Well I'm Back

Hi there

Well, actually, I haven't been away, just AWOL on the blogging scene that probably won't come as much of a surprise to my regular readers of my non-regular blog.  . . . . .

I have got a new toy call a hudl that is a tesco tablet. I don't find the keyboard as easy to use as it is on a laptop, but luckily enough I can just talk and it types in what i'm saying, which I have to say is quite good. Whilst my laptop is still alive I find I can only get about an hour's use out of a full battery. It is less of a problem in the summer when there is plenty of light for the solar panels, but in the winter months we need to charge up whilst travelling and sometimes we don't travel enough. As we can only use it for about an hour we can also only watch part of a film, part of football match or formula 1 if we watch over the Internet before having to plug it in to charge it up again. 

And so far, at the price of £129, it seems like it is a very good buy.

Anyway, back on to the boating bits and to bring you up to date on what has been happening and where we are now.

Having been so long it's a bit like a time warp going back over these 'old photos' that reminds me that I keep meaning to go back to the start of my blog to reminisce one day.

Benji getting bored when we were Skyping one day, all they could see was a hairy chin.

When we eventually got down to Oxford Nicky's mum came for a visit and here they are before they set off on their day out around Oxford, whilst I was allowed to stay home alone with The Boys ☺. Well I say stayed home, but I took The Boys for a quick walk that ended up as about five miles of the River Thames and that was one way. . . . . . .

And here they are with a have to be done selfie whilst on their open top bus tour.

When I was allowed to join them on one of their outings we came across this item sticking out of the water. Any guesses at what it is.

Unfortunately for the chap in the punt it was his pole that got stuck in the mud and was left behind. Not wishing to embarras the guy further we quickly moved on (NOT) and just stood there watching him paddle back to retrieve it.

No photo or video, but there was one other couple that had given up on the punting and decided to just paddle, unfortunately for them something had got lost in translation and one was paddling forwards whilst the other was paddling backwards! I wonder if they're still there.

Grooming time for Binks.

But Benji prefers to take his lying down.

Getting cooler so the stove is starting to go on now for a few hours and here is our tea cooking in the ash tray. Jacket potatoes if any one is confused.

Nearly off the Oxford Canal now, having spent about five weeks on it and have to say it is a very pretty and rural canal. Food wise though, if you are planning a trip, Banbury is the only place where there are proper supermarkets so be sure to stock up. So here's our mooring spot for our last night and with a probably well photographed wind mill in the centre of the picture.

And a close up to make it a little easier to see.

We have hummed and haared (don't know if this is how it is spelt but hopefully you'll know what I mean) about getting a 'pram hood' for Badger Sett since we brought it and finally decided that we would. We think we have got about four more years before we would have completed the whole network and sell Badger Sett and felt that we needed to get it now or not at all as they are not cheap to buy.

For anybody who is wondering, the next instalment of our travels will see us move from boat to motorhome and swap England for Europe, but that's a couple of years and a few blogs away yet. That is unless I get my way and do 50/50 now with the summer here and the winter away, but the boss is saying no at the moment.

Oh what to do when there are two dogs and only one patch of sun.

We clocked up our second year of living aboard on 4th October so had our anniversary meal at a place called the Blue Lias on the Grand Union Canal. Our last anniversary was spent way up north on the Lancaster Canal and there was me thinking that we didn't travel far. And look, they even put the flags out for us. . . .

Okay then, not funny, who took the water away last night?

Ended up securing extra ropes in the night to help us not go over, but in the end the bottom was fairly level so it was okayish, although some stuff was falling off shelves.

Took a walk up the Hatton Flight with our friends Alan and Tina from Jersey who came to stay with us for a week in Warwick. Still good weather for November.

Dragonfly sculpture just off to the side of one of the top locks.

Looks like The Boys have had a better offer so we are dogless tonight.

And of course, the Narrow Boat game had to come out. Guess who won, yes Alan, guess who came last, yes again . . . .me 😬



Don't know if it was the boring company or too much beer (probably the latter), but it's forty winks time for me.

Warwick Castle on another glorious November day.



And that just about brings us up todate and finds us moored at Lapwoth where we are meeting our son Aaron and his girlfriend Emma tomorrow who are staying with us for a week.

And after that it will be a quick chug to Alvechurch Marina where we are leaving Badger Sett whilst we go back home for a month over Christmas and the New Year. I will endeavour to get a post done before we go back and then a year end roundup when we are back home.

And so in signing off,

Day 687 in the Badger Sett Narrowboat - 1377 miles, 645 locks and 718 cruising hours further on from when we started.