Consumables for 2015

Consumables are much harder to keep track off but I have included all the main items so as to be able to compare with previous years.

Stern gland grease..........................   3-50
Engine oil 3 x 5ltr........................... 45-00
Filters 2 x oil .................................  25-20
Engine antifreeze ........................... 11-99
Heating antifreeze .......................... 21-59
Paint etc ........................................   35-55
Distilled water ..............................     5-35
Tools .............................................    6-69
Batteries 5 x 110Ah ......................410-00
                                                       564-93
Refund on 1 battery ......................  75-00
Payment for scrap batteries .........   35-35
Total for 2015 ...............................454-58

The river section just before Alrewas. We passed this way and waited at Alrewas to have out Hurricane repaired and then turned round to head back to Mercia Marina to buy the new batteries.

We carried on fromWigram's Turn up to Braunston to hand our duff battery in but had a nice day there. The crane is just in the Braunston Marina with the steeple of the church and the top of the windmill showing.

A Macy Cat selfie in Walsall Basin. We shall have to go and spend a little more time in the area as there are loads of good pubs with good beer here abouts.

The major item of expenditure was replacement batteries. I felt it was time to replace them as we thought that we were limiting ourselves too much on use of power as they discharged regularly overnight to below 50%SOC. I'm not really on the ball with electricity and batteries etc, but when I saw that Midland Chandlers had some at £75-01 each I thought it was as good as time as any. However a couple of months later I found that the same thing was happening and on checking I found that one of the cells was almost dry where as all the others were fine. I filled it up and checked again a few days later and the same happened. I disconnected that battery and  bought another battery. I called up Midland Chandlers to tell them and they said no problem just bring it and and we will replace or refund. We were on the Kennet and Avon and I got them from Midland Chandlers at Mercia Marina! They said hold on to it until you get to a branch of Midland Chandlers then. I bought a replacement battery and all was well. At some stage we hired a car as we both had to be home and I took the old batteries to our scrap man and got the £35 for them. The price varies according to metal prices at the time but seems to me to be worth having the money if you can get them to a scrap man.
We finally got to Midland Chandlers at Braunston. It seems that it wasn't quite as they said as they would neither replace or refund until they had sent the battery away to check whether it had a fault. It did and a few weeks later I got the refund. Therefore, although the last battery bought was £110 I actually covered the extra with the refund and the scarp price.

The Kennet and Avon Canal near to Frouds Bridge Marina where we bought our last battery.

Only two oil and filter changes this year and the bag of cocoa shell from last year for the compost loo lasted to a couple of days before the end of our years cruise so no cost there. I get my oil from Wilco at £15 for 5 litres. It used to be £12!

New Equipment for 2015.

Helen has sworn that she wouldn't come away this year unless we had a television. I knew she was joking but I know when not to push her after 30 years and we bought a television. That turned out to be our main expense of the year. The other items that we have bought that will stay on the boat are two plastic cans for diesel and charts and maps.

Our TV. I'm pleased to say that we don't watch too much of it and have just a few select 'must see' things that it comes on for. The aerial is quick and easy to erect using a painters pole and a couple of spring claps.

The plastic cans are to have to get emergency fuel. I don't think it is worth keeping them full at the moment. I had considered filling them when we got to a really cheap outlet but the time and trouble to save the extra on  10 litres of fuel just isn't worth it. When tipping it down into the tank there is also a chance of a spill so the less times it is done the better.

When we were in Goole I saw the chart for the Yorkshire Ouse from Trent Falls to Naburn lock by the Boating Association, and as we are definitely going that way at some stage, maybe 2017, we bought to be ready. Later in the cruise we saw the Pearson's guide for the Kennet and Avon and as we were going that way we got that one too. I do love a map anyway. We usually use both the Nicholson and Pearson Guides as they each give you a different picture of the area you are in. For actual route viewing though I do prefer the Pearson's. I don't think I will ever go electronic as I love a map and with an electronic one you never seem to get the whole picture as you have to zoom in and out all the time. Call me old fashioned, but I wont be getting a Sat Nav either (unless I become a delivery driver or something similar) as I would much rather look at a map. Following the arrow and been directed by a disbodied voice means you travel with blinkers on in my opinion. We called into to Tewksbury for a couple of days on the way to Gloucester and Bristol and we bought yet another guide. This time it was to the Upper and Lower Avon. Once again we will definitely be passing the that way in the future so it will be handy to have for planning etc.

