Wednesday 1st April 2009 – APRIL FOOL’S DAY – Look out there’s an idiot about!!!

Walked Bill down through the Shugborough Estate and back via the village to the boat.  Walked up to the caves in the afternoon and then to the Clifford Arms to meet Mary.  Lovely to see her again, sadly Paul’s working away but will meet up with us on Saturday in Stone for a few beers in The Star.

Thursday 2nd April 2009

Another lovely day with Bill playing and swimming in the River Trent.  Had a few beers early doors.

Friday 3rd April 2009

Set off for Stone after a walk down the river.  Leisurely cruise in lovely weather.  Filled up with diesel and water at Anglo Welsh and met a guy called Paul Jarret on Nb Kyle which is a special boat with a Russell Newbury engine which runs on waste oil.  Paul is a director of RN!!!  Had a few beers early doors in the Star

Saturday 4th April 2009

Walked Bill around the nature reserve by the river.  Excellent farmers market today with lots of lovely goodies.  Met up with Paul and Mary in the Star Inn.  Good to see them both again.

Sunday 5th April 2009

Set off for Etruria in Stoke on Trent.  Should have been about 6 hours, however, there were a lot of boats on the move with queues at every lock and with 12 locks to go through it took over 9 hours to get there.  Met Basil and Jenny on Nb Wandering Star just outside of Stone so stopped for a cuppa and a quick natter to catch up. Last saw them on the Kennet and Avon in Bradford on Avon last summer.  Also met up with Paul and Millie of Nb Grumpy Git last seen in February 2008 as we all came off the Shroppie after wintering in Llangollen.  Had dinner in the carvery and decided to go up the Calden Canal together ‘till I go up to Sunderland to see big bruv on the 18th April.

Monday 6th April 2009

Set off up the Caldon anal after visiting the marina at Festival Park and confirming a mooring there from the 17th April.  Bit wet and the canal is sadly filthy, so much so that I even called BW in Northwich to complain and to let them know.  Tied up in Milton by 2pm.  Walked up to the shops via the field and had a few beers early doors in the Millrace.

Tuesday 7th April 2009

Much nicer day today and the canal takes on a much nicer complexion from here with cleaner waters and fabulous views.  Three lift bridges (one electric) and nine locks later tied up outside the Hollybush Inn in Denford by 2pm.  Had a few beers with Paul and Millie early doors and a good natter with a crowd of other boaters and locals.

Wednesday 8th April 2009

Stayed over today in Denford.  The weather is lovely so cleaned the roof of Beau and polished the port side with baby oil (sounds kinky but works a treat). Looks grand.  Few beers early doors with the same crowd as last night.

Thursday 9th April 2009

Set off for Consul Forge in lovely weather.  There’s a new landlord at the Black Lion so let’s hope we get a better welcome than David and I did in October 2007.  There were 23 signs saying what you couldn’t do!!! Well the answer is yes, the new landlord is great and Bill was very welcome too, yippee!!!

Friday 10th April 2009

Staying here another day. Weather still good.  Took Paul’s boat up to Froghall and had a good look around, though the tunnel is too low for boats to get through to the nice new basin moorings with all the facilities – well done BW!!!

Saturday 11th April 2009

Moved back to Cheddleston and walked up to the shops (the long way).  Saw Tony and Julie of Nb Much Gigglin last seen in Braunston in May 2008.  Only two locks to go through today, one at either end of a short stretch of the River Churnet and had a few beers in the Boat Inn.

Sunday 12th April 2009

Moved back to Denford and the moorings outside the Hollybush.  Only two locks to do today.  Weather beautiful again, even polished the Starboard side of the boat.  Had a few beers in the Hollybush with the usual suspects.

Monday 13th April 2009

Staying over today as the weather is grand again.  Met up with Mark off Nb Port and Brandy.  His boat was next to Beau in Meadow Farm Marina and Barrow upon Soar when I bought her in 2007.  We met up again purely by chance in December 2007 on the Llangollen winter moorings.  Eeek small world syndrome again.

