedom and the canals were still carrying freight.
8. When did you last fall in? I haven’t yet. But Jo has.
9. What did you want to be at 12? A scientist. I was always blowing up things including the chemistry lab windows.
10. If I didn’t have narrowboating I’d … ? Have missed out on one of the most pleasurable things in life.
11. Narrowboaters are … ? Probably the most diverse species on earth.
12. After a day’s cruising I most look forward to … A quiet mooring with a great view, a warm evening, a pint of real ale, good company and a tasty meal.
13. The waterways need … ? A government with the balls to support the treasure that’s our canal system.
14. If you met the Waterways Minister on the towpath, what would you say to him? Just because DEFRA screws up don’t penalise British Waterways support them.
15. Windows or portholes? Windows.
16. Pumpout or cassette? Pump out; I can’t stand seeing other peoples “Floaters”. (I was brought up camping with the original elsan oildrum with a seat).
17. Canals or rivers? Canals, rivers tend to have high banks so you don’t see much.
18. Where will you be when you are 70? Still boating I hope. If global warming continues there should be more than enough water.
19. What do you think is your greatest achievement in life? To have achieved what I have now and still be sane.
20. What would your superpower be? To be able to remain calm and rational in ant situation despite provocation and to be able to steer Alacrity in reverse.

Well all good things must come to an end.

After a relaxed breakfast we winded above Calcutt top lock and had a leisurely cruise back to Braunston where I totally messed up reversing back onto our mooring.

I don’t know how I managed to do it, there was no wind to speak of a definite red face moment……How long have you been boating??………………but in mitigation it was a bit crowded around the loading dock with boats on brokerage………………..well that’s my excuse…….

I didn’t need the alarm clock today………..as soon as I awoke I felt like a greyhound when the trap opens……..

I had done the shopping for the weekend yesterday so all I had to do was put it in the cool bag, put the cats on their automatic feeders and go………..not so quick John……..Ah yes I forgot about SWIMBO….need I say more. Groan………………pack, tidy up wipe this, wipe that, have you done……………………………..you know how it goes.

 Well finaly we arrived ……Just looking at the moored boats, The sounds and smells are a panacea to the battered brain…….

Not having visited Alacrity for a couple of months I expected to find her damp….not so, But she was full of spiders who took umbrage at being disturbed. They were abseiling out of the curtains and assorted corners for hours much to Jo’s disgust (she really hates spiders) so the air was rent with squeeks and other sounds of loathing.

We planned to take Alacrity out and decided to take her over to the Loading dock to fill her water tank and get some gas.

Talking to Paul from the Marina he said that this was the busiest weekend of the year so far and that due to the bad weather most owners were just starting the season.

Now for the smelly bit, we moved around to the pump out and found Nineveh waiting for a mooring to go on brokerage. With all the chores complete we moved off.

Piccadilly Circus or what Iv’e never seen so many boats on the move and everybody happy. We slowly motored down to Braunston Turn and turned left for Napton and Warwick we had decided not to go far and moored just after bridge 101.

Well thats work over for another week and it’s a bank holiday………………………………

Yes I have been tardy in posting this month but given the problems with my mother in law coming out of hospital and settling back in her home.

Jo and I have moved her bed so she can live downstairs. and rearanged things so she can be as comfortable as possible. She has carers coming in twice a day and meals on wheels (Which she describes as over priced slops) so she is well looked after.

Never mind I’m going boating this weekend ……….Floating stress relief………..Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

It was going to be an early start but having to settle the cats and set up their feeders took a bit of time………Yes can we go now, I get the thumbs up from SWMBO ………. Easy journey up the M1 not too much traffic so arrived at Braunston with sanity intact.

Braunston Marina

mmmmmm  The feeling being here is like a comfort blanket I know is sounds corny but you can feel the calm descend…………. The autumn tints are in the hedgerows and trees and there is a definite chill in the wind…….yes rambling on again!!

Onboard at last at least there is no damp smell, open the curtains yuck lots of spiders descend they seem a bit miffed about being evicted from their winter homes, yes I know that they keep the flies down but I still don’t want them abseiling down into my tea or my ear when I’m asleep.

Water on, Electric on, Gas on I bring Alacrity to life, with some kindling and logs I light the stove and feel the heat almost immediately…………Kettle on!!…

Well there is no damage from leaving her so long apart from a large tin of Bitumen hull paint which seems to have rusted through in the front locker leaking a trail of thick sticky black gunge under the matting on the welldeck…..2 hours later a large quantity of white spirit and lots of rag we managed to remove it all!!!!………. nice smell though…………

Under orders from SWMBO I set up the TV aerial so she can watch ” Celebrity Come Dancing “…….and start to cook the evening meal to be fair she has borne the brunt of my griping about the tin of bitumen leaking. Well she did marry a “Grumpy old man”

Well that’s it another week over, and guess what I’m going boating this weekend……………….yes I know it might rain, but due to other problems I haven’t been to see the old girl for some months and she’s due for a lot of TLC.I’ve done the shopping so there should be no delay to getting off first thing tomorrow morning. I can’t wait the stress of the week and the drive up melts away when I step out of the car at the marina.

The smell of the water, the sounds, not to mention the ducks and swans soon calm me down.