Our big brother on the approach to Goole. Battlestone only recently laid up from the Lafarge sand and gravel trade. She was built as a tank barge in 1968 by Harkers at Knottingly and was converted for aggregate in 2003. She is 175' long and over 18' beam so would make a very good size houseboat?!

Our mooring in Teweksbury, right next to the stone bridge. We wondered why boats going the through the arches were skidding all over and it was only when we crossed the bridge that we realised the arch is at an angle to the river.

The highlight of the trip on the Kennet and Avon? There are plenty of other high lights that don't involve quite so much effort but it is a fantastic sight when you are stood at the bottom. It is even better once you have negotiated the Caen Hill Flight and get to a pub in Devizes after mooring up at the top.

Oh yes I nearly forget I did also purchase a gas soldering iron that was needed to try to fix the motorised valve for the heating. As it turned out it didn't help but I'm sure it will be called upon at a later date.

Equipment

Television LED 22"   ..................................109-00
Soldering iron   ............................................ 20-27
Yorkshire Ouse chart   ................................ 12-00
Pearson's Guide to the Kennet and Avon   ..  8-95
Upper and Lower Avon Guide   ..................  4-00
TOTAL                                                       164-22

2014 this was £678-39 so a big saving. Last year we had the expense of life jackets and a VHF Radio plus other things that obviously now we have them we shouldn't need to buy them again.

2015 repair costs.

The repairs include improvements to the boat too. The first item was that over last winter I installed secondary double glazing to all windows except the galley one that is a slider. This involved cutting perspex sheet to the right size and then building the upper edge, that butts up to the bottom of the hopper window, with neoprene tape to make up the difference in depth. On top of this I then used magnetic strip A and B once stuck to the neoprene and one to the window frame. This then has made an almost perfect seal with about an 18mm gap between the glass and perspex. It works very well as we have had very little condensation and the boat is definitely warmer. It also leaves the hopper windows at the top free to be opened for ventilation if required. I also used perspex and a couple of door bolts to make a window in the side hatch. Until then the side hatch was closed or open to the elements. With the window in we can have the light even with winds and showers. This winter I will be fixing a perspex inner to prevent drafts when the steel doors are shut over the hatch.

 One of the windows showing the 4mm perspex and two widths of neoprene seal then the magnetic tape. You can see that the hopper window can still open too.

Over the winter the motorised valve on the central heating stopped working. This directs the water from the Hurricane heater round the radiators when the thermostat indicates a requirement or round into the calorifier. It took a little sorting out but with my friend Richard we managed it. I think there is a very tiny drip on one of the connections still but I am scared to tighten it it up in case I make it worse!

The motorised valve that is the replacement. Not an exact replacement so took a little fixing.

Just thought I would add a boaty picture to the blog. This was the River Aire last April as we were travelling towards Goole from Dewsbury. It was a beautiful day and as you can see it was very still with hardly any flow. I can't remember seeing another moving boat either. I miss the northern canals and rivers. We stopped the night at Ferry Bridge.

The Hurricane heater itself packed up soon after we had started on our journey south. As the call out fee for over 100 miles was exorbitant we lived with it until we got to Alrewas at the end of April when Chris the mechanic from Calcutt Boats came to fix it. It turned out to be the fuel solenoid had failed and was quickly replaced and we were functioning again. Not cheap but much quicker than me trying to take things to bits with no knowledge. I have a bit more now though.

Double glazing
neoprene seal ..................  £37-33
Magnetis A/B tape  ............37-80
Perspex  .............................55-00
                                        £130-13
Motorised valve  ................56-99
Hurricane repair  ..............184-51
TOTAL                           £371-63

Last year it was £790-84 but included moving the batteries, tiling the shower and a dry dock for a bent prop., largely paid for by the insurance company. We again have a bit of a bent prop and it is two years since we had a blacking so really should be doing that but as we have booked to have the boat painted at the back end of next year it can wait.

Lazing at Lichfield.

