Maintenance Day

The starboard gunwale was painted when we were back on the River Lee and I’ve been looking for a section of low bank to repaint the port.  As you may recall, I’d already rubbed back the gunwale and applied primer.  Today I managed to paint on one top coat of black. 
You may have noticed the small masked square on the red panel.  There was a chip in the paint.  Probably a stone from a passing bike.  It was down to bare metal so I masked it up and rubbed the area back before applying a primer,followed by two undercoats.
The damage
All this preparation had built the level of paint back until it was level with the original surface.  Today I managed to get one topcoat over the area.
The semi trad area at the stern  had a scrape mark from a Thames lock landing.  The gunwale had gone under the landing platform and the cabin side had been scratched by the edge.  The area was masked up, prepared and repainted.

Damaged area
The last piece of painting was on the port handrail.  Small chips have appeared in some of the paint.work  These were masked up, sanded back, primed, undercoated (2) and then given some red topcoat.
I think I might be starting to develop a very moderate level of competency painting horizontal flat surfaces without leaving brush strokes.  Vertical surfaces are another matter.
The tunnel bands could do with some attention but they will have to wait until Waiouru is next taken out of the water.  Painting upside down is beyond me!
We had visitors today.  Bec and Tilly called In to see us.  Last time we saw them Tilly was just a baby.  Shortly she is going to have a brother or sister!

Missing posts

Readers I must apologise for the missing posts.  This was unintended and unforseen.  If I had realised there was going to be a problem I would have drafted three posts in advance.

What happened was I had an invitation from our youngest son to accompany him on an overseas trip.  He is rather good a sniffing out a bargain and we managed to get some cheap fares.

The first thing I noticed on arrival were the large number of bicycles. Much of the population seemed to get around the inner city on bikes.

Now you might be thinking …… China!  But you would be wrong.  This city has proper bike lanes with bike traffic lights.

Can you see the small set of traffic lights adjacent to the main vehicle lights?

Car parking is done in a manner that provides a barrier between moving vehicles and bicycles.

It took several hours to adjust to the idea that the smooth and wide pedestrian lane was actually for bikes (which travelled fast).  Pedestrians had to stay on the uneven footpath.

If you haven’t worked out where we were by now this following photo may help.

Yes, we were in Copenhagen, Denmark.  What were our impressions?  The general population appeared to be healthy and happy.  Perhaps some of this can be attributed to the general use of bikes.  Denmark isn’t particularly cheap.  I have the impression the income gap between rich and poor is small.  There was little sign of excessive wealth and no sign of poverty.  I didn’t see any graffiti.  The Danes appear to be happy with their situation!

After reading all about star forts I was pleased to finally be able to visit one.  The Danes built one down by the water front. 

This type of fort became popular around the Napoleonic period.  Cannon could breach stonework but earth more readily absorbed the energy.  The shape of the fort allowed for mutual support as can be seen in the following diagram.

On the landward side the fort has an inner and outer moat.  Although open to the public, it is still occupied by the Danish military.

There is a round tower in the centre of the CBD.  It’s now a tourist attraction with good views of Copenhagen from the top.

I suspect it is a former ‘shot tower’.  The last time I inspected a tower like this was in Istanbul.  The tower was used to make lead musket balls.  Molten lead would be dropped from the top down the hollow centre of the tower.  It would form a perfect sphere during the fall and also solidify.  There would be a sand layer at the base of the tower to collect the balls.

I happened to notice this man wrestling a bull on top of one of the buildings.

Walking around the reverse side of the building revealed it to be colourfully painted. On looking more closely I found it to be a cinema.

There are some very interesting buildings in Copenhagen.  I particularly liked this one.

It was the spire that first caught my eye.

Entwined dragon tales I think!

It’s interesting how some things can catch your attention.  We were wandering around the supermarket looking to buy food for dinner when I happened to notice all the price tags were digital and appeared to be part of a wifi network.  The photo is a little blurred.

The system would have an initial high cost but there must be labour saving and it would make it easier to adjust prices.

We wandered down to the edge of the canal that runs through the CBD to take a few photos.

Actually over the 3 days we did a significant amount of walking.  It’s a pity we experienced rain on two of our three days !  It was mid June…….??????  And the English complain about their weather.  

Well that’s another one ticked off the bucket list!

Naturalisation or not?

During a meeting with Ray & Diane (nb Ferndale) last month Ray mentioned I was eligible to apply for UK Naturalisation.  I’d previously read I’d need five years of ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) before I would be eligible to apply.  After the conversation I checked the government website and Ray is correct. The question is”Why should I?”  It really comes down to a question of money.  The visa cost us £1500 and the ILR another £1500.  The application for naturalisation will cost a further £1005.  If the application is successful it is mandatory to attend a citizenship ceremony (another £80).  What are the benefits of another passport for someone my age?  Will I suddenly acquire a taste for English ale!

