Cat & Dog Stalemate...Family Visit and "Taster cruise"...

Here we are again... another week has flown by.  I'm trying to get to grips with "Twitter" as apparently it's where we'll generate most interest... that and the dreaded face-ache place.

ANNOYING thing is, that although I am resisting facebook, I conceded we need a presence there... ergo the other week I set up a Mark at Narrowboat Ellis page thingy... I've no idea how it all works if I'm honest - I appear to have over a 1000 new best friends... alas most of them appear to be Russian Brides.   I HOPE to heavens they don't all arrive as we've just NOWHERE to put them....  I suppose if they can dust they may be of use but they'll have to put some clothes on  first! :-)

Moaning a side, I got an email through the website contact form (I'm never sure it works)  asking about the possiblity of doing a taster cruise at the end of March/beginning of April.  So given we're "legal" to trade from the 1st April we going to try and do a 2 night trip to Cooper Bridge and Back... we're doing some later in the year as 3 night ones but if we hurry (and the river is on our side) we should be able to fit it in.  It'll give us a chance to practice being hosts with the most before cruise 1 on the 10th April... So we've now got an official Maiden Voyage! HOW grand does that sound?

IF however the river is playing up (as might happen at this time of year) we still have a plan - albeit covering a lot less ground (water?) down to Fairies hill and back... we'll have to practice winding/mooring and general boating skills to keep them entertained but we'll still have fun. We can always have a walk up to a couple of pubs in Altofts or even Whitworth golf club for a pint (or 3).

Anyway - the reason I'm telling you this is tomorrow when I see the new business mentor, I'll have to eat a big slice of humble pie... THIS contact/booking came via a group I'd joined on Face-book!  grrrrr...

In other news, on Satuday, Andy's sister and twin nephews came for a visit.  IT was raining first thing and it looked like a nice run out would be out of the question.  Luckily around 10 it dried up and a plan was hatched to head up stream into town as far as Calder Island to have a late lunch at the Toby Carvery there (I can't for the life of me remember the name)...

At the first lock off the river, you can see it HAD been up and over in recent days...  in hindsight, perhaps my new blew trainers were NOT the best choice of footwear for the day...

I noticed the crew were taking a while to empty the lock (it leaks and always fills up) so went for a wander... it soon became obvious why - there was a new wide beam in it, having just been craned in an hour earlier at Wakefield Wharf (where we saw the other boat the other week).... tuned out they didn't have any windlasses with them so Andy and crew worked them through the lock - from here onwards they are all electric and they DID have a CRT key.

Like the other one , this also has the paint job done before leaving the builders... and is spray foamed but unlined.  Apparently there was another boat following it but we didn't come across it before he turned left and headed up the river to Thornes Cut.

We chose a very glamourus place to bash some pins in and walk to the pub... just outside the tip!

After we'd eaten, we went up stream a bit further and back on to the river in order to turn around...  since we'd left, the river had risen about half a foot and the flow increasing substantially... for a change I had to use a lot of power to make the turn  - good to know we have plenty as a result of getting the bigger engine.  

Once we'd turned, we swapped roles and Andy played skipper and the boys and I crew.  

Obviously by time they'd done this lock, one of them needed a lay down...

I vaguely remember being a teenager....

Once off the river for the final time, I went inside to cobble some tea together... whilst away, the fender fairies must have been and hung them on the side - as is proven by this photo a friend sent us of the boat approaching Stanley Ferry!

Until next time...

Oh hang on... I nearly forgot:

He comes for a biscuit a couple of times each day... Sox has other ideas - hissing at the poor fellow.