We have been back in the marina for about 4½ months and you start to get to the point where you are just wanting to get out cruising again – but a reality check early in the week when we realised that it is only about 3 – 4 weeks to go before we actually set off again – also given that we are away for effectively a week before this we really only have a bit over 2 weeks to finish all of the important jobs.
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| Mid-week snow and cold weather |
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| Banjo suitable attired for the weather. |
There will be a number of items that we cannot do before then and those will have to wait – things like re-sealing the windows and varnishing the ceilings etc simply cannot be done during cold, wet and unpredictable weather.
But there are still things to do and this last week we have been pulling out all stops to get things finished and behind us.
Anyone who has been boating and living aboard will tell you that all of the planning in the world doesn’t include the little things that go wrong and then the unplanned but pleasant visitations that inevitably occur.
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| We are not the only ones busy - CaRT have been busy with their winter maintenance - this past 2 weeks it has been on Aston Lock |
Around we have a few people who are finding it difficult to occupy days whilst waiting to start cruising – we have been thoroughly busy and that is apart from the boat work.
So what exactly have we completed and done …
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a second coat of paint on the walls – now looking great;
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| Painting of the walls was optional - it seems that it was all about making a mess - nothing has changed in 30 years |
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all of the light switches back in place – including 4
replacements which needed resizing the openings in the walls and fixing loose
connections;
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another look at the shower pump – this has now been
resealed to overcome a lack of an O-ring;
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re-painting the burner caps on the hob – after failing
to be able to buy a new set, Diane has sanded and repainted 3 of the 4 with a
stove paint – so far so good and all ok;
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both the fridge and washing machine have been taken out
of their cubby holes to allow floor tiles to be put down and then the galley
floor to be tiled – this part is almost finished;
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all of the curtains retaining rods needed to be put
back up as well as the galley blind – this is not as easy as you would think
given that the wallpaper is thicker than a piece of paper and requires some
care and patience.
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The fire blanket and a mirror have been reinstalled
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We have put a piece of reflective metal backed
insulating foam behind the bedroom radiator to improve the efficiency of
heating – will wait to see how that performs.
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| To finish the week off, the sunshine was present - a sign of things to come? |
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| The village of Aston basking in the sun |
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| Sunshine maybe but the air was still cold enough to keep the coats on |
Tuesday was busy – Elly was over for dinner; Wednesday was Champions League night so Paul and I were off to The Talbot for the match on live; Thursday we were off into Stone; and Friday was our Valentine’s Day night at The Three Crowns (a lovely three-course meal for just under ₤18; Saturday back to Stone; after all of that it was a chance to collapse and that is where we find ourselves on Sunday night after a much milder weekend.
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| Maybe a little warmer than we first thought - very grateful for the breeze to keep the temperture down a bit |
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