Kitchen refit, 1

In a day it was all gone!

 Starting with the tiles

 Then the wall

And the bigger window to go in soon

We have a camping stove and the oven set up in the spare room.  Washing up on the dining room table.  Contents of the kitchen in boxes somewhere on the floor!

Remarkable

Not long ago I saw the President of America admiring the stones at Stonehenge.  Time off away from politics talking casually to a single family of four.  Just the five people and a camera man to record the event.

Then I saw the President of Russia shake hands with the winning driver of a Formula One race held in Sochi.  Time off from politics to meet as human beings.

Normally these Presidents have such power to control the world either side of a fence.

We are so lucky to be able to live in such positive times.  But take care, either President could affect the stability of world politics and your life!

Too good to be true?

Have you heard about SULNOX ?  They have mixed fuel and water in a stable emulsion.
Look at their website sulnox.net here.  Nano technology has been involved.   Demonstrations on busses and boats are being performed.

If it is true when can we have it in our tanks?

Glorious September

I always find the month of September the best, nature has settled after it's growth.

This is our 'Summer Row' at its best.

Then Josh was 12.

Got out for a drive

Ashlet Creek, near Fawley.  Molly went for a swim in the salty sea!

We just like to look at the boats.

Revisiting a canal

When I was travelling on our narrowboat exploring all the wonderful places I often thought when I was old and not on the boat that I would visit the waterways by car.

We went to visit the Melksham River Festival on Sunday and had a boat trip on the River Avon.

The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is to restore the old canal to a navigable waterway.

We met our friends Terry & Myra at Melksham and went on to Devizes.

And revisited the Kennet & Avon canal.

I'm not that old yet!  Anyway we still have the boat, just not living on it.

Kitchen Diner

But it is not in the kitchen!  This is the prelude to our kitchen refit.  The wall cupboards are on the dining table.  Every thing needs to be moved out.  Some of it is in boxes on the floor.  Now where did we put the…...

Visiting the Boat

An opportunity to go up to the boat was possible after the bathroom refit.  Geoff and Margret were nearby and invited us on board for dinner.

Next day we volunteered our help to get them part way up the hill.

We then proceeded to rid the boat of all those stowaway spiders that got in when we were away.

After a sweep through Dave and Lyn paid us a visit.

We have now cleared the boat for 'summer' use.

New Forest walk

We got out on Sunday and drove to Kings Hat.  Then walked to the open moorland.

Heather

Marsh Gentian found near wet ground

Wot a relief

It is all finished and smart.

The kitchen is next month after I have saved some more cash!
By the way we plan to spend a week on the boat soon!

Outside Loo !

Oh what a state to be in.  Just hope nobody is looking when we need to use it!

Bathroom refit

We are having a bathroom refit!  Bits and pieces everywhere, it is an obstacle course getting through the property.

Ann never did like green!

That's better.

The garden

We just love our garden and our family.  Missing the use of our boat while sorting out the kitchen and bathroom refits.

Life With a Narrowboat : Part 1

Well it's my first 'publication' with Lulu.  This first book is about discovering the inland waterways.  It is an epub file and can be read using Adobe Digital Editions.

Please go to this link to download the file.  www.lulu.com/spotlight/CharlesMoore1

Do let me know if it works for you.  I am working on Part 2 and 3 and will publish them if this one sells.

A Ghost ?

At the top of the Adderley Locks and past bridge 66 we entered Brownhills Wood. It was so thick the suns rays found their way past the branches producing an eerie feel. It felt cooler in the shade. A lonely fisherman sat quietly on the towpath.

Ann and Molly walked passed the fisherman who spoke but she did not hear the words. Somebody was cutting the grass using a noisy machine dressed in a protective mask and goggles so all you could see was his glowing eyes in the dark woods.

Which one of them was the ghost that is known to haunt these woods I wondered?

As I passed the fisherman slowly in my narrowboat I asked him if he had ever seen the ghost. I heard his reply as the grass cutter had passed on. "It is too noisy for ghosts" he said.

There are many stories of ghosts that haunt the waterways.  Based on the tragedies that the boating families endured in the past.

A Big Butt

Them gardeners need big butts.  That gardener lurking in our garden has nearly emptied it again after this dry spell.  It will get full again in good time as we are expecting some rain soon according to those clever computers.

The big butt

Colour in the garden

Ann has a new camera from Argos.

A Peace rose at its best

A Poppy at its best

The gardener doing his best

A bird getting the nuts

Web site updates

Just to let you know that I have updated the Book pages with an edited text and added links to the picture pages.  Also just added a political page with text taken from the book.

