Yogi's Living History Lesson

Finally got my ebay orders upto date :0) so a trip to Kidsgrove Post Office was in order.

I have to write a list before I go out now as if I don't, by the time I get to where I am going, I've forgotten why I went!  So, according to my list, I needed to post my parcels, check if my prescription had arrived, order some spark plugs for the chainsaw, check out the charity shops for bargains and get a few bits from Tesco (using the money off vouchers I'd got from the last visit). Get my prescription done, (if it had arrived) and finally grab a carrier bag to collect litter in on the way back because I had promised myself I would.  

Parcels posted, prescription collected and done, spark plugs ordered, charity shops pillaged and Tesco's sorted I stand outside to check my list. Ah, forgot the carrier bag!  

Back in Tescos, grab empty bag.  Decide I deserve a drink and a scratch card for being good, win £4, buy two more, win £10. :0). Quit while I'm ahead, go back outside, celebrate with iced coffee. 

The fruits of my litter picking efforts :0).  

List all done, I walk back to the canal for litter picking.  Feeling pretty pleased with myself for ticking all my boxes. It's only about half a mile and with 'ol lady trolley in tow, shopping is easy. I got a few funny looks and a couple of thumbs up for my efforts, which is nice. :0)

As I rounded the corner, I saw an unusual sight, there was a big brown horse on the towpath, apparently unattended?  As I drew closer, it became apparent that he wasn't alone as his handlers were making up a makeshift coral in the clearing behind the trees.  There were two ladies in period costume and a man dressed in white shirt and waistcoat. Had I been transported back in time??  Sadly no, I was still in the present but I had been fortunate enough to stumble across Sue Day of the Horseboating Society and Bilbo Baggins a magnificent big Bay, who was busy having his lunch before carrying on down the locks making his way to Rode Heath at the end of the day. 

Sue tacking up Bilbo Baggins.

I hurried back to Yogi to let him know they would be coming through.  There were three boats moored below the lock and they were going to take some negotiating. I sent him up to take some pictures for me while I put the shopping away.

All tacked up and ready to go, Bilbo makes his way down the towpath towards the locks.

This is where the photos get a bit scarce as Yogi ended up getting roped into helping them through the lock. 

 Sue was having trouble getting the rope through under the bridge, so Yogi ended up on his belly with the rope on a hook passing it through to her! Obviously that bridge wasn't there in 'olden days' ;0).  I was totally unaware of this as I was busy watching the stall below the lock.  When I did see Yogi again, he was fully immersed in the historic horse boat experience!!

There he was, behind Bilbo with this long pole with a hook at the end. He was playing 'keepy ropey uppey' over the moored boats!!  Well and truly roped in!!  We had already removed all chimneys and arials previously which was lucky, but even Yogi was struggling with the weight of the boat pulling the rope behind him and Bilbo pulling it in front. It was pretty intense there for a minute, specially as the rope got dangerously close to our beloved solar panels!!  

People were jumping about grabbing stuff off of their respective roofs and moving it to safety, there was shouting and arm waving and Bilbo, clip clopping away totally oblivious to the wake of panic that was going on behind him!  Yog did a bloody good job though.  He safely negotiated the rope over 4 boats in all without any casualties. 

 Mind the solar panels!!!!

 An unimpressed and pretty oblivious Bilbo waits at the lock as the band of wavy arm people attempt to get the boat in it!!

They did ask if Yog would be able to help them with the locks between there and Rode Heath.......he declined. ;0) After all, he had to work the stall while I cooked dinner :0)

A Tiller Tassel is Born

Today has been a rope day, as was most of yesterday! I've had a lot of orders for bell ropes and tiller tassels and so for the last couple of days they been my main task. 

  

I thought you may find it interesting to see how I make them, so I made you a mini photo diary.  I use high quality 100% White cotton rope for my tassels, it gives a lovely finish and is nice and soft to work with.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Firstly, I get my rope and split it into its treads and tie a Matthew Walker Knot to make the top of the tassel.                                                                                                                                                             The length of the rope depends on the length of the finished tassel. The rope I used today was 8mm in diameter. 

The next knot on this particular design is a Wall Knot.  You could leave this out if you wanted too.  You may also notice I have added a small key ring on the top loop.  This is to make it easier to hang the finished tassel when it's finished.

This is how I hold the rope for the next knot, the Star Knot, it is easier this way for me as you can see the layers building. It is done in 6 stages as below.  I am not going to try and describe each stage.  Instead I have pictured each layer as I have done it.                                                                                                              I am sure if you googled 'star knot' and watch a video you could work out how its done.         Alternatively, come and find me on the cut and I'll show you :0)

                       

Stage 1

Stage 2

                                                                

Stage 3

Side View Stage 2

Stage 4

Stage 6

Stage 5

Stage 6 shows the Star Knot before it is tightened.  Stage 7 shows the finished and tightened result.

Finished Star Knot

                                                     

Next you do some Crown Knots to your desired length. Basically you do one crown knot after the other. On this design it was one clockwise and one widdershins alternating till it was about two inches of knots. Fig1 is of the crown knot loose, Fig 2 is the same knot tightened and Fig 3 is the side view.

