Daniel Oakley

Atalanta has spent the last few weeks in Brinklow getting a new rudder and rails from Rex Wain. We’re hoping to head off mid week to go and tow her back.

I note it is cutweb rally weekend, but we won’t have time for detour, but we;ll see how it goes. If anyone is around Napton Saturday (not sure when) we’d welcome a hand up the locks.

If you’re boating the South Oxford over the weekend, say hello and thanks for you patience if you end up behind us. We had a good trip towing Atalanta to Brinklow and manged it in 2 1/2 days from Banbury. Thanks to everyone we met for their interest and assistance, allowing is to work both boats through the locks in series.  And to the couple of boaters (out of many) who complained about us moving a butty on the canals slowing them down, keep off the canals this weekend.

More news soon I hope as Karen finds more time to update the blog with some photos.

We have had a slight list for a few weeks. This followed the discovery of a leak from the kitchen tap and a few weeks later Charlies managed to knock the kitchen sink tap one and flood the work top. So I though it was maybe time to check under the floor.

Three holes later and using an oil extraction pump, I had removed 4 gallons of water from under bedroom floor.  The holes are next to heating pipes from the eberspacher so hopefully the bottom will dry out quite quickly.

What a little poppet. I cannot believe what a great dog he is. We have always had rescued dogs and they have always come with problems, but he seems too good to be true. He is great with people, children, other dogs, good in the car, toilet trained…..why did he end up as a stray? He has been loved, I hope I dont meet his previous owners!

Here are some piccies of him settling into life on the arm..

Well here he is at last – our new dog – and a “right Charlie” he is. It has been hell without a dog (Paul will tell you how miserable I have been) but after losing 3 last year it seemed to take me a while to recover, ready to have my heart broken all over again.

He was a bit of a handful when we brought him home from Ardley Kennels last Thursday at 4pm. Totally stressed and confused – mouthing our hands and feet, humping my cushions and climbing onto and over everything!

The next morning I put a long line on his collar and we used this to encourage him off the sofa and to control him when he got carried away with the biting.

But he is so clver and sweet. He loves his cuddles and being brushed. He has learned to jump from the sofa into his bed, to sit, lie down and stand, to roll-over and we are almost there with the “bang you’re dead” trick.

We are heading back Friday evening and want to get boats and car to Napton. I have a willing volunteer (thanks cutweb) to steer the butty so Karen can drive to Napton.

Have enlisted help for Napton flight, as I want to learn how best to get teh butty up the narrow locks.

How many different boats can you get a tow from in the Braunston Parade. Well we managed to get towed by Alcor and the Rill (photos soon).

On the Monday we re-united Atalanta withTug No. 2 formally Algol, the two were originally paired at Stanton in 1940 and I am sure they scraped hulls a few times thereafter.

Here is a link to a photo from Tim Lewis’ photos – Atalanta is on the outside with grey deck board.
http://www.pbase.com/timlewis/image/114469578

Finally arrived Braunston 9pm ish Thursday, we’d been doing well until we broke a dolly of the back of Daniel Oakley snatching the butty out of lock (5th one up) on the Napton Flight.

So we left the butty on the flight, got to Braunston, had a new dolly welded on and enlisted helping hands. Karen set off with Jim and Vi back to Napton, while I went with Pete and Di to bring Atalanta down the rest of the flight.

After a demonstration of successfully flushing the butty out of lock 2, we all met up at the bottom lock 2 hrs after setting off back. Arriving just in time for food from the pub.
More news on the show as it emerges and hopefully some pictures from Karen.

I said it was easy, but Paul and Ray didn’t agree. They got a little stuck locks 2,3 and 9 on the Napton flight. Lock 2 because it was tight and 3 and 9 because they had lowered the water level to flood the boat through lock 2.
Still lots of fun.
Here is Pete showing us what to do at Claydon.

Ray took it all very seriously, and wouldnt relinquish his post on the tiller of the butty to let me ahve a steer. Aaaah

If you are obsessed and the subject of your obsession is an occassion for celebration, well that seems like a perfect event to me!

First a wonderful breakfast with Louise and Uncle Peter in Grassington

Here’s to George and Nicola and all my Aunts, Uncles and cousins who gathered together in Settle on my birthday to look at our family history.

And thanks to Sue and Amy for a fab meal at the pub in the evening

So after running around and getting Atalanta sorted – we were given the all clear for careful towing back to Banbury – we managed to enjoy the sunshine. Paul and I popped back to the boat to check she was OK and we also called into Brinklow boats and asked Rex Wain to make us a new ‘elm for Atalanta.
Paul then settled into making fenders and I enjoyed our little bit of garden.

So we now wait until the May bank holiday and then Ray (Paul’s Dad) is coming down to help Paul move the Butty, as I will be away in Yorkshire with the Woolers!