Linky

Another blowy day here at Norbury today, well at least it hasn't rained, snowed or anything else horrible, but that wind seems relentless, it plays havoc with boating on a narrow boat too, which is a shame as we have had two shared owned boats go out this afternoon, good luck to them!

Its been very busy here yet again today, we had a meeting this morning just to finalise some details for a company that is going to design our new website, that will keep us busy for the next few weeks in sorting out photos and new material for it, the new site will also be containing much much more so keep your eyes open for it, but apart from that meeting this morning its just been a generally busy day, the tea room has seen some traffic today which is good and we have had our fair share of people through the door and on the phone which has kept the office buzzing all day.

In response to a comment off an earlier blog, here is the link to our eBay shop Norbury eBay shop and I am really pleased to say that it is going great and we have been selling all sort, we are adding items to it on a daily basis so keep visiting it for updates and some bargains as we start to go through our stores and workshops too!

Regards
Simon

blowing a hoolie

What a busy day it has been here at Norbury today.
The phones have not stopped ringing, not that we are complaining but when there are only 2 of us in the office/tea room it makes life a little bit difficult. I interviewed a lady yesterday to work full time in the shop, tea room, cleaning boats and a general dogsbody, her name is Lynn and she will be starting next Wednesday, the plan was to have her start on 2 days a week throughout February and then start full time from the beginning of March...........change of plan, as long as she likes us and we like her, which I'm sure we will she will be full time the following week ;-)
I have been quite busy in the tea room today, in between customers I was spring cleaning Quartz as she was moored outside the tea room....very handy, I brought all of her inventory into the tea room to wash and check, went to put it all back on and the boat was gone..........she couldn't have been further away, right at the end of the pack, well I had to give that job up and carry on with service washes, putting items on E bay which is proving to be something worth doing as we sold more items over night, all packed up this morning and in the post with Blanche (the paper lady) this morning, she is a star.
Simon has been whinging this afternoon because I wouldn't help him do the chandlery order for the start of the season....well I was busy doing something else, my orders for the start of the season....happy bunny. Trouble is with Simon he has everything arrive on the same day, all got to be bagged and tagged, takes forever, but since we have been displaying our chandlery items this way we have sold so much more.
Mick, David and Denise have all been on their day off today.
Simon, Fred and Steve have all been busy doing other things and I don't know what cos I've been too busy myself ;-)
not an after thought, as the title suggests it has been blowing an absolute hoolie around here today, the wind has blown that hard it has been causing havoc with the tea room door, rattling away and everytime it did I thought I had another customer .
until next time............byeeee ange.

ditto

Busy, busy,busy
Although we have not seen many customers through the door today it has been non stop.
The phone has not stopped ringing, holiday bookings, dry dock bookings, craning and transport.
There has only been Simon and Myself in the office today and I have also been in the tea room which has seen quite a lot of traffic albeit it for only the odd brekkie or tea and cakes but it has kept me busy. We have also sold a couple more things on E bay. E bay seems to be going quite well, we are not breaking any records but chandlery is selling, and some of them are only items that I put on at the weekend ;-)
David and Denise have both been on their day off today, Steve has been sorting the pipe work on Lock Cottage, Fred has been doing a bit of painting and Simon has been doing some engine work on the hire fleet.
Mick is still working on a private boat sorting out their tiling in the bathroom, he is getting there, his shoulders are aching from knocking off the old tiles, they are well and truly stuck on he says :-(
The weather here today has been quite pleasant, very mild, bit blowy at times and we had a little bit of rain around lunchtime.
I went to let Dylan out at 12 o'clock, took a radio with me just in case customers turned up while I was gone, guess what....I had just let him out, stoked my fire and the radio went off, so off I went back to the tea room.
Well that's it from me for today, sorry for the short post, not a lot going on, til next time, byeeee Ange.

Busy, busy, busy!