We traveled down to the boat at King's Orchard on Saturday to check it out and to get away from all the stuff that always needs doing when you are at home. It is a great thing that you can just go to the boat and all those things that bug you at home, nagging away at you, seem to be forgotten. It is a shame they are still there when you get back though.

The boat was fine and we soon had it warmed through with the stove lit. We really just mooched about in the afternoon. I did my checks and everything seemed okay. The engine started first time with just 5 seconds of preheat and with no smoke. The heating and hot water started up too. The lowest recorded temperature in the boat had been 6.7 degrees so it didn't feel damp at all.

Of course there was the compulsory 'Strictly' viewing but with a bottle of wine too hand it wasn't too bad at all. We both slept very well too, other than Macy cat meowing a little as she has no got back into the routine of being out every night at home, but we have to keep her in at night when on the boat.

On Sunday we were up to hear The Archers that was early as the Remembrance Sunday service on the radio. When ever I was away at sea at this time I always tuned into the World Service to listen to the service from London's Cenotaph. I always find it very moving and it always made me feel close to Helen and the family. We then went out into Lichfield to do some Christmas shopping and to have a look round. The weather wasn't that inspiring but it actually didn't rain, but was quite windy. I was able to suggest a few things for Helen to consider for gifts for others and I thinks she was impressed. I will take brownie points from where ever I can. So much so that I was allowed into the Angel pub for a pint of Joules Pale ale. We also saw that there was another Joules pub in Lichfield, along with two Weatherspoons pubs. Did any of you see that woman whose ambition was to visit every Weatherspoon's outlet in the country. She will be kept busy as they are opening hundreds each year. Mind you it is good to have an ambition in life!

We stopped for a coffee and a sandwich before heading to the Cathedral. The afternoon service was just about to start so we visited the shop and then looked round the Erasmus Darwin House. This was where the grandfather of Charles Darwin lived and worked as a doctor. He had been born in 1731 and moved to Lichfield in 1756. He was a successful doctor, and accomplished scientist, a noted inventor, a celebrated poet and a family man with 14 children that includes 2 daughters with his governess after his first wife had died. He invented a horizontal windmill, a device for steering carriages, a speaking machine, a copying machine, a canal boat lift etc. He didn't take any patents as he felt this would undermine his work as a Doctor. He studies fossils and plants and wrote a poetry book about the reproduction of plants as if they were human that became a best seller. He was very much ahead of the times as he also thought that the world had developed along the lines that his grandson would postulate in the 'Origin of Species'. He deserves to be much better known as he was also a founder member of the Lunar Society that where at the heart of the Industrial Revolution as ideas and inventions were bandied about. The group included Wedgewood, Boulton and Watt and the name came from the fact that they met at the time of the full moon. Not out of anything other than the practicality of being able to see their way home afterwards.

Erasmus invented the silhouette 'machine' that projected the image on a screen that could then be drawn round. Here is Helen in image and silhoutte in the modern design of the apparatus. 

The cathedral has the famous three spires. The front of the nave of the church is adorned with the carvings of bishops and saints and the three spires and towers make it very distinctive as it is the only cathedral with three. They are known as the 'Ladies of the Vale'.

 Lichfield suffered during the Civil War as it was besieged three times. The most easily defend part of the town was the hill and close where the church stood as it had water and a defensive mounds around it. The third seige by the Parliamentarians saw much damage to the church and the loss of the central tower and spire. It wasn't until the Victorian age that the grandeur of the church was restored.

The door to the north transept looks as though it may well have been from the original church. The Cathedral is dedicated to St Chad and St Mary.

We will make a few visits to the town as there are some lovely buildings, with plenty of shops, museums and pubs, so what is not to like. Before we left the boat today, Monday, we popped into the Arthur Price Factory shop to see if there were any Christmas present ideas. It states it is the largest cutlery factory shop in the world. I'm not convinced that there are that many of them vying for the accolade but there was plenty of canteens and stuff. A great place if you have a wedding coming up I would say. Helen managed to find a few bargains that will be gifts in a few weeks and soon we were back to the boat and packing up everything and going through the list of turning off the water, gas, Hurricane and the 12v system. I emptied the rubbish and ash, topped up the compost loo with cocoa shell and we were on our way. We didn't forget Macy cat either. It was 2 hours door to door and there are extensive road works on the M1 at the moment. We are both well rested and ready for another week. I'm not sure when we will both be able to get down  again before Christmas.

