Burgers, beer but...

Bu**er all sun! Well it is bank holiday so I think the burgers can stay in the freezer a couple more days.

We've travelled all of about two miles today, had the engine running for the washing machine and fancied a change of view. That's what I like about keeping everything shipshape , untie a couple of knots and your off! In fact Deb was still in her jim-jams reading her latest free kindle book when I announced our imminent departure!

Weather for the last couple of days has been quite reasonable, the sun really hot when it was out and a good 80 amp/h coming from the solar panels. With the inside temperature far cooler the old 240v fridge has been a lot happier as well.

The slightly autumnal weather had increased my need to get some jobs done. So first little job was to repair the chimney cowl. Sounds more than it is really (if it was on the house it probably would be an all day job for a builder and no change from £300 at south coast prices!) only needing a rivet drilled out and replaced with a bolt. That reminds me of one of the fringe festival jokes this year, 'I was talking to the skipper of this really old working boat, asking how it was all held together...it was riveting!' OK I may have changed it  bit!

Now all in one piece

 Deb up on t'roof

Next job was to stop the rot in some of our wood work. Plank and poles are 12 years old with some damage where the paint was no longer. As well as that we always said LJ was too blue. Not only is the whole boat painted blue but so are the plank and poles, satellite dish and even the back of the wind gen! We will probably end up painting the non slip parts of the roof a mid grey colour and paint the roof boxes, satellite, wind gen, poles and plank the same colour but for now they are all stripped, sanded and primed/under-coated.

I know I will regret starting as soon as the scraper is out

Now for the long pole

Ready for top coat 

It was nice and peaceful out painting, not as many boaters as I expected. And there was no road noise from what ever A road is the other side of the field... that's because for the last two hours the traffic has been nose to tail waiting to get I to Drayton manor! I took a photo to remind myself why they are there and I am here :-)

We are moored at Curdworth bottom lock. We've passed it a couple of times out walking or on the bikes and it looked a pretty place. There's a couple of old lock keepers cottages and a small terrace of workers cottages, both of which looked a lot nicer in the sunshine. And to keep Deb busy we are between a lock and winding point! A raised track separates us from one of the water park ponds (I may even get up early and take some early morning pics if the weather improves). Of course Deb has just put the final nail in the bank holiday weather by putting the washing out, openeth the heavens!

Curdworth bottom lock

 that's it get the brolly out!