Archive | Uncategorized RSS feed for this section

New Life, Neighbours and News

11 Aug

BB has new neighbours. Just across the river.

Five black fluffy moorhen chicks…003

A delight to watch.

And as they grow older and bolder, they come a whole lot closer to my boat…014 015 016 018 019 020 022 023

Which is great.

They even venture onto my ‘lawn’ now…001 002 004 007 008 010

Tempted by scraps.

Mum even gets up the tree…004

Stealing food from the little birds…001 004 005

Who normally dine here.

I never knew that moorhens could climb trees. We live and learn.

Against all the odds, the moorhen five has survived intact, to date, I’m pleased to say.

We’ve done our bit by throwing bread on the water (or the lawn), which one or both parents make a dash for then feed to their young…001

Beak to beak.

Sometimes the fish beat them to it…002 003 004 006 007 008

But a delight to watch whatever. Well, it keeps me off the streets.

And there really is no place I’d rather be.

Another new neighbour…IMG_20140709_113437

Peter, a thoroughly nice chap, is doing up an old Broads cruiser, which he aims to sell on when finished. He’ll be looking for a narrowboat next. Good man.

Some of the old neighbours are getting a little naughty – escaping and giving me the fright of my life the other morning as I stepped off the boat. Not what I was expecting to see…001 003

Mooching right by my jetty.

John saved the day though, chasing them away…002 004

Otherwise I’d have had to phone work with, possibly, the most implausible excuse for lateness/absence ever.

Notice how the camera shake disappears as the Highlands do likewise.

Now this sighting had me puzzled for a while…013

Is it a bird…?001

Is it a plane…?002

No, I think it’s…012

The John…!011

He’s been hacking back the willows and feeding the goats…009

Who love it…008

As do the horses…007

And now of course they love the John.

He got the call the other day when the goats escaped. All he had to do was wave some willow and walk in the direction they needed to go and they followed him, right back home. Pied Piper or what…?

You need to know – or I need to tell you – that I do get out sometimes. Maybe not enough though.

John and I accompanied a friend into the big city last week to look up the house where his grandfather had lived.

We frittered a whole £11 each on a day’s travel pass, which gave us unlimited travel to, from and around the city for the day. I thought that was excellent, given that from here to Stansted (a stone’s throw) on the train is £12!!

Anyway, we found the street in Islington…GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

But, sadly, the house is no more. Swallowed up by the City of London University but we think the house would have been about here…GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

A most enjoyable day though, culminating in a visit to a pub…GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

By the canal wouldn’t you know…002

Regents Canal, to be precise, one on which John and BB have cruised Hobo a couple of times now. Nice.

Just can’t stay away from the water – or the pub for that matter.

Here’s one of John and friend – also a John so we call him Shirley…001

Only because that’s his surname you understand. My two handsome escorts for the day.

As I’ve been writing the weather has been busy…004001_stitch

Storm’s a’brewing.

And as you know, I’m easily distracted – especially if it involves moody skies, thunder and lightning, rain, high winds, blue skies and sunshine. Well, today we’ve had the lot, about in that order.

Speaking of distractions…

014

This is right outside my window, the one right in front of my chair. I didn’t think they’d ever get this brave but sometimes it’s good to be wrong.

I’m still waiting for the woodpeckers to arrive here. They’re about, I’ve seen them on the wing, but so far they haven’t stopped by here. Perhaps they like a different sort of food – wood maybe. Will have to experiment.

So who spotted this in the background of one of the earlier shots…?011

Clever John has made a sawhorse, which he is putting to good use making lots of Morso Squirrel sized nuggets ready for colder times. I’m busy stacking this to dry out. Word is this can take a couple of years but I doubt it’ll hang around that long. Besides, these are small logs – weeny ones – so won’t take as long. Well that’s my story.

Lucky for me, I had some prepared earlier. Yes, I had to light the little stove last night – just a little fire to take off the chill. Maybe it was yesterday’s storms but it seems to be degrees cooler – today too – please don’t tell me it’s autumn already.

Anyway, it did the trick and warmed up Hobo nicely. Just the job.

I hope to be able to write more of the little boat soon. It’s coming along, bit by bit, and John is devising and making some pretty neat storage solutions. But there’s never enough time is there?

We are also part way through re-working Hobo’s engine room – a job we’ve talked about so often. The woodwork (cupboards etc) has always been a bit wonky and just removing a couple of screws saw the whole lot collapse. But that’s a good thing. We can set about implementing our long awaited plans for smarter storage – start afresh with a better idea.

The stern gland greaser and bilge pump switch are both inaccessible so will be moved and the 12 volt wiring and fusebox need work – lots of work – by way of a damn good tidy. Good housekeeping really.

I’ve been threatening forever to clean and paint all those black holes one finds in engine rooms with white/silver in order to light up the space and make it more usable. It will also make it easier to find those things one inevitably drops in said awkward places.

Now  the floorboards are up and the whole room has been emptied of clutter (a task in itself) I have no excuse and tomorrow and Wednesday are my days off so looks like I could be busy.

I’ll try and get some before and after shots, which might make a little more sense of what I’m on about here and, you never know, you might find some of it useful.