Spring Watch

Yes I know it is nearly Summer with the longest day next weekend but I came across this in my book.

Near Tixel

The field opposite is full of sheep and lambs, all with their heads down eating breakfast in the morning. Later the lambs were seen gathering together away from their mothers. Like they were going to school and getting to know each other in the playground, pushing, shoving and exploring the field. At one time they were all down at the edge of the canal getting a drink. "Oh, don't fall in please." Mothers and babies have numbers painted on their woolly coats so they know who belongs to whom! After their adventures in late afternoon all the lambs were running around bleating and looking for their mums. If they went to the wrong mum they were pushed away. Eventually they all settled down for the night together again as families.

We enjoyed watching Spring Watch on the BBC having recorded the programs earlier. 

Summer 2006

Here is an extract from our book/blog when we were travelling with Sue n Vic on the river Nene.

Sweltering heat
Over the weekend we enjoyed the sunshine with temperatures in the 30s. The willow trees have been producing a lot of seed that float down like fluffy snow and the boats are getting covered. A lot of spiders have been making their webs, which have captured the seed as well as flies. Tables, chairs and sun brollies have been out on the grass for several days. Sitting out for an hour or so, especially in the afternoon or evening when the sun has gone behind the trees.

Keep Britain tidy?
We had enjoyed a very hot weekend when many boaters were out and about. There were BBQ's, children in small boats, and swimming in the river. The countryside and nature provide a place to relax. BUT after the invasion we were upset to find so much left behind with bags of rubbish and BBQ trays thrown into the bushes. A black burnt patch where the BBQ lay on the grass and uneaten crusts of bread left for the dogs to find. The Environment Agency do not seem to provide any means of proper disposal at their moorings.

Fotheringhay Castle
We arrived here and moored at the castle mound. A local farmer owns the site and charged us to stay. Fotheringhay Castle is no more than a hill with the remains of a moat round it. The first Earl of Northampton originally built it in 1100. Richard the third was born here in 1451, made himself king in 1483 but was killed in battle at Bosworth in 1485. When the Queen of Scots abdicated she was incarcerated here in 1567 and had planted Scottish Thistles that are still growing here! She was seen as the figurehead of the English Catholics and executed here by Queen Elizabeth the first in 1587.

Boating gave us the opportunity to travel, meet people and learn some history of places we visited.

'D' Day Dad

My father was the Navigator on board HMS Argonaut in 1944.

He was one of the first to know the date of 'D' Day when he sent this Top Secret 'Chit' to key Officers.

This is his story:-

HMS ARGONAUT - Our Task in the Invasion off GOLD Beach

On D-Day 1944 I was aged 27 and Navigating Officer of a fast modern cruiser, HMS ARGONAUT, armed with a powerful battery of eight 5.25-inch dual-purpose (air or surface) guns. At 0515 as dawn broke we reached our allocated position as one of a line of 35 Allied cruisers, battleships and monitors, each of which had been tasked with putting out of action one German coastal battery. We were tensed up expecting a hail of enemy fire but to our surprise all was quiet, we anchored and I fixed the position of the ship. Another surprise was that our spotting Spitfire circling over our battery reported no sign of activity. However it was not long before the next cruiser to us, HMS AJAX, asked for our assistance in knocking out the German Naval Battery on the cliffs at Longues-sur-Mer. This consisted of four 6-inch guns in massive concrete emplacements. History records that AJAX and ARGONAUT fired 179 shells at the battery, scoring direct hits on two of the guns and finally silencing it by 0845. This was the only German heavy battery to return the attacking ships' fire on D-Day. Too huge to demolish it remains there to this day, and photos of it have appeared in the recent flood of D-Day media coverage.

There were further calls for fire from our forward army observers on shore or from Spitfire spotters. We moved about off the Normandy coast for a further 4 weeks, firing a total of 4,395 shells at enemy targets. We re-ammunitioned once in Portsmouth, but by the end our guns were so worn that they all had to be replaced before our next operation which was in support of the landings in the South of France on 15 August 1944. The Germans admitted that the cruisers' fire was very effective, e.g. on one occasion we destroyed Tiger tanks about 10 miles inland.

Wildlife Garden

This cheeky squirrel is called 'Fluffy'.  It actually got up the bird pole which was meant to stop the rodent!  We have many other visitors to our garden.  There are two jays, two great spotted woodpeckers, two pigeons that Molly chases off, crows, rooks, magpies and a multitude of song birds.  A robin is often on the ground after we have done the weeding.

