Bosworth Marina Winter 2016/17 #6

Thursday 17^th November to Saturday 26^th November

Friday 18^th November (Black Friday)

We have been putting off our trip into Leicester and, after much deliberation, we settled upon today. But, as you can see from the above heading, it’s Black Friday, which means hundreds of idiots on a spending frenzy. Thanks to Amazon and the like, we’ll leave it for another day.

Yesterday morning I received an email, from my new car insurers, asking for details about my No Claims Bonus and a photocopy of my Driving Licence along with the Counter Part. (That’s the slip of paper that comes with it)

Now, I’ve held a UK Full Licence since the age of 21; yes, I was a bit late; and I’ve never been asked for these details. Anyway, I phoned LV; because you can’t always trust emails and their source; and spoke to a nice man, who assured me this was the case.

I then phone Bradford and Bingley; with whom I had my Alfa insured; and the nice man there assured me that, not only had that information already been forwarded to me, but that he would also email me those details. So, far, no email from B&B. Now, there’s a surprise!!

From LV, it seems that, if I do not comply with this request within 10 days, not only will my insurance be cancelled, but I would incur a cancellation fee of £40. Hmmmm! Who’s doing the cancelling here and why should I pay for them to do so? Still, so long as the NCB comes through from B&B, I’ll be a happy bunny, because LV have saved me £300 on my insurance, which is about what B&B saved me six years ago.

It’s a funny old world, isn’t it?

Our planned trip into Leicester had one particular aim in mind; aside from a bit of shopping; and that was to call into the 02 shop, to see if they could sort my new mobile out. I am still unable to send and receive emails through this phone, despite following my server’s instructions on how to do so. Goodness knows, I’ve set up Outlook on so many laptops now, that I can probably do it blindfold. But, whatever mobile I have, I have never been able to do so with them.

What I might try to do later today; since we’re not going to Leicester anyway; is go online to 02 and see if I can open a Live Chat with a shop Guru in Hinckley, which is where I upgraded to my latest phone. Perhaps he/she can help me sort it out.

This wouldn’t be an issue, were it not for the fact that, at about 15 minute intervals, my phone peeps at me, telling me I am unable to receive emails. I already know that but, do you think I can turn the wretched thing off? No chance! So, I’ve got to live with that pesky peep until somebody can sort it out. That somebody not being me, of course.

Dunno what we’ll do today, but we’ll think of something.

Saturday 19^th November

Well, I didn’t bother with the 02 online chat. Since we are going into Leicester on Monday, I’ll see what the people in the shop there have to say.

When we went to Halford’s a few days ago, for something with which to improve the state of the side skirts, the nice man there; and I had to agree; said that it should be the same as the rest of the external trim, which is black. So, I bought a bottle of stuff as suggested by aforementioned ‘nice man’. However, having checked photos of SAABs online, it seems these skirts should be the same colour as the bodywork, which is Titan Grey.

Have you seen the price of car touch-up paints these days? I think I’ll try to clean those skirts up, before I go out and buy paint.

Now, on to this blog. I have emailed everybody who, I think, should be automatically receiving my blog. So far just three have responded and told me they have not. So, I have checked up on my blog settings and, silly me, I think I put all those names in the wrong box. Hey! I’m getting on a bit, so I’m entitled to my silly mistakes.

Anyway, you should all be getting them now, you lucky people.

So, what are we going to do with ourselves this weekend. Well, one thing we really must do, is take our pooch over to the park for a run-around. He’s been to the nearby water park, but we haven’t tried him at the town park, which we’ll have to drive to.

Other than that, I have no idea what’s on the agenda. But, we’ll think of something.

Sunday 20^th November

Yesterday, very cold and sunny. This morning, still cold, but raining and a gusty wind.

We didn’t bother with the park yesterday, mainly because I couldn’t be bothered. However, just for a change, Wifey bought a selection of vegetables, with which I made a thick vegetable soup for our lunch. In fact, there’s enough left over for a snack this evening.

We stopped having the traditional roast dinner on Sundays several years ago and, depending upon how the days fall – you may have noticed, there are seven in a week – we’ll either have a snack or a proper meal. So, since this Sunday falls on a snack day, we’ll finish off the soup.

We’ll also spend an hour in our local, although with a 2½ mile round walk, it’s hardly ‘local’ to us. Other than that, we won’t do much of anything.

As for the skirting on the SAAB, well, that will have to wait until I get the correct colour paint. I did try Halford’s online, but they only seem to do black. Whereas, the nice man in the store seemed to think they would have all the SAAB colours. It’s not a problem though, because first I need to see if it will clean up.

Monday 21^st November

Didn’t fancy finishing off the soup yesterday, so Wifey popped into the Co-op on our way back from the pub and bought a chicken/cheese thingy, which came in a roasting tin. We had this with pasta. Quite nice, actually.

