Not A Lot Has Happened

I was reminded by a very dear friend that there had been a lack of blogging so for you Roger here is an update of what we have been doing.

Well since our son and Grandson left us last Thursday we have had a very lazy time in Banbury.
Sharon wanted her hair cut and coloured we found lots of hair salons but she would have to wait for 2 weeks to get it done we did eventually find one that will do it Thursday so thats also the reason we have remained in Banbury
We have explored the shops and enjoyed one or two of the pubs and very nice they are especially the Reindeer Inn real old pub with a good selection of beers and wine for the lady!!.

Reindeer Inn

A Fine Lady. Who Is Meant To Be A Distant Relation To
Sir Ranulph  Fiennes 

we will be moving on Friday back to Braunston (not in one day) . We will then spend a little time there and catch the bus to Daventry before retracing out steps back to Banbury as we hope that Justin, Sam and Rachel will be joining us for the christmas holiday,  well for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We have told them not to bring many presents as we won't have any where to store them. We really do hope they can make it we are really so excited about this.
Today we moved Tacet up through the Banbury lock to the winding hole to turn and back again to get water and get rid of rubbish then back to our mooring for the next 2 nights.

Time travelled Wednesday  1 Hr  Distance 1 Mile 1 Lock 

Total Distance Travelled 983. Miles 

207 Locks (Broad ) 462 single locks and 18 tunnel's, 10 Massive Lock

Total Tunnel length 10957 yards   
Total Time 529. hours  

We Are Loving It so Much

Our Son & Grandson Visit

Very sorry for lack of Blog posts, we have had our Son Justin and grandson Hudson visit us since last Sunday and as you can imagine we have had a fantastic time. However here is an update on what we have been upto.

Wednesday we left our mooring and moved on to Fenny Compton where we had arranged to Meet N/B Dusty which is a fuel and coal boat as we needed some diesel and coal. Fenny Compton is a nice mooring and we waited for Dusty to turn up, 77 lts of diesel and 6 bags of coal were loaded onboard Tacet.

Lots Of Berries Still on The Bushes

Thursday we left Fenny Compton the forecast was not very good but we new we needed to move on, however the cruise we had was wonderful we had beautiful sunshine with us all the way to Cropredy.

We filled with water and emptied the rubbish and cruised up to bridge for the night. The wind picked up at night and we thought that it would be bad on Friday.

Lovely Cruising day

Blue Skies 

This family Of Swans Have Adopted A Canada Goose

Swing Bridge And Bright Sky

Friday we woke to quite high winds but decided to set off to Banbury as the canal is quite shielded we had a very good cruise in to Banbury. We rounded the last corned in to Banbury and found that the spot we have moored at before twice was free so moored there again. 

Sunday morning we were very excited as Justin our eldest son and grandson Hudson are coming to see us for a few days. We are really excited to be seeing them. Thy are only staying with us until Thursday.

We had planned to do some things with Justin and Hudson as we had the use of the car.

So we visited Stratford upon Avon for the day and Hudson enjoyed looking for his christmas present.

We also went to a lovely play centre so Hudson and his dad with Grandad could play on the frames.

We had a good walk around Banbury and Hudson picked some more things he wanted Father christmas to bring him as he's been a very good boy this year.

On Wednesday it was Eddys Birthday so Hudson along with Nanny made a cake for Him.

Hudson Blowing Out Eddys Candles On Eddys cake

Birthday Boy

Nanny and Grandad spoilt Hudson whilst onboard Tacet and he went home with his dad with lots of toys he had picked. We have had a truly wonderful time with Justin and Hudson and were very sad when we had to say goodbye to them today. 

Tacet is very quiet with out them on board, 

Daddy & Hudson

Me & Justin

Granddad & Hudson

Hudson Feeding Swans

Priate Hudson

Time travelled Wednesday  3 Hrs Distance 6 Miles 

Time Travelled Thursday 4 Hrs Distance 6 Miles 9 Locks

Time Travelled Friday 2.5 Hrs  Distance 4 Miles 3 Locks

Total Distance Travelled 982. Miles 

207 Locks (Broad ) 460 single locks and 18 tunnel's, 10 Massive Lock

Total Tunnel length 10957 yards   
Total Time 528. hours  

We Are Loving It so Much

More Visitors & Back Towards Banbury

Saturday we woke to very heavy rain and we decided to stay put for the day. The rain persisted until 2.00 when it started to easy a bit. As we stayed put for the day we got on with a few jobs. The most important one being for us making the wine that we had brought from Barry from the home brew boat a while ago. It's a very easy quick and a cheap way to make wine, we have had red wine so we are making some white this time.

