Hi from Shiralee at Mercia Marina on Friday 5th November.
The good news is, Sam will be coming along to fit our new cassette toilet. First he has to remove the pump-out unit, but I suppose we will have to dispose of it and the tank that goes with it.
Even more good news is the fact that, by removing the pump-out and tank we will save about £400 a year on emptying fees and we’ll have even more storage space.
Even more good news!! We won’t have to suffer the smell when the wind is in the wrong direction and the tank is almost full.
The bad news is that, after all we owe Sam for his valiant efforts at repairing the pump-out unit, plus the cost of the new cassette toilet, we’re a wee bit skint. Hopefully we’ll have no more big bills for a while.
Tomorrow evening the powers-that-be at Mercia Marina are throwing a Bonfire Night celebration, at which there will be food and drink, the obligatory fireworks and some music. Just for a change we are going to join in those celebrations, although I don’t suppose our wee pooch will enjoy it as much. In recent years, and despite being close to some of the noise on this night, Rusty seems to have become inured to it and tends to sleep through it all. Perhaps she’s going a little deaf in her old age.
There has been absolutely no improvement in my mobility of late. Indeed, even after sitting down for a short period, I am finding it more and more difficult to get moving again. In truth I now find myself in a similar situation to before I had the knee replacement operations. I am told that it could take up to a year for my mobility to improve to an acceptable level although, it has also been said that only about 80% of normal mobility is likely to be achieved. It is now well over three months since the op, and I think I should be walking a lot better by now and without so much pain and discomfort. I have therefore booked an appointment with my local GP for Monday morning.
Thursday 11th November
Wow! It is almost a week since I wrote to the blog, and that’s because not much has happened since Guy Fawkes Night. Actually we had planned to gather round the bonfire here but, since the pooch is not fond of loud noises, we decided against it. However, sitting here watching TV, with all the noise going on, our Rusty didn’t even murmur. We’ll know better next year, assuming the marina we stay in has a bonfire night celebration.
We have finally moved the boat and are now moored just around the corner, outside the nearest facilities block. This is one of the reasons we moved. I’m still not too clever on the legs and, when it rains or is icy, the wooden pontoons are pretty dodgy for me. Being nearer to the facilities and having to take only a few steps on the pontoon is a much safer proposition. The other reason for moving you already know about. Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes.
As promised by the weather lady on Midlands Today, it is now raining. From what they tell us, we’re in for stormy weather for the next couple of days. This is a shame really because our friends Alan and Chris are paying us a visit tomorrow. We were going to pick them up at their flat but, as Derby is nearer, they are going to catch the train instead.
The plan is to bring them back to the boat then take them to lunch at the big eatery by the A50/A38 junction. We were there a few Sundays ago and, although it was very busy and a bit warm, it certainly looks the business.
We have now emptied the old waste tank and part filled it with water, plus the addition of some “Blue”. We’ve done this so as to disinfect the tank prior to ripping it out and disposing of it. We took the old toilet basin down to the amenities centre in Burton on Tuesday.
I really can’t imagine why we insisted on having a pump-out unit installed when we bought the boat. Not only is it an inconvenience when cruising, having to find a marina or BW site to empty it, it can also be rather expensive. On our cruise during 2009 we paid as much as £20 to have it emptied. With a cassette loo, which needs emptying every 2 or 3 days, there is no expense because almost all BW sites have a disposal unit that costs nothing to use. Now, having paid £300 for the cassette, it will pay for itself within a year and we could save as much as £400.
I paid a visit to the doctor on Monday and discovered I have a skin infection in my lower legs. I am now on anti-b’s for a week. But, when I told the nice Dr. Gibbs about my sleeping arrangements; spending more time in the armchair than the bed; she said I must stay in bed if at all possible. (Easier said than done!!) This is because, in order to reduce the water retention, I need to adopt the horizontal position. If I don’t do so then the water simply follows the laws of gravity and accumulates in my valves and ankles.