Even more of London.

On Monday we were on our own. Our train was at about 1330 so we had a morning to fill. We left our bag in the care of the hotel and ventured forth on another walking tour of the capital. I can't recommend getting out and about, away from the normal sights, enough as you get a very different picture of London, and largely escape the crowds.

 This little gem was just down a pedestrian lane and was a Turkish bath. It was built in 1895 and was said to be modeled on a shrine in Jerusalem. It had been a pizza restaurant lately but was now being remodeled.

Every where you go there are churches in the City of London. Unless you look up and realise they have steeples, towers and domes you may not realiose that they are churches. In fact there are 48 churches and 10 others that just have towers remaining due to bombing etc. We came across St Helen's on Bishopgate and as it was open we went in. It dated from 1210 and had a Priory built next to it. After Henry VIII the Priory wall was removed and the church then had two naves. It was the warmest church I have ever been in and was littered with some beautiful tombs and memorials, some of which had been brought here from a nearby church when it had been demolished.

This tomb is for Sir John Spencer, his wife and daughter from 1609. He had been a cloth worker and became Lord Mayor in 1594. It is alleged that his daughter eloped to marry Lord Compton hidden in a bread basket! The family later became reconciled due to the antecedence of  Queen Elizabeth I.

Just by St Helen's is this installation by Damien Hirst called Charity with the Gherkin behind. It is a bronze made in 2002/03 and is made to look like those charity boxes that were/are found outside of shops. However this one has the back prised open by a standing crowbar and the money spilled over the base.

It is part of a trail of artworks around the Square Mile made up of 14 works, Called art in the City.

Just round the corner, at the foot of the Gherkin is this work by Ai Weiwei. It is called forever and is amass of stainless steal bikes that make up repeating shapes. It is thought that it represents the 'Forever' brand of bike that were made in Shanghai and were the main source of transport in the cities of China. These are now being replaced by cars.

The Lloyd's Building was quite shocking when it was erected in 1986. The design by Richard Rodgers maybe set the tone for the next few years that have given us many more iconic buildings in London.

The original Leadenhall Market started in 1445 and the walls of the market helped to stop the spread of the Fire of London. This market building was opened in 1881 and is very opulent in appearance. It is now home to restaurants etc. It will look very special in the dark evenings when it is lit for Christmas

It was strange to find a water pump On Cornhill, and I'm not sure how long it had been there but it says that it marks the site of a well opened in 1282 on the site of  a House of Correction by the Mayor of the time.

There is a warren of back alleys in the area and down can be found Simpson's Tavern which is an old chop house where meat is the main item on the menu. It didn't look too expensive and you are served on benches. It is another place we will have to come back to. It is closed at the weekends though.

Lombard Street is where the original banks were based. It is named after the district in Italy where the merchants came from how moved in as money lenders when the Jews were expelled from the City in the 12th Century. The street is adorned with hanging trade signs that are now gone from most of London. The word bank originates from  'banco' or bench in Italian, on which the Lombardy merchants conducted business. They don't adorn door ways like this anymore do they.

We passed several churches but saw that St Mary Abchurch was open so went in. Once again a very different church with a dome. There was a Church Watcher from the Friends of the City Churches there. They are a group that ensure that the City churches are open for visitors at least once a week and are very knowledgeable guides too. The dome was said to be a trial by Wren for the dome of St. Paul's. They publish the list of services held in the churches and there are many free concerts given at lunch and in the evening in many of the churches. It is well worth looking on www.cityevents.website and www.london-city-churches.org.uk

We were soon at The Monument. It was completed in 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London that started close by in Pudding Lane on 2nd September 1666. It  destroyed 13200 house, 87 out of 109 churches in the City and made homeless 70000 people. Only 51 churches and 9000 homes were rebuilt afterwards. On one face of the base is this bas relief that shows the distress of the City during the fire on the left and the hope and reconstruction on the right with Charles II directing operations. We didn't have time today but it could be worth the £4 to climb to the top to get views over London. Robert Hooke helped Wren design it to be used as a telescope to help calculate the annual orbit round the sun but it proved to be to shaky for accurate measurements.