Easy and Hard

An easy start to the day, albeit we were both up before 6.30.  It was a casual morning pottering around the boat before heading to the Butt Inn for our usual Sunday roast lunch.  What a contrast to The Kite at Oxford last week.  This time the meal was delicious.

This is our mooring above Padworth Lock

Waiouru is looking filthy, you wouldn’t believe I painted the black below the gunwale this year.  She needs a good wash and polish. 

This afternoon I set out our two wheelbarrow tyres to hold the port (left) side of the boat away from the concrete edge.  One of the reasons why we are on this mooring is the concrete edge is low and that gives access to the area below the gunwale.

The generator provided the 240V power for our small orbital sander. I spent several hours sanding down the black paint and removing the rust.  After wiping it down the bright bare metal was given a coat of primer.  After that I started on the paint chips in the red handrails.  They were masked and then rubbed back to bare metal before applying a first undercoat.

The tunnel bands also need some attention, but that will have to wait for another time.  Whilst I was working outside Jan was inside cleaning the galley.

There was time for a walk up to Froud’s Bridge Lane in the evening.  It was going on dark on the way back.  A timeshare boat appeared and I took a photo in the expectation there wouldn’t be sufficient light.  However the camera surprised me and produced something that looked better than the actual scene.

Despite the easy start to the day we will sleep well tonight.

A Change of Plan

Our intention was to stay on the mooring at Theale until Monday, however we had an email at noon which changed our plans. As a consequence of this we cruised the short distance to Aldermaston.  Saturday wasn’t our preferred day to move because we assumed the hire boats would be leaving the ABC base at Aldermaston heading towards Reading and we didn’t want to meet novices during their first four hours.  As it was we didn’t see a single hire boat!

At Tyle Mill we stopped to top up the water tank and dispose of the rubbish.  Whilst there we were approached by a local boater who informed us he had started a business supplying services to local boaters.  He currently supplies coal, gas and blue, but intends to also supply red diesel and a toilet pump out.

His contact details are:

• Paul Diprose
• Mob: 07503583523

The services are supplied from his boat and he informed us he planned to cover the area from Reading to Little Bedwyn.

We carried on towards Aldermaston and were fortunate to meet a boat at Ufton Lane swing bridge.  One of their crew was already operating the controls and we were able to pass through without the need for Jan to alight.  The offside lower gate at Towney Lock kept on swinging open.  I was down in the lock (it’s deep) on the boat and Jan couldn’t hold the lower gate shut whilst simultaneously raising on the of the top gate paddles.  In the end I managed to hold the lower gate shut with the stern fender whilst Jan raised one paddle.

We rounded the corner on the approach to Padworth lock to find a breasted up pair of working boats immediately in front on the lock landing.

Two things immediately came to mind.

1. Novice hire boaters will have an interesting time trying to get against the lock landing.
2. Paul Diprose (Tyle Mill) already appears to have some competition.

We already knew from our previous stay at Aldermaston that the chances of finding a mooring before Aldermaston Lock would be very slim.  However we managed to get on the offside immediately above the lock.  It’s a concrete edge and the bow is partially protruding across the bywash.  

Short Cruise

With a forecast of heavy showers in the afternoon we decided we would have a short day of cruising   Actually it was a toss up whether to move.  But then we were going to have to run the engine to recharge the batteries so we might as well do that on the move.

We hadn’t noticed the boat moored three away from us yesterday at the Cunning Man.  Addicted blog readers might recognise the name.  At least one kiwi couple should!

We get amused by the number of people who look at the flag on Waiouru’s stern and then mention Australia.  There is an easy way to tell the difference between the Australian and New Zealand flags.  The Australian flag has white stars and the NZ has red with a white border.  The Australian flag has six stars.  The five small stars represent the Southern Cross and the large cross represents the Federation of Australian States.  The star has six points which represent the original five States with one point for the Territories.   The NZ flag has four stars which also represent the Southern Cross. 

We caught up with a solo boater at Burghfield lock and shared locks with him until we moored at Theale.  He took some pride in telling us he was close to 80 and after a second hip replacement he felt he could be boating for a few more years.

He was quite prepared to get off his boat and share working the gates and paddles.  Both of us noted the name of his boat.

Prior to arriving in the UK we lived in Adelaide, South Australia for 18 years.  It’s the longest we have ever lived in one location during our married life.  However there is no connection between the name of his boat and our last address.  The boat is named after a favourite aunt.

Jan got the finger power ‘high’ at Theale Swing Bridge controlling the road traffic whilst both boats moved through and onto the moorings above the bridge.

