3 Days to go

Pegasus still securely moored exactly where it was the night before – feeeeeeeling good. Steve is working at the back (sorry stern) playing with electrics and engine oil and I’m wondering when I can get my oil out, the sun cream variety not the cooking one. The sun is flooding the bow and the sun worshipper within me can’t resist spread eagling myself in it to catch as many of the sun’s rays as possible before it disappears above the trees around 2ish.

The option of switching off was decided, not by Steve or me, but by the lack of any communication signal whatsoever. The phone signal is virtually non-existent. It gives a new meaning to my ‘walk and talk’ with me spewing drivel – especially ‘can you hear me yet?’ – until the patient recipient of my call let’s me know they can. At that point I stop walking and perch motionless like a human statue on the small portable chair I’ve brought with for comfort not daring to move. This can be anywhere along the canal, beside anyone’s boat. The canal is beginning to fill with early boat arrivals for the festival (just like us), all of a similar certain age (just like us), many rafted together (just like us).

As I’m unable to walk and key input on my laptop seeking wifi, no matter how many times I pirouette or stretch my arms up like flaying antenna, lacking a coffee shop in Crick I have commandeered a table in the Red Lion. So instead of wifi over a cappuccino, people watching and enjoying patisserie, its wifi over a glass or few with people watching and enjoying dry roasted nuts. Not quite the same, but I do get my wifi, phone and laptop synchronised and up to date and, not only that, but I stock up with Netflix downloads too.

I’ve had a sneaky peek or two at the set up of the Crick show grounds.  Without being challenged it was Triple A (access all areas). I slowly walked around marina enjoying taking in all the boats in their various colours, liveries, lengths and widths and of course differing specifications. There were even a couple of brand new floating boats, which I was invited to look around, which are really state of the art static caravans on a pontoon. At regular intervals around the moorings were piles of furniture waiting to be lifted and shifted to dress various boats and areas, together with coils of ropes and wires and other essential bits and pieces, especially cable ties.  I soaked up the atmosphere watching workers in their hard hats and high vis wear busily erecting marquees, sales booths and others sorting out their marketing material. The activity was reminiscent of my event production days which I often miss. Sitting on some make shift steps, making phone calls, I was amused as I listened to the chatter of the nearby workers on their companies, the builds and materials used and of course how they could have done it all better, not to mention their journeys, hourly rates and managers. I think I was the only non-worker there and loved it.

Without our Googe Home, Steve has decided to serenade me in the evenings. So sweet, and I must make more of an effort to appreciate his progress over the past few years.

2 Days to go

Narrow boating is definitely, as already mentioned in a previous post, a man’s world. They find each other as if magically drawn together by invisible magnets, all talking non-stop techniques, battery life and fitments. The funniest moment to me is when they start talking about routes, I mean, as though there are alternatives on a canal!! All I can hear is blah, blah, blah size, blah, blah, blah, £££’s.  By the third set of blah, blah, blah’s I’ve completely switched off and tuned out.

Oh, and I’d like to put the record straight, from one of the comments from my dear friend Michelle telling me how easy it is to steer. Let me explain why I wont Captain Pegasus.  We don’t have one of these – pictures taken during my walk abouts.

What we have is this:

On the left is the gear control, a pull/push rod which is forward when pushed away from you, idle in the middle and reverse pulled towards you.  On the right is the throttle. As there is no ‘clutch’ and all bits needing physical encouragement to perform, I have no intention of being blamed for burning out the gear box.  All this and reach the tiller at the same time. I expect all you holiday boaters now know where I’m coming from. And yes, I admit its the only thing in my life I won’t drive.

Thursday evening was a bit of a bun fight to get our table as The Red Lion was filling up with many of Crick Show’s workforce. However, following ordering drinks and meals we were comfortably seated at our usual table. Nobody puts Teamwilph in a corner!

1 Day to go

Tonight is the kick off for the three day programme of Crick Boat Show Music Festival to be held in the ‘Crick Tavern’ with entertainment by Dangerous Derrick & Mike Roberts.  Think Tenacious D, but without Jack Black and his Sax a Boom. Steve is very excited that he doesn’t have to wait until Saturday for the Beer Tent to open. It opens tonight at 6pm and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he’s queuing at the entrance by 5:45pm (or earlier) with his tongue hanging out. I know this to be fact as it was the very first thing he told me upon waking up excited – at the thought of so many brews to get through.

At mid-day I toddled off to get our tickets. This time I had to walk right the way around the newly erected barriers and run the gauntlet of ‘jobs worths’ looking for the Red Gate Entrance. The ticket office referred me to a man standing to the side with envelopes. Our names were not on any of them. He called someone from the management office, who disappeared and returned to inform me I could collect our tickets tomorrow. As I spun round to return to Pegasus I had a thought. I was thinking ‘hang on a minute, how are we to have access to the Crick Tavern tonight and there must be others in the same boat – pun intended! I continued my spin to face the ticket office again. With polite determination, our envelope was found and our tickets handed over. Mission successfully completed.

Tonight Steve and Blanche shall go to the Bar!