2010 my third year on Almyne
Mon, 1 Nov 2010
4½ miles 10 locks
PaddleBoat
Made the most of a good days weather and the fact that I didn't have to collect my sister after all.
BW are going to close a lock, I think it's lock 51, for a week next Monday, so I want to be past that if I can. It's being closed for inspection and if they find anything major wrong with it, it might just stay closed till March. Don't want to be stuck here for five months waiting for it to open again.
Three more locks and I'm past the obstruction and I should manage that tomorrow with ease, provided it isn't raining.
Fairly uneventful day, cruising quietly in the sunshine, although too chilly to improve my tan.
Saturday night the clocks went back. Now every year I hear tell of people who get an extra hours sleep when the clocks go back. I haven't yet worked out how they do it, unless the rarely sleep anyway. I usually go to bed around nine or ten of an evening, but, when the clocks go back I have to sit up till two in the morning, so that I can change the time to one o'clock. I seem to lose three hours sleep.
Tue, 2 Nov 2010 2½ miles 7 locks
Each day is merging into the next at the moment, all much of a muchness.
It gets dark much earlier now that the clocks have gone back and I don't seem to be getting up any earlier. I tend to stop cruising at about three as I don't want to be caught doing locks in the dark. Cruising is not too bad, but locks could be dangerous.
Evenings are spent sitting by the fire watching DVDs, eating and getting lazy.
Wed, 3 Nov 2010 3 miles 8 locks 1 swing bridge Found a boat yard today and topped up with diesel, so I'm good for another couple of months travelling. Got a bottle of gas as well, so I can cook for a couple of moths as well. All I need now is to get some fresh meat and veg.
Thu, 4 Nov 2010 2 miles 3 locks
Only travelled for a couple of hours today, bu at least I got some done.
Fri, 5 Nov 2010 3½ miles 6 locks
The locks along this stretch are hard work. Double locks, with heavy gates and close together. With the leaves falling everywhere, they make surfaces slippery, so I have stopped walking across the balance beams to open the paddles on both sides so each lock takes twice as long to fill and empty, and most of the locks seem to be against me.
It's a good job I'm not in a hurry.
Sat, 6 Nov 2010 2½ miles 9 locks
That's one lock every 448 yards, no wonder I am not getting any distance travelled.
Sun, 7 Nov 2010 11 miles 11 locks
Boat Or Bungalow
I am aiming to get to Cowley Peachy junction today, so set off at seven fifteen. Luck seems to be shining on me today, as does the sun. It's about a mile between locks, so my hands have a chance to recover from getting cold handling the wet ropes. The sun has decided to keep me warm too, and most of the locks seem to be in my favour, hooray.
At the fourth lock there was a boat coming the other way, so I could leave the gates open. At the next two locks helpful onlookers were willing to close the gates for me, and there were boats coming the other way at the eighth and ninth locks, so all in all a fairly east day of it, and load of miles as well.
Wed, 10 Nov 2010 5 miles 1 lock
Stopped off just below Cowley lock to get some repairs to the cratch cover. That done motored on towards Bulls Bridge junction, stopping off at Yiewsley to do some shopping and go to the bank.
That done, carried on to Bulls Bridge junction where there is another big supermarket. Moored up opposite as mooring is just 24 hours on the supermarket side.
When I arrived there was a boat moored up, but by evening it had gone. As I had been told that it is safer to moor up where other boats are I wondered if I had made the right decision, but as there were several boats on the supermarket moorings I judged it to be OK.
Stayed here for several days, just mooching around and waiting for the rain to stop and the coal boat to arrive.
Thu, 18 Nov 2010 7 miles
Moved over to the supermarket side last night and did a good stock up. Waited for the coal boat to arrive, which it did, so topped up with coal to keep me going for another week or two.
Set off towards Regents Park but only got as far as Alperton due to the weather, it started to rain.
Got chatting to a guy on the next boat and he told me where to moor up to get to Portobello Road, a must to visit. Although there was another supermarket by the canal here I did not visit it as I had just topped up with everything I needed.
Fri, 19 Nov 2010 4 miles
Moved on to Kensall Green, a stones throw from Porta Bell dock. Settled in and went for a walk, all the way down Portobello Road and back again. Got myself a Pork Pie Hat, something I have been wanting for years, and it only cost a tenner, well pleased with myself.
