Retirement with No Problem

We have to hot foot it.. or more appropriately speed boat it back to Devizes.  The sign writer is visiting NP2 on Friday next and wants to talk about how we would like her errrr sign written!.. and all at 8.30 in the morning.. but hey I don’t do 8.30 in the morning any more!  Don’t these people realise I am retired!!

What a glorious day today though, and while we waited and filled with water I went off with the camera to take some pics of Dundas Wharf and Aqueduct and around about it..

This the Somerset Coal Canal which goes off some 100 yards right by the wharf..

The wharf itself..

The Aqueduct

The view from the Aqueduct looking east..

And looking West..

You can see why I like this area now.. and it was such a lovely day I thought I would give you a series of pics.

Continuing on retracing our steps of last week, it is hard to imagine that we are on our way back, and on our way out of winter mode too.. a very significant turn marking the furthest point that we would be travelling along this canal this year.  This is the embankment between Dundas Aqueduct and Avoncliffe Aqueduct that I spoke of the other day in a blog.. through the woodland, high on the hillside with a rock ‘cliff face’ on one side and a sheer drop on the other to the River Avon a long, long way below..

A quick stop today then at Bradford-on-Avon for fresh vegetables, bread and milk and we were on our way again.. well we had enjoyed a few days here last week, and as the weather was so nice we just had to carry on and enjoy.

Stopping at the huge hire base Alvechurch at Hilperton for diesel, I nipped in to see what they thought about the loss of the derogation on fuel duty for our diesel, now to be happening in November 2008.  What I was told scared me somewhat and it was a view that I thought might be on the cards to be honest.

It was thought, at this hire base, that because of the very much higher price of diesel, maybe 3 times the amount we are paying now, they might only supply their own hire fleet with diesel, and not the general public.  “Our accountants probably won’t want us to store any more than is necessary because of the high price.  We will not be able to make any profit on it, so why store it for anyone other than ourselves?”

He was not being obstructive to us, but they have a business to run, and businesses on the canal system will all have to pay for ‘non red’ diesel.  The only concessions that may happen is working boats that are actually contributing to maintaining the system such as dredges and the like.. I wonder if transportation of goods along the canals might be able to use the red stuff as an incentive to get lorries off the roads..

But for sure, it is a worrying fact.   We, like many liveaboards, use our engine more for charging batteries and heating than for cruising along.. we don’t need to do a 10 hour day chasing pubs and waterway rings.. being retired gives us an opportunity to slow down in life and enjoy what is around us.. but we will have to pay a high price for doing that soon.. 2/3 of our diesel is for ‘heat ‘n light’ 1/3 for fuel for travel.

I paid for our 74.5 litres today.. £42.47… in 2008 that may cost me £90 in todays money, oh if we can find a boatyard willing to serve us of course!.. You know, that is going to put a lot of boats in severe trouble… I wonder if this one will survive..