I’m thinking…100_1161

Again. I do hate to feel cold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Walking on Water

7 Jul

Hobo, the John and BB are now back on the riverbank and once again floating/walking on water. So to speak.

Marvellous. All is as it should be in boatbirdland and life carries on as (I almost hesitate to say) normal.

I may have told you that John is doing a little work on the farm here and, being multi-talented as he is, his daily tasks vary enormously. Just the way he likes it.

It could be anything from rowing dinner across the river…010 (2)

 

012013015To the Highlands that live over there…017

To pulling a boat out and up the slipway…IMG_20140628_103816

And parking it. Somewhere amongst all the other projects that live on the hard.

Or it might be building a donkey shelter…002

Very friendly donkeys who just love their new shelter…IMG_20140703_185331

Which doubles as a scratching post it seems.

Or dog kennel/run…025

This is his first; the second even sports a porthole. They just get better and there’s more to build. A career in canine architecture.

All made from old wood that has accumulated here over the years. John loves to work with old wood and is making good use of everything that can be found here – sometime he’s re-cycling parts of old wooden boats that came to rest here.

I like that thought – their lives to continue and remain useful, albeit in another guise.

And BB?

Just the usual and when I’m not out at work I’ve been sky gazing…001_stitch 002

009Been some interesting ones of late. Incredible.

Feeding Swannee River…017018015016

He will also take food from your hand, quite gently, but a little tricky to photograph.

Or practising Pilates. Or strumming my guitar – or trying to.

Or cutting the nails of my left hand in order to be able to hold down the strings. Yes, I’ve sacrificed a very handy set of (fast-growing) tools to this cause so I must be serious about it.

BB has also been tending the garden…004

Which has been a picture, with the flowering beans and marigolds.

Sadly, the radishes pretty much all bolted. Shame as they are my current obsession and I go through 9-10 supermarket packs a week! Will keep trying.

I’ve eaten the first of the courgettes…006

Yummy and more to follow.

And the broad beans look ready now…005

The colours have been glorious…009

Just waiting for the nasturtiums to do their thing…014

They’ve started…013

012Funny, I thought I bought red ones.

And Gerry, as ever, stands proud on the bow…015

And his brother…010

Trailing from the roof. Waiting for a neat John- style box to live in.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers…011

For John.

Loving the old clay pot (a slag-heap find) complete with moss.

I’ve also been watching the little birdies…017

Which of course do a disappearing act the minute I even think about thinking about switching on the camera. They have been here though – trust me, I’m a boatbird – now we’ve sussed out how to magpie-proof the fat balls by putting them behind bars.

Does anyone know what this is…?100_2226 100_2227

Not just an ordinary dandelion. Seen at the seaside.

Or this…?IMG_20140627_142334

A most unusual poppy, sprouting magnificently from the muck heaps.

All that AND I’ve managed to put in a few hours on the little boat – MAINSTAY/TITANIC/GYPSY/PHOEBE whatever, still can’t choose. Pics and progress report to follow in the next update. Suffice to say that she’s coming along and proving to be a super, comfy, functional space that is very… John.

Speaking of concrete boats…

A very good friend of mine informed me that there was a community of concrete boat liveaboards at Burnham-on-Crouch. So, always hankering after a visit to the Essex coast, off we trotted by way of research.

Never one to give a bum steer, my old mate came up trumps again.

Though they were all on a completely different scale to our own little version, there was something about them… 100_2222

Individual…100_2224

100_2217 100_2223 100_2220Rustic…100_2216

This one had gorgeous gardens…100_2221

Fore…100_2219

And aft…100_2218

And charming…

100_2215A work in progress with tricky boarding. From instantly hating it, this one has become my favourite. Don’t ask me why.

Take a closer look at that jetty…100_2215

The more observant ones among you may have noticed that not all these boats were concrete – the odd steel one having snuck in.

We had hoped to pick the brains of the occupants but saw no-one about. Must have all been passed out inside out at work. It was a Wednesday afternoon; I suppose most good folk would be.

We spotted another project…100_2225

Beached across the water.

We’d also wanted to see where the Chelmer/Blackwater joined the sea so, after a quick bit of smartphone googling, we headed off to Maldon. A lock-side pub called to us so we sat awhile there before strolling along the beautiful, clear river, taking in the different craft moored there, the wildlife and generally breathed it all in.

Aaaah! Lovely day out.

Back at the funny farm, I’ve made a fabulous new feline friend but more of that in the next post.

Oh alright then…

008

Just a taster.

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bottoms Up!

30 Jun

Hobo has a very nice bottom. It’s official.

Three weeks ago now, we had the old girl pulled out of the water to have her bottom re-blacked. The last time this was done was four years ago now (and four years before that, just before I bought her). This is probably twice as long as recommended but, I’m happy and relieved to say, that she has fared well – despite mental pictures of lace curtains that haunted me as the day approached.

But none of that – she is fine and in very good shape.

Her first two ‘outings’ were at Welford’s dry dock where I believe they did a splendid job. This time, Welford being so far to cruise to when you are constrained by having to go out to work, it seemed favourite to make use of the facilities here – ie the slipway with its bomb trolley, as John calls it, and the  excellent workmanship of Andy and Jess.

