HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DAVE!

Dave's been living aboard for 21 years TODAY.  Congratulations!

Now here's a pic just to prove that Dave doesn't spend his whole time with a pint in his hand,

but can you tell what's missing from the picture below.............

....the fingers seem to adopted a 'pose' of their own - or is his hand now stuck in that position?!?

 

Where have we been for the last 6 months?

As mentioned in the last blog, it's been 6 months since my last blog.  Dave has again been working in Chirk Marina for the summer, and I secured a job with CRT working in the Visitor Information Centre for the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, at Trevor Basin.  A job which I have done in previous years.  This season, my contract started as part time, but then extended to full time after a promotion to Manager of the visitor centre, so I now have to stay until the end of November, which has delayed our winter escape.  We have still managed a few trips up hill to Llangollen and down hill to Jack Mytton's on our odd days off, but this working full time malarkey certainly curtailed our cruising this summer.  Still, mussn' grumble, it's a job I love doing - with the best commute to work in the world.

Good news - The Aqueduct Inn reopened this May, and serves excellent real ale and pub grub.

View of "The Aki" pub from the canal - yes it really is that yellow.  A couple of the locals complained about the colour - my answer was always the same "I don't care what colour it is - it's better than it being boarded up with paint flaking off the walls".  The colour of the paint certainly did a good job of getting people talking about it.  Great! 

 It also proved a great tool for me in the Visitor Information Centre "see that bright yellow pub a mile over there?  that's where you'll find the bus stop to Chirk."

 

The flowers on the boat were fantastic during the summer, but with all the rain recently, they've had it for this year.  No apologies, the rest of the blog will be taken up with pics of our beautiful flowers, thanks to Dave's efforts.......

 

 

 

 

 

We're still here !!!

It's been six months since my last blog.  Doesn't time fly?  I didn't intend to stop blogging when we returned to our mooring in Fron after our winter cruising, but so much happened in the first couple of weeks, I didn't know where to start .... so I didn't.  It's so difficult to try and catch up, I ended up not blogging at all.  So to everyone who came up the Llangollen this summer and scolded me for not blogging, also to those who texed - sorry ! and off we go again......!

Couldn't think of a better place to start than the Stourbridge Open Weekend we've just returned from.  It's the first time in 21 years that Dave hasn't attended with a boat.  I've got a contract to work until the end of November, we didn't want to miss it, so the only thing to do was to go to Stourbridge by train & stay B&B.  Not the same at all not having a boat there, but at least we went, and managed to catch up with friends, and re-acquaint ourselves with Dave's favourite beer, Bathams, at the Royal Exchange.

CHEERS !!  nice to be back.

 

Not as many boats as usual, but still a great atmosphere.

 This was the quiet Sunday morning,

 



 



After a failing to find a B&B in Stourbridge, we opted to stay at the Talbot Hotel in the middle of the town, which proved to be rather reasonable - when booking through bookings.com.  This is a picture of our "feature" room, rather grand don't you think!

The hotel itself was crammed full of beautiful antique furniture and original features.  Unfortunately the hotel was in need of a little TLC.  There were magnificent panelled rooms which were just unused, all laid up with no one to see them.  Such a pity.  Mind you, the staircase seemed to be even more wonky after a couple of pints of Bathams for some reason.

 

So, that's me back in the blogging saddle again.  Just hope I can keep it up this time!

Horse Butter....

Escape from Froncysyllte

 

I had ordered a rather large Tesco delivery for last Friday, but due to the snow, it was cancelled.  This left us rather short of supplies - in particular, red wine.  So, as it was an emergency, Dai, our next door neighbour, offered to run Dave into Chirk, as he has a 4X4.

So they dug it out, and off they went..

Bread and milk supplies in the shop were being rationed to 4ltrs milk and one loaf per person.  Never mind the milk - it's the red stuff we wanted - which there was plenty of. 

 

By yesterday afternoon (Sunday), the roads had been cleared, so Dai took me to a quick trip to Tesco Cefn Mawr, just as it was about to close (we didn't realise it was almost 4pm), so I did a very quick run round, and managed to get a few essentials.  I hadn't left the moorings since the snow started, so it was quite nice to see the outside world!

