That's the bedroom sorted.

It has taken me all day to put all the clothes away in their right places. I was very ruthless as well, getting rid of some bedding after all why do you need 3 sets plus one on the bed? After all this tidying Paul came back after paying up the outstanding rent we owed and promptly threw everything out of his cupboards onto the bed and proceeded to sort out the TV ariel wont say I was a bit miffed, I was spitting feathers.

Still I must be tolerant as today is his birthday, I had managed to hide his cards from family and friends so that was a nice surprise for him. Have to be gentle with him as at his age I don't want him over excited!!!!!!.

Now, what will we do tomorrow? Paul has promised to sort out the lighting in the bedroom as at the moment we don't have any, also we are hoping that the water in the tank has thawed out it is a pain having to keep filling up water containers. I have to get shopping, now I have the luxury of a freezer again.  Then we must tackle all the crap on the dinette most of which is Pauls. Although the weather people say the temperature is going up a few degrees we cant see us moving until after Christmas which is not ideal but at least we are safe here and buses are close by. So much for looking forward to Christmas with our friends, we are stuck here Betty and Graham are at Crick and Keith and Anne are at Braunston still you never know it might rain soon!!!!!!!

central heating running.

Another very busy day for us both,me to go to Willow Wren to clean and Paul to get the central heating up and running. I am glad to say that we both had successful days. Although Paul’s was a bit more stressful than mine as a couple of the joints on the radiators leaked so we had more water inside than out.

We also have a problem with the  water tank being frozen well we hope that is the reason we have no water. Tomorrow is my day for the big re-organise Paul is off to settle up our rent so I will have an hour or twos grace to get as much done as I can. Slowly but surely this boat is warming up, the dogs are getting to grips with the “wibbly wobbly” steps, I have put the covers on the arm chairs, unearthed the new bedding and although there is still a lot to do, we have no water, no cooker and no lighting yet in the bedroom it is so so so nice to be HOME.

Back home.

What a frost over night I have never seen anything like it. Poor old Mick had to do two journeys in his car to bring all our stuff here. He didn't want to risk bringing the camper. I left Rugby around 11 trusty camera in my pocket.

This was the scene that greeted me as I left the arm rather spectacular I think. The walk to Hillmorton went better than expected as Saffie had a spring in her step and didn't lag behind once. When we got to the golf course we had a quick chat with Aqua lady who we always see in the area at this time of the year.

Love this tree.

Jus before the Kent road bridge.

Nearly at Hillmorton aerials in sight.

It was a scene of chaos that greeted me on board, at least the fire was lit although some doughnut has broken the glass it was all alright when we left it. I have managed to put every thing away although this will all have to be reorganised over the next few weeks.

Cratch board is back on and new cover is in place, no diamonds on the cratch this will need to be sorted as it was agreed. Engine has been running have had to have a small silencer fitted and it now sounds a lot better, more like an MGB than a Sherman tank!!

I have to make the journey back to Willow Wren tomorrow for the big clean then that is it GOOD BYE FREEZING BOAT. Had a bit of a result I found my towels, I had used them to wrap all my delicate china before all this refurb took place good job really as I sure it would have all ended up in bits.

When we woke this morning every window was iced up so the first thing Paul did once back here was to put the double glazing back in. (Take note John when are you putting yours in?)

There are a few things left to do but hopefully we wont be here for too long just bring on the thaw.

It will be good to sleep in our own beds again.

All systems go go go.

Yesterday I went base over apex in the ice on the way out taking the dogs for their walk. As I was sat on the ground they looked at me as if to say “you are not getting out of it that easy” so I picked myself up and carried on with the walk very gingerly I might add.

Today the weather changed with a vengeance freezing fog, and the canal back to being an ice rink.

Looking down the arm from the bridge.

Frosty or what?

Brrrrrrrrrrr

Paul had planned to get to the yard early this morning but assumed that as it was so cold the boat wouldn't come out of the paint shed, but how wrong can you be. As he arrived they had just finished docking. So Paul went into his do every thing at ninety miles an hour mode and got stuck in.

Canopy on.

The landline socket is now installed and is connected to the power. He has found that there is a main line neutral down probably has a screw through it!!!!!!!!!!!!! So a new wire has to run round the other side of the engine room Paul has the idea that he can string it across the engine room and I can use it as a washing line (only joking, I hope). 12v consumer box has been connected on a temporary supply, water heater wiring and programmer are in.

Cratch board still in the paint shop hopefully will be re-fitted tomorrow as we need our new cratch doors out of the weather.

Nice red oxide roof over the engine room.

The engine has been fired up and it transpires that we need a silencer of some sort to drop it a few Db’s  as it sounds like a Sherman tank. The final 3 internal doors have been fitted today and will be finished off tomorrow.

