New Year, New ?????

"What you doing now?" You guessed it. Herself is getting ratty because his head is bowed over the keyboard again instead of doing something "useful". What something useful is, he has not yet determined. "So what has the old boater been doing in the last six months" you enquire. Enjoying the delights of the beautiful city of Bath is the truth of it. Previously we have always been here in the winter months, so it has been a delight to enjoy the summer and all that goes on in the height of the tourist season. Also time and energy has been spent on making a new printed edition of "The Meanderings of Avon Rose" based on these blogs but with footnotes and appendices explaining the technicalites of boating and bell ringing for the general reader. It's a great read they tell me. See a preview here and, go on, spoil yourself and buy one.

Explore, Dream, Discover The Meanderings of Avon Rose by Mike Amphlett | Make Your Own Book

Waterway life has not been neglected either. Theirselves continue as volunteers with British Waterways in Bath. On the monthly working party we have cleared vegetation, painted and even learnt the skills of repointing stonework with lime mortar. During the autumnal showers, painting the railings inside Sidney Tunnel has kept us occupied.

Himself has been sharing duties with two others as volunteer lock keepers on the Bath flight; working alongside Nigel, the full-time lock keeper, by providing assisting boaters in working the locks and providing local information.

"So; what plans for a new boat?" you enquire. "Well," Himself replies, "as our noble Towermaster at the Abbey is fond of saying,'Any Plan is a Basis for Change'." Herself has pointed out that the canals we have yet to explore lie on the fringes of the network. If we buy into a new shared boat, we are going to be moored at one of the more popular cruising centers. Solution, let's hire on the waterways we want to explore and put the new boat plan on hold. Enter stage left friends Steve and Lesley (our biker boating buddies) with the expected question, "When are we going boating then?"
"We haven't done the Lancaster," Herself pipes up and .....

Himself has been in contact with the lovely Karen from Canal Boat Escapes and we have secured the use of trad narrowboat Green Man for the last week of March from its base at Pendle Marine. Keep a lookout. We'll let you know how it goes.