Mon, 22 Nov 2010 1½ miles 1½ miles
Clive
has arrived at Cowley, working on a couple of boats there, so decided to pop along and see him.
Motored along to Little Venice, topped up with water and got rid of all my rubbish, turned around and set off towards Cowley. Didn't get far as it started to rain, so pulled over at Kensall Green again till it stopped.
Tue, 23 Nov 2010 8 miles
It's gone very cold. Motored for an hour, pulled over for an hour to warm up, motored for an hour, pulled over for an hour to warm up.
Eventually moored up just by Willowtree marina, where there is space for D'fer
to run and run and run.
There was a guy called Chris moored there. I had met him at Bulls Bridge and we had chatted for a bit there. He tells me that last year he and a friend made a potatoes cannon and tested it where we were moored up right now. Apparently it worked well.
Wed, 24 Nov 2010 7 3/4 miles
Set off fairly early and kept up the travel for an hour, warm up for an hour. Stopped off just after the Slough junction for a bite to eat, a coffee and a warm up. Didn't realise that I was only two hundred yards from where Clive was moored up. Still I got there I the end.
Tue, 30 Nov 2010
Snowing here, well, it's trying to. There is a very light dusting of snow on some of the bushes and a few flakes drifting lazily through the air, to land gently on the top of Almyne and quickly dissolve into tiny spots of water.
Got the stove going nicely already. I've got the knack of keeping it in all night so Almyne is still warm when I crawl out of bed at about nine, slide into my slippers, wrap my dressing gown around me and wander along to the galley to make a cup of coffee before moving through to the salon to get the stove going again.
Then out on to the rear deck to start the engine. With the evenings so long I tend to watch a lot of DVDs at the moment, but it runs the batteries down, so I charge them up again first thing in the morning. Shopping in the local supermarket yesterday I spotted the complete works of Tom and Jerry cartoons for only £7, had to get it.
I'm praying the coal boat doesn't get frozen in either, if it does (before I get to top up) I might have to walk to the local garage and carry some bags back to Almyne, mind you, if I do that I probably won't need to burn it, I'll be as warm as toast anyway.
PaddleBoat
Made the most of a good days weather and the fact that I didn't have to collect my sister after all.
BW are going to close a lock, I think it's lock 51, for a week next Monday, so I want to be past that if I can. It's being closed for inspection and if they find anything major wrong with it, it might just stay closed till March. Don't want to be stuck here for five months waiting for it to open again.
Three more locks and I'm past the obstruction and I should manage that tomorrow with ease, provided it isn't raining.
Fairly uneventful day, cruising quietly in the sunshine, although too chilly to improve my tan.
Saturday night the clocks went back. Now every year I hear tell of people who get an extra hours sleep when the clocks go back. I haven't yet worked out how they do it, unless the rarely sleep anyway. I usually go to bed around nine or ten of an evening, but, when the clocks go back I have to sit up till two in the morning, so that I can change the time to one o'clock. I seem to lose three hours sleep.
Tue, 2 Nov 2010 2½ miles 7 locks
Each day is merging into the next at the moment, all much of a muchness.
It gets dark much earlier now that the clocks have gone back and I don't seem to be getting up any earlier. I tend to stop cruising at about three as I don't want to be caught doing locks in the dark. Cruising is not too bad, but locks could be dangerous.
Evenings are spent sitting by the fire watching DVDs, eating and getting lazy.
Wed, 3 Nov 2010 3 miles 8 locks 1 swing bridge Found a boat yard today and topped up with diesel, so I'm good for another couple of months travelling. Got a bottle of gas as well, so I can cook for a couple of moths as well. All I need now is to get some fresh meat and veg.
Thu, 4 Nov 2010 2 miles 3 locks
Only travelled for a couple of hours today, bu at least I got some done.
Fri, 5 Nov 2010 3½ miles 6 locks
The locks along this stretch are hard work. Double locks, with heavy gates and close together. With the leaves falling everywhere, they make surfaces slippery, so I have stopped walking across the balance beams to open the paddles on both sides so each lock takes twice as long to fill and empty, and most of the locks seem to be against me.
It's a good job I'm not in a hurry.
Sat, 6 Nov 2010 2½ miles 9 locks
That's one lock every 448 yards, no wonder I am not getting any distance travelled.
