We Have Moved. 3rd April

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Pip, Mick and Tilly

£1.90! 1st April

Thwaite Mills to Royal Armouries, Leeds Dock

Well the sign did say that we should be away by 10am! The museum being closed today we thought it wouldn't matter, but as we were having our leisurely breakfast a boat reversed from the permanent moorings, winded just past us , winded again and pulled in on the mooring in front of us. Mick popped out to apologise for being in the way, the chaps were very pleasant about it but we quickly made ready and pushed off.

Looking down from Knostrop Fall Lock

The rowers were out in force again. We wondered if they'd lend us their pontoon so that I could do the gunnels and touch up the bumps and scrapes above the water line on our blacking. But there was nowhere to tie up to, so despite it's low height it would not have been ideal.

The new weir

with wavy sides

At Knostrop Fall Lock I had chance to have a look around as the chamber emptied. Back in October 2016 there were lot of works going on at the weir alongside the lock. The floods on the Aire the previous Boxing Day had caused quite a lot of damage, so the weir was being rebuilt. Today it looks very swish, a new weir and a wavy bridge over the top.

Cill maker below the gates

Does anyone know why there are cill markers below the bottom gates at Knosptrop Fall Lock?

Old flood lock to the left, navigation to the right

The island that used to separate the cut from the river is now all gone which makes Knostrop Flood lock redundant (it's now been removed), this was to increase the volume of flood water that could be held here. Further upstream closer to the city centre most walls along the river bank have been increased in height helping to protect properties.

New boxes 

A very leaky tap

We pulled in on the service pontoon to top up with water, get rid of rubbish and empty the yellow water  whilst near an elsan. There was only space for a short boat to moor behind two others so we wouldn't be able to stay here. The tap had good pressure, just a shame not much of it made it into our hose, so filling up the tank took some time.

Heading up stream to the lock

Being not far from the Royal Armouries I walked up to see if there would be any space on the visitor pontoon there, I didn't hold out much hope. But as soon as I could see past the buildings I was relieved that there was space for us and another boat too. A quick phone call to Mick with the news and I started to set Leeds Lock. 

Than  we've got used too

Just a bit shorter

Leeds Lock can hold quite big boats, but if you are a fairly standard length you only need to use the top two sets of gates. These create a chamber that is very short compared to the locks we've been used to over the last few weeks. I hoped Mick remembered this as he brought Oleanna upstream. Still with a few feet to spare I closed the gates behind her. We knew we'd fit as Lillian came up here twice and she was a foot longer.

The sharp bend round into the dock takes a bit of doing, but we were soon moored up leaving plenty of space for another boat which turned out to be NB Rebellion a couple of hours later (they seem to have been following us since Ferrybridge). Here on the pontoon there is water and electric posts. To get power you need to purchase cards from the C&RT office which is across the footbridge by the lock. The cards are the type that deposit the credit onto the post, so you can't take it with you when you leave, it's left for the next person. We were fortunate as there was £1.90 on a post. The washing machine was put on straight away.

I wanted to make use of being near to art shops for model making materials. I don't as yet know what panto will look like, but I do know that I'll be needing certain things no matter. 

Waxis

A diver 

A walk along the river bank passing new developments, a local Sainsburys various bars, a diver waving from inside a washing machine! Leeds has everything, including Waxis. There are two water taxis that ferry people back and forth from the dock to River Lock, the first lock on the Leeds Liverpool Canal. This service is free and very well used.

A good art shop

Fred Aldous is a short walk once over the river, here I managed to buy black foam board to make a model box of the theatre and a couple of sheets of mount board for my set model. They didn't have the sketch book I wanted and their tracing paper was far far too expensive, but at least I'd done my bit for an independent shop. A1 card isn't what you want to carry around for long so I dropped it off before heading in the other direction to Hobbycraft. Here they had all but some model 'I' section, but I can make my own. I'm all ready now to start designing, good job as I've got a meeting in London this week with John the director.

Our mooring outside the Armouries

With the temperatures now heading downwards, our coal stocks are quite low. You don't want to be carrying bags and bags around all summer, so we had started to let our stocks run down,maybe as it turns out a bit too soon! We can run the central heating instead, so Mick bought some electricity from the C&RT office to help keep us warm, whilst conserving coal and gas supplies.

The knights have more privacy now

2 locks, 1 none existent flood lock, 1.87 miles, 1 sharp left, 1 new weir, £1.90, £2 in reserve, 2 sheets foam board, 2 sheets mount (1 black 1 white), 1 sketch book, 30 sheets tracing, 20 florist wires, 3 wood strips, 1 very very bored cat, 1 plan coming together, 1 last feed, 0 knights having a pee.

https://goo.gl/maps/RmsgsLpexgD2

From today our new blog is going live. It may take a few days for all of the internet to find it, so posts will be on both blogger and wordpress for a few days.