We’ve witnessed their handiwork on many occasions; business here picking up no end since they took on this service. No surprise really as they do a brilliant job.

I was at work when they decided to pull her out and couldn’t wait for me to get back – time and tide waiting for no man (or even boatbird it seems)  – other boats already lining up to take their turn. So I authorised John to skipper the operation to drive her up the slipway. Not that I had any fears on that score; just a bit miffed to miss the event.

Perhaps as well. I can turn into a real old woman when it comes to Hobo’s well-being. And driving into the yard to see her sitting safely atop the trolley on the slipway was a huge relief…003

As Jess made a start on scraping off the sludge…001

Andy pronounced Hobo a very well made boat and her hull in great condition. Music to my ears.

I always thought she was a good boat but there’s nothing like hearing it from someone that knows about these things and is totally unbiased.

They set about grinding her back to the metal, observing strict health and safety regs of course…011

Even the, now eight year old, anodes had stood up well…010

But I decided to add four new ones…008

As I didn’t think they’d go another four years.

On closer inspection, there was one place that caused concern, this being on the waterline where the red stripes around the stern…004 (2)

As much as I wanted to keep this traditional cream over red design, I conceded it would be prudent to lose this to further bitumen. Really quite nasty pitting so best get rid.

Protection over cosmetics every time.

And here it is gone…007 (2)

After all, I can always re-instate it at a later date if I feel so inclined.

Actually, I’m quite liking the green stripe that has been used for masking – called frog tape and apparently brilliant.

On the bow too…009 (2)

We shall see. More work to bring the superstructure up to scratch first though.

I’m getting more and more ideas for decoration and I reckon, by the time Hobo is tiddled up enough and ready for some artistry, I shall have a plan.

The truly marvellous thing when it comes to slipway versus dry dock is that boatbird can still live aboard while work is carried out, courtesy of some giant steps…002

The noise and dust is a bit of a pain but that stops in the evening so not all bad. I do struggle to walk half sharp when she’s not floating though. Feels so weird.

We were so lucky with the weather – the whole three days were glorious, sunny and, most importantly, dry. Well done, for once, to whoever arranges the weather. Just check out that sky…023

Not forgetting the good old digger that pulled her up and kept her there…024

My rudder and propeller. Before…009

And after…008 (2)

Minus the tangle of wire/weed/whatever.

The team in action…001 (2)

Supervised by the John…002 (2)

Looking good now the paint is going on.

Notice which gender isn’t standing around/watching/chatting?

That said, they both grafted furiously. Indeed, once we saw how hard they worked, any guilt at not having done it ourselves (and saving loadsamymoney) simply evaporated. We conceded we are just too old disinclined to undertake that level of physical effort.

A view from afar…

018

Because I can.

There’s even a short/boring/vaguely amusing video of Hobo as she comes off the slip – I was present for this – but I’m too mean to upgrade this site so it can’t be shown here. Maybe I’ll just post it on fishface instead.

There was a bonus too. My kitchen sink has been bloody useless decidedly inefficient since day 1. Any waste drained (or not) into the u-bend then into a thinner pipe, which actually went uphill – I may have mentioned this before – a right royal pain in the arse.

Being on the hard was the perfect time to work on her so we did just that. With Andy’s advice and a borrow of his tools, John drilled another hole (eek) in Hobo’s hull (lower and larger than the previous one) to take a 38mm skin fitting, this being provided by a kind neighbour who just happened to have one going spare. This then linked to a larger hose, pointing downhill, we did away with the u-bend altogether and BINGO – the water now actually drains away. Quickly.  Along with any gunk I happen to carelessly throw down it.

And John has plumbed it in such a way I even have more under-sink cupboard space, which on a narrowboat is back of the net.

All in all a pleasant experience. And you can’t always say that about routine maintenance.

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The Little Boat

8 Jun

We’ve been thinking about a name for the concrete boat and have come up with several but, so far, nothing seems quite right.

In fact the only one that seems to have stuck is as in the title.  That’s how we refer to it so The Little Boat it is, until we get a better idea. We like short names like Hobo and Bella so I thought LB or Elbie but J is not convinced.

Girl’s names and flower names also good but haven’t found the right one yet.

IMG_20140530_133413

Maybe you can help us here..

Please put forward your suggestions for a name in the comments section and whoever comes up with the one we like the best will win a trip up the river on her. How’s that?

Always assuming that she does float of course.

Second prize: two trips up the river.  And so on…

We’re a little way off the launch mind but we have been busy.

The first thing on John’s agenda was to get the back deck covered because a) to stop any more rainwater getting in and b) in order to get an idea of how to make the best use of the available space. This being at a premium on a 25ft boat.

John’s idea is to create another room – like a sun lounge/conservatory with fold down-able windows and greenery. Somewhere it would be comfortable and pleasant to be – sheltered if chilly and greenhouse-like if we get sun.

In an attempt at assessing the sort of space it would make, John assembled a makeshift covering. We’ve found it pays to work this way and, while living with the temporary structure, the ideas start to come and the whole thing evolves.

