Monday 6 February 2012

Still Stuck at Fradley

Whilst reading up on narrowboat blogs today, I found  NB Rock N Roll [click] has taken a photo of our mooring in Fron as they went past the other day!  We're obviously not in it as we're frozen in at Fradley.  They, together with, NB Seyella and NB Moore 2 Life are all travelling towards Llangollen.

Today we tried to move the few yards forward to the water point at Fradley Junction but despite looking as if it had thawed, the ice was still like concrete and after a few attempts of running against a brick wall, we gave up and retreated to 'our mooring'.  It was time to dig out the water container and trolly dolly and get a couple of loads of water from the tap by wheels.  Not easy in the slushy mire that is the towpath here.  If the four boats between us and the water point each ran their engines in gear for a few minutes, it would agitate the ice and make it passable.  As for the fibreglass that has been moored here unattended for almost 2 years now, well, he takes his chances. 

The phantom man in the van with the diesel in the can, remains elusive.  He was due here last Tues, so dave hung around the pub for an hour at the time 'a bloke in the pub' told him he would be around - only to discover, he'd been and gone.  So we phoned him (van can man, not bloke in the pub) who said he would deliver some diesel at 10am on Friday.  So Dave hung around the pub (notice the theme here) for two hours in the freezing cold, with other boaters I might add, also waiting.  Apparently van can man was waiting for a delivery and didn't know what time he would be there.  Dave again told him our location, on the Coventry canal, "no problem" said van can man.  By 5pm, still no show, so Dave did what anyone does in this situation, and went to the pub, only to be told that van can man had been and gone!  Thanks.  Another phone call - delivery due Saturday around lunchtime.  It's now Monday evening and we still haven't seen anything of him.  We'll need diesel in the next few days.  If van can man can't deliver as he says, then just let us know and we'll make other arrangements.  We would have liked to give him our business, but if he can't be bothered - well.....

Fantastic rugby this weekend by the way!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Sue, if the waterpoint is only 'a few yards' and there are 4 other boats there, can't you join the hoses or are the other boats unoccupied?
Glad to see Dave hasn't given up his habit of lurking by pubs!
xx

Sue Hunter said...

Hi Jill & Graham. Unfortunately we're a bit to far away from the tap to do the old joining up of the hose pipes. Lurking round pubs has paid off this time!