Thwaite Mills. 31st March

Woodlesford Lock to Thwaite Mills

Maybe we should have carried on a touch yesterday. The towpath looked like you could moor just about anywhere along it, which would have meant we got away from boat engines running, but the footfall would have been similar no matter where we were.

Fishpond Lock

A check on the website for Thwaite Mills said that the museum was open today so if there was room on their visitor moorings that would be our stop for today. Fishpond Lock had to be emptied first and as we ascended two boats appeared ahead of us. We vacated the lock, let the boats in and closed the gates behind them before our key of power was released. Half an hour or so further along, after passing novice rowers we ticked past the moored boats at the Mill, hoping that there would be space for us.

Thwaite Mills from the canal

Freshly repaired mooring for a couple of boats sat empty. We pulled as far back as possible using our tyre fenders to keep the cabin side away from the high overhang and the Alde boiler flue out of harms way. A tiny bit of pruning was required for the pram cover to go up. We'd arrived bang on midday, just as the museum opened.

The Mill

One of the wheels

We were soon spotted by a member of staff and asked our intentions. Would we be visiting the museum, staying overnight, or both? Both was the plan and as it turned out a cost effective one. Entrance is normally £4 (a little cheaper for those with less or greyer hair than my own). To moor your boat here overnight is £5, however with this we got entry for both of us into the museum! A bargain, we might come again!

Cogs and turny bits

Windlasses, maybe Halfie would like one

Thwaites Mill Watermill, sits on a bend of the River Aire where water could be diverted to power large waterwheels. In 1641 a fulling mill was built on the site, large hammers pounded woolen fabric to help matt the fibres.

Plaster boot

Chalk drying out on the racks

In the 1820's the Aire and Calder Navigation Company purchased the site and redeveloped it with mill, workshop, warehouse, stables and houses for the workers. All of this still exists apart from the workers cottages which were demolished in the 1960's.

The mill from the weir 

The new mill was used for crushing. Chalk and flint, much of it used in the local pottery industry although a ton of powdered chalk was sent to Wakefield Gaol each month to be added to bread in the bake house. Rocks were dried, crushed, ground into powder, graded in water tanks and dried out for sale. Raw materials and the finished goods were transported to site by boat on the canal.

The smart house and gardens

Fancy cornice

A large Georgian house sits by the mill, grand in stature with gardens around it. Three rooms are laid out to view in Victorian and WW2 styles, an air raid shelter huddles in the garden where fruit canes and rhubarb grow.

Railway in the attic from the lift

Chalk moved around to dry

The watermill spreads over three floors, the materials moved upwards by lift originally until a new method was used to crush the stone in a Raymond Mill which was all enclosed so the process could be dry, a far more efficient method. 

Unplug to drain the water out

Flues took hot air around under the floor in the drying houses

The old pits where the chalk was left to separate from water are still visible, the sediment would sink leaving water at the top. This was drained off through metal plates with big holes that could be unplugged to a suitable height. Fine chalk was moved up to the top floor where it was laid on racks to dry out. Across from the mill were drying houses with kilns under the floor, these were in operation 7 days a week. Chaps had to wear wooden over shoes to protect their feet from the hot floor as they dug our the dried material.

Air raid shelter for 12

The putty canning room

In 1975 a big flood damaged the weir, once the final orders were completed, with use of a small engine, the mill stopped work. Today, sadly due to the recent floods both restored water wheels were out of operation. The small wheel had been repaired, but the repair hadn't worked out. So we'll have to return another time, maybe on our way back.

Ceramic colander

A good day out, which came with a mooring at a very cheep price.

This evening the new blog has been tested, I just need to remember how to use OLW or work out how to post without it. Wordpress has changed a lot in the last two years. We plan on going live with the new blog later this week. Those who subscribe via email will have to go to the new blog (still at oleanna.co.uk, but not just yet, we'll let you know) and follow us again. Blog rolls may just update themselves, we're not sure yet, but once we change where oleanna.co.uk points to, you should be able to still see our posts. We apologise for any initial problems in advance.

1 lock, 2.61 miles, 2 boats, £5 mooring and entrance, 1 bargain, 2 wheels, 1 weir, 1 museum almost to ourselves, 1 house, 1 ton chalk, 1d to get through the bridge, 4th day redone, 2 try out posts all okay.

https://goo.gl/maps/q6DuoKghumD2

Nudging Up A Bit. 30th March

Lemonroyd to Woodlesford Lock

We're in the process of trying to empty the freezer. It could do with defrosting and we want to lift it out of the drawer to see what is happening underneath it. Despite there being ventilation holes in both the floor, drawer and front of the dinette we suspect it isn't getting enough air. So we've gradually been eating our way through our winter stock pile of meat. However peas are the only vegetable stored in there and the milk was about to run out, it was time to go shopping.

