I’d just like to say that we would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, that’s not just from me, but from all of the team here at Norbury. It is a pleasure to work with such great friends and customers alike and we thank you greatly for your continued support.
Although you may see us around from time to time over the next few days (we just can’t keep away you know), please don’t forget that we are actually now closed until Tuesday. Here are our opening hours for the next week – just incase you haven’t spotted them around the yard or on our website.
Saturday 24th December - CLOSED
Sunday 25th December - CLOSED
Monday 26th December - CLOSED
Tuesday 27th December - 10.00am to 4.00pm
Wednesday 28th December - 8.30am to 5.00pm
Thursday 29th December - 8.30am to 5.00pm
Friday 30th December - 8.30am to 5.00pm
Saturday 31st December - 8.30am to 4.30pm
Sunday 1st January - CLOSED
Monday 2nd January - 9.00am to 4.00pm
Have a good one.
Best regards,
David.
It’s amazing the amount of interest that the boat generates. It has been seen by hundreds (possibly of thousands) of people around this area and at the rallies/shows that we have taken it to. Most people that I talk to have seen or heard of it. I suppose it’s quite unique and at the end of the day, that was the purpose of building it – to show what we can do at Norbury.
Talking of boat building I have added a new page to the website today – “Welding and Fabrication”. I will expand it as and when I get more pictures, but it certainly shows what we can offer. Please visit the page HERE.
Matt came in this morning to just finish a couple of bits and pieces off on Pippin which allowed Mick and I to swap the boats in the dock just after lunch. It is unfortunate that we don’t have more waterspace (we’d probably fill that aswell!) as it takes sometime to shuffle all of the boats into position to access the dock. It was certainly cold moving the boats around and the ropes were all frozen. My gloves kept my hands warm until they got wet.
Anyway, here’s a picture of Pippin in all of her glory. She is still due to go on the dock and there are some internal works to complete, but she does look well in our livery.
Just to show how cold it has been today, I captured this picture of the view down the arm at about 3pm which shows that the ice on the canal hadn’t melted.
Lorraine has been giving the cottage a spring clean, so Ange has been manning the tea room. There were quite a crowd in over lunchtime, but it’s a vast difference to those summer days…
I can’t believe that in a weeks time it will be Christmas Day, it doesn’t feel like five minutes ago that we were celebrating Christmas last year.
I’m off down to Stoke Bruerne after work for a Christmas Party in the Indian restaurant located adjacent to the top lock. Stoke is a place that I have a real soft spot for. When I was young I used to insist that we tied there for atleast one night when we were passing through. We used to visit the Boat Inn and have a game of Northamptonshire skittles - which I have some great memories of. In my teens I spent many hours there working on a number of different boats and I also lived there for a short while before coming to Norbury. If I ever move back onto the bank, I think it will have to be at Stoke Bruerne…
Have a good week and lets keep our fingers crossed that the weather is going to warm up somewhat (that’s what the five day forecast says anyway).
Best regards,
David.
I went to visit some friends in Penkridge on my way home last night. By the time I headed back onto the A5 it had dropped below freezing and upon arriving home the cabin top of the boat was frozen solid. Listening to the weather forecast and looking at the weather conditions I feared the worst for traveling this morning, but I was quite surprised when I awoke to rain pitter pattering on the cabin top. When I took Annie out for a walk I soon realized that the temperature hadn’t actually risen that much and although it was raining, the roads still had a thin skim of ice on them. I got to work without a hitch although one corner between Gnosall and Norbury was a bit hair raising. As the other staff arrived this morning they all had stories to tell about sliding in the ice. Poor Ange did a nice pirouette in the village and Graham virtually went straight on into the field by the church. Bernard had actually driven through several inches of snow to get here and Fred thought that his tyres need more air in because he couldn’t keep control!
