WTF..?

Tell me now, just what IS going on?

It’s happened before. And it’s happening again – right now.

You ever have those times when everything conspires to confound you? Sure you do.

Those times when everything goes awry and life’s normal rhythm goes to pieces and stuff breaks/stops working/blows up in your face.

It started with the specs: the ones I now know I can’t do without – despite constant denial on my part. They fell in half. So now I can’t see sharp to do almost everything I need to. Great. But, with a little help from my friendly optician and the Royal Mail, a temporary repair involving a drill, paperclip and super glue was expertly effected.

Then it was the car’s engine management light. Last time it came on it signalled a hole in the radiator – lots of steam and drama. This time though the temperature gauge stayed dead on normal so I bravely/stupidly continued on my 90 mile journey (to the wife of afore-mentioned optician and my dear friend), with one eye glued to said gauge. And at a considerably slower speed than my norm. Not a good feeling. Made it though. The next day we travelled into Leicester for eye test and to order new specs – stronger lenses required – and to acquire  new frame for current lenses, which will act as a spare pair in the future. Good plan, even if the horse has bolted.

And the EML went out yesterday as mysteriously as it went on.

Next up was the big freeze, which stopped my propane gas regulator from working. No gas = no oven or hob and no hot water.  So cups of tea or coffee/hot meals/showering out of the question.  It didn’t last long but is now wrapped up and covered to prevent any repetition.

Yesterday morning  saw a total 12 volt failure on board, meaning no lights or pumps. Shame it had to happen as I was all lathered up in the shower though… When the water pump packs up it means the water boiler stops working so the shower goes cold and then stops altogether. And, as if receiving a cold shock and being unable to rinse isn’t bad enough, the pump that takes the water out of the shower tray doesn’t.

But BB is a coper, so I cope. Last night I had a lovely candlelit boat and music playing. The TV and radio are powered by 240 volt but the booster required to get a half decent signal is – of course – 12 volt. The Squirrel stove is powered by coal so I was warm and cosy and, as a friend pointed out, G&T’s require no power to produce…

I resolved to investigate the lack of 12 volt this morning in daylight and couldn’t be arsed last night in the dark. And I was feeling mellow with all the candles/G&T/music etc. I will report my findings when I find them… I am off to the engine room in a mo.

I am left wondering what’s next though.

Well, for a start, today is the Winter Solstice and that can only be good news and  more worthy of celebrating than the C word in my book. Could be the pagan in me or maybe perhaps the fact that days will now start to get longer, a minute a day and rising to two minutes plus come January. And that can only be good.

So happy solstice shipmates!