Its funny how things go, as mentioned the other day we have now set up an eBay shop for some of the stuff that we sell already in our shop here at Norbury, we have all been updating products each day as and when we have had time to do so, today has seen lots of activity on the site and we have sold several items, that's great news but in the background someone has to now package the items up and sort out the postage, that doesn't sound like much to do, but tag that on to all of the other jobs that we have to do it then takes twice as long to do the first job that you were doing! Well at least it makes the day go quickly! As I said in the title, its been a busy day today, Me and David had a meeting at ten, I didn't really make that meeting as I was too busy sorting out customers, David had to pretty much do that meeting by himself, we did however catch up in the afternoon and sort out the finer details, which has now led to another meeting on Thursday, it will be worth it in the end, watch this space for a change of scenery!

I see that no one has guessed the location of the last photo that David posted, Well it is Whitsunday Pie lock, this is the first wide lock down stream of Retford on the Chesterfield canal, David was lucky enough to do a bit of boating up that way in 2011 with a friend of his, i will be posting up another picture this week as soon as I have found something>

Until tomorrow
Simon

its all gone!

At last this bloody snow has all gone, we had some serious rain in the night and the temperatures have picked up a lot which has caused the snow to finally disappear, I am glad to see the back of it as it was having an adverse effect on the business as people just were not venturing out, I am glad to say that the big round orange thing has been out to play today and its been lovely, well between the showers!

Its been a bust one here today, I have felt a bit better and even managed to sell yet another boat, I, on a roll so to speak and that three in the last two weeks; Denise has had a fair few folks in the tea room today and at one stage Ange said it was manic, I think she was exaggerating a little, Steve has been in today and pumped out all of the boats, you can probably imagine the amount of water that has got in to them over this last week, and Mick has been working on a private boat today, removing bathroom tiles in readiness for a bathroom refit.

That's it from me I'm off for Sunday lunch
Simon

I'm all alone

As the title suggests I am here all on my own, Simon has gone home ill, he has sat in the corner (like a naughty boy) sniffing and snuffling all day so decided to go home early.
The tea room has been fairly quiet today so Denise went home at 3 o'clock, and it is her birthday today, so happy birthday Denise from all of us at Norbury Wharf.
David has been off today and he is also off tomorrow so I hope Simon feels a bit better in the morning as he is in work again ;-)
Fred went home at 4 o'clock as he was waiting for paint to dry so he couldn't carry on with the job in hand.
Steve went at 4 o'clock as he was finished for the day and that left just Mick and Myself.
I have been putting items on e bay all day today as well as listening to Simon complaining about being ill and Mick has been working on a private boat.
We had Pippin go out today just for 1 night and as the customer cruised through the bridge the dog decided to jump off the back of the boat and into the canal, the customer jumped straight off the back, through the ice and rescued the poor dog, i'm glad to say they are both fine.
Well that's all from me for today, Mick is waiting to lock up, so til next time byeeee, Ange. 

Today seems to have flown by.

Mick has been doing a few jobs on a couple of private boats and has recommissioned Pippin ready for it going out tomorrow. Simon has fixed an alternator that decided to fly off one of the brokerage boats and has been working on Ember this afternoon. Fred has been painting counter bands on both Phantasy and Quartz which are in the dry dock and has been doing some paint work on Ember in the paint shop.

Ange and I have been in the shop today. We've been catching up on paperwork and adding more items to our ebay shop LOOK http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Norbury-Wharf-Limited

Simon has been out and about looking at boats, although he has officially been off today!

Best regards,

David.

freezing cold

Hi all, it has been really cold here today. I went back to my boat at lunchtime today to let Dylan out and to stoke the fire up, when I had the door open whilst emptying the ash pan the wind was howling and I was dithering as it was so cold, I soon had the door shut and Dylan was warm again for the afternoon ;-) bless him.
We have been reasonably quiet here today, but we have had a few people in for gas, diesel and coal and I have even had a couple of people in the tea room, albeit it just for tea and cake.
Simon and I have plodded on with putting goods for sale on E Bay, it is so time consuming when we have such a lot of items for sale in our chandlery but we are getting there.
Engineer Simon has been continuing with winter engine services on the hire fleet and Fred has been doing a bit of painting and blacking and generally complaining about everything.
Ember has had her boat safety certificate done today and she passed I'm glad to say.
David, Mick and Denise have all been off today which has just left Simon and Me in the office today.
Sorry the blog is so short but there really is nothing else to say for today, until next time byeeee ange.