It has snowed a couple of times during the day, but it’s not too bad at the moment. Let’s hope it warms up a bit…
Fred and I undocked Monarch this morning and docked Sovereign Lady for her annual inspection and blacking. I was a bit unfortunate whilst we were moving boats around and managed to get a rope caught in the blades (propeller). I really don’t know how I did it and it was the first time ever! It just shows how easy it can happen. Fred was the only one to see it happen and yes, I did have my tail between my legs. I subsequently had to suffer putting my hands into icy cold water to get it off again. All I could think is “trainee”. Just shows that we can all make mistakes (occasionally!). I personally blame the rope, but I won’t make any long-winded excuses as it was my fault!
Fred has subsequently pressure washed Sovereign Lady. Bernard has drained the dayboats down and has been servicing the engine on Monarch. Mick has drained the motorhomes down and plugged them in to keep the batteries topped up and the cabins aired with the heaters on low. And Graham has been making yet more deckboards and has also fitted Pippin up in the dock. Lorraine has manned the tearoom and has been cleaning in the cottage. Ange has been making curtains for Pippin and doing office work.
Let’s hope the driving conditions are a bit better tomorrow morning.
All the best.
David.
If you see Dave around Norbury I am sure he would be only to glad to do turn for you and I do hope that we see him perform again in the summer, he might even have a regular spot and a summers day!
Its been another sunny but very cold day here today, no frost last might but the wind today is bracing to say the least, I wouldn't fancy boating today! Tied up today with a roaring fire would be the best thing I reckon, don't forget that we are fully stocked with winter fuels, make sure you are also fully stocked up, don't get caught out!
We had to collect a boat today for a customer and bring it down to Norbury for some work to be done, I dropped one of our local boat owners off to steer it back for us and then preceded to drive back my self, I thought I would take a slight detour past the Anchor pub but was stopped by two official looking people, they informed me that the bridge was closed due to a burst pipe, well I was amazed when I took a look. the bridge underneath was like a giant colander, there was water coming from every crack in the mortar and brick work, it was a right sorry sight, they informed me that BWB had been up earlier in the day and done nothing about it, then then informed me that the canal would need to be closed at the bridge for safety reasons, the boat managed to nip through before any official closure took place, if you are intending on coming on to the Shroppie I would phone BWB to make sure that all is OK.
That's it from me for today.
Simon
Its all in the preparation! A successful cruise in the winter is all about preparing yourself and the boat, firstly and the most obvious is to make sure that the steerer is wearing proper winter clothing, you often see people just wearing a jacket and jeans, the cold can be debilitating and when you are stood for several hours steering a boat in the cold it can be very tiring as well, even if you are lucky enough to have a roaring back cabin fire by your feet! I find that sailing gear is great and really keeps the wind out as well as the cold, when I boat in the winter I also wear wet weather leggings as you can guarantee that every lock your bum comes in to contact with will be wet, and a good pair of gloves is a must! Preparing the boat is something that most people take for granted but if done properly then it should perform without any issue, a winter engine service is a good idea and a clean set of fuel filters should be top of the list as well as making sure that the batteries are in tip top condition, the cold weather plays havoc with a poor set of batteries and will reduce there capacity very quickly, make sure you have full gas bottles, full water tank, empty toilet tank and plenty of supplies as you never know where you might end up being stuck, taking a few simple steps will enhance the winter boating experience and not make it a night mare.
Today started off very cold again, the car was covered in ice this morning and so was the car park at work, the canal isn’t frozen over as yet but another couple of nights of sub zero temperatures will I am sure start the canal freezing over, it needs to be very cold indeed before any significant amount of ice will form on the canal and hinder the navigation, lets hope we don’t have a repeat of last years weather, by this time last year we had several inches of ice on the 'cut' and that pretty much stopped all navigation up here on the 'Shroppie'
This weather does start to slow down the progress that the lads are making with regards to working on the boats but the sun shining does make it a little more bearable and today the sun has shone all day so although it has been a cold day at least it hasn’t been a miserable wet and windy day and the lads have all cracked on with maintenance on the boats.
I see that David has done a Facebook link, a 'like' button on our websites and also reinstated the Twitter page, well done David, I know it wasn’t easy, hopefully it will all help to improve our exposure and widen our audience, so everyone out there, try and help us out by clicking on any of our links, it really helps with pushing us up the Google listing.
