Winter 2014/15: Crick/4

Saturday 22/11/14 to Saturday 29/11/14

 Sunday 23/11/14

 We’ve been having problems with our solid fuel fire just recently. It just doesn’t seem to be burning as well as it should. At first we put it down to the different coal we’ve been using but, when we have both airways opened and still have a faint glow to the coal, not to mention smoke finding its way out of the top vent, we knew there was something amiss.

 Sheila reckoned the flue was probably all gunged up and, when she checked in her diary for the last time we swept the chimney, and discovered that it was back in May, well, I just had to take a look.

 The first thing I noticed was that the short stack had split and, quite probably the missing chunk of inner lining was now at the bottom of the flue. Luckily the weather is quite mild and made the decision to let the fire go out quite easy. However, as you would expect, it’s raining this morning, so the job is going to be a pretty mucky one.

 Sheila and I love Sudoku and now buy three different books each month. One of these is Puzzler, which has Sudokus and a mix of other puzzles, including guest puzzles.

 This month’s book has a puzzle called Gold Mine, which consists of a bunch of squares within a bigger square and has the seven dwarves digging for gold for Snow White. There are obvious obstacles along the way, which includes several rock falls, marked by shaded squares. There are also, supposedly, other barriers along the way, such as poisoned apples, all put there by the wicked witch.

 The object of the puzzle is for the dwarves to find their way down the mine shaft, avoiding all these obstacles. With me so far?

 Now, all the squares, except for the rock falls, have numbers in them and these are telling you that there are so many obstacles within the nine squares surrounding that one square. Yeah, we’re confused too!!

 We can’t make head or tail as to how we are supposed to find our way around these obstacles, not even after looking at the answer to the puzzle. I don’t think we are particularly thick, but, having thought long and hard about it I have resorted to emailing the compiler for an explanation. I’ll let you know the outcome as soon as I hear from her.

 Monday 24/11/14

 Well, winter has arrived with a severe frost this morning. Our cratch cover is as stiff as a board and the frost is crunchy underfoot. But, since we’re not planning on going anywhere special today, the weather doesn’t matter. I might even start on those flower boxes!

 It was raining quite heavily yesterday morning, so it was on with the wet weather gear and outside to clean the chimney. Much to our surprise though it didn’t take very long to do, with just a few pokes with a stick and iron bar, then down with the flue brush. Our fire now burns as bright as it ever did and now has a new stack on top. Lovely!!

 What we really wanted was a stainless steel stack, but the chandlery at Braunston didn’t have one of the size we wanted. Later in the day, whilst taking Alex for a walk, we spotted a van belonging to a boater who sells them. We had completely forgotten about him and will have to wait until our new one has given up the ghost.

 Tuesday 25/11/14

 The message I sent to Puzzler Magazine regarding the Gold Mine puzzle, was returned as undeliverable. When I checked the address of the person concerned, this came as no surprize because I had missed out the ‘r’ at the end of Puzzler. So, I have resent the message with the correct address. Hopefully we’ll get some sense back.

 Yesterday we only ventured up to the surgery with Alex and stayed in for the rest of the day. Today however, since the car hasn’t been run since Saturday and the weather has been somewhat frosty, we’ll be driving over to Daventry Country Park.

 Wednesday 26/11/14

 I finally received a message from the compiler of Puzzler magazine regarding the solving of Gold Mine. She sent me an explanation sheet, which describes how to solve a similar puzzle called Mosaic. Apparently, since the numbers in the squares denote how many obstacles are hidden within the one square and the eight surrounding it, it’s simply a matter of calculating which squares are empty.

 It still doesn’t make much sense but, if I print out the ‘cheat sheet’, I just might be able to figure it out. I can’t say I’m all that confident though.

 Thursday 27/11/14

 Another murky day yesterday during which we did nothing exciting, other than take a walk to the Post Office. The rest of the day; for my part anyway; was pretty much taken up with reading.

 Later in the evening Alan’s son Ellis phoned, and has promised an email explaining, what to do to speed up this laptop. Over the course of our conversation I discovered that much of the problem could be with the Start-up Menu, which lists those programmes that automatically load when I switch on. In fact I don’t think I have much in there, but there’s another fact that could be causing problems, and that’s Outlook, which I know is absolutely stuffed with emails.