Ghost town

As you can imagine, this weather has killed the little bit of trade that was about and that goes for everyone I reckon, There has been no movement on the canals in this neck of the woods and that is nothing to do with them being iced up either, although it is freezing cold here the canals have not iced over as yet, there is a little bit down the arm but nothing to stop movement, everyone must be tucked up by their fires, and I don't blame them, given the option I would do the same, so at the moment Norbury is a bit like a ghost town!

We have had some great response from the guess the picture-location, but as yet no one has guessed where the picture of the double lock is that David posted last time, I wont divulge it just yet, I will give it until Thursday to see if any one gets it.

Although it is quiet on the wharf it hasn't been so in the office and the holiday bookings are trickling in nicely, I didn't post a blog yesterday as there was only me David and Steve in and Steve left early, followed by me and the David shut the doors early too, today we have a few more folk in and they have all been kept busy on boats in the docks, well at least they are out of the cold!

Regards
Simon

E-bay

Well as yet no one has identified where the picture was from yesterdays blog. Come on guys and girls, one of you well travelled folk must know what lock it is... I'll wait to see the responses flooding in!

Well it was another cold night last night. I believe the temperature dipped down to about -5°C which made the roads around here a bit slippery first thing. One of our moorers had a bit of a job to get her car up the drive in front of the pub and onto the road this morning. So, Steve and I; armed with Landrover and rope, pulled her well up onto the road so she could head off to work. Soon later the surveyor who was surveying the boat on the dock got his van stuck on the bridge over the arm. All hands on deck again and we soon had him over the bridge.

Mick (Mr. Handbag) and Steve undocked Summer Wine first thing and soon had Galadriel on the dock for her pre purchase survey. Mick has jetted her off this afternoon ready for blacking during the early part of the week. Steve has been doing some internal work on Summer Wine and headed off home early.

Mick and I moved one of our regular customer's boats down onto the embankment this afternoon ready for their return. The wind was howling across the embankment and it was snowing hard, but we soon reversed her down and tied her up safely. Good job the boat has got a powerful engine!

There's white stuff falling from the sky again now. I've just heard the weather forecast and it sounds like it set in for the night. 

We've decided to make the most of our E-bay shop that we have had for the past three or four years. Previously we have only advertised discounted hire boat holidays, dayboats, batteries and Ecofans on there. Following the success of this we have decided to make more items available. I'm not confident we have got it right at the moment but I am sure Simon will prove me wrong in the long term... Tell us what you want to see for sale and we will see what we can do! Don't forget to ask if you can't see what you're looking for - I'm sure we will have it hidden away here somewhere or can order it in within a couple of days. Our aim is to have everything advertised that we sell in the shop (and more), but as you can imagine this takes time - so visit regularly for updates.

Visit our E-bay shop by CLICKING HERE.

Have you booked your narrowboat holiday for the February half term yet? We have got some fantastic discounts on offer on our website. Out of your budget? All sensible offers considered!!! Call us now on 01785 284292 or email bookings@norburyhire.co.uk.

Search, view availability and book a hire boat or dayboat by CLICKING HERE.

Anyway, to brighten up your day and remind you what those summer days look like, heres a picture that shows the butty boat Cedar (steered by Karen Parrott) being pulled out of the top lock at Hillmorton by Clover (steered by yours truly) on the afternoon of Sunday 26th June 2011. It was a glorious day that was. We were returning from the annual gathering of historic boats at Braunston Marina.

The paired locks at Hillmorton let the motor and butty pass through simultaneously, thus saving time. The procedure is as follows: As the locks empty the butty's mast rope is passed over the mitre in the bottom gates and taken to the steps below the motors lock. As the motor passes out of the lock the steerer picks up the line and takes a turn on the motors dollies. Once the slack has been taken up in the line and the butty begins to move forwards the line is made fast and the motor pulls the butty down to the next lock. In theory you ensure the next pair of top gates are open to allow both motor and butty to enter. 

P.S. There was a boat coming uphill, hence why I left the gates open. A kind passer by closed the butty's gates behind us.

Hope you have a good evening.