So, I’m still on the water tablets, diuretics to initiated, and I’m on antibiotics and I’m on painkillers and I’m getting pretty fed up with the whole shebang. Still, I suppose I really shouldn’t complain, at least my legs are on the mend and I’m walking much better. Shopping and walking around the market at Burton are not too difficult now, which is just as well because we’ll be taking Alan and Chris around the markets at Derby tomorrow.
Friday 12th November. What a dreadful night that was, with nothing but wind and rain all the way. Hopefully it will calm down later for when Alan and Chris arrive. This is a really beautiful marina and it would be nice if they could see it in favourable conditions.
Last night, for me at least, was not too uncomfortable. I still have to leave the bed a couple of times during the night, but only for a few minutes, after which I can settle in for another hour or two, eventually getting up at about 5.15.
Saturday 13th November
Had a really good day with Alan and Chris yesterday. Of course, when we arrived at Derby station, we parked in the short stay car park on one side of the station – as you do – and they were on the other side; a sign of things to come perhaps? Having sorted out that small problem we then went off and parked in the Westfield Centre basement car park.
First thing first after all that travelling, a cup of coffee and a scone; a scone for me because I had to ensure adequate sugar in my system for the long walk to come, well, that’s my excuse.
After about an hour and a half of walking around both markets, Derby Market being the second of the two, we came away with a loaf of bread. Hmmm! Must remember to visit Derby more often, we could save a fortune over our visits to Burton.
From there we headed on back to Willington and the pub at the junction of the A38 and A50, (and, yes, I’ve forgotten the name of that place too), where the two girls and myself enjoyed Cajun Chicken for lunch, whilst Alan, being the difficult one, chose the Steak and Guinness Pie.
On returning to the boat the girls took a long walk with Rusty, leaving Alan and me to put the world to rights and discuss our individual aches and pains. Goodness knows what the girls talked about, but then who knows?
We had intended to drive Alan and Chris back to Derby for the train and, in hindsight that would have been best because, having chosen instead to take the bus, they eventually arrived home about three hours later. How do they do it, I wonder? They managed to find a noisy bus full of school-kids and were held up in heavy traffic, thus missing their train.
Hopefully, within the next three weeks or so; they are due to fly back home on 6th December; we’ll be able to squeeze in another visit, at which time we will probably drive up to their place, but this time we’ll follow the proper routs and not get lost.
All in all a pretty good day I think.
Monday 15th November
Well, it finally happened, as we knew it would eventually, Sheila came face to face with her “Bestest Mate” yesterday.
As I have already explained within the pages of this blog, when we thought perhaps, that we may have upset Brian and/or Marian in any way, because she seemed to be avoiding us, I challenged Brian about it. He assured me there was nothing wrong.
Yesterday, just a few days after we moved the boat, and a couple of weeks since we had enjoyed so much as a smile from either of them, Marian asked Sheila if “We have done something to upset you?”
To say Sheila was gobsmacked would be an understatement, and then some. I don’t suppose the ensuing conversation was very pleasant, but I feel sure, from Wifey’s explanation of said conversation, that they are no longer “Bestest Mates”
From my point of view, this is a great pity, I hate losing friends, for any reason. Still, having suffered several weeks where we might just as well have had the whole marina to ourselves, we now have a whole host of folks to get to know and to talk to. The end of an era!!
Today is Morrison’s shopping day. Whooppeee!!!
Wednesday 17th November
It had to happen eventually. Sheila and Marian came face to face and, for a change, Marian didn’t try to avoid Sheila. Instead she had the temerity to stop and ask if THEY had done something to upset US! Wow! Now, that takes some beating, especially after I had asked Brian the same thing a few weeks ago. And especially since they had been avoiding us for a couple of weeks.
This might all seem pretty petty to you lot, but I hate to lose friends, especially friends of such short standing. Some years ago, when we were living at Vicarage Wood in Harlow, I made friends with a gas fitter by the name of Charlie Hunt. We drank together, made wine and beer together and I even took him out with me on some of my jobs with Chubb Fire. We were friends for quite a few years and Sheila became good friends with Charlie’s wife Sharon.
