Saturday 29/11/14 to Sunday 7/12/14
Tuesday 2/12/14
How lazy can you get? It’s Tuesday already and I’ve done nothing to
this blog.
Sunday we walked to the Co-op for milk and newspaper then paid a visit
to the club at lunchtime.
Yesterday we also walked to the Co-op and, later in the morning we
marked out the decking and drilled holes in the bracing strips for the sides
and ends.
Today, with the weather being wet and windy, I don’t suppose we’ll do
much either, except perhaps to drive over to Bloom’s to replace the boots that
Wifey bought last week. Even with thicker socks those boots tend to slip, which
means blisters on her heels if she wears them for any length of time.
I’m hoping also to find time to start assembling the flower boxes, but
you never know what else is likely to turn up and put a damper on that idea.
Wednesday 3/12/14
I still didn’t get anything done on the flower boxes yesterday, because
we took the bus into Rugby in search of a lightweight, waterproof jacket for
me. Just before the bus gets into Rugby proper, it stops opposite a café and
changes drivers. A short walk from there is an Outdoor Clothing shop and, since
we seem to have tried just about all the other such shops in Rugby, we walked
across the road to that one. We shouldn’t have bothered really because their
prices were well out of my pocket.
For example, a Barbour Wax Jacket, similar to those you can buy on eBay
for less than £100, this shop had priced at well over £200. Alright, they’re
probably not identical, but they are still too darned expensive.
So, we walked the rest of the way into town and called into the one
shop we haven’t tried so far, Millett’s and, lo and behold I found a really
comfortable jacket, complete with detachable inner fleece, for just £50.
However, when the nice man passed it through his scanner it came up as £35.
That’s better!!
It’s doubtful I’ll get much done with the flower boxes today either,
since we’re taking a ride over to Bloom’s to see if we can change Wifey’s new
boots.
Sheila has taken on the task of training our Alex; that dog butters up
to her anyway, so it’s best if she takes on the job. Already she has him
sitting at the kerb when we cross the road, and she has him walking to heel
when passing other dogs. Alex can be a bit stroppy where other dogs are
concerned, especially male dogs. There are also a couple on site that he’s
taken a particular dislike to. Still, as one woman pointed out a few days ago,
he is a terrier. Generally speaking though, he’s settled in real well so far.
Thursday 4/12/14
We took a ride over to Bloom’s Garden Centre yesterday and tried
changing Sheila’s boots for a better fitting pair. Unfortunately she couldn’t
find any and so she got her money back. This now means another bus trip into
town, but that’s OK as we’ll also enjoy another coffee and sticky at our
favourite café. That will probably have to wait until Monday though as we’re
off to Daventry, for dog food, and Braunston to enquire about our shower light
today and Sainsbury’s tomorrow.
Unlike the rest of the lights on the boat, the shower light is somewhat
different and we’re having difficulty finding out how to replace the bulb. It
seems to be spring-loaded and we think the face of the unit should unscrew or
lever off, neither of which is easy. So, off to the chandlery to see if they
can help. Whilst we are there though, we’ll see if they have the necessary
fittings for LED, which should last longer.
It’s funny though because during the past eight years we’ve changed
just about every bulb on the boat, except the shower one. But, it’s finally
packed up and needs to be brought in line with the rest of them with a LED
light.
Friday 5/12/14
Some time ago, as some of you remember from a previous blog, our water
filter broke down and scattered little carbon pellets throughout the pipework.
For several months following that disaster those pellets continued to drop from
the taps whenever we turned them on. Eventually they stopped but we were left
with a different problem, the water pump continued running on after turning off
the taps.
Initially, all we had to do to correct this problem, was to adjust the
pressure in the accumulator on the calorifier – that’s boating speak for the
hot water tank. We added the accumulator a few years ago, after experiencing
two leaky calorifiers in rapid succession and were advised to do so by the
manufacturer, in order to avoid such leaks in the future. So far we’ve had no
further leaks, thanks goodness, because those calorifiers are pretty expensive.
Anyway, I digress. Just recently the pump has tended to run on for much
longer than usual, so we had another go at adjusting the pressure yesterday
afternoon. Unfortunately this has not resulted in the usual improvement and we
now think the accumulator has had it. So, before the situation gets to the
point where we have a flood on our hands, we’ll be calling in a plumber today.
Hopefully he’ll be able to suss out what the problem is and correct it,
preferably at a reasonable cost.
I was asked by friends a couple of weeks ago, how much it costs to live
on a boat. This problem is one such reason as to why living on a boat is not as
cheap as some folks think. Not too much time passes before you are putting your
hands in your pockets for money to throw at the boat.