This morning; as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs; we’re planning on taking the bus into Leicester, but that depends upon the weather and, as it’s pretty nasty out there at present, if it doesn’t stop raining we ain’t going anywhere.

Wednesday 23^rd November

Well, after all the rain we’ve had over the past couple of days, it looks like we’ll get to Leicester today. The weather is still fairly mild and dry at the moment and so, provided we can circumnavigate that darn great puddle at the main gate, we’ll be OK. By the way, there are two entrances to this site, one of which takes us to the towpath and one which we take when walking into the village. The one we need, when catching the bus, is the access from the lane, which joins up with Carlton Road. That lane will, eventually, take you to Shackerstone.

Our main reason for visiting Leicester, is so that we can call into the 02 shop and sort out the email on my new mobile. As I've said before!!

Thursday 24^th November

Having given some consideration regarding a bus ride to Leicester, we decided to go to Hinckley instead. The bus ride to Leicester takes about 50 minutes and there’s only one bus per hour. So, adding up the trip time and time spent in town, we would have been gone for about four hours, which we considered to be a bit unfair on Alex. Hinckley, by contrast, is only half an hour away and, by taking the car into Market Bosworth, we could save some time.

So, Hinckley it was. Our first visit was to the 02 shop but, upon our arrival and after speaking to the nice young lady there, we were told that their expert was off that day. Great! Now we had to consider going online for a ‘chat’ with a shop guru. I can’t say I was happy with that idea because, unless the guru was actually handling the phone, I could see no way for him to set up my email account.

Anyway, as luck would have it, the manager of the store; quite a young fellow; was called into  the shop and, after some fiddling around and, what he called a ‘lightbulb moment’, he did something that I was unable to do. He managed to enter my User Name into the correct box. I think that when I tried to  so, I was unable to simply because I had already inserted the incorrect User Name. As a result, the manager of 02 only had to delete my information and start again. Then, once my User Name and Password were correctly inserted, in came a flood of emails. Job Done!!!

In the event, after doing some shopping, we were home before lunchtime, so our wee pooch wasn’t busting for a pee when we walked in the door. What a lucky pooch he is, to have such caring owners!!

Today, apart from an afternoon appointment with the practice nurse, I have some stuff to list on eBay. We’re having a bit of a clear-out – again – and I’ll be listing some pewter cars. These are model Jaguars that, unfortunately, I was unable to complete a set of. We were running our shop in Kent at the time and, when our customers deserted us for a new Safeway store and our income plummeted, I was unable to continue collecting them. Anyway, I have seven out of the 12 and will be listing them on a 10 day listing, so that they finish on a Sunday.

I also have a full set of 12 WWII Aircraft; a couple of which have not survived completely intact; that I will also be listing sometime in the future. Unfortunately, where the Jaguars were kept in their original plastic covers and inside their delivery boxes, the aircraft were all in one box, covered with paper stripping, so they are a wee bit tarnished and are in need of a light clean. This should only involve warm, soapy water and a very soft brush or cloth.

I also have a couple of cameras to dispose of. One is my Olympus E500, along with a bunch of accessories, and a Yashica Half-Frame. But they too are for a later listing.

So, I have a pretty busy day ahead of me, but that’s after we’ve taken a walk up to the village for the paper and other odds and sods that we missed yesterday.

Friday 25^th November

Well, I managed to list all seven pewter cars yesterday, but not without a few mistakes along the way, that had me revising several of the listings. This was because, quite inadvertently, I uploaded the wrong photos. Annoying, but easily rectified.

Today, after taking a trip into MB for Wifey’s doctor’s appointment, and after coffee and biscuits, I’ll see if I can list the cameras. Other than those couple of things, today will be restful, I hope!!

Later…..

Can’t be bothered listing the cameras. Probably Sunday.

Shopping done, Sheila’s doctor’s appointment also done. Couldn’t decide if the skirting on the SAAB should be black or body coloured. So, after a look online at similar cars, it seems that the darker colours, i.e., reds, blues and greys, all have black skirting. So, I don’t need to buy paint, because I already have the stuff for the trim.

Saturday 26^th November

Another cold start to the weekend but, until we get our Webasto pump sorted out, there’s no way I can put the heating on first thing in the morning. I took a look down there in the engine bay, but it’s the pump itself that’s making so much noise. I had hoped that, by muffling the pipes that go from the pump to the Webasto unit, it would stop that infernal ticking, but to no avail. I’ll just have to ask our engineer to take a look. He’ll probably have to replace the pump though, which is a shame, because it was only replaced last year. Or, was it early this year, before we left to cruise around the system? I’ll have to ask Sheila to look back on her records.

Meanwhile, since I’ve now typed six pages and it is the weekend, I guess I’d better post this latest scribe.

Enjoy your weekend.