He started with the windscreens that were already made though never fixed in place…009_stitch

And then continued building a framework for the sides and rear… 021

Then cutting and rigging up pieces of the tarp that originally covered the roof…100_3186

Speaking of the roof; it is covered in canvas and painted. This has come away in several places so we’ve acquired some copper tacks to remedy this. It is now all pinned down neatly so can go ahead and apply fresh paint – before it all turns to powder and blows away.

The above image shows boarding ladder mk 3. It’s much safer and easier to use, providing you have really, really long legs that is. In the absence of these, I shall just have to get yet more agile. Good job I am practising Pilates then…

To the right of the leg-stretcher is John’s new workbench, from where he can operate his tools and craft all sorts of incredible works of art and useful contraptions – all made from items found on the slag heaps.

I’ll have to detail these and other goodies we have already unearthed (literally) and put to good use. Another time.

It really is a treasure trove right in the back yard! Quite a few items have found their way to the Hobo funnily enough.

John cleverly cut out a suitable picture by way of a muriel for the back end…

100_3188

Fun!

Remember, this is a temporary fix.

It’s working well though on a practical level, not to mention creating a lot of interest among the other boat owners here but, more importantly, demonstrating how the space will work.

And one thing is clear… 002 (2)

It won’t work very well with the tiller as it uses up the entire space just to operate the rudder…001

John ponders on this…061

And decides that a smaller rudder could be fitted and maybe operated by a wheel to save all that wasted space in the arc of the tiller.

She was once a sailing vessel it seems. We found some pictures on board and managed to salvage some – interesting – has a mast and that would be the reason for such a large rudder we think.

I wanted to scan them onto my computer so could share with you but my printer is misbehaving. It seems to have died on me but not before it tripped out poor Hobo’s electrics and giving me a fright as smoke puffed into the room.!!

It may be the transformer or plug but will have to wait for another day to get fixed I’m afraid.

Of course the little boat’s hull has to be top of the list for attention and needs to be watertight. Obviously.

John has just about been all around the wooden top with the sealer gun now and – fingers crossed – this seems to have stopped the majority of the leaks. The only one left to deal with (above the waterline) is from the poorly fitted chimney, which has now been taken out as needs replacing, along with the roof collar.

I’ve prepped and painted the little stove in the meantime but prefer to wait until re-installed with new stove pipe/chimney before I share the pics. But it is looking good so far.

John has also worked on the back doors, making them secure and fit properly. Long-term, we think bi-fold doors would be good and again, space saving. Easy enough to do for a man of John’s calibre.

He also sawed off a chunk of wood that hung from the centre of said doors; its sole purpose seemingly to provide the ideal object to clang one’s head on.

Several problem areas below the waterline have been identified.

Like this…100_3170

If you zoom in I think you will see those stalactites. Not good.

And this…100_3176

John has done a lot of looking on the internet and found the official ferro-cement boat site, which warns of spider cracks like these.

And this…100_3182

Being the inside floor of the boat.

This is what it should look like…

100_3178

But only one of these metal supports still exist; the rest having been removed or rotted away. Without these, there is nothing to hold the hull together and leaves quite a cavity for water to find. John plans to clean these out and shoot in something – to be decided – in order to shore things up.

We’re thinking maybe fibre glass to repair/paint over the entire bottom with swimming pool paint and then a good coat or two of of bitumen over that.

So there’s a way to go before we can really get into the cosmetics, which is my department.

I need to break out the mouse and sand all the interior woodwork…011

Which, as you can see, is somewhat flaky. Then on with the paint, oil the rest of the wood…008

 

002 (6)Going to look so good.

Foam to be acquired for the bed/seating area and floor covering. John is in favour of a rubber type matting – there is precious little headroom so nothing thick and luxurious is an option.

We know that we should be concentrating on the hull but, all the same, John wants to make his little bolt-hole comfy. A place to chill, now that he is spending more of his time here – even taking on a little work on the farm.

You may have spotted one of John’s finds in the above shot. A telescope, brand new in the box. He just has a knack of finding treasure.

Don’t forget to submit your suggestions for a name for the little boat and indeed, if anyone has knowledge of these unusual craft, we’d love to hear from you too.

 

 

Tags: , , ,

So What’s New…?

28 May

Lots.

Most excitingly, the blue guitar…006 Which John bought for my birthday. Big thank you John – I love it!

As a lapsed pianist, I have been missing making music. Piano into a boat won’t go but thought a guitar would, so went along to the shop in Sawbo for a free taster session to see if I had any aptitude for strumming. Whilst I didn’t find it easy to hold correctly, let alone make music, I thought that, with practice, it would come.

I relayed this to the John and off we dinced to Gig Gear in Harlow (mega music store with hundreds of guitars to choose from) to set me up with an instrument on which to learn. Initially I thought the choice would be overwhelming but then this bright blue specimen spoke to me and I had to have it. Fortunately for John it was not one of the expensive ones and was duly purchased, along with complimentary set of strings and a handful of plectrums.

Even as we loaded it into the car, the guy from the music shop called me to see if I wanted to sign up for further lessons. He must be psychic! I was so impressed with his swift follow up that I agreed to 7 lessons, to commence this coming Monday.