That’s it from me for today, I hope you all keep warm tonight, its gonna be another cold one!
Simon
It is now my intention to share our blog everyday using these excellent social platforms to allow us to reach a much wider audience and let people know whats happening in and around Norbury. I am sure that it will take some explaining to Simon, so it could be an entertaining week - but I will get him there eventually.
We started with pre-night out drinks in Wharf Cottage at Norbury. The taxi driver had to join us too as he was half an hour early. We then made the journey to a Casino in Hanley where we enjoyed a three course meal, followed by the chance to play on the roulette, black jack and poker tables. There were also other card games going on around us aswell as electronic gaming machines. It was a good atmosphere, complimented by the rather interesting singer/cabaret (no Lorraine wasn’t on top form at that point!).
I think that everyone that did do a bit of dabbling (sorry gambling) actually came away with as much (or more) than what they went with.
I wanted to get some pictures, but unfortunately I didn’t catch that many good shots, but here is a collection of some of the better ones.
Lorraine certainly kept us uplifted in the minibus on the way back to Norbury with her own rendition of “Que Sara Sara”! She really should think about auditioning for the X factor as she would keep thousands of entertained.
All-in-all a good night was had by all, but we have all been a bit slow at work today. So I too will apologise if any of our customers think that we weren’t our normal selves…
I think we will all be in for an early night tonight.
Best regards,
David
I’m sorry that there I didn’t put a blog entry on yesterday, but it’s difficult to find something to write about everyday, this time of year, now that we have been plunged into the winter. Although work is progressing on the winter maintenance on the fleet, nothing “exciting” tends to happen to inspire us to write a long and interesting blog entry. I do know that we have comments that even the mundane daily chores of ours are of interest to outsiders and people that spend much of their time working in the “city”! So, we do honestly try hard to be inspired.
We had four boats come back yesterday, which Fred dually turned around for the next time that they go out. One of the reasons that we do this is that it’s never a good idea to leave their fuel tanks virtually empty, as this increases the chances of condensation, fuel contamination and the likelihood of the Diesel Bug. We also pump the toilet holding tanks out, due to the fact that the sediment will settle to the bottom of the tank making the tanks incredibly difficult to pumpout, flush out and keep clean. It also gives us a chance to look over the boats and if there are any problems, they can be identified and rectified before the boats are next used.
Phoenix was collected by Mr and Mrs Webster, they are regulars here at Norbury and avid blog readers. I do hope that they have a good fortnight away and that the ice doesn’t impound them whilst they are away from Norbury.
Graham was busy putting a new complete stern gear into the boat that we currently have on the dock. He has also now finished plating the one-side of our new dayboat Bounty.
This is how the steel prior to overplating, that deemed it necessary!
And this is how it looks this evening.
Mick has been getting on with the winter maintenance on the fleet, though today he has been putting all the external fittings back onto The Arkenstone. She now needs an internal clean and she will be ready for the customer to collect. Here’s a rather late picture taken this evening of her in all of her glory. I think that you will quite rightly agree that she looks splendid.
The tea room has quietened right off now, but Lorraine did have a busy spell earlier, when she had to call on Ange’s assistance as she virtually had a queue out the door and food orders coming out of her ears. It’s so difficult to plan how busy we are going to be, and to be honest I expected it to be very quite this morning due to the wind in the early hours of the morning, but it just shows how wrong you can be!
Anyway, it’s time to get locked up before all of the light has disappeared.
Until next time.
Best regards,
David
The Making of a Boaters’ Manifesto
It seemed like a good idea at the time... Kevin Blick, a former canal magazine editor challenged me about some negative comments about BW and the new Trust I had been making on Twitter and Facebook – we need something positive he said.
While I don’t withdraw any of my reservations about BW and the Canal and River Trust I could see that boaters, and especially those who live on the system or spend much of their lives on the water did need to face the new reality of the Trust and tell those creating it what was needed.
