Keeping an open mind

If someone asked me for just one thing that I have learnt since I started working here at Norbury some seven years ago, it would have to be "keeping an open mind". I wouldn't say that I used to judge people, situations etc. on first impressions, but I have learnt that you have to allow things to grow on you over a period of time.

The latest "platform" that has grown on me is Twitter... I first Tweeted (as it's apparently called by Twitterer's!) was back in August 2009 when I setup @norburywharfltd. I don't think that I pushed it as hard as I should have done as other things were on our minds. So by December 2010 I allowed it to lay dormant with just thirty odd Followers. So when Simon and I were approached and asked to start Tweeting again, I must say that I was a bit apprehensive. It soon became apparent that it needed someone else on our side and probably a new and improved Twitter profile, so we enrolled the help of a good friend who agreed to take on the job and knows what's what. The new profile just had to be @norburynewsnow, which fits in incredibly well with our first recent monthly release of Norbury News (available upon request david@norburywharfltd.co.uk). Be it the weather, stoppages, restrictions, updates, news, offers, gossip - we've got it all. The good thing with Twitter is that it also sends Tweets via a text message to your mobile phone, so no matter where you are you can keep upto date with everything that is going on.

I must admit that I find it difficult to let go of something that I have helped to setup. There's also three of us now who are admins on our Facebook group, as it is just impossible for one person to keep on top of it all and keep up with the questions that we are asked - let alone letting you all know what we have been upto. My time is much more valued in the office these days, even being out on the yard seems to be a thing of the past - although Bernard and Fred manage to encourage me out on occasions. So if you haven't already, sign up with Twitter and start following @norburynewsnow.

Simon and I do try to write a blog each day, which I know Simon has mentioned in the past is just sometimes impossible. It's six o' clock now and I'm still waffling on about Twitter, but I just wanted you all to know that we are working hard to improve our service and try to offer some of the best prices available.

Talking of prices... Simon has been to a trade show in Birmingham today. He's been after new suppliers for the stock in the shop, so we can offer different toys, gifts and confectionery for this up and coming season. It's not easy, but I can assure you that we are working hard at it!

Anyway, I best be off home or else Annie will think that I have deserted her.

Best regards,

David.

Bloody cold!

It is sometimes difficult to convey in words a scene that you see everyday and maybe take for granted, it is even harder when the person reading the description might have never seen the place before, I say this as this blog is read by a wide audience and I wish that had the time to put photos on when ever I see something outstanding.

Today started with me reluctantly peeling back the curtains to an amazing scene, I really did think it had snowed again, although I only live six miles away and we did not escape the snow like Norbury did so this morning it was a wintery scene that covered the land scape, my drive to work was like driving through an avenue of snow covered trees, the hedgerows were were like icing covered cakes and the roads were like ice rinks! the road in to Norbury was particularly bad and I seemed to skate my way in to work, upon arrival the locks were frozen solid and it took several minutes of a lighter flame on them to make them free up, as the day wore on the temperature just about made it up to 0 degrees, (the lowest temperature here last night was -12) I had to go out this afternoon and the trees were still heavily laden with ice and the hedgerows were still like icing sugar cover cakes, as I was driving back along the main road from Newport some four miles away the scene over the fields was like something out of a fairy tale, in the distance across the open fields stood a completely white covered village surrounded by green fields that were not covered in frost or snow, Norbury stands a little higher than the surrounding area so it is a bit more exposed and as such it feels the extremes in the weather, It looked stunning I just wish that I had a camera to snap the scene, The temperatures are set to plummet again tonight so if you are out and about take care, if you are on a boat get that fire stoaked right up, I know that as soon as I get home I will be turning the central heating up, lighting a roaring fire and locking Jack frost out for the night.

Until tomorrow
Simon

White stuff!

Where on earth did that lot come from over the weekend, don't panic about your boats here at Norbury because we only had the lightest dusting of snow here but elsewhere there was a right proper covering of the white stuff, I was in the Derbyshire peaks this weekend and that didn't escape the snow, we had about 6" where I was staying and once we got up in to the hills there was considerably more, in one place it was up to my knees, thankfully this was only drifts and it did not impede our progress, today started cold but not really freezing like the weekend where temperatures were down to minus 10 at Norbury, in fact it was that cold in the Peaks that the drinks in my car had frozen over night! the day brightened up towards lunch time and know we have such a 'pea souper' out there, believe it or not I cannot see the British waterways service block on the opposite side of the canal.

Its been quite a busy day today, pretty much boring stuff really, nothing exciting has happened other than i have got to get off as I need to go and look at a boat stuck in a field that we need to organise a crane and transport to move, so that's it from me for today, I hope you all have a safe night if you are out and about.

Regards
Simon

Search for forgotten family foods

Is there a meal you remember your mother, or even your grandmother making that you never seem to see these days? If there is, the traditional tearoom at Norbury Wharf is keen to hear about it – and it could win you a free day out for 10 people on the beautiful Shropshire Union Canal.

The tearoom, already a favourite with visitors who enjoy the waterside views and observing the passing boats, wants to revive interest in the forgotten foods of the past.

All customers and internet followers are being asked to dig deep in their memories to recall the meals that delighted them as children.

It might be a meal you recall sharing you're your parents as a child, such as faggots and grey peas or a family speciality.

It could be the proper version of dishes that have become a shadow of their former selves such as steak and kidney pudding or Victoria sponge. Whatever it is you can help the tearoom to start a collection preserving the flavours of the past.

Lorraine Bailey, who runs the tearoom, said: "We operate in a very historic location here at Norbury on a canal system over 200 years old and we have a lot of customers who appreciate the traditional way of doing things.

