Off we go again !

We are now back on Bluemoon.  We had a good journey back from Samui.  We went back home for 4 weeks and travelled via Singapore.  Having a one night stopover on our way back to the UK. 

I have been rather slow starting the blog off again, our Internet connection was not too good and to be honest I had not feeling 100%. So apologies to those of you have looked at the blog and thought I had given up!

When we first arrived back a the marina, Les set to rubbing down and painting the boat. We also applied our next picture , not an easy task, so many bubbles.  the last one was much easier to do.

We did not leave the marina until Thursday. We had a little captains mate aboard with us , granddaughter Lexie. 

Lexie had a great couple of nights away on Bluemoon and was keen to help with the locks and the ducks certainly did not go hungry whilst she was with us.  Nor did we as Lexie picked lots of blackberries.  

Our first night we spent on the outskirts of Atherstone.  Just before the start of the locks.  The next day we went through 5 locks before mooring up for 2 nights then completing the next 6 locks.

The weather was great until Saturday when it was wet and windy. 

A short trip up the Ashby

Luck was in when we decided to take a short trip up the Ashby canal last week, the sun was warm and the sky blue.

Our first stop was on the outskirts of Market Bosworth. The walk up to the village is around one mile up hill. There are a few shops, ones that have been established for many many years. There are many beautiful properties , lovely thatch cottages with mature gardens.

We met a nice couple who have worked very hard on their garden, there are many carved animals made out of wood by the owner of the cottage . Everywhere you look there is something of interest.

Our next stop was at Shakerstone. There is a old railway station and on busy weekends the steam train runs to nearby Shenton, 5 miles away. The line is called the Battlefield line. Nearby is the field where Richard 111 was said to have met his end.

On our way back we stopped overnight at Shenton . This is a favourite village of ours. It's very attractive with lots of farms , cottages and a large house standing in extensive grounds.

The Whitemoor antique centre is great to look around. There are many different sections offering a wide variety of antiques and junk , the later is the most interesting. This time I saw a doll just like one that I had as a young child. A cadburys chocolate bar dispensing machine. Little tiny bars of chocolate, I think most of us can remember having one of these at Christmas time.

Our journey was very interesting , the ducklings growing up fast. the calves are no longer feeding from their mothers. many changes in just a few weeks. now we are back at the marina where we are moored on the canal side. We are really happy to have this mooring. It's ideal , we can see whats going on without being too close to other boats. Our neighbours are delightful and its nice to be part of this community.

Our bags are packed now ready for our return to Thailand. We will be back on Bluemoon again in around 6 weeks time. When our adventures will begin all over again.

Back at Trinity Marina

It's been a week since I updated the blog. During this time we made our way back from Rugby to Trinity.

The weather was appalling some days, rain sleet and very high winds, with gusts of 50 miles a hour. The sun has at last arrived and it been great to feel the warmth. We have a new mooring here on the canal. It is a lovely location and we have many ducks on the bank next to us. Also a family of swans , the six little Cygnets do not wander far from their mum. Mum and dad are quite cheeky and put their heads right through our open windows to see if there is any food on offer.

Les has been busy strimming the grass, and we have made the area look nice and tidy. Now that sun has has arrived Les has been able to rub down some paintwork and undercoat the front deck. Now just because I have not given a list of all the mundane things I have been doing I would not like you all to think I have been as down doing nothing all day! I have been making cakes biscuits washing ironing sewing and making our home look good !

Making good progress

We arrived in Rugby yesterday. 24 locks in the last few days. Today the sun has been great today , after such a cold damp week again.

We took a walk into town. Rugby has some beautiful old buildings, and its nice to be moored somewhere and to have Internet and a good tv signal.

We have stopped in some lovely places , it nice to have a different view from our windows every day. Having moved house 18+ times we like a change of scenery and being on the boat gives us just that. If we feel like a bit of city life we can have it on the other hand we can have the peace and quiet of the countryside with no neighbours, well maybe a field of sheep or cows !

The only problem with liking change we have no choice on how we have our furniture on the boat its all built in ! Luckily we are happy with it all.

