Narrowboat Alacrity

Having had Alacrity for 19 years now Jo and I have decided to refit the saloon.

The saloon has a fixed “L” shape dinette which converts to a double bed since there are just the two of us and the dinette isn’t that comfortable. We were thinking of stripping it out in favour of free standing furniture. I was also thinking along the lines of a real wood floor with rugs.

We have been looking at The Ikea “Poang” armchairs with footstools,  we first saw them in a cottage we rented in York, and after a day doing touristy things they were great to relax in. Ikea give them a 25 Year Guarantee and they are a flat pack item so no worries about getting them in (embarrassing moment with the new fridge and door saga necessitating removal of door frame and some skin).

We would also need a table possibly a folding one or one that hinges out from the side. anyone got any ideas?

As to the floor I’m torn between a fully real wood floor or one with an engineered core and a 5mm real wood veneer given the changes in humidity and temperature I’m not sure which, more research needed.

Well we have just got up for Christmas Breakfast,

“You must have had a good party” I hear you say.

Well no erm  yes we got to bed at about 5am but not from a party.

Earlier on Christmas Eve I went and picked the mother in law up to spend Christmas with us as you do, All had gone well with a tasty meal and some wine ( not too much ) we had watched some TV and dozed off. Come 11 o’clock it was decided that we were too tired to go to Midnight Mass at the village Church. Vi (the mother in law) went to go to bed whilst Jo and I made a drink we had just gone into the kitchen when Crash bang wallop I shot out of the kitchen to find Vi in a heap at the bottom of the stairs………..First thoughts from the position and colour that she was well to put it bluntly dead.

999 Jo I shouted, Vi moaned, thank God shes at least still with us, 5 minutes later the fast response paramedic was with us ” We can’t move her yet until the ambulance arrives” she said and started to examine a very dazed and totally out of it Vi ……..The ambulance arrived and so began the job of extracting Vi from the hallway without demolishing the fish tank, with her on a spinal board taped to head blocks and done up like the proverbial turkey.

We rode in the ambulance with Vi as we would both have been over the limit to drive. Just like “Casualty” as we arrived we were told to “Book her in and someone will be with you soon to explain” Well for a Christmas Eve around Midnight Casualty was a bit like the Marie Celeste patient wise. We booked Vi in and went off to find her she was being examined by the consultant who was possibly by now as confused as Vi was, because he was asking her questions to ascertain how bad her head injury was she was giving the correct answers but not necessarily in the order that he expected.

By now Vi was developing a pair of panda eyes courtesy of our skirting board.

After her Xray and with much deliberation it was pronounced that Vi had broken her shoulder and sustained mild concussion and would be kept in and re assessed so she would be going up to a ward and we should phone tomorrow to find out more.

Have you ever tried to find a Taxi on Christmas Day they are rarer than hens teeth and twice as expensive………..well we got home totally knackered  said Merry Christmas to each other and crashed into bed……………..