Boat In The Field And The Washing Is Out

Sunday we untied and moved off around 10.30. We are heading to Napton On The Hill as we have  Malcolm & Linda friends from suffolk visiting us.
We had a really steady cruise with most of the locks against us but that was fine as the weather although windy was nice and warm. We moored between the lock 8 and 9. The weather got very windy just after we moored but we needed a Sunday newspaper so we walked in to Napton to the shop and brought what we needed, on returning to Tacet it started to rain.

Monday just after 12.00 our friends arrived and had brought lunch also a bag of wood (take note sons). We had a really great time catching up with Them both and as always,  all to soon it was time to say our goodbyes. They have a long drive back to suffolk and the wind had really picked. It was  great to see you both.

Linda & Malcolm

The wind got really strong so we battened down the hatches for the evening.
Tuesday the wind had died down a bit so we filled with water and done the necessary and headed back up the locks as we are going back to Banbury as our oldest son may be visiting with our grandson we hope he can but it's not for certain yet.

This Flew Over 

We are moored at bridge 122 and the wind has eased a lot. Tomorrow we are heading to Fenny Compton

Our Mooring For Tonight

Time travelled Sunday  4 Hrs Distance 3.5 Miles 8 Locks

Time Travelled Tuesday 3.5 Hrs Distance 3.5 Miles 9 Locks

Total Distance Travelled 966. Miles 

207 Locks (Broad ) 460 single locks and 18 tunnel's, 10 Massive Lock

Total Tunnel length 10957 yards   
Total Time 518.5 hours  

We Are Loving It so Much

Back The Way We Came

We left Banbury on Wednesday morning. It was raining when we first woke but by 10.30 the rain had eased to a very fine drizzle. We headed to Cropredy for the evening as we have Shirley and Kevin NB Jenny Wren coming round for a meal.

They have a mooring in Cropredy Marina and are working in Banbury over Christmas. We had a lovely evening meal which sharon had prepared in the Wonderbag, it’s a great bit of kit and saves on our gas !!. The evening passed far too quickly and we said our goodbyes to Kevin and Shirley.

Shirley & Kevin

Thursday we left Cropredy and headed towards Fenny Compton. We had 8 locks to do and although we were behind another boat the locks fill and empty really fast so we still made good progress. The skies looked very dark and heavy and the weather forecast had said heavy rain in the afternoon so we thought we would be getting wet, however we moored at Fenny Compton just as the rain started so we remained nice and dry but it really hammered down for a couple of hours.

The skies Darken

Friday we headed off the wind was fairly strong and again the forecast was for rain but we had a dry cruise up to where we are moored at present. Whilst mooring the rain poured down for a while but it has now stopped . The forecast for Saturday morning is heavy rain but brighter after lunch. 

Time Travelled Wednesday 3 Hrs Distance 4 Miles 3 Locks

Time travelled Thursday  4 Hrs Distance 6 Miles 8 Locks

Time Travelled Friday 2.5 Hours 5 Miles

Total Distance Travelled 959. Miles 

207 Locks (Broad ) 443 single locks and 18 tunnel's, 10 Massive Lock

Total Tunnel length 10957 yards   
Total Time 511 hours  

We Are Loving It so Much

New Waters For us.

Sunday morning and there was alot of activity on the canal as Banbury was hosting a canoe competition i was great to see so many young people enjoying the water.

Canoes coming past

Monday morning we said goodbye to Banbury as we continuing along the Oxford canal not really sure where we are going to go. We will be returning to Banbury Thursday as we are planning to get  bus to Oxford on Friday and we should have one of Sharon’s dearest friends visit us on Monday in Banbury.

We filled with water at the service station then enjoyed a nice steady cruise. We saw King’s Sutton in the distance it has a really lovely church steeple (camera Battery Flat). We moored close to    Nell’s Bridge 187. We had a very relaxing time whist moored there for 2 days not very many boat’s moving. There is a very nice Farm shop here so we had a look around but only brought 2 bags of coal from them as we were getting a bit low.

Friday morning we left our mooring and headed back towards Banbury, There are a lot of leaf’s from trees in the canal and it was slow going at times to get through. We were standing on the back of Tacet enjoying the weather when we heard an almighty bang and we thought something major had happened in the engine bay but when I checked it was all ok it was then that I noticed our very nice Kingfisher Tiller pin was missing it must of unscrewed and feel onto the deck making the bang and then fell in the canal, we are very sad to have lost this as it was a very nice tiller pin.

We are moored in exactly the same place we had moored whilst in Banbury last week.

Saturday we got a bus to Oxford for the day. What a lovely city it is with so many great buildings to look at. We really enjoyed just walking around and enjoying the city. We had a very enjoyable lunch in a pub. All too soon we had to get the bus back as we didn’t want to leave Eddy alone to long.