We know that we will have to stay in the yard until at least the weekend so that all works are finished off to Pauls exacting standards ha ha.

What have I been doing while all this has been going on? Well everything is now packed all except for our bedding and the dogs bits. Mick is taking Paul and our worldly goods tomorrow I have drawn the short straw and will be walking the dogs from Rugby to Hillmorton in the cold, all together now ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

1 load down

Yesterday was a busy day for us where tempers got very frayed voices were raised and there was a lot of swearing.  Normal sort of day for us then. All joking aside we achieved a lot. Mick ran us to Hillmorton in his camper van and so we were able to get at least half of the stuff here over to P & B which was a great help. So much for me wanting to put everything away in an orderly fashion I was told in no un- certain terms to “just get in the cupboards you can sort it out later” so now once back on board I will have to shut myself away with my new Take That cd to empty the drawers and wardrobes and then put it all back again tidily.

We very methodically went through the boat from engine room to cratch cleaning up all the s**t that had been left by those working on board, there was shavings, bits of wood, and all manner of shit and bullets bet they don't leave their own homes like it. So now the old peoples chairs are in the tea room for the lads to use (no danger of them falling asleep in them!!!!) the new ones are in situ.

Covers to go on yet.

This is after we had tidied!!! most of this stuff is destined for the engine room.

 

After that it was the turn of the cooker. Now we had measured till we were all measured out and we knew the thing would get in, but when we unpacked it and Paul measured yet again my name certainly wasn't Lynne it was some expletive that I cant spell. Now you have to imagine the scenario, boat is still in the paint shed so sitting on the floor, cooker has to be man handled from the outside down steep steps then lifted over the bows of the boat (MIND THE PAINT WORK rubber mats were put in place just in case) then in through the cratch doors. It all went quite well till the getting through the cratch doors bit, there was no way that this dam cooker was going to go through, soooooo new cratch doors came off, no still wouldn't go through, trim work was next, still no joy, eventually the handles of the cooker came off and we had a result. Pauls next clever idea was to LIFT the cooker over the narrow bit of the galley we did manage to get thing  up in the air but my little arms were just too short so it is now back on the lounge floor until tomorrow when hopefully one of the strapping lads at the yard can help Paul put it in place. During all this tidying and cleaning I seem to have lost all of my towels, now where are they I wonder they certainly aren't on this boat and I haven't come across then on P & B but they must be somewhere.

As you can appreciate Paul is well stressed out at the moment and for those  of you who received by email an hacker alert from us he can only apologise as he inadvertently pushed the wrong buttons and sent it to every one in our contacts list, he realised what he had done in one nano second after he had pushed send, don't worry it wont ever happen again as I have banned Paul from using the computer, well he can talk to his brother via Skype but that's as far as it will go. Yes Maffi you were right we had pages and pages of return emails. 

Battery bank in.

Paul came back from the yard in a bit of a mood cant go into detail here but suffice to say he was not happy. The battery bank has been installed and as you can see all can be serviced in an easy manner.

The docking wont be happening until Monday morning now but she has to come out as there is a boat in the paint shop ready to be sprayed and we are in the way. There is also another boat due in. Don't ask why only half the old engine bay has been painted red oxide just another of the jobs to sort once we are back on board!!!!!!

Time to start packing!!!!!!!

Due to unforeseen circumstances we have to be off this boat asap, so this has meant gee-ing up the yard to allow us back on ours. Of course the weather isn't helping. Our boat was supposed to be out of the shed today but with the freezing temperatures last night I don't think that is likely. Work has progressed and hopefully our deadline of sleeping back in our own beds by Tuesday night will materialise. We know we will probably be on board but still in the yard for a few days but that's okay we can cope with that. I am frantically packing as much as I can. We have arranged a lift to the yard tomorrow with the first load and then the rest will all go on Tuesday that will leave me Wednesday to blitz this place and leave it sparkly clean.

We had fun and games yesterday as we are desperate for a pump out I think we managed to move the boat about 6 foot and that was it, of course by then all the broken ice stopped us getting back on the mooring in fact Paul was all for leaving this boat across the arm but with the aid of a pole and Paul stirring up the water with the plank we were able to get back in, hasn't solved the problem of the toilet but we do have the use of one at the back of the office here and a bucket on hand for the middle of the night. All I can say is, I am grateful we have a cassette on board ours.

Paul is at Hillmorton at the moment so I don’t know what has happened there, the new cooker came yesterday that is another job to be sorted before we get back on the cut. The inside of P & B is dire to say the least with about 6 inches of dust, flakes of paint and 16 weeks of grubbiness to be tackled certainly wont be a quiet Christmas for us, just hope we can to Braunston to be with Anne and Keith nb Oakfield and Betty and Graham nb Tranquility for the festivities.