Boat sitting in the cold

Having decided again not to winterise Skylark, I have spent nearly two weeks on board, with a couple of trips home to just find out if Kay still lives there.

While temperatures have got well below freezing, I have been snug inside with a fully functioning central heating system and a coal fire. Most days have been fine and sunny but of course they have been short and cold.

And just to prove how exciting my time has been, the highlights include:

• My first sighting of a fox taking a drink at the river.
• Lots of herons, ducks, kingfishers, swans, geese and grebes; many of which are already displaying mating behavior.
• I found 4 fenders of various sizes and colours, a 2.5m wooden barge pole and a red and white surveyors ranging rod (useful as a taller tv aerial pole).

I also found a very competitive marina to re-black the underside of Skylark. (The other local marina I asked wanted both my arms and both legs in payment so the decision was easy.)

It's a busy life!

Now some pics...

This morning in Ely with the sun coming up.

Did I say it's been cold? 

Me, wearing my 'Should have gone to Specsavers' hat but at least it keeps the ears warm during a minus 4 headwind.

Denver to Kings Lynn

Two nights away and a short trip up to Denver and Downham Market. 

On Saturday I took the train to Lynn (£3.00 return - not bad) and spent a sunny but cold few hours in the town and waterside. The main shopping centre could be anywhere but the old properties near the river are fantastic. 

After a very nice coffee and toasted tea cake, I headed back. 

While I was on the floating pontoon at Denver I realised I had not seen much wildlife apart from the ubiquitous ducks and gulls. As I looked out of a porthole I thought how nice it would be if a Kingfisher would fly in and sit on the handrail 6 feet away...and, you've guessed it...one just happened to fly in and sit on the handrail. How's that for a coincidence! I always consider it a real treat when I see one but seeing one this close rarely happens.

I also had an odd experience with a floating fender. As often happens, I noticed a fender in the water on the opposite side of the river so I pootled over and hauled it out, a neat trick in a strong current and brisk on-shore wind. As I went back to my mooring, I tied up and had a closer look at my new find. It was very similar to one of my own, with one of those 'L' shaped hangers on a short length of white rope. Very similar in fact. I was so taken by its similarity, I looked at my fenders to compare it more closely and found that my white fender wasn't there any more. It must have come loose during the strong winds the previous night and sailed off across the river. I had actually recovered my own fender.

I left this morning at 8.00 am to a cold head wind. All went well well apart from the slackers on the down-stream gates of the Relief Channel lock not operating properly which meant I couldn't open the up-stream gates to fill the lock chamber. Fortunately the Denver Complex Manager was on hand to over-ride the electrical system so I was able to carry on. This would have been a bit awkward if he'd been unavailable.

Heading into the current, a strong wind and a bright sun is not a great thing to do but I have experienced much worse. At least it was dry.

By the way, the floating pontoon at Lynn is very nice and well worth thinking about using but be aware that its not cheap. 

For Skylark, measuring 60 feet, the overnight charge would be £27. Compare that to the free pontoon at Downham and the £3.00 return fare by train, the choice is yours.

John Peel Centre

I mentioned in my last post that I was singing and playing guitar at the local AmDram New Year's Party last night. It was at the fairly new Arts Centre dedicated to the late John Peel. What a great place that is in the centre of town, set in a refurbished corn hall; small but perfectly formed. Well worth a look if you are ever in this neck of the woods. See johnpeelcentreforcreativearts.co.uk/

The 'do' went well. Everyone was in fine spirit, the buffet table was overflowing, the entertainment (including my small contribution) went well, and everyone had a great time.

I may have picked up another gig as a result. No, not at the O2 or supporting Bono on a world tour but as a travelling minstrel in the next Panto. Oh well, it's a start!

Retirement plus three

The last month was very busy with other things on the go so I have not been to the boat. However, once Christmas was out of the way, I was able to get away for a couple of nights this week. This happened to coincide with the third anniversary of my retirement - doesn't time fly!

Anyway, with the predicted cold weather, I thought I ought to make sure everything was snug on board so I lit the fire. It took a while to warm everything to a comfortable temperature as Skylark had been lying empty for a month but after a couple of hours everything was comfy (apart from my feet that remained far too cold for far too long).

I found a nice spot in Ely next to the Maltings and pottered about in the town and on board. New Years Eve was a bit noisy with a band playing in the new restaurant nearby but I wasn't bothered by this. I stayed up to watch the Queen concert and fireworks on TV and then turned in.

I left Thursday morning and headed home. As I'm playing guitar and singing at a small 'do' organised by my local AmDram Club on Saturday a spot of practice will not go amiss.