One day whilst I was visiting and they had other friends round, and completely out of the blue, Charlie accused me of ‘having it off’ with Sharon. A total lie of course. Anyway, a couple of months later we discovered that my good friend Charlie had been molesting his step-daughter and had been reported to the police. We figured that our friendship was not strong enough for Charlie to face me once he’d been found out and sent to prison for a year. Did he think I would drop him as a friend because of it?
We now have to wonder if a similar problem is the cause of our latest friend’s attitude towards us. But, to ask Sheila that question when I had already asked the same thing of Brian, seems to me a strange way to act.
Not wishing for a confrontation with Brian if he happens to read this blog, you will notice that I have changed the title, just this once. At my age I need scarcely add that any kind of confrontation with Brian would be completely anathema in my current physical condition.
Today we will probably head off to Burton for a wander around the markets.
Thursday 18th November
We changed our minds about Burton yesterday, rain stopped play, so to speak, so we’ll probably go this morning.
I now have 17 books listed on eBay and have sold just one. It seems Joe Public is not too interested in what I have to offer. No matter, if they don’t sell on eBay, I will list them on Amazon and, if that doesn’t work, take them to a charity shop, which is what I probably should have done in the first place.
As you all know, much like everybody living an average life, nothing of any moment happens to us two. Today however has quite rocked my equilibrium and in the form of one of the greatest voluntary societies in the country, The British Red Cross.
When I left the hospital in July, having just had both knees replaced, this organisation delivered a toilet frame to the boat. As you can imagine, at that time I needed all the help I could get.
Last week, finding myself perfectly capable of sitting on the loo by myself, I telephoned the Red Cross to have the frame collected this Friday.
Just a few minutes ago I received a call from them to say that, because I now live out of their area, they would not now be able to collect it.
The following conversation will probably annoy you as much as it has annoyed me, so much so that I immediately emailed their head office to complain.
Me: “Hello”
BRC: “Mr Chamberlain?”
Me: “Yes”
BRC: “Hello Mr Chamberlain, I believe we have arranged to collect a toilet frame from you tomorrow?”
Me: “That’s right”
BRC: “I’m sorry Mr Chamberlain, but we will not be able to collect the frame from you, because you are now outside our area” (We are now in Derbyshire)
Me: “OK. Can you tell me what I should do now please?”
BRC: “Well, you could just dump it or even sell it!!”
Me: “What? You think I should dump a piece of equipment just like that, surely somebody else from another branch could collect it?”
BRC: “Well, you could try Nottingham. Just a minute, let me ask my supervisor”
BRC: “Yes, you could try Nottingham, would you like their number?”
And so on and so forth.
I now await a reply from BRC Head Office, but I’m not holding my breath. What is it with these people? Just what kind of people are they using nowadays? I really am astonished at the attitude.
And, on that unhappy note, I shall try to post this blog.
All abreast from:
Dave, Sheila and Rusty.
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Shiralee at Willington #6
Tuesday 19th October.
It is now almost 3.30 pm and it has stopped raining, at last.
I am now working on another recipe book, this time devoted to the Irish, of which there seem to be as many recipes for Irish Stew, as there are people in that fair land. I doubt that I’ll be able to itemise the recipes by county, as I did with the English book. Instead I will probably sort them into groups, such as Soups, Main Meals, and Sweets etc.
Wednesday 20th October and we still haven’t managed to get to Derby. Wifey still has a bad cough but, I’m pleased to say that, apart from a slight cough, my man-flu has just about cleared up.
Yesterday, when we went to Tesco in Mickleover, we walked up a slight gradient to the bank. Having completed our business there, we then walked down that same gradient to Tesco, walked around the store, back to the car park and home. All of which gave my legs something to think about.
I don’t know what it is but, whenever I go for a walk of even a short distance, I tend to suffer for it. Today we drove into Willington and called into the Post Office and the Co-op, but even that short stroll has left me with painful calf muscles. I have been told by all and sundry, that in order to reduce the water retention, I need to exercise more, which is what I’m doing, but I can see no reduction in the swelling and, to be honest, it’s becoming a blooming nuisance. I suppose I’m going to have to make another appointment with the quack.
