What Are You?

For the past twelve weeks there has been some deliberation as to what breed of dog Sydney is. The poodle part is pretty obvious, but poodle crossed with what?

We had initially thought poodle cross with jack russell, or jackapoo as they are commonly known, but comparing him with his best buddy jack threw up more questions then answers as although they look similar at first glance they really are not that alike at all.

A chance encounter with a lovely couple on the way to Woodcocks for dinner last night finally settled the argument. They had with them a beautiful six month old Schnoodle, a poodle cross minature schnauzer. Although she was a full chocolate brown version the similarities in shape and stature were immediately obvious. After a lengthy chat with them we came away certain that we now know what he is and a bit more clued up on the characteristics of the breed. Having also owned Schnauzers they were really very knowledgable. 

What a Day

Well what a day it was yesterday. Sunshine, good company and the small matter of a little football match.

It has been a long time since we have seen Saxilby this busy!

A Job Saved

Last night while we were sat having a beer and Sydney was playing with his best buddy Jack, we were thinking about this weekend's jobs. It suddenly dawned on us that we don't need to modify the VHF wiring as we won't be using it on the Broads. We can simply unplug it at the aerial and release the existing wire to give enough slack to fold the arch.

A job saved and a few bob saved.

Busy in the Sunshine

With the prospect of another glorious weekend afloat in store we were both like little kids again as we packed our gear and loaded up the car this morning.

But it isn't going to be all play this weekend, we do have a few jobs that have to be done if we are ever to be ready to head to the Broads.

We have to head to Morton Boats to pick up a few items of chandlery to modify the wiring for the VHF aerial so that we can fold the arch down fully again. This is the most important job of the weekend as this will scupper our holiday cruising plans if we can't get the arch down fully.

Other jobs we have to do are a full set of engine checks especially the weed filter, give the canopies a good rinse which will mean getting them out of their storage area and hanging them back on the boat so we will do this before we head to Morton Boats and hope that they are dry when we return, which I am sure they will be. The cabin roof also wants a good polish as do the sides and lastly the cupboards in the cabin all need a good clear out with anything we are not going to need being taken home to free up some space while we are away.

We will aim to get most of these jobs done during the mornings as it will just be far too hot come dinnertime to even consider working. 

No End in Sight

There seems to be no end in sight to this fabulous weather we have all been enjoying. Most, well pretty much all of the long term weather forecasts have the settled, sunny and warm weather sticking with the UK for at least the next month. Which would be great for us as it would see us through to the end of our trip to Norfolk.

Of course the dry weather brings with it it's own set of problems, mainly for us water supply and river level problems. Several of the canals are already running short of water and have restrictions applied. The rivers will start running low as well as they are not topped up by rainfall. 

So whilst the weather is nice it is bringing with it a few minor issues. But do we care?

No it's sunny.

The Proof

With the weeks passing by frighteningly quickly until we go away our minds have to go back to what little jobs we need to do before we head off.

The canopies seem to be an ongoing job. The Wet and Forget has started to do it's job quite nicely. By last weekend there was already a considerable improvement. This weekend we plan to hang the canopies back on the boat and give them a good hose down to remove some of the grime. Then when dry they can be packed away again. Then finally after another hose down next weekend then they will get a coat of Fabsil Gold to keep them waterproof and protected from the UV light.

While the hoods are on the boat drying we have got a trip to Morton Boats to do. We need to get another connector for the VHF aerial. Unfortunately when we did some modifications last summer to the wiring we forgot to leave enough slack to completely lower the arch which we will need to do in Norfolk. So we need another new connector and some new cable to modify it further, or more to the point put right what we did wrong last time!

Sunny on the Trent

We had a lovely sunny weekend on the Trent. Here are just a small selection of pictures from a cracking weekend.

Cruise to Saxilby on Friday evening.

The 6am alarm clock!

Onwards to Torksey

Life jacket on ready for the Trent.

Heading upstream.

A walk along the river bank to Church Laneham.

The church from which the village gets it's name.

The ski club having fun on the river.

All alone on the pontoon.

Heading back to Torksey

Almost back now.

Saying farewell to the butty.

Back on the ditch.

This little chap had a lucky escape. We found him swimming in the Fossdyke in a spot he couldn't get out. So we scooped him up and ferried him to the woods in Saxilby.

Time for a rest.

Late afternoon drinks at Harbour Lights.