Long time no blog!

Thought it was about time I wrote a post. Been busy working, as I am the sole breadwinner now there isn’t much time to sit and blog these days!

Had a great May Bank Holiday weekend at Parbold, a load of us boaters got together for a good old drink and catch up, we all moored at the disused lock at Appley Bridge, and a fine time was had by all!

          Arriving at Parbold.                All moored up and ready to party!                                 

We all had a great weekend, including Eight very well behaved Dogs that came with us, here are four of the little cuties!

Out of the blue!

 

After a real hectic week in work, is was bliss to get home last night, ( Friday ) and look forward to the weekend. The weather forecast looks good which makes the weekend all the more enjoyable.

All you retired people out there, ( jealousy rearing its ugly head me thinks)! who are living just one long weekend, will have forgotten the buzz you get on a Friday, when you come to the end of the day and wallow in the fact, that for two whole days you don’t have to go to work! Now wouldn’t you all love to go back to work to have that feeling again? Yea right!

Anyway on arriving home I take Bobby for his walk,put all the shopping away, light fire, ( as its still quite chilly in the evening), light candles, feet up and nice glass of red!

I made myself a nice sweet chilli chicken noodle dish for tea, and then sat to read and reply to emails I had let build up over the week.

Just as I was starting on my second glass, I heard an engine running outside the boat, resisting the urge to jump up and see who it was, I sat trying to recognise the noise. Was it a Dinghy? Was it a Helicopter? I knew it wasn’t a a narrowboat or cruiser. My curiosity got the better of me, so I went out on the back deck to see what was creating this noise, to be met by the site of this……          

It was my Brother, John, flying passed the boat on his Paramotor! He flew low enough to give me a wave and then flew up in to the blue again. I wasn’t expecting to see him, so it was a lovely surprise! Personally I think he is mad flying around with a hairdryer strapped to his back, but it must be fantastic to be flying around up there like a bird, all be it a quite noisy bird. Would you ever get me up there? Not on your nellie!  I prefer to have my motor firmly under my feet, chugging me along the Cut!

Problems?

As you can see I am having problems with the layout on my blog pages, there is a HUGE gap before you can see any of my blogs!.
Can anybody help?

Make molehills out of mountains!

I need to make all the mountainous tasks I have ahead of me into molehills! I keep going into absolute panic mode when I think of all the things that need to be done!

So instead of worrying how on earth I will climb those mountains I need to tackle them like they are little hills. Does that make sense?? If it does please let me know!

So as soon as I stop being the proverbial Ostrich, and make a start, the sooner I will have something to blog about. Its too easy just to sit and make excuses why I can't do something, too cold, too windy, too tired, too can't be bothered!!

Right pep talk over. I have wasted a couple of weekends now not doing anything, which just won't do, now I need to give myself a hefty kick up the back side and get myself motivated.

Now where do I start? Have you seen the size of that Mountain..........(sorry, molehill)!

Bobby has a new friend!

Bobby was two years old when we got him, so we didn’t know much about how he was as a pup. He was quiet and a bit confused about what was happening to him. He soon settled in though, and now he is a fantastic little dog!  

I was walking down the tow path with him today, when a cat decided to come and say hello, my initial reaction was to brace my self for the scrap that would surely take place, blood and fur flying everywhere!

I needn’t have worried……They were lovely with each other, I was lucky enough to get a picture of them, how cute!

Spring Clean!

Lovely sunny day today, so many things to do, where to start?  After having breakfast, toast and marmalade, shared with Bobby, I decided to get stuck in.

I am one of those people who starts doing one job then move on to another without realising it! I end up doing six different jobs in one go, bouncing from one to the other, I think it’s what you call organised chaos. Eventually it all comes together and the boat is all nice and clean.

Where did spring cleaning originate, is it to start the new season off all clean and tidy, or is it just that the sun comes out and shows up all the dust and dirt!

One pitfall of having a coal fire, is the dust it creates, but it is worth putting up with the dust to have a nice fire burning away in the corner.

Bobby spent all day outside today in the sun, just now and again reminding me he was still there by plopping his tennis ball into the canal then barking at it, to let me know he needs it scooping out, yet again! I swear he has a grin on his face when he accidently on purpose drops the ball in the water!