Good driving

We pootled along to just before Swillington Bridge where we moored up. This was just about the closest we could get to the shops up in Woodlesford. We followed a path up to the road where we had to climb over some very large boulders put there to stop unwanted vehicles from accessing the old site of Bentley's Brewery. Then up the hill under the railway where cars got either a  green happy face or a grumpy red face depending on their speed.

Mick was happy to see these

First port of call was the Co-op. A quick look round to see what was there and purchase our Saturday newspaper. Then we carried on further to Lidl. A stock up on fruit and veg, bread and milk plus one of their free range chickens (very reasonably priced) for tomorrows roast.

Flowers to greet you below the lock

Back at Oleanna we made our way to below Woodlesford Lock to fill with water, the floral displays already visible. Woodlesford Lock is looked after by the Woodlesford in Bloom team, they do a very good job. When we were here on Lillian last they were hard at work tidying the place up and pointing me in the direction of apple trees.

The gates beams you can't see from the panel

The lock is far less scary than Lemonroyd Lock and passing a rope up to a bollard was hardly necessary as it fills steadily. The one thing I don't like about it is the bottom gates, they are very hard to see from the control panel. They are operated by a button which you have to hold, but you can't see if any gongoozlers are stood in front of the beam and therefore going to get biffed by it. There are signs saying to beware, but the excitement of a boat coming can distract from such things. So I tend to stand by the gates until I am fairly sure the water is level and then walk to the panel.

Daffodils just past their best

Above the lock the moorings were really quite full, but we carried on to where the Winter Moorings had been, winded at a gap in the permanent moorings and pulled in away from the crowd by the lock. Sun would hit the solar panels for the rest of the day and Tilly could explore the trees and run around in the grass. Except it was very busy! Too many cyclists! Too many woofers! A toilet in the trees too! Can we swap this outside with yesterdays please!!!!

Why leave your toilet here? There are bins just across the way!

After some reading about sour dough starters I decided that mine wasn't wet enough. The ratios of water to flour I'd been using were correct, but it was still paste like. So I decided to add more water, if it had all gone wrong then I'd only be loosing out on a bit of bottled water (too much chlorine in tap water, which would inhibit the yeast). 120ml extra water and a feed made it look more how I'd imagined, it was returned to my proving shelf opposite the stove. Checking on it a couple of hours later it was frothing up nicely. By the evening I ended up moving it into a larger container as it was increasing in volume. I suspect it is back on track, but a couple of days behind where it should be. If I keep feeding it as instructed I'll have loads of it. Would anyone like a gluten free sour dough starter?

Day 4 with extra liquid

1 lock 1 mile, 1 wind, 0.5 freezer left, 3 green faces, 7 red! 1 Saturday paper, 1 chicken, 2 many people, 2 many woofers, 0 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval, 120ml extra, 1 foaming monster developing, 1 new blog nearly ready to go live.

https://goo.gl/maps/TBYg7rJLegt

A Work Day Means Cat Freedom. 29th March

Lemonroyd

There is quite a bit of foot fall along the canal here, but the advantage of our mooring is that the towpath is set back and a little bit lower than the canal. There may be many a cyclist and dog walker down there but very very few actually come right past the boat. A nice mooring. 

Christmas tree going bonkers, but will it still fit inside this year?!

The doors were opened this morning for Tilly, the time limit today 8 and 3/4 hours. I like it when She works! I like it when it's sunny too. 

Todays office

With the sun out we made the most of being near water points and did a load of washing, hoping it would dry on the whirligig (still a touch damp at the end of the day). I sat out and had a second read through of panto, making notes as I went along and working out what each scene would need. There is one scene still to be finalised which I suspect will be the busiest for props. Hopefully I'll find out next week. 

Now with a list of scenes I'll start to work out how much space is needed for them. The usual way things work in Panto is that you have a front cloth scene whilst the next set is being set up behind it and you tend to go back and forth, occasionally with another cloth part way up the stage to give you more options. The lack of flying at Chipping Norton restricts what you can do, a long with the stage being really quite small. But I now have a vague plan in my head ready for my meeting. Just need to get some reference images together.

Mick spent a lot of the day working on the new blog. We need to find a theme that I like and at the moment just about everything is available but over two themes. Neither of us are any good at code, so we need to find one that exists and doesn't need too much fiddling with. Still work in progress. 

An hour working on my illustrations ended my work day, followed by a hunt for Tilly. 

