None of these will be going on board

If you look closely (it is safe to do so honest) you will see that a not so incy wincy spider has made a mistake. He arrived whilst we were having supper and not over night as they normally do. Whilst you might expect this sort of thing down under you do not expect it in Yorkshire. He survived a flushing but a spot of bleach got rid of the surface tension so he plummeted to the bottom where he stayed alive for a further 10 minutes or so. He disappeared alive and kicking on the second flushing. Now this is all well and good but I am having a compost toilet on the boat ...

Dearly beloved set off on an awfully big adventure. A motorbike trek to Scotland with a mate from Hexham. His first since the accident March 07. He has had to take the Elephant as it is the only one of his bikes that has an electric start as he can't kickstart with his leg. Another plus is that it is in one piece. The others are all roughly in the same state as the nearest one which he is letting his mate have to restore again. Both are too long for the front deck anyway. We need something a bit smaller and nippier.



And dare I say it a bit more reliable?

We do indeed have sides

but as yet no bows as we needed to discuss them in some detail.

So it appears I have a backside.

Two sides

But no front

I've been told in the past that I have plenty of front so I don't know where it has gone to.

In the discussions today I have had to concede on the following:-

No hopper around my weed hatch.

Potters cabin has gone for a burton due to necessity of enough space for bike on front deck as well as plenty of storage for anchor etc etc

but I have gained a gas locker in the side of the boat. So exciting I now need to run out and purchase a gas bottle so that we can get the dimensions just right (I presume I don't need to get a full one just yet - is there a shelf life on gas?)

I have been measuring bike lengths what is average for a bike small and light enough to fit on a boat and carry two people? Rob's range from 7feet to 5.5feet but none of them are suitable.

Forgot to mention

That the night before the IWA festival I decided to bath the cat. I've been meaning to for a couple of months now (no need to rush these things) as it appears she likes to spend time with a horse stabled in a garage up the road a bit. Either that or she just rolls around in his manure heap! I know the smell of horse as until recently I had one of my own. I like the smell on a horse not so keen on a cat whilst I am trying to watch tv! Anyway I ran the bath, tested it with my elbow and went to fetch a towel and shut the cat flap then various doors. The dear thing didn't suspect a thing. She accompanied me into the bathroom and I shut the door. At this point things didn't follow their usual plan as far as she was concerned. Instead of me in the bath she found herself in it. I must have got the temperature right as she wandered around in it mewing quietly to herself and generally accepted her bath.

Do I see a definate 'look' on her face?

I then compounded the horror and indignity by putting that flea stuff behind her neck (nearly strangling her in the process) the next morning before feeding and letting her out and then running away giggling to the IWA festival for the day.

IWA Festival

Well I have just returned from a busy day at the Festival. I took some cash specifically for two items to bring back with me and intentions to place orders for others. Well I spent a fortune on an engine. Wasn't expecting to pay a deposit straight away but with that discount you can't say no!! Didn't find an ecofan because there were no chandlers on site. I thought there might be one on the stove supplier's stand but if there was one it wasnt obvious. I searched high and low for the COBB stand and I even asked at Lost Property but I don't think they were there on Sunday cos I couldn't find them anywhere. My legs were exhausted so I returned to Mel's stand hoping for a sit down and a chat about my build but he only had one chair. I ousted him from it but as we were discussing boat anatomy we kept getting up and looking at the picture board so I didn't really get any rest. Still I have discovered that I apparently have sides. Will call in on Wednesday to check the veracity of this and discuss shape of bow.

So to clarify I now have baseplate, pigeon boxes, sides, an engine, python drive, alternators and an hospital silencer. No more noisy hospitals the bane of canal travel.

I have decided against the induction hob and will have a gas one, I will probably have a 12v fridge rather than a domestic one so I can switch the inverter off when not required. I might have to paint the roof cream for the solar panels rather than the black I was planning on. Have discussed LED lighting at length and met Terry Darlington and his lovely wife. Busy busy busy.