"With fast food and ready meals we are in danger of forgetting some of the great flavours of the past so we want peoples' recipes and memories of when they enjoyed a particular speciality.

"The one we like best will win a trip in one of our day boats for up to 10 people and we are hoping to serve up some of the recipes in the tearoom as specials to see what our customers think of the forgotten foods of Britain. We’ll name the dishes after those who told us about them."

Norbury Wharf’s Ltd’s new magazine is already featuring some forgotten foods – currently Bath Chaps, a type of cured pork, made with pig cheeks.

If you remember a delightful dish from your youth, just e-mail Norbury with the recipe and something about your memories of eating it. Send your e-mails to info@norburywharfltd.co.uk and put Forgotten Foods in the subject line.

Alternatively write to them at Forgotten Foods, Norbury Wharf Ltd, The Wharf, Norbury Junction, Staffordshire ST20 0PN.

The one that best hits the spot will win a free trip on one of Norbury’s day boats for up to 10 people, during which you can explore the lovely Shropshire Union Canal.

This competition closes at the end of March and the winner must take their trip mid week during April 2012.

If all this talk of traditional dishes has whetted your appetite you may want to know more about the Norbury Wharf tea room.

It may be traditional but it is far from being in the dark ages, with free WiFi access and a free internet terminal.

It is a favourite with cyclists and walkers as is fully licensed and always offers a range of homemade cakes.

It is open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea and customers can catch up with the canal news from the shop copies of the waterways magazines and national newspapers.

Advice for potential and existing narrowboat owners is always on-hand from canal experts Simon Jenkins and David Ray.

That was a cold one. Brrrr...

When I got up this morning the boat didn't rock at all and as I was standing in the bathroom brushing my teeth there was a large crack as the ice gave way and allowed Ant to lean slightly to the side that I was standing. After a strong cup of coffee I flung the doors open and let Annie out, she resisted at first and I soon realised why once I had put my boots on and looked outside myself. It was freezing... A good three inches of ice formed last night down the arm.

Simon has finished the engine service off on a boat that we have had in and then we've been lighting heating systems and checking boats over. The plummeting temperatures have certainly made the boats very cold inside.

Mick has done a few of the checks on the boats and has been working on a private boat this afternoon.

Ember and Debdale have been collected today and we have also got people in the cottage.

There's not much more to report really.

Best regards,

David.

Makes a change

It does make a change when the weather forecasters get it right and they have certainly done so this week, it dropped much colder yesterday and last night was bitter, when i left home this morning it was measuring -6 in my car, it did warm up a bit by the time I arrived at work, it was -5 fortunately the sun has been beating down the rays all day and I mean beating down! it has lifted the temperature to a massive 0 degrees! It could get colder over the weekend, I hope you have all protected your boats against this cold snap as it might just have caused some damage if not.

Sorry I didn't write up the blog yesterday as we were incredibly busy, today has been a busy day but not like yesterday, Billy has been finishing off the shared boats and going around our fleet and running engines and heating systems up to put a bit of warmth in to them, Matt has been painting Windsor, Steve has been finishing off bits of trimming on different boats, Simon has been fitting a sump drain pump on to Debdale, that's a bit of an unusual design, the front deck drains through two metal tubes welded in to the front deck and then it goes through a central channel and to the back of the boat to the engine bilge, any water is then pumped out over the side with the bilge pump, unfortunately it looks like the central pipe has corroded which has caused the inner bilge to keep filling up with water, so we have fitted two new deck drains, some flexible hose which goes to an automatic bilge pump which is mounted in a box and then any water gets pumped out over the side of the boat, As long as the owners keep the filter clear it will perform perfectly, after Simon had finished fitting that he then went out to Phantom that decided it wasn't going to start for the people that are on it, once he had returned he then started an engine service on a private boat, David has been messing with his computer for most of the day ( I think it is just an excuse to stay in the warm!) Angela has managed to stay in the warm all day, me on the other hand have been out and about picking up bits and bobs for the boats and freezing my ........ off!

That's it from me for this week, I Hope what ever you are doing you have a safe and warm weekend.
Simon

Bracing!

To say that it is bracing is somewhat of an understatement, i thought yesterday was cold but today is even colder, we are lucky in as much as the sun has been shining all day and apart from the bitter cold it has been a stunning day here at Norbury, the temperature over night dropped down to around minus six yet there didn't seem much frost around on my way in to work this morning, the boats however had a hard frost covering them, the canal has no ice on it apart from the sheltered parts like our slip way, the sun has been shining all day which had melted the frost by around ten this morning, I just hope that the temperatures pick up by the weekend or we might have to consider draining the boats down!

It has been a very quiet day today, there doesn't seem to be much pattern at the moment, last week we were very busy and yet this week is the opposite and is very quiet, the lads on the other hand have been busy today, Fred, Simon and Bernard have docked Sphinx today for its winter hull maintenance, Fred has pressure washed it, David will ultrasound the hull tomorrow to see if it needs any plating, Bernard has been on all sorts of things, mainly in engine rooms, Simon is still getting to know his way around the place, Arron has been concreting mooring spikes and rings in on the new moorings which are looking excellent, another few weeks and they will be finished, just a new electric point to install and the water, Matt has been painting Reflection and that is ready now to come out of the dock, Micky is on his gas refresher course in Wales,Angela has been doing paperwork while Lorraine has been out cleaning boats, and that about sums up the activity for today.

David is back in tomorrow and we will all be working hard to finalise the new Norbury news letter and the contacts that want to receive it and this week we have a couple of boats due to go out so we will be a bit busier come Friday and Saturday.

That's it from me for today, I'm off home to put my feet up by a roaring fire and thaw my hands out, I hope you all stay warm.
Simon