Before we leave Rugby tomorrow morning we will go to Wickes that is nearby and buy some concrete blocks to put in the hull , base of the boat. We have a slight balance problem. Everything is built in on the port side of the boat, bed, bathroom, kitchen and sofa etc. the balance was probably ok until we filled the wardrobe , the drawers and the kitchen cupboards etc. We have a good supply of food items tins cartons boxes bottles and packets etc. the downsize is that it all weighs such a lot.

Les has already put a few concrete blocks and bricks in the hull of the starboard side but more is needed. The floorboards are easy enough to lift. We will take the opportunity of having a DIY store nearby and make this adjustment tomorrow. We will not get a store closer than this one.

Back in Banbury

We arrived at Banbury just in time. No sooner we had arrived it rained really hard. The wind was really strong too. We delayed our departure until today. We have managed most of the journey without getting too wet. By the afternoon the sun was out and we made good progress.

A long day 12 locks before stopping for the night at Fenny Compton. I ache all over after falling down the steps into the boat ! The steps were slippery from the rain. No breakages !

On our way back up the canal now

Our journey back up the canal from Oxford was not so nice as the journey there. What a difference the sun can make. Everything looked dull and not so interesting as before.

It would have been nice to have stayed in Oxford an extra day, the mooring is limited to 48 hrs and no return for 28 days.

Our journey took us back up to Lower Heyford where we stayed overnight. We arrived in good time and it gave us the opportunity to go and visit a stately home that was nearby. Well the guide books said it was nearby and just a short walk. It took about 30 minutes each way. It was well worth the walk. What a beautiful place Rousham house is. The gardens were spectacular. On arrival we were surprised to see a machine to get your entry ticket to the gardens. There was nobody around, it seemed very strange. Entry was £5 each. Lucky the machine took a ten pound note !

We really enjoyed the stroll around and the sun was lovely , I think we must have spent around 2 hours here. Such a shame there was no teashop. A nice cup on tea on the terrace would have been most welcome. We were unable to go inside the house. Bookings for a tour of the house had to be made in advance and the minimum number of people they would accept was a group of ten. The interior looked somewhat neglected , curtain linings were in shreds, lots of visible cobwebs ! Not that we looked inside the windows........

Last night we moored up opposite a lovely little farm. The pigs were delightful, Lots of piglets that ran around like a lot of crazy puppies, wanting to play. We were glad to have arrived at a decent place for mooring , both soaked through after the heavy downpour at Somerton deep lock. The lock is 12 foot deep. One of the paddles ( this is the heavy metal thing you have to wind up and down to let water in and out of the lock ) was broken. The other one was really hard to shift. Not what you need when there is hailstones coming down and the lock is going to take twice as long to empty now ! A really hard day of heavy locks and heavy rain!

This morning we woke up to sunshine , whoopee. It was great to feel a little warmth again. After a visit to the farm shop to buy some free range eggs it was time to set off before the threatened rain arrived. The forecast said it would be dry until 2pm. How right they were , just before we arrived at Banbury bottom lock the heavens opened ! So on through the lock as quick as we could and then the lifting bridge before mooring outside Ann Summers ! After securing Bluemoon we found we could not get a satellite signal, so had to untie the ropes and move over to the other side of the canal where eventually the signal was found. We do not watch a great deal of TV, but however it is a nice way to relax after a hard day !

A full day in Oxford

After lots of rain during the night the day was not so bad. We enjoyed a walk through the grounds of Christchurch College and along the meadows that edge the Thames. Oxford has a lovely feel to it, so many interesting buildings. So many tourists from all over the world.

It has rained again this evening so we hope,that it will be ok for tomorrow when we have to leave our 48 hr mooring. We were surprised that there is not the opportunity to stay longer. It was a long journey here for such a short time ! Next time when we take this route along the south Oxford canal we will continue onto the Thames. The weather is not really good enough to venture out there now. Far too windy !

Our journey tomorrow will take us back along the same route that we have already travelled. We have some places that we intend to stop at on the way back. Places that we decided we would not look at on the way down to Oxford.

My blog may not be so frequent due to repeating myself ! We also know that the Internet was not available all the time. Please keep checking up on us as we will have more to tell I am sure !