Dave, Sheila and Alex.

Bosworth Marina Winter 2016/17 #5

Saturday 12^th November to Thursday 17^th November

Saturday 12^th November

It’s still persisting out there and it’s pretty windy too, so I’m afraid our wee Alex will have to wait awhile before he goes out. He doesn’t seem to be all that concerned and is laying by the fire. Besides which; just in case you consider me to be a heartless dog owner; when I go down to Harlow; Wifey still doesn’t get up until her normal 7.30 on Sunday morning, and he doesn’t seem too concerned. I only wish I could hold myself for such a long time. He goes out at 10 pm and I usually take him out at 5.45 am; almost 8 hours later. How does he do it?

Today we don’t have much to do and, if this rain persists, we won’t be walking into town this morning. Fortunately, the marina office sells the daily papers over the weekend and, since that’s all we need today, we’ll wait until they come in.

Tomorrow I test drive the SAAB.

Sunday 13^th November

Yesterday we had rain, lots of it. So much in fact, that we didn’t bother walking to the village for the paper. Instead, I took the car up there.

Now, as you all know, we’ve bought a new, Bosch cylinder vacuum cleaner which, as we expected, is much quieter that the old Electrolux. So, having packed the old one in the Bosch box, I lugged it out to the car, ready for disposal to the tip in Barwell.

Yesterday afternoon, realising that we couldn’t take it with us to check out the SAAB today, I went out there intending to bring it back to the boat. Along the way I bumped into Daz – Darren – and, purely by chance, asked if he was in need of  a cleaner. Lucky me, he agreed to take it off my hands. What a stroke of luck!!

Monday 14^th November

Hallelujah! The problem of a newer car is solved. We drove over to Toton and the Evans Halshaw site yesterday morning. Although the car we were to test drive was only 2007, I didn’t harbour any thought of it being perfect. The car in question, was a SAAB 9-3 1.8i SE and had done less than 100,000 miles.

However, we were both pleasantly surprised at the clean condition of the car. We took it for a spin around the local streets; although that was probably no very wise, because the fuel tank was banging on empty. After that there was no doubt in either of our minds, that we would buy the car.

When we bought the Alfa, back in 2009/10, we did so from a man who worked from home. The process of buying that car was short and sweet. A short spin around the streets and a good look over the car and, after signing on the dotted line, the Alfa was ours.

Where the SAAB was concerned the process took forever. We left here at about 8.45 in the morning and arrived at 9.30. The site doesn’t open until 10 am, so we had to wait for that half hour. Even so, by the time we had test driven the car and signed away our money, it was well past 12.30 by the time we had driven home, making us somewhat late for our lunchtime drinky poohs.

I have to say, I am well pleased with the car so far. However, at some point in the future; before we set off for our 2017 cruise; I’ll ask Dale to check it out. We don’t want to be landed with a hefty bill when the car goes in for its MOT in August.

This morning we’ll take a walk into MB for a wee bit of shopping and then chill out for the rest of the day.

Tuesday 15^th November

The story so far: We’ve had no end of trouble with our mobiles, because the transmitting tower at Twycross has been out of action. This has caused problems with insuring our pretty, new SAAB, because the insurance companies will not accept two addresses online when applying for cover. Why this is so baffles me, but then I’m easily baffled.

Anyway, our existing insurers; Bradford and Bingley; have offered us cover at double what we were paying on the Alfa, so we’ve looked elsewhere and, through LVE have saved £300 on B&B. So far so good. Well, no, actually, because of their rules governing two addresses. Living on a boat does have its difficult points, and this is one of them.

Yesterday, whilst trying to arrange our insurance with LVE, we went to Live Chat in order to try sorting out this problem with where our bank details are registered – Harlow – and where we currently reside – Market Bosworth.

Unfortunately, since the mobile transmitter was still down, I was unable to phone them to discuss the situation and they were unable to call me. This morning, thank de lawd, our mobiles are back online. So, since my LVE quote is valid until Thursday, I will call them today and get this sorted.

Wednesday 16^th November

Yesterday, after our stroll into town, our coffee on our return and reading of the paper thereof, we settled in for a quiet day. Around midday I took Alex for a walk and introduced him to our new car. Thankfully our pooch is able to contain his excitement and didn’t pee all over the upholstery. So, as I happened to be there anyway, I set up the time and date and then the radio. I’m hoping that the reception will be better as I leave the M1 and onto the A414, when visiting Alan. I always took a couple of cds with me when driving the Alfa, because reception went all haywire at that point. No amount of retuning solved the problem.

Today I ‘m not sure what we’re doing. We do need to replace the radiator in the bedroom though and that requires a visit to B&Q in Hinckley. I’ve also noticed staining along the skirting of the SAAB, which will require a visit to Halfords for paint. No doubt they will be able to advise me on that. B&Q and Halfords are both located in Hinckley, but in opposite directions to each other. Well, of course they are!!

