20th October - 12th November. Signwriting and autumn colours in Enniskillen.

Shannon loves to stand and look out while we are sailing. There are so many interesting smells!

We continue to move around the moorings in Enniskillen and were moored at the Regal Pass in Enniskillen when a heron came to visit us.

Having painted the scrolls first, I  then started the signwriting with the THE but had to abandon due to rain. At the second attempt, I used the tracing of the previous letters to speed up the masking, using frog tape for all the straight lines.

It needs a steady hand for this, with our homemade marl stick to help.

The first coat of ivory on the letters and scrolls is complete, and masking will be removed before painting the next two coats. The signwriting must never be perfect, or else it might look as though the letters were stick-on plastic ones.

A tranquil sunset at the Ardhowen Theatre mooring.

Even though it is now early November, the trees are hardly changing colour at Castle Coole at all. The weather has been so mild.

There are fewer craft about now but it is not often that both Broadmeadow and the Regal Pass moorings are devoid of boats.

Shannon has found a new place from which to watch the cooking. She is a great helper in the galley.

Back to the signwriting for the final shading! It is amazing how this brings the letters to life. The tracing above is to remind me where light and dark colours go, below each letter.

At last the signwriting is complete.

Two Carrickcraft hire boats went past quite fast in convoy, towards Enniskillen Bridge. This is the second pair within the week. Rumour has it that they are changing their base.

When we are moored at the Round "O", our best walk is through the woods and up to Portora Castle. Shannon never misses this puddle on the way!

At last there are some autumn colours to be seen near Portora Lock. The lock is in use at present as the water levels in Upper Lough Erne are controlled by the sluices here, under Portora Bridge.

7th - 19th October 2013. Painting The Puzzler and International Pike fishing.

It is now nine years since The Puzzler was first painted, and the port side is in need of renovation. This side faced the sun for four years at our moorings on the River Ouse at Denver Sluice in Norfolk. The yellow line is complete here, after three coats of paint. Having applied the frog tape, it is time to cover the extra yellow which shows on each side of the tape.

We haven't used a roller before, but are very pleased with the finish which can be achieved, by brushing after rollering. The final brush finish means that any scratches later can be touched up less visibly. (Sorry about the sun glare!)

This week it is the International Pike Fishing Competition in Enniskillen with fourteen teams taking part. They have all had two days practice, but the real competition starts today. Here they are heading downstream through Enniskillen towards the Lower Lough Erne, where the stake boat will release them to start fishing. The Italian team eventually won, ahead of Russia and Romania.

We had to mask the jigsaw picture while painting, but the red and green are all finished now.

The moment of truth has arrived! Will this delicate frog tape peel properly? This is looking good!

The tape has peeled very well to leave a nice clear yellow line.

Shannon has a new friend, Padi, and they have exhausted each other. Padi is also a Shih Tzu, and is a week older than Shannon.

The walking on the other side of the River Erne in Cornagrade is good, and there are plenty of fishing jetties to explore. A lot of work has been done at the Portora Boathouse, and it is very smart now.

We have our own clippers now so Shannon is looking quite tidy again.

The water level is still quite low in the River Erne, as we pass Enniskillen Castle. There has been very little rain for a long time.

20th Sept - 6th October 2013. Back in Enniskillen.

At last, the second crop of new computer problems seem to be sorted, although we have still lost some emails. Do update us if it might be you!
Andy has completed the new trap door access to the engine, so that the engine filter, which was the cause of our problems last week, can be easily replaced.

Cruisers from the Manor House Marina have been having a weekend in Enniskillen, so it has been quite busy. They are now on their way back down the River Erne.

Shannon thinks nothing of having to wear a lampshade! She should wear it for ten days until her stitches have dissolved.

As in the spring, all boats must move every 48 hours, but this suits us quite well. We move to Riverview, near to the library, on Wednesday for bowls.

Shannon is now much happier about her fancy collar.

The walk, from the Round "O", up through the woods to Portora Castle, is as good as ever. Andy and Shannon are playing follow-my leader along the ruined wall there.

Shannon is glad to have had her lampshade off, but hates being left behind, if one of us goes out, so has to be tied up for safety.

Going back upstream from Enniskillen, the hills to the west are rather misty.

The Ardhowen Theatre is always impressive as we approach.

 Some dogs will do anything for a treat! We are walking in the grounds of Castle Coole. There are very few autumn colours as yet though, due to the warm weather we are having.

We came to the Ardhowen to see the Big Brass Swing Band, with Bob Quick. They are based in Strabane and were very popular, providing excellent entertainment. The standing ovation at the end left the theatre buzzing!

By Saturday evening the mooring was quite full.

