MoonlightHolly

December 1 – 16
You will see from the following that we are waiting for the maintenance work on the Oxford Canal (South) to be completed before leaving the Rugby area. This is scheduled to be finished by December 16th, in actual fact British Waterways completed their work and the lock opened a day earlier than planned.
Meanwhile we took advantage of the time available and had Jason vaccinated against rabies in readiness for his trip to Canada next February. We also cruised along to Braunston and back and then up to a favourite mooring in the open countryside at All Oaks Wood, Brinklow.
From friends we meet along the tow path many other narrowboats are similarly slowing their cruising down and spending more time along this section of the canal.
Peter made an overnight visit to his mother in Shrewsbury and Angela spent a week helping her Mum who has just been discharged from hospital following minor surgery.
As far as Moonlight Holly is concerned she was cleaned and waxed on the outside and all brasses polished. Engine and fuel filters were changed as was the engine oil. Several other small items were checked including battery acid levels, gearbox oil level, cooling system liquid level and the tension of the fan belt (which doesn’t drive a fan but powers two alternators).
The weather has not been too bad - for England; cool most days, cloudy but with hardly any rain, a couple of days with blustery winds. A huge full moon, brighter than normal, illuminated everywhere during the stay at Brinklow.
On one occasion, in Newbold on Avon, we stopped to fill the water tank and Jason got off the boat to relieve himself. A few minutes later he was nowhere to be seen. We searched along the hedgerows (that is where the rabbits are!) across the fields (sheep!) and along the main road through the village. Nothing. Eventually we saw a postman delivering mail to a row of houses at the end of a cul-de-sac. He was looking over his shoulder with an amused smile on his face. We investigated and sure enough in the corner at the end of the cul-de-sac stood a rubbish bin with Jason standing in the middle trying to devour as much of the “edible” contents as possible (he IS after all a Labrador). However his attempts were severely thwarted as his head was firmly wedged into a KFC bucket – that originally was full of fried chicken bits. No wonder he couldn’t hear me calling! Much to his chagrin the offending tub was not removed until a photo was taken.

December 17
We are on our way again. Angela had arrived the night before from looking after her Mum following a short bout in hospital.
It was cold, but dry as we made our way down the Oxford Canal (North), up the Hillmorton Locks and on to Braunston. A sharp right turn under the black and white cast iron bridge took us back on to the Grand Union Canal heading for Napton Junction. We were lucky that few boats were about so we could cruise at the maximum speed the canal would allow. This is usually limited by the depth of water, width of canal and proximity to other boats. The principle rule is “no wake”.
The remains of a golden sunset were reflected on the surface of the Napton Reservoir as we moored for the night at the top of the Calcutt Locks.

December 18
There was a thin film of ice on the water when we awoke which made it difficult to turn around. Ice is fairly easy to “crunch” through when going forward, due to the narrow section of the bow, but much more difficult when you need to turn around, we have found it easier to break up the ice in the winding area first, by motoring forward and reverse, before trying to spin the boat around.
The turn-around completed we were soon on the Oxford Canal (South). It was a change to be back on a small canal, with its narrow bridges, locks and sharp twisty turns. Many people have told us of the beauty and isolation of the Oxford Canal, and it is true, even on a cold frosty morning in December. For miles the canal passes through open countryside with a backdrop of hills. Initially there are no locks, no villages, and the bridges are well spaced, making it a very pleasant rural stretch of canal. We climbed up the seven Napton Locks and then the one at Marston Doles to arrive at the summit level of this canal. What a difference those 60 or so feet in elevation made to the weather. The surface of the canal was now covered in a good half inch of ice, again we were lucky as another boat had been through before us and so we didn’t have to act as an ice breaker. However, we had to severely reduce our speed. A short distance ahead we came across the other boat moored up for the night, as we passed the crew shouted at us that they had had to stop as their boat, a 35’ narrowboat, did not have the weight nor power to proceed further. They would have to wait until the ice thinned or a larger boat passed them!! We were now in front with the weight and power and within minutes the other boat was seen following us. Luckily night overtook us and within a mile or so we both had to moor. It rained in the night.

December 19
The rain melted most of the ice and only a thin covering was left by the time we started out again. Seeing this, the other boat was off early as they were in a hurry to reach Oxford before Christmas.
We had hoped to stop at the Fenny Compton Marina to top up the fuel tank - but it was closed. This was not an urgent concern as we still had more than half a tank left. A full tank gives us approximately 250 hours of cruising.
The canal continues its twists and turns and the hills and trees close in as the canal passes along the course of an old tunnel. The tunnel was removed many years ago and the canal has become a deep cutting. The end of the summit level was reached when we dropped down through the five Claydon Locks, these were the ones that had only recently been reopened following maintenance and which we had been waiting for on the Oxford North Canal.
By the time we had dropped down these locks the ice had completely disappeared and the village of Cropredy was within hailing distance. Cropredy is a small, quiet village with wandering streets of old brick houses, many with thatched roofs. The village comes alive in August when it is the site of one of Europe’s largest Folk Festivals. A well as visitors arriving “by land” many hundreds of participants arrive by canal and we believe there are so many boats that they are moored three and four abreast along the canal right through the village.
The mooring sites in Cropredy were full of boats, many moored for the winter, but we were lucky to find a space where we could leave the boat for 14 days, free of charge.

December 20 - 22
Pleasant days spent exploring the village and its surrounding countryside. We even joined the choir of the local chapel as they went carol singing through the village streets. They finished up in The Red Lion, a 15th century thatched pub. We enjoyed a glass of wine there later, sitting in an inglenook under a beamed ceiling in front of a log fire.
Cropredy is the winter mooring site for Narrowboat “Bide Your Time” with whom we had spent many a pleasant hour earlier in the summer. We visited John and Liz, and Tara the dog, passing many hours catching up with gossip.

December 23 - 28
Moonlight Holly was locked up and we took to the road in a hire car. Christmas was spent with Peter’s mother and brother (and family) in and around Shrewsbury. Unfortunately, most of Christmas Eve was spent in the A & E Department of the local hospital checking that no bones were broken following a nasty fall by Peter’s Mum. She was lucky and was released later that afternoon. It did mean however, that she had to spend the next few days in bed.
Plans have been underfoot for several months to move Mum into a residential care facility. She has been living alone and had resisted the idea of “a home” for years. Following this latest fall she was finally convinced that she could no longer continue to safely care for herself and moved into a comfortable residential home, with nursing care, just before New Year’s Eve. At the age of 93 it is time to relax and accept care from others.

December 29
We had planned to spend the New Year with Angela’s mother in Hassocks and as Cropredy was on the way between both places we stopped off to check that Moonlight Holly was OK. A complete review was made, which included running the engine and making a cup of coffee before setting off again. The traffic around London was relatively light and we arrived in Hassocks just as it was getting dark (16:15hrs).

December 30 – 31
Spent a pleasant New Year’s Eve with Angela’s mother and helped her let in the New Year in the traditional way with Peter bringing in a piece of bread, some holly and a lump of coal through the front door.

Piczo