Other than the above I also need to tackle sending and receiving emails on my new phone. This has been a problem with the last three phones. Even when accessing the Internet through Yahoo, going to my Absolute Email site and entering my details, I have never been able to get to my email Inbox. Fortunately Absolute Email have directed me to the relevant instructions for the correct settings. If I’m still unable to send and receive, they have asked that I send them precise details of the fault. Happy days.

At the moment this phone is pinging me, at about 15 minute intervals, complaining that an email I tried sending cannot be sent. Well, I know that and have tried to delete that email, all to no avail. Where are all the schoolkids when you need them? I was watching the news last night and was appraised of the 14 year old who is a multi-millionaire. How did he do this? He set up a small business, sending out reminder stickers to car owners, that reminded them of when their car tax was due. How simple is that? He then went on to but a huge patch of land for £40k and sold it to a developer for £2million. He, no doubt, would sort my phone problem out in a flash!!

Later…..

First thing this morning, I tried using the mobile but, once again the transmitter is down. So, after walking to the shops and back and enjoying our coffee, I went on to Live Chat with 02 again. Of course, apart from the usual platitudes, I got absolutely nowhere and we’re still without our mobiles.

So, at the suggestion of the nice man at 02, I downloaded TUGO from the 02 site. This is a WiFi programme that allows messages to be sent through WiFi on a mobile phone. This would have allowed me to contact my daughter, using my mobile, through my WiFi unit. There’s only one problem with this, the PIN for the signing in of the programme, is sent to my mobile, which, as I’ve just explained, is not in use, because the transmitter is down.

So, being the clever so and so that I am, I thought I might download and use WhatsApp. But, as I soon discovered, this only applies to all but Windows Laptops. Oh, Joy!!!

Thursday 17^th November

After downloading TUGO yesterday, to this computer, I noticed that, each time I booted up the programme it took over my screen. I’m sure there must be some way of stopping this but, since I don’t really need it on the laptop, I deleted it, pronto!

Now, the skirt along the sides of the SAAB is looking pretty stained, so we needed to get to Halford’s for something to tidy them up. We also need mats for the car and, just in case we get a bit low; like the Alfa did from time to time; we also needed a container of oil. So, off we trotted to Halford’s for said items, which gave me an excuse to spend time with my shiny, new SAAB.

I have to say, compared to the Alfa, the SAAB is a joy to drive. We seem to keep our cars for several years and, during that time, certain things tend to deteriorate, but we don’t seem to notice the deterioration. As a consequence of this, when we drive a newer car, we notice the difference. For example, the engine is much quieter and the drive is smoother. Also, as you would expect, the gear change is easier too, thank goodness.

When we got back to the boat, I decided to get the laptop out and do some printing, But, having set it all up I discovered, to my horror, that our printer had disappeared from the list of hardware. This has happened in the past and always seems to be after a Microsoft update. Remember you folks who think about upgrading from Win 7 to Win 10, you won’t have a choice. Windows 10 insists on periodic updates, whether you like it or not.

So, we now had the task of finding the printer and, after many attempts at reinstalling the software and such, our only recourse was to restore the laptop to an earlier time. I don’t much like doing this, because it can cause other upsets, but I had tried everything I knew to get the printer back, so I set to it.

Unfortunately, the first attempt failed, so I returned it to a restore point of my own making. Now, from time to time, at a point where I know the laptop is performing reasonable well, I make a restore point of my own and apply a name to it that I recognise. This action meant that I had a point at which I could return the laptop to where, I hoped, the printer was still there. Thankfully, this worked, although I did take an age to complete. The only trouble is, I notice that there was an icon missing from the desktop and, to this time, I have no idea what it was??

Now, TUGO! This is the programme I downloaded to the laptop and then deleted. Well, later in the evening I discovered, to my extreme anger, that our mobile phone transmitter at Twycross, was out of action, yet again. Poor old Wifey, she really suffers when I rant and rave at the incompetence of big business. But, she remains stoical and tries her best to ignore my tantrums.

Anyway, I really wanted to get in touch with my daughter, Teresa, so I turned on the WiFi unit and proceeded to download TUGO to my mobile via the Internet. This worked perfectly and I was able to text Teresa and Alan without a problem. So, lucky me and very happy me, I have no need to go online to 02 and have another online chat session, with someone totally anonymous and someone who can do absolutely nothing to solve the problem. All he or she can do is commiserate with my plight.

Today, if the weather improves; and it doesn’t look as though we’re in for a pleasant day; I might just give the skirting on the SAAB a going over. However, even if the weather is unpleasant, I could still fit the mats. Who knows? Who cares? It’s just another day.

Later…..