In the meantime I am learning the exercises he gave me, diligently plucking away twice a day for 20 minutes or so – I’ve even cut the nails on my left hand really short to make holding the strings down easier. And I’m getting there. And I’m really enjoying it too.

So that’s a result.

Chestnut Avenue finally came about…003001 Close up… 100_3167And from the other end…100_3166 100_3164 100_3163 These last three being taken only a couple of days sooner but the difference is very noticeable. Though am not convinced that any of these these pics really do it justice. Still, gives you a flavour/some idea of what I was raving about. Maybe. The last one is, if nothing else, an interesting shot of a moody sky, a fork in the road – with a signpost – and the best side of my car.

The veggie patch is coming along…003 Really looking forward to sampling some of the broad beans. Love ’em. Have added some marigolds for colour along the front edge. There’s lots of buds waiting for the sun to appear and open them up so will do another pic when we have some blooms.

Extra radish and courgette have been planted in pots…004 005 Along with Nasturtiums…002 Which aren’t looking great but maybe with time..?.

And have hung up some bird feeders too…001 Already attracting some attention. Need more.

Lucky John has been given a car by a very nice man and good friend. It’s a very nice car…001 Which almost went through the MOT – just needs a couple of tyres, rear caliper freeing off and washer pump made to work. Nothing serious. We’ve sourced some very reasonable/inexpensive part worn tyres and, with luck, John will be able to fix the other stuff. He’s busy with that right now.

Speaking of tyres, cars and the fixing of…

Last Thursday I drove John to the airfield where he parks the aeroplane when down on the boat. He was ready to fly back to the fens for a day or two but the S10 had other ideas.

A flat tyre…005 Pumped it up but lost more air as we watched so was considered unsafe to fly. That is to say if flat by the time he came to land on the farm, unsafe to land, given the 10ft dyke on one side of the strip – you get the picture!! So off with the wheel…006 And off to the bike shop for a puncture repair kit. By this time the weather had deteriorated so went into Bishop’s Stortford to upgrade my phone at the 3 shop. I am now the proud owner of a Nexus 5 Android phone and, so far, am getting along very nicely with it – the old Samsung was about to die on me I suspect.

When we returned to the car park – guess what – my car also had a puncture!! Can you believe it, 2 punctures in as many hours.

When you live on a boat, the car boot tends to get packed out with stuff. Said stuff then has to be unpacked to get at the spare, which is stowed handily under the floor (and all the junk). My job then before wheel can be changed and John’s job after that.

Fortunately, the rain that soaked us when we arrived in BS had gone away so job done. Then I re-packed the boot. Really must have a sort out.

What a day.

And then there’s the little boat.

And when I say little… 100_3194_stitch Perhaps this picture gives you an idea of scale. It is standing next to a 60 footer  here, once you pick her out – just right of centre if you are struggling.

But more of that in the next post. Deserves one all of its own I reckon – lots of pics, progress made and ideas.

Coming very soon.

Tags: , , , , , ,

When is a Lemon not a Lemon..? (An antidote to all those marvellous boat fit-out blogs)

4 May

This is what we hope to find out.

But first, we need to do a little detective work, solve a few mysteries and partake in some tracking and tracing.

Stop talking in riddles I hear you say. What on earth am I on about?

Let me explain.

John has bought a little boat. A 25 footer…002

Made of concrete, or more correctly, ferro-cement, which we hope isn’t, but fear may well be, a pup/pig in a poke/lemon.

I plan to chart our progress (or otherwise) with pictures and words so do stay tuned and follow this scary journey, this being the first instalment, I suspect, of many.

She was filled with water when we first looked at her; the tiny wood stove being knee-deep in it…100_3100

And there must have been a few gallons under the engine…100_3101

See the paint can floating just the other side of the cabin door?

As the stern was completely open to the elements all winter, despite (interestingly) the entire rest of the boat being covered in a tarp…100_3104

 

It’s hardly surprising.

That’s what we told ourselves anyway.

It’s a real pretty boat though…078

If not a little unusual…006

The wooden frames on the roof are actually the bones of a windscreen that was started (but not finished) by the last owner.They have – we think – been designed to fit onto the woodwork that is fitted all around the stern.

It’s a feature I’m not sure about and, for now, am calling the garden fence. Time will tell though and it could be that, when finished, it’ll be the bee’s knees (John thinks so) or maybe an abomination of the first order (I’m leaning this way).

Someone else’s empties by the way.

First job for the John was to syphon out the bulk of the water, then we could employ my marvellous aqua vac to hoover up the rest. At least we’d then be able to properly see what we were up against.

Then I (being Mrs. Sensible) declared that we must remove all the shite and detritis, which we did by tossing most of it over the side – to be sifted through and sorted later…002 (4) 003 (3)

Now whilst this may look like a heap of junk/untidy mess to you and me, believe me, this is not out of place in this marina. Fits right in with the character of the place.

It’s John heaven. He will have hours of fun going through this lot at a later stage, no doubt discovering many treasures and a whole raft of things he didn’t know he didn’t want. Trust me and watch this space for future finds.

With Health and Safety being on the top of John’s list, he being its most ardent exponent, he set about constructing a secure boarding platform…004 (2)

I doubt he would have bothered but, needing Mrs Mop here on board (in every sense), realised this was essential.

