Ice-y Weekend !

When we got to the Marina Fri night - no ice!    First time for weeks, as we haven't been out since weekend of  Dec 5-6 !    Set off Sat morning just for usual weekend trip from Willington to Alrewas on T & M.    Once out on canal, not long before we were ice breaking!    Not much, not thick but crunching through nevertheless here and there - first time for both of us!    Winded at Alrewas and moored up for night.    Just happy to back actually moving!
Woke up Sun morning to see a layer of snow on top of the ice - ok, not so much snow as white over.   Ohmigod - would we get back to the Marina ?     Doesn't matter for me as I am on "garden leave"  but Dai still has to actually go to work for the next 4 weeks.    Fortified with Big Brekkie of eggs, bacon, black pudding and toast - off we cast!     Oh, and then it started to snow too!!    Proper snow!!   
After about 5 hours of crunching through ice - yes, we were back at our home mooring (and the snow petered out after about a hour)
I know everyone else has done ice breaking millions of times but as it was our first time, here's a couple of photos.

we're now on "countdown" !!

Hello
Both Dai and I are now in countdown to finishing work!!    We have both given in our notice to take early retirement.   I finish on April 4 and Dai on Feb 28.    Now deciding which estate agent to sell our house and thinking about how we are going to empty the house!
We have come out this weekend - first break out of the Marina since Dec 6.    We were frozen in all over Christmas & New Year so spent the 10 days on Jandai in the Marina.   Yes we kept very warm thank you!   Went for walks; read; watched telly; talked and I started knitting socks!    That is when we made final decision to take early retirement and go for our new life of continuous crusing!
Dai has worked at same company for 35 years and me for 20 years.   Dai is physically done in and I am mentally done in !!
So .... next stage starts!!   Wish us luck and hopefully we will be "living the dream" sometime around Easter!
cheers, Janice

Happy New Year - 2010

Hello
you remember we were going to go off for the holidays between Christmas and New Year?    Didn't happen!    Yes, we went down to Jandai on Boxing Day BUT she was iced in at Mercia Marina.    We'll be able to get out tomorrow - or so we thought!    We could have gone out on the Wednesday because the ice had melted a bit BUT we wimped out cos the forecast was not good temperature wise.   Yes, we could get out BUT would we be able to get back in?    We were starting back at work on Jan 4.   

So, in the end, we spent 8 days on Jandai in the Marina.    We went for walks in the morning and in the afternoons chilled out onboard.   Chilled out in the relax sense cos we were definitely not cold!   Woodburner in day and night burning a mixture of wood and coal.   

No more time off work now until Easter.   We are planning to go to Jandai every other weekend - sometimes going out, sometimes staying the Marina - depends very much on the weather!!

Stay warm and safe everyone!