Officially old

Into Cambridge on the train for my dental appointment. Fair old walk from the station but delighted to discover it is an area I had wanted to explore AND just the far side of Midsummer Common so an easy walk if we get on the VM.

Good news and bad news on the dentists. Excellent surgery. Brand new and I not only,had my,check up I say the hygienist for round 1 of treatment. Round 2 is on Friday....followed by the extraction of a back tooth that is loose!!  The hygienist was. Without a doubt, the best I have ever encountered. Will be going back with almost, a spring in my step.

So, I head for the train back. Half my mouth frozen solid.  With getting same day treatment I was a bit later than planned. Rush hour. The train was packed but I was only on for 6 minutes. I tucked myself in between 3 passengers and their bicycles. Perfik.

Leaving the train at Waterbeach and preparing to swop footwear for the walk over a field to QISMA. A young man stops to tell me he had been trying to catch my eye since I got on the train ....to offer me his seat. Not only that but if I was ever on the train with him again his seat was mine!!! Of course I said thanks but had to laugh and tell him he had made me feel ancient!! His reply was, well you have got grey hair so you obviously have a few years on me. What a lovely chap. His Mum//DadWife/Husband etc etc would be proud of him.

This hair growing out has it's advantages!!!!

And a seat on the train!

Things take a medical turn

One question non boaters always ask is how do you manage for Dr or Dentist. Last week Alistair needed both.

The Dr wasn't a problem. We registered with a surgery in Ely last year. After a chat with a Dr on the phone he got an emergency appointment the same day.

The dentist was more difficult. No dentist in Ely could see him but on the second round of calls we were told to phone NHS 112. Well, of course, we've heard the horror stories but it couldn't have been better. A very switched on woman called Kim asked a range of questions ...and managed not to make it sound as if she was going through the motions. Alistair was given th number of a Cambridge dentist. 5 minutes later he was on the way to the station. 30 mi Utes after that he was at the surgery.
The dentist could only do work to provide pain relief. For Alistair it was carry out the first of 3 sessions of root canal work - with no guarantee of saving the tooth - or taking it out. Out it came.

We both have check ups arranged in Cambridge this week.

If  there are blog readers in Norwich or Ely who know the chap and the nurse who helped when Alistair fainted on the train back to Ely please pass on our thanks!

The medical stuff over we moved off for a quiet weekend.

Luck was with us

Not the brightest of mornings but the wind has died down. We had no choice really but to move.....I had run out of 'my' coffee...so off to Littleport it was. 

We didn't quite have the river to ourselves but we are completely legal and not breaking,the speed limit so it was just a wave from this team.

We have never made it onto this mooring but today luck was with us. Denver moored Andy popped his head out to ask where we were going. I said here....he was just about to leave.....perfik. 

Resupply done...and a 'bonus' trip to the launderette and yesterday it was into Ely.

another familiar craft as we approached. When we came back last May this houseboat was moored in the centre of Ely. We wondered how he had obtained permission. He hadn't. Most of this winter he moved around the Denver moorings. At one point he was asking for a tow to Kings Lynn........ Unlikely! He ended his stay tied onto some pilings. Now he is on an EA work site. What next?

I always love the first sighting of Ely Cathederal. 

And the waterfront. Fair to say I am a huge fan of Ely!

Our second but of luck was to get on the first moorings. Ely Council have a stumbling block re enforcement and these boats have, quite legally, been on the moorings all winter. I believe for free. Further down, outsidemThe Cutter, NB Bamboo has been there for at least 2 years. The Council are consulting on how to solve the enforcement issue. We suggested they talk to some of the Thames local authorities rather than rewrite the manual. 

Weekend on the Wissey

A very quiet weekend on the Wissey. One boat went past us so we didn't have it entirely to ourselves! Great walks for LJ. Had a Barn Owl flying parallel to us on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, we had disturbed it eating. LJ managed to swallow whatever creature it had been whole ....it made a return appearance on Sunday day morning....sorry for that!

Today, we had gusting wind but nothing too bad, so started to make our way slowly towards Ely. Our engine is being serviced there on Friday.