Their food is now on our Tesco favourite list!

New Forest

We drove out through Beaulieu to Hatchet Pond.  The deep lake was dug out in the 18 th century to serve an Iron Works.

There were some swans and ducks on the water, not seen by us since leaving our boat on the inland waterways.

EMail scams

If you have received an email which appears to be from us that has a link to a private message do not click on the link.  If you do you had better change your password, I have been caught twice and changed my password twice.  You may find lots of strange messages in your Sent Mail and Inbox.  Delete them all.  Reduce your contact list to a minimum because they may get this scam as well!

Dibden woodland

The Rhododendrons are all in flower now.  As seen on our walk through the local woods.

While the damp conditions continue I have been working on up loading more edited chapters of our book 'Life with a Narrowboat'.  While doing so Ann and I relive the memories.  Just so pleased that I had written so much during our travels on the inland waterways.

A bit of colour

'Tis not much but it is my first rose in this garden! Velvet Fragrance.  And yes it does smell sweet.

Forest Flame

Preparations are being made to move our Forest Flame sideways.

It provides a splash of colour in our garden.  Just hope it likes its new position.  It only has two chances!

The last Chapter, 2012

I have at last uploaded the final chapter of our adventures on the inland waterways.  It is Chapter 18 that tells about our trip on the River Thames in 2012.

Go to our website at www.moore2life.co.uk

It may seem odd that Chapter 17 is missing but I have set myself the task of editing the other Chapters and splitting Chapter 5 which covered two years.

Let me know what you think about the links to our picture pages in Chapter 18.

A new fence

We are pleased with the efforts of one man from 'Spadework'.  A very professional job done during the day.

And we have already started to tidy up!

Our website update

Our web site has been updated.  Pictures of canals and rivers from one end to the other now include our  last years exploration in 2013.  Please visit the site at www.moore2life.co.uk

We had started discovering the inland waterways back in 2001 on the Oxford canal.

Cropredy, Oxford Canal

Having discovered most of it we then proceeded to explore it all again over the years.  Heading north, south, east and west.

Goldaming, River Wey (South)

Near Skipton, Leeds n Liverpool (North)

Bath, Kennet n Avon (West)

Paddington, (East)

And we got to know many people doing the same.  Oh what a wonderful life it was.

Home sweet home

We are still hoping to see our boat some time this year. Just cannot believe we are in the sixth month back on land.

 While walking through the woods with Molly the blue bells are in profusion.

Spring time near where we live.

Sounds of Spring

As we walked through the local woods, the birds were talking to each other.  My phone recorded the sound. (*.amr)  Unfortunately I cannot up load the sound file here!  I will have to do a video next time just to get the sound!

Another day we drove out in the New Forest, this time past Ipley River which was in flood again after a few days of rain.  While walking among the bracken a Sky Lark was chirping high up in the blue.

Easter

A celebration of Spring and renewall.

We decorate our natural eggs.

Ann's Birthday

Tracy and the boys have been busy cooking and making balloon fruit.

Sunshine garden

Both Ann and I are now able to enjoy a bit of gardening while the sun is shining.

I know it is early days but the is potential there.  Ann has her Native Cowslips and I have my Roses.

We were even able to go for a short walk together with Molly just round the local woodland.

Ann has started to do a bit of cooking again but when we came to dish it up it was a bit cool. Our old electric oven had gone faulty!  Never mind, it all got heated up on the gas hob.  Chris came by and took the cooker to the dump.  It was in a bit of a state anyway after mistreatment by various previous tenants!

Next day Ann had planned a pizza with our own choice of topping.  Suddenly realising that it needs the oven to heat up I suggested asking our friends next door.  They obliged us by allowing our use of their oven.  That is what friends and neighbours are for.

Eulogy by a Great Grandson

Jeanne Brodnax Moore, better known to me as Granny Jeanne.

She was a caring, loving person who lived a full and interesting long life.

We were extremely lucky to have her for such a long time.

She always listened to what I had to say and encouraged me in everything I did. She especially loved the fact that both Ben and I were creative and always had pens and paper ready for our next masterpiece!

She loved to go on small day trips and short breaks with us; going to Longdown dairy farm to see Billy the shire horse and all the other animals; visiting Boomer the kangaroo in Weymouth and enjoying the train ride round Paultons park.

I also remember getting excited when we drove into the drive of number 2 to visit her in Winchester. Granny Jeanne always had her own particular way of doing things, one of which was having a bowl of sugar cubes ready for afternoon tea. They proved too irresistible and found their way secretly to my mouth on many occasions.