The weather has not improved. Well, it did brighten up for a while, but it is now chucking it down, some of which is sleet. So, apart from dragging the dog out, we’re not doing much today.

However, many years ago; in fact, back in the late 80s; I started collecting Danby Mint Jaguars. Sadly, due to circumstances beyond our control; i.e. the fact that our customer base deserted us for a Safeway store just four miles away; we became quite skint and I was unable to complete the set.

So, what is this leading to? Well, I managed to collect seven of the 12 cars and they have been nicely boxed up since the day I bought them. This morning, therefore, I have, with the help of my ever loving Wifey, been photographing them and intend to list them on eBay. The trouble is, I can’t make my mind up whether to list them separately, or collectively. Horns of a dilemma come to mind.

Meanwhile, while I stew on that particular conundrum, and while I’m sitting at my laptop and have nothing better to do, I’ll post this blog. I do hope you enjoy reading these six pages and that you enjoy the forthcoming weekend. We certainly intend to.

Take care all.

Dave, Sheila and Alex.

Bosworth Marina Winter 2016/17 #4

Friday 4^th November to Saturday 12^th November

Saturday 5^th November

Yesterday morning, with Dale having taken the Alfa in for a new gearstick, we walked into the town and, as I suspected, down came the rain. We’ve walked up there on many a morning since we arrived here, but have never been subjected to rain. It had to happen on a day when we didn’t have the car.

Anyway, our wee pooch was not amused. He hates the rain. But, since we had no option but to walk up there, then he had to get as wet as we did. Shame!! The trouble was, he kept trying to turn around and head back to the boat, which can be a pain in the ‘arris. Eventually though the rain did stop, but not until Alex was well and truly soaked. So, now that we have the car back, albeit with a still floppy gearstick, we might take a run over to the Garden Centre and buy him a coat. He does need one anyway for when it’s really cold on the stern deck when we’re cruising.

Today is the worst day of the year for dogs, and our Alex is just as prone to problems where fireworks are concerned. However, since we’re on a marina and quite a distance from bonfires and such, perhaps it won’t be too scary for him this year.

Now, our car; which Dale took into his garage yesterday. We had hoped that he would have replaced the gearstick but, when he returned with the car yesterday afternoon, he had to admit that this part of the job had not been completed.

Apparently, the removal of the old gearstick is something of a nightmare and, having taken the trouble to check this out online this morning, I can see why. I have found quite a few people out there; most of whom simply wanted to replace the bushes around the base of the gearstick; who have had problems with this.

Among the listings for this problem, I found a blow-up of the whole gearstick assembly and, as Dale reported yesterday, it does seem impossible to replace the gearstick from inside the car. Dale hasn’t had to do this job on an Alfa 147 before and was surprised to see that, instead of simply opening the gaiter and removing a few bolts, he will have to remove part of the exhaust pipe, because  the only way of removing the gearstick is from underneath the car, and the exhaust pipe is in the way.

It’s no wonder that Malcolm shied away from getting involved in this problem. Even the bushes around the base of the gearstick are a problem to replace. I’m concerned that Dale thought it necessary to replace the whole gearstick, and not just the bushes but, now that he has a new one, he might as well go the whole hog. He’ll take the car in again on Monday morning, but I am concerned as to the final cost of this job. Had I known the problems he would have, for what should be a straightforward task, I wouldn’t have asked him to carry out a service as well.

There’s no chance of me buying a different car this year now. But, the Alfa is a joy to drive and will be even more enjoyable once the gearstick is changed.

Sunday 6^th November

Today we will sit around after taking Alex out and collect the Mail from the office and then come lunchtime, we’ll walk into Market Bosworth and enjoy an hour at the Rising Sun. Of course, we’ll then have to walk back, by which time I’ll probably be busting for a pee. Bu that’s probably too much information!!

Monday 7^th November

Well, that’s another weekend over, and a very pleasant one it was too.

First off and just after breakfast, I asked Wifey when the papers would be delivered to the office. Sadly, since the office doesn’t open until 10 am, the papers aren’t available until about 10.30, so, off to the newsagents in town. Well, we’ve had breakfast by 8 am and there’s no way I’m sitting around for 2½ hours.

So, with that done, we had coffee and set to reading. A short while afterwards, Dale knocked at the door and asked if I minded leaving the car job until Tuesday. Apparently, he was double booked for an MOT on Monday, so he was a bit pushed. Well, that’s no problem, so the car will go in tomorrow instead.

So, after a bit of a chat with Dale, I’m convinced that the gearstick can only be removed from underneath the car.

Anyway, although I had assumed that this additional expense would put paid to us purchasing another car this year, Wifey assured me that we’ll still be able to do so. However, with the Road Tax due at the end of December, we need to start a proper search now, and then, once the car is sorted, we can go looking for something much newer. Still not sure which, but I’m leaning towards a SAAB 9-3 or 9-5 Aero. This is the turbo model. There are some around that are well within our price range, so it’s just a case of finding the right one.