So was born the Boaters’ Manifesto. I asked for contributions online, some of you may have seen my request on Norbury’s Facebook page, and then I put them all together. Everyone looked at it again and we fine-tuned it before the manifesto, created by a group of boaters, was sent to the Transition Trustees, the IWA and the members of the parliamentary waterways group.
It is now being discussed by the IWA and members of the parliamentary waterways group and a direct meeting is planned with the Transition Trustees of the proposed new Canal and River Trust.
THE MANIFESTO
It says that waterways are about boats and boaters and the Canal and River Trust needs to listen to boaters more closely and have more representatives on the board.
It also demands that before the Trust accepts the legal burden of running the waterways it must ensure proper funding to keep all waterways open, navigable and properly maintained, otherwise it should refuse to do so.
Most controversially, the manifesto says boaters have lost faith in the most senior management of British Waterways and believe that the government should accept the cost of making them redundant to give the Canal and River Trust and fresh start.
Contractors also come under fire and the manifesto says the Canal and River Trust must develop a system of working that values full time paid staff and their skills above the expediency of using cheap contractors in order to maintain the skilled workforce the waterways require.
The manifesto asks the Trust to enforce a simplified set of mooring rules across the entire waterways system without fear or favour and to make it a priority to ensure non-boating users of the system make a financial contribution to its upkeep.
The manifesto also wants the Trust to ensure it is open to Freedom of Information Act requests and suggests that those who live on their boats, several thousand people, should be clearly represented at board level and consulted on all navigational issues.
RESPONSE
One of the Transition Trustees, John Dodwell took an interest in the first draft of the manifesto abd told organisers: “I agree with you that waterways need boats as much as boats need waterways. The role of boat owners and others in saving the waterways is undisputed.”
John says the Trust’s Council needs a good representation of passionate and knowledgeable boat owners but does not agree that the five currently suggested is inadequate.
He also doesn’t envisage the Trustees turning down the deal if inadequate funds are forthcoming from Defra. He said: “Personally, I can’t see that the Government will fill the gap to the extent that everything is perfect and there is then no need to seek donations etc.
One key demand of the manifesto is that the Trust should not have the current BW directors at the helm. John Dodswell has told the organisers: “Sorry but getting rid of the current directors now – in the midst of much change – doesn’t make business sense to me. Let’s get the handover to CRT completed first!”
He also seems to believe that contractors will still be doing much work for the Trust, saying: “Bear in mind that central contracts mean using bulk buying power to reduce costs. They provide flexibility.”
On the Freedom of Information Act John says: “At one level, the charity world is worried that if the Act applies to this Trust, then it will affect other charities; not being Government agencies, charities are not generally covered by the Act. At another level, the Trust would anyway follow closely the spirit of the Act.”
Anyone who wants to check out the Boaters’ Manifesto can find it here http://peterunderwood.blogspot.com/ along with John Dodwell’s comments in full or here www.facebook.com/groups/boatersmanifesto/ or on its own website here http://boatersmanifesto.weebly.com/index.html where you can add your name to a petition in favour of it.
DIFFICULT
I think the manifesto is a worthwhile document and gives a voice to real boaters – well I would, wouldn’t I?
Getting it together has been interesting, especially as the contributions have all been made online and opinions vary according to perspective. I am pleased that we have got agreement from such a disparate bunch on a simple set of demands.
If the Transition Trustees can move some way towards us there is a tremendous reward in sight for the new charity because experienced boaters who spend much if not all of their lives on the system have already got a great deal of personal and financial capital invested in it.
We need to see a successful organisation running our waterways and doing so in a way that allows our investment to remain worthwhile. If the Canal and River Trust can convince us they are the people to do that here is a great wealth of enthusiasm, commitment and knowledge amongst boaters that can be tapped in a way that BW could never manage.
My next task is to put together a team to present the Manifesto to the trustees from amongst boaters I have only met electronically, each speaking on a section of the manifesto and possibly doing so from a variety of BW regional offices on a video link.
Remind me again why I started this?
