Winter cruising.... and ice

Last Monday we were at Alrewas, we had several appointments made and had to make the decision as to where we were going to stay.... for a few days... if we were iced in.....or as to where we were wanted to be. This is our first winter as continuous cruisers, we have lived on the boat for many years but have always in the past come back to Hopwas to moor at the bottom of Mum and Dads garden for the winter with all facilities 50 yards away. This year is different, Mum and Dad have gone, the house at Hopwas has been sold and we are now continuously cruising. We had been moving around, we had left Stafford, been to Alrewas and need to be somehwere accessible for the forecast bad weather and cold snap. We decided on Whittington, a Staffordshire village with a regular (half hourly) bus service to either Lichfield or Tamworth, plus a local co-op, pharmacy, post office, take away and two pubs.... decision made. What else do we need. WATER!!!! Not in the canal but the drinking variety. We can survive with the various loos, (a combination of cassettes and pump out for a couple of weeks), food - no problem, diesel - we have plenty, coal and logs, getting low but good for a few days yet. However, our water tank is only 100 gallons, we have become expert at using very little water for washing up and our economy showers are something to behold, but, with the best will in the world, we can only last 4 days on our 100 gallons. (Compare this with the usage in an average household and you will see that we are being very miserly!!) This is where diplomacy kicks in..... or, as in our case, you know the couple who own the canalside house just 150 yards away. So, this morning, we started up the engine, selected forward gear and attempted to move forward. And stopped, this ice is different, normal ice cracks, ,makes a lot of noise and lets you go forward. This ice is like a sponge, you go forward and it absorbs you. Back a bit, forward a bit, and eventually we reached our goal, Eric and Doreen's water tap!! After filling our tank we reversed back to our mooring, this must be the first time I have managed to reverse 150 yards without touching the tiller, we just glided back through the channel we had made, moored up, sorted ourselves out and went back to Eric and Doreens for a cup of coffee and biscuits. Result!! Thank you very much.