I'm so excited tra la la la la ...

I have stepped on my baseplate.

And look here are two of my three pigeon boxes already started!!!

My life is nearly complete. Okay so I need a bit of narrowboat to slot in in between these items but it is thunderbirds are go

So many people to talk to at the IWA festival with possibly me actually placing orders for stuff this time around instead "in a couple of years time I will be back".

Lists of lists my brain hurts ...

First photo attempt - just practising.

Dik Dik spotted a bottom of Bascote Locks July 2008

They are notoriously shy!!!

Actually before I got my camera out the d*mn*d thing was full frontal in the clearing but c'est la vie

Okay nothing to do with the boat build but ...

I too can rant with the best of them. I do not do it often admittedly being a gentle soul always seeing both sides of the argument etc etc.

So today’s rant mainly occurred because I had reached the limit of my tether …

Last night I fetched son and friend from their gig in Doncaster. Left home at 11.30 got to Doncaster at 12 midnight by 00.20 was getting fed up driving around and around not finding the street I was after or indeed any of the others I had carefully written out to help with my directions. Not that keen on Doncaster at the best of times but at night with all those vampires and werewolves etc stepping out in front of demented woman not looking at road but up at street signs … you get the picture. Found a quiet street, phoned son and he said was difficult to find so where was I and they would walk and find me. We were finally reunited at 1.30am. By this time my tether was getting fairly short. The venue had locked up their equipment and gone home so they would have to return today to fetch it. With hindsight (assuming it is all still there) this was probably a good thing. I noticed no1 son was a little the worse for wear but did not realise the full extent of it … Vomitsville… in my lovely new car. Luckily friend had better control but it still took me ages to get home stopping at least 4 times en route.

At the village outskirts I threw them out of the car and said they could walk from there in the vain hope that by the time they got home they could be allowed indoors. I am such a caring mother. Got home and cleaned car as best as possible in the dark. I then walked back to find them. They hadn’t got far in fact they had fallen asleep where I had left them although they were now sitting on the kerb propping each other up. Like little book ends with no books between them. Friend virtually carried son home although he really wasn’t in a much better state than my little precious one at least he kept saying sorry and thank you for coming back to fetch them etc etc. Took us half an hour to travel what normally takes 10mins!!!

Son was made to strip off before coming indoors and by morning we decided clothes were destined for the bin. I got into bed at 3am and probably got about 2 and half hours total sleep.

ANYWAY car was rank the next morning so I took it to be valeted and left it there for the day. Bestest boy could go fetch his stuff by bus I felt that that was a suitable punishment with a hangover.

Picked up the car at 4.30pm pretty good job all in all but the seatbelt still a bit wiffy but I can deal with that. Thought as I am in town will bank that cheque that has been burning a hole in my wallet for a while. As I walked from the car to the Bank I was behind two FAT SLAGS (Possibly mother and daughter) the younger one carefully put a carrier bag in between the wall and a fence. LITTER BUG. My Dander was well and truly up so I grabbed the bag and asked why? Boy they are scary women all long nails with diamonds in and probably all things unmentionable pierced. I was offered to eat her Pasty but as she wasn’t carrying one I declined. I was also told to f*** off back where I came from as despite living here since 1985 I am obviously not a local. I said that they were a disgrace to humanity and walked off in front and when I found a bin I put bag in bin and called attention to the fact ‘saying see how easy that was?’ (Playing with fire or what?)

So when the little lass in the bank asked what kind of day I had had I told her she really didn’t want to know but proceeded to tell her. She said what is the name of your son I said she wouldn’t know him but she said that a friend of hers had been playing at a Gig in Doncaster last night so I told her and she knew him very well in fact had gone out with the friend. Small world or what so I got my own back on son again by giving her graphic details of his state to embarrass him. Oh that made my day I set off home smiling again.

Let this be a warning to son’s everywhere ‘Do not mess with or in a Mother’s new car …’