I will always love Granny Jeanne and remember her with a smile. Sweet dreams our lovely Granny Jeanne.

Josh Moore

For The Good Times

Don't look so sad

I know it's over

But life goes on

And this old world

Will Keep on turning

Kris  Kristofferson

1919-2014

Mum, Jeanne, Granny, passed away in the early hours of Wednesday 19 th March at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham a long way from family and friends. Despite that she had several visitors during her short time there.

Mum was the matriarch for her family of three boys. Family gatherings were always enjoyed at the family home. Her 90 th birthday was celebrated with family and friends at Chawton House where she and the Knight family once lived.

The spark of life is a wonderful thing, for Mum it has gone from wence it came.

Ten years earlier when visiting California.

Another space to watch

Lovely sunshine to get out and dig some more!

It was all covered in weed, ivy n brambles.  Next major job is to get that fence replaced!  The ornamental pear tree got trimmed back a few weeks ago.  The birds and squirrels love the nuts n seeds.

Watch this space

The sun has got his hat on and I have got my gardening boots on.  Just love bein outside landscapin.  This is wot I'm up against.  Just nothing much but dirt and a few shrubs. No colour.  It was just a mess with odd stuff I did not like so dug it all out to start again.

See wot I mean!

Roll on spring after I have been to the garden centre!  I will get some shrubs, some bulbs, some boarder plants and some roses.  I just love roses.  Super Star, a lovely red one was a favourite of mine many years ago.

My only problem is that I forget my age and need a day off after all that digging!  While travelling on the boat I did so enjoy seeing other peoples gardens.

Loft space or attic?

Fifty square meters, that is our floor space at our bungalow. When we downsized from our house in the 1990's much of our possessions were boxed up for the move. Some of it never came out of those boxes and got put up in the loft!

Then we went to live in a Narrowboat and more stuff was packed in boxes again and put up there. Now we are back in the bungalow and need to sort it all out! A lifetime of pictures and memorabilia. We had learnt while on the boat that if we had not used something for a year we did not need it and it got 'lost'.

It is more difficult when family history is concerned. Must keep that family tree info to pass on down the generations for that is where it came from.

Our loft or attic is part boarded out so stuff could be stored there. The insulation is about 3 or 4 inches thick and the latest recommended thickness is 11 inches! So another layer is to be put on top. The cost is not substantial and government handout rules changed so if you are not on benefit you get no help at all.

DIY flood prevention

Being off our boat and living on firm ground does not mean there is nothing to do. Each day presents us with a choice depending on the weather. I have jobs lined up to keep me occupied inside or out. Even this early in the year I have things to do in the garden. Put the washing out when it is dry, windy and sunny. Bring it in when it is wet.

Our bungalow is on the side of a hill near the top. The rain water runs down the drive heading for the front door. I have now dug a channel and filled it with pebbles to direct the flow to a drain. We can all do our bit locally to help reduce the risk of flooding. Covering our gardens with a hard standing is not the way to go.

We know that water heads down hill to the sea eventually, it just needs some encouragement. Get your spade out and clear those ditches. Pull out things like shopping trollies. It is a wonder how they get there, being so far from where the came from!

EA and CRT will have to change their approach to water control. The local lock keepers knew how, so why are they in decline? So called experts making rules and regulations has not helped, nor does paying higher insurance premiums.

So what has caused that jet stream to head our way?

Boaters blogs enable us to keep track of our friends on the cut so we know how you are coping with so much water about. It is a wonder that you can move at all, just don't get stuck in a remote situation. At least when the water rises the boat should go up with it! Houses do not.

A TV Licence ?

There was a knock on the door the other night. (we don't have a door bell). The man said that this property did not have a TV licence. In fact not since soon after we left to live on our boat!

I was however able to show him my licence having only just had the address changed. I have had it ever since we left. We originally changed the address to our boat name but that was rejected. Then we used our postal address.

It would seem that only one of our tenants had bothered to have a licence while staying at our property.

A normal life?

The majority of people live in buildings and get about in cars so I guess that makes it normal. For fourteen or so years we lived in a narrowboat on the waterways of England. It may not have been normal but it was certainly natural.

Now that we are back on land and living in a building we also have a car to get about. The post lady, who we knew before we left on our adventures, brings our letters and bills to our door. Fuel for light, cooking and heat come to us through pipes and wires. Our phone and internet connect by wire and even the TV is connected and becomes a monitor to see movies and programs off air or on the wire.