I won’t know until we see how Sheila is feeling in the morning, whether we’ll be going to Derby, but I’m hopeful.
Friday 22nd October
Earlier this morning, when most of you are still crashed out in your pits, the sky was heavily covered with cloud and it looked to be turning into a pretty gruesome day. It is now 9.15 am and the cloud is clearing and the sun is out. What’s more, there’s only a light breeze and Wifey reports that it is ‘quite nice’ out there.
Yesterday we finally made it into Derby and parked in the Westfield Centre. This is a basement car park, which meant a climb up a flight of stairs and, I’m pleased to say that I had no problem with these at all. Things are looking up!
I had hoped to find a stationery store, such as Staple’s or Ryman’s but, alas, these were conspicuous by their absence. Unfortunately these two stores are in different locations and I wasn’t really prepared to drive around looking for them. I have about 17 books to list on Amazon, so I really do need to find one of these stores soon, because I don’t want to pay Post Office prices for padded envelopes.
I think I overdid the walking though, even though I rested frequently, because my calf and thigh muscles were screaming at me yesterday evening. However, those same muscles are pretty quiet this morning, I’m pleased to say.
Do you watch Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Thursday evenings on Channel 4? Well, we try not to miss it, unless it clashes with something else of course, but that’s unlikely when you consider the rubbish being aired these days – (that will be a bit of a bitch for a future blog).
Last night Hughie was doing breakfast foods. He’s not a big fan of cereals and toast, which are the two items Sheila and I are most likely to consume. He’s more in favour of pancakes and drop scones and, after watching his efforts at cooking up these items, I decided to download a few from www.channel4.com/food this morning.
I eventually downloaded Drop Scones, which are a kind of miniature pancake, Honey and Peanut-Butter Booster Bars, which are similar to what our cousins across The Pond would call a Granola Bar and Blueberry and Cinnamon Scones., all of which I will print out for my dear wife to experiment with.
I didn’t much like his approach to splitting up the, almost sacred, Full English Breakfast. What was he thinking of? The concoctions he and his pet chef came up with struck me as rather dumb. Believe me, I’m a great fan of the Full English and, if I wasn’t so lazy and didn’t want to get any bigger than I am already, I’d get stuck in every morning. But, to split the usual ingredients of the FIB into sausage stuffed mushrooms and such, and turning the results into a 3 course meal for lunchtime consumption, well, words fail me.
This morning, sometime after Wifey has finished her washing, we might pop into Burton to see if we can find Staple’s or Ryman’s stores. Without those envelopes I cannot list my books on Amazon, because Amazon insist on posting within two days once a sale is made.
Saturday 23rd October and it has been raining for most of the night. No matter though because we had a very good morning out yesterday.
We had planned on going in to Derby but instead decided on Burton. There are a couple of really good indoor markets there and we enjoyed a good walk around them, picking up a few bits of shopping on the way. Of course, with my still rather tender knees, I had to stop and sit a few times, but I thoroughly enjoyed the hour and a half we spent there.
The object of the exercise was to find some large, padded envelopes so that I could list my books on Amazon. These we managed to find at Ryman’s, at a fraction of the cost of individual items at Post Office outlets. Later today I’ll be posting these books and, hopefully, will see a reasonable return on them.
Some books, those which do not have an ISBN number, or are too cheap to post on Amazon I’ll be posting on eBay. Unless you are a big seller on Amazon, books without ISBN cannot be sold there? Yeah, me too!!
As for today, well, if this weather continues we won’t be going anywhere, except perhaps our wee shop on the marina, just for the paper and a bottle of milk.
Tuesday 26th October and, after a gloriously sunny day yesterday, we have had plenty of rain today.
Last night was the first that I have been able to stay in bed all night, without having to spend time in the armchair. You have no idea how relieved I am about that. Of course, the night was not without the usual aches and pains in my knees but, rather than resort to the armchair, I simply spent 10 minutes or so relaxing at the dinette then returned to bed.
This evening we are off to Willington to their weekly auction, which is held in the Village Hall. We’ve not been before but, on hearing that Brian and Marian are going, we decided to tag along with them.