Naturally, I am now reassured so here goes…100_3099

Into the abyss.

We took these out before John started drinking…005 (2)

And this…081

Full of course.

So, that done, what do we have?

Well, there was an engine under all that rubble…077

An air-cooled Lister SL3, which may be overkill but can’t wait to hear it run, though bits are missing or not connected so could be fun. John has already made a smart cranking handle…002 (5)

As yet, there is no battery.

A cosy cabin…067

Dresser/desk…071

Cooker…065

That works!…076

Nice butler sink…068

Although no hole cut to cupboard below, let alone pipes.

Have you spotted a theme yet? As in lots of things started but not finished.

A future shower/wet room…070

Opening windows…066

And the stove may be tiny…064

And needing much TLC, not to mention some serious wire brushing and stove paint.

But it works wonderfully well…004

We are keeping it in as much as possible in order to dry out the boat’s insides.

It’s doing a damned good job of it so far, though some of the woodwork is going to need attention – nothing a good scrub/coat of paint won’t fix.

My home-making tendencies and talents are crying out to be employed – I can make this ship good and ship-shape, cosy and home – and am keen to get cracking on it.

But.

The water has been syphoned and hoovered but still seems to seep back into little pools on the floor.

This is where the detective work comes in. Is it just innocent and slow running, to stop once it is ready?

Or do we have a leak?

To be fair, the little concrete boat does have a bit of a history according to the boys around here that knew its previous owner. Apparently it cruised down from Bishop’s Stortford to here – no more than 4 miles – then was rather hastily hauled onto the slipway as was taking on water.

So, is it a lemon? Our latest discovery would have one thinking it is…002 (3)

The jury is still out but BB is getting that sinking feeling.

What do you think?

 

 

Tags: , , ,

Down on the Farm, Pottering, Out and About – and a Project

28 Apr

One of the many delights of living on a farm; you never know what you will see next…001

In amongst the works in progress on the hard.

Is that really a big black bull…?004

Why, yes it is…005

A big black bull called Callum, as it happens, that the farm owner has been angling to get her hands on for ages.

He is being trained and taught some manners…006008

A rare breed indeed…011

And I don’t mean John.

I just love the young of the Highland Cattle – like little teddy bears…006014010

So damn cute.

We have lambs too…

013

Take a closer look…016019

Been doing a little gardening today, working on the pots of colour in the cratch…001

And on the bow…002

I ran out of compost so the ones for the deck will have to wait for another day.

Am delighted the radishes are shooting…003

We had to cover with the mesh as something was nibbling at them.

Great to think I shall soon be able to indulge my latest food fetish without swelling Mr. Tesco’s purse… Has to be a good thing.

My Aloe gave birth too…005

Aaahhh. Even if it does look like the logo of a well known sports brand.

I did get some shots of Ugley Woods the other day…005004006

Which, if I’m honest, I forgot I had. Though, as I said, the little bells not fully ringing just yet.

Though how such a pretty place can be called Ugley still beats me – has to be the best bluebell wood I’ve ever seen.

My tropical flower was feeling the cold…007

And headed briskly for the warmth of the car. It was chilly.

Sadly, the managing of the woods does not seem as on the ball this year – nettles and brambles getting in the picture.

This trotted by at one point on our country drive…026

And we passed this…027

Which amused us. Agricultural inventiveness at its best.

The pretty pink avenue of sweet chestnuts still not quite there – though only days away – so here’s a boring old white one to be going on with…022

 

023Majestic and magnificent. And out everywhere somewhere near you – unlike the pink jobs that keep us dangling.

Soon.

And as for the rape fields…036_stitch038_stitch2

They even make the pylons look good…029

Loving those moody skies.

And Hertfordshire country lanes, complete with the John person posing – for scale and perspective of course…060

Are superb. Proper.

How gorgeous is this mix…

053

What a wonderful time of year – even if I’m not cruising. Yet.

There’s an exciting boat related project going on right now though, which will be coming to this blog very soon.

I am busy amassing photos by way of before, during – and  eventually after. But some of the early ones are on John’s camera and, in the interests of doing things in the correct order, I must wait till they are transferred to my computer – soon I hope.

Can’t wait to share…

 

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Spring Fever

20 Apr

There’s no keeping a good boatbird down.

And this one has acquired another job to replace the one that was so mysteriously lost – see the previous post.

Easy go, easy come.

The best thing about it is, I can work for 12.5 hours a week without it compromising my beloved lifestyle on the water or time spent creatively.

I have discovered that I can do mornings after all and will have to modify this little plaque…001

I’m thinking of removing the N and the T.

I get up at 6am, at work by 7-7.30 and back on Hobo around 10.  So I have the whole day ahead.

From Thursday till Monday (inclusive) I do my stint of 2.5 hours each day, also doing the other job on Monday and Thursday – still home by 4 on these double days –  leaving me several hours of daylight to play write,  at this time of year, anyway. And Tuesday/Wednesday have become the new weekend.

Just call me a scrubber Mrs Mop. I’m cleaning at a restaurant in Sawbo, which is within walking/cycling distance and it’s suiting me fine. I’ve done the career thing, more than glad I’ve grown out of it and  happy to do a bit of cleaning to earn a crust. No office politics/responsibilities/teamwork involved. Just a little job.