Lovely Place

Really Nice Window

On Monday we had one of Sharon’s friends visit. Angela and Philip had been to Stratford upon Avon for the weekend and popped in to see us on their way back to Ipswich. We had a very enjoyable couple of hours catching up and it was all too soon to say our goodbyes to Angela and Philip.

Sharon & Angela

Angela & Philip

We are heading off to Cropredy Wednesday morning and have invited Kevin and Shirley from Jenny Wren around for a meal we first met them in Lymm along while ago and on Monday Sheila took us to Aldi in their car so we have got full cupboards again.

Time Travelled Monday 3 Hrs Distance 4 Miles 3 Locks

Time travelled Friday  3 Hrs Distance 4 Miles 3 Locks

Total Distance Travelled 944. Miles 

207 Locks (Broad ) 432 single locks and 18 tunnel's, 10 Massive Lock

Total Tunnel length 10957 yards   
Total Time 501.5 hours  

We Are Loving It so Much

On To Banbury

Tuesday we left Cropredy mid-morning and stopped at the service station for water and to get rid of some rubbish.

Cropredy Lock Blue Skies Still.

 We made steady progress and cruised at a sedate pace taking in all the lovely scenery. The weather was a little cloudy but it was still warm. The trees are turning a lovely colour and we are surprised at how many of the bushes still had berries on them, we have been told this means it will be a late winter as the birds have not eaten them.

Lovely Cruising weather

We passed under the the M40 twice the traffic seems to be going so fast but its most likely because we have been used to going so slow. The locks on the Oxford canal are really easy to use apart from leaking a bit.
After doing Hardwick Lock its just over one mile in to Banbury. We have moored near to the park and its a very nice mooring to.
My knee injury has come back and given me some pain so I made an appointment with Banbury Health centre, so after seeing the Doctor who has confirmed that I have a Tendon Injury. I have been told I need to rest my knee as much as possible. The moorings in Banbury are 2 days so I called CRT and explained to them about my injury. They were fantastic and have allowed us to stay over the 2 days just to keep them informed  of how my injury is healing. So we agreed to stay at Banbury until Monday and then move on if my knee allows it.
Some friends we met at Lymm way back in the summer Shirley & Kevin off N/B Jenny Wren work in Banbury so we did met up with them and enjoyed a meal out one evening. It was great to see them again.

Saturday morning we got a phone call from Mike & Karel who wanted to come and see us so we spent a lovely afternoon catching up they have become really good friends and we will be seeing them again before christmas.

So that takes us up to today.

Time Travelled Tuesday 3 Hrs Distance 4 Miles 4 Locks

Total Distance Travelled 936. Miles 

207 Locks (Broad ) 426 single locks and 18 tunnel's, 10 Massive Lock

Total Tunnel length 10957 yards   
Total Time 495.5 hours  

We Are Loving It so Much

Napton Locks And A Boat In A Field

We left Napton Bridge Inn on Sunday morning after enjoying a cup of tea and a read of the paper in bed. A short chug up to the bottom of the 9 locks at Napton.

We filled with water before starting the locks. These locks are very tight and it has been known for a boat to get wedged in a lock if it has its side fenders down, it was good to see CRT have a notice ( very small one)  informing boaters to lift their fenders before starting the flight. We made really good progress up the locks however between 11 and 12 the pound was quite low and one of the lock-keepers whizzed past us on his bike to flood some water down the flight which done the trick

 ( we didn’t need it but the boats following did)

Sharon and I work really well doing locks so we were at the top In 2 ½ hours which we were very pleased with. 

We passed this fellow having a drink his mates were further away, he is a buffalo which are farmed right by the canal.

Buffalo

We both love the Oxford Canal as it’s a contour canal and twists and winds around at times it seems like your heading back from where you started. 

We saw this very unusual sight whilst cruising it looks like they dug the bank away brought the boat in then replaced the bank the boat is sitting in a little bit of water.

You Can See Where The Bank Was Removed/Replaced

In The Middle Of The Field

Someone Is Living On Her They Have The Washing Out & 

We moored just after bridge 129 we have moored here before and it’s a nice quiet place.

Moored For The Evening

Monday we untied at 10.00 and headed towards Fenny Crompton which was quite busy and as usual. We are going to stop there on the way back and have a beer maybe a meal as we have been told the food is excellent. So a really lovely cruise up to the 8 locks that lead in to Cropredy the locks do leak rather badly along here which meant we had to top up every lock that we thought would be with  us. We are  moored for the evening in Cropredy and will be heading off to Banbury tomorrow.