Best regards,

David.

Pictures today

It was so cold and quiet yesterday that by 4pm Denise, Mrs. Handbag, Fred and Simon had already gone home, so we decided to shut up shop and retire to the pub to get warm in front of the roaring fire! But business doesn't stop when we shut the doors, we were soon talking "shop" to a customer off of our moorings who is currently having work done and selling coal to another local...

There were threats of more snow during the night, but we only had a light sprinkle although that seemed to top up what was already covering anything that sat still. The roads have now become quite slippery as the snow has compacted down and frozen. I dropped a friend back to Gnosall in the Landrover last night and there was a car in the ditch between the two aqueducts. We stopped just to make sure no one was still in the car, but there were footprints leading away, so I can only hope they got out unscathed. 

There's only a few of us in today, Mick, Fred, Denise and Ange. There's not much point having a full workforce in on a day like today!

I've taken some pictures of the snow on some of the boats in the basin for you today. So here goes.

Princess.

Still Dreaming.

Sphynx and Phantom.

Defiant.

Ange has been busy reorganising the shop and we have decided to have a bit of a Sale. Well it is January... Everything on this stand is now for sale at half the marked price. I think the cross stitches are a real bargain! Pop in and see what is on offer...

Here's a teaser for you well travelled folk. On which canal was this picture taken and can you name the lock?

That's it from me today.

Have a good evening.

Best regards,

David.

Wharfcam

We now have our very own webcam on the Wharf at Norbury, known as the Wharfcam. It can be accessed by clicking on the image below. But please remember to access using the username: guest and password: guest.

Have fun and let me know your thoughts...

Regards,

David

Another Piccy

I really didn't think that anyone would know where the pictures were taken, well done Adam it is indeed the Chichester ship canal in West Sussex, here is a bit of history and a link to a site all about it http://chichestercanal.org.uk/canal-history.php

 What is known today as the Chichester Canal is in fact part of the former Portsmouth & Arundel Canal. This was opened in 1823 and consisted of a 12-mile canal from Ford on the River Arun to Salterns and a shorter cut from Langstone Harbour to Portsmouth Harbour, connected together by a 13-mile dredged ‘bargeway’ through the natural harbours and channels between them. Intended as a key link in a through route to London via the River Arun Navigation, Wey & Arun Junction Canal, River Wey and River Thames, it was not a success. By the time it was built, there was no real need for an inland route as larger and better ships, coupled with an end to hostilities with France, meant that the coastal route was an easier and cheaper option. One of the few regular through cargoes carried was gold bullion from Portsmouth to the Bank of England, with armed guards on the barges.


Here is an easy picture for you to identify  

 Regards Simon

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr again

I know they said it was coming but I suppose you really expect it to be that cold, Well I can assure you it is 'that cold' I think as I am getting older I must be feeling it a bit more! -7 last night and -4 here this morning, just a little bit of ice on the canal at the moment so nothing too stop any boats moving, here is a picture of the boats first thing as I was opening up.

On the drive in this morning the roads were fine but it was quite foggy, that heavy moist fog that makes everything it touches go white, the trees, the hedges the cars, just about anything that is above the ground, its been below freezing all day today and they reckon on the radio that it could get down to -10 tonight! Gawd that's cold


Mega busy today, loads of people in the shop and tea room, lots of people on the wharf (well compared to normal at this time of year) and generally just a pleasant vibe about the place, Fred and his mate Mick have been moving boats in preparation for docking tomorrow and Sunday, if this cold snap carries on then we want the boats within easy reach of the dry dock so that we are not breaking loads of thick ice, Simon has been on draining down duties and engine servicing and Steve has been making new rear doors for a hire boat and repairing a soggy floor on a boat.

I was surprised to see only one person had a guess at the canal location, does any one else have any ideas?

I have plenty more photos to post so please get guessing even if its a stab in the dark.

Simon

Picture identification

On occasion I am going to post a picture of an interesting canal/river location, see if you can guess where it is, its just for fun and no prizes given, lets see who is the most travelled! Be careful as there will be a few unusual ones in there! see above and the one below.