Well its the end of another weekend, how quick do they go? Back to the grind tomorrow, to get the pennies together for Tickety Boo’s paint job in the summer She is looking really tatty at the minute, and unloved. The harsh winter has given the blacking a bashing and she is desperate to have her bottom redone! I am happy with the inside of the boat for now, so my main aim this summer is to get the outside looking better!

One of the nicer jobs I did today was putting new bedding on for the summer, gone is the cosy cream and gold…..

  

To be changed to a nice cream and duck egg blue for the summer

I love this colour, the cushion was from a great shop called, Dun elm, an Aladdin's cave of curtains, bedding and accessories, bliss!

 

 

 

Best Laid Plans....

I did have plans to maybe jump the bus in to Liverpool today, its Chinese New Year, so quite a bit going on. It would have been even nicer to have the boat down there, at Salthouse Dock, so you could just fall back on board after the celebrations.

On waking this morning, those plans were quickly rearranged, as we have snow again!
You may ask where my sense of adventure has gone, in answer to that question, it is sitting right next to me, keeping warm by the fire!

Irony again!

Just a quick one to add to my last post. Why is it that, just as you sit down and start to eat your tea, they put the advert on tv for the bloomin, 'Pedegg' you know that thing you use to get rid of all the dry skin on your feet. Not satisfied with just telling you what this little mirical can do, they show you the damn thing being emptied into a bin! doesn't go down well when you are just about to put a forkful of food in your mouth, yukkety yuk yuk!

Ironies!

A music track I really love is, Alanis Morrissette, Ironic. For those of you who haven't heard it, here are the first couple of lines.
An old man turns 98, he won the lottery and died the next day,
Its a black fly in your chardonnay,
its a death row pardon two minutes too late.
Anyway, you get the drift, if you haven't heard it, You Tube it, the lyrics are really clever. It got me to thinking....
Why is it that when you are two minutes late, your bus is two minutes early?
Why is it that the very day you leave your brolly behind it rains?
Why is it you always bump into an old friend, who looks fabulous, and you look
like you have been dragged through a hedge backwards, twice!
Why is it that when you are out on your boat alone, you steer, turn, moor up
and manouver perfectly, only to make a right prat of yourself when you have
freinds on board?
Why is it that the cruise you have planned in advance starts on the very day
it decides to blow a Hoolie and you merrily go on your way down the cut side
ways?
Finally, why is it that when you have just climbed into bed and got warm,
your automatic bilge pump decides it doesn't want to be automatic
any more and jams on, so if you ignore it it will either burn out or flatten
your batteries!

I could go on, as I have many more, 'Why is it thats' but my tum is telling me its tea time, just when I am on a role writing my blog, now, why is that?.....

Introducing..My Little Grand Bump!

   

       Ok so they all look like little beans all cosy in there, but this little exceptional Bean, is my first Grandchild! Mum to be, my Daughter Kirsty, is having a great pregnancy with no morning sickness, which is a blessing.

The only problem I have had is nearly falling off my chair when she told me how much the Pram is! After gaining my composure, I asked did it make tea, and babysit?

I am so out of touch with all that now, mind you, my baby, Heather, is twenty in April, so a long time since I looked at pram prices!

The pram is aptly named, Bugaboo, ( sounds like your swearing, and then giving someone a fright)!

So when I am babysitting on, Tickety Boo, I can take baby out in the Buga Boo! Sorted!

     The lovely Mummy to be and the equally lovely Daddy to be!

( Kirsty and Ian )

Just a quick apology to the Men who read my blog. Not very boaty I know, but I promise to make my little Grandchld a narrowboat fan. I have an orange box on order as we speak. As soon as the little mite is big enough, He/She will be taught to steer the boat, and shown the Ropes,pun intended! (Just don't tell Mummy and Daddy to be)!

A Photo to Share

After reading Heth’s blog,(Takey Tezey Tales) and seeing her swan photo’s, I couldn’t resist posting this gorgeous photo that was sent to me in an email.

Straight Jacket required!

I have a great Mum, who on many occasions has helped me through difficult times. It wouldn’t do to tell you all how old she is, she would kill me. So to give you some idea of her age, I am fifty and Mum is twenty two years older, oops!