Time Travelled Sunday 5 Hrs Distance 7.5 Miles 9 Locks

Time Travelled Monday 5 Hrs Distance 7 Miles 8 Locks

Total Distance Travelled 932. Miles 

207 Locks (Broad ) 422 single locks and 18 tunnel's, 10 Massive Lock

Total Tunnel length 10957 yards   
Total Time 492.5 hours  

We Are Loving It so Much

Good Bye To Braunston And More Visitors

We took the bus in to Daventry on Wednesday to have a look around, nice little town with the usual shops. We found Aldi and managed to stock up on provisions and a few other bits we needed. We have had a great time in Braunston and are moorings for the week were wonderful.Just a few pics from our window.

Braunston Church Spire

Lovely Reflection on A Misty Morning

Lovely Swans Wanting Breakfast

Wonderful Pic I Think

Thursday we slipped the lines and went up to the water point to fill with water and do the other necessities.  I popped in to Midland Chandlers and brought some coal which I don’t like buying from chandler's as we much prefer to use one of the trade boats but have not seen one for a while so we hope we see one on the Oxford Canal soon so we can stock up on it.

Had a really lovely cruise and used the captain's perch to rest on, it really is very comfortable and practical as it can be removed when we need the extra space or when mooring up.

 The Captain's perch Wonderful & Comfy To Rest On

We moored up by the Bridge Inn Napton for the evening a really nice mooring. Friday I got on with a couple of jobs the biggest being applying a wax coat to the roof of Tacet for the winter and it  looks nice and shiny.

Saturday Morning and one of Sharon's work mates Jackie visited us and we spent a couple of hours catching up it was good to see you. 

We are planning to move tomorrow and have 9 single locks to do. 

Time Travelled Thursday 3.5 Hours Distance 6.5 Miles

Total Distance Travelled 917.5. Miles 

207 Locks (Broad ) 405 single locks and 18 tunnel's, 10 Massive Lock

Total Tunnel length 10957 yards   
Total Time 482.5 hours  

We Are Loving It so Much

Visitors Galore And A Wonderful Few days

Last Friday we woke to a lovely misty morning and a wonderful view of Braunston church in mist with sheep in the lower field. We took a walk around the village and then back along the towpath to Tacet

Braunston Church, Sheep And Mist Our View From Tacet

Friday evening we have arranged to meet Robin & Marion AKA The Hoods for a beer or 3 at the Plough pub, it was really wonderful to be able to sit down and have a really good catch up with them both they are such an interesting couple and we had a thoroughly good evening with them.

Robin & Marion AKA The Hoods

Robin & Marion Passing By 

Saturday the 10^th and we were really excited as Mike & Karel with there son-in-law Michael were coming over. Mike & Michael were going to fit our new seat on the back of Tacet as I don’t have the right stuff to do it.

It only took them an hour to do it and know we have a perch to perch on when we are cruising well only one of us can sit down as we only brought 1 seat but it is fantastic and so comfortable, thank you so much.

Great A Place To Perch 

The Captain's Perch Seat  It Lifts In and Out For Storage 

All too quickly the 3 of them had to leave so we said our goodbyes and hope to meet up with Mike & Karel before Christmas.

Later in the afternoon we had been invited for tea and cake with Carol and Peter who we got to know when we were moored at the same marina as we were last year. We had tea and cake on there boat Worth Waiting For. It was good to see them both and catch up.

Sunday the 11^th and we had our usual tea, coffee and read of the paper in bed and had a slow start to the day. We have our dear friends Phil & Louise visiting for the afternoon.. They came all the way from Suffolk to see us. 

Phil & Louise Thanks For A Wonderful Day.

They arrived just before lunch so we had sandwiches on-board then took a walk around Braunston. We had a lovely walk along the towpath from where we are moored up to the bottom lock at Braunston. On the way back Robin & Marion from Many Meetings  invited us in for a cuppa and yet more cake. 

Their boat is only 4 years old and is built on an Alexander Hull like Tacet and a wonderful fit out by Kingsground. 

We had an enjoyable time all  6 of us and then we said our goodbyes to Robin & Marion and made our way back to Tacet. 

We booked a table for an evening meal with Phil & Louise at The Boat House, the food was great and we had a great evening. All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Phil & Louise we have had such a wonderful day with them both and hope we see hem again soon.

Monday the 12^th and I set about changing the fire bricks in the fire which only took 1 hour which I was rather pleased with. I took some rubbish up to the bins and as I walked in a car piped its horn and much to  my surprise and delight it was our great friends Phil & Carol from Guernsey who we knew were in the area. They have brought a narrow boat and were over checking it out. They had driven to Braunston to surprise us which they most certainly did. 

Phil & Carol It Was  So Good To catch Up With You Both.

We spent a good couple of hours catching up aboard Tacet but again all to soon we had to say our good-byes. We have agreed to meet up next year and have a cruise with them which we know will be great fun. It was lovely to see you both again and we know you will enjoy your maiden trip aboard your boat.

So to sum up we  have had a FANTASTIC weekend catching up with old and new friends.