The year in photos: October

I took a lot of photos in October, possibly not quite as many as in July, but here's a selection. We had a week on Shadow this month, cruising from Tattenhall Marina to Gronwyn (or Gronwen?) Bridge 82 on the Montgomery Canal. And back, of course. So this is the acronymistic summary. (idea borrowed from NB Epiphany)

Outsize engines at the Forncett Steam Museum in Norfolk



Cruising on the cut: setting off on the Shroppie at the start of our week



Tunnel at Ellesmere. Friends John and Judy, who intend to buy and live on a narrowboat for a few years, were on board



Oops! I'd stupidly leant my bike against a fence before raising Wrenbury Lift Bridge. Look what the balance arm did to my saddle, ma.



Boat spotted opposite the services at Ellesmere Junction: Shropshire Union fly boat Saturn



End of the road, for now. Stop planks prevent further passage on the Monty at Bridge 82, Gronwyn (or is it Gronwen?)



Rainbow on our return to Tattenhall

The year in photos: September

Stour - the river dividing Essex from Suffolk - and Dedham Lock

Ewan inspecting my car at Amazonia

Pear rotting in our garden.  It was a bumper season for our apples and pears. This one evidently bumped a little too much

Timelapse films:  this month I started posting them after publishing them on YouTube

Electrically propelled boat, the Stour Trusty II, on the Stour below Dedham Lock

Moving to Birmingham were our daughter, Ally, and her husband, Ben.  Now they live just five minutes' walk from the Stratford-on-Avon Canal (that's not them and that's not their boat)

Building continued next door to us at home.  Here are some roof timbers coming in

Enjoying our September walk in the Norfolk countryside

Red sky at night - on my cycle home from work

Thanks again to NB Epiphany for their acrostic idea

The year in photos: August festival

Will I manage to have finished this review of 2009 before the end of January? We'll see. Here's August's acrostic. (idea courtesy of NB Epiphany)


Actors from the Mikron Theatre Company at the IWA National Festival at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, performing "Fair Trade"


Using my car in the display of classic cars at the festival. That front bumper doesn't get any better.

Gathering of people for the 0800 communion service organised by the Boaters' Christian Fellowship (and that's a time, not a dialling code)

Uniform: the red t-shirts worn by the wrgies ferrying people across the lock cut

Skydiving members of the Tigers, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment's Parachute Display Team dropping in to the festival

Towering over the whole festival site were the six giant cooling towers of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station


Of course, there were boats too.

The year in photos: July events

July... July... What happened in July?

Well... this did:


Joy at Ally's graduation

and this:


Union between Ally and Ben

I think some other stuff happened as well, but it pales into insignificance.

But for completeness:


Locks ascending to the main line of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Liverpool


Yukky flotsam in a lock on the Dee Locks Branch, Chester

The year in photos: Braunston in June

Juxtaposition of new (fire extinguisher) and old (President and Kildare)


Under the bridge on which I'm standing pass the boats at the Historic Boat Show


National three cylinder is Warrior's magnificent engine. I was so captivated that I didn't film it!


Engines were part of the reason for my going to the rally. I was making a film for BBC Look East about Russell Newbery, at the time conveniently celebrating its centenary. The film has been made and is still waiting to be broadcast.

My original post about the Historic Boat Rally at Braunston on 27th June 2009 can be found here.

Thanks again to Epiphany for the acrostic idea

The year in photos: May (hem)

In May 2009 my Mac computer died. But Carl, of Maclogics, read about my plight and quoted me for repairing it. The quote was very reasonable, extraordinarily so when his travelling time was taken into account, and the Mac was fixed when Carl arrived by motorbike. Again, I can heartily recommend him.


Mac malfunction



Apple core



Yes! Carl fixed it!

Thanks to John and Fiona of NB Epiphany (their time is nearly here!) for the acrostic idea.

The year in photos: Leicester in April

Shadow tied up to the floating pontoon at Castle Gardens in the middle of Leicester

This year has been one of the best for boating. 2009 started with us at Newbold on Avon on our way back from an icy cruise to Coventry; in March I moved a boat for a friend down the Grand Union; at Easter we took Shadow from Stockton Top Marina via Leicester to Tattenhall Marina; and in October we cruised down the Montgomery Canal to the limit of navigation. New territory (aquitory?) for us was the Market Harborough arm; the Leicester Section north of Foxton; the Soar Navigation; the Trent to Shardlow; the Trent and Mersey from Shardlow to Fradley; and the Montgomery (northern section).

The year in photos: March sunshine

In March my father and I moved a boat for a friend down the Grand Union from Buckby to Northolt. We had excellent weather for the time of year: hardly any rain, and sunshine on most of the five days of the trip.

The photo shows Willow, the boat we moved, and my father collecting kindling at Stoke Bruerne. It got pretty cold at night!

The cruise was notable for meeting two more bloggers: Andrew Denny on Granny Buttons; and Alan and Frances on Lazy Days.

A Happy Christmas to all reading this!

The year in photos: February's icebreaker cruise

In February we cruised from Stockton Top to Market Harborough and back. Much of the Leicester Section was iced over, but a couple of boats went ahead of us conveniently breaking the ice. An excellent trip, during which we bought coal from Jo on Hadar and shared coffee and walnut cake and tea with Del and Al of Derwent6. We liked the town of Market Harborough and mused about retiring there. (Still many years off.)


Del and Al standing proudly by their boat


the Old Grammar School, Market Harborough

The year in photos: January cold

Regular readers of this blog will know that every month or so we join in with a group from our Norfolk village on a Saturday morning walk. In January we went to Poringland for a five mile walk through a winter wonderland of hoar frost and hard ground.