 Today we’ll be taking the bus to Rugby to collect Sheila’s new glasses. We have a Cross-Stitch Programme on the laptop, with which she designed a pattern using a photo of Rusty. Although she doesn’t need glasses for reading, she has had a pair made specifically for the cross-stitch, which is rather fiddly.

 Of course we’ll also stop off for a coffee at the Brooke café. Well, it would be rude not to!!

 Friday 28/11/14

 Yesterday morning we caught the 09.38 to Rugby, with the main objective of collecting Sheila’s new glasses.

 We had several other errands to complete along the way, one of which was to ask somebody at O2 why my new-fangled iPhone doesn’t seem to recognise my Three WiFi unit. The nice man suggested I take it into the shop and, if it doesn’t respond to their own dongle, they would send it away for repair.

 We also called into B&M and Wilkinson’s for other odds and ends and then Smith’s for the Mail and Suguru book. Sadly and in our haste to make time for a coffee at Brooke’s, I picked up the November issue of Suguru, which I’ve already completed.

 So, with about 25 minutes to spare before our bus was due, we hurried along to the café and enjoyed a coffee and scone. We were just buttering our scones when Sheila said, “We’ve forgotten my glasses”. “Oh well”, says I, “we’ll just have to take our time with the coffee and scones and take another stroll around town”. We also called into M&S for other comestibles, which saved us from leaving the bus at the Co-op in Crick and walking to the marina.

 Later in the day we took a walk to the Post Office and picked up the December issue of Suguru. Now, because I bought the November issue, I now have two books of puzzles to do, simply because I’ve now forgotten how I completed the old ones. I sometimes find enjoyment in re-reading a novel, and the same goes for these puzzle books. This probably explains why there are market stalls selling these books. Some of them may be old, but there’s still plenty of life in them.

 Incidentally, we did collect Wifey’s glasses, so I’m expecting her to start on her cross-stitch of Rusty in the near future, which means less reading and less outlay on new books.

 Saturday 29/11/14

 We had intended to shop at Sainsbury’s yesterday morning but, after hearing about so-called Black Friday, we took a run over to Waitrose in Daventry. Waitrose, in their infinite wisdom, deal in food and household goods, I’m pleased to say, so they have no need of Black Fridays.

 Whilst we were at Waitrose we bought some haddock, to go with a Daily Mail recipe called Smoked Haddock Gratin. I have always believed that any recipe containing ‘gratin’, would include cheese, but this recipe calls for crème fraiche. What do I know, I’m only a man?

 Anyway, this recipe also included thyme and calls for the steam frying of some of the ingredients for 25 minutes, followed by 40 minutes baking in the oven. Pah and phooey! So, instead of all that palaver, Wifey cooked the fish as normal, added new potatoes and veg and used the thyme for the white sauce. What a dish, superb and so much different than the use of parsley sauce. Great stuff. Sadly, for some reason best known to the compilers of the daily Mail recipe, most of the stuff they offer is, to our minds, just so much tat.

Just recently I upgraded my mobile to a Nokia Lumia and also upgraded my WiFi to a 4G unit, both of which work just fine. I do have one problem though, and that is that the phone doesn’t appear to recognise the WiFi unit or, if it does, it doesn’t seem able to find and download a simple and free game app. The phone is with O2 and the WiFi is with ‘Three’, so perhaps that makes a difference. Who knows with modern technology? Also, having fiddled around trying to find this game app, I now find that ’17 apps need my attention’. What the heck does that mean??

 So, I called into the O2 shop on Thursday and the nice man there suggested that I take the phone in and, should they find that it doesn’t respond to their own WiFi, they’ll send it away for repair. Hmmm! That could take ages and, while the phone is away what do I do for a mobile? Nope! Since the game isn’t all that important, I’ll wait until I next go to Harlow and see if we can’t solve the problem using the pub WiFi.

 Today we’ll be off to a big Garden Centre, somewhere outside Rugby, where I’m hoping to find a real waterproof coat. I do have a heavyweight one, but that’s for the really cold weather. What I’m looking for is a lightweight one that will actually repel the rain. The one I have has been pretty useless since the day I bought it, which was a few years ago.

 Alex is doing just great and is settling in well. He does have one fault in that he can be quite cantankerous when it comes to getting out of his bed first thing in the morning. I usually leave him alone until he’s really ready, but he stayed put until almost 6.30 this morning, and I had to use some ‘gentle persuasion to get him on his feet. Even then he lay on his back and was having none of it. Eventually I attached his lead and, with a ginormous sigh, he got to his feet and headed for the door. Is it me, or is he really as bright as he seems?