Tuesday 14th April 2009

Took both boats up the Leek Branch and back to tie up just before the aqueduct above the Hollybush.

Wednesday 15th April 2009

Staying over another day here, nice long walks along the canal and a few beers early doors.  Bad news today, David’s been taken into hospital with a chest infection and also needed a blood transfusion.

Thursday 16th April 2009

Moved back down to Milton for the night.  Top up shop and a few beers early doors in the Millrace.  Five locks and two lift bridges today.

Friday 17th April 2009

Moved down to the marina in Festival Park and moored up by 2pm.  Funnily enough the canal was much cleaner than the outward journey. Maybe BW listened and cleaned it up.  Good teamwork with Paul to navigate through the electric lift bridge and the staircase locks in Etruria.  Fiddled about getting ready to travel to Sunderland tomorrow.  Had dinner in the carvery with Paul.

Saturday 18th April 2009

Said tarra to Paul and Millie and was picked up as arranged by Enterprise Car Rentals.  However, had a big argument with a snot of a manager who changed the agreed pricing from £12 a day to £19 a day!!!  Told him to park his car where the sun don’t shine and got the driver to take me back to the boat.  Called Hertz and arranged another car for £12 a day and set off for Sunderland.  Excellent surprise was that David’s home from hospital and it only took 3 hours to get here.

Sunday 19th April 2009 to 30th April 2009

Staying in Sunderland looking after big bruv.  Very sad news from the hospital is that his cancer has spread and there is nothing further they can do apart from palliative care at home.  So I’ll be staying with David for the forseeable future.  David very stoic about the news and his GP is a great doc who has promised above all else that he will never feel any pain.  Talking privately with the doctor he thinks that due the very aggressive nature of David’s cancer he may not live more than three months.  Why is life such a shit?

16th June 2009

Sadly David passed away at 7.45pm this evening after a short but very brave fight with cancer.

June, July and August 2009

Organised and carried out David’s funeral and completed all the administration of his estate and planned to return to the boat on the 1st September 2009.

DAVID BAILLIE

David was born in 1946 into what was known as the baby boomer generation.  At school, in classes of up to 60 kids, he was always

the comedian rather than do any work.

Having left school at 16 he tried various jobs until, at 17, he applied to go on a course at HMS Calliope on the Tyne for the merchant

navy which he passed with flying colours, proudly coming home with his certificate and the news that he was to go to sea as

a motorman mechanic on none less than the Queen Mary.  David stayed a member of the Queen Mary’s crew until she came out of

service in 1967 when she was taken to Longbeach in California where she remains to this day.

He then joined various shipping lines purely on the basis of where they went in the world and during his 43 years in the merchant

navy has probably been to everywhere in the world you can take a ship.  He even volunteered, while working for Shell Tankers, to

take aviation fuel up the Mekong River Delta for the Americans during the Vietnamese war!!!!

David never married but I’m certain had a girl in every port (and a port in every girl!) and like me retired after dad died 4 years ago

and mam died 3 years ago.  He became a well known figure in Fulwell either wobbling up Sea Road on his bicycle or having a beer

with his many friends in The Royal Marine where he was well known for his request of various people during heated discussions

to “ Please be quiet “ or rather “shut the f**k up!”.

Sadly David was diagnosed with bladder cancer in August 2008 and was stoic throughout his short but brave fight with that

horrible disease regularly teasing the nurses who looked after him so magnificently.  However, he did manage to fit a lot into that

time by coming to stay with me on my narrowboat for week and going home 3 months later!! to visiting his great pals in Liverpool

and in Cambridgshire making great use of his bus and rail pass.

Those of you who were lucky enough to have known David knew of his great obsession with Heavy Metal head banging music and

of the vast collection of tapes, LP’s, CD’s and DVD’s and even at his funeral was led into and out of the service to the strains of

Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin.  One of his favourite bands was Pink Floyd and I can think of better way to close this tribute to

my big bruv, who died on the 16th June this year, with their words

‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond’

We’ll all miss you God Bless.