The writing is of course my main aim and I will do whatever it takes to allow me to do this. Intersperse this with a smattering of boat maintenance, relaxation, having that crack at some creative painting (boat decoration), learning to play the guitar – the list is endless – and I’ll be more than happy.

There is a slight snag with cycling to work though. My poor little shopper…My Rusty Steed

Has seized over the winter so requires a little attention. It did start off under cover but somehow got chucked back in the hedge moved out again, unbeknown to me, so suffered the full force of the extreme wetness that was our winter.

The WD40 is being applied every day to the chain, now gradually freeing up, and brake cables have been bought ready for John to replace when next here. Should be OK, once the tyres are pumped up, and fit for use after that.

By then I will hopefully have shaken off this horrid cold that is currently plaguing me – first one for almost five years – so with full lung capacity once more and minus the hacking cough, I should be able to push the pedals round. I’ve been struggling to walk even (without wheezing and generally behaving like a very unfit 90 year old that has chain- smoked Marlboro all her life) but, with the aid of a bottle of expectorant that John made me buy, I am on the mend and rapidly improving.

Man flu has nothing on this spring fever, I can tell you.

John made the trip down on Monday afternoon and I picked him up from the airfield on the way home from job no. 2. Perfect.

He’s planted some radish and lettuce in the little patch that he hacked back and dug over on his last visit…006

See here soon (hopefully) for the new shoots bursting forth.

And we’re busy planning the next step.

We think we can cut a new path through here…005

So as to avoid the lake that forms in the dip when it rains…002 (20)

And then de-rubbish/landscape/plant the rest of this area. It could look so good.

Meanwhile, I shall obtain some colour for the pots and tubs…011 007 002

To pretty Hobo up a bit, by way of introducing a bit of spring loveliness to my immediate surroundings.

Speaking of which…

We passed this glorious little front garden the other day, just had to stop and snap…001

That put us right in the mood to re-visit beautiful Ugley bluebell woods once more but we were a little premature it seems, the little blue bells not being fully opened, so will have to go back.

You can have a look here  to see some super pics I took a couple of years back.

It’s such a great time of year, with all manner of plants and trees coming into their own.  Along one of the nearby lanes is an avenue of Sweet Chestnut trees and, any day now, they too will be showing off. Will do my best to be there at the right time and secure some snaps – they don’t last long but are glorious.

Back on the Fens, John has been shooting the daffodil fields (makes a change from rabbits) for me to stitch…100_3110_stitch

How’s that?

Happy Easter.

 

 

 

Tags: , , , ,

Where They Hung the Jerk Who Invented Work…

26 Mar

There’s been a lot going on since I was last here so much to report – if I can just figure out where best to start.

So let’s begin with a song, by way of a treat. Do have a listen, especially to the words…

Isn’t that something? Make you smile?

This is now the official Hobo tune; The Big Rock Candy Mountains, AKA The Hobo Song. How fitting.

Loving those lyrics and the guitar picking.

In fact we love it so much that it has inspired a theme for Hobo’s long-awaited sign-writing job. Watch this space.

Funny stories are always good and this next one is very recent. It’s one of those too good to be true tales with a sudden and perplexing ending.  And very definitely a short story.

I found myself a little job at the end of February…busy-office-worker-2225634

18 hours a week, to consist of some admin work for a nearby computer firm, plus writing their blog. Earning those much needed pennies, plus expanding on the writing experience – and getting paid for it – as was my aim at the top of the year. Perfect.

I settled into the office routine…images

Learned their ways and kept up to date with tasks as required, and worked on the blog from home. It was a very different sort of blogging to what goes on here, needing to be technical as, naturally, all about computers. Not something I have a great deal of knowledge of, me no sort of geek, so required much research. They liked my work, publishing both of my posts without alteration, pleasing me no end and proving I can do this, do it well and to a deadline.

On the third Friday in the job, I was given a glowing assessment and all seemed well. They were happy and so was I.

Come the following Thursday (last week) they called me at home to say my services were no longer required, not to go in the following day and they’d pay me till the end of the month. No satisfactory explanations were forthcoming, leaving me stunned and deeply puzzled…images (1)

Bizarre.

I hate mysteries that I can’t solve and can only conclude that the colleague who showed me the ropes did not take to me. That, coupled with the fact that when my predecessor recently called in with new baby, it was apparent that she and said colleague were the best of buddies, leading me to believe that maybe she wanted back in. A few unkind/untrue words and I’m toast. Binned. History.

That has to be a record, at just three weeks, beating even my brief career in farming…    Tell you about that sometime.

I’m not beating myself up though. In fact am enjoying life as I prefer it; choosing my getting up time,  setting my own deadlines and spending more time on the water. Suiting myself.

That said, I’m in touch with a restaurant just up the road, with regard to doing some work for them. This should keep the wolf from the door, while I seriously set about promoting my blog writing services.

I have a million and one (979 actually) more pics from John, now home, having accidentally ripped his entire SD card. Quite a bit of sorting/deleting to be done before I can upload them here but I’ll try and pick out some goodies before too long. Promise.