It was snowing, sleeting, hailing, and raining on my way home last night, it was a vile evening, I was hoping that the temperature would warm up but it went the other way and dropped below freezing making the roads hazardous this morning, I had trouble opening my car door this morning and when I got to work the areas around the shop were like a skating ring, the canal was covered in thin ice and all of the boats were covered in snow and ice, this makes it really tricky when working with boats and everyone has had to be really careful around them today, the sun did come out mid morning, but by 2pm the sun was seriously strong in the uncluttered blue sky, if it had only been a few degrees warmer I would have though about sun bathing it was seriously that nice.

Its been quite busy here, again nothing too interesting, Simon has been on lots of different jobs, Starting a private boat first that sounds like it has a dead starter battery, this time of year does highlight poor batteries (remember we do a superb deal on batteries) he then removed a duff water pump off another boat, one that has just been sold, he then went on to servicing the hire fleet, Mick has been doing internal work on a shared owned boat, Freddy has been trying to stay warm, but he has been in the dry dock, blacking, painting and cleaning out a water tank ready for a new coat of water tank black, Ange is still doing stock taking, in between cooking breakfasts (the smell is so nice) shame I am on a diet! I have been up to all sorts of stuff, mainly trying to sort out a schedule for the amount of work that we seem to be booking in at the moment, It is at this time of year that people start to think about getting work done on their boats prior to the fast approaching spring, I have also been trawling through CV's looking for our next helper in the shop and tea room.

As mentioned at the start of the blog, take a look at these photos and guess what canal and where it is, I will post the answer in a couple of days.

this second picture is the same canal.

Regards
Simon

Brrrrrrrrrr!

I can  put my hand on my heart and say that I had every intention of taking some photos of the scenery this morning when I saw the snow coming down in flurries last night as I went to bed, I got up this morning and was in two minds as to weather I was disappointed or pleased that the snow was disappearing fast its lovely to see the snow covered country side but it does make our job hard work, any way by the time we had morning coffee the the rain had pretty much dispersed the snow covered boats and wharf and it has just turned in to a very cold and wet day!

Its been quite busy here today, the poor weather has meant that we haven't had folks in there droves but none the less its kept me, David and Denise busy all day, I even sold a boat today as well as some hire bookings, booked a few jobs in to the work shops as well as all of the other usual stuff that gets done on a daily basis; its that cold now I can hardly feel my fingers as I type this blog, so that's it from me I'm off to warm my hands up.

Simon

Snow

The snow has started, is it going to last? The weather reports say that we are going to have 2-3 inches during the night and I have just been talking to some friends who have driven up from London and apparently all the display boards on the motorway are warning drivers of snow.

It would be nice to have a little bit, but we don't want it to last for weeks. I'd imagine as well that the melt water could also cause a lot of problems with flooding again and we certainly don't want that!

Today has seen Mick working on one of the brokerage boats, followed by swapping the boats in the painting dock with Steve and checking some electrics on a private boat. Steve is now on varnishing duties... He has done the necessary varnishing on Phantasy and has now moved on to Quartz. Denise has been working in the tearoom and Ange has been in the shop but they have both been busy stocktaking between customers. It's an arduous task is Stock taking, but it has to be done!

Regards,

David.

The Monkey Man

We seem to have got into a regular routine on a Friday of visiting the Cock Inn at Woodseaves after work for a couple of pints. Last night was no different although there was only Simon and myself from work, Sue and Vic who are regular customers of ours and two of Simon's friends from Southampton... It really is a cracking pub, two roaring fires, good beer and plenty of locals who can seem to get you anything from some vegetables to a brace of Pheasants. It is a shame that we have to drive to it really or I think we would take up residence until kicking out time. I suppose we could tie in the cutting up by the High Bridge although the Double Culvert bridge is nearer and there is a track that leads up into the village, but it's dark and dank there and quite depressing at this time of the year! You'd have to look out for the Monkey Man though.