Tucked on EA moorings with water at Hilgay Bridge. 1700 as I'm writing this. We still have wind but we've also got some late afternoon sunshine. i

Not pushing ourselves

 The rest of the ✔️✔️✔️ in place...water, elsen, rubbish and it's goodbye to our mooring at Denver Complex.  

We weren't going far. With high winds forecast, out intention was to head onto the Wissey, turn and moor up at one of our favourite GOBA moorings. We spent Christmas there.

You'll notice I said ...our intention. The turn on the Wissey is very tight, with moored boats on one side.

We can usually make this......but not today!! We are a bit laden up front and it made a difference...either,that our our Captain wasn't on form.

 The next, and last, opportunity was at Hilgay. A rowing boat tied up just in the wrong place. But, with he prospect of an extra 2 hours cruising and the rain coming down we persevered. Sadly no pic as I was busy leaning over from the well deck to push the rowing boat out of the way! Only took 3 attempts. I did get a very rare well done...good start to our 2015 cruise!

Here we are for the weekend.

Off we jolly well go

Headlight out of hibernation and polished ✔️

 Flower pots replenished✔️✔️

Vistit to Yorkshire to see Dad ✔️.. Journey starts at the fabulous Downham Market Station Cafe

And ...goodbye Denver. See you in May!

Episode 2 . Final resting place?

We didn't have to wait long for Episode 2 of the last voyage. She was on the trailer and on the move by Sunday lunchtime.

I already knew where she was heading. Her route went past us.

And just a but further

And an extra stroll for LJ brought us alongside. She is now only a few yards from her mooring!

Is she going to go for scrap or move into the farmyard?

The last voyage

No need to worry about us ...not our last voyage...but the end of the road, so to speak, for this old girl. She was coming out of the water as we set off on our walk yesterday. 

And as we came back. Not sure what happens next. No trailer in sight at this stage.

Back on Board

Back to QISMA yesterday. She had survived our extended absence and was in very good shape with batteries at 100% through the solar panels ...Alistair's special oils for his Chinese cookery have not fared so well!  

A different routine for this return. Onboard, fire lit, bags collected then off to the water point. Only a 4 minute cruise but nice to be on the move. That over with it was walk LJ and then, for me, a trip to.....

Which I had completely to myself ...how lucky was I?

Today has been all about resupply. We will be on the move properly on Friday.

Walkies and more walkies

Just one of the great things about being at Tyruched are the views that accompany the walking of LJ. These are all of the immediate area.

Looking down at Tyruched

First snowdrops

First snow

Warning: a non boating blog

First off, a Happy New Year to all. Slightly behind the curve but I am always in two minds about blogging at all when we aren't boating.

The in between bit and New Year was dedicated to Alistair's family. Now we are in beautiful countryside outside Hay on Wye where friends, very kindly, give us the use of a flat so we can catch up on the dentist, opticians etc etc

Many would call this boaters gold...here it's Tyruched gold

This was a tree when we left to go to Brecon ..well a dead tree! John will be prepping them for topping up the logs,to be seasoned pile for the foreseeable future! 

Edited higlights

I started to write more about our travels this year to go with the photos in the calendar. It sort,of turned into a book! The short version is ...

Desperate to get off the K&A but the river not being helpful. Thought of everything..including being lifted out! Finally, the route westwarsds opened and off  we went...as quickly as possible at the end of March.

In May we arrived on the Fens!  I forget how many hundreds of locks made up that journey. I think the record was 43 doubles in one day...including the Hatton Flight. NB Now or Never arrived just as we were about to stop and almost before we knew it we were at Calcutt.


After that it seemed an easy cruise to Northampton. The Nene was kinder to us this year but we were on a mission and did not linger. Stopped this time at Elton and found our pub of the year.

Peterborough for shopping and then the Middle Levels. The Great Ouse calling us.

And, except,for assisting in the recovery of a body, it has been, perfect, absolutely perfect boating. We had taken a mooring at the Fish and Duck outside Ely. Quickly realised we weren't on it enough to make it cost effective. Found in September that our first choice EA mooring at Denver was vacant ..... and that is now our base. Non residential which suits us.

Will we ever leave?

QISMA 2014 Calendar October to December

October 

River Cam

Wicken Fen

Not in October

November

River Little Ouse 

December

Downham Relief Channel

River Wissey

Christmas Day

Denver Complex

An