When we had the real bad weather, snow and ice, you would think a lady of her years would be wrapped up warm indoors, with a nice hot drink and swooning while listening to her Daniel O'Donnell Cd, but oh no not my Mum!

Here is the photographic evidence of what she got up to, if any of you were in any doubt as to where I got my streak of madness from, here is your  answer!                                                                                                                                                                          My Mum just got this overwhelming urge to go out in the garden and build this lovely Snowman!

   

       Not content with letting the neighbours know how mad she is, Mum decided to throw herself on the floor to make a snow angel, this would leave onlookers in no doubt that action would have to be taken………….

              Straight Jacket on order!!

Joking aside, Mum is one in a million, and I won’t hold it against her that she has passed her, loopy genes on to me!

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you

After reading one of the Blogs I follow, ( Lesley, Nb Caxton) about us all pulling our weight to clear litter from our waterways and towpaths, I left a comment on her Post agreeing with everything Lesley had said.

How much nicer would our towpaths be without litter, left by rude people who dump it and then go home to their litter free gardens! Well the towpath is our garden and we don’t want your litter, thank you very much!

About ten minutes after leaving my comment, I looked out of the window to see this……………..

I have seen this man before on numerous occasions. He gives up his time to litter pick on the tow path opposite Tickety Boo. I don’t know who he is, but I am very grateful to him for the thorough job he does!

As you can see from the two big bin bags of rubbish, there are still people who think it is acceptable to just dump litter anywhere they like.

A very BIG thank you to you, our mystery litter picker, just to let you know your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, and is really appreciated. 

Dancing on Ice!

Triple Axel, Double Toe Loop, and Spiral, and that was just me trying to walk down the towpath! I did admit I love the snow, that doesn’t include the ice.

I was really happy when the big thaw kicked in, it was becoming a bit tedious, walking like a constipated duck!

The ice was a nightmare to walk on, I lost count of the amount of times I nearly went, just about saving myself by throwing my hands up in the air and letting slip from my mouth the, s--t word! Then to look around sheepishly to make sure no body saw my slip, or heard my expletives!

Anyway thankfully its all melted away now, but who knows it could be back.

I loved the snow when it first fell, we all got great photos to remind us of winter 2010. I think we have had quite enough of that weather now thank you!

The Canal is thawing out nicely and I am looking forward to seeing the water moving again. Its fascinating to see the canal frozen, but it then,  becomes a bit eerie. Its good to see the ripples back, oh and the Ducks!

                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best Christmas Present Ever!

I have been keeping a secret since Christmas day, its been hard but I was sworn to secrecy, but now I can share my news! My Daughter Kirsty and her lovely partner Ian, gave us the fantastic news that they are having a baby! I am to become a Nan in August and I am ecstatic, can’t wait!

When needs must!

I have no problem with the weather being cold, nice warm and snug on the boat. The only thing spoiling my “ smugness”, ( there’s that word again Pickles no 2)! is the fact I have no water! I do have some in the tank and I am being very frugal with that, but once that goes I don’t quite know what I will do.

You can’t really take water for granted on a boat as you do in a house, you only have water at your disposal when you keep your tank topped up, in this weather that is nigh impossible! All the water taps on this mooring have been turned off as we have had a few bursts, sooo , there is no water to replenish the tank.

Strip washes at the moment and a trip to Mums for a shower. I have been scraping snow off the roof of the boat and heating it to wash the dishes, very, “ Little House on the Prairie-ish”! it does save using the tank water though which I would sooner use for cups of tea and cooking. Heth, ( Takey Tezey) was worried I might scrape up snow that Bobby may have earlier used as a toilet!, but I assured her that was why I was taking it from the roof, as he doesn’t, do “it” up there. Mind you I can’t say the same for birds that fly over! Anyway all the snow I scraped up was as pure as the driven…… you know how it goes!

I am heating the snow on top of the wood burner in a pan, very boaty I must say, but its all good fun. I don’t want to be a fair weather boater, so I will take any challenges that are thrown my way, ( within reason )! This cold spell is set to last according to the weather forecast, so we will see how I feel about these," challenges” after being without water for a few weeks!