One night last summer we decided to have an outing on Lorraine's boat to Shebdon, turn round, have a drink at the Anchor and head back to Norbury. Denise's better half; Mike, was steering and we were all sat in the well deck at the fore end of the boat. The light was fading quickly and by the time we got to the Double Culvert bridge it had gone altogether. I was telling the girls about the alleged Monkey Man who is reputed to lurk in the dingy woods surrounding the High Bridge and jump out on boatman as they passed beneath the bridge. As we approached the High Bridge I said that I was going to go and keep Mike company on the stern end of the boat. When I got to the rear of the boat I turned off the trip switches for all of the lights and the hi-fi, plunging them into sudden darkness and an eerie quietness. The girls all screamed! Seconds later I turned everything back on and then they realised it was me!!!

Theres more about the Monkey Man here.

It's been a cold day here at Norbury today. Lots going on behind the scenes but unfortunately not very much activity on the Wharf. Let's hope we don't get the promised snow...

Regards,

David

Thursday 10th

Foggy day springs to mind as I sit in the office typing today's blog, When I left last night at 5.30 my car windscreen had ice on it and the temperature had dropped really quickly in the afternoon, this morning saw thick fig at home and on the way to work and it is still here this afternoon, the air is moist and heavy today and very very cold, I suspect that we are in for sub zero temperatures later on tonight!

Not a busy day here today, plenty of paperwork to keep me busy, a meeting at noon, off to the bank and post office, and then quiet for the rest of the day, everyone else has been busy though, David has been in and out of the office doing various jobs, taking ultra sound readings on a boat in the dock, that is measuring the steel thickness of the hull using a clever bit of kit, and peering in to engine rooms listening to rattly engines; Simon has mostly been on engine servicing on the fleet, Fred has been showing the new chap the ropes, Mick is his name or 'Mr man bag' as he told me people are calling him, I had to smile as he is the other half to 'Mrs hand bag'! Mick will hopefully be Fred's replacement when he eventually retires, Denise has been quite busy in the tearoom today, and that my friends is it!

until maybe tomorrow.
Simon

To good to be true

I knew it was to good to be true, I am on about the weather, it has been a fantastic few days here at Norbury, spring like, the birds have been tweeting, the sun has been shining, but then this afternoon it all ended and the rain returned, such a pity! we knew it wouldn't last but at least it has given us a taste of things to come, hopefully!

Its been another busy one here today, as it was yesterday, hence the lack of a blog yesterday! believe it or not we had three day boats out today, the customers were a great bunch, thirty people in total who departed in the direction of High Onn to wind around and return to the Navigation pub for lunch, they mostly returned in good spirits and full of cheer, yes i did say cheer and not beer, Fred has been busy blacking and painting, Mick has been doing internal works on a shared owned boat, Simon was doing engine servicing but his Gran was rushed in to hospital so he disappeared early to be with her, I hope she is OK, leaving me and Ange to look after things in the shop and tea room, the later has seen a few folk in for a brew and a cake and the phones have kept me busy, the bookings are trickling in and its great to see returning customers booking boats, it will be good to see them when the come for their boat later in the year.

That's it from me for today.
Simon

It was an early start for me this morning. I have had my Mum and Dad over for the last couple of weeks and I had to take them to Manchester Airport this morning before I came to work. There was little traffic on the M6, but I must say that it was really foggy on the return leg.

It's been busy here at Norbury today. Ange and Denise have been busy in the tearoom today and I don't really know what I have done, but I seem to have been kept busy all day.

Mick and Steve docked one of the boats for sale this morning and Steve has pressure washed it this afternoon.

Not much to report today, I'm off home for a hot bath after injuring my leg earlier...

Regards,

David.

Today's been another Spring like day with temperatures around 11°C. The sun has been out today, and believe it or not there was even a little bit of heat in it, which I decided to sit outside and appreciate whilst I was drinking my morning cup of tea. The improvement in the weather over the last few days has confused the ducks who appear to be pairing up. There's been some very loud quacks and a lot of splashing about in the basin when to drakes decided to fight over one female. We've even got a Primrose in flower in the rockery. I reckon we are all getting lulled into a false sense of security though. I'm quite sure we will still have a cold snap before Spring arrives, although I hope it is only short...

