Winter Coal

Just before the real winter weather arrived, I realised that my coal supplies for my Rayburn range were getting very low. I therefore placed an order for half a ton of coal with my usual supplier. There is a stoppage during February on the Stoke Bruerne locks, so we made arrangements for him to come down to the bottom of the locks in his van (along a very poor quality track) whilst I took the boat up to the same place.

The morning I was due to go up to the locks was the day the temperature had really dropped, and there had been a second bout of snow. I started off and got about three hundred yards before coming to a halt due to the thickness of the ice (about one and a quarter inches). Phoning Mike (my coal supplier) I learnt that he was not able to get down the track due to the weather conditions.

Since then we have been trying to arrange another delivery without success. I am getting very low on coal!

Meanwhile I wandered out to take some photos of my permanent mooring in the snow and here they are.