Weedon, Milton Keynes, Ireland and Winter!!!

Love winter cruising on days like this :)

We enjoyed a couple of nights in our own bed at the yard in Weedon and got all the laundry done before picking up another hire car on Wednesday 26^th October to head up to York for a few days around another appointment for Mike’s knee.  The traffic wasn’t great up the M1, makes us long for the boat and the canal……. but we got to York in time for the dinner sitting at Norfolk Towers – thanks AGAIN to Vicki and James, Ollie and Caitlin for putting up with us/putting us up yet again.   Mike hit the bath and Vicki and I hit the Proscecco…….yummmmm!!!!!!

Thursday morning was an earlyish start at York District Hospital where Mike saw a rheumatologist, who had a right good look, asked lots of questions then told Mike that contrary to what we thought today, his knee was not normal and there was fluid in it.  He’s 95% certain it’s a condition called Pseudo Gout, which isn’t really like gout at all as it’s a different kind of crystal and where gout flares up and then disappears, pseudo gout flares up and then goes down, but is always present.  This combined with the wear and tear present is what is causing the pain and flare-ups, but just to make sure and eliminate anything else he took bloods to test for a long list of stuff and referred Mike for an MRI scan.  There’s no treatment that will prevent the flare-ups so it’s a case of managing them when they happen, with steroids and mega-doses of ibuprofen.  Once in France, we’ll be able to buy steroids over the counter at the pharmacy, so it might actually be easier to manage over there.  Anyway, bet you were all dying to get the latest on Mike’s knees, so onto the more exciting stuff.

On Thursday night we caught up with friends Nichola and Dan and had a lovely Thai meal and on Friday we caught up with John and Kathleen at Wetherby and Alan, our financial adviser at Melton.  After a delicious chippy tea at Norfolk Towers, we headed out to enjoy the light festival in York and a few drinks en route.

A Skipping Person in Lights

Arches near the Library - I read the sign but have forgotten what it was - 15th Century Hospital rings a bell...

 

On Saturday we enjoyed one of James’ breakfast – they really are fantastic, caught up on some admin and then whilst the boys headed to the football, I headed to shops for some new shoes.  I enjoyed my browse around the shops, stopping for a quick coffee before making my purchase of the most comfortable brogues from Clarks.  I had had to retire my old Sketcher shoes (c. 2008) as they are split and the soles so thin in places they were worn right through.  It still hurt to say goodbye to them……… I had hunted for weeks for a similar replacement but to no avail so it was a bit of a mind f*ck to accept I’d just have to get something completely different.  However, the brogues have settled in and I’m delighted with them – good old Clarks!  Curry night at Pocklington turned into a smaller affair with Streety and Nigel calling off, but we had a lovely catch up with Jane and Ian and Fran landed as well to join us.  We even managed a quick half hour with Dave before curry, so we did well in terms of seeing friends!!

On Sunday we headed off to Whitby for the day to catch up with Mike’s Uncle Ronnie, his wife Pat and drop in on Becca (Mike’s god-daughter) and her hubby Lee and their kids.  We love Whitby.

Lots of crabbing still done from Whitby

It was freezing but the surfers were still out!

Mmmmmmmmm - waffles........ :)

Back at Norfolk Towers in time for James’ Sunday Roast we had a quiet night in with a few glasses of wine and the telly as we had an early start on Monday to be showered and out of Linda’s way when she arrived to clean.

We headed back down to Weedon, picking up the snowboard and ski stuff from Streety’s on the way and back at the boat, put on the washing and then headed into Daventry to do a big shop at Waitrose.

On Tuesday we made final use of the car to go and find Neil on their new boat Chalkhill Blue 2.  It was a really miserable day, dull and drizzly but cheered up by our visit.  Their new boat is lovely, and what remains of their new mugs are lovely too…… As Mike was demonstrating the ‘narrow’ bit in our boat, he managed to dislodge a mug from its hook and it shattered into a million pieces – sorry Neil. 

Lovely shiny new Chalkhill Blue 2 - and Neil in his matching sweater.... :)

After dropping the car off we moved out of the boatyard and started south on the Grand Union, going a bit longer than planned we moored up half an hour north of Blisworth in the pitch dark.  It’s so annoying at this time of year when you’ve been used to cruising til the early evening then find yourself in the dark by 4 o’ clock.