Sun, 7 Nov 2010 11 miles 11 locks
Boat Or Bungalow
I am aiming to get to Cowley Peachy junction today, so set off at seven fifteen. Luck seems to be shining on me today, as does the sun. It's about a mile between locks, so my hands have a chance to recover from getting cold handling the wet ropes. The sun has decided to keep me warm too, and most of the locks seem to be in my favour, hooray.
At the fourth lock there was a boat coming the other way, so I could leave the gates open. At the next two locks helpful onlookers were willing to close the gates for me, and there were boats coming the other way at the eighth and ninth locks, so all in all a fairly east day of it, and load of miles as well.
Wed, 10 Nov 2010 5 miles 1 lock
Stopped off just below Cowley lock to get some repairs to the cratch cover. That done motored on towards Bulls Bridge junction, stopping off at Yiewsley to do some shopping and go to the bank.
That done, carried on to Bulls Bridge junction where there is another big supermarket. Moored up opposite as mooring is just 24 hours on the supermarket side.
When I arrived there was a boat moored up, but by evening it had gone. As I had been told that it is safer to moor up where other boats are I wondered if I had made the right decision, but as there were several boats on the supermarket moorings I judged it to be OK.
Stayed here for several days, just mooching around and waiting for the rain to stop and the coal boat to arrive.
Thu, 18 Nov 2010 7 miles
Moved over to the supermarket side last night and did a good stock up. Waited for the coal boat to arrive, which it did, so topped up with coal to keep me going for another week or two.
Set off towards Regents Park but only got as far as Alperton due to the weather, it started to rain.
Got chatting to a guy on the next boat and he told me where to moor up to get to Portobello Road, a must to visit. Although there was another supermarket by the canal here I did not visit it as I had just topped up with everything I needed.
Fri, 19 Nov 2010 4 miles
Moved on to Kensall Green, a stones throw from Porta Bell dock. Settled in and went for a walk, all the way down Portobello Road and back again. Got myself a Pork Pie Hat, something I have been wanting for years, and it only cost a tenner, well pleased with myself.
Mon, 22 Nov 2010 1½ miles 1½ miles
Clive
has arrived at Cowley, working on a couple of boats there, so decided to pop along and see him.Motored along to Little Venice, topped up with water and got rid of all my rubbish, turned around and set off towards Cowley. Didn't get far as it started to rain, so pulled over at Kensall Green again till it stopped.
Tue, 23 Nov 2010 8 miles
It's gone very cold. Motored for an hour, pulled over for an hour to warm up, motored for an hour, pulled over for an hour to warm up.
Eventually moored up just by Willowtree marina, where there is space for D'fer
to run and run and run.There was a guy called Chris moored there. I had met him at Bulls Bridge and we had chatted for a bit there. He tells me that last year he and a friend made a potatoes cannon and tested it where we were moored up right now. Apparently it worked well.
Wed, 24 Nov 2010 7 3/4 miles
Set off fairly early and kept up the travel for an hour, warm up for an hour. Stopped off just after the Slough junction for a bite to eat, a coffee and a warm up. Didn't realise that I was only two hundred yards from where Clive
was moored up. Still I got there I the end.Tue, 30 Nov 2010
Snowing here, well, it's trying to. There is a very light dusting of snow on some of the bushes and a few flakes drifting lazily through the air, to land gently on the top of Almyne and quickly dissolve into tiny spots of water.
Got the stove going nicely already. I've got the knack of keeping it in all night so Almyne is still warm when I crawl out of bed at about nine, slide into my slippers, wrap my dressing gown around me and wander along to the galley to make a cup of coffee before moving through to the salon to get the stove going again.
Then out on to the rear deck to start the engine. With the evenings so long I tend to watch a lot of DVDs at the moment, but it runs the batteries down, so I charge them up again first thing in the morning. Shopping in the local supermarket yesterday I spotted the complete works of Tom and Jerry cartoons for only £7, had to get it.
I'm praying the coal boat doesn't get frozen in either, if it does (before I get to top up) I might have to walk to the local garage and carry some bags back to Almyne, mind you, if I do that I probably won't need to burn it, I'll be as warm as toast anyway.
© Chris Giles 2021
To make comments, point out errors or contribute please send an email to 