We made our way to Bank Station and to our hotel to pick up our bag and were soon at the New Kings Cross  Station for our train. We had been going to the canal close by but it is closed on Monday's. Something else to do on a later visit.

The station lit up red with a giant poppy for Remembrance Sunday.

The train was on time at just over 2 and a half hours. There was a bus leaving in a short while so we saved money on the taxi and jumped aboard for home. A wonderful weekend in London was over with worn out feet but some great sites seen and so good to see Amy and Joe. We will be back in the New Year.

More of London.

On Sunday we were were well rested and met up early'ish with our daughter and her boy friend. We walked the short distance to Columbia Road Market. No.1 daughter had raved about this place and Helen wanted to see it for her self. It is held on Sundays and is largely a flower market. The plants and flowers are very reasonably priced and there is a wide variety. The street is narrow and with stalls on both sides it makes for a good busy atmosphere.

There is a flower of every hue.

On and around Columbia Road are permanent shops too. These cater for every taste of interior decorating, fashion, crafts and every other sort of business making the market worth a look even if you don't like flowers.

There are also plenty of places to eat and drink and the shabby chic has a great toe hold in this area. The silver box on the left looks like it is selling ice cream but is in fact selling oysters!

After a couple of hours at the market we went for a walk and ended up along the Regent's Canal. I must say that it wasn't a pleasant experience due to the number of bikes that were going up and down. I can't say that they were zooming about as the tow path was so full, but it was the fact that they that they assumed by ringing their bells they expected you to get out the way. What made it doubly galling was that the road running parallel to the canal was deserted and the bikes would have made much better progress there anyway!

From the canal we cut inland and came across the Wenlock pub that was a little gem. It was just off Shepardess Walk which was a route that the sheep were brought in to the city for market.

I loved the symmetry of the back of this terrace. I wonder how many of the chimneys are connected to anything now. It makes you think about how much better the environment is now that these are all pumping out smoke at this time of year.

As the pub didn't do food we went in search of fodder. On the walk we came across a bloke feeding squirrels chestnuts. He was very knowledgeable about them and knew them all by sight. Helen was delighted.

By the time we had had a good Sunday lunch in a Weatherspoon's it was time for us to catch a bus into the West End. The girls wanted to look round Regent's Street and Oxford Street. We then realised that the lights were to be switched on on Oxford Street that night so we gravitated that way and waited for sometime. Nobody seemed to know when they would be going on but Kylie Minogue was to officiate. I think that she was fashionably late as we had to leave before they came on as we had tickets to the Comedy Store. Students and nurses get a good discount so it can be a good evening. It is just between Leicester Square and  Piccadilly Circus. Sunday is the the Comedy Store Players day for their brand of improvisation where they get suggestions from the audience and weave stories etc round them. Josie Lawerence, Paul Merton, Neal Mullarkey, Lee Simpson, Andy Smart and Richard Vranch were extremely funny and was a good night. They obviously work together so much that they know all the tricks of keeping the continuity going. After a hot chocolate and a tube trip back to the hotel we were saying goodbye to Amy and Joe as they had work in the morning.

London Calling.

We have been booked to go down to London for a while now. We have a great direct service from Hull Trains that is very cheap and only three hours. It is our wedding anniversary and our daughter now lives in London so we had a dual reason to visit the 'smoke'.

 We stayed at the Holiday In Express on Old Street which we found very good and close to our daughter. From our room it seems that the old warehouse opposite is owned by Russell Brand! There were no  lights on though during our stay.

On Friday evening we walked down to the Barbican Centre as we had been booked into the cinema there to see 'Spectre' the latest James Bond film. It was all a Bond film is supposed to be, lots of action and chases, a little bit of love etc etc. I must confess to not being Bond films biggest fan but a very enjoyable night. For me the star was the Barbican itself. It is a concrete maze but has a feeling of quiet and privacy with many dark and subdued areas. It took many years to build and the theatre etc was built in a dug out hollow to fit it all in the buildings that had been placed around the site. Most of the internal concrete surfaces had been hand tooled to get rid of the smooth look of concrete and this worked very well giving texture and differences to various surfaces. I had never been before but now I want to see what it is like during the daylight. When we walked in there were people queuing for tickets to see Hamlet with Benedict Cumberbatch. When we came out those queuing were joined by theatre goes at the entrance mobbing Cumberbatch as he left. Helen and daughter joined the throng to be rewarded with a close up of the actor that made their night!

