Narrowboat AREandARE

From the 2009 & 2010 tantalising tales, traumas and stunning photographs of Barry (photographer) and Sandra (writer) from New Zealand aboard NB 'Northern Pride', to the stories of their 2013 return journey, purchase of 'AREandARE', progress on sustaining their live aboard continuous cruiser lifestyle, and Barry's quest to gain residency and 'Indefinite Leave to Remain' in UK ...

Sunday 31 July 2011

Barry's Random Ten Waterways Images (part 6)

 

Here's the next random selection of images. They are all colour corrected and possibly retouched, and form part of our photo library (from where the prints, including cards and postcards, may be purchased if you're interested).  Click on Sanbar Photography Library

P1010749-15x10H-16x9-Double-MatPart of the Audlem Lock Flight on the Shropshire Union Canal

Click here to view in Photo Library

P1040850A-15x10H-2x1-Double-Mat The Junction of the Grand Union Canal and Upper Oxford Canal at Braunston

Click here to view in Photo Library

P1150490A-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat Two old working boats negotiating the Glascote top lock at Tamworth on the Coventry Canal

Click here to view in Photo Library

P1210644-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat Two forlorn dumb barges on the Egbaston Arm of the Birmingham Old Line

Click here to view in Photo Library

P1230690-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat Moorings by Millar Marine at Shardlow on the Trent & Mersey Canal

Click here to view in Photo Library

P1270494A-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat The Oxford Canal with the village of Kings Sutton

Click here to view in Photo Library

P1330283A-15x10H-2x1-Double-Mat Colourful houses overlooking Bristol's Floating Harbour

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P1350364A-15x10V-3x4-Double-Mat Narrowboat exiting Sonning Lock on the River Thames

Click here to view in Photo Library

P1360988A-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat The entrance to Bow Locks at the junction of the Lee River and Limehouse Cut in London

Click here to view in Photo Library

P1390894A-15x10H-4x3-Double-Mat The old BW workshops at Bulbourne Wharf near Tring on the Grand Union Canal

Click here to view in Photo Library

Thursday 21 July 2011

Barry's 'Random Ten Waterways Images' (part 5)

Here's the next random selection of images. They are all colour corrected and possibly retouched, and form part of our photo library (from where the prints, including cards and postcards, may be purchased if you're interested).  Click on Sanbar Photography Library

 

P1010010A-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat Chirk canal aqueduct and railway viaduct on the Llangollen Canal

 Click here to view in Photo Library

P1050214A-15x10H-3x2-Double-Mat Isis Lock and footbridge on the Oxford Canal at Oxford 

 Click here to view in Photo Library

P1070606A-15x10H-3x2-Double-Mat Millenium Bridge over the River Aire at Castleford with the Hovis Mill behind 

 Click here to view in Photo Library

P1210393-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat Moored narrowboats at Gas Street Basin in Birmingham

 Click here to view in Photo Library

P1240518A-13x10V-3x4-Double-Mat Derelict barge on the River Soar with Ratcliffe Power Station

 Click here to view in Photo Library

P1300424A-13x10H-4x3-Double-Mat Poppies in a wheat field near Dorchester on the River Thames

 Click here to view in Photo Library

P1320662A-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat The Avon River at Bath

 Click here to view in Photo Library

P1360808A-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat Battersea Power Station on the River Thames

 Click here to view in Photo Library

P1370304A-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat Parndon Mill and Parndon Lock, just outside Harlow on the Lee and Stort Navigation

Click here to view in Photo Library

P1390776A-15x10H-16x9-Double-Mat Cowroast Lock on the Grand Union Canal

Click here to view in Photo Library

Saturday 16 July 2011

Jack Frost pays us a couple of visits ...

This morning in Gisborne there was a distinct frost on the ground and car - our previously mild winter is turning a lot colder now, but luckily we still have blue skies and sunshine to keep our spirits high (and of course Barry's other spirits help too!).

