Have you seen me lately...?

Digger, having breakfast

Signs of Spring

This years large mass of twigs and grasses have been repaired again and would appear to be finished now so Digger and Zed seem to be taking turns to try it out and have been using it during the recent cold but clear starry nights and frosty mornings. They only build one nest and use the same spot every year so that means that one gets the nest and the other has to sleep next to it. It's on a grassy bank just by a small wood about fifty yards behind the mooring so it's easy to keep a watchful eye on them from the windows of the boat. They both seem very hungry at the moment, especially Digger who comes looking for breakfast most mornings now. She is going to need this extra food for soon she will lay her eggs and have to 'sit' on them for weeks so it's nice to see her up close now and looking so well.
The weekend sunshine was definitely welcome as it gave the new solar panel a work out and   It seems to be generating some free green energy quite easily. Since fitting it, the engine has become redundant but the last few days this week have been back to miserable dull and wet conditions so it might be a while before the full benefit of the sun is witnessed. The signs are looking promising already so in time I'm sure it will have been a good investment.
The first boats of the year have started to move about again up and down the 'cut' and a few non-resident 'moorees' have turned up to check over their crafts after the winter and do a few jobs. There is also work to do on this mooring, so during the better days a bit of power washing and tidying up has commenced....a slow and gentle start, patiently waiting for Spring to kick in.....when do the clocks change?....soon I think...!


Previous  blog post title inspired by...Belle & Sebastian :  HARD : 3 points
Off another of my fav albums ' The Life Pursuit'.

Song for Sunshine

Andromeda's restoration took a big leap forward this week as she was fitted with a new solar system. It has been something that has been on the cards for quite a while but it has been a matter of finding the right fella and the right kit for the job. Having found him, the stuff was ordered from Holland and now we are the proud owners of a great eco system....this is how it works....

A 140 watt solar panel sits on the roof to soak up the lovely sunshine and produce amps, these will then feed the 3 x 110amp leisure battery bank keeping them topped up with the little fellas until they are full. ie 330.
It's interesting how little power you actually need to use so having already calculated the amount of amps each appliance will use each hour (Watts/Volts=Amps) it's time to plug in.

With 330 amp hours available this then enables most of the boats appliances, TV, lights, fridge etc. to be supplied with 12v power. A display monitor now shows what is going on like what current is going in or out and how much power is available and for how long.

If appliances need 240v power then a silent pure sine wave inverter takes the 12 volts DC current from the batteries and magically makes things work by supplying them with AC current.
A back up system will also allow a generator to be connected via the 'hook up' and 240v power can be achieved this way too, if required.

It all sounds a bit complicated but it's actually a very simple system and very 'green'.
Hopefully, when the sun gets going it will supply enough energy during the daytime to power everything without having to run the engine to charge the batteries through the alternator on a daily basis.

By turning everything off, so no power is being used, the monitor now makes it possible to see what power is going in from the solar panel, and even on a grey day it's trickling in so when the sun gets going it will be boomtime!


Previous  blog post title inspired by...The Verve :  EASY : 1point
I almost gave you this one - won't be as generous with clues next time!

Music is Power...

Richard Ashcroft was right, Music IS power and within Andromeda the soundtrack is relentless, folk music especially has a front seat at the table of tunes played around here so it's always a fabulous time when you bump into something that pushes the buttons. It happened the other night at the Kenlis, a pub and folk club just outside the town where just two people managed to fill the joint and made such an incredible sound with slide guitar, harmonica, fiddle, banjo and vocals it was a revelation to the inner ear. Inspired beatbox harmonica and equally quirky fiddle and real beautiful songs explained and played with unreserved passion by both talented musicians....PhilipHenry&HannahMartin....thank you for the enlightenment!..see u again at Middlewhich Folk & Boat Festival in June.
Folk music can take you places that other music can't get near and if you live your life like a wasp at a window then it's never going to reach you. At a boaters pace you can stop, clear your mind and play a single you like, from there its an easy path then to kick back, lie back and listen to the whole back catalogue in its entirety, every lyric, every chord, every note and totally submerge......ok, you end up late to bed and and somewhat 'suitably refreshed' but beautifully contented.......I'm convinced that only music can do this but you need to let it work it's magic.