The next day we went for a walk, as you do. Close to where we were staying is the Eagle pub that features in 'Up and down the City Road, in and out the Eagle. That's the way the money goes. Pop goes the weasel.' Apparently a weasel as in 'weasel and stoat' means coat and after spending their money they used to pawn them.

The eagle above the Eagle pub that was the nursery rhyme on the building too.

St Luke's Church on Old Street has a very unusual obelisk tower that was designed by Hawkesmoor. He was a contemporary of Wren's and contributed to many of the later's buildings. The building is now used by the London Symphony Orchestra and there are concerts etc regularly.

On our way to the Guildhall we realised that we were near to Postman's Park which has the street Little Britain running next to it.

There are some lovely buildings down Little Britain. I'm not sure it in anyway prompted the comedy radio and television shows though.

Postman's Park is one of the largest parks actually in the City of London. It contains the loggia that house the 'Everyday Hero's Memorial. This is a series of tablets to the self sacrifice of the general public. There are some poignant stories of lives saved and lost and make grim reading. The latest is from 2007. The tile work is also interesting as it changes over the years but it  always high class.

The reason we were heading to the Guildhall was to see the Hedon Mace on display. We live in Hedon which was an important town in the 13th 14th and 15th Centuries but is now a dormitory town for Hull. Our Mace is the oldest civic mace in the country and as it derives from a military weapon mace that was more than likely used at the Battle of Agincourt it was displayed with the stunning Crystal Mace that was give by Henry V to the City of London for bank rolling his war. When the Guild of Mace Bearers process the Hedon Mace Bearer leads as it is the oldest Civic Mace.

The Hedon Town Mace is the Silver Gilt one with the crown at the back! The iron lower end was actually the weapon piece that you used to use. Originally it was used as a weapon to protect the dignitaries but then became a symbol of power that preceded them. It says that it is likely that Henry V came to Hull on his Progress through England following his marriage to Catherine in 1420. He had renewed a charter for Hedon in 1415 , the year of the Battle of Agincourt and on their Progress had left his Queen in York to visit the shrines of St. John in Bridlington and Beverley. As he was to rejoin Catherine at Lincoln it is thought that he crossed the Humber to the Lincolnshire side from Hedon, which was a port, and this is when the mace was presented to the town.

Beneath the Guild Hall are the remains of the Roman Amphitheatre that you can visit. There is lots more to do at the Guild Hall and as we hadn't been before we will definitely return.

We walked through to Piccadilly and called in to St James Church just off to the south of the road. There is a great craft market in the courtyard which mainly hides the outdoor pulpit that is a very rare thing. Inside the carvings etc are lovely above the altar carvings are by Grinling Gibbons. The northern isle of the church was given over to the homeless and it was nice to see that they were fast asleep on the pews snoring their heads off. It seemed a good use of a normally empty church.

Just over the road from the backdoor of St James's is the Red Lion pub. It is one of the finest examples of a Victorian pub still with us with great examples of the deeply etched glass and mirrors. We had a pint and a lunch to fortify us before carrying on our discoveries.

I always make a point of looking up when out and about in towns and cities as at ground level each year brings changes. Above there is less alterations and you can still some gems. I loved these chimney pots that all looked different and would be worth a few bob these days no doubt.

On Marlborough Road is this beautiful bronze monument to Queen Alexandra ( 1844 1925) who had to put up with a lot from Edward VII who was a bit of a playboy. The Bronze was by Sir Alfred Gilbert who created Eros in Piccadilly Circus.

We headed down the Mall and turned off at the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Memorial statues. The bronze plaques below are very intricate and tell the story of the war time London and their frequent visits to their people.

We spent the early evening in Trafalger Square with many others watching the Rugby Union World Cup Final where New Zealand were the worthy winners of a good game.

After the match we wandered some more to find something to eat and ended up passing Covent Garden where we were drawn to the decorations in the Apple Market and the other covered areas.

We then wended our way back to the hotel foot sore but well pleased with our day and the new sights that we had  seen in London.