Unpainting

Some people keep very little on the roof of their boat, maybe just the gang plank and a pole or two and some rope. Other keep bikes, logs and bags of coal for the stove, TV ariels, pot plants, mops, brooms, buckby cans and general junk. We're somewhere in between, but the roof gets a fair bit of wear and tear and is of course exposed to the sun and all manner of stuff dropping from trees. So we really need to repaint Herbie's top.

The painting is the easy bit, its the unpainting that's the problem. Getting off all the old stuff and rubbing away the dozens of little rust spots. Here you can see where I've rubbed down and treated lots of little spots. (Picture taken as we cruised through Little Venice)

They'll all have to be done again because I wasn't able to get them overpainted quickly enough. Unless you get back to the bare metal and treat any rust before the applying primer, the undercoats and the top coats of paint, then you're wasting your time. The question is, how do you get it all off in a reasonable time? (We're talking about 250 square feet on Herbie).

I've been doing some research. Chemicals are out because of the environmental damage of washing them off into the canal. The commonly used belt sander doesn't appeal because it takes forever and clogs up the abrasive paper in no time. People who have done it this way claim to have used a mountain of the paper.

The best options seem to be heavyish industrial kit, either a needle gun which jabs at the paint with a bunch of spikes, or a scabbler which rasps it off at high speed. I can hire either of these by the day locally, so that's easy. However, because they are used on building sites etc, they are restricted by Health and Safety rules to running off either compressed air or 110 volt power supplies. No good off the boat's power then. I can get the loan of a 110v transformer though.

Then there's the problem of the weather. Once the bare metal is exposed it needs treating and painting at least as far as the undercoat before it might rain. This takes two or three days at best. So the best answer (if you can afford it) is to do it indoors by hiring a wet dock for a few days, which is probably what we'll do. Actually, the best answer if you can afford it, is to pay someone else to do it!

Burning wood

Its October and the nights are drawing in. Not that this will deter us from boating as long as we have wood and coal for the stove. We have a nice supply of oak which we cadged from Bulbourne dry dock as we were passing in the summer. They were about to burn a load of offcuts, so Kath, never one to pass up a freebie, spoke nicely to the man and he gave us a huge stack. According to an old rhyme quoted in *Ray Mears' excellent Bushcraft book "oak logs will warm you well, if they're old and dry". I heard another old poem rhyming oak with smoke - lets hope that's wrong.

What we also have is a stack of cherry logs from a trunk which I save from the woodchip machine when the local council were felling surplus trees by the roadside. According to Ray's rhyme "cherry logs across the dogs smell like flowers in bloom". I can hardly wait.

What we really look out for is Ash.

Ash logs, all smooth and grey,
Burn them green or old
Buy up all that come your way.
They're worth their weight in gold.

*If ever I get on Desert Island Discs, I want Ray Mears for my one luxury item.

Ladder safety

They say you should have someone holding the bottom of a ladder when you are up it. I hope this isn't the case here!

You have to admire the guy's ingenuity - and agility. It looks like he'd climbed out of the nearby window. Kath took the pic as we passed by last week on the Paddington arm somewhere near Queen's Park

Splash and grab

"What's gravel boat Colne up to here?" you may ask. Using our powers of deduction, and some previous knowledge, we worked it out.

On the way through Uxbridge lock last week we met Colne's sister boat Frays and her driver told us Colne had been broken into the previous night on her mooring at Cowley. Thieves had taken thousands of pounds worth of gear from the cab, including the stereo (well, they're comfortably appointed) and the water pump. The pump is used to fill and empty the ballast tanks which keep the barge stable when it's empty of gravel.

So it was easy to guess what Colne was up to. Trying to fill the tank with grabs full of water. It looked a pretty desperate effort. Most of the water leaked out before the grab could be manoeuvred over the tank, and then half of it missed! I can't imagine how they get all the water out again when they get to Denham where they take on the gravel. I suppose they might just drop the gravel in and displace the water.

Herbie goes to town

We've just been up to London and back with Herbie (and Rick and Marilyn). Despite a poor forecast the weather was mostly fine, which only goes to show you shouldn't be put off by the weather boys. Rick never seems to arrive without a gift for Herbie. This time it was a pair of crew polo shirts. I'm not sure where they score on the twee-ometer but they're fun, and they fit!

Over the trip, Marilyn did most of the driving as she'd got a bit nervous of it in recent years so a boost in confidence was required. We're happy to say she did brilliantly and she was awarded the Herbie certificate of competence at the end.

On the way in to London, we overnighted at the Black Horse at Greenford to have a go at their Thursday quiz and to have a meal. The food and beer is very good there, but the quiz was a bit too full of popular culture for our tastes. We're not very good a recognising photos of soap stars or listing chart bands from Sheffield!

Next day we were hoping to moor at Camden but the few places were full up. Nevertheless the 4 hour shopping berth was empty so we used that to visit the market. This time we remembered not to eat before going in so that we could enjoy some of the the amazing variety of ethnic foods you can get there. I had a lamb tagine from a Moroccan stall. Rick was disappointed that they had no curry goat left at a Carribbean stall.

Returning through Regents park, where we got a good view of the African hunting dogs in the zoo, we moored up at Paddington basin. It always seems pretty full, but we found one of the last spots as usual.

Next morning we decided to walk to Portobello road to see the market, half an hour's stroll from Paddington . We'll certainly go again, you couldn't possibly do it all properly on one visit. Food, clothes, antiques, junk, - you name it, and a lot of people! Rick managed to find and buy a fishtail parka to wear on his restored vintage schooter. Now he just needs a mod haircut.

Its about a half hour walk from Paddington basin and if you leave the basin arm at the right spot, you can do the whole walk in a straight line, just one long road.

It turned out quite hot so we lunched on the pavement alongside the boat when we got back.