 So, you fine bunch of readers, have a great weekend and stay safe.

 Dave, Sheila and Alex.

 

Winter 2014/15: Crick/3

Friday 14/11/14 to Saturday 22/11/14

 Saturday 15/11/14

 Friday morning, for the first time since bringing Alex home, we left him to go shopping at Sainsbury’s. Happily he didn’t tear the place apart and was happy to see us when we returned.

 Aside from walking to the Post Office later in the day, we restricted our exercise. Well, you can have too much of a good thing!

 I’m off to Harlow this morning, visiting Les and her daughter, picking Alan up, then calling on Chris and Marilyn, then on to visit Les’s husband Dave and then on to Alan’s house, where we’ll trim the pieces of timber that will make up Wifey’s flower boxes. It’s gonna be a busy day, methinks.

 Monday 17/11/14

 Saturday went very well down in Harlow. The trip down wasn’t very pleasant, mostly foggy but I still made good time.

 I should have visited Les first but, since nature was calling and I needed to unload some timber at Alan’s house, I stopped off there first. Then it was simply a case of dragging him along to visit Les and Colette then on to Chris and Marilyn whom I’ve not seen for sever al years.

 A good natter with Les, along with a cuppa for us both, at which time she told us that hubby Dave would be home at 1pm, so we had to fly a bit to fit in a visit to his workshop.

 We had a lot of catching up to do with Chris and Marilyn, but we still managed another cuppa and then it was on to see Dave at his workshop in River Way. If memory serves, he said he had been there since 1986 and, in that space of time; having started with just a toolbox; he’s built up all the machinery and test equipment he could possibly need for working on all types of cars. What he really loves though, is working on rally cars, for which he’s been known to travel much of the world. Great stuff Dave. Hope it all continues to go well.

 Alan and I would normally spend a couple of hours at the White Admiral when I visit, but his grandson Aaron had other ideas. Val was with Aaron later in the day and he suggested a meal at the Toby Carvery, so we had a couple of drinks at the Admiral later in the afternoon then, at about 7pm we trotted off to the Carvery. Sheila and I have been there before, just the one time soon after it opened, and we were not impressed. However, things have certainly improved since then and the meal was great.

 The drive home on Sunday morning was even worse than the drive down, with even more fog, but I still made it in less than two hours, with a pit-stop on the way and another stop at Crick Co-op.

 Today we’ll be off to Pets-at-Home in Daventry to see if we can find another bed for Alex, this one for under the dinette, where Rusty had hers.

 Tuesday 18/11/14

 When I went down to Harlow on Saturday, I took along all the pieces of decking that go to making Wifey’s flower boxes. Since I had cut them by hand and they were somewhat askew, Alan had agreed to trim them up for me on his bench saw, which he did. Unfortunately none of the end pieces was any good because they could not be trimmed down to the correct size. As it happens I took along what remained of the last length of decking and, out of that piece we managed to make seven ends.

 We were considering going down to Wickes or B&Q but, as it was Saturday this didn’t seem such a good idea as that area of town is far too busy. So, instead of buying another length of decking, we decided to utilise three of the offcuts and ‘fuse’ them together into one usable piece. My dear brother has all the tools necessary for most jobs in carpentry and this operation presented no problem. He has a small machine that can cut slots in timber and he used this, along with small, oval pieces of wood that he called ‘biscuits’ to join these offcuts together. It was then a simple matter of gluing them and clamping them together, ready for cutting down the next morning. Now all I have to do is tidy all the pieces up and put them together. Great!! Thanks Bruv.

 Yesterday we took a run over to Pets at Home in Daventry, this time to buy another bed for Alex, this one has been put under the dinette and, I’m happy to say he slept on it last night.

 Today we won’t do much of anything, other than a walk to the Post Office this morning, and a visit to nurse this afternoon; one of those regular check-ups.

 Wednesday 19/11/14

 Like I said, we didn’t do much exercise yesterday, other than walk to the Co-op and back. It should just have been the Post Office, but Wifey needed other things too. I did manage to match up and rub down the decking for the flower boxes and will now start putting the pieces together. But first I need some ¾ inch square beading for the corners. That will be done tomorrow when we go over to Daventry.

 Today Wifey has to collect her new specs from Boot’s, so we’ll be taking the bus into town.