Previous  blog post title inspired by...Ian McNabb :  HARD : 3 points
Off the album 'Waifs & Strays', playing Hurst Green Village Hall at the end of the month, part of his stadium tour no doubt, he's THAT big now....still a great singer songwriter....

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Misty Meadows...

It was a cold, foggy morning as Andromeda left the water point at Garstang and headed back to her mooring. Swans were busy nest building above bridge 68 collecting old reeds and sedges from the banks while Canadian geese were grazing in the empty fields. Hoyles contractors were busy laying miles of umbilical pipe across the land, trying to get out the slurry that has built up on the dairy farms over the winter months so the grass can get growing for 'turn out' time.

Casualty trees

Empty fields

Few chimneys were smokin' as we passed the moored boats and then through the gloom came little Ragamuffin, a tiny Narrowboat and a regular up and down the Lancaster canal.
It was strange to see the empty fields, with a few casualty trees from the windy winter but as we plodded on past the misty meadows with 6music playing on the wireless thru the hatch and coffee in the mug there were a few new shoots and buds that show signs of the winter months being behind us.

Meeting Ragamuffin!

Hoyles contractors doin' the dirty work

Previous  blog post title inspired by...The National :  HARD : 3 points
Ok, I crow-barred this one in but I am obsessed with this band at the moment and especially this album, 'High Violet' - it's dark, moody and powerful!

Conversation 16

The weekend sail south had taken us to Garstang, only just over an hours sail from the mooring and a handy place to moor in the town in order to enjoy the penultimate games of the Six Nations over a couple of pints. The weather has improved tremendously and with warm sunshine and clear skies there was no need to keep the fire in anymore. The boaters were also out in force with quite a few narrowboaters and cruisers passing by. Some of them being the usual suspects but also quite a few with names not seen before. The marinas are full of boats that don't seem to move much so these new names could be some of those as the Ribble link won't be open yet I don't suppose.
It has also been an opportunity to meet up with a fella and have the first of probably many conversations (16) about fitting the new inverter and linking this to a solar panel to enable the boat to harness some of the lovely sunshine in the coming months. With this 'green' system there should be enough energy to run the fridge and keep the battery banks topped up without having to run the engine. Early stages of negotiation but a real positive look to the future.
Finally, without the fire lit the mosaic fireplace got black grouted and is now finished- another triumph!
In the gloom of the foggy towpath last night you could just make out the faint glow of the solar lights on the stern, an eerie sight indeed and maybe the change in the weather indicates a return to the mooring, I think it's time to head back!


Previous  blog post title inspired by...Neil Young & Crazyhorse - ’Powderfinger' :  
EASY: 1 point
Inspiration for this choice came from not only the swans but also the purchase of a ticket to see and hear the great man play in the summer with the full band.....awesome!

"Look out mama there's a white bird coming up the river...."

For the last month Andromeda has been unoccupied during the wintery wind and rains that battered the rest of the UK throughout February. On returning last week from Asia it was like winter was over, the signs were certainly promising. She has wintered well with no leaks and the engine happily fired into life to re-charge the battery bank. The fields are still waterlogged but the days are starting to lengthen and the bright sunshine during the past few days have a positive spring feel. The bird table got restocked and it wasn't long before the word got round and even the kingfisher has been a welcome regular visitor on the bow. It's very peaceful and quiet and a privilege to be here with an abundance of natural activity to keep an eye on, even the nights have been starry and clear.
A few snowdrops have poked through along the fence bottom and a few other green sprouts show signs of emerging along the mooring garden. It also looks like the resident pair of swans have finally rejected their one remaining youngster from last year and Zed, the male, has been majestically gliding up the cut and visiting the kitchen window for food. He's also begun to look over last years nest in order to repair it and get it ready again for his missus for the next few weeks. He diligently collects twigs and piles them up building the nest for an hour or so a day. I real sign that Spring is on it's way....

Previous  blog post title inspired by...The Jesus and Mary Chain  :  EASY: 1 point
A dreary gothic song reflecting the mood of the wet weather.