More on this later.

Tuesday 8^th November

We drove over to the Morrison’s yesterday and called into the garden centre on the way back. We were intending to buy a coat for Alex, because in colder weather, when he’s sitting on the stern deck whilst cruising, he does tend to shiver. However, on second thoughts, we couldn’t see him tolerating any of the coats we saw. Some had a Velcro strap under the chin, and he certainly wouldn’t have liked that too much. Another had a zip under the chin and, again, we couldn’t see him enjoying his hairs snagging in that. So, at least for the moment, no coat for doggy.

Wifey is not happy with her current vacuum cleaner. For one thing it’s very old; purchased when we bought the boat. For another thing, it’s not very efficient and seems to leave more behind than it picks up, especially where dog hairs are concerned. And, for another thing, it’s far too noisy in such a confined space.

So, in looking around for a suitable replacement, we’ve been considering the rechargeable G-Tech Multi, Hand held model. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any reference to the noise (decibel) level of this machine. I also haven’t been able to find the noise output of our current cleaner, so comparing this with other models is impossible.

Now, looking at the Shark rechargeable; which seems to come apart for easy storage; this runs at about 82 decibels. According to a chart I also found online, this equates to normal background traffic noise. This is a common level for many vacuum cleaners.

If the G-Tech Multi is reasonably quiet, this is what we’ll go for. It runs for about 20 minutes on a full charge but; and it’s a big but; it takes 4 hours to fully charge. Hmmmm!! Any suggestions folks?

Today, finally, the Alfa will be fitted with it’s nice, new gearstick. Perhaps I’ll be able to enjoy driving it again, at least for the short while I’ll be keeping it. Some people might suggest I should have traded it in before replacing the gearstick? And they would be right. But, in all honesty, I couldn’t pass it on with a floppy gearstick. Silly me, I know, but one thing I am not, is a con man.

This morning, in this really crisp and cold weather, we’ll walk up to the village for the Mail. We’ll then wait and see the final cost for the car service and gearstick replacement.

Friday 11 November

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much of a muchness here at Bosworth, so no real need to report our days. Although, Wifey did, finally decide on a new vacuum cleaner, and that turned up yesterday. It’s a Bosch and, thank goodness, it’s much quieter than our old one and, what’s more, it easily picks up dog hairs. Wifey is chuffed and so am I, if only for the quieter motor. When I say quieter, not only is that the case, but it also draws less power; 800 watts, compared to 1800 watts. So, Wifey will be able to hoover up when we’re out cruising, just so long as she has the engine running.

The old cleaner is now in the car, ready for disposal at the local tip. But, the nearest tip is at Barwell, and they are closed Thursdays and Fridays, so it will have to wait until Monday, because those places can be really busy at weekends.

Now, I’ve been chuntering on of late, about trading in the Alfa. I’ve been dithering between Jaguar, Mercedes and SAAB. Well, after careful consideration, we’ve decided on a SAAB. Despite the fact that we’ve spent so much on replacing the gearstick and having the Alfa serviced, we still think it best to trade it in. Of course we’ll lose money but, in all honesty, I couldn’t pass it on in the condition it was in. So, we’ll suffer the loss.

On Sunday morning therefore, we’ll be test driving a SAAB 9-3 1.8i Linear SE. I was reluctant to even consider a 1.8 litre, because I know they have a cam belt rather than a chain. However, the nice man at Evan-Halshaw has checked with the service record, and the cam belt on this particular car, was changed only 15,000 miles ago, so it should be good for many more miles yet. By the way, for less that £2,000 we could be buying a 2007 SAAB that has done less than 100,000 miles. Assuming I can find no problems on the test drive.

This morning we’ll be paying a visit to our local butcher, and probably doing some other shopping.

Saturday 12^th November

Shopping over yesterday morning, we repaired to Shiralee for our coffee and biscuits, and then, after reading the paper and tackling the puzzles – not very successfully – we decided to contact our car insurers, Bradford and Bingley; with whom we’ve been insured for about six years; and find out what a SAAB 9-3 would cost to insure. I very nearly fell off my chair when I was told the cheapest they could do was over £800.

£800 is more than double what we paid last year, even taking into account our monthly payment method. Anyway, after checking what would happen if I went elsewhere for my cover, I was told that I would not incur any penalty. In fact, if I were to take out alternative insurance on Sunday, when we will be viewing the car, I would receive a rebate of about £19.

So, after rummaging through the alternative insurers listed in Compare the Market.com, we found that Liverpool and Victoria will insure this car for about the same as we have been getting on the Alfa.

What puzzles me is, why can’t B&B find that insurer? After six years as a regular client, with no claims or accidents, what have I done to deserve being cast aside like an old slipper? Ah well, onwards and upwards!!