 Thursday 20/11/14

 We expected to be in Rugby for at least two hours because Sheila’s appointment with Boot’s wasn’t until 11 am and the first bus back is at 11.10. But, as luck would have it we arrived there a little early and they saw her straight away, so we actually managed to catch the 11.10 back.

 We’re still looking for a Training Lead for Alex, but none of the usual places seem to stock them  Even Pets at Home don’t have the one we want, which has a key ring clasp on both ends. So, I am now going to take another look at the Dog’s Trust Training disc, to see exactly which type they recommend.

 Alex is a pretty intelligent pooch, and he’s crafty with it.

 When I take him out in the morning I always give him a small treat when we get back. All of his food, along with treats, is kept in the same cupboard. It hasn’t taken him long to realise and now, after eating his treat he returns to the cupboard looking for his breakfast.

 When Sheila takes him out at 10 pm, I usually get his treat out of the cupboard, ready to put down when we’re ready for bed. When I do this I put it on top of the display cabinet and, whilst we’re getting ourselves ready for bed, Alex will sniff around until he’s closest to the treat and continually jump up at it until he’s been given it.

 I’m thinking of nicknaming him El CID, The Crafty Irish Dog. He did come from Ireland after all.

 Friday 21/11/14

 Yesterday was quite a busy day and started with a breakfast of porridge. We then sat around until about 10 am, when we took a drive over to Daventry for petrol, and where we bought a harness for Alex and a couple of pieces of beading and screws for the flower boxes. I am now all set to put the pieces of decking together.

 From the retail park we drove to Daventry Country Park and took a walk around the lake. Well, a part of it, because it really is quite big. A big poster is on display outside the Information Centre, telling visitors about the various walks, which are depicted by different coloured dotted lines. Unfortunately, they do not seem to have these posters for sale, so we’ll have to consult their one next time we pay the park a visit.

 Later in the afternoon we took a walk up to the Co-op, with Alex wearing his new harness. He seems perfectly happy wearing it, although he wouldn’t allow the man at Pets at Home to fit it. He obviously doesn’t take kindly to strange men handling him – present company excepted, of course.

 Today is shopping day so we’ll be driving over to Sainsbury’s later this morning.

 Saturday 22/11/14

 Yesterday morning, after shopping at Sainsbury’s, I took Alex for a short walk around part of the marina. We then settled in for the rest of the day, taking him out on a couple more occasions.

 Now, Alex is quite a calm and placid sort of dog and, unlike Rusty, doesn’t tend to race up and down the boat. However, take him out in the pouring rain; as Wifey was obliged to do yesterday evening; and it’s a whole new ball game.

 I was waiting for them with a towel, all ready to give him a rub down. Having done so, Alex went absolutely bananas. Up and down the boat he raced and, in between races, he rubbed his face against the carpet, jumped up and down on Sheila’s chair, tried to snatch her handkerchief out of her hand, and even snapped at her nose; this is something Rusty used to do, so she was well prepared for it.

As for the lapdog description, he’s now adopted the habit of sitting in front of my chair and staring at me until I finally lift him up onto my lap, when he promptly falls asleep. Lapdog and lunatic rolled into one mad fluffy bundle.

 Well, as it’s Saturday and Wifey is still in bed, I suppose I’d better post this blog.

 Have a great weekend folks.

 Dave, Sheila and Alex

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter 2014/15: Crick/2

Saturday 8/11/14 to Friday 14/11/14

 Saturday 8/11/14

 I have been seriously considering opening a Twitter account and, instead of writing up this blog every day – surely some of you are becoming tired of this drivel? – I can send the occasional tweet.

 Family and friends are invited to offer up their views on this course of action. I’m assuming here that some of you are still reading this blog.

 Today we’ll be taking a run over to Daventry, figuratively speaking of course. Primarily this is to buy food for Alex, who will be coming home with us tomorrow morning.

 We also need a piece of flat but strong wood, upon which to mount the new WiFi aerial. Hopefully this will give us a stronger signal. Of course, had I been able to sign on to the local WiFi, this course of action would not have been necessary. But, since we have been allocated a different password to when we were here last winter, I have been unable to use it. Mind you, it was about time we upgraded to 4G, which should give us better signal strength when we’re cruising, especially with the new aerial.

 Tomorrow we’ll be driving over to Kenilworth for the last time and, after the pep-talk, we’ll be bringing our new companion home.