Sorting out paying for the bills, change of address and medical centre has been a challenge. Before we left it was normal to pay British Gas for gas and Southern Electric for power. Now it is a free market with a multitude of choices. The internet provided much confusing information about different power suppliers and price comparisons. One supplier can even be paid for both gas and electric. We also pay for water and rates for our local services. Most of our rubbish is collected, all sorted into different bags and a box for glass.

Several dry sunny days enabled us to get out into our garden. Our shed now contains a selection of tools, old and new. Over the years our tenants were obliged to keep it all tidy but nature seems to have taken over. We now have a pile of wood and bags of cuttings to get rid of at the local recycling centre. None of the wood was big enough to call it 'boaters gold'.

Life on land

Off the boat and onto dry land! Dry? We all know it has rained most days since we abandoned ship. M2L is safe in a marina and god willing we will see her when it gets warmer.

Our little bungalow with all that space has now got more room with most furniture now delivered. Boxes of stuff off the boat put away in different rooms. Problem now is remembering where things are!

Our neighbours were helpful by lending things like a radio, chairs and a ladder to get into the attic. Some stuff has come down from there but we had to condemn the kettle and toaster!

Been exploring more of our old haunts around Dibden and rediscovered a few ponds in the woodland.

Just like on a boat there seems much to do in the property and the garden.  One dry day we got out in the garden to do some tidying up.

More Space Less Room

We have left our 'Moore 2 Life' and moved back into our bungalow near the New Forest. Preparations before and after have taken some time.
It all started back in November when we were obliged to 'call it a day'. We have both have some health issues being investigated requiring many visits to local hospitals.

We have had to sort out the contents of M2L taking off about 90% so we can continue summer cruising, god willing.

Our home was left clean n tidy by the last tenant and unfurnished. We sleep on an air bed with our belongings packed in boxes! It is amazing how much came out of the boat, with less space but more room to store it all. The bungalow presents a problem with all its space but no room!

Furniture has been ordered and some has arrived. Argos delivered the Fridge freezer and next week promise to deliver more next week. Beds have been promised next week. More from Ikea promised before Christmas may be available before the New Year.

Mean while we enjoy our walks to Tesco half an hour through the woods.

We wish all our readers a very happy Christmas and another good cruising year to come.

Boat life on hold

We are down south preparing to move in to our bungalow.  The tenant should move out soon.  We are looking for furniture and a car.  Been sorting contents of boat to bring back for our second home.

We have left the boat at Cropredy Marina for the winter months.  Just hope that we can get back when we have that car and start moving our stuff.  We do hope to be able to get to use Moore 2 Life in the summer.

Meanwhile we are helping with our younger family getting them to school.

Visiting friends

Sue n Vic moved up to Cropredy so we could go see them. The walk took half an hour boat to boat with Molly and a goodie bag. Ann had made Christmas puddings for family and friends so one was delivered to No Problem.

We went late after observing the silence with our poppies. Molly and the girls were the first to greet each other as we arrived. Then we were welcomed on board with drinks at the ready. Time to relax before Vic & Sue served up Sunday roast. Thanks you two.

Life on a boat in a marina is comfortable enough in the winter but we do miss the activity on the cut. Some ducks have found their way in to the marina if they fly as the stop planks are still preventing boats moving. It is unfortunate that Cropredy lock is closed otherwise we may well have escaped for a few days!

The water level has nearly come up to normal so we hope that the stop planks will be lifted soon. The other half of the marina will then be open and many boats are sure to move there. We hope to move to another location nearer the facilities and more grass for Molly!

More time and effort is being spent sorting our contents in the boat. If you have not used it for a while you do not need it!

A bus ride

We have registered with the County Connect bus service. It is a new type of bus service in Northampton. We can book a trip up to a week ahead on the internet.

We took advantage of this service to go from outside the marina entrance to Banbury. We met Sue n Vic there and had a snack in Weatherspoons. Then we wandered round the town's market to get our veg.

We had booked the day before and found that the return trip was not available so we got the 277 back at 2 o'clock. That was the last of the day and dropped us at the Brassnose pub. Just 20 minutes from the boat.

Cropredy lock and marina

The lock is closed with a safety cage round it. Apparently there is a need to lower the water by a few feet to enable inspection of the brickwork. The pound between Cropredy and Broadmoor locks will be affected and the marina entrance will have stop planks inserted. Boats will not be able to move in or out of the marina!

The large diggers and earth movers will soon move leave the site having finished creating the north basin. Then the access road will be much improved with tarmac and stone. While that is being done cars will not be able to move in or out of the marina!