Continuously Cruising

We have decided to give notice at Macclesfield Canal Centre and continuously cruise - this is comparatively easy to do around here & still enable me to go to work four days a week,  we came up to Marple on Friday and decided that we won't be returning to Macclesfield any time soon - moral of story - listen to  Chris's inner voice and buy a PO Box number. We are currently moored on the Peak Forest Canal just down from Marple Canal Basin

Bollington on the Macclesfield Canal

Since moving onto Gracie, we have made a conscious effort to buy locally and use the shops and services "on the cut" - we came up to Bollington last night because there is a Fish & Chip restaurant /takeaway - The Plaice, which comes highly recommended - if you get the chance to go = do try the Bollington Pudding - it is divine. Anyway, as I said we are trying to shop locally and therefore I went into Bollington and bought meat & veg from the butchers and then went into the bakery. The smell of freshly made vanilla/custard slices meant I had to purchase some - they were divine. However, no-one;s tills were working, so no chip & pin for those with cards. Then this afternoon, NB Alton (coal boat) came down the canal, sp we bought coal and her chip & pin wouldn't work properly either - it did the second time as I held it over my head - however, is Bollington in a dead spot? (it's an extremely pretty town with lovely shops though)
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On 16th August 1819, 15 people were killed and up to 700 injured when troops waded into a demo calling for the vote at St Peter's Field in Manchester. On the anniversary this year, there's an event being held at the Radisson Hotel on Peter Street, featuring speakers, poets and bands, including Salford rap collective Class Actions, recently returned from a tour of Austria.

Amongst those events in history that are ingrained into consciousness from school or elsewhere is the Peterloo Massacre which happened almost around the corner in Manchester.

It's now 194 years since around 80,000 people meeting at St Peter's Field, to demand Parliamentary reform and the vote, were attacked by the cavalry, leaving 15 dead and up to 700 injured. The massacre was named after the Battle of Waterloo which had happened four years earlier.

The community and trade unions have been determined that this horrid event in working class history is never to be forgotten, and in recent years there's been an annual event to show respect. This year's Peterloo Massacre Anniversary Event looks set to be the biggest yet.

On stage at the Radisson Hotel on Peter Street in Manchester will be speakers plus ace radical singer songwriter, Claire Mooney, political poet Dave Puller and Salford rap collective Class Actions.

Class Actions have recently completed a debut European tour, which took in Austriaand Germany, playing venues in Vienna, Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Graz, taking the Salford attitude to new audiences supported by radical publisher, Bahoe Books, and on stage by The Unknown Hip Hop Artist from Budapest.

.In Munich, Class Actions' Aslan AK and Mike F posed with an Anti-Fascist Action flag inside the very beer hall where Hitler attempted the Munich Putsch in 1923, and in Austria their shows featured a localised variation of their trade mark song Rip Up the Sun, which involved the audience burning copies of Austria's two most infamous tabloids the Kronen Zeitung and the Österreich.
Friday 16th August 7:30pm £3/£1
Radisson Hotel, Peter Street, Manchester

"It was an honour to be invited to tour such a beautiful country as well as play a bonus show in Munich" says frontman Aslan AK "I felt proud to export the radical socialist and anarchist tradition of Class Actions' adopted city to a continental audience. I hope our legacy is that more people in Austria will show the red card to the tabloids we used as firewood, I wish more venues in England would let us burn the Sun!"

Mike F, Class Actions' producer adds "It was a brilliant feeling to play in front of our first international audiences and the support from Bahoe Books was incredible. We've been lucky enough to meet some really great people and perform with some inspiring artists. It was an amazing experience."

You can see Class Actions closer to home on August 16th, along with guests Andy Carrington and Freddie Engels, plus some other top artists, at the Peterloo Massacre Anniversary…

Peterloo Massacre Anniversary Event 

http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=1901


On the 16 August 2013 - we start a new life aboard Gracie - we remember those that died to give us the freedom which this present government is fast taking away from people; when will people wake up? Your rights at work are being stripped away - did the people at Peterloo die in vain - I fear so, as people sleep-walk into a fascist state 

Well G-minus 20 days - we are hoping to complete the house sale on the 16th August and we went to the marina yesterday - got off to a bad start as dogs have to be on leads when not on the boat - they were quite confused by the slipway,although Shiva went in for a paddle. We looked around and then went off to find Riverside Park, next to the Bollin - the dogs really enjoyed "splashing around on the river" and there is 70 acres to explore. Chris wasn't sure about the marina, but as I said to him; if we were CC (Continuously Cruising), you wouldn't let the dogs out off the boat without being with them, especially with the amount of dogs being stolen these days. We can only see how we like it. I think we may be better at the far side of the marina, where you can get straight in and out of the canal to leave, rather then from the actual basin. We shall see.

Now to start seriously downsizing the kitchen - am doing a car boot tomorrow and next week and that will be our lot before we move (I have also mucho trips to the tip to get in!)

Chris has had a busy week - last week, he was in Norway

as you can see, it was a beautiful location and he had a lovely time! On Thursday, we had some good news - the kidney stone has disappeared, so now to concentrate on the pain; although it might be better to do that once we have moved GP's.