Fig 1

Fig 2

Fig 3

This design has a 6 stranded diamond knot at the centre. The picture shows the loose knot  before it's tightened into place.   You tighten it up against the Crown Knots till it looks OK and then carry on with the crown knots for the same length (apx2 inches) I then add another Star Knot  and Matthew Walker Knot at the bottom for symmetry.

                                  

Loose Matthew Walker Knot

Have shown this picture of a loose Matthew Walker knot to give you a bit of an idea what its like before you tighten it. It took me ages to learn this knot (Ken Morton had to show me in the end lol).  But now I have the hang of it it is one of my favorites to do.

                                           

Almost There

Lastly, I unravel the remaining strands of rope, cut them to length and comb them through.  

                   

So there you have it, the finished articles. Only a few more to do and I will be done for the day :0)

If you would like to purchase one of my tassels, they are available in my ebay shop (link at the top of the blog) or you can purchase one from me on the boat. The cost is £15 for a large tassel and £10 for a small one. Ebay tassels are made to order and take apx 4 days to be despatched. 

Tea Towel Exchange

Yesterday was the CART Redbull Service Area Open day.  They were only running it from 1pm-4pm and unlucky for them, that's when the heavens decided to open with a vengeance! It was such a shame, because it could have been a really nice day :0(. 

We were part of the treasure hunt too!!  So everyone who came to the open day had to come and find our boat :0). We were the letter 'S' for 'Narrow Boat Shop'.  We had a nice laminated sign, with a picture of an Ice Cream boat on it. If you can't read the words at the side it said: 'There are many traders on the canal selling a diverse range of products from painted canal ware, crafts, art, cheese, jewellery, herbs, fenders, souvenirs and much more.'  

It's such a shame the weather was so bad really, it spoilt what could have been a very busy and profitable day :0(. But on the more positive side, CART plan to have these open days every couple of months so if you are a trader and due to be heading through, keep your eyes open, you might be able to be part of the next treasure hunt. :0).  

Luckily, today it was Sunny :0). Yogi set up shop nice and early and we had already made a couple of sales by lunchtime. We had moved one of our notice boards to the railings opposite the Red Bull Inn Beer Garden (which is right by the lock) in an attempt to drum up a bit of business. 

It seemed to work, as I recognised a few of the people from the pub garden walking down to have a look. We even had a visit from Martin, the pubs landlord. He introduced himself and explained he had come down to check us out and have a look for himself. 

We have a good range of tea towels and one of them features pubs on the cut and when Yogi checked it had his pub on it. So we gave him the tea towel :0). He offered to pay but I refused saying, I would rather swap it for some ice cream when we went up there later lol 

It appeared that this arrangement was most agreeable to both of us :0) (yum)

So, after a very good days trading, stock paced away, dog fed and watching EastFenders we headed up to the pub for dinner. 

The sight we were greeted with on entering was brilliant!!!!  Our tea towel pinned in pride of place behind the bar with a sign above it saying 'The Shop on the Cut'. Martin spotted us straight away and greeted us with 'Did you have a good day?'  We said we had had a very good day, hence our being in the pub ready to spend our days takings! Lol. 'Oh good' he said 'I've been telling everyone where you are and showing them the pub on the tea towel too! ' 

How brilliant is that!!

We sat down to eat, I had sausage and mash, and Yogi ordered Madras curry.  I warned him that that might be a bit hot for him and the land lady, (sorry, we didn't get her name) said not to worry, she would ask for it to be made milder for him. (Brownie point). 

The food was brilliant, Yogi said his was splendid!  (10 years we've been together, not once has my food been splendid!! Not even crumble and custard gets a splendid!!)

Then it was time for dessert (tea towel payment). OMG! I had the biggest, sickliest, yummiest piece of chocolate cheesecake with ice cream on the side :0). I am ashamed to say, it beat me, I couldn't finish it :0(. But it was delicious!  

I have to plug this pub, not for the wonderful landlord and landlady for directing custom our way but 

for the quality of the food and the service you get. 11/10 from us it is a lovely pub with a friendly welcoming atmosphere.  We are now officially repeat customers because next time we pass, we will be calling in and strongly advise if you are nearby, you do too. 

I've added a link to Tripadvisor as I am not the only one who thinks highly of The Red Bull

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186378-d2459915-Reviews-Red_Bull-Stoke_on_Trent_Staffordshire_England.html

Am off to add my review after I've put the kettle on :0)

Rained In and Rocking the Boat!

Today, as most of you will know, it has been larraping down all day!!  So, indoor based activities have been the order of business.  First job on the list was ebay listings.  I sell blank craft shapes in the ebay shop ( as well as loads of other stuff) and had 11 new shapes to get ready for uploading.  No small task when you think each shape comes in 5 sizes plus a set of all 5 sizes and in 8 different quantity options.

