Contingency Planning…..

Here we are pretty well stuck, I guess. The clear water we made turning around the other day now has 2” of ice on it, I dread to think what it’s like in the untouched bits.

We’re within 15 minutes walk of the services at Anderton, so I can tote the loo cassettes there as needed, and tomorrow I’m going off in search of a 5 gallon water container to lug backwards and forwards. Even with strict economising, our tank will be empty early next week.

Food supplies are courtesy of Sainsbury’s, 25 minutes away. We’ve got plenty of diesel, and enough solid fuel to last another 10 days. So we’ll not starve, nor freeze to death.

The last 2 nights have been bitterly cold, apparently down to -10°. We had a problem getting at our remaining water this morning; a short section of pipe from the tank to the cabin, which runs under the front deck, had frozen overnight. Judicious use of a carefully applied hot water bottle (filled with heated snow!) had water flowing from the taps by lunchtime.
The vulnerable section is now well wrapped up, and I’ll lag it properly when I get the chance.

Although this weather is getting to be a pain in the bum, it does provide some unusual photo opportunities.

Frosted tree branches against the night sky look more like coral.
Ice crystals on the frozen canal.
Of course, us humans aren’t the only ones struggling with the weather. Wildlife is having a hard time of it, too.
We’ve got bags of nuts and fat balls having from the trees alongside, frequented by at least 2 pairs of bluetits.

I knocked together a hanging bird table tonight to provide snacks for those birds who are not quite so acrobatic. No pictures tonight, I put it up too late to attract anything, but the squirrels might find it overnight.

The forecasters reckon that this cold weather may be with us till the end of the month. Good job we’ve no-where to be, but I sympathise with those who are making huge efforts to get to work in these conditions.

Very good friends, Val and Johnny in Ingleton, have offered to put us up till the weather improves, but I’m reluctant to leave the boat, and Mags won’t go without me. Thanks very much for the offer, you guys, but we’re OK.

The ongoing issue of BW underfunding is reported on today in The Middlewich Guardian. The NABO survey mentioned is here.

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