We set off in glorious sunshine the next morning, although it was pretty chilly, and got through the Blisworth tunnel in a record 27 minutes – there was no other traffic which was good.  As we headed towards Stoke Bruerne’s top lock, we passed NB Theadora who looked as though she might be getting ready to move – she was, so we locked down with them, stopping for water at the bottom of the flight.  Philip, Annabel and Otis had just picked up their boat from Market Harborough and were taking her to her mooring at Hemel Hempstead.  They decided to follow us down to Cosgrove which we reached just as it was getting dark.  I did a quick run along past the aqueduct and was rewarded by seeing the most beautiful sky on the way back – it was on fire!!  As I was running I didn’t get any pics I’m afraid.

Last of the autumnal shades

Theadora following us in the last of the daylight

The next day we headed off down the Cosgrove Lock with Theadora and onto Campbell Park at Milton Keynes, where we would stay a few days.  It was a lovely couple of days with Theadora, we enjoyed their company and wished we could have cruised on with them for longer.

Leaving Cosgrove in a small convoy

Don't do it!!!!

Theadora crossing the Great Ouse Aqueduct

Happy Crew on Theadora

Pretty canalside art on the way into Campbell Park

Milton Keynes may not sound like the most enjoyable destination but you know, we always enjoy it, particularly the moorings at Campbell Park, although we don’t enjoy the 20 minute uphill cycle to the shops!!  But the park is pretty and there’s a great network of cycle paths all around and it’s handy for picking up things, like four big sausage fenders from Argos, which we will need in France.  Then it was time to pack again, this time for flights to Belfast where we were going for the weekend to join Karen and Matthew and family to celebrate their Silver Wedding Anniversary.  We headed over on Friday, picked up a hire car and headed to the West Coast for the night, to Donegal, where Mike’s family on his dad’s side originally came from.  We had a lovely meal in the Sandhouse Hotel, where we were staying and although the décor and furnishings were a bit dated, it was spotlessly clean, the food good and the staff really lovely.  In the morning, having missed breakfast, we went for a walk along the beach.  When we got back the restaurant manager was concerned we’d not had breakfast, so insisted on sending a tray of tea and toast, orange juice and soda bread to our room – so kind and service like we’ve had nowhere else.

That'll be rain blowing in from the East!!

Sea kayakers undeterred by the cold

We then drove back East to Seapatrick, where Karen and Matthew live and which is nowhere near the sea.  Having dropped in for a quick cuppa we then went to the pub we were staying at and checked in, had some lunch, a pint and then settled down to watch the tv for an hour or so before heading back out.  We had a lovely night, plenty to drink, some drank more plentifully than others, eh Queenie??   And met and chatted with some lovely people.  And of course it was lovely to see Karen and Matthew again and help them celebrate.

Mike missed breakfast the next morning as he had a bit of a headache, but I tucked into eggs benedict, coffee and orange juice and then with just a little bit of time to kill on the way to the airport we went to look at the Union Locks, now derelict, on the River Laggan.

Derelict locks

The basin half-way up the flight where boats would've waited to pass in busier times

Our flight back was slightly delayed but we managed to catch our connecting bus from the airport back to Milton Keynes and were soon home with the fire on enjoying the firework show from the top of the hill opposite us.

Monday was a job day and while Mike tackled touching up the paintwork, I set to parcelling up the goods we had just sold on eBay.  Having got rid of the Caterham, we were left with a few accessories which I’m pleased to say all sold for more than we’d started them off at!

The reward at the top of the hill in Campbell Park - a great view for miles!!!

Tuesday was also a job day, although Mike had to come in from painting as it was too cold and the paint wouldn’t go on properly!!  I was trying to find the leak that was causing a small pond to form in the bilges at the back of the boat, and think we’ve been successful in doing so – fingers crossed!  We then walked up to LKQ Coatings to buy some tins of paint for touching up the boat, came back, had lunch, phoned my mum and here we are.

Having left it so long since the last entry again, there are things I’ve missed, but then, are you really interested?  Do you want to hear about Mike’s MAC eating up all our data after an update seems to have enabled a process called nsurlsessiond, or me cleaning the shower pump?  I dunno.  It would make it even longer than it is…… And I think I got the most important bits in…….

Back from the paint shop just in time to catch Jules Fuels for some coal - love these old working boats