8 more sleeps to go !

...... until we are living on Jandai as continuous cruisers !   How exciting is that ? We left Mercia Marina where we have been moored for last year on Thursday to take a leisurely 2 days to get up to Trent Lock.    Mercia Marina at Willington on the T & M has been a great place to moor and we would recommend it to everyone.
Jandai is now at Kingfishers Narrowboats (John and Mick who built her) to have her bottom blacked and a few minor jobs done.     She will be one year old on April 1st.     We are going to leave the house on Sun March 28 and set off on our new life Mon March 29.    Planning on going south first but no definite route worked out.    
This coming week is another of clearing the house.    It is up for sale but with us now going into spring, not worried about leaving it empty.
8 more sleeps to go !

harder than going to work !

Hi
Well, Dai retired from work after 35 yrs at same company last Friday.    I have been on "garden leave" since mid Jan and officially retire on April 4.    Big Day getting nearer!!   We are now in the midst of freshening up some rooms at home with paint as the house is now up for sale.
I had my "retirement dinner" last week in a hotel near Ascot as my boss and some of my international colleagues were over in the UK for meetings.   It was a lovely evening.    I was given a DVD of "farewells" from some of the people in my department; a barometer and clock on a plaque (going to be pride of place in Jandai"s saloon; an e-reader; champagne, flowers, a book of photos and vouchers for Loch Fyne.
Fantastic leaving presents.
Dai was given a nice big cheque from his company and a collection from his workmates.
We are now planning to move permanentlyl onto the boat by March 31 - more countdown!!
Aw well, back to the painting!!

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!

Summer 2009 Crusing

Hello Everyone

Long time no see ! I haven't been keeping this blog up-to-day I know - life just seems so busy what with full time work, Jandai, the allotment and all those boring everyday things you have to do. So I'm going to devote some time now to tell you what we've been doing over the summer on the canals.

We've been spending some weekends either at the marina or out on the canal, but I'm not going to bore you with those ...... just our longer holidays during the summer.

Fri June 26-Sun July 12

17 days

miles: 259

locks: 155

liftbridges: 15

canals: T and M;  Staffs and Worcs; Shroppie; Llangollen

highlights

- longest time ever on a narrowboat for us

- glorious weather, loads of sun and only 2 "iffy" days

- no significant queues anywhere

- Dai's birthday while we were away

- waking up to birdsong every morning

- Janice wore shorts whole holiday

- Ponty Aquaduct

- Welsh sheep spotting by Dai

- some excellent Real Ale and food

- no laptop/phone/Blackberry for 17 days

lows

well, there are no real "lows" on a narrowboat holiday, but here's a few things which weren't so good !

- Foxxie Dog decided to chase a rabbit sitting on canal bank - trouble was we were crusing down the Llangollen and she was on back of boat and can't jump 12' from a standing start! Dog Rescue Plan activated! Result - one embarrassed soaking wet dog and 2 wet owners from the shaking.

- horseflies love Janice (hate Dai) - I looked like I'd got the lurgy, couldn't stick a pin in my legs for huge festering bites!

- no restaurant in Llangollen with Welsh lamb on the menu (but the lamb we bought from the butchers was well nice)

- bashing the boat in every lock going up the Audlem Flight

- despite buying a satellite system before we left, we never actually got a satellite picture (now solved by the nice Sat Man)

- Hoggies bought in Llangollen were just sad giant cornish pasties

***********************************************************************

Fri Aug 28 - Sun Sept 6

10 days

miles: 132

locks: 91

liftbridges: 6

canals: T and M; Caldon

We decided to do the Caldon as we kept hearing this was a lovely canal.    Yes, it is a lovely canal but not as lovely as we expected - our overall impression was the Leek Arm was delightful but the Uttoxeter Arm was so shallow and we kept scraping the bottom.   However, none of this detracted from a great holiday.

Part of the Shroppie was closed for repairs so we did meet a lot more boats on this trip on the T and M and consequently more queuing at locks.    Weather was mixture of sun/showers/cloud/thunderstorms.

Couldn't get thru Froghall Tunnel as Jandai too high.

We really have to change our mindset when out cruising now.   Before Jandai we hired narrowboats and used to have long days.    Now, there is no need for long days!

**************************************

Fri Sept 18 - Sun Sept 27

10 days

miles: 135

locks: 47

liftbridges: 0

canals: T and M; Coventry; Ashby

We really loved this trip - I was really surprised how nice the Coventry Canal is and the Ashby is lovely.

highlights

- another week off work!

- weather a bonus with lots of sunshine

- Huddlesford Junction on Coventy Canal Festival with lots of fantastic boats (yes, we managed to squeeze through without hitting another boat)

- man on allotment in Nuneaton threw us a bag of potatoes

***********************

our next holiday is over Christmas and New Year - not sure when when we are leaving (probably Boxing Day) and returning to Marina on Jan 3

First Holiday !

                                                                   home for the evening
                                                   after a hard day on the locks!
                                                Yes, Cap't Dai scratched it on first holiday !

                                                         Hard work this guarding the boat !

So, we had our first holiday on Jandai over the Easter Week - 10 days!    Fantastic!   Is it Retirement Day yet??

Set out Thurs April 9 after work and arrived back Sunday April 19.     Travelled from Trent Lock (Long Eaton, Nottm) up T & M to Caldon Canal, to Leek Arm where it crosses over the Uttoxeter Arm and then back with a slight detour to Harecastle Tunnel to wind and moor that night by West Port Lake on outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent.

Total of 145 miles; 104 locks; 6 lift bridges

Impressions and thoughts:

• want to retire and continuously cruise NOW !
• Jandai is a fab narrowboat - built and fitted to excellent standard
• only bit of journey didn't particularly like was through Stoke-on-Trent 
• Dai loves his bow thruster
• can't get good telly reception everywhere
• lots of good beer on route
• had a great evening when some of Dai's family joined us
• Fradley is a nightmare
• will do rest of Caldon Canal sometime - beautiful canal once in the countryside
• Janice needs a step ladder to get into bed !
• Foxxie needs an extra step to get up stern steps !
• don't bother with a flat hose - had to abandon, need to get a proper one!
• sawing wood gives you a good appetite and thirst for beer !