I am sure I will be able to organise some containers of water from somewhere if the situation gets really bad.

Earlier on today I was filled with horror to see two lads playing with a ball walking down the middle of the frozen canal!. My heart was in my mouth watching them, they were totally oblivious to the danger they were in, if they were to fall through the ice into the water….. it just doesn’t bear thinking about.

Well must go, my snow is boiling! 

Let it snow let it snow let it snow!

Yes I am one of the mad people who loves the snow! Yes it causes havoc, disrupts the traffic, closes schools, makes people land on their backsides in a very undignified manner, but hey, lets enjoy it, it doesn't happen that often. It looks gorgeous on the mooring. 

                                                                                                                                          I couldn't wait to get home from work to take these pictures before it got too dark. 

                                               

                                                Bobby loves the snow!         

                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                           Click on images to enlarge.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              There are still Roses on the mooring, trying their best to bloom in the cold weather.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Ok let me in I’m freezing!                                            

Brass Monkeys!

Its freezing, the canal is hard the grass is crispy and I have a bruise on my backside, (don’t laugh)!

I slipped on the ice, flat on my back, legs up in the air, very lady like! Well to be honest I had called in to the farm shop with my Mum, and managed to fall over, I didn’t hurt myself, thankfully, I just felt like a right plonker!

Bobby my dog goes out on the back deck every morning and takes up his position, looking for dogs coming down the opposite towpath. He was a bit confused when he looked at the frozen canal, but after looking at the solid mass for a while it was soon forgotten when he spied a dog coming!  He loves being on the boat watching the world go by, he sits for hours. I have let his coat grow for the winter to keep him warm! He looks a bit like a hippy, but I love him like that.

Well, according to the weather forecast we are in for more of the same, more snow and ice. Its funny the amount of people who ask me am I warm enough on the boat. I can understand them thinking that. The boats do look quite cold and uncosy from the outside, but if only they could see the inside, its toasty warm, in fact I would go as far as to say its warmer than any house I have lived in. So as long as I have plenty of wood and coal for the fire, the cold weather isn’t a problem!

I will hopefully be even warmer next year as I want to get an Ecofan, and thanks to Halfie saying how good they are, it will be top of next winters shopping list!

   After such a cold day this was the gorgeous view from the side hatch, of the sun going down.                                                                                                                                                  click on image to enlarge

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all, Love, Luck and Happiness in 2010! I could have added "wealth" to that list, but to be honest peace of mind is more important, and to be happy with your lot! Have fun in the following year, as I intend to!

Back at last!

I was going to wait till the New Year before I started blogging again, but why wait?

Hope you all had a great Christmas, I certainly did. We had a nice xmas dinner and then a very enjoyable evening at my Daughter, Kirsty's. We played on the Wii, and I have to say I haven't laughed so much! My Mum being the one who made me laugh the hardest! We insisted she joined in, and to be honest she did really well. The funniest moment was when Mum played the football game, where you have to head the balls that come flying at you, the first ball she headed was done with such force, I thought she was going through the flat screen!

Anyway, just quickly I have to tell you all my news! After trawling through loads of boats for sale, it suddenly dawned on me I would never get a boat as nice as Tickety Boo, not for the money I could afford anyway, so with a lot of help from my Brother, ( Thank you John ) I decided to buy out John and keep Tickety! I am so happy I didn't have to let her go to somebody else, not after all the hard work we put in to her.

So now the crew of Tickety Boo is down to two, me and Bobby the Scotty! It took a while to get used to being on my own, but I very soon realised there is a lot of advantages! The main advantage being more storage space, and pleasing myself what time I eat, sleep etc.

I am relieved I don't have to change the name of my blog too, any other name just wouldn't have been the same. I am working more hours now, for obvious reasons, but I hope to blog on a regular basis, so for all of you who thought you had got rid of me waffleing on, apologies but I am back! I can honestly say it feels good to be back in blogging world! Bring on 2010.

I should have been back at work today, but without too much information,I will just say that anything I eat or drink at the minute is doing its utmost to leave my body as soon as possible! Nuff said!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.Back to blogging in 2010, take care till then Debbie x