17th - 20th Sept. In Belturbet, then back down Upper Lough Erne to Enniskillen.

The bridge at Belturbet has been there for many centuries as Belturbet's location is one of the best places for crossing the River Erne.

From the main town mooring it is well worth carrying on upstream to this mooring, located at the head of navigation, just below Belturbet bridge.

Immediately above the bridge lies Turbet Island, which is easily accessible for good walking from the north side of the bridge. There are the remains of an early 13th century motte-and-bailey on the island, which was built by Walter De Lacy, when the Anglo Saxons tried to conquer Cavan. The walk returns to Belturbet via another bridge further upstream, then back down the south bank.

We moved on to Geaglum later that day. This is always a pleasant mooring, with quiet neighbours, as there is no pub here!

It was a lovely journey down Upper Lough Erne the next morning, with the sun shining on the wind farm on the hill.

After stopping for lunch at Carrybridge, we carried on for a while, but then the engine decided that it had had enough, and stopped. As we were in midstream at the time, and it was quite windy, then Andy deployed the anchor, before we could drift on to the rocks by the bank. After a rest, the engine agreed that perhaps it could take us a bit further. We stopped to collect some handy wood, as the weather is becoming much colder. We put 20 litres of diesel into the tank, which temporarily sorted our fuel problem, and carried on to Enniskillen.

We went to the Erne mooring for shopping, and were then stuck there, with too much wind to move safely. This was partly due to the height of the wood on the roof, which was acting as a sail! Later we went over to Broadmeadow, beside the Forum, where it was much more sheltered, having a fire on for the first time this autumn.

After a pleasant evening of bowls at the Royal British Legion, we moved on past Enniskillen Castle to our favourite mooring at The Round "O". Shannon went to the vet to be spayed, so it is very quiet without her on The Puzzler.

Andy borrowed a jigsaw, and cut a new trapdoor, for better access to the engine. He could then fit the replacement fuel filter, which was certainly in need of changing!

6th - 16th Sept. On along the Shannon Erne Waterway to Aghalane, then Belturbet. Sally goes visiting in England to Norfolk and Cheltenham.

Carrying on along the Shannon Erne Waterway we saw very few boats, except this penichette, a hire boat from Ballinamore. Bridges still attract boats!

Moving on through Ballyconnell, we had a very wet trip to Aghalane, where the local IWAI branch were having a party in the rain. Once their eight boats had moved on, there was plenty of space for us. Later on the weather cleared up, and Shannon tried out the ornamental ball for size.

At Belturbet there were plenty of boats to be seen, on the private moorings on the opposite bank.

On Monday Sally caught the bus to Dublin airport, and left sunny Ireland to fly to rainy England. Three trains later and I was in Norfolk for some intensive gardening, which was great fun.

Next it was a long bus ride to London, passing close to the Shard, which has been designed as a "vertical city". It is 87 stories high, and is the tallest building in the European Union, with a height of 306 metres (1004 ft). There is a viewing platform on the 72nd floor, and it is worth going to the Shard website to see this view.

On to Cheltenham, where I was lucky to be with Debbie and Matt for a Heritage Weekend. We started with a guided tour of Cheltenham College, which is a co-ed public school, founded in 1841. The chapel is very impressive.

In the Gustav Holst Museum we saw the piano on which Gustav Holst composed The Planets. He lived in this Regency terrace house for the first 7 years of his life, being born in 1874, and the house is furnished in the style of the time.

We all went to see Pittville Pump Room, which is an elegant Grade 1 listed building and is the most famous example of Regency architecture in Cheltenham.

Spa water can be drawn by tap from behind this pump, and is the only alkaline spa water to be found in England. I suppose you could describe the taste as "interesting". It was certainly not to our taste!

From the balcony upstairs, we could see some of the runners competing in the Cheltenham Half Marathon. The fastest time was 1hr07min, which seemed very good to us.

The chipmunks in Pittville park were very lively.

Cheltenham Town Hall was built in 1902-03 to provide a venue for the many balls and concerts which made up the town's social calendar at the turn of the twentieth century. It is still used for many performances, with the Japanese Drummers an eagerly awaited event, coming in early October.

Our last visit of the day was to the Cheltenham Synagogue, which was built in 1839. We were interested that all men have to wear a scull cap inside the building, whereas in other religions it is often women who have to cover their heads. The sacred scrolls, the Torah, are at the far end of the Synagogue.

While I was in England, Andy and Shannon took The Puzzler back to Aghalane and enjoyed the week there.

Although I have enjoyed my visit to England, it was good to see the coastline of Ireland appearing from behind the clouds.

Safely back to Belturbet again.