Porthole design

for the bathroom and loo. Hopefully a wonderful artist will be transforming my pencil drawing into a fabulous stained glass porthole. x 2.

I was thinking I was going to have to have a go myself at glass staining and wasn't looking forward to it as the results would not have been spectacular but on a trip down to Beacon Boats to pick Ally's brains there was just the person I was looking for. Seek and thou shalt find you know ...

Examples of her work can be found at www.purpleglass.co.uk

Tomorrow I will actually be assisting in the fitting out of my own narrowboat. Shock horror. I was told to bring sandwiches but instead I think we will call in to Welbeck Farm Shop/Garden centre/Cafe for a warm and some hot soup.

Will now go and look out layers of the thermal variety I am going to look so elegant ...

The fit out commences

Well he has to get into the boat first doesn't he!! So some good steps are required.

Those are my ballast bricks. They are engineering bricks but not grey ones but hey ho once in no one will know.

Called in to see Macuba my horse on my way home. Well she was mine until April 07. She has remained in her field and her new owner lives backing on to the field so she is much better looked after. I wonder whether she remembers me at all or if anyone calling and waving food would do? Since I owned her for 10 years I hope she remembers me. :(

Glad to say she is looking well anyway.

She's out! Hooray

And wasn't it a lovely day for my girls first outing?


Well it was up until lunchtime. Rob and I bought some lunch from a deli and found a layby on a lovely country lane with view to die for to eat it in after a visit to Derby for some bolts (as you do).

We set off again and within ten minutes were involved in an almost head on collision with a large 4x4 pulling a trailer of logs. Minimal damage to cars but still a right royal pain to deal with especially as headlight not working so Rob will not be able to drive in the dark. I really don't like single track country lanes ...

A nice touch

Mel has very sweetly put a bobcat into the rudder. Although some people have apparently been a bit disparaging about it, saying it looks more like a fox etc etc - I think it is great. He has also made the rudder a bit like a schilling rudder so I hope it helps me with my reverse steering?

Thanks to Daniel from the canal forum for bringing the subject up when he converted Emilyanne's rudder http://www.snb-emilyanne.blogspot.com







My engine is in place. When I wondered how long I would be able to keep the engine bay clean I didn't realise it would be dirtied before I got my hands on it!!

















And they have cleverly worked out how to fix the bike lock onto the boat. It can go in either corner so there are two dimples in the deck for screwing into. I have thought of another use for those dimples.

Fix a screw/bolt on the ends of two short poles. Screw into place and somehow fix a table on top for alfresco dining? Sort of like the desmo legs.







Sadly the boat was still in the shed because on Thursday Mel's daughter's horse got colic and died on the way to hospital in Liverpool. Such a shame. I know pretty much how she must feel as Cesca had to be rushed to hospital after the car hit us. At least I was able to get to York to see Cesca before she was put down as I was the one to make the final decision that it wasn't fair to try and mend her. It is far far worse for Mel's daughter because the horse didn't make it.
RIP

Nearly there now

They have started painting the primer on now. The roof is done

and the inside

I am so pleased that my gas locker doesn't take up too much space in the cupboard on the inside. I should be able to have about a foot deep shelf in there.

How long will I be able to keep the engine bay looking this clean?

So basically they think that this time next week it will be out in the yard ready for us to start fitting! (and I mean that in all ways!)

And great news I have a mooring and I could if I so desired walk to it from home. This of course is extremely unlikely especially as I imagine when I want to go to the boat I will have loads of stuff to carry! But I have walked it in the past and I have also cycled it. However it is not recommended as the path goes over the railway (up and over) and then there are several stiles to hoike your bike over and a muddy field to attempt riding through. Very annoying as this is actually a designated bridlepath so you don't expect stiles.

In fact I tried riding it a couple of years ago and the four of us (two humans two horses) milled around on the railway line before deciding that we really couldn't get the horses over the stile on the other side let alone off the line at that point due to the steps and the steepness. At this point a local farmers wife came out to us in a bit of a panic and told us that horses couldn't go that way anymore but the council wouldn't down grade it to a foot path because cyclists could still use it. I ask you ... Bridleway not suitable for horses bit like towing paths not suitable for horses!

Still they have now at least put a stile on our side as well so that no other long distance riders like ourselves can get onto the line and not get off again before the next train comes through. Whoosh kersplatt

I've fallen in front of a train in the past and bruised my little finger I don't think I would get away with it again.

Hatches to the left of them, Hatches to the right

of them etc

So I have a large back hatch (no comments please)

An extra large side hatch

apologies for photo quality



A front hatch (see earlier postings for this one)

two normal side hatches (not quite complete so no photo)

And piece de resistance A gas hatch










open










and closed

for those that know me closed is often the way ...

Ho hum

Very tired now as it has been a long day. Work in the morning, visit to boat in early pm (lunch a packet of crisps and an apple) then visit to Redhill Marina for some useful advice and promise of help. As we couldn't turn right back to the motorway we had to turn left and go via Nottingham in rush hour. So 3/4 hour down 2 hours back. By 7pm I was deciding lunch had not been sufficiently nutritious.

Stressed - who needs a holiday?

Ideally I shouldn't have booked my week away in October. I knew it would lead to trouble ...

So what with my fitters going awol and me suddenly having to do a 'self fit out' (Ok by self I mean Bryan down the road!) October was already proving to be a stressful month. I set off for my weeks jaunt down on the Oxford Canal and arrange to meet up with Bones and Maffi. Whilst trying to organise this my faithful mobile goes weird on me and decides first of all that 3de and f are not allowed quickly followed by 6mn and o. I receive a text which I assume is from Bones confirming or denying that they are indeed going to meet us but my phone keys to unlock the phone also go on 'holiday' so I think okay I will switch phone off and on again. Ooops I have to put a code in everytime I switch phone on and of course one of my numbers is on that side of the phone. By pulling the front of the phone off and nifty use of a pen I manage to get code in and receive message. I also make a note of Bone's number so I can maybe use someone elses phone!! I send her a message without using various 'forbidden' letters which now include wxy and z. By this time Bones thinks I am a total weirdo! On this basis alone they made the effort to meet us and an enjoyable meal was had. Perhaps the food didn't match up to the previous meal I had had there but I enjoyed the company anyway. This week I finally got my new phone. It is lovely has a standby time of up to two weeks and talk time of 7 hours. Together with my upgrade allowance and a £10 top up it cost me minus £5. BUT Best of all it has an alternative colour of Burnt Orange which matches my little Panda and today I decided to wear an Orange Summer Dress over Black jumper and Black leggings. Everyone thought I was a little hyper and giddy today. Still as of today all my Vat returns are done.

Anyway I get back after two weeks of not seeing my boat build fully expecting a complete boat but no. The steel for the sides had arrived 10minutes before I did - in fact I had to pull into a farm gate to let the lorry back up the lane.


So here they are moving the sheets into position at the side of the boat on Monday 27th October









To be fair they had however done some fiddly bits like my finger grips on the hand rails and also they had got their heads around attaching the bike ramps to the boat. The rod fits into a hole in the cabin side and has a drop in doo dah on the other side. The bike ramps (two of - one for bike wheel and tother for feet) slide onto the rod and can be positioned as required. It doesn't matter if the bank is above or below the boat.






I returned today 30th October to discuss depth and size of the big hatch and I now have my pigeon boxes fitted and cabin sides - all the requirements of a boat




and my nifty gas locker. Don't my gas bottles look sweet peeking out? One is a little shy hence it is turned away from the camera. All together now ...

Aaah