We are getting quite excited now - just want the next three weeks to be over and we are away to our new liife!.
Interesting story in the Daily mail yesterday (I don't normally read it, but there was a stroy about people moving aboard a narrowboat - not a good liveaboard IMHO, stove not in the middle of the boat and little storage - they also don't have solar panels and as for CC, I think they might have put themselves on the Canal and River Trust's radar! (You need to keep a log and be constantly moving in an onward direction to qualify - I wonder if they know that?)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2375836/Cash-strapped-family-save-fortune-selling-house-moving-NARROW-BOAT.html

and so the count down begins - Chris has flown to Norway today (photos WILL be posted!) to be at his youngest daughter's wedding tomorrow - I am off to see our moorings in Macclesfield tomorrow and I have the house buyers coming Saturday - so am hoping to get a provisional completion date from them. 
The weather is still hot and sunny - I am on leave today to dog-sit! We are going out again shortly to take the afternoon air and for the dogs to have a dip in the Bridgewater Canal
Chris is back Sunday and then it is one appointment after another with hospital, ATOS etc

Pleased to say we have a residential mooring at Freedom Boats in the middle of Macclesfield, not far from the Railway Station - the Universe is conspiring to make things happen. We have arranged with CoverIt to have both a Cratch Cover and board built over the bow and a fold-down Pram Hood over the stern 

This will give us the extra room we will need to dry wet dogs, as well as the ability to go under the bridges on the Macclesfield Canal (low,so you need to fold the hood down)
We have the contract signed ready to drop off at the solicitors and now we await a completion date after the 10th August - i hope the weather holds whilst we bring Gracie up from Chester to Macclesfield - although rain would be truly a baptism - in more ways than one!

Chris is excited to go to Norway next weekend for Theresa (his youngest daughter) and Steven's wedding - the ceremony is in a place called Valle and looks beautiful - they are marrying in the open air next to the lake called Honnevje (resting place) and then using a farmhouse called a Nomelandshus. The forecast for the wedding is 24C & sunny and it looks as though Chris is going to have warm weather while he is there. I wish I was going; but when we booked it we hadn't sold the house and logisitics of cats/dogs and selling a house was a bit much - we have agreed that Steven and Theresa will come here for a holiday and we will repeat the wedding for the family here! 

Then we have the delights of an ATOS Assessment ( so the govt will continue to pay his MI Stamp) and hospital appointments on his return to see if they can get rid of the kidney stone using Lithotripsy to break the stone up in his left kidney and so that he can start life on the boat with a little more energy. At present, he struggles to walk anywhere or do anything - although yesterday he made a fruit cake and it is very nice!

Things to do before we move

1. downsize the kitchen - do we NEED 3 casserole dishes!
2. go through the cupboard in the dining room
3. do car boot sales - we have stuff stored in a garage so will get that gone
4. find homes for furniture or arrange to take to the tip (not much left - bed, chest of drawers, dining table and 2 settees)

So if anyone knows anyone who wants anything let me know

Links below: 

 http://www.freedomboats.co.uk/contact.html 

http://www.coverit.co.uk/

I shall have to be more diligent about updating this - potted history from March 2013 - (and a moral) never sell to a footballer - they try and drive the price down ; which is what happened to us and then we had the most wonderful surprise from the fabulous savings scheme the banks have going - I am sure you have heard of it - called PPI! Anyway, they paid enough for us to completely redecorate, re-carpet and then have our own structural survey done

 We started with the hall, stairs & landing and re-carpeted and then realised that in fact the whole house needed repainting! It took us a month and then we put the house back on the market and it sold in 18 days for nearly our asking price.

Of  course, we thought Gracie would have sold in this time; although, I always felt she was waiting for us; however, we embarked on a reasonably fruitless search for a longer boat - going all the way to Northampton to scour a marina. There was one boat (which, when we thought about it) was a longer version of Gracie; but she needed work doing and they couldn't bring her out of the water until the end of August and we wouldn't have been able to move before the end of September. On the 2 hour drive back, I said, "I saw Gracie on Apollo Duck, she's still available" and Chris said "I know, we're going to buy her aren't we", so a phone call was made and that was that!

We cannot get her until the middle of August as her owners are away visiting family; but as we have signed the contract and the Deed of Title today; we feel as though it is moving apace and we are counting the weeks now - the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train coming towards us anymore!

So, the next few weeks will be busy - Chris is off to his youngest daughter's  wedding in Norway next week; then he has the ATOS medical to see if they will continue to pay his stamp (no benefits, but still has to go for a medical - this Government is insane). Following that, he has three Lithotripsy appointments to go to; plus we have to unpack, take out half of our stuff, sell it and then repack - a bit like an extended holiday!

Should find out the date for completion soon - I just hope this wonderful weather holds out, so we get a few nice weeks to start our new life. 

The dogs love swimming in the Bridgewater - Shiva's favourite game is to to drop his ball in the canal and dive in to get it out! So, we have booked a company who will fit a cratch cover, fold-down table and pram hood and then we had an e-mail yesterday to say there is a 52 foot mooring coming up in Macclesfield (right near the train station) so with a bit if luck, we will be living in Macclesfield from September. 
Maybe, we will see you "on the cut"