Yesterday we paid a visit to Morrison’s and, just for a change, I managed to walk around the store without having to stop and sit down. Things are indeed looking up at last.
Saturday 30th October
As you will probably have gathered, nothing much of interest has happened this week. I won’t belabour the point here but, despite one night where I managed to avoid sleeping in the armchair, I’m afraid I’ve had to return to that mode of sleeping. A visit to the doctor is called for I think.
Just for something to do, apart from the recipe books of course, I am now in the throes of starting to sell eBooks on eBay. There’s nothing really complicated about this, I just need to find suitable collections of eBooks to promote. The idea is to make a few quid extra per month, simply to top up our pensions. I have another five months to go before we go cruising again, and it would be nice to think I could amass some savings to help with the cost of diesel at least.
To this end I have purchased instructions as to how best to go about this venture. There is such a thing on eBay as a Power Seller. This is a person who achieves a minimum of 100 sales per month (bronze seller), which is the minimum level. I am NOT looking to be a Power Seller. This would entail working at it on a permanent basis, and that would not be possible whilst we are cruising. Internet access is not very reliable in some parts of the country, and this shows itself along many parts of the waterways.
Anyway, starting right now and once I have purchased some books, or even downloaded them for free, I will be going for it. Watch this space.
Now, how about another recipe? This one is from Cumberland
Apple and Bacon Pudding
Ingredients:
For the suet pastry:
8 oz self-raising flour
1 level tsp salt
½ level tsp dry mustard
4 oz finely chopped suet.
About ¼ pint cold water
For the filling:
1 lb streaky bacon, roughly chopped
4 oz cabbage heart, chopped fine
½ lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 level tbsp black treacle
Pepper to taste
Method:
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl
Add the suet and water and make a stiff dough
Set aside enough pastry for a lid
Line two 2 x ½ pint, well greased pudding basins with the remainder
Mix the filling ingredients together and fill the basins
Cover the basins with the rest of the rolled out pastry
Cover with grease-proof paper and steam for about 3 hours
Serve with new potatoes and fresh vegetables
There now, that should stick to your ribs!
Monday 1st November and a new month is upon us, with a rather dreary start.
This morning I started the listing of all the books we don’t want, the first of which found its way onto eBay. This is a cheapy book about playing guitar.
Yesterday I ordered two DVD’s from an eBay seller, which will be the foundation of my new part time income. The first of these DVD’s contains 43 audio books, all of which I can sell individually or in small bundles if they seem to be related to each other. The second DVD contains 16 foreign language courses that include all necessary student notes in PDF format.
My next step will be to trawl through eBay to see how much these items are selling for and price them accordingly. I will also need to design labels for the CD’s or DVD’s that I burn them to. Initially I will be using sticky labels for the discs but, if I am fortunate enough to do well, I will outsource the burning of a design onto the discs; much more professional, don’t you think?
Thursday 4th November
Over the past couple of months we have had problems with our pump-out unit. Sam Matts, our friendly, neighbourhood engineer from Foxton Boatyard, has done his level best to repair it, but to no avail.
Last week, having discovered that a ribbon tape connector was damaged, he managed to circumvent the lead and got it working again. However, much to our dismay the toilet packed up altogether. When Sam visited us again he came to the conclusion that the motor is now incapable of pushing the contents of the bowl into the tank. After contacting Lee Sanitation for a price he tells us they want about £500 for a new one.
Sheila and I sat down and considered our options. On the one hand, when we looked back to when we bought the boat, we remembered why we had asked for a pump-out unit to be fitted. We realised that, following on from my cancer treatment, a cassette toilet – similar to those used in caravans – would not be adequate and would probably need emptying every other day, not an option when cruising.
So, yesterday we started looking around at the price of cassette toilets, because now, if we fit one of those it would not only save us £15 every fortnight for the pump-out, our boat would always be on an even keel and we wouldn’t have to suffer the smell from the tank exhaust when the wind is in the wrong direction.
