At least one thing went right today…

Yep, Open Live Writer is compatible with Blogger! Hurray! No more fannying-about with cutting and pasting text and resizing photos before inserting them. Well done the development team.
Just in case you didn’t know, Microsoft pulled the plug on support for LiveWriter in 2012, then Google decided to change the authentication protocols in the excellent Blogger, so the two were no longer compatible. An outcry from users of both prompted Google to make a stay of execution, while Microsoft agreed to make LiveWriter Open Source. A team of software boffins have been working on the software, but didn’t get the mods done in time for Google’s postponement of the introduction of the new protocols to come to an end. So since December 5th it’s been necessary to write the blog text then copy and paste it into Blogger, format it, and then resize photos before inserting them. All which LiveWriter does for you (apart from the writing…)

Well, now we’re back, firing on all cylinders again. Wee-Hee.
Well done guys!

We moved down to Bingley yesterday, mooring just before Micklethwaite Swing Bridge, -ready to meet the lockie at the top of the Five-Rise at 0930 this morning.

Leaving Riddlesden, Granby Swing Bridge ahead, and the result of someone’s negligence in the foreground

We had an uneventful trip, the wind wasn’t anything like as strong, and we only had two swing bridges to contend with anyway.

Morton Swing Bridge.

So this morning we were up at daybreak, dog walked, paper collected and fast broken, ready for the off at just before nine.

Mags comes through Micklethwaite Swing Bridge.
This one’s a hybrid, the bridge swing is mechanised but the barriers have to be closed and opened manually. Being a Saturday we didn’t hold up too much traffic.
The Airedale Boat Club footbridge was half open, it’s normally fully open but the wind last night must have shoved it round, then we were at the top of the locks, surprised to see no-one on the moorings!

A bit empty…

It was 09:15, so I went to see if the lockie was setting up the 5-rise staircase for us.

Not a yellow jacket anywhere…



So we waited, and waited…

I tried ring C&RT at half-ten, knowing it was a futile exercise. The answerphone gave me an emergency number but it was hardly that. So I closed up the back hatch, tied us up properly and we’ve sat here all day. I was quite expecting to still be here on Monday morning, when I’d be able to get someone on the phone.
But mid-afternoon a chap knocked on the window, wanting to know if we were going down in the morning. He’s booked to come up tomorrow, so all being well there should be someone around in the morning. Having said that, there should have been someone here this morning…

I’d planned on three easy days to Rodley, then a day off before we tackle the long run into Leeds. Now I guess it’ll have to be two moderate days.

The booking isn’t the only thing to go wrong, manouevring for one of the bridges yesterday the prop was in reverse when there was a bang from under the stern deck. I thought we’d picked up a bag or a rope on the prop, and “chucking back” improved the situation but didn’t solve it. Once we’d stopped I lifted out the weed hatch and had a grope in the murky water, only to find the prop clear of debris but with two of the three blade’s tips badly bent. That’s why we’d lost a bit of thrust.
We’ll have to put up with it for a bit, it’s a dry-dock job. I may be able to straighten it… hopefully.

Hi Jaq, Les. Yes, bedding the brass rubbing strips on  mastic seems to have solved the problem. I've sanded back the varnish and scrubbed the panel with bleach on a scourer, and it's got rid of most of the staining. It just needs varnishing again now.
All the best for Christmas and the New Year, hope to catch up with you some time.

Locks 0 (should have been 8…), miles 3½