 Sunday 9/11/14

 Yesterday we drove over to Daventry and bought food for Alex. We have been advised by Dog’s Trust that he doesn’t like vets, and that he will bite him/her. In this case, they say, we should buy a muzzle for him and familiarise him with it over time, so that he doesn’t object when we put it on him. Of course, being a Jack Russell he’s not daft and will soon realise where we’re going when we put it on him.

 Anyway, Pets at Home do sell muzzles, but only the soft looking ones. What we’re after is the ‘cage’ variety that you see on Greyhounds and such. We’ll take advice from Dog’s Trust later today when we collect Alex.

 We also called in to Homebase for that piece of wood and some screws. We were lucky enough to find a pack of 5mm screws, one of which will go through the wood and attach to the back of the new aerial. It didn’t take long to drill the necessary holes in the wood and stain it, after which I attached the aerial. Sadly the rain was still coming down, so I’ve left the task of erecting it until later today.

 I’m hoping that by erecting the aerial above my dinette window; which is where I always use the laptop; run the cable through that window and use the power from the laptop to run the WiFi unit. At present the WiFi is mounted near the TV and is plugged into the 240 volt supply. This is the only position where we get a decent Internet signal. The new aerial is, I hope, going to improve matters.

 Of course, the main reason for going through all this trouble with a new aerial is to enable Alan’s son Ellis to help speed up the laptop. I’m assuming he’ll be accessing this machine remotely because, if he’s not going to do so and plans on talking me through this procedure by phone, we might have a problem. I’ll just have to wait and see.

 Next Saturday, with good weather and a settled-in pooch, I’ll be paying a visit to Alan in Harlow.

 Monday 10/11/14

 We finally collected Alex yesterday morning, after a rather lengthy pep-talk. No doubt his many farts were a result of travel stress, but at least he didn’t drool or throw up, so he’ll probably get used to travelling.

 We walked him up to Crick Ex-Servicemen’s Club at lunchtime, where he was made a fuss of by one of the member’s, who also has Jack Russells. Alex, like just about every dog I’ve ever come across, enjoys crisps and Mini-Cheddars, so I don’t suppose we’ll ever get a packet of either to ourselves.

 We were told by staff at the kennels that he doesn’t like to be made a fuss of and that he is definitely not a lap-dog. Well, as you can see from the photos below, he’s happy to be indulged in both. What do they know?

 

 Tuesday 11/11/14

We two live-aboard boaters have put on weight whilst cruising, which is what happens when we don’t get enough exercise. Sheila has ensured that, now we have a new pooch, we’ll be getting out more. Just so you know what I mean, we walked Alex up to the club on Sunday and around the marina later in the day. Not a great stretch of the legs, I grant you, but still a nice bit of exercise.

 Yesterday however was a totally different story. After 34 years of marriage I have now discovered that my bosom pal is a masochist. First thing in the morning, just to lull me into a false sense of security, we walked to the Post Office for the paper. Then just before lunch she dragged me and our poor pooch around the fields and along the towpath. Finally, to add insult to injury, she dragged us both up to the surgery to collect prescriptions.

 This last walk wasn’t really necessary, as we’ll be driving past there later this morning on our way to Daventry. This is necessary to dispose of junk to the local tip. But, whilst we’re there we’ll be taking a walk around the local park. At this rate I’ll be a shadow of my former self in no time.

 Meanwhile, we now have the laptop and aerial all set up and receiving a strong Internet signal. At last I can go online without fear of it dropping out at inopportune moments.

 Yesterday evening I received a call from Dog’s Trust; a follow-up call to see how our Alex is doing; just a few questions to see how he’s settling in, which he is.

 When dogs are adopted from this trust, they are sent with a special collar, which is coated with pheromones, designed to keep the dog calm and relaxed. Alex is definitely relaxed. He’s so laid back and accepting of his new situation that he belies all they said about him. “He’s not a lapdog”, they said. Oh yes he is! “He doesn’t like being made a fuss of”, they said. Oh yes he does! “He can’t stand having his feet touched”, they said. Well, he didn’t seem to mind it yesterday when I untangled his lead.

 I’m beginning to wonder if they’ve given us the right dog!!

 Wednesday 12/11/14

 Yesterday morning, since we had some old pots and pans to dispose of, we took a drive over to the Local Amenities Centre in Daventry. And, since we had to take this trip, we decided to take Alex and walk him around Daventry Country Park.