Last week we had five days in Wellington, enjoying wandering around the capital city, as well as catching up with Barry's son Tom and staying a night with a couple of friends, Fiona & Hayden. The bonus being there for Barry's niece Emma, and her fiancĂ© Matt's, hen and stag do's.  Part of the girls night out involved a pole dancing lesson - if you're friends with me on facebook you'll have seen some of the intricacies of that, but the images won't be appearing anytime soon on this blog!  Barry and the boys chose bowling (and I'm obliged to tell you that Barry won!), and a spot of beer tasting.

We stayed with Tom in his rented house on the side of a hill in the outskirts of Wellington - many of the homes perch precariously on hillsides (or so it feels!) ...

P1440186 Lyall Bay and Wellington Airport as seen from Tom's sun lounge 

P1440195A-Panorama1 A wander round the town and a visit to Te Papa Museum

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Sandra examining the giant squid on display, at 4.5 metres (14.6 feet) long it was caught by fishermen in the Antarctic waters and has been preserved for posterity - it's a female, there's never been a male captured to date, so no-one knows what they look like 

 

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Having just been to the 'Murder House' (dentist!), Sandra was paying particular attention to this display from the years of the school dentist in NZ 

 

P1440212A A bit of fun and a long exposure, looking down on the colourful floor below

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Awesome Maori carving which would be seen at the entrance to a meeting house (Marae)

 

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The 'Britten' V1000 motorcycle which set numerous speed records throughout the world was hand built by Kiwi designer John Britten who went on to form The Britten Motorcycle Company 

 P1440221A The view from friend's Fiona and Hayden's deck, looking across Wellington Harbour

 Thursday 21 October

We'd set the alarm this morning for 0800hrs, so we could get through Blisworth Tunnel and find a suitable mooring ready to be collected by some kind person from Enterprise Car Hire in Blisworth.  We were leaving Northern Pride for the weekend, taking a car load of our belongings and travelling to my parents' house and then to The New Forest for a weekend with my family.

Greeting us outside was another beautiful, blue sky day.  Jack Frost had paid us an overnight visit and left a layer of sparkling white on the ground and scattered on the moored boats, so Barry was in his element photographing it all.  He'd love to be in England when it snows bless him, so this was probably the next best thing.  One day he'll experience it, and it'll be interesting to see how long his keenness lasts!

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 As the sun rises, it warms the frozen boats and looks like they're steaming!

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Everything is covered with a layer of frost, including our barge pole

P1410121A The sun continues to do his best to warm up the day!

P1410148A There wasn't much life around at this time, just some ducks and ...

P1410161A ... a couple of swans cleaning themselves

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 Such perfect whiteness contrasted against the black and orange - beautiful

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The Boat Inn and The Canal Shop were both still very quiet

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A layer of frost covered these water jugs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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P1410221A Only one boat on the move - not sure how far they'd travelled on this cold and frosty morning

P1410231A Ropes as stiff as boards!

Soon we were heading for the third longest tunnel on the system, meeting another boat coming the other way which looked like it'd met a number of wet patches - so we made sue we were covered appropriately for the dark and cold passage.

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Off we set for the tunnel - the 'Leggers' hut beside the entrance

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We weren't sure what the concrete ring was from ...

P1410271A ... until we entered the tunnel and could make a calculated guess!  

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Past the boat that was coming through the lock and towards Blisworth

We got through uneventfully and soon found a good mooring that had somewhere to park a car close by so we could pack up some of our accumulated 'stuff' easily.

P1410306A Blisworth Tunnel Marina

P1410315A  Moored opposite the old Blisworth Corn Mill Building

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Built in 1879 by Joseph Westley but now converted into attractive apartments

P1410335A This old building beside our mooring must have been an engineers workshop, according to what's left of the sign above

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No shortage of boats passing today

P1410328A Our mooring for the next couple of days while we set off for the weekend