Eventually we settled on a nice, new cassette unit that was on special offer at Shardlow Chandlery and saved about £70 on the normal price. £310 is a far cry from £500, don’t you think? All we have to do now is get Sam back here to remove the broken loo and fit the new one. We then have to find the nearest Public Amenities unit to dispose of the loo and the holding tank.
For reasons best known to ourselves and that would not be appreciated if they were included in this blog, we have decide to move to a different mooring spot. If I can find time later I may email friends and family about it. Suffice it to say that we are not happy about it. Not happy at all.
Now, a wee Irish joke and I’ll post this latest missive.
A young Irishman sat at a pub in the New World drinking beer and conversin' with the barkeep. Another comes in and sits besides him.
He says, "How you do", and hears the lilt and says, "You be Irish?"
"Yes I am".
The first man yells, "Barkeep, give us another round and one for my friend here, he's from the mother country as well."
The second man asks, "So where in the old country ye from?"
"Dublin", responds the first.
"Dublin you say - so am I" and the second man hollers "Barkeep, bring us another round and a shot of your best Irish whiskey for me and my friend here".
Afterwards the first man asks from where in Dublin and the second man responds with the street and the first man says, "Well I'll be - so am I", and yells, "Barkeep, another pair of beers and Irish Whiskey for the pair of us".
The phone behind the bar rings and the barkeep answers it. The owner of the pub asks, "How is business?"
The barkeep responds, "Not too bad, the O'Malley twins are here getting drunk again"
Cheers for now
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
It is now almost 3.30 pm and it has stopped raining, at last.
I am now working on another recipe book, this time devoted to the Irish, of which there seem to be as many recipes for Irish Stew, as there are people in that fair land. I doubt that I’ll be able to itemise the recipes by county, as I did with the English book. Instead I will probably sort them into groups, such as Soups, Main Meals, and Sweets etc.
Wednesday 20th October and we still haven’t managed to get to Derby. Wifey still has a bad cough but, I’m pleased to say that, apart from a slight cough, my man-flu has just about cleared up.
Yesterday, when we went to Tesco in Mickleover, we walked up a slight gradient to the bank. Having completed our business there, we then walked down that same gradient to Tesco, walked around the store, back to the car park and home. All of which gave my legs something to think about.
I don’t know what it is but, whenever I go for a walk of even a short distance, I tend to suffer for it. Today we drove into Willington and called into the Post Office and the Co-op, but even that short stroll has left me with painful calf muscles. I have been told by all and sundry, that in order to reduce the water retention, I need to exercise more, which is what I’m doing, but I can see no reduction in the swelling and, to be honest, it’s becoming a blooming nuisance. I suppose I’m going to have to make another appointment with the quack.
I won’t know until we see how Sheila is feeling in the morning, whether we’ll be going to Derby, but I’m hopeful.
Friday 22nd October
Earlier this morning, when most of you are still crashed out in your pits, the sky was heavily covered with cloud and it looked to be turning into a pretty gruesome day. It is now 9.15 am and the cloud is clearing and the sun is out. What’s more, there’s only a light breeze and Wifey reports that it is ‘quite nice’ out there.
Yesterday we finally made it into Derby and parked in the Westfield Centre. This is a basement car park, which meant a climb up a flight of stairs and, I’m pleased to say that I had no problem with these at all. Things are looking up!
I had hoped to find a stationery store, such as Staple’s or Ryman’s but, alas, these were conspicuous by their absence. Unfortunately these two stores are in different locations and I wasn’t really prepared to drive around looking for them. I have about 17 books to list on Amazon, so I really do need to find one of these stores soon, because I don’t want to pay Post Office prices for padded envelopes.
I think I overdid the walking though, even though I rested frequently, because my calf and thigh muscles were screaming at me yesterday evening. However, those same muscles are pretty quiet this morning, I’m pleased to say.
Do you watch Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Thursday evenings on Channel 4? Well, we try not to miss it, unless it clashes with something else of course, but that’s unlikely when you consider the rubbish being aired these days – (that will be a bit of a bitch for a future blog).