This morning we have rain, so doggie will have to wait until it stops for me to take him out. He won’t mind though, as he hates the rain.

Tomorrow morning we have a car to check out. But, for now, I’ll post this and wish you a happy weekend.

Dave, Sheila and Alex.

Bosworth Marina Winter 2016/17 #3

Saturday 29^th October to Friday 4^th November

Saturday 29^th October

We took a walk into the village this morning; about 8.30 or so; just for the Mail and milk really. Luckily for us the weather stayed dry, although it did look and feel as if it was about to rain. Later in the day the sun actually came out, which was something of a blessing. For this time of year, it’s very mild and, according to the forecast yesterday evening, this time in 2014 the temperature hit 22⁰ C. I suspect we’re at about 15 or so, but that’s not to be sneezed at.

Now, for the past couple of weeks, my daughter, Teresa, has been having problems with her mobile phone, house phone and Sky. She’s been back and forth to the EE shop in Bedford, trying to get them to sort out the problems with the mobile. This is a new phone and has given nothing but trouble since they foisted it off on her. Today, much to my surprise, she called to say that this problem has now been solved. So, we should be back to text messages soon.

Her house phone; which is connected to Sky; has also been a problem, in that the Voice Mail box has been filling up. That too she seems to have sorted out.

On top of the phone problems, she also had trouble with the TV, also on Sky. However, after calling sky; who, initially wanted to send her a new Sky Box; the problem was sorted out over the phone.

So, all three problems now seem to have been sorted. Praise be for that.

Tomorrow lunchtime we’ll take a run over to The Red Lion at Shackerstone, where we know we can take Alex. Although, if the weather is as mild as today, we should be able to sit in the pub garden. Won’t that be nice?

Sunday 30^th October

Yesterday; apart from our walk into town; was something of a bore. Why? Well, as I was passing the office on my way to walking Alex, a fellow boater asked if I fancied joining him and others later in the evening, for a bit of a get together. When I asked what the occasion might be, he told me “It’s Halloween”.

Oh Boy!! Halloween!! Another round of trick or treat. I imagined a booze up par excellence and kids banging on boats. The whole nine yards, as our American cousins would say.

So, anyway, when I put it to Wifey, unsurprisingly she declined the offer. Not only could we expect a load of hooting and roaring, almost outside our boat, but kids banging on our boat demanding, “Trick or treat”.

Of course, none of this happened. We heard sounds of partying, but nothing untoward and certainly no kids banging on our boat. The most unsettling thing was the barking of the dog next door. It never ceases to amaze me, just how many people leave their dogs alone and expect them to enjoy that loneliness. Some, like our Alex, are Ok with that and can be left for several hours without complaint. But, some don’t enjoy being left alone and sound very distressed.

Ah well, such is life and all its praise, when you die you’ve had it.

Monday 31^st October

Yesterday lunchtime we decided to spend an hour in the Old Red Lion in Market Bosworth; rather that drive over to Shackerstone. However, since we didn’t know if dogs were allowed, we left Alex on the boat. Aaaah! In the event, we discovered that dogs are allowed, which comes as no surprise, since most pubs in this part of the world are happy to allow them. There are differences, of course. Some allow them in only certain areas of the pub, usually away from people who are eating. So, next week we’ll take Alex with us and all will be back to normal.

One man, who was sitting in the same area as us, looked familiar and, when I asked if he was from Bosworth Marina, he agreed that he was. His name is Daz, which is short for Darren and he’s only lived on his boat for a couple of years. He’s self-employed and travels quite a bit in his work, so living on a boat makes sense to him, if only for the security aspect. Nice bloke. No doubt we’ll see him again around the marina and in the pub.

Today, we both have our preliminary appointments with the nurse, which is usually to discuss medication and, in my case at least, probably make appointments regarding my diabetes.

Tuesday 1^st November

First thing yesterday, straight after breakfast, we took a walk into town for newspaper and milk. Normally our wee pooch is happy to take this walk. But we’ve noticed lately, that he’s not so keen on the return journey. He seems to hold back at the start of the walk, even though he’s had a good rest while we wait for Sheila to do the shopping. He’s only six or seven years old, and he seems to have plenty of energy left over to chase a ball about inside the boat. Strange!

Anyway, we’ve decided to take him into town on alternate days. Today we won’t bother because we’ll be taking the bus into Hinckley, partly for food shopping, but also because, since I’ve now paid for my 02 mobile, I’m probably due for an upgrade.

After paying a visit to the practice nurse yesterday, it looks like we’re back on the medical merry-go-round. My next appointment is with the nurse again, this time to check out my diabetes. No doubt other things will follow, such as the Chiropodist and a retinal scan of my eyes. Thank goodness we cruise for six months, else they would have me running around, like the proverbial indigo for the rest of the year too.