We had only just finished mooring and setting up the TV aerial when the forecast rain arrived.  After lunch I walked to the large Sainsbury’s supermarket at Theale for some essential supplies (doughnuts). 

We’re not in a hurry and may stay here tomorrow.

The Cunning Man

Yesterday evening I went for a walk up to County Lock and then to the south of Reading. 

The canal through the centre of Reading is one way and controlled by traffic lights.  You might be able to see the red light in the above photo.  The water level was considerably lower than when we were last this way.

At 9am we pulled the mooring pins and slowly cruised up to the traffic light at the downstream end.  Jan pushed the button and the light immediately changed to green.   We had an uneventful cruise up through the Reading Oracle section of the river.

The last time we did this the river was just coming off flood levels and there was no time to take photos.

A boat had been up before us so Jan had to empty and set County Lock before I could steer Waiouru into it.

The route took us through the southern suburbs of inner Reading.  I can’t remember how many times I walked the towpath from Aldermaston to Reading when we were fitting out Waiouru so it’s all very familiar.  However there were two new things we noted.

This sign is new

And this boat owner appears to have been caught by some serious flooding with their end of garden mooring.

We moored above Fobney Lock so I could walk back to the local Halfords at Rose Kiln Lane and buy some engine oil.  They only had one container in stock but that will suffice to top up the engine oil. On my walk back I could hear the sound of a narrowboat behind me.  Feeling in a boaters mood we assisted the single hander through Fobney Lock.  He then went on ahead to Southcote Lock.  We joined him in the lock and Jan worked us up. 

We moored outside the Cunning Man pub at midday.  After lunch I checked the weed hatch because the boat has been making the noises associated with the prop being fouled.  It was clean!  We’ve been on rivers so long we’ve forgotten the sound Waiouru makes when the bottom of the canal is close to the top!

Cunning Man Mooring

I then removed the bird droppings from the cabin roof and side before doing some repairs to the handrail paint.

At 6pm we wandered over the the Cunning Man for dinner.  Jan chose the chicken and leak pie whilst I opted for the beef burger.  Both of us chose poorly!

The Cunning Man Pub

Jan has been reading Farsebook and identified that nb Sola Gratia is now ahead of us.  We’re not sure where and when Tim and Tracey managed to pass us.  But then you can’t trust those Boating Camping & Fishing (BCF) people! 

Monster Hamster and the experienced boater

Whilst walking around Beale Park yesterday evening I came upon a monster hamster.  He was so damned big he wasn’t frightened by me and was content to give me the ‘evil eye’.  He could have supplied us with enough meat to last at least a week.

This morning we departed for Reading with the intention of restocking the cupboards from the large Tesco below Caversham Lock.  However the moorings were again full.  We were very fortunate that the owners of wide beam Isabelle Jean noticed our predicament and offered to let us breast up against them.  Jan went off to do the shopping whilst I stayed behind and gossiped discussed important boating matters with the husband and wife crew.  They told me the 24 hour mooring signs outside Tesco had been removed and some of the boats occupying the moorings had been there since the previous autumn.  They had contacted the EA who explained the land was the responsibility of the local council.  Something needs to be done and Jan has written to Tesco in the hope they will prod the council into action.

Thank you Isabelle Jean

After Jan had stowed away all the rations we changed our plans deciding against going back up above Caversham Lock and mooring beside King’s Meadow.  Instead we would go up through Blake’s Lock and moor in the Gaol Loop on the Kennet & Avon.

We arrived below the lock to find a narrowboat on the lock landing.  The lock was on self service (lock keeper at lunch).  The female member of the crew (wife) was at the tiller and the husband up at the lock.  We began wondering what he was doing as he was raising the top paddles which would result in the lock being filled instead of emptied.  Perhaps there was a boat in the lock?  but that didn’t make sense, unless it was a wide beam.  Jan managed to get off Waiouru and go up to the lock.  This lock is manually operated and the paddle mechanism is operated by wheels rather than a windlass.

The mechanism looks like this

When the red topped rod is up the paddle is also up.  Jan went up and lowered one of the top paddles and the husband copied her.  They then raised the lower paddles to empty the lock.  I chatted away to the wife who told me they had never been on the Kennet & Avon Canal and she had recently undergone a shoulder operation.  I passed on some local canal information as she told me she would be the one doing the locks whilst her husband steered.  Jan also mentioned the locks on the canal could be difficult and was promptly told by the husband that he has boated for six weeks every year over the last decade and had done thousands of locks.  This was the man who had opened the top paddles to empty the lock?  He then asked Jan “Are you going to the next lock?”   Jan informed him we were mooring after this lock and he replied “So you only do one lock a day!” To which Jan replied “This is our fourth lock today!”

We went into the Gaol Loop noticing both Sola Gratia and Inca.  There were no vacant moorings so we moored around the corner just before Queen’s Road Footbridge.  The mooring is slightly set back from the towpath and hopefully we won’t be disturbed tonight.

Beale Park and a transfusion

Another 250 hours have passed since the big green noisy thing in the garden shed had a transfusion.  You may recall last time I did this I made a monumental error erred in my decision making failing to realise the rubber seal from the old oil filter had been left behind when I removed the filter and I ended up with two seals which resulted in the oil leaking out of the engine.

Well I didn’t make that mistake overlook the potential for that happening today.  If you want to remove as much old oil as possible it needs to be hot.  This means the engine has to be run for 15-20 minutes.  Of course this also means I need to straddle a hot engine.  That isn’t suntan on my legs!

Old oil out and new oil in.  Now all we need to do is responsibly dispose of the old oil.  Seeing as I was getting down and dirty in my playsuit I also checked the two diesel pre-filters.  The first filter had collected a small amount of gunk which I collected in an ice cream container.  After I’d eaten the ice cream of course!

The second filter contained clean diesel.  The small black spots in the container are from the first pre-filter.

A final check of the engine didn’t reveal anything untoward.  We’re good for another 250 hours.

Beale Park

We had known there were quiet moorings at Beale Park from reading other boaters blogs.  What we hadn’t realised was there is more to Beale Park than river moorings.  The moorings are probably ancillary to the main purpose of Beale Park which is the flora and fauna centre.

According to Wikipedia The park was founded in 1956 by Gilbert Beale as his own private park. He was a keen collector and breeder of peacocks and these birds still roam free in the park.

I only started to discover all of this when I went for a local walk yesterday evening.  The gardens and animals are contained within a chain mesh enclosure but the remainder of the park is open.

Right arrow – our mooring. Bottom arrow -  the gardens.  Top arrow – the lagoon.

The main entrance to the gardens

The lagoon is linked to the Thames via a small inlet which is crossed by a floating pedestrian bridge.  The bridge is locked in place preventing boats entering the lagoon.  The lagoon has a number of finger moorings.

The one disappointing thing about the park is the lack of rubbish bins.  Not to worry, we will take ours with us when we leave tomorrow.

Another point worth mentioning is the moorings are a ‘black hole’ when it comes to receivinga terrestrial (FreeView) TV signal. However we have a satellite signal.

Jan made scones for lunch and she was in the midst of preparing her share when nb Sola Gratia went past.  We last saw Tim & Tracey on 30 April whilst on the River Lee.  They were going to the Crick Show and then returning to the Kennet & Avon where Tracey plans to complete a sponsored walk with Oakley her guide dog.

Jan got a wave from Tim before taking the above photo.

Oxford to Beale Park

We were the second boat to leave the Oxford moorings this morning and were at Osney Lock a few minutes before 9am having passed nb Urquhart Castle.  No sign of curtains twitching so we must have been very quiet.

The lock keeper was just starting his day telling us he had a restless night because there was no noise from the weir beside his cottage.  We had already noticed the weir was dry!  The lock keeper had contacted the next lock upstream who had confirmed their water level was also low.  However, by the time we reached Iffley Lock the level was back to normal.  The next lock (Sandford) was already set for us.  Well actually the lock keeper had set it for the Oxford to Abingdon ferry which we had passed moored at Oxford.  The lock keeper told us the ferry does the trip twice a day and sometimes it goes rather fast!

Going downstream meant we were now on the far side of the river and this enabled us to get a better look at the earthworks we’d seen going upstream several days ago.

We think it is a trailbike/motorcross circuit.

The ferry caught up with us just as we reached the services above Abingdon Lock.  The nasties hose has a powerful pump at this location and emptied the tank very quickly.  Waiouru was then bow hauled forward a short distance to reach the water hose.  With one tank full and the other empty we continued on our way.

Abingdon again!

It was now just past 10am so we decided to press on rather than stop for the day.  As we approached Day’s Lock the large round hill on the skyline became more noticeable.  It looked to be the dominate local feature overlooking the surrounding land.

As part of this post I check the OSM and identified that the hill does appear to have some significance.

The photo above is of Round Hill which is the higher of the two.  I then guessed I might find additional information by searching using the local road name (Witteham) and again I struck gold.

These two feature are known as Wittenham Clumps.  The hill is the site of an iron age hill fort.  The trees on the summit are the oldest planted beech trees in England.  Wikipedia reports it is the most visited outdoor location in Oxfordshire.

We kept going hoping for a mooring below Goring Lock.  Unfortunately they were full and we carried on to Beale Park where there were plenty of moorings.  Its been a long day.  Actually its been much longer than we planned.  Tomorrow we will probably plan to stop at Reading.