Last night Hughie was doing breakfast foods. He’s not a big fan of cereals and toast, which are the two items Sheila and I are most likely to consume. He’s more in favour of pancakes and drop scones and, after watching his efforts at cooking up these items, I decided to download a few from www.channel4.com/food this morning.
I eventually downloaded Drop Scones, which are a kind of miniature pancake, Honey and Peanut-Butter Booster Bars, which are similar to what our cousins across The Pond would call a Granola Bar and Blueberry and Cinnamon Scones., all of which I will print out for my dear wife to experiment with.
I didn’t much like his approach to splitting up the, almost sacred, Full English Breakfast. What was he thinking of? The concoctions he and his pet chef came up with struck me as rather dumb. Believe me, I’m a great fan of the Full English and, if I wasn’t so lazy and didn’t want to get any bigger than I am already, I’d get stuck in every morning. But, to split the usual ingredients of the FIB into sausage stuffed mushrooms and such, and turning the results into a 3 course meal for lunchtime consumption, well, words fail me.
This morning, sometime after Wifey has finished her washing, we might pop into Burton to see if we can find Staple’s or Ryman’s stores. Without those envelopes I cannot list my books on Amazon, because Amazon insist on posting within two days once a sale is made.
Saturday 23rd October and it has been raining for most of the night. No matter though because we had a very good morning out yesterday.
We had planned on going in to Derby but instead decided on Burton. There are a couple of really good indoor markets there and we enjoyed a good walk around them, picking up a few bits of shopping on the way. Of course, with my still rather tender knees, I had to stop and sit a few times, but I thoroughly enjoyed the hour and a half we spent there.
The object of the exercise was to find some large, padded envelopes so that I could list my books on Amazon. These we managed to find at Ryman’s, at a fraction of the cost of individual items at Post Office outlets. Later today I’ll be posting these books and, hopefully, will see a reasonable return on them.
Some books, those which do not have an ISBN number, or are too cheap to post on Amazon I’ll be posting on eBay. Unless you are a big seller on Amazon, books without ISBN cannot be sold there? Yeah, me too!!
As for today, well, if this weather continues we won’t be going anywhere, except perhaps our wee shop on the marina, just for the paper and a bottle of milk.
Tuesday 26th October and, after a gloriously sunny day yesterday, we have had plenty of rain today.
Last night was the first that I have been able to stay in bed all night, without having to spend time in the armchair. You have no idea how relieved I am about that. Of course, the night was not without the usual aches and pains in my knees but, rather than resort to the armchair, I simply spent 10 minutes or so relaxing at the dinette then returned to bed.
This evening we are off to Willington to their weekly auction, which is held in the Village Hall. We’ve not been before but, on hearing that Brian and Marian are going, we decided to tag along with them.
Yesterday we paid a visit to Morrison’s and, just for a change, I managed to walk around the store without having to stop and sit down. Things are indeed looking up at last.
Saturday 30th October
As you will probably have gathered, nothing much of interest has happened this week. I won’t belabour the point here but, despite one night where I managed to avoid sleeping in the armchair, I’m afraid I’ve had to return to that mode of sleeping. A visit to the doctor is called for I think.
Just for something to do, apart from the recipe books of course, I am now in the throes of starting to sell eBooks on eBay. There’s nothing really complicated about this, I just need to find suitable collections of eBooks to promote. The idea is to make a few quid extra per month, simply to top up our pensions. I have another five months to go before we go cruising again, and it would be nice to think I could amass some savings to help with the cost of diesel at least.
To this end I have purchased instructions as to how best to go about this venture. There is such a thing on eBay as a Power Seller. This is a person who achieves a minimum of 100 sales per month (bronze seller), which is the minimum level. I am NOT looking to be a Power Seller. This would entail working at it on a permanent basis, and that would not be possible whilst we are cruising. Internet access is not very reliable in some parts of the country, and this shows itself along many parts of the waterways.
Anyway, starting right now and once I have purchased some books, or even downloaded them for free, I will be going for it. Watch this space.