 The car park there costs £2.00 and allows for an all day stay. There’s also a café on site and so, once Alex had enjoyed his walk, we stopped for coffee and biscuits. Thankfully the café has an enclosed, sheltered area, because the wind was quite strong coming across the lake. The site itself is managed by Canal and River Trust and looks to be kept pretty neat and tidy. No doubt we’ll be back on a clear and crisp day. That was a pretty good morning, it has to be said.

 Wifey is going into Rugby this morning, for an eye test at Boot’s, so I have the place to myself for a couple of hours. This will give me the opportunity to dig out some old stuff and put it up for sale on eBay.

 Thursday 13/11/14

 Now, although I have a decent camera, an Olympus E5, I’ve never taken the time to actually learn about all its functions. Indeed, I find this camera somewhat cumbersome to carry around. O.K. I’m lazy and prefer it when Sheila carries her small Fuji Fine Pics, which has a small strap that hangs on the wrist. Simple!

 So, when going through items to dispose of on eBay, my Olympus was the first thing to consider. Checking it out on site I think I can command well over £100 for that and the bits that go with it. It has two zoom lenses and a 2x telephoto, plus charger and 2Gb card.

 We also have a telescope, which we bought with the intention of studying the night sky. In addition we have a Yashica half-frame, 35 mm camera, which is quite rare and we have a Megxon camera; something I bought Sheila some years ago. You’d be hard pressed to find one of these on eBay.

 Finally we have a pair of fold-up mini binoculars. They’re only worth a few quid but, since we also have Sheila’s dad’s binoculars, we really don’t need the mini ones.

 And there we have five items to dispose of and which will gain us some extra storage space. Not much, it has to be said but, any gained space is always welcome on a boat.

 Normally I would list any items we have for sale on a 10 day auction, which would be done on Thursday and end on Sunday; supposedly the best day to end an auction. However, since I do have rather a lot to do here, I’ll have to leave it until next week.

 Friday 14/11/14

 Our new pooch is psychic (physic?). For a start, he doesn’t particularly like to go out early, when I get up. However, at about 4.20 this morning I woke up to a call of nature and, much to my surprise, there was Alex walking towards me. Hmmm, I thought, perhaps he wants a pee also, so I quickly dressed and took him out. Better that than pee, or something worse on the carpet.

 Sure enough, he needed to pee. But, that’s not what makes me think he’s psychic. Oh no! I had no sooner jumped back into bed – well, gently crawled is more like it – than the heavens opened up. Either he knew heavy rain was on the way, or he knew I was about to get out of bed and decided to take advantage of my good nature. Who knows?

 This morning, sometime after 9 am, we’ll be leaving him alone for the first time while we go shopping. Hopefully he won’t object and tear the place apart in frustration. Watch this space for an update.

 Meanwhile, since I’ll be in Harlow tomorrow and on my way home on Sunday morning, I’ll post this now, before I make Wifey and me a cuppa.

 Take care and have a gr8 weekend.

 Dave, Sheila and Alex

 

 

 

 

Winter 2014/15: Crick

Wednesday 29/10/14 Saturday 8/11/14

 This is our first day at Crick, our new and permanent moorings. I shall endeavour to post this once per week, but only if something out of the ordinary occurs. Nothing extraordinary has happened today thus far, therefore I won’t be reporting on it. Tomorrow may be different.

 Thursday 30/10/14

 I told a lie, something worth reporting did happen yesterday, our car wouldn’t start. This was not unexpected; even so it was a nuisance. Noel, the manager of Crick Marina had been giving it a run on a monthly basis, but he had found it necessary to jump-start it every time. Now, I could have asked him to do the same again, and then driven over to Halford’s at Daventry, where they fit such things for free, but we decided to ask the local garage to come and fit a new battery. It cost us quite a bit more than Halford’s would have, but at least I know it’s been fitted by professionals. We can now go shopping this morning.

 Friday 31/10/14

 We had planned to go shopping yesterday morning, and then wait until Saturday to visit the Dog’s Trust site at Kenilworth on Saturday morning. However, impatience got the better of us, and we went – almost – straight to Kenilworth after shopping. I say ‘almost, because we ran into road works outside Coventry and found ourselves, well, lost. However, we eventually found the place and discovered they didn’t open until midday. So, off we went to the hotel next door and bought a coffee and plate of biscuits.