I like mooring here. despite being in central London, it feels very calm and secure. Lots of people pass by and you can hear some of the station announcements, but its generally quite peaceful.

Cruising

We're away on Herbie for a few days with Rick and Marilyn. First up to Rickmansworth for a birthday bash and then off into London, via the Black Horse at Greenford for their weekly quiz and then on hopefully to moor up near Camden market. Typical that the fine weather is now set to finish! I think we'll need to light the fire.

Amazing Grace

Absolutely nothing to do with Herbie or the inland waterways, but today's entry is a special one. Meet Grace McLeod, our new grand daughter born today and seen here with her big brother Jacob when she was barely two hours old.

Aahh.

Here she is with her Grandpa. I'm the one on the right.

Traditional?

I've been painting at the front of the boat and am now ready to put a pattern on the vertical centre board of the cratch window. I know I want to do diamonds to match the roof box, but there are options. Here are four ways.

The only difference between the first two and the last two is the use of black instead of white, yet how different the pattern looks. Should the top start with a half diamond as in the right picture of each pair, or a whole diamond as in the left hand ones.

Well according to the books, a half diamond at the top is the traditional way. Its all very well to be aware of the traditions, but I don't have a lot of time for boaties who get sniffy about it. If you have a proper working boat then of course you want it right, but so many so called traditional boats are no such thing. Is it "traditional" to have a fridge, a toilet, hot water? No.

I'll probably opt for the half diamond though because it looks better, and probably the white rather than the black because the diamonds stand out better (and the colours will match the roof box).

Slough Canal Festival

At last, a warm sunny weekend at a festival. No rain, no mud, no hassle - lovely. What a change to be able to sit out in the dark without feeling chilly.

The Slough festival is as I expected not much more than a village fete in size, but on the Sunday in particular, local people turned out in large numbers to enjoy the events.

I guess the aim of the event is to make more people aware of the local canal and its value as a wildlife park and a healthy recreation resource. I'm sure it worked too as most people took a stroll along the bank looking at the boats, or going for a boat trip , or taking advantage of the free fuishing tuition from professional coaches. Dozens and dozens of kids had a go and most of them caught fish, including Jacob who caught nine in about 20 minutes.

Quite few people asked us about narrowboating as we sat outside Herbie, and we gave a few guided tours of the inside of the boat, including one for the deputy mayor! Kath's recycled plastic bag bunting was a great success and I think was the reason so many came up to our boat. I fear we may feature in this week's Slough Observer as we were photographed and interviewed by them.

Entrance to the festival was free thanks to the sponsorship of ICI paints who have their factory half a mile away, and most of the stalls and displays were run by local charities and wildlife and waterways groups. The local residents association were doing a roaring trade in samosas.

The arena entertainments were surprisingly good. I didn't expect to be impressed by a King Fu demonstration, but I was! The complexity and grace of the movements is a sight to behold. Whether it is any use against an attacker I'm not sure, but it sure looks pretty. They also did a Chinese Lion dance. Amusingly, the bloke on the Tannoy wasn't sure whether he was announcing Lion dancing or Line dancing.

The only disappointing thing was that only 15 boats showed up. Surely we can do better than this. There must be over three hundred boats moored within 5 miles of Slough. I know the canal is narrow and shallow but that's no excuse. Its still a lovely cruise. Those who did make it included old deep draughted working boats and a huge Dutch barge. I'm going to make a point over the next year to encourage other boaters to come.

Will she won't she

Our chances of an uninterrupted weekend at the Slough canal festival don't look promising. Claire is currently in hospital while they decide whether she is in labour or not. They might induce her tomorrow or she might start on her own or they might send her home . With all this uncertainty we've decided to go to the festival anyway as it is only a ten minute drive from the hospital whereas from home to the hospital is 40 minutes.

Meanwhile here is an idea what to do with your unwanted CDs or DVD discs.

Presumably it keeps out the birds. You'll also need a boat garage and a very posh house like this one in Caversham (Reading) I suppose. Alternatively you can aways use your old CDs a coasters or as mirrors to signal to passing helicopters for help.

Flying the flag for the Slough Arm

This weekend we're taking Herbie down to the Slough Canal Festival, a cruise of about 25 minutes! As far as I can tell, its a small affair. The programme looks not unlike that of a vicarage fete. I don't know whether I'm more excited by the bouncy castle or the Kung Fu demonstration. However, its our canal and we'll be showing our support. Kath is busy making bunting out of recycled plastic carrier bags, and it looks great. Actually I am looking forward to the terrier racing, which is always fun, and there will be steam engines there, which I like. I'm not sure about the boat trips though :-).

Hopefully the best bit will be getting to know some other local boaters to extend our network of friends on the water. I think they expect about 30 boats to be there and there is a boaters' BBQ on Saturday night.

The only possible spanner in the works is that our daughter Claire is expecting her new baby next Monday, so if it's early our plans might be interrupted!

Cambridge

While we were visiting the IWA festival last weekend we cadged a free bed with our son Peter at Cambridge. Apart from our ritual meal at the Castle pub in Castle Street (for my money the best pub in Cambridge) we took a stroll around Jesus lock, which is the limit of navigation for narrowboats on the Cam. I particularly like the way the balance beams curve up and over from the top of the gates. I haven't seen any others like it as far as I recall.

Also interesting was the windlass padlocked to the paddle gear. All you need is the combination number to free it for use.

Last year there was a lot of hoohaa about a threat to do away with the visitor moorings, but eventually the Council came to their senses and now there is a nice space for half a dozrn boats just below the lock.

The same rain that caused all the mud at the IWA festival had also raised the level of the Cam and the footpath was flooded here and there. This enterprising young couple found a way to keep their feet dry, but their dogs weren't so lucky!