Spy an old friend...

What a day of sunshine and showers. Well it is April still I guess. Up and about earlyish today with a few jobs to do. By the time the first couple of showers had passed by, Deb was well into the cleaning. I was unbolting  part of the aft deck to try and get a closer look at the electrolyte level in the five leisure batteries that power everything from the pumps to get the water out of the taps to the TV and satellite box. The reason I am reluctant to buy new batteries straight away is that living aboard a boat you just can't charge batteries how they need to be done and so they don't last as long. If it's windy the wind generator charges a bit, if its a warmer day the fridge will work harder and use more power.

The batteries were filthy, none of the 30 cells were too low but each were checked and topped up a little. It sounds like quite an easy job but you need to be a contortionist to get to some of them and it took the best part of two hours with my head about a foot below the rest of me.

I think we must have been stopping for the odd shower/tea break at the same time ever day as the neighbours are getting used to popping round.

Did someone mention shortbread biscuits?

We tried to go out for a walk and a late lunch picnic but after no more than about half a mile Deb had realised that she had left the camera on the roof so we made a quick retreat and ate back aboard. 

Although we hadn't planned to move anywhere quite yet we had always said that we would avoid weekends if possible as it was logical that the waterways would be busy. We certainly weren't wrong there has been a steady stream of boats in both directions nearly all day even lat into the evening.

Whilst I was enjoying a patch of sun before starting again on the log pile I spied an old friend... Sarah Louise, not strictly an old friend but our first hire narrowboat from Lime Farm Marina just the other side of Rugby. It's all because of Sarah Louise that we are here today (wonder if this weeks residents will have their own boau this time next year)

The weather cleared up sufficiently to try the walk out again before dinner and were greeted on our return by a beautiful setting sun.

Tomorrow - a day trip to Oxford