We are Blacked!

We arrived at Welford Sunday afternoon in preparation to move into Welford Dry Dock Monday morning, Les came to meet us and asked that we stay put until Tuesday if we had no objections, we'd none.
Tueday morning saw us high and dry, it took 2 hrs to empty the dock, then Les's son Max pressure washed the Boat in preparation for the Blacking.
On inspection 'MR' was in fine fettle, No problems under the waterline, Anodes were OK for another couple of years, Prop and Rudder all OK. I'm a happy man.

Friday Morning all complete

Now for the Summer Madness Beer Festival!

Muttley's blog-why is my boat full of hounds?

A very brief moan here 'cause mum says she can't get any more pictures up - we're at Fox's gate (don't know why foxes get gates when I don't - all they do is smell 'licious). My boats been invaded, Lynx turns up pulling the poorly paw routine to make sure of sympathy, Ty just paces about a bit and my mum walks him up the locks. Lou wouldn't let me on my own bed! Not that she stopped me,but she does snormous glares and I tried to be a bit smaller. Decided the only solution was to sit on aunty Sue (spent most of the day sat on aunty Sue).

 Asif that wasn't bad enough aunty Sarah  turns up with Miffy.

Those greyhounds don't half have smelly bums - my mum was gagging.

PS from mum - thank you so much for your help and Richards unrelenting lockwheeling. A very special day.

Coffee pots and the sheepskins at the ready

Indigo dreaming and hounds with us in the morning - lovely (I'm still here, but I'm letting him have a bit of a free reign on the blog whilst I sort my back out). We know they are coming so he has baked them a cake. I really don't know why they are worried about Daisy - yeah, I do . I wouldn't want their vets bills

Visitors to Matilda Rose

We had eaten at the 2 Boats the night before, my dinner was good but as usual Jill's wasn't(They always pick on her), there was no check back by the staff once served , the plates stayed on the table too long after finishing and when cleared we were asked if all was OK(Jill's plate was still full) No was our reply, Jill's dinner was inedible, I'll tell the chef says girl. We paid and left.
My daughter and Grandchildren arrived at 'MR' mid morning and decided to Take Jill and I out to Lunch. We decided to give the Two Boats a second chance, the beer has always been good and having eaten there before with Sue and Dave off NB Beefur it was worth taking a risk, everone can have an off day.

We had a lovely lunch and retired back to the boat, where everyone had a siesta.

Karen and Andre(now 5 months old)

 Jill hadn't seen Andre since he was 2 days old, and bless with her bad back couldn't hold him as long as she wanted to.

Chenelle sat on MR

Karen and the Children headed for home at 7pm , Jill and I retired. It was really very nice to see them all, hopefully we shall see more of them now we are in their area.

Pub to Pub, Part two.

We set off from the Picnic Site opposite The Cock Horse at Rowington at 0845, 15 mins behind NB Nobody Knows who was to water at the top of The Hatton. As we pulled in behind Kevin, he introduced us to a friend of his Peter off  NB Regal, well what do you know, we had met with Peter on a couple of occasion as one does in passing. Kevin had roped Peter in to help us down the Hatton, Peter had already walked up from the Cape where NB Regal was moored.

Strapping the Two boats together in the top lock, it was decided that I would take the pair Nobody Knows Matilda Rose down the flight, Kevin was given the opportunity to share the flight but insisted I carry on. Well I have never been up or down the Hatton in under two and a half hours, we achieved it in 2hrs and 7 mins, and not in a hurry. The sun went over the Yard Arm at about 4 locks from the top so I broke out a few beers for the crew, which slowed us down somewhat.

We arrived at The Cape of Good Hope at around 1215pm moored the 2 boats and headed for the bar, several pints later it was back to the boat for lunch with a thought that we may possibly eat later in the Pub with Kevin, Jackie and Peter. Needless to say we didn't make it. Thank you guys for everthing.

We had planned to stay at the Cape for the Music Festival at the Weekend (Kevin Plays guitar and sings songs about life on The Cut), but our journey to the Welford Arm and blacking beckoned, so we pulled pins at about 9am next day and were seen through the 2 Cape locks by Peter and Kevin another ten locks later saw us moored up at the Two Boats Pub in Long Itchington.

Pub to Pub, Whats going on?

We left Birmingham on a lovely wet day, my brain must be 'addled, in the rain! heading for the Bluebell Cider House. Jill is still suffering from a very sore back so she was under orders to do very little, that included not walking the dogs for miles and miles, would she listen to me..No.. It rained and rained so eventually she gave up and got onboard, which also allowed me to apply more RPM.

After a quiet night in, yes in, not in the Inn, we set of to to do the Lapworth flight, Jill was again under orders and was playing the game, ahh, that gives me a problem, very little boat movements and my 1st obstacles were the two lift bridges at Hockley Heath, 1st one no problem, nose the boat upto the bridge on the offside, run the gunnel take front rope off with me lift bridge, bring boat through take stern rope off, drop bridge, got this cracked. Then to the second lift bridge, this was not going to be so easy, no way of getting off the bow onto the bridge, wellll then I was rescued by a damsel in distress, no not Jill, a single handed lady boater comming from the opposite direction, she suggested she opens the bridge for me, I take my boat throught tie up and then go and lift the bridge for her, Job done, but hey she then had a brain wave, as only woman can, she says would I be Ok to bring her boat through. Well could I refuse, it meant that I didn't have to go through winding the bridge, I love the way womans brains work......sometimes.. Jill says the lady boater wasn't in distress.

Then onto the Lapworth flight, no problem down the 1st two, then two hire boats pulled out in front of me as I'm comming out of the second heading for the 3rd, oh well I'm single handed they'll probably be faster than me, my language was not repeatable, oh well it's a lovely day to dawdle, the two on the boat infront had only done two locks before and I easily kept up with them down the flight, Jill was feeling a little better half way down and decided that her conscience wouldn't let me do the flight on my own, then she realised that infact was not the best idea and dissapeared back onto the boat, having emptied the dogs. On reaching the penultimate lock a head pops up from behind the bridge and says you can come through we're watering, Well it was only Charlie off NB Felloneous Mongoose, what's happening here, my brains working overtime (We had wintered in Brum, Iced in and had met Charlie and Delorious on several occasions) and the couple on the hire boat infront were infact his Son and Daughter in law. We caught up on life going through what I thought was the last lock, then Charlie dispatched his Grandson to set the last lock down onto the cut between the GU and Stratford. I was now a little tired and decided we would stop for a couple of days at the Picnic Site opposite the The Cock Horse at Rowington.

The Picnic site was quite busy and I made a snap decision to move on, then saw a space put MR into full reverse, she kicked on a shoal nosed right and nearly hit the boat I was about to moor behind, Well you wouldn't believe it, Kevin jumps out of the back hatch of his boat NB Nobody Knows and says "you look like you need a hand" smiling, well it had been 18 months since we had last met, Iced in at Great Heywood. "What you at?" I says, well so much for a couple of days off, Kevin was looking to pair up with someone as Jackie, his wife, had hurt her hand coming down the Lapworth, so plans made and it was off to The Hatton in the morning.

NB Nobody Knows at The Cape