Feels a kinda slow week

...In other news Dudley is spending his last day with his gonads tomorrow. We've tried explaining to him but I'm not sure he's understood. It'll come as a bit of a shock as he'll be going to his favourite squeaky toy shop vets, I wonder if the experience will put him off it at all.

Read the rest of this blog entry HERE

One day left with my whats?

Whoa! That was a pretty intense weekend!

Just a quick one! Boat painting. 

I'll no doubt add more to this post by way of a part two (or more!)

So paint on boats, No#1 it protects the steel from corrosion. There's absolutely no point in having a nice shapely new boat with loads of thought into how it's going to be used, and not protect the bugger from the nasty British weather.

To read the rest of the blog, flip over to The Pen Maker's Journey HERE

So What Is Paul Building For Us?

The Pen Maker's Boat Mk 2 - Narrowboat Ernest is taking shape!

So here's the vision... A full length (or there abouts) trad tug. Think quite industrial looking rather than Rosie and Jim.

Our inspiration boat, only no false rivets on Ernest

Read the rest on The Pen Maker's Journey

Life after Saharan nights

Whilst it's definitely nicer to have slightly cooler weather there are down sides.

Stripping and varnishing the front stable, double doors on Lois Jane, I find myself casting an eye upwards far too frequently waiting pescemistically for the first blobs of rain. 

So far so good and no rain but also very little sun for the solar panels to charge our batteries and power tools. I guess we can't have it all ways.

Lower solar amps in, and resulting lower percentage battery capacity leads to more sketches, notes and workings for power systems and usage on NB Ernest. It's time to revisit my power audit spreadsheet and see what we anticipate using in the way of battery power as both 12 volt and 240 volt. The power system in NB Ernest is going to be wildly different from what we're used to, lots to learn and quite a bit to unlearn too.

Deb and I have spent some time apart this week. Probably further than just about any other time this year. Whilst I've been varnishing at the bow, Deb has been paining at the stern. 

Laid out on the swim my query of "having a little sleepy?" resulted in a few well chosen, but rather rude words. I promptly did as suggested and went forth to the bow to carry on varnishing and left Deb to finish priming out the engine hole. 

We've still got plenty of time (and plenty to do) until Ernest is ready for the (part) fitter. There's also a delay on the engine side of things, the guys are waiting for the injector pump to be rebuilt and tested. 

Paul has a couple of preplanned jobs coming into the yard over the next couple of weeks which will slow things down for us nicely.  As we're less likely to be needed for a while we're off at the weekend doing a bit of boating aiming for Stone to get within easy traveling distance of a training course I need to attend the weekend after. 

Next blog, what Paul's building for us... promise 😀

Dudley wondering where his rear deck floor has gone.

Dudley can't quite get the reasons behind why Deb is down there

Deb apparently definetely not having a little sleepy