 Alex is a 2/3 year old JRT and, after meeting him we decided to reserve him. We are obliged to pay at least three visits to the kennels; and that includes a pep talk; before we are able to bring him home. Meanwhile, having disposed of all of Rusty’s stuff – we didn’t think we would be getting another dog – we now have to go out and but it all again.

 Alex is a lovely little chap and we’re really looking forward to taking him out on the boat some time next spring. And this is what he looks like.

 

 

Saturday 1/11/14

 Having experienced problems with my WiFi unit since we returned to Crick, we took the bus into town and paid a visit to the ‘3’ shop where, after much discussion, I decide to upgrade our 3G unit for a 4G unit. Checking it when we got back to the boat, there didn’t seem to be much difference in signal strength. But, the proof of the pudding, and all that!!!

 This morning I don’t seem to be having any such problems, but that doesn’t mean anything either. In order to check if it’s really doing its job I’ll have to go online later in the day; it’s Saturday and the cyber airways are always busiest at weekends. However, if it comes to the crunch, I can always buy an external aerial.

 Sunday 2/11/14

 Well, so much for me being undecided about keeping the blog going.

 A couple of things have happened since arriving at Crick, not least of which has been contact with Alan’s son Ellis, who has promised to help speed up my laptop, which can be rather sluggish, to say the least. He has sent me a Registry Cleaner and has promised to talk me through the process. How he’s going to do this will be interesting to see; since we have to take our mobiles outside the boat if we want to talk to people.

  Having upgraded from 3g to 4g and finding our Internet signal to be still somewhat erratic, I’ve invested in an external aerial. This should arrive by Thursday and, hopefully, will improve matters.

 In addition to those two items, I’ve raised our new TV aerial onto a pole and reception is much improved there too. So, all’s well with the world and tickety-boo!!

 Monday 3/11/14

 Apart from paying a visit to the club yesterday, we didn’t do anything of any importance. Hey, it was Sunday!!

 However, having copied a few Google maps for our trip to Hilmorton this morning, we set the printer up and, guess what, the darn thing wouldn’t print. This is an Epson Wireless printer, but it wouldn’t work when connected by cable either. The only thing different that might affect the Wireless side is the new WiFi unit we upgraded to. Even so, it should still have worked when physically connected to the laptop. So, we’re stuck with no printer and, as is usual with such things, I’m pretty sure it’s past its warranty time.

 So, it looks like we’ll have to be extra careful on our trip to Hilmorton and the Dog’s Trust; our second visit to our new pooch.

 Tuesday 4/11/14

 Our second visit to our new four legged friend yesterday, went off very well. After scrounging a few tid- bits from another visitor, Alex certainly showed more interest in us. Typical pooch, always looking to satisfy his baser instincts.

 Of course, we also managed to deviate from our planned course, both on the way there and on the way back. However, we’re hopeful that our next visit will see us arriving without missing a turn and will return home in likewise fashion.

 Wednesday 5/11/14

 I hadn’t realised just how inefficient our windscreen wipers were, until we first drove over to the kennels to see Alex. So, since we had already planned to drive over to Pets at Home in Daventry yesterday, to buy all the stuff needed for our new companion, we called into Halford’s at the same time. These new wipers from Bosch are really great and I’m hoping they will stay that way for some time to come.

 Saturday 8/11/14

 Where has this week gone? More to the point, what happened to Thursday and Friday?

 Let’s see, Thursday we drove over to see Alex again and Friday we went shopping at Sainsbury’s. That’s it, in a nutshell.

 On Thursday also, the new WiFi aerial arrived, but I really didn’t have enough time to fit it. Yesterday was pouring with rain for most of the day, so it didn’t get done then either. Today is, at present, cold but dry, so there’s a good chance I’ll fit it today. However, we first have to drive over to Daventry, initially to buy food for new pooch. But I also need a sturdy piece of wood, on which to mount the aerial.

Now, this aerial is, supposedly, for outdoor use. But, if that is the case, why does it have a suction pad? This pad fits either at one corner, or at the back and at one corner. The pad screws into a female thread and, in order to make the unit secure, I need to find a long enough screw of the same thread, so that I can secure it through my piece of wood.

 Hopefully, that will then give me a strong enough signal for Alan’s son Ellis to help me with speeding up this laptop.

 And, on that note I’ll attempt to post this blog.

 Have a good weekend folks.

 Dave and Sheila. (With Alex to follow in the next post.)