Fridge pickup...

Fridge pickup...

After a pleasant few days we made off for the chandler's to pick up the fridge. We had agreed with them that we would leave it a few days because we thought they would be too busy on sale day. It's strange really, they didn't do too much to advertise the sale day and as a result the shop was pretty quiet, and we thought we would be queueing up at the door. 

Midland's wharf is directly opposite Braunston junction and a boats length from a water and rubbish point so it can get quite busy. We had to turn away from the wharf, towards the centre and reverse in so we would be heading in the right direction when we left. Whilst we were mooring up there was a boat filing with water, two waiting and a wide beam coming through the junction. We decided we weren't desperate for water and would fill up at the top of the Buckby flight. 

At the chandlers wharf

Precious commodity this water

Loo emptied, rubbish dropped off, fridge and a few other bits picked up we left Braunston and headed up the locks. A warmer dry day but still a chilly easterly wind. The lock gates were heavy but the paddles not to difficult to turn. It was slow going though as the pair of boats in front of us were on a bit of a go slow. 1.40 for six locks. 

Bottom lock from bottom...

... and top

We watered up at the top of the Buckby  flight before going down just one lock by the still closed New Inn and back to where we moored 363 days ago, spooky eh?  Next job would be putting the fridge in. 

There is a fair bit of road noise from the motorway and of course we are back in virgin train territory but it is a pleasant mooring spot. Nice wide grassed towpath with fields behind and more farmland opposite. Little cottages look over the canal, all with pedestrian access only, with a somewhat grander property with windy willows. 

The wind certainly is in the willows today!

Mother nature gets out her crayons

The new fridge installation isn't just a case swapping over new for old, the 12v wiring is far too substandard for the fridge that needs chunky wire to stop voltage drop between it and the battery bank. The rule of thumb is about 1mm sq per metre distance between the two. So we had to also buy 28m of rather expensive cable as well. The batteries and fridge just happen to be on the same side of the boat as virtually all our storage cupboards. So to route the cable we had to take out everything from the kitchen cupboards, remove the bathroom storage shelving, both wardrobes and storage underneath and all the office cupboards! Most of which has now gone back away but unfortunately my puny cordless drill isn't up to the job of drilling through the bulkhead into the engine room to make the final connections, a job for the boat yard me thinks. 

The downsides to living in a small space

Yes we even had to take the oven out to get new wires in

Next blog may well be a review of River Canal Rescues service as the engine has decided that it has had enough of holding onto its antifreeze :(