Boats, booze, bar b que, and bands.

The weather forecast for the weekend was for some much needed sun shine and so my first job on Saturday morning was to get myself to my good lady wife’s hair dressers for a much needed hair cut to get rid of the Winter fluff if the weather was going to be as good as forecast. It is very true to say that in general people married to a painter and decorator live in very poorly decorated homes, people married to car mechanic drive round in poorly maintained cars and those married to hair dressers are always in need of a good haircut!

After getting my hair cut I drove over to Hoo Mill and arrived at the site at about 11.00am to hear the strains of Brian Wells' 89 key Gavioli fairground organ playing away to some of the resident moorers etc. who were sat in the glorious sunshine on bales of straw. I walked over to the boat to be greeted by Laney who told me of the plight of the boats. The local farmer across the other side of the canal to the boats, on the towpath side, had limed the fields opposite and all the boats were completely white over. I started by wiping everything off with a dry cloth, thinking that if I tried mopping it this would just turn it into white sludge that I would just spread all over the cabin. Dry wiping, in fact, did very little other than move the dust about and so I decided to try the mop with plenty of water. I mopped the cabin top and gunnels which eventually removed most of it, what it could really do with is a good old down pour of rain to wash the lot down, but not this weekend. Next job was to polish all the outside brass work including mushroom vent, chimbley bands and chain etc. So that after an hour sporting clean brasses, klaxon and water cans, Minnow didn’t look too bad.

Finally I laid a fire in the range for although it was warm now, I knew it would chill later. So with this done it would just need a match putting to it when I left about 3.00pm to collect Dawn. With all my jobs done, I wandered off across to the marquee to find Andy to see what needed doing. Helped Andy with remaining jobs such as the electrics and setting up a sturdy table structure to support the Burco water boiler for tea’s and coffee’s for the ‘old ‘uns’. With this done I then filled the boiler up and switched it on to boil.

By two thirty there was nothing left to do so I left to head home, get changed and collect Dawn who had been at work. After a shower and a change to more suitable clothing we put a few things in the car such as my pewter tankard to drink out of (only plastic pint pots at the do) two folding camping chairs, milk and bread and bacon for breakfast and headed off. Got back down to site about 4.30pm to the smell of roasting pork and the fairground organ playing. By now both working boats Trout and Dove had arrived along with about 50 other friends and family of Andy and Laney. We met up with the new friends we had made off narrowboat Acer, moored in front of us, which they lived on at Hopwas with pet ferret Colin. For the next hour or so people milled around talking and tucking into the food and drink, whilst we were being entertained by a very talented young pianist who entertained us playing an electric key board until about 8.00pm when main band came in and started setting up on the brilliant stage that Andy had built out of large baulks of timber and thick sheets of plywood painted in black and white squares! While they were ‘tuning up’ they put some CD’s on the PA system just to get people in the mood, who were still eating and drinking. ( did I mention the three barrels of real ale that Andy had put on)

At about 9.00pm the band were ready and started the first of three sets they were to play. Well what can I say. The Rude Boys, an 80’s tribute band who did three ‘sets’ covering Ska and reggae in the first set, 80’s chart music and rock in the second set and right up to the latest Muse, Cold Play, Greenday, Keiser Chiefs etc.for their last set taking us up to about 1.30am (I think, not sure, did I menshun tha three barrels uv bier Andy put on, hick))

Went to bed after the band had finished, about 2.00am and collapsed into a deep ( drunken stupour) sleep. Abruptly woken at just after 8.00am as John and Jenny Jackson left with Roach, just got up long enough to put my head out of the hatches and squint out of one eye, then promptly got back into bed. Up at 9.00am for coffee with bacon sandwiches at about 9.30am. Faced the rest of the world by 10.00am when everybody who was about was a little tender. Sat out in the sun shine for an hour for another fairground organ recital including such rousing numbers as 633 squadron, The Thieving Magpie, several marches and more, including another rendition of Andy’s favourite, The Phantom of the Opera.

At about 12.00am more fresh food was piled out in the annex to the main marquee Pork and crackling, various cold meats and salad, chicken dippers, hot boiled skinned potatoes etc. Etc. which was eagerly tucked into by those who had the constitution. At about 1.00pm we were to be entertained by an unnamed duo (guitar and female vocals for some chill out music from writers like Bert Baccarat with hits from such artists as Dusty Springfield, Paul Weller, Dionne Warwick, and Barbra Streisand, to name but a few. The day for us finished about 4.00pm when we made our farewells and left for home. (to rest and sleep)

All in all it was a great weekend with around a hundred people there mostly like minded people who were into old things [(well the men anyway) (and I am not referring to the women before that’s hinted at)] and talking of old things the main things there to look at included:-

Working boats

Trout with her Kelvin J4

Lily with he 20hp Bolinder,

Minnow with her 9hp Bolinder,

Dove with her new Armstrong Sidderley AS2,

Roach

A 1940’s Foden lorry

Two showman’s caravan’s

A Romany bow top caravan

An 1895 fairground organ

A 1972 Mark 1 Ford Escort

sorry about the lack of photos only Dawn thought I'd picked the camera up and I thought she had!

All in all it was a fantastic weekender and all our thanks go to Laney and Andy for all the hard work and effort they had put in and also for inviting us all. I am sure this has the makings of an annual event and I’m sure as the word gets out more and more will want to attend.

Blossom