Now, how about another recipe? This one is from Cumberland
Apple and Bacon Pudding
Ingredients:
For the suet pastry:
8 oz self-raising flour
1 level tsp salt
½ level tsp dry mustard
4 oz finely chopped suet.
About ¼ pint cold water
For the filling:
1 lb streaky bacon, roughly chopped
4 oz cabbage heart, chopped fine
½ lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 level tbsp black treacle
Pepper to taste
Method:
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl
Add the suet and water and make a stiff dough
Set aside enough pastry for a lid
Line two 2 x ½ pint, well greased pudding basins with the remainder
Mix the filling ingredients together and fill the basins
Cover the basins with the rest of the rolled out pastry
Cover with grease-proof paper and steam for about 3 hours
Serve with new potatoes and fresh vegetables
There now, that should stick to your ribs!
Monday 1st November and a new month is upon us, with a rather dreary start.
This morning I started the listing of all the books we don’t want, the first of which found its way onto eBay. This is a cheapy book about playing guitar.
Yesterday I ordered two DVD’s from an eBay seller, which will be the foundation of my new part time income. The first of these DVD’s contains 43 audio books, all of which I can sell individually or in small bundles if they seem to be related to each other. The second DVD contains 16 foreign language courses that include all necessary student notes in PDF format.
My next step will be to trawl through eBay to see how much these items are selling for and price them accordingly. I will also need to design labels for the CD’s or DVD’s that I burn them to. Initially I will be using sticky labels for the discs but, if I am fortunate enough to do well, I will outsource the burning of a design onto the discs; much more professional, don’t you think?
Thursday 4th November
Over the past couple of months we have had problems with our pump-out unit. Sam Matts, our friendly, neighbourhood engineer from Foxton Boatyard, has done his level best to repair it, but to no avail.
Last week, having discovered that a ribbon tape connector was damaged, he managed to circumvent the lead and got it working again. However, much to our dismay the toilet packed up altogether. When Sam visited us again he came to the conclusion that the motor is now incapable of pushing the contents of the bowl into the tank. After contacting Lee Sanitation for a price he tells us they want about £500 for a new one.
Sheila and I sat down and considered our options. On the one hand, when we looked back to when we bought the boat, we remembered why we had asked for a pump-out unit to be fitted. We realised that, following on from my cancer treatment, a cassette toilet – similar to those used in caravans – would not be adequate and would probably need emptying every other day, not an option when cruising.
So, yesterday we started looking around at the price of cassette toilets, because now, if we fit one of those it would not only save us £15 every fortnight for the pump-out, our boat would always be on an even keel and we wouldn’t have to suffer the smell from the tank exhaust when the wind is in the wrong direction.
Eventually we settled on a nice, new cassette unit that was on special offer at Shardlow Chandlery and saved about £70 on the normal price. £310 is a far cry from £500, don’t you think? All we have to do now is get Sam back here to remove the broken loo and fit the new one. We then have to find the nearest Public Amenities unit to dispose of the loo and the holding tank.
For reasons best known to ourselves and that would not be appreciated if they were included in this blog, we have decide to move to a different mooring spot. If I can find time later I may email friends and family about it. Suffice it to say that we are not happy about it. Not happy at all.
Now, a wee Irish joke and I’ll post this latest missive.
A young Irishman sat at a pub in the New World drinking beer and conversin' with the barkeep. Another comes in and sits besides him.
He says, "How you do", and hears the lilt and says, "You be Irish?"
"Yes I am".
The first man yells, "Barkeep, give us another round and one for my friend here, he's from the mother country as well."
The second man asks, "So where in the old country ye from?"
"Dublin", responds the first.
"Dublin you say - so am I" and the second man hollers "Barkeep, bring us another round and a shot of your best Irish whiskey for me and my friend here".
Afterwards the first man asks from where in Dublin and the second man responds with the street and the first man says, "Well I'll be - so am I", and yells, "Barkeep, another pair of beers and Irish Whiskey for the pair of us".
The phone behind the bar rings and the barkeep answers it. The owner of the pub asks, "How is business?"
The barkeep responds, "Not too bad, the O'Malley twins are here getting drunk again"
Cheers for now
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
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