By the wearin' of the Blue...

The Elizabeth Rose II gets her first coat of Brilliant Blue Paint.

Now when they came down to Canada, scarcely half a year
She's married this bold captain who called her his dear
She's dressed in silks and satins now, and she cuts a gallant show
She's the finest of the ladies down Canadee-I-O

Come you fair and tender girls wheresoever you may be
I'll have you to follow your own true love, when he goes out on the sea
For if the sailors prove false to you, well the captain he might prove true
You see the honour that I have gained by the wearing of the blue

Helen's Pride and Joy - the GALLEY!
David's Amazing Example of Finishing Work -
Boatiful Blessings!
Shanti

The Current: News and Views of the ER II - Aug-Sep 09

Hi Guys, Just a quick note I know I owe you a phone call and proper email. But we are run ragged right now we are in the middle of the two cheese selling weekends. At the same time we trying to work on the boat. I will have some new pics up real soon. In fact I think there is some there now. All is well with us hope it is the same for you. Talk soon!

Talk about FEAST! Thanks David!
One of the 'fun' things about living at Yeatsall Farm, is that the Farm boasts its own flying field.
On August 31, they had an Open House Fly In and anyone who could still manage to putter, zoom and squeeze into those WWI or WWII outfits (including the planes!) were welcome.
Here is the latest from Helen who gives us more info about The Day at The Farm:
As an added bonus, we had what the owner of the farm called 'Fun Day' on August 31st. It was an event he and his family host every year to raise funds for the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue people. We thought there would be a few planes flying in (Yeatsall Farm has it's own airfield and hangars, it's such a cool place!) and a BBQ - turned out to be a huge deal: many, many planes flying in and out, including a Russian Antinov (very scary), over 200 vintage cars and motorbikes (Frank, we thought of you immediately!), huge radio-controlled models of tanks running around the farm followed by kids, fire and rescue demonstrations (the kids loved that part, setting cars on fire and putting them out), an entertainment stage with singers, etc.. all day long, a steam-powered tractor pulling a gypsy caravan (took them 4 hours to get here from 6 miles away!) plus all the food/drink was by donation only, recommended amount being a pound for everything, including pints of ale! We know quite a few of the pilots here now and I was lucky enough to go up with one of them - in no short time, we were up flying over the beautiful Peak District, what an experience! I believe David has included a shot of me in the plane (it's a Luscombe, to those of you in the know)
* Since I had so many wonderful shots to share, I thought the best thing to do was put them in slide show format on here.
If you find it's moving too fast for you to view, then move your cursor to the bottom right and you can pause, back up or fast forward.
Enjoy! I know we did.

September 09 - ERII Interior Shots - More Work

Helen writes:
"On the boat front, things are coming along nicely, we are taking a lot more time to finish this boat out to a higher standard than last time (yes, those of you who were lucky enough to see her will wonder about that, but trust me - this boat is WAY nicer!) so progress isn't quite as fast as last time. However, we moved onto a half-finished boat then and are determined not to move onto ER II until she's completely done! Having said that, apparently your boat is never finished until you sell it...:

Hiking the Yorkshire Dales - Abbots Bromley Horn Dance

Helen writes:
"The following Monday was the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance (Google it!), one of the stops always being here at Yeatsall Farm. This event has been going on since the 13th century, very ancient and not just a little a bit weird.! David and I got roped into doing the horn dance by the owner, Richard, and his son, Greg - let me tell you, those horns are heavy!! Unfortunately, because we were dancing, there are no pictures of us - but you'll get the general idea from some of David's shots.

We did a lovely hike in the Yorkshire Dales with Heather and Jamie a couple of weeks ago, one of those 'Let's make up our own walk' type of thing, started out rainy and misty but broke out into the most glorious afternoon sunshine, as you will see from David's pictures. Just a perfect afternoon and we finished off with a pint at the pub in Appletreewick, a charming village in the Dales."

The Current: News and Views of the ER II

August 17-2009

Last we heard, our stalwart Helen and David were still 'fighting the good fight' with knuckleheads who :
a) installed the wrong Tiller Bar (the ER II is a 'cruise stern' Narrowboat and the tiller these eejits installed was for a Traditional one - TOO DAMN HIGH!)
Which means You Can't Sit Down To Steer.

b) the brand spanking newly designed windows (do I hear an oh oh?) LEAK!
The response from the guy who designed them?
'O I actually don't like those windows anyway!'
Then why the hell would you sell them?

We just shake our head over here and are heartily sorry that Helen and David have to put up with such loons.

Never mind - here are some shots of the interior work and a bit of a Hike around the area as well.

Stairs In Place, Hot Water Tank InstalledNorth American Plumbing with Drain OversideBiggest Sink on the Canals

Oot and Aboot;

Even Vertically Challenged Helen had to Duck for This OneRipening Fields of Barley, Alrewas StaffordshireOrgreave Hall, Staffordshire Blessings on all who view these

Current News From ER II - August 05 2009

"Progress is good, particularly when David and I work on the boat. We still have some issues that the boatbuilder needs to fix (replace the prop that screams like a 'banshee', install the bilge pump..) but, considering that our stuff from Canada doesn't come until today, it's quite amazing what David has managed to do with a toolbox the size of a loaf of bread, a couple of power tools purchased here and a borrowed hammer and saw: the boat is fully lined and varnished, all dc and ac wiring installed, plumbing and toilet wiring roughed in and he's started on his electrical 'room' (being a narrowboat, this room is the size of a small cupboard!).

But, our stuff comes today - Yeah! We will unpack everything and it will be like Christmas - I'll have all my lovely pots, pans and utensils and David can't wait to get his tools back!

It has been a busy and fun couple of weeks on other fronts - we had family visiting the weekend before last (Tara, Cliff and Heather) and we all had a gay old time! Lots of laughs, good food, pubs and just enjoying our time together. This past weekend, Heather and Jamie came down from Leeds, we had a lovely dinner with my brother and family on Saturday and on Sunday (my birthday), we had a fabulous hike in the Peak district at Chrome Hill (google it!), a hike David and I have always wanted to do. We finished up with dinner at The Mermaid Inn on the moors - all in all a spectacular day!

So, waiting for the call from the moving company - they will, almost certainly, not be able to find us and we'll have to lead them in! We'll keep you all posted!

Love, Helen & David

Taking A WELL DESERVED Break! - Hiking Chrome Hill - Peak District

Taking advantage of the fitful sun and being true blue Canadians (it is OUR holiday Long Weekend after all!); Helen and David hiked the Peak District with daughter Heather and son in law Jamie.