This being the tail end of his trip…100_3075

So, Boatbloke is back! Spent a very pleasant weekend catching up, eating out, walking along the Cam…

And unblocking the drains. Romantic eh?

Hobo has a long-standing – or stagnant – problem with waste draining from the kitchen sink. It has never been good, requires regular plunging but this winter even that wasn’t working. I poked and prodded with all manner of long enough, thin enough and flexible enough  implements, all to no avail and, much against my better judgement, resorted to the drain unblock-er gunk. That didn’t work either and just left me with a sink full of deadly poison, which wouldn’t even seep away slowly, and gave me nightmares about it melting the enamel off the sink.

I even resorted to crossing the river with the binos to see if the skin fitting was bunged up from the outside but couldn’t see a fish/duck/ lump of mud/body or whatever sticking out from the hole.

All down to some poor plumbing (pre-boatbird ownership) as after the U-bend the pipe narrows and actually goes uphill. Never going to work is it?

John to the rescue. We jump into the farm’s little row boat, armed with pokey things, and head for Hobo…100_2042

Curtain wire is the essential tool and, once John got us secure and adjacent to Hobo (he bravely standing in the unstable little boat and hanging on to the hand rail), I set about wiggling the wire. This soon released the blockage, which simply can’t be got at from the inside, and bingo – the sink was drained.

A lovely day for messing about on the river, albeit a bit chilly, and an opportunity to view Hobo from a different angle…100_2045

As we headed back to the slipway…100_2047

Pull!

Good fun and a result. Long term we need to fit a larger skin fitting that will take a bigger diameter pipe that doesn’t have to run uphill. Obvious really.

She’s due a blacking this year so, while she’s out of the water, that is what we’ll do. Even though I hate the thought of holes being drilled in boats.

We also managed to clear up  last year’s deck building debris, now the ground is drying up a little, and then got to grips with all the empty bottles, cans and other detritus. A very unsightly mountain that has nothing to do with BB. Honest.

Only insofar as it has been my onshore view forever. Not good.

John got busy with the secateurs and plans to burn the ever-growing mound of tree cuttings to make way for a bit of a veggie patch. I fancy some spring flowers under the willow hedge, as well as radish, beans, marrow…..  the possibilities are endless.

I have no pics of the before (too ashamed) but will chart the progress and the after here.

Can’t wait.

Tags: , , ,

Hills, Views, Caves, Stones, Bones and… a Space Turtle?

2 Mar

Our roving reporter is on the case again, sending more shots from his latest visit to the the west coast of South Africa.

They went walkabout into the wild and wide open spaces…100_2720_stitch

Around and about the area where Geoffrey currently lives and works.

They went up in the hills…Southern skies lodge from the hill opposite

And above the Rooibos tea fields…rooibos 1_stitch

They walked and climbed in the sweltering heat, which he said reached a staggering 47 degrees C on occasions, swimming in reservoirs to cool off.

John said he thought it was a bit hot!

They kept an eye open for caves, knowing the signs and getting a feel for finding them…100_2813

Large…bushman's cave

A bushman’s cave.

And small…caves, large and small

Complete with bones, this one. Click to enlarge and have a poke around.

They had a sleepover in one of them…100_2804

Cosy.

A room with a view…

100_2779Especially on a misty morning…cave 2_stitch

Wow.

But sadly no paintings to be found.

Been said John’s a bit of a caveman. Like father like son, I’d say.

Geoffrey douses the fire…

dousing the fire

Where they cooked up sausages and drank  beer. No stomach churning bush tucker trials here, though it’s hardly glamping.

There’s lots of these…100_2761

And these…100_2774

Not sure what either are called but some are found only in this area.

And here’s the space turtle…

Rocks eroded into wierd shapes, space turtle

Or, if your imagination is a little jaded, rocks that have eroded into weird and interesting shapes. 

I don’t expect there’s too many of these about. What do you see?

Speaking of rocks…100_2493

A rare collection of treasures…Nature table R

I imagine the bulk of these were collected by the boys but if I know John, he will have had a hand in a few of them.

He loves all that archaeological stuff. Hand axes, digging stones and so on. John just has a knack of stumbling on these relics and cannot go anywhere without bringing back nature’s souvenirs.

He will spend hours perusing these in museums. We have some fun days out.

We have some back at the bus too – spoils from previous years – obviously irresistible to the John.  

Even back in the UK, we’ll go for a walk and he’ll end up with a pocketful of bits and bobs. Sometimes he even picks up washers, nuts, bolts, rubber bands or other such useful items, which he hands to me like presents to be cherished. And I do,  of course.

Maybe it’s a condition with a name – like Tourette’s. But quieter.

Bless.

Unlike me, John is very much a morning person and captured this…Klipspringer at dawn

Klipspringer – a small African antelope – at dawn.

Some of the panoramas are 2/3/5 or more pics that I’ve stitched together. That really is such clever software.

Now John knows I can do this, he is taking snaps with stitching in mind and I look forward to the next batch.

This one has to be my current favourite…view 1_stitch

Stunning.

Don’t forget, you can click on any of these images to bring up to full size. A further click will enlarge that particular area of the photo, should you wish to see even more detail.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →