Fuel Boat BARGUS in Lock-Down

Ian Hutson

There’s a new (old) fuel-boat in town. Halsall is patrolling fresh waters, and nb BARGUS (also from Four Counties Fuels) is the wee beastie to see about supplies of phlogiston and flammable gases and vintage aged-in-oak-barrels diesels and wotnots.

Bargus called by today. 🙂

The Cardinal’s bunkers are back to where they were after the previous visit. We’d used five sacks, and Jason used the onboard trebuchet to deliver five replacements. That’s about a month’s supply there now and this gives me a warm glow.

Well, technically, it gives Mr Stove a warm glow, and I just bask in that glow. Damned glad am I that Grandfather invented fire.

nb BARGUS has been thoroughly restored, primped and preened by Jason – and now looks like the dog’s knees, or the bee’s cojones. Splendid indeed.

nb BARGUS, Four Counties Fuel Boat

Having bunkered the Cardinal nb BARGUS moved on to descend the Cholmondeston Lock and to head in the direction of Middlewich.

nb BARGUS, Four Counties Fuel Boat

The photo above gives you some idea of the stature of the Cholmondeston Lock, with its 11′ 3″ (3.4 metres) change in water level.

nb BARGUS, Four Counties Fuel Boat

Cholmondeston Lock has quite a history and a LOT of mystery about it. I am currently writing a book about the strange occurrences here and abouts – sightings of odd creatures, lights, sounds, even the disappearances of entire crews from narrowboats. I’ve been working on it for a long time, but for some reason during the nonsense of 2020 my brain hasn’t been co-operating, and it’s been (very) slow going. The target is (now) early 2021.

Lots of eye-witness accounts, lots of photographs.

All that I can show you at the moment is the cover artwork…

Accounts, old photographs, sightings in re The Beast of Cholmondeston Lock, Middlewich Branch, Shropshire Union.

However, BARGUS made it safely through the lock, praise be to Zeus et al.

nb BARGUS, Four Counties Fuel Boat

…and called in at Venetian Hire Boats & Chandlery‘s wharf to re-stock and wotnot.

nb BARGUS, Four Counties Fuels.

I went back to the Cardinal then to feed the stove a few fresh morsels of dinosaur remains, and to try to force my damned brain to actually do some work on The Beast.

it looks as though I am in the winding hole. I’m not, obviously, there’s a good 30′ betwixt the Cardinal’s rump end and the beginning of the winding hole. Telephotoid lenses play tricks, even the compact pocket-rocket ones. 🙂

So that’s been the excitingment of the day, and the light is now fading fast. In England in November (and October, and December, and January, and February) the average length of daylight is fifty-four minutes and twenty-three seconds, including sunrise and sunset at twenty minutes each. Or something. That’s what it feels like, anyway. Wake, get up, blink and it’s time to get back into bed.

Reports of temperature readings overnight last night range from 0.5°Celsium to -4°Centigradeds. The 8/8ths cloud hasn’t really lifted here all day, so mayhap tonight won’t be so chilly. Either way, I am truly lucky to have both a stove and supplies of fuel.

Thank’ee kindly BARGUS.

😉

Now, what can I stuff my face with for dinner?

Pasta, or curry?

Or both – ought I to invent Pasta Curry?

Hmn. Chin-chin, chaps.

Ian H.

14 Comments

  1. “…the average length of daylight is fifty-four minutes and twenty-three seconds…”

    You’re lucky. Round these parts we don’t see any daylight at all. The night just blinks vaguely for a few moments, smacks its lips, then goes back to sleep. It’s even worse in winter.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well at least with the igloo and stacks of seal-blubber to be gummed over winter you’ll be unfrozen and occupied. I thought that I’d been occupied once, but it turned out to just be France.

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    1. I have to say that I’ve never really come to an agreement with noodles – doubtless noodles think the same about me! Mind you, curry improves most things… 😉

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  3. I recommend curry over mashed potato. It spreads about in your innards and comforts you. Also, mashed potato stores better. Refrigerate rice and your only option is a stir fry. Which I do NOT do well.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Mashed spud is a(nother) food of the gods – although sometimes rather than uniformly mashing them as of the days of yore I have been known to “smash” them – deliberately do half a job and leave bits intact, as texture…. Damn, I’m all “designer chef” in the galley these days! 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Maklouba… that’s what you need, an upside down rice dish.
    A very stylish conveyor of coal. I got all carried away imagining him with hips as narrow as… well no doubt you can guess what? Corduroy trews, a natty moleskin waistcoat, a spotty red neckerchief, flannel shirt, leather belt with bicycle clips to complete the ensemble. I enlarged the photo and my illusion was shattered by the bloke at the helm at odds with his stylish craft…

    LX

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Maklouba – at least as far as the Interwebnettings knows it and tells me – looks like a damned fine and splendid dish indeed. Sort of a Middle-Eastern Spanish Omelette with bells and whistles. I’ve found a ree-cipe for a thoroughly vegetablaryan variation – all I need now is to collect the necessaries and choose a day when I have sufficient oomf.

      I’ll ask Jase if he’ll do a special photo session for you, Lettice – full working bargee outfit.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Bit like the WI calendar? And you being a photographer, of sorts, might have found some gameful employ?

        LX

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  5. There’s nowt wrong with Pasta and curry, it’s more civilised than fish ‘n’ chips with curry sauce (or even worse grave…eek!). Had pasta and sauce on a jacket potato the other day and jolly nice it were too! Curry on a jacket potato is good old cold weather, carbo loading. Keep warm Mr. Stove. Waiting patiently for the wee beasty though – just saying.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ee by gum – hot proper chips w’curry sauce and a side-serving o’mushy peas. My god, there’s food and then there’s that – manna from Heaven and a little plastic forklet to eat it with. Gravy might be an option I suppose if in dire straits, but only if hot and peppery. Damn I am talking food, food, food this evening – comfort eating. Is there something going on that might make me want to just sit and stuff my face? End of the world as we know it, that sort of thing?

      Yes, Mr Boris, no, Mr Boris, three bags full and kissy-kissy, Mr Boris, boing noing wibble moo fribble de-clomp.

      I want to be a tree.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. No you don’t want to be a tree, some bu**er would come along chop you down in your prime and burn you on their ruddy bargeamacallit to keep themselves warm in these weird chilly times.

        LX

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I have put past in curry form before (when needs musted and it were about all that I had)! There must be some more fancy way of achieving the perfect pasta-curry balance though, something with a touch of finesse. Experimentation is the only option. I shall commit my finest wooden spoon (well, perhaps my second-best wooden spoon) to the attempt and report the results. 😉

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