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 ...

Wednesday 5 August 2009

A tale of two C-Katherines

An early start today to get back to York so we could spend time with Catherine, and get Katherine back to Birmingham – it’s Catherine with a ‘C’ or Katherine with ‘K’ – most confusing!
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A bit of a disaster occurred this morning. Barry had uploaded his memory card photos from the previous two days and we’d then deleted the file. Unfortunately it then turned out that there wasn’t sufficient disc space available to save them and the computer wiped the file! OMG! We’ve been hovering on the red for a while, Barry takes so many pictures each day bless him, and it obviously decided it’d just had enough. So he spent much of today downloading a file to recover them, and consequently I did most of the driving back to York. This wasn’t a problem except that the weather man had got the forecast wrong once more, and rather than sunny periods we had heavy showers, so it wasn’t the most pleasant journey.
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Despite the weather the sunflowers are truly blooming now


Sunflowers and strawberries share the same home

However it was a very pretty stretch of river and in between showers, Kath joined me. It was a very calm day, and as we were driving along watching herons, moorhens, kingfishers, flowers, trees and the like, we felt it was as if we were the only people in the world! Very calming.


It looks like a water tower, close to Beningbrough Hall

Linton Lock & pub

The weir at Linton Lock
We were reliably informed by a local man that the power company is constructing a hydro plant there, building a temporary bridge over the canal which would close it for some months

Entering the large lock

Huge gates with steering wheels to turn to release the paddles - first time we've seen that!


The lucious lock girls!

A 'real' house boat!

The rickerty toll bridge at Ardwark

A golf course of two halves - joined by a footbridge across the River Ure

Assistance with the lock from two strong Polish men who just happened to be around

No, please don't open the gates yet!!

Captain Kath

Luckily the sunflowers are the dwarf variety

Arched bridges - hurrah, we're back on a canal for a short while!

One of the last two locks before Ripon, very slow to fill

We made it to York in good time and met up with Catherine, Amy and Katie. We had a good time eating ice-creams and chatting, while Barry cycled to the York home-brew shop for some valuable supplies!
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We then took everyone for a ride up the river and back, which made the girls very giggly and excitable; waving frantically to anyone who was watching, and ringing the bell as often as allowed! They're so cute bless them.


Little Katie & Amy, future lock girls!
Note Captain Barry Birdseye's beard is almost fully grown now, but we're still not sure if we like it!


One of the pubs Tim & Barry visited on Saturday
They had a live band playing, Tim knew some of their musicians

On the way out of York, the old warehouses which are now riverside pubs & restaurants

The King's Arms - the flood pub

A new visitor to York coming through Skeidergate Bridge

More boats messing around on the river ...

Fabulous turrets on the bridge

This bridge looked like Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Little and large

Fullford Hall, very nice

Back to Naburn on a balmy August evening, past the Archbishop's bungalow (aka Palace!)once again!

So many moorings around Bishopthorpe and Naburn, a variety of posh and derelict!

Naburn lock

All lit up at night-time

Almost a full moon tonight

The lock we'll be entering tomorrow

Kath caught her train home after her whirlwind three days on board, and we continued back to Naburn where we're ready for the tide at 0915 in the morning and onwards to Selby Lock – I’m not sure I’ll sleep much tonight with my terrible ‘doom and gloom’ attitude to ‘what ifs …’! The reassuring thing is that Barry got to talk to Selby lock-keeper this morning and was given instructions on how to negotiate the lock safely, so fingers crossed there’ll be no more crashing into walls or worse …

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