Wednesday 2^nd November

We took the bus into Hinckley yesterday morning and we were not impressed. Even though there was a brand-new Sainsbury’s and other shops in a new precinct, the rest of the town centre looked tired and jaded. Several of the shops were empty and, well, the place didn’t look too bright. However, at least a start has been made, which is more than some towns we’ve visited around the canal system.

The one good thing that came out of our trip, was the signing up for a new iPhone for me – a Samsung Galaxy A3 6 -  and we also did a bit of shopping in Sainsbury’s. This new store is very good, with all the clothing and household goods available, but with Morrison’s just a short drive away, we’ll only be coming to Hinckley very rarely.

Today we’ll be chilling out, but first a walk into Market Bosworth.

Dale; our neighbourly mechanic; will be taking the car in on Friday and so, with a bit of luck, I’ll get to visit with Teresa on Saturday morning. Her phones are now working; although she doesn’t yet have her email on the go. Still, perhaps I’ll be able to rectify that on Saturday.

Thursday 3^rd November

Winter is beginning to bite now, we’ve had frost for two mornings running, so I don’t expect to see any more heat wave weather.

As usual on most mornings, we walked up to the village yesterday. Wednesday is market day in Market Bosworth; although there are only a few stalls there, which is a shame. Still, the veg stall is useful and there’s a fresh fish van there also.

Now, although we have a fish and chip van come to the marina on Thursdays, we prefer our own fish and chips. Or, should I say, Wifey’s own fish and chips? Fish shops, and fish vans, don’t come close to making crispy chips, although their fish is usually pretty good. You see, she makes a rather good beer batter which, this time around, will be made with Newcastle Brown Ale. Of course, I get to finish the bottle off.

Sheila also makes very good chips and insists on Maris Piper spuds for these. No other spud seems to crisp up as well as those. She first par boils them and then deep fries them in veg or sunflower oil. The fish, once battered, is fried in our deep-frying pan and is transferred to the oven while the chips are finishing off. The local veggie shop, Rose and Radish, didn’t have Maris Piper, but the lady who served Sheila, persuaded her to buy a different type, which, she said, do make perfect chips and roast potatoes. The proof will be in tomorrow’s fish and chips.

I received something of a shock yesterday. I have been having problems opening the bonnet of the Alfa of late and decided to give the necessary linkage a WD40 spray. So, with Wifey on hand to lift the bonnet, once I had pulled the lever, I did just that. While we were there I also decided to check for the cause of a mysterious rattle, that I heard a couple of days ago. This I tracked down to a loose battery cover. No doubt Malcolm, at the garage in Crick, had to charge the battery before passing the car back to me and didn’t replace the cover securely.

My next thought was the oil and water levels and, to my horror, the oil was just below the minimum mark. This has never been allowed to happen since we bought the car. However, it soon dawned on me as to why this was so. I didn’t check the level when I collected it from Malcolm in Crick. But, even worse, I didn’t check it before I drove down to see Alan. So, I’ve probably done over 300 miles since it was last checked. Fortunately, I keep a 5-litre container in the back of the car. Unfortunately, this container was almost empty, so we’re going to have to drive down to our nearest garage for some more. I’m only surprised that I managed all those miles, without the oil warning light coming on. Phew!!! Still, with what I had left in my 5-litre container, Dale will get it safely to his garage tomorrow.

I discovered something of interest yesterday while I was chatting to Chris, the man who runs this site, with his wife Jane. It has been the practice of about 40 boaters; along with Chris and Jane; to walk up to the village on Boxing Day where, on that mooring, the local Hunt passes through the village. After watching this spectacle, some, if not all the boaters concerned, usually repair to The Red Lion Pub. Needless to say, Sheila and I will be walking with them.

(Whether you support or abhor fox hunting is not my concern here, so please do not comment on that subject.)

Friday 4^th November

My new iPhone tells porky pies. Yesterday morning was very cold, in fact we had frost. But, when I turned on my new Galaxy S3 6, the temperature shown was 11⁰ C. Whereas, I’m pretty sure it was closer to 2 or 3⁰ C. That erroneous reading continued throughout most of the day and, it was only when I manually updated it that it came down a little. Indeed, it didn’t rise by much throughout the rest of the day. So much for modern technology.

Now, as you all know, since I’ve been bleating on about it lately, our Alfa goes in for repair and service today. Which means that, we still have that 2½ mile round trip up to the village and back again. It’s somewhat milder this morning and could rain, but we will have no choice because, if we want a newspaper today, that walk is essential.

The weekend is almost upon us; I’ve written five pages of ‘stuff’ and I’ve been trying to post my blog once a week. So, let’s get it done.

Enjoy your weekend folks.

Regards from, Dave Sheila and Alex.