Just had to check on them before disappearing again

What a great day! There is a little canal here as well as the big one. A handy sideways tree to cross over to the other side where there is a big field with plenty of grass to pounce in. I found some bunny friends who kept me occupied for much of the day. I've a long list of the things to do tomorrow.

Still sludge

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 load washing, 1 Christmas tree loving the sun, 9.25 hours, 1 cat who needs to learn how to tell the time again! 1 boat moving, 12 scenes, 1 not sorted yet, 2nd none existent, 0 boats, 1 car possibly, 3rd day and not convinced, 0 lemon puffs left, time to move on in the morning.

When At Lemonroyd 28th March

Castleford to near to the old Fleet Lock, above Lemonroyd Lock

Tilly's fish kept her occupied this morning

No hold ups for us this morning and it appeared that today we got the wonderful weather we'd been promised for yesterday, sun all day long.

Surrounded by tuperware not the most accessible pump

Mick last night had walked up to look at Supreme Marine Boat Yard to see if they sold diesel. With no towpath access he walked over the bridge to look. There seemed to be nothing obvious at the yard. However when we pushed off this morning we could see the bold lettering on the side of a breeze block wall. But in defence of Mick, needing new glasses, everywhere was filled with cruisers. Not too inviting to pull up against to fill your tank. So we carried on.

Wonder what their second mate is called?

We passed NB Nelson's Lady who we moored with at Crick a few years ago. This is the boat with the trike on the bow, although it was parked up on the towpath today. It also looks like they now have a second mate too. No one was in view so we couldn't say hello, although they will remember us as being yellow.

Going through the flood lock

Castleford Flood Lock was open at both ends, so plain sailing through today. The lock is so big it looks like you'd be able to wind in it if it wasn't for a few bits and pieces sticking up out of the water.

At the junction we turned right onto the River Aire, heading in the direction of Leeds, hoping to find a suitable mooring for Tilly.

The old route shown with dashed lines

Three and a half miles of river. We tried to spot where an old cut had been that is shown on the Waterways Routes map, but there were very few signs of where it had once been. On the old canal there had been Kipax Locks and Lemon Royd Lock, today these have been replaced by one very deep lock Lemonroyd Lock. At 14ft 7" it is deep, with it's length and width too there is one heck of a lot of water in that chamber.

Lock to the left, weir  to the right

Emptying the lock, Oleanna well back

We pulled up on the lock landing at some distance away. With the key in the panel I checked that Mick and Oleanna were okay before I started to empty the chamber. A thumbs up came back and I pressed the button. The paddles raise by themselves at intervals.

Calmly emptying

You really wouldn't want to be down there!

Looking on the chamber side of the gates the level slowly lowers, the other side is totally different. This is certainly not a lock you want to nudge the gates of as it empties!

I had a little difficulty removing my key of power from the panel, it hadn't given my that little clunk noise which most of these do when everything (gates and paddles) is back where it should be. In the end a twist of the key the wrong way in the panel gave me that reassuring sound.

Filling the lock

Mick held tight to the centre line passed round a yellow riser as far back in the chamber as possible. Thumbs up and I pressed the button to start filling the huge chamber. Once pressed I have no control, other than to press the emergency stop button, the paddles work themselves, slowly raising the level of water. Staying back in the chamber makes for a gentler rise.

People working on their boats

We'd been thinking of mooring up opposite Lemonroyd Marina for the rest of the day, but a lot of people looked like they'd taken root there. Anyway the aroma from the nearby sewage works was off putting so we moved along the cut looking for the next suitable place. 

A rather nice mooring

A small m was shown on our map just after a disused arm, nobody was there. We managed to get ourselves positioned between trees to make the most of the bright sunshine. Tilly was out straight away, the silver birch trees being conquered within minutes.

Trees!

Kindling

Whilst Tilly hunted, Mick chopped wood and did some work on the blog move, I got on with some work. I want to get my illustrations for the Separate Doors 3 report done before I launch into panto. Another half day will see them completed, then I can turn my attention to East End London in the 1960's.

They were rather yummy

With quite a few off cuts of pastry left over from yesterday and half a pot of ricotta cheese I decided to put them to good use and made some Lemon Puffs. Well when at Lemonroyd I just had to!

Day 2 grapes removed and starter fed

2 locks, 1 straight through, 4.37 miles, 1 fish licked to death, 14ft 7" deep, 1 trapped key, 1 very happy cat, 200 amp fuse, 1 bowthruster working again, 1 conspiracy, 2 paintings, 1 very lively friend, 5 lemon puffs, 2 left for tomorrow, 1 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval.

https://goo.gl/maps/YALjhcjTWg82