 

That's 48 different prices per shape!!  It's one of those jobs you hate to do, but once it's done and uploaded it looks after itself :0). There is a link to my shop at the top of my blog just at the bottom of the picture of our boat.  Take a look! There's over 40 different craft shapes there at the moment with more being added all the time!  (These will be on there tomorrow, am busy blogging now!)

Needless to say, 3 hours in and 6 listings ready for upload I was ready for a change and decided to do some housework.

Yogi had been sorting stock all morning while I was ebaying and we were both hungry.  So after scrambled egg on toast for lunch (Yum) he cracked on with cleaning and sterilising his fermentation buckets while I decided to clean the bathroom and bedroom.  Bedroom didn't take long, it is a 6' square area after all!  Sheets were changed and floor swept in no time so the bathroom was next.  This is where the fun started, I'm going from one side of the boat to the other, grabbing cleaning stuff, putting stuff away, minding my own business when I hear a shout 'Oi Oi! Stop rocking the boat!!'  I'd nearly knocked him over whilst holding his brew, nearly full to the top!!  'Sorry!!' I called back and carried on in the bathroom. After a couple more shouts and a bit of swearing in my direction, I decided to put the kettle on and sit down for a cuppa instead lol.

 

Homebrew, Ebay and Avoiding the Rain

We walked into Kidsgrove again today.  Yogi wanted some more bits and pieces from the Jolly Brewer Brew shop and we needed some coke to drink our homemade brews with :0).  The forecast has been threatening heavy rain today, so we donned our waterproof coats and tried to get there and back before the heavens opened.  It's quite a walk from Red Bull Services, but I'd taken my 'ol lady trolley with me so wasn't too worried as I can pull a 13kg gas bottle a mile in the snow in that thing so getting stuff home wouldn't be a problem. 

 

Graham, the owner of the shop, who we have got to know quite well over the last couple of days was again pleased to see us.  He does know his stuff, that's for sure, the back room of his shop is filled to the brim with home brew in various stages of production! 

He had been sampling a new beer he was making when we arrived and was slightly pink in the cheek and burpy lol. This also made him incredibly chatty and entertaining....:0). He has been brewing himself for 17 years and likes to check out all the products he sells personally.  He also keeps samples for customers to try before they buy, which is why I ended up with a bottle of Amaretto essence!!!  

The whole shop is filled from floor to ceiling with products for making your own brews. From, beer, cider and wine making kits to fermentation buckets, siphons and a load of other stuff I didn't have a clue about, am sure Graham would have loved to wax lyrical about them if I had asked but my head was still spinning from my Amaretto sample lol

Yogi managed to get 3 out of 5 of the flavours he wanted, plus Vodka essence for a Vodka drinking friend of ours plus the impulse Amaretto buy for me :0). All that for under £15!!  

Pleased with our purchases we climbed the hill up to Home Bargains, which is a bit like B&M Bargains and got the dog some dentastix and 3 1L glass bottles for Yogs Alcoholic creations.  Surprisingly we were still dry at this point, because by this time the sky looked so heavy it would burst into torrents of rain in any second. 

Next stop was Tescos for cola and fresh greens, so back down the hill we go to fill the 'ol lady trolley with fizzy liquid, still dry and already planning the rest of the afternoon. That's another good thing about Kidsgrove, it's downhill on the way back. 

Tescos negotiated with no drama, apart from a last minute dash for cheesy bread for lunch we carried on down the hill to the canal.  Trolley by this time is full to bursting point bless her and is very heavy, I managed half way back before Yog took pity on me and took over.  I love my trolley, she is like a tardis on the inside, a little bit frayed around the edges but aren't we all.  

Still dry, we arrived home just in time for the heavens to open. Could not have worked it better if we had tried. Cheesy Bread, cheese rolls and a cuppa were on the agenda big time. 

After lunch Yogi commandeered the kitchen and went into production mode so I took the opportunity to get some listings ready for Ebay, more on that tomorrow. 

A Quietly Productive Day

This is what I have been looking at for the past 2 hours.  Yogi bent over in the kitchen closely monitoring every drop of alcohol that is being produced from his new still!! It's made by Still Spirits and it's called an Air Still System. Basically, it means he can now produce the equivalent of 4 litres of vodka from 8 bags of sugar!! Our total outlay has been £200 for all the gubbins, including the still so it won't be that long before it has paid for itself!! Especially as you can get a 'magic sachet' of flavouring to make it taste like Jack Daniels!!  

So be prepared to be offered a sample if you are ever aboard.  :0)

This weekend The Witchcrafter will be open for business near the new Welcome Station at Redbull Services on the Trent and Mersea. They will be holding an open day this Sunday (25th May) to celebrate. Am planning to go on one of the historical walks they are organising, I love to learn the local history of places I visit :0)

 

Its quite dark and gloomy here today, the heavens have opened a couple of times already and everything on the front deck is sopping wet.  Including the rug I took out there earlier and forgot about! So I've been inside making stuff and laughing at Yogi mesmerised by his dripping alcohol!  I don't think he has ever spend this long in the kitchen in all the time I've known him!