Looking down to the moorings from our gate.

A VERY quiet Llangollen Canal

There haven't been any boat movements past us for days now, due to the number of fallen trees preventing passage.  Three hire boats came out of Anglo Welsh at Trevor Basin on Friday evening - in a blizzard - we wished them good luck as they went past.  One boat appeared to be a stag party - or perhaps they were all tranvestites with bad make-up.  Unfortunately the boats didn't get very far, and have spent the weekend within 4 miles from their starting point, without any facilities, after spending a fortune on hiring the boat.  There are other hire boats displaced too, which will have to be returned to their hire bases at some point. A lot of hires have now been cancelled, just what the hire bases around here didn't want, after last summer's wash out. What a disasterous start to the Easter break.

Since Friday, the snow just didn't let up at all until yesterday afternoon (Sunday).  I haven't seen snow as deep as for years - if at all!

Nemo will NOT go out.  We have tried throwing him out a couple of times, but he just runs back in through the cat flap.  Can't say I blame him - when this is what's outside!

 

 

 

 

Even more snow piled up on the barbeque

We had been keeping check on the amount of snow, but the twelve inch ruler has disappeared here.  The snow was in fact deeper "up top" as we were a bit sheltered here with the bank of the limekilns!

 

I notice that the water level has gone down about 4", I assume CRT are anticipating a thaw, so have reduced the level.  That coupled with the amount of snow on the roof, we seem to be listing somewhat.  It's now 10am on Monday morning, and the sun has come out! 

Let's hope thats the end of it then.

 

Llangollen Canal Closed - Lion Quays to Llangollen

Due to the number of fallen trees, and broken branches resulting from the weight of the snow, the Llangollen Canal remains closed from BR19 near the Lion Quays all the way up to Llangollen apparently (as per CRT stoppage email).  We know there are trees & branches blocking the canal between the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and the Lion Quays, due to first hand experience of our neighbours Rick & Hazel.  They needed a pump out, so decided to take a little cruise to Chirk Marina as they had a rare couple of days off together.  Dave hitched a lift with them by boat on Friday morning, as the roads were blocked due to the snow, (thus ensuring there was someone available to open up and do the pump out in case other marina staff couldn't get there due to the blocked roads.
So the three of them set off from the moorings for a picturesque potter, armed with a chain saw due to a large branch blocking the canal just past our moorings - which they cleared with ease.  Unfortunately, when they got to Chirk Marina there was no power - so no pump out.  Not a problem, (they thought) and they continued on to the Lion Quays with the intention of returning to Chirk for said pump out the following day. Another bit of bad luck - the Lion Quays had no real ale on.  On Saturday morning they set off from LQ's to get that pump out, unfortunately there was a rather large tree blocking the canal at Chirk Bank.  They then moored the boat there, and started to walk back to the moorings to retrieve their landrover - a manual pump out was on the cards.  So they walked the 4 miles back to the moorings in two foot of snow, taking these photos on the way....

Fallen tree on the Chirk Bank side just after Chirk Aqueduct

This tree just missed the boat moored in the 'layby' at Chirk Tunnel

Another one along Chirk cutting

Between Irish Bridge and Glen Coed (I think)

 

They dug out the landrover, collected water containers, more wood from their wood store, and bits & bobs which were left behind, as they only intended to be out for a couple of days.  As they were blocked in Chirk Bank, they decided to reverse back to the Poachers Pocket - at least they would have a pub to go to.  Plan C was executed, and they moored up at the PP - only to discover that it wasn't due to reopen to the public after the refurbishment until Monday evening.  It was open to Marson's employees only, for staff training purposes.  Plan D:  turned at PP and started off to Lion Quays again, where they happened to be members of the Spa, so could at least use their 'facilities'.  Scuppered again - by another fallen tree at BR18.  So reversed back to the Poachers, where they remain - with tanks full and empty, but not in the correct order!  At least they now have a phone signal. (we haven't had "3" or Orange/TMobile for a few days).  Chin up guys - the Poacher's reopens tomorrow night - I just hope their real ale selection has improved with the refurb!

After reading NB Bendigedig's blog, Elsie writes that the top end of the Llangollen is also blocked due to the number of fallen trees - but I don't know exactly where they are.