I don't know where the day has gone today. I've been in and out of the office all day looking a jobs and sorting bits and pieces out. When I sit down at the end of the day, I sometimes can't even describe what I have done in the day, but I'm exhausted! Fred has been working on Solace in the dock. He has blacked her round today, painted her counter bands and gunnel sides. When we float her off in the morning Steve will give the gunnel tops a coat of matt black and then she will be all ready for the season. Oh... and I've still got the name to put on her...

Steve has been busy in the Wet dock putting the finishing touches to Phantasy whilst Mick has been doing gas work. Simon has virtually finished the engine service on Wolverly although I have had to order some replacement seals for the gearbox.

I was dancing with joy earlier when Ange found my box of PRM spares that I had lost earlier last year. I hunted high and low for them, but just couldn't put my hands on them. Ange found them at the back of one of the cupboards in an office that we no longer use. Heaven knows how they got there!

Denise has had a steady flow of customers in the tearoom today. Ange has manned the shop and the office and has been keeping on top of the bookings that are coming in for the hirer boats. The February half term seems to be booking well and we have only got eleven or so weeks left until Easter when we should be in full swing.

Mrs. Handbag has been plodding on with cleaning. She has finished Phoebe off and made good progress at cleaning the cottage.

That's everything for today.

Regards,

David.

almost spring like

Well it has been a very pleasant day here today at Norbury and as the title suggests "almost spring like". It was a bit dull to start with but very mild and as the day progressed the sun put in an appearance.
We had a day boat out this morning with the occupants from Wharf Cottage on board, they have been watching the weather all week and decided yesterday to go for it and hope for dry weather :-) they all enjoyed their day.
We had Pippin return to us this morning with happy occupants on board and before they went home they enjoyed a full english breakfast that was cooked by Denise. For all of you that don't know, we offer hirers a full english breakfast on your return (pre-ordered) with a tea or coffee for £3.99. Denise has seen quite a few people in the tea room today, mainly for tea and cake but she has been kept quite busy. She did have 2 elderly gentlemen in at lunch time who popped in to tell her that they were leaving a car parked on the back of the building but would be back for some lunch later. True to their word they came back for some lunch and thoroughly enjoyed it. They were reading the text at the back of the menu with regards to our staff and wanted to know if it was true or not, for those of you who haven't seen it pay us a visit or the next time I post a blog I will put it on there for you all to read....it is quite funny....but not true I hasten to add.
Fred has been busy blacking a boat today, Mick has been doing some internal works to Phantasy, David has been down to see Sue off "No Problem" trying to diagnose what is wrong with her engine and Simon has been doing normal Friday morning things, banking and shopping, and he did leave early today as he had a meeting to go to.
I have a smug look on my face again as the bookings are rolling in, we have booked another 4 weeks today, as Simon told you all yesterday I kept saying to him through December that come the new year the holidays   would start to book and I've not been wrong so far, before he went home this afternoon I said "well am I right?" I won't tell you what his answer was but I did say "wind yer neck in".
I must wind this blog up as I have just bought some rag cushions and a rug from someone who frequents Norbury and Dylan my dog doesn't appear to like them as they are being thrown all over the boat :-(
Until next time......byeeee Ange.

snow?

Now that the rain has stopped I am wondering when the snow and ice will rear its head, although after the spring like day today I cant imagine the weather turning cold, it really has been a lovely day at Norbury today, even quite warm at times!

Its been a busy one today, I shouldn't really say because Ange will be smiling from ear to ear as she kept saying through December that January would be busy with bookings for the boats, yesterday she sat taking bookings with a smug look on her face and if she had been in today she would have been the same, I don't think we are breaking any records but the bookings seem to be coming in nice and steady, as well as some dock bookings and paint jobs.

The lads have all been busy, Simon had to go out to Sue on 'No problem' as she couldn't get her new engine that we fitted last year started, Simon soon had it sorted and she duly arrived at Norbury for us to investigate the problem further, Fred and Simon docked a hire boat for some jobs and then Fred pressure washed it, while Simon fitted new anodes, rudder cup and did a bit of plating on the bottom plate, Steve has been doing some painting and internal work on Phantasy, David has been in and out of the office and on and off boats doing different bits and bobs, leaving me to man the office and Denise to do some cleaning in between looking after the tea room.

Until tomorrow
Simon