Returning to the shower light, which I had great difficulty in
replacing the bulb of, well, having struggled mightily to open the thing up, we
drove over to Braunston and asked at the chandlery there, but they were no
wiser than we were. So, as soon as we got back to the boat, I set to and tried
again and, with just a wee bit more of a struggle, off came the top cover.
However, even though I pulled the complete unit down from the roof, we
were still unable to replace the bulb. Well, we took the old one out without
problem, but getting the new one in proved to be very difficult. So much so
that we broke about four of them before deciding to unplug the unit and take it
into the dinette, where we could see better and, finally, we managed this
onerous task.
This particular light fitting is like no other and I won’t be able to
replace it with an LED type, unless I drill the rivet out that holds the
reflector in. Still, it is the only light with a Halogen bulb, so it won’t
drain the batteries on its own.
When we were still at Mercia Marina, I was given an iPhone by our
neighbour, Steve. He demonstrated how to use my WiFi to get online and left it
with me. I’ve since had the glass face replaced and I’ve also upgraded my O2
phone for a Nokia Lumia Smart Phone, which just so happens to be less than
smart and relies on a Microsoft account when I want to download some app or
other.
My dear brother, Alan, is forever immersed in a game called Words with
Friends, which I have tried, without success, to download to my new phone.
Although I am able to download a list of game – sometimes – I am forever
receiving a message telling me ‘they’ are unable to complete this function at
this time and that I should try later.
I’ve already explained this problem to the nice man at O2 and he’s told
me to take it into the shop. However, I’ve since tried again this morning and,
even though my WiFi is switched on, I still get that stupid message. Either the
phone is not compatible with my WiFi, or it is unable to even see the WiFi, or
it relies on a normal phone signal for carrying out such operations. I’m now
thinking about using my SIM in the phone that Steve gave me and, if it works in
that then I know my new phone is at fault. I really am beginning to regret
upgrading to a so-called ‘smart phone’.
Saturday 6/11/14
Great fun with the phone yesterday. While we were at Sainsbury’s and
Wifey was buying the Lottery ticket, I had another go at downloading that game.
This stupid phone came up with a completely erroneous User Name for me to sign
in to Microsoft so, once again I was stymied.
Now, with the phone that Steve gave me, I knew I could get online with
my WiFi so, as soon as we got back to the boat I charged it up and prepared to
change my SIM over. This new iPhone has a smaller SIM than the old one, but
Alan had given me a wee slip of card, into which the smaller SIM fits and then
slots into the larger slot.
What seemed like a very good idea on the surface, has turned into a
disaster for that phone because, having slotted the card in I discovered I
couldn’t get it out again. The problem was that the card snagged on one of the
contacts and, despite lots of wriggling around, it wouldn’t come out. I suppose
I should have left it there until I could think of a way to remove it, but I
eventually pulled it out, along with the contact that was fouling it. Goodbye
mobile phone!! Whoopee!!
Also while we were at Sainsbury’s I bought myself another jacket. This
one looks and feels like a ‘wax’ jacket but is too cheap for the price of
£33.75p, which was 25% off the £45 marked price. Still, it’s really comfortable
and will be OK for warmer days too, even if it isn’t waterproof. There’s only
one problem with buying another jacket, where the heck do I put it?
This morning has started out very cold and frosty, so I don’t suppose
we’ll be going far. Perhaps I can get on with some flower box construction?
Sunday 7/12/14
Well, that frost didn’t last very long and had given way to much milder
weather by late afternoon.
We spent an hour or so attaching the bracing strips to the sides and
ends of the flower boxes yesterday morning, after which we rested up for the
rest of the day. Well, don’t want to strain ourselves, now do we?
I phoned Sam Matts on Friday evening, hoping to get him along to sort
out our plumbing problem. Unfortunately Sam has a problem with his shoulder, on
which he’s had surgery recently, so he is unable to drive for a couple of
weeks. However, he’s promised to get to us before Christmas. Hopefully he won’t
let us down.
Pumping up the accumulator isn’t working now and the pump can run on
for more than a minute, which tells me the accumulator bladder has split and we’re
simply pressurising the accumulator body. In turn this could mean too much
stress put on that item and a flood of water in the bilge. So, the sooner Sam
replaces the accumulator, the better. And, before you ask, I’m not a plumber
and have no intention of doing this myself. Horses for courses, I say!
Now, I just about have time to post this before Wifey leaps out of bed
to face another exciting day on n.b Shiralee.
Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Dave, Sheila and Alex.
No comments:
Post a Comment